In 1814, Napoleon commissioned a large house in New Orleans on Chartres Street, the site now known as Napoleon House. The lower level, which opened directly onto the street through swinging doors, was used for business. The living quarters were located on the second and third floors. At the top, Girod built an octagonal cupola from which he could observe the bustle of New Orleans harbor. By this time, Napoleon’s fortunes had changed. Following the disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812, Napoleon was defeated in 1813 by a coalition of Great Britain, Russia, Austria, Prussia, and Sweden. He abdicated a year later and was exiled to the Italian island of Elba, only to escape nine months later and reclaim his title. Napoleon’s return galvanized old enemies. They clashed again in Belgium, where Napoleon was finally defeated in the brutal Battle of Waterloo. According to Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne’s Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte, in 1815 Napoleon confided to his friend Antoine Marie Chamans, the Count de Lavallette: “If they don’t want me to stay in France, where should I go? To England? My abode would be ridiculous or disturbing… America would be more suitable; I could live there with dignity.”
