NAP OLE ON

A N D

H I S M A R S H A L S .

B Y J . T . H E A D L E Y .

I N T W O V O L UM E S .

VO L . I .

E LE V E NT H E D I T I O N .

N E W -
Y O R K
‘

B A K E R A N D S C R I B N E R ,

36 P a rk R o w and 1 45 N as s a u S t r eet .
 E n te red , a cc o rd ing to A c t o f C o ngr ess , in t he year 1 846 b y
.

B A KE R AND SCR IBNE R

!n the Clerk O ffi c e D is tric t C o ur t for th e S u umem U ie ic t N ew Y o r k
’
s o f t he of .
 G ENE RAL WINFI E L D S C O T T,

W HO SO N O B LY S U STA INED TH E H O N O UR O F O UR AR M S .

DUR I N G THE L A ST W AR ,

AN D A T CHI PP EW A A ND ’
L UN D Y S L A N E
'

ON M A N Y A FIE R C E F O U GHT B A TT L E FIE L D

- -
,

E XH IBITED TH E ! UA L I IE T S O FA GR E A T C OM M A NDE R , AND TH E

HE R O IS M AND DE V O TI N O O FA PATR IOT

T H E S E V O L U BI E S

ARE R ES P ECTF U LLY INS C R IB E D , BY

TH E A UT HO R .
 L IST OF PLATES .

F
A CI N G

I . N AP O L E O N As A GENE RAL

II NAP O L E O N
. As E M PE RO R

III MAR SH AL
. D A V O U ST 1 14

IV MAR S H A L L AN NES
.

V M A R SH A L MA CD O N AL D

VI MAR SH A L
. S O ULT
 C O PWT E DWT S .

L
NA P O L E O N B O NA P A R TE .

A D efen c e of him ag a in st E ngl is h his t o r ia ns —A nalys is of his

c h ar a c er t —C u a s es o f h is s u c c es s — H is d thea

H .

SHA L BE RTHIE R
M A R .

D U K E F EUF C A E O CE
N F W AG A H T L . P R IN O R M

T he t l n t R l u ti d l p — C t i f t h M
a e s a ev o on ev e o s r ea on o e ar s hals

B t hi h t d hi t y — S l il q u y f N p o le o n
’
er er s c ar ac er a n s or o o O a

t
B er hie r
’
s d th
ea

HL
M A R S H AL A A U GE R E A U .

D UK E O F C A S TI GL I O E
N .

ea r ly life a nd c har ac ter — H is ca mp ai ns

g in I t ly— B ttl
a a e of

C as t iglio n e— B at tle o f A r c ola u

R ev ol u t io n o f t he 1 8 t h Fr u e

—H is
'

t id o r — C ha r g e at E yl a u t it
ra or o u s c on du t c a nd d is
g r ac e

IV
M A R SHA L DA V O U ST .

D UK E O F A U E R S TA DT . P R IN C E FE K U
O C M H L .

H IS c har a c t er — B attle of A u er s t ad t —C av alr y ac ti n

o at E c k m hl u
—R etr eat fr o m R u ss ia

V .

M A R S H A L S T . C Y R

H is l ife— C har ac t er —P r o fes s io n of a p a in t er — Com b at a t B ib e

r ac h —B a tt le o f P o lo tsk — B at t le O f D r esd en
w CONTENTS .

VL
M A R SHA L LA NNE S .

DU K E F O E E O O M N T B L L .

p
P r inc i le on whic h B p t h hi ffi
ona ar e C o se s o c er s —P as s ag e o f
d
L o i— B a le tt of M tb
on e el l o —B attle of M ar e n g o —S ieg e o f
S ar a g o ss a —B at tle of A s p er n , an d d thea of L ann es

VH .

M A R SHA L M O NCE Y
DUK E F C O O R N E GL I A N O .

ear l y lif — O p e er a ti i Sp i
o ns n a n —T he p r es en a t ti on by N a
po
l eo n of his son t o him a nd t he N at io n al u d —H i b G ar s no le

in b eha lf o f Ny R ec e t ion o p f N p l n b d y wh n
’
e ffor ts e a o eo s o e

b u ght f
ro rom St H l
. e en a

VIII .

MA R S H A L IM A C D O N A L D .

D UK E O F TA R E N T U M .

y l if —! u
ear l e arr el wi h t N p a ol eo n —H is p ass ag e of t he
Sp lu g n— C h g e ar e at Wa g r am — D efenc e at L ei p s ic — H is
c har ac er t

IX .

M A R S H AI . M O R TIE R .

D UK E O F T R E v r so .

e ar l y life— Char a c ter —B tt l e a of D ir nst ein — B ur n in g

M os c o w — B lowin g u p of t he Kr em lin —H is b r av er y
Kr as no i

X .

M A R S H A L S O U L T .

UKE D O F DA L M A TI A .

e ar l y c ar eer —C mp ig a a ns twi h M a s s en a —H is c har ac er t

B a le tt of A ump ig i Sp in—D th
s t er l i z t — H is fi t rs ca a n n a ea

of S i J hn M r — S t m i g f O p t —R t t f
o o or e or n o or o e r ea r om

P t u g l —B t t l
or f A lb u
a Sa d mp ign i Sp i
e o er a - ec o n ca a n a n

S i g f S t S b ti ni— S ult l t t u ggl f th E m

e e o e as a o
’
e as s r e or e

p m a
 P R E F A C E .

Of the ten sketches contained in this v olume ,

embracing Napoleon and nine o f his Marshals ,

two h ave appeared before Their reception a s

.
,

o riginally publi s hed in the A meric an R eview (wit h ,

one o r two others to b e in s erted in a secon d

,

volume ) d etermined the co m pletion o f the series

,
.

My chief de s ig n in the follo wing work h as been

to group together and il lustrate the dis tingui s he d
m en Bonapar te gathered around him and with ,

whom he O btained and held the v a s t power he

wielded . The might y genius of Napoleo n has s o
o ver s hadowed all t hese beneath him tha t they have
not received their due praise n o r their proper pla ce
”
,

in hi s tory Their merits have been co n sidered

.

mere reflectio n s o f his and to o ne intel lect and o n e

arm is attributed the vas t result s they accompli s hed .

But with wea k men Napoleon never could h ave

un s ettled Europe and founded and maintained his
,

Empire The Marshals who led his armie s and

.

overned his co n quered provinces were men of

g ,

native s tren gth and genius ; and as they stand

g rouped around their m igh ty chief they for,
m a

C ircle o f military leaders,

the like Of who m the
w o rld has never a t o ne time beheld To show what
.

—
these men were unfold th eir tru e characters a nd
ii PREFACE

illustrate their great qualitie s i t was necessary to ,

describe the battles in which they were engaged .

A m an is illustrated by his works —if an au thor ,

by hi s books — if a politician by h is civil acts and ,

s peeches — if a ruler by his administration o f public

,

a ffai rs and if a military m an by his cam p a i gn s

, ,

a n d battles To m ention merely the actions i n which

.

a military man ha s been engaged and the victories ,

he wo n withou t describin g the man ner in which

,

th ey were conducted and the genius wh ich gained,

them is like illus trating an author by givin g a lis t

,

of his works o r a rul er by nam ing over the

,

m easures h e suggested o r carried o u t .

In di fferent circumstances the s ame t alen t devel

Opes itself d ifier en t ly an d the in tellect o f France
,

d urin g Bonaparte s career found its proper sphere

’

o n the battle fi eld T he R evolution broke down all

-
.

the a ncient b arrier s o f privilege , an d left an Open

field to intellect and geniu s ; but tha t field j us t ,

then was a military o n e Crowds ru s hed u pon i t ;

,
.

the s trong t o win renown and the w eak to sink ,

.

The Mar s hals o f F rance were th e first fruits o f

that freedom I t was n o t animal courage nor mere
.
,

brute force tha t measured itsel f again s t the intellect

,

o f the world a nd came o ff victorious

,
O ur O p inions .

res p ecting these men have been as erroneous and

unj ust as they well could be for they ha v e bee n ,

regarded merely as ambitious warriors storming over ,

battle field s for glory We forge t tha t they were stern

-
.
 PREFACE . ifi

republicans — adopting the cause Of the people in the

darkest hour o f France and kne w well fo r what they
,

were fighting True they were no t religious men

.
, ,

n o r the bes t representa tion of p atr i ots m their m oral

C haracter But we do no t hesitate to h o nour those

.

ro u gh and severe characters who fought so bravely

for freedom in o u r o w n revolution ary struggle O ur .

n aval commanders in the las t war were not patterns

of moral men bu t they were O f her o es and patriots
,
.

Ethan A llen i s honoured none the less as a patriot

beca u se he w a s a n infidel , while the C h arge o f
French infidelity destroys all our sympathy for
French republicans The protracted struggle whic h
.

th os e men carried o n so triumph antly they kne w ,

perfectly well to be tha t o f liberty against despotism

— equal right s against privilege s They knew also .

they were waging a defensive wa r and o n every ,

grea t battle fi eld o n which they met their fees they

-
,

felt that Fr a n c e was the migh ty s take a t issue In .

stead o f bein g reckless men w a d in g through blood

,

to power there are but few ju s ter s t r u gles than

,
.

those in which they w o n their laurels ; and y et

A merican s who never weary of hanging wreaths
,

around the tombs of t heir successful military lea d ers ,

look with an unsympathiz ing eye on those brave

m en who fought for the sa m e rights and t o resist ,

the same aggressions .

I have endeavoured als o in this w o rk t o c o rrect ,

as far a s possible the err o neous impressions that
,
IV PREFACE ’

p rev a il respecting Napoleon and the wa rs he carrie d

,
'

o n ; and t o clear his ch aracter from t h e a sp er s io n s

of English historians an d the slanders of his ene

,

mies .

A no ther des i gn has been t o grou p together some

o f the most s trikin g events o f th a t dram atic period

when Napoleon wa s marching his victoriou s ar m ies

over Europe Man y o f the battle fi eld s I have
.
-

described I h ave visited in person an d hence been ,

able to recall the scenes enacted u pon them more

vividly than I o therwise could ha v e done .

I am aware tha t some m ay Objec t to books o f this

kind as fo s t er m g the spirit of w ar b y stimulating the
, ,

love o f glory B ut in the first place if his tor y is to

.
,

be ab j ured whenever i t treats O f ba ttles , it will be

reduced to a very s mall c o mp ass and o ur revolutionary
,

struggle will pass into u tter forgetfulness I kno w Of .

n o w ar o f ancient o r modern times more c alculate d

, ,

to s timulate the heart of youth to w arlike deeds than

the h i s tory o f the t wo stru ggles throu gh which we have
passed Be s ides the same Obj ection w ould re p udiat e
.
,

m ost o f the O ld Testamen t and make the heroes ,

which the pen o f inspiration delineated with suc h

gra p hic power , curses of their race The truth is , .

wa r wa g ed f or p r in c ip le is the sa m e as that car

,

ried o n by the direc t com m and O f heaven and t he ,

woe and su fferin g th at at tend i t presen t n o m ore ,

obj ection t o it th an the u nmeasured s u ffering o c

,

c a s io ned by sick ness and deat h thr o ug hou t t he

 P R E F AC E .

worl d, re flect o n the justice or m ercy o f Go d Wars

’

m a y be pro s ec u ted in a better spiri t than those in

whi c h the Marshals of France were firs t enga ged ;
y et t hey were not\
only waged again s t t y ranny ,
as
was o ur own revolutionary war ; but unlike t he ,

latter, could n o t be helped— for they were purely de

fen s ive .

In the sec o nd p lace we need not fear the e ffe c t

,

of stimulating t o o m u ch the love o f gl o ry in thi s

age o f dollars and cents I t is amusin g t o hear
.

even sensible m en discoursing i n lau d atory terms , ,

of the reign o f c o mmerce as bringing about a uni

,

versal p eace when the only danger of war among the

,
‘

great Ci v ilized nations of t he ea r t h is found in the ,

rivalry and j eal ousy o f this very spirit o f commerce

and trade England deluges India i n blood for the
.

sake o f c o m m er c e while o ur last war grew O u t o f her

, ,

invasions o f the rights of commerce Colonial pos .

sessions are so u ght and Obtained fo r this very pur pose ;

and it is only a fe w years since w e were o n the verge
o f a war with Great Britain for a n arr o w strip o f ,

territory which was valu able to her only a s a chan

,

nel o f communic ation with her p rovinces which s he ,

h olds fo r their commercial im p ortance A nd even .

n o w the co u ntry is alarmed wi th th e prospect o f a

colli s ion for a wild and desolate tract o n the P acific
O cea n wh ich England w ishe s t o retain solely a s a
,

channel o f t r a d e Men o f peace are straining ever y

.

nerve to destroy the l o ve of g lo ry in o u r y ou th , wh ite

vi PREFAC E

every war among civilized na tions p robabl y for t he ,

next century will be waged to secure the pri vileges

,

o f commerce C up idity no t love o f glory or per s onal

.
,

ambition is to be the s o urce o f future collisions

,
.

T he g r a sp in g spiri t is t o be dreade d most and for ,

o ne I should prefer much a little more of the C hi

,

valri e sentiment blended in w ith o u r thirs t for gold .

To me there i s cause for a la r m r a ther than con

gratulation m the intensity w ith which the huma n
m ind is directed in the p ea cefu l channel s of wealth .

The earth is alive and sh aking fro m zone to zone

, ,

under the fierce action o f th e human m ind as it ,

strive s after gain — and the moment an Obstacle is

thrown i n it s way i t starts up in a bl aze Of indigna
,

tion The lovers o f peace in chasin g before them

.
,

the chivalric and heroic spiri t which lay a t t he

‘

bottom o f ancien t wars are pursuing an enemy that ,

left the field long ago leavin g its place occupied by

,

a more querulous excitable and dangerous spirit

, ,
.

I n the third place the struggles and triumphs of

,

genius should be rec orded , even though they took

place o n a field which i n o u r day may not be deemed
, ,

by some the most praiseworthy .

To tho s e who h ave read m y “

A lps and the
Rhine and some articles published by me in th e
”
,

A merican R eview there will seem an u tter c o ntra

,

diction i n my views there expressed respectin g Napo ,

leon and those found in this w o rk In rep ly I c a n

, .
,

only s a y that my for m er impressi o ns were Ob t ained ,

 PREFACE . vfi

j ust as I doubt no t those Of the m aj ority o f A merican

readers are — from En gli s h hi s tory and English lite
ra tu re I h ad no doubt o f their correctne s s and de
.
,

signed in writi n g o f Napoleon to give him a char

, ,

acter corre s pondin g to them B ut in reading hi s tory

.

solely to understand more fully his character and

career I ha v e been forced by the m os t incontrovertible
,

fact s to cha n ge my Opinions entirel y and I c a n only

, ,

regret that I should have given currency to impres

s ion s s o u nj u s t to a great man and s o fal s e t o hi s tory
,
.

Who would e s teem a man that shoul d draw his

c onclu s ion s r e s pecting our revoluti o nary s truggle ,

from English his torian s ; and ye t he woul d be more

c o n eet fin a l he rv ho fO nn s l fis o p h fio n s o f the
French R e v olution and after wars from the s ame ,

source .

In the followin g volumes will be found much th at

will strike the rea d er a s needless repetition ; bu t when
i t is remembered tha t the s epara te characters de s cri
bed m oved frequently amid the same s cenes , and
,

even exhibited some O f their n obles t qualities at the

same battle s it will be seen that frequen t references
,

to the same event accom p anied perhaps by a simil a r

,

remark i s necessary to prevent confusion in dates

, .

O ne is compelled in such a work to go back ward and

forward constantly in history , and hence often pass
ove r the same point s .

The description o f the P ass o f the Splugen by

Macdonald , and the p artial descripti o n o f the bat tle
Vl l l PREFACE .

f Waterl o o ,
in m y A lps and the Rhine written “
O ,

before the presen t work was planned , are necessarily

repeated here when speaking o f those events .

I need no t add th at I pretend to n o originality in

this work exce p t in the way I h ave arr a n ged and
,

grouped facts already given to the world I h ave .

used without any hesitatio n any author tha t could

, ,

help me and to save the trouble of constant references

,

through the bo o k I here add the list Of those works ,

to which I h ave been most indebted

Thier s French R evolution T hiers C onsulate a nd
’
,
’

Empire N a p ier s P eninsular Wa r J o m in i s Works

,
’
,
’
,

Napoleon s B ulletin s M em o ir es o f B o ur ienn e C a u lin

’
, ,

court L as Casas Voice from St Helen a , D umas

, ,
.
,

S egu r A li s on Memoirs o f Ney and Murat P elet

, , , ,

S t u t ten heim St C yr Camp and Court Of Na p oleon

,
.
, ,

R app Southey , &e 660

,
.
,
.

The p l ates accomp anying these volu m es have been

selected wi th great c a re , and fr om the m o st au t hen t ic
s ou rces .
 0 H I S S LA NDERERS .

s u rr o unded him o f the genius tha t m astered them

, ,

o f the temptations to which he was exposed and the ,

necessity that frequently compelled him to courses

tha t warred with his wi s hes .

English historians make no scruple O f belyin g him ;

and while some o f o u r A merican w riters by p lacing ,

on him the guil t o f thos e desola ting w ars tha t loaded

Europe with t he dead h ave done him gross inj us tice ;
,

they have al s o c o mmitted an u npardon able error

in hi s tory That E ngl ish historians should a ttem p t
.

to cover their most successful enemy with unmeri ted

guilt especiall y w hen it is nece s sary to do s o in
, ,

order to screen their o wn nation against the accusa

tions which F ra nce lays at her door is to be e x ,

p ec t ed Still
. Sc o tt has done himself mo re inj ury in
his L ife of Napoleo n tha n he has the great m an he
slandered ; and Mr M itchell who h a s lately written
.
,

three volumes to convince m en tha t Napoleon was a

fool has s ucceeded only in provin g himself o n e Mr
,
. .

A lison i s alm o st the only o ne who has a t all com

p rehended his t rue character bu t while he is ,

forced to bear noble testimony t o his genius h e is ,

afrai d o f offending the prej udices and vanity of his

countrymen and s o a ttemp ts as an o ffset to his
, ,

praise to prove him destitute Of conscience a nd c a

, ,

p ahle o f great meannesses T o do this h e not only

.
,

fa ls ifi es history but drags forth w ith the most l udi

, ,

c r o u s gravity all the etu len t S peeches he ever made

, p
in sudden ebullitions o f p as sion o r i n the first ch agri n ,

o f di s ap p o intment The unj ust and p a s sionate r e

.

m ark s a man Of Napoleon s temperament however ’

,

noble hi s C h aracter w ill always mak e in moments

,

o f irri tation are arrayed again s t hi s g r eates t acts

,

w ith st u died exaggeration and decla red s u ffi c ien t t o

'

,
 NA P O L E O N R O N A P A R TE . 1

neutralize the m all This is like going i nto a m an s

.
’

bed chamber to rep o rt his un guarded speeches o r

-
,
-

m ake a peevish remark t o a servant in a moment o f

irrita b ili ty o flset the noblest acts of his life
,
.

Napoleon B onaparte , whether we think of his

—
amazing geni us his unparalleled power of embra
cing vast combinations while he los t s ight o f none O f
'

the details necessary to insure success — his rapidity

o f thought and equally sudden execution — his tire
,
— —
le s s energy his ceasele s s activity his abili ty to
direct the movements o f half a millio n o f soldiers in
di fferen t part s Of the world and a t the sa m e time
,

reform the l aws— restore the fi n a n c es— and a d m in is

ter the government of his country — O r whether we
trace his dazzling career from the time he was a poor
proud charity boy at the Mili tary School o f Brie nne ,
to the hour when he sat down o n the mos t brilliant
throne of Europe h e is the same wonderful ma n
,

the s ame grand theme for human contempla tion .

But before en tering o n his character it i s n ec es ,

sary that whatever u nj ust p rej udices w e entertain

should be removed and o u r errors in hi s tory cor
,

r ec t ed
. Th e fir s t great barrier in th e way o f ren
dering him j u s tice is the co nviction every where
,

en tertained that he alone or chiefly is ch argeable

, , ,

wi th th o se desolatin g wars t hat covered the Conti

nent with slain armies H is moun ti n g ambi tion is
.

p laced a t the foundati o n o f them a ll and no great ,

ne s s o f mind can o f course compensate for the guil t

o f such wholes al e murder .

It is impossible for one who has not travelled

a mid the mo narchies o f Europe and witnessed ,

th eir nervous fear of republican principles and ,

their fixed deter m inati o n at wha tever sacrifice of

12 THE FR ENCH R EPU BLI C .

j ustice h u man rights and human life , t o m ai ntain

, ,

their O p p ressive forms o f g o vernmen t t o ap p r ec iate a t ,

all the p osition o f France at the time of the rev0 4

lu t io n. The balance of political po w er had bee n

the great object of anx iety and all the watchfulness ,

directed against the encroachment of o ne state o n

another ; a nd no o ne can imagine the utter consterna
tion with which Euro pe s aw a m ight y rep u blic sud
d en ly rise in her midst The bal ance of power wa s
.

forgotten in the an x iety fo r sel f preserva tion Th e .

s o und of the falling t hio n e o f the B o urbons rolled

like a sudden earthquake u nde r the iro n and cen
.

tury bound frame w o rk O f despotis m till every thing

- -
,

heaved and r o cked on its ancient foundations O ur .

Declaration o f Independence th e everlasting and im ,

mutable principles of human rights , were uttered in

the ears o f t he ast o nished world and u nless tha t ,

voice could be hushed tha t alarming m ovemen t ,

checked every m onarchy o f Europe would so o n have

,

a revolution O f its o wn t o struggle with That the .

revolu tion of France wa s j ustifiable if a revolu tio n ,

is ever s o no o n e acquai nted with the hist o ry of

,

that time can fo r a mo ment doubt T he violence

”

that m arked its p rogress sh o ws only as Macauley ,

says the greater need o f i t A t a ll events F ranc e

, .
,

confuse d chaotic bleeding a nd a ffrighted s tood

, , , ,

u p and declared herself in the face Of the w o rld a ,

,

r e p ublic She m ade no encroachments o n o th er states

.
,

sought n o wa r for she needed all her strength a n d

,

energy , t o save herself fr om internal foes B u t t he .

power of Europe determined to crush her a t once

before sh e had acquired stren gth and c o n s is
teney First A ustri a and P russia took up arm s
.
, ,

w ith the av o wed p u rp o se o f aiding L o u is A fter .

 NAPOLEON R O N A P A R T E . 13

his d eath, Holland Spain and England came into

, ,

the al liance and moved down o n that bewildered

,

republic Here was the C ommencemen t and o rigin

.

of all the after w ars that devastated Europe No t .

o n France but o n the allied powers rests the gui lt

, ,

of s etting in m otion that terrible train Of evils which

t hey w ould fain tra n sfer to other shoulders I t was .

a war of principle and a war of aggres s ion I t w a s .

—
despoti s m invading liberty Oppre ss ion summoni n g
human right s to lay down i ts arm s and because it ,

would no t banding the worl d together to cru s h the

,

ep u b lic that nouri s hed them Bonaparte w as ye t a .

b o y when th is infamous war was strewin g the banks

o f the R hine with slain armies .

A ft er s tru ggling bravely for years fo r self defence -

,

France at length found her saviour i n the young Cor

sican ! uelling the rev o lt O f the sections in P ari s
.
,

he was appointed to the c o m m and of the army Of

Italy He found i t badly provisioned , worse paid
.
,

ragged and murmuring yet by his energy skill , , , ,

an d,
more than all by his example restored order
, ,

and confidence ; and , tho u gh num b ering les s th an

forty tho u sand men repleni s hed as i t wasted away
, , ,

b y s lender reinforcements he with it a tta c ked and c u t

,

to pieces several armie s the mos t magnificent ,

A ustri a could furni s h fini s hing o ne of the m o m bri l

,

liant campaigns the world has ever witnessed ami d ,

the tumul tuou s j o y of the French The nex t year .

he subj ugated L ombardy and forced the A u s trian ,

plenipotentiary by hi s daring threats to sign the

, ,

treaty o f C ampo Fa r m io which was m o s t fa v o ur a

,

ble to the French R epublic In the blood y battles .

of M illes s im o Montenotte , L odi A rcola and C a s t ig

, , ,

lione and Rivoli he certainly acted as beca m e a

, ,

2
 14 H I S D E S IR E S .

general fighting under t he orders o f his go vernmen t ,

carrying o n a defen s ive war with a boldne ss s k ill , ,

and succe ss con s ide r ing the s uperiority of the force

,

Oppo s ed to him de s ervin g o f the hi ghest prai s e

,
.

R eturning to P ari s in triumph hailed everywhere

,
.

as the saviour O f F rance he notwi thstanding became

,

tired of hi s inactive life and still more weary of t he

,

mi s erable Directory to whose fol ly he was compelled

t o submit and propose d the expedition to Egypt
,
.

T hi s furnishe s another charge a gain s t Bonaparte ,

a n d this war is d en o fin c ed as aggressive and cr u e l ,

gro wing o u t o f a m ad ambi tion Tha t i t was u n

.

j u s t no o n e can deny ; bu t instead of being a th ing

,

worthy o f censure by the c abinet s of Europe it wa s ,

simply carryin g o u t their o w n systems Of policy His .

de s igns o n the East were j u s t such a s England had

,

for years been pro s ecuting The Eas t was always to

.

Bonaparte the scene Of great enterprises an d Egypt ,

furni s hed a ba s is to his Operations an d at th e s ame,

time would serve as a check t o English encroach

,

men t in the Indies .

While R ussia A us tria and P russia were strippin g

, , ,

P oland ; and England was extendin g her conque s t s in

—
the Indies cumberi n g its burnin g plains with tens Of
thou s and s of its o w n chil d ren and carrying o u t the
,

m o s t iniquitou s s ystem o f Oppre ss ion toward s Ire

—
l and ever tolerated by a civilized people it doe s s eem
ludicrous to hea r her hi s torians co m plimenti n g the
Deity o n his even h anded j ustice i n finally arresting
-
,

the cruel ambition o f Bonaparte and Of France .

While the expedition to Egypt was experiencin g

the vici ss itudes that characterized it A ustria s ee , ,

ing that France ha d go t the L ion s share i n Italy ’

j oined with Naple s and again commen c ed ho s tili

,
 NAPOLEON R O N A P A R TE . 15

t 1 es . T he French were driven back across the

A ppenines and all the advantages gained there
,

o ver A ustri a were being lost when B on apar te r e

, ,

—
turned in has te from Egyp t over thre w the imbe
—
cile Directory wa s proclaimed Fi rs t Consul — and
i m mediately s et abou t the re s toration o f F rance .

The consolidation o f the governmen t— the r es to r a

tion of the disordered fi n a n c es — the p a c ific a t io n o f
L a Ven d é e— the formation and adopt ion Of a con
s t it u t io n engrossed hi s mind and he most ardently
, ,

de s ired peace He therefore the momen t he wa s

.
, ,

elected Fir s t Con s ul wrote with hi s o wn hand s , ,

two letter s ; o n e to the King of England an d the ,

o ther to the E mperor o f Germany ; h oping by thi s

frank and friendly c our s e to appea s e the t wo
government s and brin g about a general peace H e
,
.

h ad acquired su fficient glory a s a military leader ,

a n d he now wi s hed t o resusci tate France and b e ,

come great a s a ci vil ruler I n h is letter to Eng .

“
land he uses the follo wing langu age
,
Must the
war Sire which for the la s t eight years has de
, ,

v a s t a t ed the four quarters Of th e world be eternal ? ,

A re there no mean s of comin g to an under s tanding ?

H o w can t w o o f the mo s t enlightened nation s O f

E u rope s tronger already and more po werful th an
,

thei r s afety or their independence requires s acrifice ,

to idea s O f vain glo ry the well being Of commerce -

, ,

internal pro s perity and the peace o f families ? H ow

,

is i t they do not feel peace to be the first of n ec es s i

ties a s the fir s t of g lories ? ”
Similar noble fr ank , ,

and manly s entiment s he ad d re ss ed to the E m peror ,

Of Germany There were no accusati o ns in these

.

letter s no recriminations and no demands They

, ,
.

aske d s imp ly fo r n ego t ia t io n s to commence , for t he

,

s ir it o f peace t o be exhibi ted leaving it t o afte r

p ,
16 D ES I R ES PEA C E .

'
eflo r ts to settle the terms A u s tri a wa s i ncline d to
.

listen to thi s appeal fr om the F irst C onsul and r e ,

p lied cour teou s ly to hi s letter B ut s he was tra m

‘

m eled by her alliance wi th England and re fused to ,

en ter i nto negotiation s in which the Bri ti s h E m pire

wa s no t repre s ented P i t t o n the contra ry return
.
,

—
e d an insultin g letter t o the F re n ch m ini s te r h eaped
—
e very accu s a t ion o n Bonaparte recapitulated indi
vidual act s O f vi olence a nd laid th em at the door
,

O f th e French R epublic an d char ged i t with de

,

s igning to overthro w both religion and mon arch y

throughout the con tinent H e declared t hat the
.

Engli s h government must s ee som e fruits O f r e

pentan es an d amendment before it could tru s t the
,

p ro fl er s O f peace
; and th at the restoration o f t he

Bourbon throne wa s the onl y guaran te e s he shou ld

,

deem su fficient of the good behaviou r O f the French

government . Bonap arte in repl y fixed the fir s t
, ,

aggressive acts clearly o n the enemies O f F rance and ,

then asked wha t was the use O f these irritatin g remi ~

i
n s c en c es — if the war wa s to be eternal , becau s e one
o r t he o ther party had been the aggres s o r a nd then
;
adverting to the p r O p o s a l that the B ourbon s s hould
b e re s tored asked
, ,
“
Wha t w ould be thou ght O f
F ra n ce if i n her propo s itions s he in s i s ted on the r e
,

s t or a t io n o f the deth roned Stuarts before she would ,

m ake peace 22”

Thi s h ome thr u s t di s concerted the
-

Engli s h Minister ; and in rep ly h e frankly a c k no w l

edged tha t his government d id not wage war for the
r e establishment o f the Bourbon throne
-
bu t for the ,

securit y o f all governments and that sh e would listen

,

to n o term s o f peace u nti l this s ecuri ty wa s Obtained .

T his settled the question England would have no

.

peace while France continued to be a republic B O .

n a p a r t e had foreseen all this and fin d ing he c o uld

,
18 PEACE O F A M IEN S .

B ut this univer s al and wa s tin g war begun a t

le n g th to be tire s om e to all p arties and aft er muc h ,

negotia tion and delay a general peace wa s concluded

,

a t A miens and the world wa s at res t U n iversal j oy

,
.

was S pread through F ranc e a nd England and the ,

transports o f the people kne w no bounds .

P e ace wh ich Bonapar te needed and wished for

, ,

being restore d he applied his va st energies t o th e

,

developmen t o f the resources of F rance and to the ,

buildin g of stupendous public w orks C ommerce was .

revived— the law s administered with e nergy— order

restored and the ble ss i n gs O f peace were fa s t hea ling
up the wounds Of w ar Men were amazed a t th e
.

untiring energy and the amazing plans O f B onaparte

,
.

H is genius gave a new birth to the n ation — developed

new elements o f streng th and imparted an impulse to
,

her gro w th that thre atened t o o ut s trip the greatness

o f England His ambition was to Ob tain colonial
.

possessions lik e those of England ; and i f allo wed

,

to direct his vast energies in that direction there was ,

no doub t France would soon r ival the Briti s h Empire

in i ts provinces E ngl and was a t first fearful o f the
.

influence Of the French R ep ublic but no w a n ew ,

cause of al arm seized her I t wa s eviden t th at F rance

.

was fast tending towa rds a m onarchy Bonaparte .

had been made F irs t Consu l for life with the po wer ,

to appoin t his successor ; and i t required n o seer to

predict that his gigantic mind and dictatori al sp i rit ,
w o uld not lon g brook any che ck from inferior au
t ho r it y
. F ro m the very su p eriority of his intellect he ,

m ust merge every th ing into his maj estic plan s and ,

gradually acquire m o re and m ore con trol till t he ,

placing o f a crow n o n his head would be only th e

symb ol o f that supreme po wer wh ich ha d long before
p assed int o his h ands Engla nd there fore , h ad n o
.
,
 NAPOL EON B ONAPARTE . 19

longer to fear the influence o f a R ep u b lic a n d henc e , ,

fight for the s ecurit y o f government in general She .

had however another cau s e Of anxie ty the to o —

, ,

rapid gro wth o f her a ncient rival She became alarm .

ed at the stri d es with w hich F rance advanced under

the guiding genius o f Napoleon and refused to c arry ,

o u t the terms Of the solemn treaty she h ad her s elf

si gned In that treaty it was expressly stipula ted

.

that England should evacuate E gypt and Malta ;

while France o n her part was to evacuate Naple s
, , ,

T a r en t O and the R oman States

,
H i s part Of the .

treaty Napoleon had fu lfilled within t wo month s afte r

,

its completion ; but ten month s h ad now elap s ed and ,

the English were still in A lexandria and Malta B u t .

Napoleo n anxious to preserve peace did no t s ee fi t to

, ,

urge ma tters and made no complain t till i t was s ud

,

d en ly announced that the English governmen t had

proclaimed her determin ation not to fulfil the s tip u
la t io n s s he h ad herself made The only pretex t O ffer
.

ed for this viol ation o f a s olem n contract w as her ,

su s picions that F rance had de s igns o n these pl aces .

The truth w as E ngl and— with her accus tomed

,

j e alousy o f other n ations acquirin g colonial po ss e s

sions and remembering wh at a s truggle it h ad j ust
,

co s t her to wrest Egypt and Malt a from France r e —

solved though in violation o f he r o w n treaty not t o
, ,

give them u p Talleyrand was perfectly amazed a t

.

this decision Of the Bri tis h ministry while Napoleo n ,

wa s thrown into a transpor t Of rage H is keen . ,

pe n etration d i s cerned a t a glance the policy Of En g

land and the dread ful co n flict tha t mu s t en s ue H e
,
.

s aw tha t s h e wa s re s o lved to re s i s t the advancemen t

of F rance and to ban d wh ile s he could the power s
, 7 ,

o f Europe agains t her He knew that if she woul d

.

remai n at p eace , h e co u l d by force o f arm s and ,

 O PER F IDY O F ENGLAND .

d ipl o ma tic skill compel R ussia A us tria P ru ss 1 a and

, , ,

Sp ain to let him alone to carry o u t his plans for the

,

aggrandizement o f F rance B ut wi th Engl and c o n .

s t a n t ly counteracting him and throwin g fi r e brands ,

-

in the cabinets o f the continent he would be engaged ,

i n perpetual conflic ts and wranglings It h ad there .

,

fore come t o this : England must be c hastised into

,

quietness and respec t for trea ties o r there was to be ,

con tinu al war till F rance sh ould yield t o the strengt h

of superior numbers Engl and knew tha t in a pro
.

tracted war F rance m us t fall ; for her very vic tories

w o uld in the end mel t away her a rmies before the ,

endless thousan d s all Europe could pour u pon her ;

and this s he determined to accomplish Bu t wa r at .

this time was the l ast thing Nap oleon w ished it in —

terfe red with his plans and c u t short his vast p r o

,

j e c t s B
. esides he h ad won all the military reno w n
he wished in fightin g with the ro tten monarchies
that surr o unded h im and his genius sought a wider
,

field in which to di s play itself It wa s therefore with .

, ,

the grea test relucta nce he would entertain the ide a

O f a rupture He sent for L or d W hitworth the En g
.
,

lish minister at P aris and had a lon g personal con

,

versation with hi m H e recapi tulated the constant

.

and unprovoked aggressions o f his government on

France ever since the revolu tion — spok e o f his ar
,

dent wish t o live o n terms o f a m ity said

he Mal ta m us t be evacuated : for al thou gh it is O f
,
“

no great val u e in a m aritime p oint of V ie w it is of im v

,

mens e i m p o rtance as connecte d with a sacred treaty

and with the honour o f F rance ; ” “
F or he conti n
”
,

ued ,
“
what woul d the w o r ld s a y i f we should allo w ,

a s o lemn treaty to be violated ? ”

H e a s ked the n ati o n
t o act frankl y and h o nestly toward s hi m and he
,
 N APO LEON R O N A P A R T E . 2]

would act equally s o towa r d s it I f y o u d oub t my .

”
s incerity s aid he look at the po w e r and reno w n to
, ,

which I have a t tained D O you suppo s e I wi s h to .

hazard it all i n a de s perate conflict i The E n gli s h ”

"

government then endeavoured to neg ot iate wi th h im

t o let it retain Malta
“
The trea ty of A mien s he
.
,
”

replied “
,
and no thing but the trea ty P laced
in this d ilemma , England wa s compelled to do t wo
thing s a t o n ce ; fir s t violate a treaty O f her o w n
,

maki n g ; and s econd to ta ke u pon he r s elf in doing

,

it the responsibili ty o f convul s i n g Europe and bri n g

, ,

ing b a c k all t he horror s o f t he war tha t h ad j u s t

clo s ed
. Napoleon was ri ght and England w a s ,

wrong totally wrong ; and if the violation O f a solemn

,

treaty is a j u s t cau s e for war then i s h e j u s tifiable ,

.

F rom the Obj ects Of peace which had fi lled hi s min d ,

Bonaparte immediatel y s trung hi s va s t energies for

the fearful encounter tha t wa s approachi n g Hosti .

lit i es commenced and Napoleo n resolved a t once to

,

invade E ngland and st r ike a deadly blow a t the head

,

o f his
p er fi d io u s enemy or peri s h in the
,
attempt He .

collected an enormou s flotilla at Boulog n e ; and the

F re n ch coa s t that look s to ward s th e Engli s h isle
, ,

w a s alive with armies and boat s and rung with the ,

’
a r t iz a n s h ammer and the roar o f c annon
,
Nothing .

bu t unforeseen circum s tance s prevented his carryin g

o u t thi s proj ect which would h ave shaken the British
,

throne to i ts foundation s .

England drew R us s ia first into this new alli ance ,

the ba s i s Of wh ich wa s first to red u ce France to her

, ,

limits before the R evolution ; and s econd to sec ure ,

the peace and stability of the E u ropean s tates L ook .

for a moment at this p er fi d io u s policy— this m o ckery

o f vi r tu e —this p hilanthrop ic sund
22 POLICY O F ENGLAND A N D RUSS IA .

ered so far from France was in peaceable p ossess io n ,

o f a ll her territory — had no t a righ t to maintain nor ,

a wrong t o redre s s England o n the other hand had .

, ,

no province to wre s t back from the enemy no viol a—

ted treaty to defen d— no encroach ment to resis t .

The ir removal from the theat re Of war rendered them

secure ; and whose peace and stability were the y to
m a in ta in Z They an ticip ated no dange r t o them
’
.

selve s Italy p referred the F rench dominatio n to the

.

A ustrian for it gave greater liberty and pro s perity

,
.

A ustria did not as k to be propped u p for s he h ad ,

had enough Of tho s e alliance s which made her o wn

plai ns the field of combat ; and i t was with the
greate s t d ifli c u lt y s h e co u ld be brough t in t o the
confederacy and not till her po ss e ss ion s in Italy
, ,

which s he had ceded to France was O ffered as a ,

bribe for her c o operation P ru ss ia re s olutely refu s ed

-
.

to enter the alliance and at length s ided wi th France ,

.

Ru ss ia A u s tria England and S w eden finally C O

, , , ,
~

a les c ed and convul s ed Europe and delu ged it in

, ,

blood to furni s h s ecurity to tho s e who h ad not a s ked

,

their interference From thi s moment Napoleon s a w

.
,

th at either R u ss ia o r England mu s t be h umbled o r ,

there could be no peace to Europe no security t o ,

F rance Thi s account s fo r hi s proj ected de s cent on

.

England and after de s perate in va s ion Of R u ss ia

, .

In the Opening of the campai gn of 1 8 05 that fo l

lo wed s o gloriou s to the French arm s the real de ,

sires Of Napoleon are made apparent Mack had .

surrendered U lm and with i t thirty thou s and ,

soldier s and a s t he captive army d efiled before

,

Bonaparte he addressed them in the following r e

,

m arkable la n guage “
Gentlemen war has its ,

chances O ften vict o ri ou s , y ou m us t e xpect s om e

.
 NAP OLE ON B ONAPA R TE 3

t imes to b e vanqui s hed Y our m aster w age s

.

again s t me an unj us t war I s a y it ca nd id ly 1 .

,

kn o w n o t f or wha t I a m fig ht in g I know n o t .

what he desires Of me He ha s wis hed t o remind.

m e tha t I was a soldier I trust he will fin d tha t I

.

ha v e not forgotten my original a v ocation I wil l .

,

ho wever g ive one piece o f advice t o my brother

, ,

the Emperor o f Germany L et him hasten t o m a ke . .

peace Thi s i s the moment to reme m ber that the re

.

are lim its to all empires however po werful I wa n t

,
.

n o t hin g o n the C o n t in en t I t is s hip s c o lon ies t ha t

.
,

I d es ir e ”
Thi s i s the language O f him wh o is ca lled
.

the des olator o f E u rope in the momen t o f victory

, .

I t was true he did no t kno w for wha t he was fi ght

,

ing ; he was forced in to it It w a s equally true .

that he wi s hed for noth ing o n the Continent H e .

emulated England in her course of g reatness an d he ,

wa s perfect ly willin g t he de s pots o f Europe sh o uld

s it in quietne s s o n th eir crazy thrones Fo r t he .

s lain left o n the plains o f Italy as Massena s w e p t ,

—
the enemy from its borders for the tens o f tho u
s ands strewn o n the bloody field o f A us terlitz
wh o is chargeab le ? No t Napoleon— not France .

Here is a third s ang u inary war waged fillin g E u ,

!

rope wit h consternation and the clangour o f arms

— her hospital s with wounded and her villages with ,

mourning and her valleys and hills with her slai n

,

children— and the guilt o f the whole is charged o ve r

to Napoleon s ambition while he never went i nto a
’
,

war more reluctantly o r w ith j ustice more clearly o n

,

his side Mr A li s on who certainly will n o t be a o

. .
,

c u sed o f favouring too much the French view o f t he

m atter no r too eager to load England with crime is

, ,

nevertheless c omp elled t o hold the fo llowing remark

24 CAUSES O F WAR .

abl e lang u age respect i n g th i s wa r In c oolly r e

“

viewing th e circ u m s tances under which this contest

wa s renewed it is imp os s ible t o d en y th at the British
,

government m anife s ted a feverish anxiety t o com e to

a r u pture and that s o far a s the t wo cou n t r ies wer e
, ,
-

c o n c er n ed they wer e t he a g g r es s or s
,
”
A nd yet at
.

the opening Of the campaign Of A usterlitz he ind ul ,

ges in a long homily o n the ambition o f Napoleon

his thirst of glory and the love Of conquest which
,

had s eized the F rench n ation A nd the s e are t he

.

works we place in o u r libraries as his tor ies .

I do not de s i gn to follow o u t the s ubsequent trea

ties to show who were the a ggressors R ussia and .

Englan d determi n ed never to depar t from the basis

o f thei r alliance till they had e ffected the over throw

Of N apoleon ; while he s a w that the humiliati o n o f

one o r the other of these great powers was in d is p en
s able to the preser v ation o f his pos s e s sions and his
thr o ne Con quest s alone c on ld produce peace ; an d
.

the war became one o f extermination on the o ne side ,

and O f vengeance and fierce retaliation o n the other .

Na p ole o n felt that he was to be treated without m er c y

o r faith unless he surrendered France int o the h ands
,

o f the despots O f E u rope to be di s po s ed Of as they

,

s ho uld think necessary for thei r o w n security and ,

the stability of the feu d al sy s tem o n which their ,

thr o nes were based That after thi s he should wag e

.

war with a desperati o n and violence that m ade E u

rope tremble is not to be wondered at B ut u p to
,
.

the p eace o f Tilsit he and France are free from the

,

guilt o f the carnage that m ade the plains o f Europe

o n e vast Golgotha .

S o me time after this a s sertion was written down , I

ha d occasi o n to refer to Napier s P eninsular War fo r
’
26 THE GUILTY PARTY .

conflic ts th at accompanied i t ; the c ampaig n Of

E ylau and the battle s o f P ultusk G ol ymin Heils , ,

berg c rowned by the d readful slaughter O f Eylau ;

,

t he campai gn s O f Friedland and Til s it and the m u l ,

t it u d es the y left o n the plains of Europe A ll these .

t errible campaign s wi th their immense slaughter

, ,

does an Engli s h hi s torian declare to be the re s u lt o f

a defen s ive war o n the part O f France — not merely
a defence o f territory bu t of hu m a n r ig hts a g a in s t
,

t yr a n n y L et rep u blicans ponder thi s be fore th ey

.

a d e t the sentiment s o f prej udiced histo rian s and

p ,

condemn a s a monster the m a n who w a s toiling ove r

battle fi eld s t o s ave his c o u n tr y fr o m ban d ed o p
l

pre ss or s .

Tha t Bon aparte loved dominio n , no o n e ever doub t

ed but th at it led him to battle constantly t he allied
Continental powers i s untr u e O n the contrary Mr
,
.
,
.

Napier declares tha t he was not only defending

France again s t aggre ss ion but democracy against
,
—
aristocracy equal r ights against privileged O pp r es
$ 10 11 .

Nothing can be more ludicrous than t he assertion

that Napoleon s ou ght to con quer E urope a n d fell in ,

carr ying out his in s ane proj ect In yo uth as all .

,

y oung s oldier s are he was

,
desirous O f military glory .

Hi s profe ss ion was th at O f arm s and he bent all his

,

young energies to the ta s k of excelling in i t and s u c ,

c eed ed B u t when he became Emperor Of France

.

h e s tood o n t he s ummit o f military reno wn and ,

needed and sought no more fame a s a wa rrior H e .

was the n a m b it io n s to excel as a monarc h He de .

signed to follo w in the steps o f England and finally ,

outstrip her in her mighty progress by extending ,

commerce and establishing colonies The secret of

, .
 N A P O L E O N B ONAP A RT E . 27

the whole Oppo s itio n he received from h er after the

R epublic ha d ceased to exi s t s prung from her k no w ,

ledge O f hi s policy The E as t wa s regarded b y him a s

.

the appropriate theatre for hi s ambi tion ; but t heE a s t ,

England determi ned no body s hould plunder o f its

enormou s wealth but her s elf and so s he banded ,

Europe together to o v erthro w him The encro ach .

ments of France in the S outh of Europe during a

time Of peace are th e only pretext O ffered by the
Engli s h g o vernment fo r her interference and aggr o s
s ion I t was not that her te r ri tory was i nvaded her
.
,

right s a ss ailed or treatie s with her vi b ra ted I t was

,
.

simply a philanthropic mo tive if we may belie ve her ,

statement s that caused her to whelm Europe in bl o od

,
.

T he encroachments o f France could not be a llo wed

the exten s ion of her empire m u s t be arrested ; and
yet s ince s he violated the treaty Of A miens — broke
,

up a univer s al peace — and brought on universal war

—s he has s o lely for the sake o f s elf a r a n d iz e
gg
-
,

m en t, a dd ed m or e to her t er r it o r y in the M ys or e, t ha n
Fr a n ce ever d id t o her s , p u t a ll her c o n qu es ts t og e
t her . Now let France in s i s t that Engl and shall give
u p the s e po s se ss ion s ; and form an alliance w ith R us

s ia A u s tri a and P ru s sia the ba s i s o f wh ich shall be

, , , ,

war w ith England till s he s hall retire to her o riginal

,

boundarie s before he r aggre ss ion s in the Ea s t com

m en c ed ; and the conflict in which England would be
plunged and the slau ghters tha t would follo w woul d
, ,

be charged o n her as j u s tly a s those which follo wed

th e rupture of the peace O f A mien s can be laid a t ,

the door o f France There i s thi s di fference ho w.

,

ever F rance gained her po ss e ss ions i n resi s ting a g

.

g r es s iv e power and had them

,
secured to her by
treaty w hile her domination was preferred to tha t
,
28 H I S BOYHOOD .

which the conquered provinces mus t fall under s h o uld

s h e abandon them B ut E n glan d commen ced an nu
.

provoked war o n a peaceful people and reduced them ,

to sl avery from no nobler mo tive than the love Of

gold I t is time tha t A mericans wh o h ave suffered
.
’

s o much from the imperious policy o f England and ,

s een so much o n o u r own shores O f her gra s ping spirit

,

a fter colonial possessions should look o n her conduc t

,

subsequen t t o the French R evolution , through other

medium tha n her o w n liter ature .

I have n o t designed i n this defence o f Napoleo n

, ,

and o f F rance to prove tha t the former always acted

,

j ustly o r from the most worthy motives ; o r that the

,

Republic never did wro n g ; bu t to revea l the pri nci

ples which lay at the bot tom o f tha t protracted war
which commenced with the R evolution and ended ,

only with the overthrow of Napoleon I t w a s first a .

war o f despotism and monarchy agains t republican

ism a n d then a war Of suspicion and j ealousy a nd
,

rivalry .

Havin g thus cleared Napole o n O f the crime of deso

l ating Europe with his victor iou s armies i t w ill not ,

be s o di fficult to l o ok with j ustice o n his C haracter

and life .

H i s boyish acti o ns while a poo r scholar a t Brienne ,

have been adduced as p r e— s hadowin gs O f his fu ture

career B ut th e truth is wi th m o re talent tha n his
.
,
—
p aymates with more pride and p assion— I find
l
no thing i n hi m di fferen t from o ther boys Of his age .

His solitar y walks and g o rgeous dreams and bril

, ,

liant hopes a t this early p eriod , belong t o e very b oy

,

of ardent tempera m ent and a lively imagination I n

,
.

o rdinary times these golden v ision s w o uld have fade d

,

a w ay w ith years and e x perience ; and Na po le o n B O

 NAPO LE O N BO N APA RTE . 29

n a p a r tew o uld h ave figured in the world s history ’

o nly a s a p o werful writer o r a brilliant orator ,

.

The field which the R ev o lution left open to a d v en

t urer s enabled him to rea lize his extravagan t hopes
,
.

His ambition w as a necessary res ult o f his mili tary

education w hile the means s o unexpectedly furnishe d
,

for gratifying it fed it with a consumin g flame His

,
.

abrupt laconic style o f speakin g corresp o nded well

with his impetuous temper a n d evinced at an earl y ,

age the iron like nature with which he w as endowed

,
-
.

H is career fai r ly commenced with his quelling the

revolt o f the sections True hi s conduct at the s ie ge
.
,

O f Toulon had cau s ed hi m to be sp oken Of favourabl y

a s an under offi cer but it was with unfeigned sur,

prise that the Abbe Sieyes , R ew b el L et o urn eur R O , ,

ger Ducos and General Moulin s s a w him introduced

, ,

to them by B arras as the commander he had c hosen

,

for the troops tha t were t o defend the convention .

Said General Moulins to hi m You are aware that ,

i t is only by the p o werful recommendation of cit izen ’

B arra s that we o nfide to you s o important a post

,
c ? ”

I have not asked fo r it drily replied the youn g ,

”

L ieu tenant a nd if I accept it it wil l be bec au s e

“
, , ,

after a C lose examination I am confiden t of success , .

I am d ifler en t from o ther men ; I never undertake

anything I cannot carry thro u gh ”
T his sally cau s ed .

the members o f the C onvention t o bite their lip s for ,

the implied sarcasm stun g each in his turn “

But .

”
do you know said R ewb el that this may be a very
“
, ,
—
serio u s a ffair that the sections “
Very well ,

fierce y interrupted the y oung B o naparte

l “
I wi ll ,

make a serious a ffair o f it and the sections shall b e ,

c o me tranquil
”
H e had s een L ou is XVI put o n
.
. .

the red cap , and sh o w himself from the pal ace o f t he

3s
30 II I S VIEWS O F T H E R EVOLU T ION .

T uiller ies to the m o b and u nable to re s train hi s ih

,

dignation a t the sight excl aimed t o his companio n,

B o u r ien ne “
Wha t madne ss ! he should have blo wn
,

fou r o r five hundred Of them into the air and the res t ,
”
w ould have take n t o their heels Deprived o f his .

c omman d he ha d wandered arou n d P aris during t he

,

terrible scenes o f the r e vol ution learning every day ,

le s s ons which he wo uld ye t h ave occasion to improve .

He had gone s o far as to dicta te a long an d w ritte n

proposal to Monsieur fo r the defence o f the to ttering
,

t hr On e O ffering himself a s commander o f the troop s ,

,

to be organized for the quelling Of the insurgents T O .

the propos al Of thi s u nknown individual no repl y ,

was deigned ; and the author Of i t s oon after s a w the

royal head roll o n the sca ffold ; and retired to h is bed
s ick from the exci tement and ho rror O f the spectacle .

B ut the experience furnished by these scene s rendered ,

hi m a fi t leader to the troops Of the C onvention ; and

when o n the mighty populace an d the headlon g a d ,

v a nCe o f the National Guard his artillery loaded to ,

the muzzle with grape shot thu ndered ; he announc d

-
,
e

the manner in w hich he wo ul d t rea t W i t h a mob .

A fter thi s Barras became hi s patron and introduced

, ,

him to Jo s ephine and persu aded h im to m arry her

, ,

by O ffering as a do wry the comma nd Of the a rmy o f

Italy .

I t was no t without misgiving s tha t s uch Generals

as Massena R ampon A u g er ea u and other s s a w a
, , , ,

young man o f slender frame b ut t wenty seve n years ,

-

Old assume the command o f the army Bu t h is in

,
.

dependen t manner firm tone and ab ove all the sud

, , ,

den activity he infu sed into every depar tment by his

example soon g a v e t hem to u nde r s tand tha t it was
,
.

no ordinary leader wh o se o rders t hey were to obey .

 NA P OLE ON BONA P A R TE . 31

From this brilliant campaign , he wen t u p by r apid

s trides to F irst C onsul and finally E mperor o f
,

France
O ne great secret o f his success is to be fo u nd in ,

the union O f t wo strikin g qualities o f m ind which ,

are usually opposed to each other He po s sessed an .

imagination a s ardent and a mind a s impe tuous as

, ,

the most rash and chivalric warrior ; and yet a j udg

.

ment as cool and correct as the ablest tactician : H is

m ind moved with the rapidity o f lightning and yet ,

with the preci s ion an d s teadiness Of n aked rea s on .

He ru s hed to hi s final deci s ion a s if he overleaped all

the intermediate s pace and yet he embraced t he entire
,

ground and every detail i n hi s pas s age In short ,

,
.

he could decide quick an d c o rrectly too H e did no t .

pos s e ss these an tagonis t qu alities in a moderate de

gree but he was at the same time the most rapid and
, ,

the mos t cor rec t o f men in the formation of his

,

plan s He unit ed two remarkable n atures in his s in

.

gle per s on I t us u ally happens th at the man o f s age

.

counsel and far reaching mind who emb races every

-
,

detail and weighs every probability is slow i n com

ing to a deci s ion O n the other h and a mind Of r a
.

pid deci s ion a nd sudden execution commonly lacks ,

the po wer O f combination and seeing bu t o ne thing

,

at a time find s i t s elf invo lved in plans i t can nei

,

ther th wart nor break through It was the union .

o f these two qualities that gave Bonaparte such im

mense po wer over his adversaries Hi s plans wer e .

more skilfully and deepl y laid than theirs and ye t ,

perfected before t heirs were be gun He broke u p t he .

coun s el s Of o ther men b y the execution O f his o wn

, .

T hi s power o f thin k in g quick and Of thinki n g ri gh t

, ,

is the rarest exhibited in histo ry It gives the posses .

32 CHARACTER A s A COMMANDER .

sor of it all the a d va ntage that thought ever has over

impul s e a n d all the advantage too that impu lse
, , ,

frequently h as ev er thought b y the suddenness and

u nexpectedness o f its movements .

His power of c om binati o n was u nrivalled The .

most extensive plans invol vin g the m ost complicated,

movement s were laid down with the clearness o f a

,

m a p i n his mind ; while the certainty an d preci s ion

, ,

with which they were all b rought t o bear o n o ne

great point took the ables t Ge nerals i n Europe by
,

s urprise His min d seem ed vas t enou gh for the

.

management Of the glob e and not s o much en c ir cled ,

every thing as c on ta in ed eve ry thing I t wa s h ard

,
.

to tell whether he exhibited more skill i n conductin g

a campaign o r in m anagin g a single b attle With a
,
.

power o f generalization seldom equalled his perceptive ,

.

faculties that let no detail escape him , were equally

,

rare .

A s a Mi litary leader he has n o super i or i n ancien t

,

o r modern times H e m arche d his victorious t roops

.

succes s ively int o al most e very c apital of Europe .

Meeti n g and o verwhel ming in t u r n the armies o f

P russia A ustria R u ssia and England li e for a lon g
, , , , ,

time waged a successful w ar agai nst the m all com

,

b in ed ; and exhau sted a t last b y h is very victories ,

rather tha n by their c o n q u es t s he fell before s uperio r ,

numbers which in a p ro tracted contest m us t al w a ys

, ,

prevail Hi s first campaign in Italy , and the cam

.

p g
a i n O f A usterlitz are perh aps the most ,
glorious he
, ,

e v er c o nducted The first ast o nished the w o rld and

.
,

fixed his fortune In les s th an a year he overthrew

.
,

fou r o f the finest armies O f Europe Wi th fi ft y fi v e .

-

thou s and men he had beaten more than two hundred

,

—
thou s and A ustrian s taken prisoners n early doubl e
34 H I S COURAGE .

a nd a t Wagram where he rode o n his whi te steed

, ,

backwards and for ward fo r a whole hour before , ,

his s hivering lines to keep them steady i n the dreadful

,

fire that thinned their ranks and s wep t the ground ,

they s tood upon he evinced the heroic courage-

tha t he possessed and which was a part o f his very

,

nature Thi s with his stirring eloquence earl y gave

.
, ,

him great command over his soldiers They loved .

him to the last and stood by the republica n General

, ,

a n d the proud Emperor with equal a ffection Bona ,

.

pa rte wa s eloquence it s elf H i s procl ama tions to his .

soldier s evince not only his knowledge Of the human

heart bu t hi s power to m ove it at his will W hether
,
.

cau sing o n e O f t he articles in Sieye s constitution t o ’

be rej ected by his wi thering sarcasm ; or rou s ing his

,

soldiers to the loftiest pitch Of enthu s ia s m by his irre ,

s is t ib le appeal s ; or carryi n g away tho s e conversing

with him by his brilliant thought s and forci b le elo c u

,

tio n he exhibits the h ighes t capacities of a n orator

,
.

H i s appeals to the courage o f his s oldiers and hi s ,

distribution s Of honours w ith s o much pomp and ,

di s play perfectly bewildere d and dazzled them s o

, ,

tha t i n bat t le it s eemed to be their only tho u gh t ho w

they should exhibit th e greates t daring and perform ,

the mo s t de s perate deeds Thu s soon a fter the bat .

,

tle O f Ca s tiglione and j u s t before the battle of R ivoli

, ,

he m ade an example O f the 3 9 th and 8 5 t h regiments

o f Va u b o is Divi s io n for h avi n g given way to a pan i
, c
,

and n early lost him the battle A rrangin g the s e two .

regiments in a circl e he a ddressed them in the fol ,

lowin g la n guage — “
Soldier s I am di s plea s ed with ,

—
you you have s hown neither disci pline n o r valour , ,

nor firmne ss You have allowed your s el v es to be

.

chased from positions where a handful o f br a ve ,

 NAPO LEON B O NA P A R T E . 35

m en w o uld have stopped an army Soldiers o f the .

39 t h and 8 5 th yo u are no longer French s oldiers

,
.

Chief of the S ta ff let i t be written on their s tanda r ds

, ,

They a r e n o lo n g er of t he a r m y of I ta ly
’
.

Nothing could exceed the stunnin g e ffec t with

which the se wor d s fell o n tho s e bra v e men They .

forgot their di s cipline and the order of their rank s and

, ,

bu rs ting into grief filled the air with their crie s — and
, ,

r u s hing fr om their rank s crowded with mo s t be s eech , ,

ing look s and v o ice s around their General and begged ,

to be s aved from s uch a di s grace s aying L ead u s “

, ,

once mo r e into battle and s ee if we a r e no t O f the

,

a rmy O f Ita ly Bonaparte wi s hing only to implant

.
”

feeling s O f honour i n hi s troop s appeared to re ,

lent and addre ss ing them s ome kind word s promi s ed

, ,

to wait to see how they s hould behave In a few .

days he did s ee the brave fellow s go into battle and ,

ru s h on death as i f gO Yng to a b a n q u et and prove ‘

t he m s elves even i n hi s estim a tion worthy to be i n

, ,

the a r my o f Italy It wa s by such reproache s for u n

.

ga llant behaviour and by reward s for bravery that

, ,

he in s tilled a love O f glory tha t made them ir r es is t i

ble in comba t Thu s we s ee the O ld Guard d windled
.
,

to a mere handful in the fearful retrea t fro m R u ss ia ,

clo s e round him a s they m arched pa s t a battery and ,

a in id t h e s torm of lead that played on thei r exhau s ted

l

f
rank s s ing the favourite air Where can a father he
,
“
,

so well as in the bo s om of hi s family

,
”
So al s o .
, ,

j u s t before the battle Of A u s terlitz in hi s addre ss to ,

t he soldie r s he promi s ed them he would keep out O f

,

danger if they behaved bra v ely and burs t through ,

the enemy s rank s ; bu t if they did not he s houl d

’
,

h im s elf rush into the thickest o f the figh t There .

could no t b e a s tronger evidence o f love and c o nfi

36 CAUSES O F H I S SUCCESS .

dence between soldier and General than w as e vince d ,

by this speech , m ade o n the commencement o f o ne of

the greates t battles of hi s life .

A no ther cau s e o f his wonderful success was his

untirin g activity o f both mind and b ody N O vic tory .

lulled him into a moment s rep os e— ’

no luxuries tempt
ed him to ease — and no successes bounded his im i
p et u o u s desires L ab
. ouring with a n intensity and
rapidity tha t accompl ished the work o f days in hours ,

he nevertheless seemed crowded to the very limit of

human cap aci ty b y the vast plans and endless pro
j ec t s that asked and received his at tention In the .

cabinet he astonished every o n e by his s trikin g

thoughts and indefatigable industry The form s and .

ceremonies o f cour t c o uld keep his mind hardly for ,

an hour from the labour which h e seemed to covet

,
.

He allowed h imself usually but four o r five hours ’

rest and during his campaigns exhibited the same

, ,

almost miraculous activity o f mind H e would d ie .

tate to o n e set o f secretaries all day and after he h ad ,

tired them out call for a sec o nd and keep them o n

, ,

the stretch al l night snatching but a brief repo s e

, ,

d ur ing the whole time His common pract i ce was to

.

rise a t tw o in the mo rning and d ictate t o his s c or e;

,

taries for two hours then de vote two hours more

,

t o though t alone whe n he would take a w a rm bath

,

and dre s s for the day B ut in a pressure O f bu s iness

.

this d ivision of labour and re s t was s cattered to the

W inds and he would work all ni ght With his night
,
.

gown wrapped around him a nd a silk handkerchief ,

tied about his head he would walk backwards and

,

forwards in his apartment fro m dark till daylight dic ,

tating to C a u lin c o ur t o r D uroc , or D A lb e his chief

,
’

secretary in his i mpetuous m anner which re q uired

, ,
 N APOLEON B ONAPARTE . 37

the highest e x ertion t o kee p pace with while R us

tan his faithful Mameluke which he brought fr om
, ,

Egypt was up als o bringing him from time to ti m e

, , , ,

a strong cup o f c o ffee t o refresh him S o metimes a t .

m idnight , whe n all was s till this restless s p iri t would ,

c al l ou t ,
“
Call D A lb e : let every o ne arise ’
and
then co m mence workin g allowing h im self n o in ter ,

m ission o r repose till s u nrise H e h as been kno w n .

to dictate t o three secretaries at the same time s o ,

rapid were the m ovements of his m ind and y et s o ,

perfectly under his control H e never deferred b u si .

ness for an hou r but did o n the sp ot wh at then claim

,

ed his attention Nothing but the m o st iron like c o n

.
-

s t it u t io n could have withstood these tremendo u s

strain s upon it A nd as if Natur e had determined
.
,

that nothing should be wantin g to the full develop

m ent Of t hiS wonderful man as well a s no res o u rces
‘

w ithheld from his gigantic plans s he had endowed hi m ,

with a power o f endurance seld o m equalled I t was .

not till after the m o st intense and protracted m ental

and physical e ffort c o mbined that he gave intima ,

tions o f being sen s ible to fatigue In his first ca m .

a ign in Italy though S lender and apparently weak

p , ,

he rode five horses to death in a few days and for s ix ,

d ays and nights , never took O ff his b o ots or retired to ,

his couch He toiled over the burning sands of

.

Egypt and through the sno w drifts of R ussia w ith

, ,
—
equal impunity spurring his panting steed through
the scorchin g sun beams o f A frica and forcin g his -
,

way o n foot with a bi rchen stick i n his hand over

, ,

the icy path as he fled from Mo scow with the sa m e

, ,

firm presence He woul d S leep i n the palace O f t he

.

Tuileries o r o n the shore o f the swollen Danube ,

,

with nought bu t his cl o ak ab o ut hi m while the ,

4
38 H I S SELF RELIANCE-
.

groans of t he dying loaded th e midnigh t a ir ; wit h

equal soundne ss He was often o n hors eback c ighi
.

teen hour s a day and yet wrought up to the in tense s t

,

mental excitement all the while Marching till mid .

night he would array his troops b y moonligh t ; a n d

fighti n g a ll d a y be hailed victor a t ni ght ; and t hen
, ,

without rest travel al l the follo win g nigh t and da y

, ,

and the next mo r ning figh t another battle and be a ,

second time victorious He is often sp oken o f a s a

.

mere child o f fortune ; bu t whoever in this wo rld will

possess such p owers o f mind and use them wit h s uc h ,

skill and ind u s try and has a frame tha t will stand it
,
-
,
’

will al ways be a child o f fortune H e allo wed .

nothing to e s cap e his ubiquitous S p irit ; and wheth er

t wo o r five campaigns were going o n in di fferen t
kingdoms at the s ame time they were equall y unde r ,

h is control and their result calculated with wonder

,

ful preci s ion .

A nother striking characteristic o f Napoleon a nd ,

which cont ributed much to his success was self con ,

-

fi d en c e .He fell back o n himself in every emer ge n c y ,

with a faith that was subli m e Where othe r m en .

s ought counsel he communed with himself alone ;

,

and where Kings and E mp erors called an x iously o n

the statesmen and C hieftains around their thrones for
help he summoned to his aid his o wn mi ghty genius
, .

This did n o t resul t from vanity and conceit but fro m ,

the consciousne s s o f po wer He n o t only took the .

measure and capabilities o f every man that a p

p r o a c hed him ,
but he ! mew he s a w beyon d their
farthes t vision and hence cou ld not bu t rely on him
,

s elf instead o f others

, .

This self c on fid enc e which i n other men would

-
,

have been d o wnr i gh t m a dness in hi m was wisd om , .

 NAP OLEON B ONA PARTE . 39

I t w as the firs t striki n g trait i n his character he ex

hibited .A t the siege o f Toulo n a mere boy he , ,

curled his lip at the science o f the Oldest Generals in

the army and O ffered hi s o wn plan fo r the r ed u c
,

tion o f the to wn wit h an assurance that astonished

,

them I n quellin g the revol t o f the sections this

.
,

s ublime self reliance u t terly confounded the heads Of

-

the C onvention If i t ha d ended here it might h ave

.
,

been called the r a s hne ss and ardour o f youth cro wned ,

w ith unexpected s u cces s But throughou t his after

.

career ; in tho s e long protracted e fforts in w h ich in ,

t ellec t and genius alway s triumph ; we ever find him

standing alone callin g n one but himsel f to his a id

,
.

Inexperienced and youn g he took command o f the ,

weak and ill conditioned army o f Ital y and instea d

-
,

o f seeking the advic e o f his go vernment and his

Generals so that he migh t be screened in case o f de

,

fea t where defeat seemed inevitable ; h e seemed to

,

exult tha t h e wa s at las t alone and almo s t to forge t ,

the d anger that surrounded him in his j o y at having ,

a free and open field for his daring s pirit His fame .

and after fortune all re s ted o n his s uccess and con

,

duct in this outset of hi s career ; ye t he v olu ntarily

p laced him s elf in a po s ition where the result how ,

ever disa s trou s it might be woul d be chargeable o n ,

“

him alone He flu n g the military tactics o f Europe

.

to the winds and with his little ba n d around him

, ,

spurned both the science a n d the n umbers arrayed

again s t him .

With the s ame ea s y confidence he vaul ted to the

throne o f F rance and felt an empire rest on his
,

shoulder s apparently uncon s cious O f the weight H e

,
.

looked o n the revolutionary a gitation the prostration ,

a nd c o nfusi o n o f his kingdom with o ut a lar m ; a nd his ,

40 H I S T REA TMENT O F K INGS ”

e agle glance pierce d at once the le n gth and breadth ,

a n d depth and height ,

of the ch a o s that surroun d ed
,

him Ye t so n atural does h e seem in this position

.
, ,

th at instead of trembling fo r his safety ; we fin d o u r

selves inspired by the same confidence that sustained
him and expecting gr eat a nd glorious results H e
,
.

seems equal to any thin g and acts as if h e h imsel f ,

was consciou s he w as a m atch for th e world Stern .

,

decided plain he speaks t o the King of England , the

, ,

Emperor o f R ussia o f A ustria and t o all Europe in

, ,

the langua ge o f a superior rather t han o f an equ a l ,

.

A ngry ye t alarmed at the haugh ty tone o f this ple

,

beia n Kin g the crowned heads of Europe gathered

,

h astily together t o consul t what they should do

,
.

With the same q u iet confi dence which he s a w t he

m ob advan cing on his ba tteries in the garden o f the
T uileries , he beheld their banded armies move d o wn
on h is throne This single man— this plebeian s tood
.
,

u p a m id t he m on archies o f E uro p e and bending his

, ,

imperial frow n on the faithless Kings th at surrounded

him smo te their royal foreheads w ith blo w a fter
,

blo w till the w o rld stood aghas t a t his presumption

,

and audacity Their scorn o f his plebeian blood gave

.

way to c o nstern ation as they s a w him dictating ,

terms to them in their o wn C apitals ; w hil e the free

”

do m with which he pu t hi s haugh ty foo t on their

s acred m aj esties filled the bosoms o f their cour tiers
,

w i th horro r He wheeled his cann o n around their

.

th rones , with a coolness and inflexibi lity O f purp os e

“
t hat m ade the dignity w hich doth h edge a king a ”
,

m ost pitiful thi n g t o beh o ld He s wept with his .

,

fierce chariot , throu gh their ancient dyna s ties crush ,

ing the m ou t as if they h ad been bubbles in his path

;
then pro u dly p a u sing , let t he m gather u p their cr o wn s
 42 m s
'
I M P E I U O S I T Y
‘
.

that iron will be s een whe n e v ery th i ng else shook,

about him i s indeed a m arvel The energy of a s in

,
.

gle s oul poi sed o n i ts o wn grea t centre ga ther i n g

, ,

a round it a s by s ympathy the mightie s t spirits of the

, ,

a ge and crushi n g under it Ob s tacles th at before seem

,

ed insurmountable h as had no such exhibitions s ince

,

the time o f C ae s ar .

’
B u t with all Napoleon s cool j udgmen t and self ,

confidence there wa s no t a Marshal in the army o f s o

,

impetuous and impatient a temper a s he H e settled ,

.

every pla n in hi s o w n mind wi th the p recisio n O f a ,

m athematical problem ; and if any u n foreseen Obstacle

inte r po s ed thre atening to chan ge the re s u lt h e b e
, ,

ca me perfectly fu rious wi th excitemen t actin g and ,

talking a s if he thou ght it to be a viola tion of rea s on

and j u s tice He pl anned with s o m uch s kill and
.
,

c alculated re s ults with s o much precision th at if he ,

did not succeed h e fel t there must be bl ame shame

, ,

ful neglect somewhere F rom his youth up he never

,
.

could brook contradiction and drove with such h ead ,

lon g speed to wards the Obj ect he was a fter that he ,

frequently secured i t through the surprise and con

s t er n a t io n occa s ioned by the despera tion tha t m arked

his progres s I n the cabine t and in the field he e x

.
,

hibit ed the same re s t less fever o f mind and seem ed ,

really to su ffer from the s trong re s traints his de s po tic

j udgmen t placed over hi s actions I t was impo ss ibl e .

for him to keep stil l ; and the mos t headlong speed i n

travelling did no t seem rapid en o ugh for his eager
,

spiri t B ad rider a s he was he delighted i n spurring

.
,

over fences and chasms where hi s boldes t riders had ,

gone d own ; but even when s weepin g over a field o n

a tearing gallop he could no t be quiet but constant
, ,

ly jerked the rei n s which he always h eld in his righ t

,
 NA P O LE ON B ONAPAR T E . 43

hand When delayed in writing de s patch es behind

.
,

the time appoin ted for hi s d eparture fo r the arm y t h e ,

—
m omen t he had fin is hed , the cry t o h o rse , acted
“ ”

like an electric shock o n his attendants , and in a

m oment every man was at the top o f his speed , a n d
the next momen t the entire suite were dri vin g l ike a
whirlwind along the road In t hi s wa y he would go
.

a ll day without stopp i ng ; and if despatches met him

o n the way he would read them as he rode — throw

, ,

ing envelopes and un importan t letters o n e after ,

ano ther from the carriage windo w with a rapidity

, ,

that showed ho w quickly he d evoured the content s

Of each He usually Opened these despatches him
.

self but if his secretary did it for him he would s it

, ,

and work at the windo w sash with his fi nger s s o —

,

necessary wa s some o u tlet to the fierce a ction o f hi s

mind He would dri ve through the army at the same
.

“
furious rate ; and when the outriders called ou t roo m
for the Emperor l every o ne felt he c o uld not b e to o
”

quick in obeying ; and be fore the u tter c o nfusion o f

clearing the w a y had passed the c o rt ege w as seen
,

flyin g like a cloud across the plain beyon d hearing, ,

an d almost o u t o f sight B ut through the Gu ards he

.

alway s moved with becomi n g pomp and s o lemnity ,

salu ting the O ffi cers a s he passed .

Maps were his invariable com p anion s in a cam

p g
a i n and he always had one spread o u t at night in
,

his apartment o r a tent which was always p itched

,

amid the squ ares of the O ld G uards — surrounded with

,

candles so that he mi gh t rise a t any moment an d

,

consult it ; and when o n the road or in the field he

wanted one s o impatient wa s he known to b e tha t
,

the tw o O fficers who carried them rode down every

thing bet ween t he m and his h o rs e o r carriage O n s u ch . .
 41 H I S RIDE T O PARIS .

o ccasi o ns he w o uld frequently o rder the m a p he desir ed

t o be unrolled on the ground , an d s tre tching himsel f
full length up o n it i n a m om en t be l o st to every thin g
,

but the campaign before him A remarkable instanc e .

o f his i m patience and impet uo sity i s exh ibited i n t he

m anner he received Marie Lo uise o n her way to meet
hi m A s she drove up t o the po s t t o wn , where he e x
.

p e c t ed her ,
he j umped in t o the carriage all wet with
rain as he was and embraced this daugh ter o f t he
,

C esars with the famil iarity O f an o ld rel ative and o r

dering the postilli o ns to d rive at full gallo p t o C o m
p ge i ir e ,
insis ted on h aving the conj u gal r ites befor e

m arriage and obtained the m B u t perhaps there is

,
.

not a m ore striking instance o f the im petuosity O f his

feelin gs than his mad ride t o P aris , w hen i t w as en
v elo p ed by the allied ar m ies Being himself deceived
.

by the enem y , they had g o t full three days star t of ’

hi m t o wards the capita l with a fo rce that bore do w n

,

every thi n g in their p assage It was then Napoleon .

s trained e v ery nerve to reach the city before its c a

p it u la t io n He
. urged his exhausted army t o the to p
of i ts speed and o n the 29 t h o f March , the day b e
,

fore he left it h e marched with the Imperial G u ard

,

for ty m iles Wearied out , th e brave c u ir assiers

.

could no l o nger keep pace with his ha ste and he se t ,

o u t alone for P aris D espatching courier after c o u

.

rier t o announce his approach he dr o ve on with fu ,

rions s p eed ; bu t a s the d isas tr o us ne w s was br ou ght

him tha t the enemy were stru ggling o n the heights o f
Montmartre his im p atience kne w n o b o unds H e
, .

abandoned his c a rriage as being too s lo w th o u gh

i t ca m e and went with frigh tful vel o city on the a s
t o nished p easantry and changing i t for a ligh t C a
,

leche he sprung into it and ordered t he p ostilli o n s to

, ,
 NAP OLE ON B ONAPA R TE . 45

W hip the hor ses to the top of their s pee d H e da s hed

away as if life and death hung o n every s tep F ast .

er faster he cried to the po s tillions though the whip

, ,

fell ince s santly o n the flanks o f the panting st eed s .

“
Faster faster he cried as houses and field s s w ep t
, ,
”
,

p as t him like a vi s ion His throne hi s c ro w n his .

~

, ,

empire shook in the balance and the flying chariot

, ,

seemed to creep over the lengthened way Nothing .

could s ati s fy him and the cr y o f fa s ter fa s ter s til l

,
“
, ,
”

rung in the ear s o f the asto n i s hed po s tillion s though ,

the carriage wheel s were already o n fi r e fro m their

rapid e v ol u tions Vain s peed P ari s had fallen
. .

This impetuo s ity O f temper and h atred o f re s traint

made him frequently o verbearing and unj u s t to b is ,

O fficers when they had failed in e xecuting his plans

,
.

I n the firs t transpo rt o f pas s ion he would hear no de ,

fence and no apology ; but after reflec tion made him

more rea s onable and j ust and a generous act would ,

repay a sudden wrong It wa s this trai t o f character

.

which gre w stro n ger, a s he drew towards the close of

his caree r that made many around h im d ec la r e tha t
,

he hated the truth I t was not the tr u th which arous

.

ed him but the declaration tha t his plan s would be or

,

had been ba ffled He wa s s o confident that he u s u

.

ally kne w more than al l around him that he in time ,

became s o sel f opinionated which he cou ld not brook

-

advice which cla shed wi th his views With weigh t .

and velocity both hi s mind had terrible momentum

, ,

a nd even in a wrong way often conquered by its irre l

s is t ib le power .

Napoleon was a great statesman as well as military

leader . His conver s ations in his e x ile evince t he
m ost profound knowledge of poli tical sci ence whil e ,

the o rd er he brought o ut of cha o s , and indeed t he

46 H I S PRACTIC AL POWER .

gloriou s re s urrection he gave to F ra nce s ho w tha t he ,

wa s not great in theory alone He wa s equal to C e .

s a r a s a war r ior to Bacon in political s agacity and

, ,

abov e all other kings m gen i us .

P erhap s Napoleon exhibit s nowhere i n hi s li fe h is ,

amazing gra s p o f thought and power of accompli s h

ment more than in t he year and a h alf after his a r
,

rival fr om Egypt H earing that the Republic wa s

.

every where de feated and I taly wre s ted from i t s ,

gra s p he immediately s et s ail for France and e s cap

, ,

ing the English fleet in a m o s t mirac u lou s manner ;

protected by hi s s tar rea c h ed France in O ctober
“
,
”
.

By November h ehad overthro wn the ine fficient Di

rectory and been proclaimed Firs t Con s ul with all the
,

attribute s b u t none O f the title s o f king H e imme

,
.

d ia t ely commenced negotiation s with th e allied p o w

er s while at the s ame time he bro u ght hi s va s t ener
,

gies to bear o n the internal s tate Of F rance Credit .

wa s to be re s tored money rai s ed the army s upplied

, , ,

war in Vend ee suppre ss e d and a con s ti tution given to ,

F rance B y hi s superhuman exertions and all per

.
-

v a din g g en iu s he accompli s hed all thi s and by next

0r
, ,

spring wa s ready to O ffer E u rope peace o r war O r .

der s prung from Chaos at hi s touch — the t o t t er in go o

g

v er n m en t s topped rockin g o n it s ba s e the momen t his

—
mighty hand fell upo n i wea lth flowed fr om the
t

lap of pover ty and va s t re s ource s were drawn fro m

,

apparent nothi n gness France ri s in g from her prone .

,

po s ition s tood ready to give ba ttle to the world Eu

, .

rope chose wa r
.
The gigantic mind that had
.

wrough t such prodigie s in s even month s in France ,

now turned its concentra ted strength and wrath o n

the enemy Ma s sen a he sen t to G enoa to furni s h a n
.

exa mple o f heroism t o lates t p o sterit y — Moreau h e

 NAPOLEON BON APARTE . 47

de s pa t ched to S w abia to render the Black Fore s t im

mortal by the victories O f Engen M oesk ir c h and ,

Bib erach and s end the A u s tria n s in con s ternation to

,

their capital while he him s elf amid the confusion and

, ,

wonderment of Europe at his complicated move

ment s precipitated his enthu s ia s tic troops down the
,

A lp s and by o n e bold an d succes s ful stroke wrested

,

Ita ly fro m the enemy and forced the a stonished an d ,

d is c o m fi ted s overeign s of Europe to an armistice o f

s ix months U nexh aus ted by his u n p a r a lelled efforts
.
,

no s ooner wa s the truce proclaimed than he plunged

with the s ame s udden ne s s yet profound fore thought
with which he ru s hed into b at tle into the distracted ,

politics o f Europe By a skilful stroke O f policy i n

.

O ffering Malta to R u ss ia at the moment i t was cer

'

tain to fall into the hands o f Englan d he embroiled ,

the s e two countrie s i n a quarrel while by promi s in g ,

H a nover to P ru s sia h e bribed her to rej ect the coali

,

tion w ith England and consent to an alliance with

,

him s elf A t the same time he planned t he lea gu e of the

.

neutral powers agains t England — armed Denmar k ,

a nd Sweden and closed all the ports o f the Continen t

,

again s t her and prepared s u ccours fo r Egypt While

,
.

his deep s agacity was t hu s b a fli in g the cabinet of

'

England involving her in a general war with E u

rope and pres s ing to her lips the ch alice s he h ad j us t
,

forced him to drink h e apparen tly devo ted h is entire

,

energie s to the internal state of France and t he ,

building o f public work s He created the ban k O f .

France —put the credit of governmen t o n a firm basis

began the Codes s panned the A lp s with road s — su fh
,

cient monuments in them s el v es Of his geniu s — a n d

r e s tored the complete supremacy o f the la w s through

o ut the ki n gd om A ll this he accompli s hed in s ix

.
48 H I S AM B ITION .

m o nths and a t the close o f the armistice was rea d y

,

for war The glorious campaign O f H ohenlinden fol

.

lo wed and A u s tria frigh tened for her throne n ego t ia

, , ,

ted the peace O f L uneville giving the world time t o ,

re c o ver its amazemen t and gaze more s teadily o n this

mighty sphere that had sh ot s o suddenly across the
orbi ts o f kings .

That Napole o n in all this wa s ambitious n o

one doub ts bu t his amb ition was indi s solubly con
,

n ec ted with the wel fare a n d gl o ry o f France Po w .

er was the rulin g star i n his heaven but he ,

sought it in order t o make France powerful H is .

energies developed hers and the victories he won ,

were for her safety and defence He is accused O f .

having aimed at supreme p ower and nothing shor t ,

of it would have satisfied him A second A lexander .

,

he waded through seas o f blood and s tr o d e o v er ,

~

mountains o f corpses solely to accomplish this ob j ect

'

, ,

and his fall w as the fall o f one who aimed at U ni

versal Empire Mr A lison t akes u p this pi ece o f
. .

nonsense and gives us pages of the merest can t

,

about th e danger o f ambition an d love of power and ,

the P rovidence tha t arrests it — declaring in s o m any ,

word s th at Napoleon s o ught the s u bj ugation of Eu

,

rope I f this w ere tru e he might h ave s par ed the

.

tribute he pays to Napoleon s genius fo r it would ’

,

prove him the s ublimest fool that ever held a sceptre .

To assert that he ever dreamed of being able t o sub

j ugate England R ussia P russia Austria and the
, , , ,

nor the rn po wers o f Europe and combine the m in o n e ,

v ast empire o f which he would be the head is t oo

, ,

ridiculous to receive a serious refu tation That he .

ever expected to make England a d epen d ant p rovince

o n F rance there is not an intelligen t man in the Bri
,
50 m s WANT o r RE PUBLI CANISM .

French borders and s ent i t wi th its earthquake throe s

,

the length a nd breadth o f the Continent .

I have thu s s poken Of Bonapar te comparativel y and ,

not as an individual j udged by the l a w o f ri ght I .

wi s hed to place him be s ide the monarchs and govern

ment s that surrounded him and s ee where the b a ,

—
lance o f virtue lay He wa s ambitious s o was P it t ;
.

while the ambition Of the former wa s far le ss selfish ,

heartle ss and c ruel than that Of the latter O ne in .

sisted on the treaty o f A mien s by which the worl d ,

wa s bound to peace the other broke it and involved ,

E urope i n war solely for s elfish end s Napoleon h as . _

been blamed for robbing F rance o f her republican

form Of government and rein s tatin g mon archy ; and
,

men are prone to compare him with Wa shington an d ,

wonder w hy he could not have imitated hi s example ,

and content with the peace and prosperity o f his

,

country returned to the rank o f citizen , and left a

,

name unspotted b y blood and violence In the firs t .

place the thing wa s ab s olutely impossible A pure

,
.

R epublic France could not have been wi th the p o p u

lation the R e v ol u tion left u pon her bosom A s igno .

rant O f liberty and undisciplined as the Sou th A me ,

rican s tates and Mexico she would have been rocked

,

like them with e n dless revol ution s u ntil European ,

powers had overcome her and replaced a Bourbon o n

,

the throne A nd if her population had been prepared

.

for comple te freedom the monarchs of Europe would

,

not have allowed her to e s tablish a R epublic in peace .

Imagine the U nited State s i n the mid s t Of the R ev o lu

tion s urround ed by despotic thrones — Ca nada — t he
,

W e s t — Mexico and Florida — all so many o ld m o n ar

,

chies thoroughly alarmed b y the sudden appearanc e

,

o f a fr ce state i n their midst and in thei r a ffright

,
 NAPOLEON BONAPAR TE . 51

b anding themsel v es together to cru s h the 1 11 ia n t r e

public and you will have s ome concep tion Of the s i
,

t u a t io n o f F rance during t he R evolution Let .

Wa s hington have commanded o u r force s and in r e ,

s i s tin g this war o f aggre s sion have wre s ted from one
of the powers d ominion s to which i t had no claim ,

as France took I taly from A u s tri a Suppose thi s des.

o t ic feudal allia n ce wa s kep t u p and no permanent

p ,

peace would be made till W a s hington wa s over

.

th r own ; his c areer and our s would have been very

di fferent O ur plain s w du ld have all been battle fields
.

until we had b r oken u p the infamou s co ali tion o r been ,

our s elve s overborne In s uch a po s ition were B O

.

n a p a r t e and France placed and s uch a war wa s wag

,

ed till they fell P lacing ourselves in a similar po s i

.

t ron we s ha ll not fi n d it di fficult to determine where

,

the chief guil t lay o r be wan ti n g i n charity to Napo

,

l eon for the reckle s sne ss with which he carried on a

,

war again s t powers s o de s titute Of faith and of virtue ,

and whose aggres s ive policy had well nigh cru s hed
t he hopes o f freedom o n the Continent B u t h ad .

these circumstances not exi s te d he never would have

,

been a Wa s hington fo r he po ss e ss ed f ew o f hi s mo
,

r a l qualitie s .Wa s hington appear s in grander p ro

portion s as a moral than as an intellectual man ,

while Bonaparte was a moral dwarf ; and I do no t

well s ee how he could be otherwise Dedicated from .

childhood to the profe ss ion o f arms all hi s thou ghts ,

and a ss ociation s were o f a military character With .

o u t moral o r reli g ious in s truction he wa s thrown ,

’
while a youth into the vortex of the revolution ; a n d
in t he triumph o f infidelity an d t he overthrow o f all
,

religion and the utter chaos of principles and senti

,

m ents ; it was no t to be expected he wo uld lay t he

52 H I S M ORA L CHARACTER .

foundation of a religious character He emerged fr o m .

this into the life o f the camp and the bat tle field an d -
,

hence became morally what most men would be in

similar circumstances Besides his very nature was
.
,

despotic . H e c o uld not brook restraint and con , ,

scious o f knowing more than those around him , he

cons tantl y sought for p o wer that he might carry o u t
those s tupendous plans which otherwi s e would ha ve
’
been interrupted I h ave no doubt tha t Napoleon s
.

highest ambition was to reig n as a j us t and equitable

m onarch amid the thrones o f Europe expendin g his ,

vast energies elsewhere ; and that much o f his vio

lence and recklessn ess arose from the consciou sness
that he was to expect no faith o r honesty o r j ustice , ,

o r truth from the p er fi d io u s nations tha t had bound

,

themselves together to crush him O ne thing is cer .

tain had he been les s a monarch France could not

, ,

have withstood as long as s he did, the united strengt h

Of E u rope .

Bonapar te i s ch arged with being crue l bu t it is u n ,

j ust H e was capable o f gre at generosity and ex hi

.
,

bited pit y in circumstances n o t t o be expected from a .

m a n trained o n the battle fi eld

-
Hearin g once O f a
-
.

poor Engli s h s a ilo r w ho havin g escap ed from c o n fine

, ,

m ent had constructed a fra il boa t o f cork and branch

,

es o f trees with which h e designed to p u t t o sea in

, ,

the hopes o f meetin g an English ve s sel and thus ,

reachi n g England ; he sent for him and on learning ,

fr o m his lips that this bold undertaking wa s to get

back t o his aged moth er, he immedi ately desp atche d
hi m wi th a flag o f truce o n b o ard an E nglish s hip ,
with a sum o f money for his aged p arent saying tha t ,

s he m ust be an uncomm o n mo ther t o h a ve s o a ffec

'

t io na t e a son T he gu id e wh o c ond u ct ed hi m O v er
.
 NA P O L E ON B ONA PA R T E . 53

t he San Bernard , an d wh o i gnorant of the m igh ty ,

m an that bestrode the m iserable anim al by his side ,

gave him a full account o f his life and pl ans — o f his
betrothment and inability to marry fo r want Of a
p iece of land , was not forgotten by him after wards
-
.

The land was bou ght an d p resent ed t o the youn g

man by order of Napol eon R epeated acts o f kind .

n ess t o p oor wounded soldiers was o n e o f t he chords ,

O f iron which bound the m to him The awful spec .

tacle which a battle field presents after the carn ag e

-

is done frequently moved him deeply and he wep t

, ,

like a child over his dyin g friend L annes His s ym .

~

p athics it is t r ue never interfered with hi s plans

, ,
.

What his j udgment approve d his hear t n ever coun ,

t er m a n d ed ; and W hat he th o ught necessary to b e

d o ne he did reckless o f the su fferin g it occa s i o ned
, ,
.

He was inflexible as l a w itself in the course he had

decided upon as the m ost expedient Th e murder O f .

the D uke o f Enghien is p erh aps the greatest blo t o n

his character but he was goaded into this by t he
,

m adness and folly , and villany of the race to whic h

,

this unfor tunate prince belonged In the midst o f his .

vast preparations for a descent u pon E ngland he w as ,

informed o f a plot t o assas s inate him , and place a

Bourbon on the throne T he t w o ends o f this co n
.

sp ir a c y were P aris a n d London between which ther e ,

was an unbroken line of communication acr o ss the

channel The secret r o ute was discovered and s e
.
,

veral o f the conspirators arrested Th e B ourbo n s in .

England were at the botto m of it and Engli s h gold ,

p aid th e expense P ic hegr u e h ad arrived in P aris ,

.

W 1 th the infamous Georges who had so nearly succeed,

ed in taking the life o f the F irst C onsul by the explo

si o n o f the infernal m achine M o reau had been .

5 *
54 H I S WRATH AGAINS T TH E B OUR BONS .

sounded and wa s found ready to aid in the a s s a s s i

,

nation O f his former general but would no t li s ten to

,

the propo s al Of r e e s tabli s hing th e Bourbon dyna s ty

- .

H is envy had made him the enemy o f Napoleon and ,

he wi s hed to occupy his place This j ar bet ween the.

conspi rators cau s ed delay and uncertainty which en ,

abled Napoleon to ferret it out Georges him s elf after

.
,

much trouble , wa s taken and he with other inferior

, ,

con s pirators confessed the plot and acknowledged

, ,
”
that the prince was expected from England to
head the conspiracy Napoleo n de s patched soldiers
.

to the s ea coa s t to arrest whoever migh t land a t the

point design ated by the conspirators They watched .

b y the s hore for day s ; and though a small vessel kept

hovering near a s i f waitin g for s i gnals to land it was
, ,

su s picious all was not right and finally moved o ff a l

,

together Moreau wa s tried found guilty and exiled

.
, ,

— the mildest punishment he could po s sibly expect .

P ic hegr u was thrown into prison but the P rince ”

, ,

whom Napoleon wa s feveri s hly anxious to get hold

o f was not to be found
,
This whole plot interrup t
.
,

ing as it d id his va s t plans and exciting the feelings

,

o f the people to a state bordering o n revolution ,

filled him wi th uncontrollable rage H e fel t that .

he wa s not regarded a s a respec table enemy ; for even

princes Of the blood and nobles were e n de avourin g
, ,

to as s as s inate him like a common r u fli a n With his .

u s ual watchfulne s s he began to inqui re about the e x

iled princes ; and being told that o n e was at Etten
heim near Stra s bo u rg he immediately despa tched a
, ,

spy to watch his movemen t s for he had not the lea st ,

doubt that every B ourbon was in the con s piracy .

Thi s s py reported th at G eneral D o u m o u r ier em ,

other o ld b u t e x iled general , wa s with the pri nce .

 NAP O LE ON BO NAPA RTE . 55

Thi s mi s take decided Napoleon to arre s t him s acred ,

a s hi s per s on ought to have been 0 11 n eu tral territory .

W hether he afterward s became convinced o f the

young Duke s innocence or not matte rs very lit tle a s
’
,

to his guilt He w is hed to de s troy s ome Bourbon

.

prince and he had determined to execute the first

,

o ne t hat fell into hi s h and s To be waylaid and S hot

.

like a dog by Bou r bon prince s enraged him S O that , ,

the voice of j u s tice c ould not be heard Seated o n .

hi s proud eminence bendin g hi s v ast energie s to the

,

rn o s t tN U p en d o u s fla n s that ever fi H ed a ln u n a n
j .

mind he wa s reminded that royal bloo d regarded him

,

a s only a fit victim for the a s sa ss in s knife ; an d he ’

determined to teach king s tha t he would deal by them

Openly a s they had done by him s ecretly Some ide a .

Of h is feelings may be got from the langu age he fr e

quently indulged in wh e n speaking of the princes
and noble s that were engaged in this con s piracy .

“
Said he These Bourbons fancy tha t they may shed
,

my blood like s ome wild animal a nd yet m y bloo d ,

is quite a s preciou s as their s I will repay them the .

ala r m wi th which they s eek to in s pire me ; I pardon

Moreau the weakne ss and error s to which he is urg
ed by s tupid j ealou s y b ut I wil l pitilessly s hoot th e
,

ve r y fir s t of th ose prince s who s hall fall into my

han d s ; I will teach t hem with wha t s ort o f a ma n
they have to He cla ss ed the Bourbon s
togethe r — kne w them to b e in s pired with the s ame
,

feeling s toward s him and whether bound by contract

,

o r not s y mpathi s ing with each other in thi s c o n s i

, p
racy In a S pirit of fierce retaliation and rage a n d
.
,

to s top forever the plo tti n g o f the s e royal assa ss in s ,

he determined to make a terrible example of o n e a nd ,

Thier s C o ns u lat e
’
an d E mp i re
.
56 H I S MORAL CHARACTER .

the young Duke d E n ghien fe ll The news O f his

’
.

death filled the courts o f Europe with horro r and ,

w a s o ne o f the causes of the genera l alliance agai ns t

‘

Napoleon that follo wed This high handed act of .

-

inj ustice cannot be condemned too emphatically, b u t

it was no t the cold blo od ed ac t o f a cruel man It
-
.

wa s a crime committed in p assion by a S pirit inflame d ,

with the consciousness of h aving been ou traged by

tho s e fro m whom better things were to be ex pe cted .

England lifted u p he r hands in p ious horror at the

act yet had not one word to say abou t the p r em ed i
,

t a ted murder o f Nap oleo n by the Bourbons If he .

,

instead of o n e o f th ei r number had fal len we should , ,

have heard no such ou tcry from the c rowned he ads ,

o f Europe He had o nly made a Bourbon drink the

.

cup they had prepared for his lips The horror of .

the crime consisted not in its inj u s t ice but that h e ,

had dared to lay his hands on the sacred hea d of r oy

alty A nd yet this act as unj ust and wicked as i t is
.
,

conceded to have been was no more S O than that o f ,

'

England in banishin g Napoleon when he had thr o wn

, ,

him s elf o n her generosity to a lonely and barren i s le , ,

where s he co uld safely vent her augus t spleen in those

petty annoyances S he should have disdained to inflict ;
o r that o f the allies in allowin g Marshal Ney t O
,

be s hot in direct violation O f a treaty they had them

,

selve s made .

The sum O f the m a t t ef is Napoleon s moral char ,

’

acter was in d ifler en t enough ; yet as a friend of huma n

li b erty and eager to promote the advancemen t O f the
,

race by opening the field t o talent a nd genius ho w

, ,

ever low their birth h e wa s infinitely superior to all

,

the sovereign s who endeavoured to crush him He .

loved not only F rance as a nation and sou ght her ,

58 R ETURN FR O M ELBA .

as they ca m e leapi n g like deer fro m every hill cry ing ,

Vive l E m p cr eur
’ ‘
Thron gin g around him they ,

follo wed him with S hout s to the very ga te s o fi thc t own s .

The c omman d ant refused h im a dmittance yet the ,

soldier s within s tretched thei r arms throug h the

wicket s and s hook han d s with his follo wers withou t
,
.

A t le ngt h a confu s e d m urmu r aro s e over the wall s

.

and Napoleon did not k no w bu t i t was th e gathering

for a fierce assault o n h is li ttle band The t umul t .

gre w w ilder every moment ; S ix thousa n d inh abitants

fr o m o n e o f the fa u x b ur gs had risen en riza s s c and ,

w ith timbers and b e ams cam e p ourin g again s t the

gates They tremble before the re si s tle s s shocks
.
“

reel and fall with a c rash to the groun d and the ex ,

cited multitude s trea m for th R ushi n g o u Napoleon.

,

they drag him fr o m his horse kiss h is hands and

_
,

garment s and bear him with deafeni n g sho u t s o n

, ,

their shoulders into the town He nex t advance s 0 11

,
.

L yons the gates o f which are also closed again s t hi m

, ,

and b ayo n ets glea m along t he walls Trustin g to .

the po wer o f a ffection rather than to arm s h e gallops

, ,

boldly u p to th e ci ty The soldiers within in s tea d

.
,

O f firi n g o n him breakin g over all di s c ipline bur s t

,

open the gates and rush i n fran tic j oy aro u nd him

, ,

Sh outin g Vic e Z E mp er eur ”

H e i s not com pelled
’
.

to plant hi s can n on again s t a s i n gle town : power

returns t o him not throu g h terror but through love , .

He is no t recei ved with the cringin g o f sla v e s but ,

with the open arms Of friends and thus his co u rse ,

towards the Capitol b ecomes o n e tri u mph al m arch .

The power o f the Bourbons disapp ears before the

returning tide O f a ffection like to wers o f s an d be fore
,

the wave s ; and without fi ri n g a g un Napoleon a gain ,

S its down o n his recovered th rone am id the acclama ,

 NAP OLEON BO NA PARTE .

ti ons o f th e people Who ever s a w a t yrant a nd an

.

Opp r e ss or received thus z Where is t he m onarch in

"

E u rope that d a re flin g himsel f in such faith o n t he

,

a ffections o f his subj ects ? Where was e ver the Bour

bon th at c o ul d S ho w suc h a title to the throne he o c
c u p ied ? A h ! the people do no t thus receive t he man
who forges fetters for thei r limbs ; a nd Napoleon at
this day holds a firmer place in the a ffections o f t he
,

i nhab itant s o f France t han any monarch th at ever,

filled it s throne .

"

The two greatest errors o f Napoleon w ere the ,

conques t O f Spain and the i nva s ion o f R u s sia Th e

,
.

former was n o t onl y a n imp olitic act bu t o n e o f great ,

inj u s tice and cruelty In order to s trik e En gli s h

.

commerce h e wa s willing t o in vade an independen t

,

kingdom and finally seize its throne and cover its

,

plains with the S la in o f its o w n subj ects The i n va .

sion o f R ussia mi ght h ave terminated di fferen tly and ,

been recorded by historians as the c rowning monu ,

ment o f his genius bu t fo r t he burnin g o f Mosco w b y

,

the inhabitants ; an event certa inly no t to be anti

c ip a t ed
. H e lost the flowe r O f his army there an d ,

instead o f strikin g the heart o f his enemy he pierced ,

his o w n .

I t i s useless however to speak o f the mistakes that

, ,

Napoleon m ade and S how how he should have acted

,

here and p lanne d there to h ave succeeded ; o r a t

, ,

tempt to trace the separa te steps in the la tter part o f ,

his career to his do wnfall and p retend to S a y ho w

, ,

they might h ave been avoided A fter taking into the .

c alculation all the chances and change s that did o r

would come— all the lo ss es that might h ave bee n
prevented and all the successe s tha t might h ave
,

been gained , a nd p ointing o u t gr eat err o rs here and

Gt) INVAS ION O F FR ANCE .

there in his move m ents , it is plain tha t n o th in g les s

than a m iracle could have s aved the t o ttering thr o n e
O f the Empire A fter the dis as ter of L ei p sic a nd t he
.
,

l o sses s ustained by d ifler err t divisions O f t he army in ,,

that campaign and the m ortality which thinned S O

,

dreadfully the French armies o n the R hine Franc e ,

felt herself exhausted and w eak I n this de p ressed

.

s tate the civilized world wa s preparin g its last united

,

o nset up o n he r F r o m the Baltic to the B osphorus

.

from the A rchangel t o th e Med iterranean , Euro p e

had banded itself against Na po le o n D en m ark and .

Sweden s tr uck hands with A ustria and Ru ssia , and ,

P russia and Engl and ; while t o cr o wn all , the P rinces

, ,

O f the confederatio n o f the R hine p ut their S ign at ure

,

t o the lea gue an d o n e m illio n a n d t wen ty eig ht

,
-

t ho us a n d m en sto o d u p in battle array o n the p lains

O f Europe t o o verthr o w thi s m ighty spiri t tha t had
,

Shaken s o terribly their thrones .

F rance whic h h ad b efore been drained t o mee t the

,

losses O f the R ussian campaign , co u ld n o t with her ,

u tmos t e fforts raise mo re than a third of th e numbe r

,

o f this immens e h o st .

H er provinces were invaded , and this resistless

ar ray were pointing their b ay onets tow ards P ari s .

In this dreadful emergency , though n o ne s a w better

tha n he the awful abyss tha t w as openin g befor e
,

him , Napoleon evinced no discouragemen t and n o

hes itation A ssembling the conscripts fr om every
.

quarter o f F rance and hurr ying them o n t o head

,

qu arters , he at len gth , after presentin g his fair hair ed

b o y t o the National Gu ards as their future s o ve
,

r eign , a m id tears and exclamations o f enth u sias m

,

a nd embracing his wife fo r the last ti m e s et o u t fo r

,

t he ar m y H is en er gy , his wisd om and incessant

.
 N A P OL E O N B ONAP ART E . 61

a ctivity, s oo n changed the face o f a fla ir s He had .

s truggled a gainst as gre a t odds i n his first Italia n

campaign ; and if nothing else c o uld be d o ne he at least ,

could fal l with h o nour o n the soil of his c o untry .

Never did his genius S hi n e fo rth with greater S plen

dour than in the almost su p erhuman e xertions he put
forth i n this his last great s truggle for his em p ire .

—
No danger could daunt hi m no reverses s u bdue him
— no toil exhaus t him — and n o difficul ties shake his
'

iron will In the dead o f win ter struggling with

.
,

new and untried troo p s h e fought a n army o u tnu m

,

bering his o w n two to one — beat them back a t e very

poin t and sent dismay into the hearts of the a llied
,

sovereigns as they agai n s a w the S hadow O f hi s

,

mi ghty spirit o ver their thro n es He wa s every where

.

cheeri n g and steadying his men and o n one occasi o n

,

worked a cannon himself as he did when a y o u th in

the artillery ; and though the balls whistle d ar o und
him till the s o ldiers besought hi m to retire he e x ,

claimed ,
“
C ourage ! the bulle t tha t is to kill me is ,

not ye t east ”
.A t length the wh o le allied army w a s
forced to retreat a n d O ffered peace if he w o uld con
,

sent to have h is empire dismembered and Franc e ,

restored to it s limits before the revolution This he .

indignantly refused ; preferring rather to bury hi m

self amid the ruins o f his em p ire B u t wit h his c om
.

t i ely handful o f raw recruits wh at c o uld h

p a r a v ,
e

do against the worl d i n ar m s ? Hi s rapid v ict o rie s

began t o grow less d ecis ive ; the gl o r y with which
he had anew c o vered the army wa x ed d im ; and his
,

s tar that had o nce more blazed forth in i ts an cien t

spl endour in the heavens , w a s s ee n sinki ng t o the
hori z o n
.

6
62 ATT EMP T A T SUICIDE .

The all i es entered the c a p ital a nd Nap oleon w a s ,

compelled to abdicate O n th e day after the signature

.

Of the treaty by which he was d ivested of po wer and

, ,

sen t an exile from the count ry he h ad saved — de s erted

b y all his soldiers his marsh als his army even by—
, ,

his wife and family he said t o C a ulinc o u r t a t ni gh t,

,

after a long and s a d revery My resolu tion is taken ; ,

w e must end : I feel it ”

A t midnigh t th e falle n em
.

er o r wa s in convulsions ; he had s wallowed p oison

p .

A S his faithful C a ulin c o u r t came in he Opened his ,

“
eyes and said C a u linc o ur t I am ab out to die I
, , ,
.

recommend to you my wi fe an d so n ; —defend my

m emory I could no l onger endure li fe The d es er
. .

t ion Of m y o ld compani o ns in arms h ad broken m y

”
h ear t . Violen t vomitin g , however gave him relief ; ,

and his life wa s saved .

H is farewel l to his faithful O ld G uar d, before he

departed fro m Fontainbleau for Elba , was noble an d
touching H e passed into their m ids t as h e had b een
.

w ont to do when he pitched his tent fo r the nigh t in

their protecting squ ares and addressed the m i n words ,

o f great tenderness
“
Fo r twenty years said he
.
”
, ,
“
I have ever found yo u in the path o f honou r and
o f glo ry . A dieu my children ; I would I w ere able
,

—
to press you all to m y heart bu t I will a t least pres s ,
”
your eagle With overpowering emotion he clasp
.
,

ed the General in his arms and ki s sed th e eagl e , .

A gain bidding his o ld c o mpanions adieu he drove ,

a way , while cries a nd S obs of sorro w burs t fro m

those brave he arts tha t had turned fo r hi m the tide
o f s o m any b attles T hey besought the p ri v ilege o f
.

following him in his fallen fo rt u nes ; b u t w ere refus ed

their prayer .

But Elb a c ou ld n o t l ong held th at dari ng, r es tles s

 NA P O LEON BONAPA RT E . 63
i

s p irit . T he next
y ear he a gain u nrolled h is
s tandard in the capital Of F rance and the army ,

opened its a rms to receive him A fter an exhibition .

o f hi s wonted energy and genius during the hundred

day s preparatio n he at length staked all o n the field

’
,

of Waterloo There the s tar o f his de s tiny again

.

ro s e over the horizon and s truggled with it s ancien t

,

strength to mount the heaven s O f fame The battle .

cloud rolled o ver it ; and when i t again wa s s wept

—
away that star had gone down sunk in blood and
,

carnage to rise no m ore forever

,
.

V olumes have been wri tten 0 11 this camp ai gn and

las t battle ; but every impartial mind m u s t come to
the s ame conclu s ion tha t Napoleon s plan s neve r
—
,
’

promi s ed more complete success than at this las t

e ffort Wellington wa s entrapped ; and with the
.

same eo Operation o n both S ide s he wa s lost beyond

-
, ,
“

fi"
redemption Had Blucher stayed away as G r o u c hy
.

did o r had G rouch y come up as did Bl ucher victory

, ,

would once m ore h ave s oar ed with the F rench eagles .

It i s vain to talk o f Grouchy s h aving obeyed orders ’

.

! t was plainly hi s du ty and his only duty to detain

, ,

Bluche r o r follo w him

,
.

Bonaparte has al s o bee n blamed for ri s king all o n

th e la s t de s perate charge o f th e O ld Guard ; but he
well knew that nothin g bu t a decided victory co u ld
s ave him He wanted the moral e ffect o f o n e ; and
.

without i t h e was lost —an d he wisely risked all to

w in it He is al s o blamed both in poetry and pro s e
.
, ,

for n o t throwing away his li fe when the b attle was

lost I f personal daring and personal exposure had
.

been called for in th e di s order and success could ,

have been po s sible by flinging himself into the very

,

j aws of death , he would not have h esitated a mo

64 H I S D E A T H .

m ent .
But the rou te w as utter ; an d th ou gh he did
wish to die and would h ave don e s o but for his
,

friends — h ad he succeeded in his pur p o se i t woul d

, ,

h ave been s imply a n act o f suicide for wh ich hi s ,

enemies would have been devoutly th ank ful .

H is last hope was gone and he threw h ims elf into ,

the hand s of England expectin g generous b u t r e

, ,

c eiv in g the ba s es t treatment She bani s hed hi m to .

an inho s pi table rock in the mids t of the ocean ; and

h aving caged the lion performed the honourable ta sk
,

o f watching at the door o f the priso n while her para ,

sites kept a faith ful record o f the complaints an d irri

t a t io n s of the n ob le s u fferer whose misfor tunes they ,

h ad not th e magnanimity to res pect But not all this .

co ul d dim the S plendour Of that genius who s e great

work w as done The tho u ghts tha t here em a nate d
.

from him and the maxims h e laid do wn both in p o

, ,

lit ic a l and military life S how that h e could have,

w ri tten o ne o f the mo st extraordinary b o ok s o f his

age as easily as he had become o ne O f its greates t
,

m ilitary leaders and rulers .

B u t at length that wo nd erful mind wa s to be

quenched in the ni gh t Of the grave and Nature as i f ,

determined to assert the greatness o f her wor k to the

la s t trumpeted him o u t o f th e world with o n e Of her
,

fiercest s torm s A mid the roar o f the bl a s t and the

.
,

S hock Of t he billow s a s they broke where a w ave

,

ha d n o t struck for twen ty years — and amid the dark

n ess and gloom and uproar o f o ne o f the m ost tem
, ,

es t u o u s nights that ever rocked th a t lonely isle Na

p ,

p o l eo n s troubled spiri t was passing to tha t u nseen

'

w orl d where the sound Of ba ttle never comes and

, ,

the tread o f armies is never heard Yet eve n in this .

s o le m n h ou r his deliri ou s s ou l ca u gh t perha p s by

; , ,
66 T H E FI N A L V ERDICT .

m urmu r s of Oppre ss ed man — stu d y wel l the change s

he introduced without which human progress mus t
,

h ave cea s ed — s ee the grea t public work s he estab l

lis hed — the in s titu tion s he fo nded the laws he pro
u —

claimed and the civil liberty he restored — and then

, ,

remembering that the bloody wars that o ffs et a ll

the s e were waged by him i n sel f defence and were
,
-
,

equal right s s trugglin g agains t exclu s i v e d espotism ;

— he wi ll regret that he has adopted the s landers O f
his foemen and the falsehoods O f monarchi s ts
, .
 d
a n t he s hell lib ert y he r es t o r d
e — and

r m stin t he ha s ado p t ed t he
 M AR SH AL B E RTHIE R .

T he Talents 9 . R ev ol tio n u d ev el o p es — C r eation of t he M ar s hals

B er t hier
’
s C har ac t er a nd Hi t y—S
s or olil o q uy of Np
a ol eon —B er
thie ’
r s D eath .

NO THING is m o re unfo rtunate for a great m an than ,

to be born beside a greater and walk during li fe time , ,

-

in his S hado w I t is equally unfortunate to be grea t

.

only in o n e department tha t is s till better filled b y

another Had Shak s pere not lived Massinger migh t
.
,

have s tood at the Head o f Englis h dramatists ; and

had A lfier i kept silent a host o f w riters no w almos t , ,

u nknown would h ave occupied the Italian stage

,
.

H ad it no t been for C aesar Brutus might have ruled ,

the world ; and were it n o t fo r Bonaparte many a ,

’

F rench general would occupy a separate pl ace in that

hi s tory o f which they are now only transient figures .

G reat men like bird s seem to come in flocks ; and ye t

, ,

bu t o n e stand s a s the representative o f his age The .

pe ak which firs t catches the sunlight i s cro wned

monarch O f the hills and the rest howe ver lofty , a r e , ,

but his bodyguard Much inj ustice h as been don e .

to Bonaparte s generals by no t allowing for the influ

’

ence o f this principle Ther e i s s carcely a his torian .

that w ill concede to such men a s L annes Davous t , ,

Murat a n d Ney any dominant quali ty excep t bra

, , ,

very U nder the guiding i ntellect O f N ap o leo n , the y

.
68 R E VO L U T I O N D E V E L O P E S GENIUS .

fou gh t nobly ; but when left to their o w n resource s .

m iserably failed Ye t the S imple truth is : bein g

.

c o mpelled by their relative position to let another

, ,

plan for them they could do little else than execut e

,

orders A mind dependen t i s cramped and confined ,

.

and can exhibit its power onl y by the force and vi gou r
with which it ex ecu tes rather than fo r m s pl ans .

But if it be a misfortune fo r a g r ea t m an to live

and move in the sh ado w o f a s till greater it is directly ,

the reverse wi th a weak man T he S hadow o f the .

'
geni us in which he walks m antles his stupidity and , ,

by the dim glory i t casts o ver him m agnifies his ,

proportions Such was the position o f B oswell to

.

Johns o n and this i s the secret o f B erthier s fame

,
’
.

B eing s elected by Napoleon a s the chief O f his sta ff ,

and his m o st intimate c ompanion ; he has linked hi m

self indiss o lubly wi th immortali t y .

The times in which Bonaparte lived were wel l ,

calculated to produce s u c h men as he ga thered around

him A revolution by its u pturnings bring s to the
.
, ,

surface m aterial s o f the e x istence o f which no man

, ,

ever dre amed before Circums tances make men who .

,

then usually return the c ompliment and make o n ,

c u m s t a n ces In ordinary times as a general rule ,

.
,

t he soul s o f men exhibit what force and fire they m ay

contain in t hes e ch annels where birth has placed

,

them This is m ore especially true in al l m onarchi

.

cal and arist ocratical government s The iron frame .

work they stretch over the human race e ffectually ,

presses d o wn every throb that would o therwise send

an undulation o ver the mass No head can lift itsel f .

excep t in the legitimate way while very s m a ll heads ,

that happen to h it the aperture aris tocracy has kind

ly left open m a y reach a high elevation
, R ev o luti on .
 0 CREATION O F THE MARSHALS .

spring from the middle and lower clas s es A ll r e .

former s al s o s tart there and they always m ust for n o t

, ,

only is their sigh t clearer and their j udgmen t more

j ust bu t their earne s t lan gua ge is adapted to t he
,

thoughts a n d sympa thies of the m any Thos e m en .

also who ri s e to power thro u gh themselves alone fee l ,

1 t i s by them s elves alone they mus t sta nd ; hence the

impelling moti v e is not s o much grea tness to be won ,

a s the choice between it and their original nothin g

ne ss B onaparte wa s a ware o f this and of all his
.
,

generals who h ave gone do wn to immortali ty with

him how few were taken from the upp er cla s ses
,
.

A u ger ea u was the s o n o f a grocer B ern adotte o f a n ,

attorney and both commenced thei r career as private

,

soldiers Bes s i eres St Cyr J o u r d a n fa n d the fiery

.
,
.
,

Junot all entered th e army a s priva te s Kleber w a s

,
.

an architec t ; the impetuou s L anne s the son o f a poor

mechanic ; L efevre L oi s on and the bold Sco tchman
, ,

Macdonald were all O f humble p a rent age The vic

,
.

t o r io u s Massen a w a s a n orph a n s ailor boy and the ,

reckless chivalric Murat the s o n O f a coun try la nd

, ,

lord Victor Such et O u d in o t and the ste m and

.
, , ,

s teady Soult were each and all Of humble ori gin and
, ,

commenced their a s cent from the lo wes t s tep Of Fame s ’

ladder A nd las t o f all N E Y t he brave s t O f the

.
“
, ,

brave wa s the so n o f a poor tradesm an o f Sarr e

”
,

L ouis .

Immediately o n the a s sumption o f supreme po wer ,

Napoleon created eigh teen M arsh al s le avin g two v a ,

c a n c ies to be filled afterwards Four Of these were .

honorary appoin tments given to those who had dis ,

t in gu ish ed themsel ves in pre vious b attle s and were ,

n o w r ep o sm o n their laurels as members of the

g
S enate T he o ther fou rtee n w er e c o nferred o n Gen
.
 MAR HAL S E E R T H I E R 71

er a ls de s tined for active service but i n re ward of ,

their former deed s The fir s t four were Kellerman ,

.

Lefevre P er iguin and S er r u ier The fourteen active

, ,
.

Mar s hals were Jourdan Ber thier Massena L annes , , , ,

Ney A u ger ea u Brune Murat Bes si eres Moncey

, , , , , ,

Mo r tier Soul t Davoust and Bernadotte Klebe r

, , , .

and De s aix were dead b oth killed o n the same day ,

, ,

one in E gypt a n d the other at Marengo or th ey

, ,

would have been first o n thi s immortal lis t .

A ll the s e had been active Generals and h ad dis ,

t ingu is h ed them s el v es by grea t deeds and won their ,

renown by hard fig hting except B erthier Their , .

honours were the re ward O f prodigie s o f valour and ,

exhibition s o f heroism seldom surpassed Berthier .

alone Obtained hi s appointment for his services in the

sta ff and partly I am inclined to believe fo r his per
, , ,

s onal a ttachment to Napoleon Without any meri t .

as a military leade r he still deserves a p lace am o n g

,

the distingui s hed Marshals o f the Em p ire for his in ,

timate relationship with Napole on .

A lexander Berthier was born a t Versailles on the ,

2 0th o f November 1 7 5 3 His father w a s c o a s t sur

,
.

v eyor to L ouis XVI and acquired great repu tation fo r

.
,

hi s s kill in this department Youn g Berthier natural ly .

became proficient i n mathematical studies — was a

capital surveyor and excelled in d rawing Though .

filling the S ituation in his father s O ffice with a fai th ’

fulness and ability tha t promised complete success i n

his profe s sion he nevertheless preferred the army By
, .

hi s father s connection with government he wa s ena

’
,

bled to Obtain a commission at the outse t in the dra

g oons and
,
as L ieutenant in R ochambeau s sta ff came ’
,

t o the U nited Sta tes ; and served during the war o f the
Am erican R ev o l u ti o n I kn o w O f no act o f his , dur
.
.
"
7H H I S EARLY CAREER .

ing this time w o rthy of n o te He had none o f t he

,
.

daring and intrepidity s o necessary to form a go o d

commander A t the time o f the F rench Revolution
. ,

he w as o flic er in the National G uards and stoo d firm ,

to the royal cause till the Guard s themselves went .

over , when he himself becam e a fiery republican .

H e wa s Chief o f the Sta ff in th e firs t campaigns O f

the R epublic o n the R hine an d Northern Frontier
, ,

and though faithful and efli c ien t i n the d ischar ge O f

his d u ties received n o p romotion No t h avin g su fh
,
.

cient energy and force to disti n guish him self by any

brilliant exploit h e Ob tained merel y the re p utatio n
,

o f bein g a fai thfu l O fficer I n th e first campai gn in

.

Italy he was quarter m as ter t o Kellerman but w he n

,
-

Bonaparte took comm and o f th e arm y h e made him ,

C hief o f his Sta ff and p romoted hi m to the rank o f

,

Maj or General
-
.

Fr om th at time o n for eighteen years he scarce

, ,

ever left the S ide o f Bona p arte We fi nd him wi th .

him on the sands o f E gypt and amid the snows o f ,

Ru ssia ; by the P O the R hine th e D anube and th e

, , ,

Nieme n a nd admitted to a n intimacy tha t few were

,

all o wed to enj oy It seems natural fo r a s tron g

.
,

po we rful m ind to at tach itself t o a weak o ne ; for its

desire is no t S O much for s ymp athy and support a s ,

for the privilege o f relaxin g and u nbending itself ,

w i thout imp airin g its dignity or expo s in g it s weak ,

nesses Berthier seemed to place no res traint on him

.
.

H e h ad s uch a thorough contemp t for hi s intellect

,
a n d knew in what awe and r e verence he held hi m
,

tha t his presence relieved his S olitude wi thou t destro y

ing i t I t is true Berthier s top o gra p hical kno wledge
.
,
’
,

and his S kill in drawing m ap s and ch art s and i n e x ,

plainin g them , made hi m indispensable to Bonap arte ,

 MA RSHAL BERTHIER . 73

who relied so m uch on these things in pr oj ectin g hi s

campaigns Especially as the ch annel through
.

which all hi s o rders passed he became more necessary ,

to him than any o ther S ingle o fficer in the army

,
.

Yet Berthie r was admitted into pri vacies t o which

,

n o ne o f these relations gave h im a claim When it .

was necess ary for Bonap arte to be in the open air fo r

a long time early i n the m ornin g o r late a t evenin g ;
, ,

a huge fire was always built by the Chasseur s to ,

which he allo wed n o o n e to approach unless to feed ,

it with fuel except Berthier B ack ward s and for

,
.

wards with his hands behind his b ack h e would

, ,

—
w alk hi s gra ve and thoughtful face ben t o n the
ground — until the signals were made o f which he wa s
in expectation w hen he wou d thro w off his reserve
l
, ,
”
and cal l o u t to Berthier To horse ,
.

Bonaparte s travelling c arri age a curiosity i n itself

’
, ,

w a s arra n ged as much for Berthier as for himse lf ,

.

Notwith s tanding the d rawers for his despatches and ,

his portable library he had a p art o f i t partitioned

,

o ff for t he latter True he did n O t give him half no r

.
, ,

allow him the d or m eu s e o n which he himself could ,

recline and refre s h himself Bu t Berthier was content .

even with the privilege allowed him thou gh i t fur ,

n ished him anything but repose for Bonaparte made ,

u s e o f the time in which his cort ege was sweepin g

,

like a whirlwind along the road to examine des ,

.

patches and the reports of the positions 650 A s he

, ,
.

read he dictated his directions which Berthier j otted ,

down and at the nex t s t epp ing place , filled o ut with

, , ,

a p recision th a t satisfied even his rigorous master

, .

Me th o dical in all he di d — doing no thin g in confusion

t he rapid hints throw n o u t by Napole o n , assumed a
s ymm etry and o rder u nd er his p en , t hat re qu ired on

7
74 H I S MIND MECHANICAL .

explanation a nd scarce ever needed an al tera tion In

,
.

thi s dep artment he wa s almo s t a s tireless a s Napo

leon himsel f H e would write all night wit h a clear
. ,

ne s s o f comprehension and an accuracy of d etail , ,

t ha t wa s perfectly sur prisin g A pparently withou t .

the mental grasp and vigour nece s s ary to comprehend

the gigantic plan s he filled o u t wi th such admirable
preci s ion ; he nevertheles s map ped them down a s if
they had been hi s o w n A hint fro m Napoleon was .

sufl i c ien t for hi m ; for S O accus tomed had h e become

to the ac tion O f his mind th at he could alm o st antici ,

pate hi s orders H e ha d lived and m oved and

.
, ,

breathed s o lon g in the atmosphere o f tha t i ntellec t

~

that he became a p erfec t reflector to i t H e knew t he .

meaning o f every look and gesture of the Emperor ,

and a s ingle glance w ould arrest him a s if it had the ,

power to blast A t the b attle o f E ylau , when A u

.

er ea u s shatter ed rank s came flying p as t him pur

’
g ,

sued by the enemy Napoleon suddenly found himself,

,

with onl y his s ta ff about him in presence o f a column ,

o f four thousand R ussians H is capture seemed in .

evitable for he was o n foo t and almost breas t to

, ,

breast with the column Be r thier immediately in .

,

great trepidation c alled out for th e horses Napoleo n

,
.

gave him a S ingl e look whic h pinned him as silent ,

in his pl a ce as if he ha d been turned i nto ston e I n

,
.

ste ad o f mo untin g his horse he ordered a battalion ,

Of hi s guard to charge The audacious column paused ,

.

and before it could recover I t s surprise s ix bat talions ,

of the O ld Guard and M u r a t s C avalry were upon

,
’
,

it r en d in g i t t o pieces
,
1 So perfectly mechanical was
.

his mind that it was impossible to confuse h im b y

,

the rapid accumulation of b usiness o n his h ands H e .

wa s among papers , w h a t B ona p ar t e was o n a battle

 MARSHAL BE RTHIE R . 75

fi eld — al w ays himself ; clear headed and correct -

,

bringing order o u t o f confu s ion in a manner th at de ,

lighted hi s exacting master B onaparte appreciated.

thi s qua lity in hi s Maj or General and ta s ked it to

-
,

the utmost He once said that this wa s t he great

.

“ ”
merit Of Berthier and o f inestimable importance
,

to h1 m . N 0 other could pos s ibly have replaced him .

The services he performed were amply rewarded ,

by making him Mar s hal o f the Empire grand hunts ,

man P rince o f Neufchatel and P rin c e Of Wagram

, ,
.

Yet s uch a low opinion did Napoleon have o f this

,

P rince s and Mar shal s character that he once s aid

’ ’
, ,

Nature ha s evidently de s ignated many for a s u b

or d inate S ituation ; and a mon g them i s Berthier A s .

Chief o f t he Sta ff he had no s uperior ; bu t he w a s

,

not fit to command five hundred men From this .

”

intimate rela tion s hip with Napoleon ho wever and , ,

all the orders coming thro u gh hi s hand s many began ,

to think that he wa s the ligh t Of Napoleon s genius ’

.

Napoleon and Berthier were coupled s o con s ta n tly

in men s m o n t hs tha t they began to be j oined i n
’
,

prai s e b y tho s e who knew neither personally and ,

there might t o this day have been a great di fference

, ,

o f opin i on respect ing hi s merit if he had never a t ,

tempted any t hing more than t o Obey orders .

Still Berthier S howed a t times ability which ,

brought o n him the commendations Of the C o m

m ander in Chief- -
A t L odi A rcola and indeed
.
, ,

throughou t the first campa ign of the youn g Bonaparte ,

h e behaved with S O much bravery and brought such ,

aid to the army tha t he w a s mo s t honourably men

,

t io n ed in the report s to the Directory .

O n Bonaparte s return to P aris after his victorious

’
,

campai gn in Italy Be rthier was left in command O f

,
76 MARCH INTO ROME .

the army N o t long after in an em eu t e in R ome the

.
, ,

French L egation wa s a s sailed and the young Gene ,

ral D u p het killed which bro u ght a n order from the

,

Directory to Berthier to m arch o n the city A rrived .

at the gates o f the home o f t he C zes a r s the soldiers ,

were tran s ported with enthusiasm ; a nd they w ith the ,

republican citizens conducted Berthier through the

,

P orta di P opolo in triumph to the Capito l as the vic

, ,

t o r io u s generals o f Old were won t to be borne The .

intoxicated multitude thinkin g the days o f ancien t ,

glory when Ro me was a republic had returned ; s u n g

, ,

the following memorable hym n a s they ca rried him

towards the C api tol .

R m i l v l s y u x la fut l C p it l
o a n e e e e e a o e

C p t t l p t d C lé
e on es e on a oc s

C ha d n
es c nt nvrts d
o c nd d S c ev l
s so co er es e r es e o e.

L u c r ec e d o r t: s o u s c es c yp r es

L a Br t u u imm s ola 15. r ac e

I ci s en gl o u t it
’
C u tiu r s

E t C es ar a c e t e a t u t pl re ac e

Fu t p go i n ar dé p ar C a s s iu s .

R o m e, 19 l i
. b té t er
’
a pp el e

mp t f
Ro es er s , o s e t
’
a ffr an c hir

U R m i d
n o a n or t li b pure o r ell e,

P u llo r e e un R o m ain d tM u
or o r ir

Te Deum was chanted in St P eter s by fo u rteen .

’

cardinals and the Old R oman form o f governmen t

,

proclaimed in the ancient F orum .

But he was no sooner in s talled in his place than ,

he began to practi s e such extortion and pillage tha t ,

even his o w n O fi O er s broke out in Open complaints

against him and he had to leave the army and s et ,

o ut for P aris .

H e was o ne o f those selected by Bonaparte t o a c

company him to E gypt Bert hier could not b ear t o .
‘

leave his beloved General s side ; b u t , th o u gh fo r t y

” ’
a
 78 MARRIAG E O F BE THIER R .

no t forget the service s o f Berthier but gave t o hl m ,

the P ortfolio o f Wa r He be s towed o n him al s o a t

.
,

di fferent times large sums of money which migh t as

, ,

well have been thrown i n the Se ine a s to all good ,

they did this imbecile s pendthrift O n o n e o ccasion .

,

he pre s ented him wi th a m agnificen t diamond worth

nearly twenty thousand dollars sayin g Take thi s ; , ,

we frequently play high : lay i t up agai n st a time

of need .In a few hours it was sparklin g o n the
”

head Of his lady love - .

This mad pas s ion outliving separation change , , ,

and all the excitements o f the camp and battle fi eld -

,

w a s doomed to a m o s t bitter disappointment A t the .

urgent request o f Napoleon he finally married a ,

in s o f B avaria Bu t scarcely was the ma rriage

p r c es .

consummated when a s if o n purpose to complete his

, ,

de s pair the husband O f Madame Visconti died This

,
.

was too much for Berthier Cursing his mi s erable .

fate he ha s tened to Napoleon overcome with grief

, , ,

exclaiming “
Wha t a mi s erable man I am ! ha d I
,

been only a lit tle more constant Madame Vis con ti ,

”
would have been m y wife .

I remarked before tha t Berthier m ight po s sibly

have passed for a good general had h e not gr a t ui ,

tou s ly revealed his o wn weakness to t he eyes o f Eu

rope A t the Opening Of the campaigns o f A liens
. .

berg L and s hut and E c hm u hl Napoleon de s patched

, , ,

him to the head qu ar ter s of the army w ith definite ,

directions — the s um of which was t o concentrate all ,

the forces around R atisbon unless the enemy made ,

an attack before the 1 5 th in which case he was t o ,

concentrate t hem o n the L ech around Donauwerth , .

Ber thier seized w ith some wonderful idea Of his o wn ,

instead o f carryin g o ut the Em p er o r s orders t o t he ’

 MAR S HA L BE R THI E R . 79

v ery letter as he had ever before done acted directly

, ,

contrary to them In s tead o f concentrating the army

.
,

he s cattered it The A u s trians were ad v ancing an d

.
,

the notion in s tantly s eized him O f executing a prodi

io u s feat and Of s t e p p in g the enemy a t all point s
g ,
.

Ma s sena and Da v ou s t commanding the t w o pri n ,

n

c 1p a l corp s of the army he separated a hundred mile s

,

from each o ther while at the same time he placed

,

L efebvre W r ede a nd O u d in o t in S O ab s urd a po s ition

, , ,

that the s e experienced genera l s were utterly amazed .

Davou s t became perfectly fu rious at the folly Of Ber

thier— told him he wa s dooming the army to utter
de s truction while Ma ss ena urged his s tro n g remon
,

strance a gain s t thi s suicidal mea s ure A s he wa s .

acting u nder Napoleon s order s however they were ’

, ,

compelled to Obey him though some of the Marshals,

declared that he was a traitor and had been bribed ,

to deliver up the army Nothing bu t the slowness o f

.

the A rchduke s advance s aved them His army o f a

’
.

hun d red and twenty thou s an d men could at this ,

j u ncture h ave cru s hed them almo s t a t a blo w if i t

, ,

had po ss e ss ed one quarter the activity Napoleon s oon

after evinced While a ffair s were in thi s deplorable
.

s tate and B erthier wa s in an agony at hi s o w n folly

, ,

and utterly a t les s wh at to do Napoleon arrived a t ,

head quarters He wa s perfectly amazed at the peril

-
.

o u s position in which hi s army wa s placed .

Hi s ha s ty interrogation s o f every o n e around him ,

s oon place d the condition of the two armie s clearly

before him : and hi s thoughts and action s rapid as ,

lightning quickly S howed th at another S pirit was at

,

the head o f a ffair s O ffi cer s were despatched hither

.

and th ithe r o n the fleetes t hor s e s —Berthier s orders ’

were all c o untermanded and the c o ncentratio n o f t he.

80 H I S INAB I LITY T o COMMAND .

army was e ffected barely I n time to s ave it I m m ed i .

ately o n his arrival at Dona u wer th he de s pa tched a ,

note to Berthier s ayi n g

,
“
e a t y o u have done a p
,

pear s s o strange that if I wa s no t aware o f your

,

friendship I S hould think y o u were bet raying me

,
.

Davou s t is at thi s moment more comple tely at the

A rchduke s di s po s al than my o w n
’
,
”
Davoust was
al s o per fectly aware Of thi s but thought only O f ful
,

filling his order s lik e a brave man In s peaking Of this .

afterwar d Napoleon said

,
— “
You cannot imagine i n
w hat a condition I found the army o n my arrival and ,

to wh at dreadful reverse s i t was expo s ed if we h ad to

deal with an enterpri s in g enemy I s hall take care .

that I am not surpri s ed agai n in such a m anner ”

.

The ch ief of the s t a fl was never after su s pected o f be

ing anything mor e than a mere instrumen t in the
h and s o f the E mperor .

The change that passed over th e French army was

in s tantaneous and the power o f intellect and genius
,

working with lightning like rapidity , was never more

-

c learly s een than in the di fferent as pect Napoleon pu t

o n a ffairs in a single day U nder his all pervadin g
.
-
,

all embracing S pirit order ro s e o u t o f confu s ion and

-
, ,

stre n gth o n t o f weakness H ad an A ustrian General

.

commit ted such a blunder in his p res en c e a s Berthier ,

did in the face o f the A rchduke Charles he would ,

have u tter ly annihilated him .

It is u s eless to follow B erthier throug h the long

campaigns in whi ch he never quitted the Emperor s
,
’

side a s he only n o w and then appears above the sur

,

face and then merely as a good chief of the s taff a n d

, ,

a valuable aid in the cabinet with his topographical

knowledge He wa s with him in his last e ffort s to
.

s ave P aris and his throne He , with C a u linc o u r t

.
,
 MARSHAL BERTHIER . 81
'

wa s b y his s ide i n that gloomy nigh t when , in his

haste to get to his capita l he could not wait for his
,

carriage but walked o n fo o t fo r a mile ch afing like a

,
'

fettere d lion They were t he only auditors o f tha t

.

terrible s oliloqu y that broke from his lips a s he strode

o n through the darkness Jus t before w hen news
.
,

wa s brough t that P aris h ad capitul ated the expres ,

s ion o f his face as he turned to C a u lin c o u r t and ex

claimed D o you hea r t ha t wa s enough to freeze
o n e with horror
; bu t now his su ffering s melted the
hear t with pity Pari s was illuminated by the innu
.
~

m er a b le watch fi r es that covered the heights and

-
,

around it the allied troops were shouting in u nbounded

'

exul tation O ver the glorious victory that compensa

ted them for all their former lo s ses while but fifteen
miles distant o n foot wa lked i t s king a n d emperor
,

through the deep m idnight — hi s mighty spirit wrun g

with s uch agony that the sweat s too d in large drops
o n his forehead and his lips worked in the most pain
,

ful excitement Neither Ber thier nor C a u lin c o ur t

.

dared to interrupt th e rapid soliloquy o f the fallen

Emperor as he mu ttered in fierce a ccent s I burned
,
“

the pavement — m y hor s e s were s wift a s the wind but ,

s till I felt oppressed with an intolerable weight some

thing ex traordinary was pa ss ing within me I aske d .

them to hold out o n ly twenty four hou rs Mi s erable

-
.

wretches tha t they are ! Marmont too wh o had

"

, ,

sworn that he would be he w n in pieces rather tha n ,

sur r ender A nd Joseph ran O ff too — m y very brother

To surrender the capital to the enemy — wha t po l
troons ! They had my order s ; they knew th at o n ,

the 2 d of A pril I would be here at the head o f s ev

,

en t y thousand men ! My brave schol ar s my Na ,

‘

t io na l G u ard , who had p romised to defend m y son

 82 N A P O L E O N S S O L I L O ! U'
’
Y .

all m en with a heart in their bosoms would ha v e ,

j oined to combat at my side ! A nd s o they have

capitulate d betrayed their brother their coun try their
, , ,

s o vereign — degraded France in the s ight of Europe

Entered into a capital o f eigh t hundred thousand
s oul s without firing a s hot I t is too dreadful Tha t
,

come s o f tru s ting cowards and fools When I a m .

no t there they do nothing bu t heap blunder o n blun

,
~

der What has been done with the ar tillery l T he y

.
"
.

S hould have had t w o hundred pieces and ammunition ,

fo r a month Every o n e has los t hi s head ; and yet

.

Joseph imagines tha t he can lead an a rmy and Cl arke ,

is vain enough to think him self a mini s ter ; but I b e

gin to think Sa vary is righ t and tha t h e is a t raitor ,

then suddenly rousing h imself as if from a trouble d ,

dream and as if unable to believe S O great a di sa s ter

, ,

h e turned fiercely 0 11 C a ulin c o u r t and Berthier and

exclaimed Set O fi C a u linc o u r t fly t o the allied line s ;
“
, ,

penetrate to head quarters ; y o u h ave full power s ;

FL Y FLY I t was with di fficu lty tha t Berthier
and C a ulin c o u r t could persuade him that the c a p it u
lation had been concluded Yielding at length to th e .

irrever s ible stroke o f fa te he t u rned back j oined his , ,

carriages and hastened to Fontainbleau where he

, ,

a r rrv ed a li ttle after sunrise .

That w a s a gloomy day for him ; and while he wa s

pondering o n his perilou s po s ition endeavouri n g t o ,

pierce the ni ght Of m isfor tune that now enveloped him ,

P ari s was S haking to the acclama tions o f the m ul ti

tude as the allied arm ies d efiled through the s treets
, .

C a ulin c o ur t h ad been sen t O ff to make terms with the

victors but nothin g wo uld do but Napoleon s abdica
,
’

—
tion and he w a s forced to re s ign Then commenced .

Vid e C aul in c o u r t an d A liso n .

 MAR SHAL BERTHIER . 83

the sha m efu l desertion Of his followers w hrc h broke ,

hi s great heart and drove him in h i s a n gui s h t o a t

,

tempt the de s tructio n O f his life A mong the s e feeble .

and fal s e hearted men wa s Berthier Napoleon was

-
,
.

a crownless throneless man without an army

— with
, ,

o ut favour o r the gifts th ey bring— and Berthier had

,

n o longer any m otive for attaching himself to him ,

—
'
'

except that of honour and noble a fi c e t io n both Of

which he was entirely de s titute Of A fraid to turn .

traitor before hi s benefactor s face he a s ked permis ’

,

sion to go to P aris o n busine s s promi s ing to return ,

the next day When he h ad left Napoleo n turned

.
,

to the Duke o f B assano and s aid He will not r e

,

turn ”
.
“
What ! replied the D uke “ ”
can B erthier ,
”
take such a fa rew ell 7 He will not ret urn c almly ,
”

“
replied Napoleon H e was born a courtier In a
. .

few day s you will see my Vice Constable beggin g an

appointment from the Bourbons It m o r t ifi es me to .

s ee men I h a ve raised s o high in the eyes O f Europe ,

S ink s o low What have they done wi th th at halo o f

.

glory through which men have been won t to contem

,
”
plate th em l He wa s right ; Berthier returned no
r

m ore Too mea n to enter tai n o r even a ct a noble

.

Sentiment — and yet w ith s u fli c ien t con s cience to feel

the glaring ingratitude an d b asene s s Of his treachery ,

and fearing to confront t he man who ha d eleva ted him

t o honour and heaped countle s s benefits o n his head ;
,

he S hrunk away like a th ief to kiss the foot o f a ,

Bourbon A fe w days after he presented him s elf a t

.
,

the head o f the Mar s hal s before L oui s XVIII s aying .

,
“
-
France h aving groaned for the last twenty fiv e -

years under the weight o f the mi s fortunes which o p

p ressed her had looked forward to the happy day
,

w hic h n o w S hines U p o n her ”

T his infa mou s false .
84 H I S DEATH .

ho o d , cro wning his base treason ingratitude a nd , ,

blasphemy ; was uttered wi thin o ne week after he had

s worn to Bonapar te he would never desert him what ,

ever adversity might befall him When th e Bourbo n .

king m ade his public entry into P aris Berthier was ,

seen riding in front o f the c arriage in all the pomp O f

his new S ituation But eve n the common p eople
.

c o uld no t witness the disgrace this companion and

private friend o f Napoleon p u t on hu man nature in ,

silence A s he rode along repro achful voices m e t his

.
,

ear saying G O t o the island o f Elba , Ber thier ! g o

,
“
,

t o Elba There w as his p lace Hon o ur , gratitude , .

'
i
a flec t on , manho o d — all called him there , but called
in vain, A seat in the C hamber of P eers , and a com
m and in the king s b o dy guard were the price he
’
,

received for covering himself with infamy in the S igh t

o f the world .

But his baseness wa s d o omed t o receive a n o the r

r eward for the next year Napoleon was agai n in
,

France .A s L ouis withdre w to Ghen t Berthier ,

wished t o accompany him ; but th e king h ad s u fli

cient penetration to s ee that one wh o had deserted his
greatest friend a n d benefactor in the hour o f ad v ersity ,

w ould not be S low to betray him and hence intimated

tha t he could dispense wit h his company Trusted .

by no o n e he retired to Bomberg in hi s father in law s

, ,
- -
’

dominions Here , o n the 1 9 th of May 1 8 1 5 he wa s

.
, ,

seen leaning o u t o f the windo w o f his hotel as the ,

allies were d efiling past in their retrea t from F rance ,

.

A moment a fter his mangled body was lifted from

,

the pavemen t where it lay crushed and lifeless a t the

,

very feet of the R ussian soldiers Some s ay he wa s .

thrown o u t by the soldiers themselves ; others , that

he leap ed p urp o sely fr om the w ind o w t o destroy him
 MAR SH AL A UGE R E A U .

H is ear l y Lif e a nd C ha r ac t er —H is Ca mp ig i I t ly—B ttl

a ns n a a e of

C as igl io ne—B a l e o f A r c o la— R ev o

t tt lut i f t h 1 8 t h F u t id
on o e r c or

g y t u
C har e a t E l a u — H is T ra i o ro s C o n d u t nd D i g
c a s r ac e .

THE R E is very little pleasure i n contempl ating a

character like th at Of A u ger ea u especially w hen one ,

i s led from his rank and titles to expect great qu a

, ,

lit ies .A u ger ea u had S imple bravery nothing more , ,

t o render him worthy of a place amid th e Mar s hals

o f the Empire He was not even a s econd rate man

.
-

in anything bu t courage ; and there he had no su

,

perior A S a fierce fi ght er — one whose charge was

.

like a thunderbol t and whose tenaci ty in the mid s t

,

o f carnage and ruin nothing seemed able to shake

,

he was worthy to command beside Massena Ney , ,

L annes Davou s t and Murat — but there the equality

, ,

ended He o wed his Marshal s b ato n not S O much

.
’

to his General s hip as to hi s having s erved in Bona,

parte s first campaign s in Italy and helped by his

’

, ,

bravery to lay the foundation stone o f the young

,
-

Cor s ican s fame ’

Napoleon in the height o f his
.
,

power did not forget the you n g Chiefs with who m he

, ,

won his first laurel s and to whose unsurpassed valour ,

h e owed the wondrous success o f his first campaigns .

It was with such men as Murat Massena L anne s , , ,

Victor , and A u ger ea u that he conquered fo ur ar m ies
, ,
 MARSHA L A UGE R E A U .
87

each large as his o w n With all his geniu s he could .

,

have accompli s hed s o much with no other men In .

tho s e rapid and forced marche s — tho s e re s istle s s 0 11

S ets and in that tireles s activity without which he
, ,
—
was ruined the s e men w e re eq u al to hi s wi s hes and
hi s want s Ma ss ena and A u ger ea u were among the
.

fir s t o f the s e fiery leader s and astonished Europe b y ,

the brilliancy of their exploit s Bonaparte in hi s .

,

letter to the Directory calls him the brave A u ,

g er ea u . A t L odi Ca s tiglione and A rcola he won

”
, , ,

h is Ducal title and hi s Mar s ha l s sta ff

,
’
.

Born November 1 4 t h 1 7 5 7 i n the Fa u x b o u r g St

, , ,
.

M arceau Of P ari s the s o n o f a grocer P ierre

, , ,

Francoi s Charle s A u ger ea u al ways retained the

-

mark s O f hi s origin L iving in a democratic quar ter

.

o f the city and s p r a n g from a d emocratic stock he

, ,

wa s a s thorough a J a c o b in as ever outraged huma n i ty .

O f an adventurou s ardent S pirit he left P ari s whe n , ,

a mere yout h and en tered the army of the King o f

,

Naple s as a common s oldier Findin g no thin g t o do .

,

and apparently nothing to gain in the service ; he left

it in mingled di s appoin tmen t and di s gu s t P oor and .

without friend s he taugh t fencin g in Naple s a s a

, ,

m ean s o f s upport and remained there till he was

,

thirty fi v e years of age B u t the all powerful R evo

- .
-

lu tI O n which dragged into it s vortex every ste m and

,

fierce s pirit France pos s e ss ed soon hurried him into ,

S cen e s more congenial to his tastes Being compelled .

to leave Naple s, in 1 7 92 by the edict Of the King , ,

w hich forced all Frenchmen o f R evoluti ona ry p r in

c ip les out Of the kingdom ; he returned to P ari s and ,

e hlis t ed a s a volunteer in the army of the P yrenee s .

Here he had a clear field fo r his daring and soon ,

w o n himself a r eputati o n tha t secured his ra p id p r o

‘
 88 NAPO LEON .

m otion When he entered the army as a volunteer

. ,
he
was thirty fi v e years o f
- thirty eight he fo und a ge — at -

him s elf Brigadier General and in two years more-

,

G eneral o f Divi s ion Foremost i n the plac e Of dan

.

ger— re s i s tle ss in the onset he had acquired a repu

t a t io n for daring that m ade him a fit companion fo r
,

Napoleon in hi s Italian campaigns T hough so mu ch .

Older than the Commander in C hief he s oon learned - ~

to bow to hi s superior genius ; and followed him wi t h

a coura ge and fidelity tha t did not go u nrewarded .

I have often im agined the fi r s t intervie w between

the young B onaparte an d the vetera n Generals of ,

the army of I taly There were R ampon Ma ss en a

.
, ,

and A u ger ea u crowned with laurels they had w on

,

on many a hard fou ght field H ere wa s a yo u ng

-
.

m an sent to them as thei r C ommander in Chief only

,
- -
,

t wenty seven years o f age P ale thin with a s toop in

-
.
, ,

his shoulders his personal appearance indicated any

,

thin g b u t the w arrior A nd wha t else had he to r e .

commend him l H e had directed some artillery suc

’
.

c es s fully again s t Toul on and quelled a mob in P ar is , ,

and that wa s all H e had no rank i n civil matters

.

indeed had s carcely been heard O f— and now a mere

, ,

stripli n g withou t experience never h aving conducted

, ,

an army in hi s life ; he appears before the two scarred

General s Ma ss ena and A u g er ea u both nearly forty
, ,

year s o f age a s their Commander in C hief W he n

,
- -
.

c alled to p ay their first visi t to him o n hi s arrival , ,

they were u tterly am azed at the folly o f the Directory .

The war pr o mised to be a m ere farce Young B ona .

parte wh o se qu ick eye detected the impres s ion he

,

had made o n them soon by the firmness of his m an , ,

ner and hi s vigour of thought modified their feeling s

, , .

A t the Co uncil of War called t o disc u ss the prope r ,

90 H I S E N ER Y AND ENDURAN CE
G .

t r i fled t he s o ldie r s ; t ook t he o ld Genera ls by s urpri s e ,

and A u ger ea u and Ma ss ena turned to each other wi th

S igni ficant look s ; and R ampon after he had gone o u t , ,

remarked “ Here i s a man that will yet cu t out wor k

,
”
for government .

Such feeling s a n d b old proj ects s uited well the ,

impetuou s and daring A u ger ea u and Bonaparte could ,

not have had a better General in the kind of war he

wa s to wage W here it was to be marchi n g all night
.
,

and fi ghting all day for days in s ucce ss ion and o n e —

,

mu s t be equal to three by the rapidity o f his move

,

m ent s
,
and the force of h is onse t s — A u ger ea u was
j u s t the man Ther e was lit tle roo m for the exhib i
.

tion Of military tac tic s o n the part o f the s ev eral

,

Commander s The wh ole thea tre o f war wa s u nde r

.

the immediate i n s pection of Bonaparte H e planned .

and directed every thing withou t going through eve n ,

the form of callin g a Council o f W a r Hi s o flic er s .

h ad S imply to Obey order s — an d t o a man like A uge ,

reau who could n ever rea s on but was great i n

, ,

—
action this was the very field for him to win fame in .

There was little roo m for mi s take s except o n the ,

field o f ba ttle and he m ade fe w there Tell him to

,
.

storm such a battery — cro ss such a river i n the mid s t ,

o f a murderou s fire o r force s uch a win g Of the army

, ,

and he would do it if it was t o be done H is s oldiers

,
.

loved him wi th devotion a n d w ould follo w h im into ,

any danger Hi s activity and rapidity o f motion

.

together wi t h hi s tirele ss energy al s o rendered him a ,

powerful ally to Bo n aparte In campaigns where .

s uch velocity o f mo vement wa s neces s ary in or d er ,

to compens ate fo r number s tha t the army s eemed eu ,

dowed with wing s flyin g from poin t to point to the

, ,

u tter a s toni s hment o f the enemy and an endurance

;
 MARSHAL A U GE R E A U 1

w a s dem a nd ed tha t could cope with that o f Bona

‘

parte w ho seemed m ade o f iron ; A u ger ea u was at

,

home Thu s in the first battle o f Montenotte we

.
, ,

find him fighting be s ide the young Cor s ican and at the ,

clo s e o f the ba ttle left in command with instructi o ns

, ,

to rene w the attack in the night Bu t not yet fully .

u nderstandi n g the spirit that headed the army he ne

g ,

lec ted to obey the order and hence lost a grea t a d ,

vantage A few days after h e assailed the P ied

.
,

mon tese at Mille s imo and won that bloody ba ttle

, , .

With such fury d id he charge them and s o terrible ,

was the S hock that every pass leading into P iedmon t

,

was forced ; and in the hurry and tumult of the over

thro w their General wa s driven fo r s elf preservation
, ,
-
,

with ten thousand men into an o ld and impregnable ,

ca s tle A round this struct ure A u ger ea u formed hi s

.
,

columns and marched boldly up to carry i t by as

, ,

sault Then commenced one o f those s truggles o f

.

knightly days The assailant s rained down stones

.

and rocks and mis s iles o f every description which

, ,

bore away w hole companies at a time A mid the .

cries and S houts of the ass ailant s and the falling o f ,

s tones the combat raged till ni ght clo s ed the scene

, , .

In the morning P rovera , the P iedmontese c o m m a n

,

der was compelled to surrender

,
.

P iedmo n t was humbled and entered into a treaty ,

with B onaparte In the two en gagements a t C a s tig

.

lione , he fough t one alone and o ne with Bonaparte ; ,

and earned the title of Duke o f C astiglione which the ,

Emperor afterwards bestowed o n h im Bonapart e .

advanced with Ma ss ena o n L on ato and sen t A uge ,

reau to drive the A ustrians from the heights o f C as

t iglio n e The latter had drive n General Va let t e fro m
.

them the day before ; and A u gerea u was sent t o

92 BATTLE OF CASTIGL IONE .

retake them Valette tho u gh he fought with an O h

.
,

S t in ac y tha t would have honoured an A ustrian h a d ,

not resisted with the courage that m u st animate the

army o f I taly i f i t would no t be lost It wa s no
,
.

c o mmon firmness th at could resist the succes s ive

S hocks to which it was e x posed Whil eone was com
.

p e lled to fight two and as he

,
b eat them ever fight ,

other tw o— a courage a nd ten a city w ere needed th a t

no ordinary assaul t coul d o vercome B onap arte in .
,

his fierce rides to and fro t o di fferent par ts of the

army had killed five horses in a few days
,
He hi m .

self had p lanned the c a m p a ign s fo u ght a t the head

~

of the columns — m arched all night and bat tled all next ,

day— biv o uacked with the common soldier and a te ,

his coarse bread— passed S leepless nights and anxious

d ays — and t o h ave an im p ortan t p ost yielded because
assailed by superior forc e was a n example which,
, ,

if followed w ould insure h is o verthrow and he —

,

m ade an ex ample O f Valette t o th e whole army He .

broke him in p resence o f his o wn tr o ops and all th e

o fficers ; thu s s tamping him with everlasting dis
grace He wished to impress on his O fli c er s a nd
.

men tha t he e x pected despera te deeds Of them and

, ,

nothing else would satisfy hi m N O s oo n er was this

.

done than he sent A u g er ea u t o r etak e the lost heights

, .

B urni n g with rage at the disgrace Valet te h ad brought

on the F rench arms h e departed with exultation o n
,

his dangerous mission Never woul d he be broke in

.

the presence of his soldiers for want O f courage B o .

n a p a r te might break his sword above his grave — but

never fix the stain o f cowardice o n his n ame H e .

reached Castiglione as Bonaparte arrived a t L on ato .

Burning with impatience he formed his men int o

columns and rushed to the assaul t Then com m enced
, .
94 SE OND BAT TLE
C O
'
F CA S I I GL I O N E
‘
.

reau s brow cleared u p ; and a s he looked o ff fro m ,

the s pot o f victory he s a w B onaparte hastening to

,

his relief The hear t Of this vetera n swelled with

.

p ride as he received the comm endation s O f the young

co mm a n d er in chief
~ - Bonapar te. never fo r
g et this
batt le ; and y ear s after when a captive o n the i s le Of
,

St Helena he said
.
,
“
A h ! t ha t wa s the m os t br illia nt
,
”
d a y of A u g er ea u s life
’
.

B A TT L E O F C A STIG L I O NE .

A days after the second battle o f Ca stiglion e

few
was fough t and I tal y again put u p as the mi ghty
,

stake The two a rmies sto o d perpendicu lar to a

.

range o f hill s that crossed the pl ai n o n Bonaparte s ’

left O n the s e height s the left win g o f t he French

'

and the right of th e A u strians re s ted whi le the two ,

'
armies stretc hed in parallel lin es o u t into the plain .

A l l night long had Bonaparte been ridi n g amo n g hi s

troop s to arrange them for the coming conflict and ,

w hen d ayligh t first broke over the ea s tern hill s he ,

s a w S er r u er ier s d i v i s ion approaching the field o f

’

battle The actio n then commenced o n the heigh t s

.

where Ma ss ena commanded The two armie s inac .

,

tive on the plain b elo w turned their eye s upon the ,

hill s ide where volume s Of s moke were ri s ing i n t he

morning air ; and the ince s sant roll O f m u s ketry amid
strain s o f martial m u s ic told where their companions
,

were s truggling in the encounter o f death A u ger ea u .

comman ded the centre in the p la in a n d as he watched ,

~

the fir in g along the heigh t s , his impatien t s pirit could

scarcely brook the inaction to which he was doo m e d .

A t lengt h he received the welcome order s to ch arge .

The on set wa s tremendous and though the A ustri ans ,

—being superior in numbers by o ne third — resisted -
 MAR SHAL A U GE R E A U .

bra v ely they were a t length fo rced t o yield to the

,

Shock The whole lI ne a long t heheight s and th roug h

.

the plain bent back ward i n the struggle and finally ,

turned in full re treat The v ictory was in the hands

.

o f the French but the soldiers were t oo weary to

,

urge the pur s uit The s un was stooping to the west

.

ern horizon when the comba t was d o ne and the ex ,

han s ted army slep t o n the field of battle Fo r d ays .

they had marched and combatted withou t cessa tion ,

and h u man endurance could go no further Even B on a .

parte wa s wor n o u t for his S lender frame ha d bee n

,

ta s ked to the utmo s t and his thin features looked hag

,

gard and w a n H e had galloped from d ivi s ion to divi

.

sion over the country s u perintendi n g every movemen t

,

and d irecting every advance ; for he would trust no

body with his orders since the slightes t mistake would
,

ru in him Nothing bu t lofty genius combined wi th

.
,

cease less energy and the most tireless activity could ,

have s aved his army It is s aid that durin g these

.
,

S ix days he never took O fi his boots o r even lay down ,

.

A week o f such mental a n d physical excitement with ,

o u t o n e momen t s i nterval o f repose

’
was enough to ,

S hatter the most iron c o n s t it u tl o n and i t is no won

d er h e i s found writing to the Directory that his
s tren gth is gone and all is gone bu t his courage
,
.

With th irty thousand men he had in these S ix days , ,

—
defeated S ixty thou s and k illed and taken pri s oners
t w o thir d s the number Of his own army and aston
-
,

is hed the w orld by his achievement s .

The next day A u ger ea u w a s pressing after the fly

ing enemy and entered Verona i n triumph A few
,
.

weeks after he and Mas s ena fought their way into

Bassano together through the fire o f the enemy leav ,

in g the gr ou nd with ou t , c o vered with the dea d Be .

~
96 FIELD O F B ASSANO .

na
p arriv
ar t e ed a t nigh t o n the field Of battle , and a s

he was spurrin g his horse through the c o rpses that

s trewed the ground a do g leaped out from u nder the
,

cloak o f his dead master and barked furiousl y at him ,

.

He would now lick hi s u nconsci o us m aster then stop ,

to bark at Napoleon and again return to his caresses

,
.

The S ilence of the mournful scene broken S O abruptly

by this faithful dog— the s trength o f his attachmen t
outliving that of all other friends an d S h o win g itself ,

—
here o n the field o f the dead and the pictu re o f that
a ffecti on ate creature l avi s hing its unheeded caresses
o n the hand that s h oul d feed it n o m o re — produced
an impression o n hi s hear t tha t he never forgot and ,

a ffected him more than tha t O f any oth er battle scene

!

o f his life B u t perh aps A u ger ea u never a pp eared

.

to greater advanta ge than a t the ,

B A TT L E
AR C OLA OF .

Bona p arte wearied by con tinual fi g ht in g e x

,
—
h a n sted by h1 s v ery victories — was with his army o f
fifteen thousand men at Veron a when a fresh A us ,

trian army of m ore than thirty thousand suddenl y

ap p eared before the town His position wa s desper .

ate and hi s ruin a pparently inevi table The soldiers

, .

murmured sa yin g A fter d estroying t wo arm ies we

“
, , ,

are expected to de s troy also tho s e from the R hine ”

.

C omplaints a nd di s coura gements wer e o n every S ide ;

but in this cri s is , Napoleo n withou t consulting any ,
o
ne took o n e o f those sudden resolution s th at seem
,

the res u lt o f in s pirati o n I n the rear of the A ustrian s

.

was a l arge m arsh crossed by two lo n g causeways

, ,

and o n these he d eter m m ed to p lace his arm y Cr o ss .

ing t he A d rge tw i ce during the night the mornin g ,

s a w h i s army III two divisi o ns — o ne under Massena

, ,
98 BATTLE O F ARC OLA .

bullets A t thi s critical j uncture Bonaparte who deem

. , ,

ed the po ss es s ion o f A rcola of vital importance came ,

u on a fu riou s gallop Springin g from hi s hor s e he

p ,
.

h a s tened to the soldiers l ying along the dyke and ,

a s king them if they were the conqu eror s o f L odi ,

s eized a s tandard a s A u ger ea u had done and e x

, ,

claiming Follo w your General 1 ad vanced thro u gh

,
”

a per fect hu r r icane o f grape shot to the centre o f the -

bri d ge a n d planted i t there The brave gren adiers

,
.

pre ss ed with level bayonets close after their intrepid

leader ; bu t u nable to endure the tempest of fire
,

a n d of lead whi ch the hotly worked b a t t er y hu r led i n -

their face s they s eized Bonaparte i n their arms an d

, ,

tra m pling ove r the dead and dying came ru s hin g ,

back through the smoke o f battle But the A ustrian s .

pre ss ed clo s e after the disordered column and dro ve ,

it into the mar s h in the rear where B onapar te wa s left ,

up to hi s arms in wa ter B ut the next momen t finding

.
,

their beloved chief was gone the soldiers cried ou t , . ,

over t he roar o f battle Forward t o save your Gen

, ,

eral !”
P au s ing i n their fligh t they wheeled and ,

c harged the advancin g enemy , and dri vin g them back

over the morass bore o f in triumph the helple ss N a
,

p o le o n. In this deadly encounter o f the heads o f

columns an d succes s ive advances and repul s es the
, ,

day wore away and the shades o f a November nigh t

,

parted the combatant s T he A u s trians occupied

.

A rcola , while the French re tired to R onco o r sunk '

,

to rest in the m iddle o f the cause ways t hey h a d held

with s uch firmne s s during the day The s moke o f .

the guns spread itsel f like a mist over the m arsh amid ,
w hich the dead and the dying lay together I n the .

m o rning the strife again commenced o n this s trange

field o f —
battle t wo ca u s eway s i n the midst o f a
 MARSHAL A U G E R E A U . 99

marsh The Au s trian s ad v anced in two columns

.

alo n g them till they reached the centre when the

, ,

French charged w ith the bayonet and routed them ,

wi th prodi gio u s s laughter— hurling t hem in the

shock by cro w d s fr om the dyke into the mar s h, ,
.

The s econd day pa ss ed as t he fir s t and when night ,

returned the roar o f a rtillery ceased and Bona

, ,

parte s lep t again on the fi eld o f bat tle The third .

morning broke over thi s dreadful scene a n d the ,

d imini s hed wearied armie s rou s ed them s elve s for a

, ,

la s t g r ea t e ffort Ma ss ena charging o n the r u n

.
,

cleared hi s dyke , while the left hand o ne afte r a de s ,

'
perate encounter wa s a ls o s wep t o f the e n emy and
, ,

A rcola evacu ated B onapa rte n o w thinkin g the

.

enemy s u fficiently di s hear tened and reduced to allo w ,

him to hazard a n engagemen t in t he open field de ,

ployed his army i n t o the plain acro ss the A lp o n ,

where the two armie s d rew up in order o f battle .

Before the s i gnal for the onset he resorted to a s tra ,

taga m in order to give force t o his attack He s en t

,
.

t wenty fi v e trumpeters throu gh a mar s h o f reed s

-

t hat reached to the left wi n g o f the A u s trian s with ,

orders to s ound the charge the moment the combat

became general He then ordered Ma ss ena and A u
.

g er ea u to advance '
Wit h an intrepid step
. they
m oved t o the a ttack , bu t were me t wi th a firm r e
s is t a n c e w hen all at once the A ustrians heard a loud
,

bla s t of trumpet s on their flank as if a whole divisio n ,

of cavalry was ru s hin g t o the charge Terror

'

stricken a t the sudden appearance o f this new foe ,

they gave wa y an d fled A t the same time the .

French garri s on o f L egn a gn o in the rear i s suing , ,

forth by order o f Napoleon and Opening their fire

, ,

upon the retiring ranks co m pleted the dis o rder , and ,

1 00 PR ESENTATION O F COLOUR S .

the blo o dy battle o f A rcol a was won A n geI ea u and .

Ma s sen a were the two heroes o f th is ha rd fough t -

field .

—
This was in November the ne x t Ja n uary the
battle o f R i v oli took place and while Napoleon an d,

Mas s ena were struggling on the heights A u ger eau ,

wa s pressing the rear guard o f the A us trians wh o ,

had come between him and the blockading force of

Mantua He had taken 1 5 00 prisoners , and fourtee n
.
.

cannon and was still strainin g every effort to arres t

,

the danger that wa s threatening the t r oop s around

the town when B onapar te arrived from the field o f
,

victory with reinforcements and Mantu a fell .

I n the s e a s toundin g victorie s A u ger ea u appears as ,

o n e o f the chief actor s W hen all the o ther Generals

.

were wounded he a nd Ma s sena s tood the two pillars

, ,

o f Napoleon s fortune
’
To carry out succe s sfu ll y
.

hi s s y s t em of tactics — requiring such grea t activi ty ,

firmnes s and heroi s m — A u ger ea u was all he could

,

wish Beloved by his s oldiers he could hurl the m

.
,

into a ny danger and hol d them firm aga i ns t t he

,

mo s t overwhelming numbers .

A fter the fall o f Man tu a he was sent to P aris to

p resen t to the Directory sixty s tands o f colours the ,

fruit s o f the recen t victories H is heroi c conduct h a d

p aved t h e way for a cordial recep tion ; and the D i
rectory h a d already honou red him by presentin g to ,

him and Bonaparte the colour s each had carried a t

A rcol a a t the head o f his gren adier s and planted o n
, ,

the centre of the bridge in the mid s t o f the fire .

The presentatio n o f the colours was a magnificent

sigh t They were carried by sixty o ld eterans wh o
.
V
,

bore them along with the pride and martial bearin g

of youthful hero es A u ger ea u placed his father and
.
1 02 R E VO LU T I O N o r I S T H FR UCTIDOR .

were alarmed by s eein g twelve thou s and s oldiers with

, ,

A u ger ea u at their head marching toward s the palace ,

o f the Tuileries There wa s n o commotion no a p

.
,

paren t cau s e for this extraordinary mili tary display ;

yet all nigh t long was heard the steady tramp o f s o l
d iers and the heavy rumblin g o f artillery over the
, ,

pavement s A t le n gt h a s olitary cannon the S i gn al

.
,

u n s ent i ts roar over th e breathless city calling to

g , ,

m ind the night s when the loud peal o f the tocsin ,

and the bea t of the alarm drum rou s ed up the mul ,

t it u d e to scene s o f violence and blood Immediately .

t he troop s approached t he gates of the palace o f the

Tuilerie s and orde re d them t o be Opened The
,
.

guard s refu s ed and there wa s prepa ration for r es is

,

t a nce when A u g er ea u appeared with hi s s ta ff

,
.

R amel t he commandan t no twith s tandin g the de

, ,

fec t io n among hi s t roops still s howed a di s position ,

to resis t when A u ger ea u th us addres s ed hi m : C o m

,
“

man d an t R amel do yo u reco gni s e m e Chief Of the ,

1 7 th Military Division ? ” “
Ye s replied R amel ,
”
.

Well then as your superior o fficer I comman d you

, , ,
”
to place yourself under arres t He immediately .

obeyed A t S ix o clock in the mornin g the Depu ties

.
’
,

were prisoners and the re volution e ffected ,

.

F or th e management o f thi s a ffair which A u ger ea u ,

a ttribu ted to hi s o w n cleverne ss h e expected and ,

so u ght a s eat in the Director y He expo s tulated and .

threatened but the Director s h ad u s ed him all they

,

w ished and they would n o t cal l him to s it among

,

them H e ha d n o o ther re s ource left bu t to get a

.
,

maj ority o f the vote o f the Councils in his favour .

Failin g i n this al s o he became turbulent and v iolen t ; ,

,

a n d finally as a las t resort the Directory t e get r id

, , ,

of him appointed h im to the c o mmand o f the arm y

,
 MARSHAL A U G E R E A U . 1 03

of Germany a po s t left vacant by the d eath of Gen

,

eral Hoche Enacting the fool here in his s tyle o f

.
,

living and the ou tward preten s ions he exhibi t ed ;

,

he finally alarmed the Directory by the Jacobinical ,

principle s he wa s di s seminating in the army and t he ,

di s content he s pread a mong the inhabitant s ; an d

wa s dep r ived o f hi s command un d er the pretext ,

Of s ending him to P erpignan to collec t an army tha t ,

wa s de s ti n ed for P ortugal T his appointment wa s a .

mere fa r ce and A u ger ea u was to al l intent s dis

,

gr a ced In 1 7 99 he wa s elected by the de partmen t

.
, ,

o f the U pper Garonne a s a member Of th e Council ,

Of Fi ve Hundred .

When Bonaparte returned from Ital y A u ger ea u ,

withd r ew from him a nd du ring the revolution o f the ,

1 8 t h of Brumaire by which the D irectory wa s o ver,

throw n and the power o f France pa s sed into the

,

hand s of the First Con s ul ; he stood ready to take

ad v antage of any favourable movement to place him
s elf a t the head o f th e troops and overwhelm the ,

hero of Egypt and his friend s A s thing s began to .

grow dark around Napoleon in tha t most critical day ,

o f hi s life he determined to go to the two Council s

,

with hi s s ta ff H e met A u ger ea u o n the way The

'

. .

l atter s aid to him s arca s tically “

There you have , , ,

got you r s elf into a pretty plight “

I t was worse a t .
”

A rcola wa s the brief reply o f Bonaparte

,
”
.

The e s tabl is hment o f the Con s ular gove rnment ,

and the s ubseq uent brilliant campaign Of Mare n go ,

wrough t a wo n derful change i n A u ger ea u s rep u blica n ’

prin c iples an d he wa s glad to pay co urt to Napoleon ;

,

and for hi s timely conver s ion w a s re s tored to favour

, , .

In 1 8 05 6 in A u s tria and P r u ss ia he exhibited his

,
’
, ,

O ld val o ur A t Jena , especially he sh o wed himself

.
,
1 04 C HA RGE A T EYLAU .

worthy to combat be s ide hi s former comrades in Italy .

A fterward s a t Golymin L ec ho c q zin and L and s berg

, , ,

tho u gh fifty years o f age he evinced the impetuosi ty

,

and firmness of hi s e arly days His political ambi .

tion ha d been given to the wind s as he once more ,

found h i mself o n the field where glory wa s to be w o n .

The next year at the battle o f E ylau he com

, ,

m en c ed the ac tion and exhibited there o n e o f thos e

,

heroic deeds which belong t o t he age o f chivalry ,

rather than to o u r more practical times .

CH AR GE A T EYLAU .

The night previou s to the b attle he ha d lain tossing ,

o n hi s uneasy couch — burned with fever and tortured ,

by rheumatic pains that deprived him almos t o f

,

con s ciousne s s B ut a t d aylight the thunder o f can

.
,

non shook the field o n w hich he lay The t r em en d .

o u s batteries o n both S ides h ad commenced their fire

, ,

making the earth tremble un d er their explo s ions as if a

volcano h ad suddenly Opened o n the pla in A u ger ea u .

lay and li s tened for a while to the stern mu s ic his s oul

had s o o ften beat time t o — then hastily spri n gin g from
his feveri s h bed called for his horse His attendants
, .
,

amazed at this sudden energy s tood s t u p ifi ed at the ,

s trange order ; but the fierce glance of th e chieftain

told them th a t he wa s no t to be disobeyed His bat .

tle steed wa s brought and the s ick and s taggering

,

war rior with di fficulty vaulted to the saddle Feel .

ing his s trengt h givin g way and that he was unable ,

to keep his seat h e ordered his servan ts to bring

,

straps and bind him o n They obeyed and strapped

.
,

him firm ly i n his place when plu n gin g his spur s into
, ,

hi s steed he flew in a headlong gallo p t o the head

, , ,

of hi s corps H is sudden appeara nce a m ong his s ol

.
1 06 ROUT o r H I S COLUMN .

both sides b y infantry and cavalry In the midst .

o f the u proar o f nearly a thousand cannon A u g er ea u ,

could not hear either the tread o f the in fantry o r the ,

t ramp of the caval r y and was wholly una ware o f ,

their app roach The R u s sian s had marked the course

.

o f the columns before the snow s quall wrapped them

from S ight and n o w advanced o n both sides to cru s h

,

them to pieces Withou t warnin g or preparation the

.
,

French s oldier s s uddenly s a w the long lances of the

Cos s acks emerge from the thick s tor m in a serried ,

line in their ver y face s ; and in the t winkling o f a n

,

e e
y ,
those wild horsemen were trampling thro ugh
their ranks Before this terrible tide o f c avalry a nd
.

infantry the col u mn s sunk a s i f en gulphed i n the

earth The hurried comm ands and shouts o f A uge
.

reau were never he ard o r heard in vain Still

, ,
.

bound to his steed h e s purred among the di s ordere d

,

troops striving by hi s voice and ge s ture s and more

—
,

than all by his daring example to re s tore the battle

, ,
.

But wounded and bleeding he only galloped over ,

a field O f fugitive s flying in every direction , while the

Co s sacks and R u s sian cavalry s abered them down ,

w ithou t mercy O f t he s ix t een t ho u s a n d o n ly fift een

.
,

hu n d r ed fo u n d t heir r a n k s a g a in Tramp ling down .

the dead and the dyin g the victoriou s enemy b u rs t ,

with loud hurrah s into Eylau and even in to the pre ,

sence o f Napoleon him s elf and nearly made him ,

prisoner It was to arre s t thi s s udden disorder that

.
,

M u r a t w it h his fourteen thousand ca valry backed

,
.
,

b y the Imperial Guard wa s ordered to ch arge ,

.

The wounded A u gerea u was left without a corps

to command and s ent back to P aris in order to re
, ,

cover hi s health t he a u t ho r o f the Camp and Cour t

— ‘ “

o f Napoleon ”
says in di s grace to gratify a fit o f
 MARSHAL A U GE R E A U . 1 07

sp leen ”
Says tha t au thor
. Enra ged a t th e in d ec i ,
“

sive resul t of the day , Napoleon wreaked hi s spleen

o n the Marshal and sent him ho m e in di s grace
,
” '
.

Whatever m ight be th e disgrace the cause here as ,

’
s igned is a gratuitous falsehood In Napoleon s bu l .

let in home giving an account of the b attle o f Eyla u

he speaks o f A u ger ea u three times ;
- — fi r s t to de ,

scribe the sudden s now squall tha t blinded hi s army ,

cau s ing it to lose its direction an d grop e about for ,

h alf an hour in uncertainty ; second to m ake men ,

tion Of his wound ; and finally to s ay “

th e wound , ,

o f Mar s hal A u ger ea u was a very unfavourable acci

den t a s i t left hi s corp s in the very heat o f the bat

, ,
”
tle without a leader to direct it
,
I n a bulletin dated .

nineteen days after A u ger ea u is a gain men tioned in ,

the followin g terms “

A la battaille d E yla u le ’

Mar é chal A u ger ea u couver t de r heu m a t is m es et a it , ,

m alade e t avait a peine c o nn o is a n c e ; mai s le cannon

re veille les braves : il vole a u galop a la t ete de s 6n
’
co rps apres s etre fait at taches sur s o n cheval 11 a
,
.

a s c o n s t a n t em en t expos e a u plus grand feu et a ,

meme ete leger em en t ble ss e L E m p er eu r vient d e .

’

l a u t o r iser a rentrer en France pour y s oigner s e

’ ’

This is an unique mode of venting one s ’

spleen o n a m a n .

T wo years after he was ap ointed to supersede St

p
Cyr in Spain ; then be s ieging Gerona Taken sic k .

in his route i t was some time before he a ss umed t ht

,

A t t he b at t l e o f u
E yl a , M ar shal A u ger eau , c o v er e w it h r h e m a d u
u u
‘

tis m , l ay s ic k , a n d a lm os t W it h o t c o n s c io s n ess ; b u t t h e s o u nd o l
c a nn o n aw ak en s t h e r av e b
H e flew o n a g all o t o t he h ea of hit
. p d
c or p s , a ft er hav in g u d him lf t b b u d t hi h
ca se se o e o n o s or s e . H e

h as b een c o ns t an t ly p d t th
ex t fi
os e d h bo e s ev er es r e, an as een g
li ht ly
wo u ddn e . Th e E mp g t him p i i t tu t
er o r r an s er m ss o n o re rn o Fr anc e
to a t t en dt o his healt h .
1 08 H I S C OND UC T A T LYO NS .

com m and o f the arm y and he even delayed it after ,

he was recovered He s aw th at the service was to be

.

a har a ssing one ; requiri n g grea t e fforts withou t ,

yielding much gl o ry A t length , however he too k

.
,

the command of the siege and hu m anely o ffered an ,

a rmistice of a month provided the inhabi tants would

,

surrender at the terminatio n o f it , S h o ul d no army

come to their relief They refusin g this p rop osal he
.
,

pressed t he siege , a nd reduced the town His whole .

management , h o we v er in the P eninsul a ; his foolish

,

procla m ati o ns and u seless cruelties , and failures

,

sho w the little real strength o f character he po ssessed .

He was so o n recalled W hile Napoleon wa s engaged

.

in the R ussian ex p edition A u ger ea u remained s ta ,

t io n ed at Berlin A lthou gh an admirable leader o f a

.

division and brave in the h o ur o f b attle ; Napoleon

, .

found him unfit to direct a n army , o r to be entrus ted

with weighty matters i n a grea t cam p aign The .

truth is A u ger ea u s rank as Marshal enti tled him t o

,
’

a command h e was not able to fi ll— a go od gen

eral, he made a bad m arshal Nevertheless in the .

last s tru ggle to save the totterin g em p ire o f F rance ,

he fought with his accus to m ed val o ur Especially at .

L eip z ic he appears in hi s for m er strength and darin g .

H astening by forced m arches t o th e city scattering ,

t he enemy from his path as he came he arrived in ,

time to strike once m ore for Napole o n and his throne .

T he ne x t year the Emperor entru sted him wi th the

defence o f L y o ns with the order t o h o ld it t o the l as t
,

ex trem i ty A rriving a t th e ci ty , he found there only

.

seven hundred regular troo p s and a tho u sand N a ,

t io n a l Guards while t wenty th o usand A ustrians wer e

,

m arching tow ar ds it Kn o win g he could n o t d efend

.

t he city with this feeble force he hastened to Va lence

,
1 10 INT E R VIEW WITH NA P O LEON .

seemed t o ro u s e himsel f for a momen t a nd obey i n g ,

Napoleon s order s marched o n Geneva and defeated

’
, ,

the A ustrian s before t he town C ompelled h owever .

, ,

to retire he retreated toward s L yons and a t L im o net

, ,

foug h t his las t battle I t wa s b rave and w orth y of

.

his character ; but thou gh he left nearly three thou

s and o f the enemy dead o n the field , while he los t but
two thou s and he w as compelled to r etir e; a n d e y ae n
,

ate L yons retreatin g to wards Valence

,
.

A t the latte r place a p rocl am ation was i s sued by

‘

,
’
the i nhab itants o n Napoleon s abdication loadin g th e ,

fallen Empero r with the mos t O pprobrious epithets ,

and extolling L ouis XVIII as the id ol o f h is countr y
. .

’
To this atrocious proclam ation A u ger ea u s si gnatu re
w a s a ffixed . O n his way to Elba Napoleon met A u ,

g ere a u unexpectedly ne ar Valence and an interview ,

to ok place which from the di fferent versions given o f it

,

furnishes a curious illus tration o f the hi s t o rical c o n

t r a d ic t io n s connected wi th this period .

Says the C our t and C amp o f Napoleon

“
Soon ,
‘

after this the Fructidor General a nd the e x emperor

‘ ’
-

m et at a shor t distance fro m Valence as th e latter ,

was o n h is way to Elba I h ave thy procl a m a t ion

.
”
,

said Napole o n thou hast betra y ed me

,
“ ” “
Sire r e .
,
”

p lied the Marshal i t i s you who h ave betrayed

“
,

F ra nc e and the army by s acri ficing both to a frantic

,

S pirit o f ambition ”
. Tho u ha s t chosen thy s elf a
new master , s aid N a p o leo n — “
I h a v e n o a cc ou nf t o
render thee o n tha t s core ”
replie d th e General
,

Th o u has t no courage replied Bonapar te —J T is

”
,
‘

thou h ast none re s ponded t he G eneral a nd tu rned

”
, ,

hi s back wi thou t any re s pect o n his l ate m aster ”

.

This preci o us bit o f dialogue is detailed with so much

m inuteness that o n e woul d incline t o b elieve it, even
,
 MARSHA L A U G E R E A U . 1 11

a g a in s t counter statements were it no t for the false ,

hood it bears o n its o w n face The whole s cene is .

u nnatural ; and to wind u p with a charge o f cow

a r d ic e o n the part of each is su premely r id ic u ,

lo u s Fo r two men who h ad fought side by side

.

at L odi A rcola and Castiglione a nd stormed together

, , ,

over so many battle fi eld s to accuse each o ther O f

-
,
’
cowardice at th at l ate hour would be a child s play ,

tha t A u ger ea u migh t s toop t o but Napoleo n never

— .

Here is another account o f this interview by M r .

A li s on “
A t noon o n the followin g day he a c c id en ,

tally met A u ger ea u on the road near Valence both , ,

alighted from their carriage s and ig n or a n t of the ,

a tr o c io u s proclamation in which tha t Mar s h al had

,

s o recentl y annou nced hi s conver s ion to the Bou r

bon s the Emperor embraced him and they walked

, ,

together o n the road for a quarter o f an hour in t he

mo s t a m ica ble m a n n er I t wa s ob s erved ho w eve r
.
, ,

that A u ger ea u kept his helmet o n his head as he

walked along A few minutes after the Empero r
.
,

entered Valence and beheld the proclamation pla

,

carded on the wall s ”

I t need not be rem arked tha t
.
,

the latte r is t he mo s t r eliable account o f the t wo .

A great many o f the incident s o f Napoleon s life ’

,

which h ave been gathered u p by Engli s h writers are ,

as fabulou s a s the first accoun t o f this in terview b e

tween him and A u ger ea u .

L oui s X VIII rewarded him by making him

.

P eer of F rance and bestowi n g o n him the Cros s o f

,

St L oui s and the command o f the 1 4 th Division in

.
,
-

Normandy .

O n Napoleon s landing from Elba A u ger ea u was

’
,

s truck with astonishment to find himself proclaime d by

the Em p er o r as a traito r H e, h o w ever , m a de no rep ly,
.
 1 12 H I S DEATH .

hopi n g by a s ea s onable conversion to extricate him ,

self from the di fficultie s that su rrounded him R e .

publican as he w a s he never all owed his principles

,

to inter fere with his self interest nor his conscience -

,

with his s afety No S oo ne r had Napoleo n entered

.

P aris in triumph th an A u ger ea u issued a procl a m a

,

tio n to hi s s oldier s , urging the m once more to m arch

“

under the victorious wings o f those immortal ea gles ,

”
which had s o often conducted them to glory Na .

polcou who had ne ver respec ted him and after his
, ,

infamou s proclam ation at Valence th oroughly de ,

s p is ed him paid n o attention to this delicate compli

,

ment o f h i s flexible Marsh al Kno win g him to o .

thoro u ghl y to trus t him and disdaining to m ol est ,

him he let th e betrayer o f t wo m as ters pass into

,

S ilent neglect P oor A u ger ea u robbed o f all h is

.
,

p lumes retired to his country esta te where he r e

, ,

m ained till the second restoration w hen he again sen t ,

in his protesta tions o f dev o tion to the king B ut there .

is a limit even to a B ourbon s vanity ; an d L ouis

,
’
,

turnin g a deaf e ar to his solicita tions and flattery ,

he again retired to his estate wh ere he died in June , ,

1 8 1 6 o f a dropsy i n the chest

, .

A uger ea u was essentially a mean man though a ,

brave o n e H e w a s a weak headed avaricious self

.
-
, ,

ish boa s tin g soldier ; yet po s ses s ing courage th at

,

wo u ld no t have di s graced the day s o f chivalry H is .

s oldiers l oved him fo r he kep t s trict order and disci

, ,

p line among them , an d exp o sed himself like t he

m eanest o f their n umber in the hou r o f d anger .

Wi thout su fficient grasp o f thought to form a pla n

requiring any depth o f combina tion or even intellect ,

enough to comprehend on e already furnished to his

hand ; he nevertheles s s u rveyed a field o f bat tle with
 M AR SH AL D A V OU ST .

H IS C h a r ac t er — B a t tl e of A u c r s t ad t — C av a l r y A ti
c on at E c hm uhl-m
Re t r ea tfr om R u s s ia .

IT i s h ard to fo rm a correc t opinion o f s u m a m a n

as Davou s t The Obloquy th at i s thrown u pon him
.
,

e s pecially by E n gli s h hi s torian s h as a tendency t o ,

de s troy our s ympa th y for him a t the out s et and dis ,

tort s the medium through whic h we ever after c o n

template him P o s itive in all his acts and naturally
.
,

o f a s tern and fierce temperament he di d thing s in a ,

w ay and with a directne s s and an a b r u tpn ess tha t

, , ,

indica ted a har s h and unfeelin g nature B ut if we .

j udge of men by their action s and not al s o by the ,

motives which promp te d them we shall be compelled ,

to regard the Duke of Wellin gton a s o n e of the mos t

cruel of men Hi s whole political cour s e in Eng
.

land hi s s teady oppo s ition to all reform — hi s harsh

—

trea tment o f the petition s of t he poor and he lple s s ,

and heartle s s indi ffe r ence to th e crie s o f fami s hin g

thou s and s argu e the mo s t callou s and unpityin g
,

—
nature But hi s a ction s thou gh causing s o much
.

su fferi n g an d a w akenin g s o much indignation that

, ,

even his house was mobbed by his o w n countrymen ,

and hi s g ray h air s narrowly escaped bein g trampled

in the du s t by an i ndignan t populace — h ave all
s p r ung fro m his education as a military m an E very .
 A R S HA L DA OUST
'

M V . 1 15

thing must bend to the establi s hed order o f things ,

and the su fferin g of individual s i s no t to be taken

into the account The same is true of Davo us t . .

Trained from hi s you th to the professio n o f arms

a ccu s tomed even in his boyhood t o scenes of revo
, ,

lu t io n ar y violence — with all his m oral feeli n gs edu

c a t ed amid the upro ar Of battle or t he corrup tions o f a ,

camp — the life o f the warrior w as to hi m the true

life of m an Succe s s victory were the only obj ect s
.
, ,

he contemplated ; makin g up his mind beforehand ,

that su fferin g and death would attend the means

employed Hence his fearful ferocity in battle— the
.

headlon g fury with which he tore throu gh the ranks

o f the e n emy a n d the un s crupulous manner i n which
,

he made war suppor t wa r These were the natural

.
.

results o f his firm resolu tion to conquer and o f his ,

m ili tary creed that to the victors belong the spoils

“
,
” -

He did noth ing b y ha lv es n or had he anythi n g o f the ,

“ ”
s u a v it er in modo which glosses over so m a ny ,

rough deeds and conveys the impres s ion they were

,

done from necessity rather than desire ,

.

L OU IS N ICH OLA S DA V OU ST was born a t A nnau x i n

-
,

B urgundy l 0th o f May 1 7 7 0 o n e year after B on a

, , ,

parte His family could l ay claim to the title o f

.

Nob le thou gh like m any Italian C a v a lier s who are

, , ,

too poor to own a horse ; it wa s destit ute of lands or

house s Youn g Davou s t being destined for the army
.
,

w a s sen t to the military sch ool o f Brienne where ,

wa s also the charity boy Bon aparte A t the age of ,

.

fifteen he obtained a com m i ss ion but his fiery im

.
,

et u o u s nature soon involved him i n di ffi cul ty wi th

p ,

his superior o flic er s and it wa s taken from him I n

‘
,
.

the revolutio n he became a fierce republican and ,

after the death o f L ouis , was ap po inted over a bat

1 16 H i s EARLY LIFE .

tali o n o f volunteers and was sent to j oin D o u m o ur ier ,

,

then c o mmanding the army of the R epublic o n t he ,

—
R hine Whe n D o u m o u rier disgusted with the ih
.

—
creasing horrors o f the revolution endeavoured t o
win the army o ver to march ag ainst the Terrorists ,
,

the yo u ng Davou s t u sed his u tmos t endeavours to

steady the shaking fidelity of the troo p s D ou m o u rier .

was finally compelle d to flee to the A ustrians a l ,

most alone ; and Davoust fo r h is efforts and faith

,

fulness , was promoted to the rank o f Brigadier G en -

eral and durin g five years , fough t bravely o n th e

,

banks o f t he R hine and Moselle W hen B o na p arte .

returned fr om I taly , where he had covered himself

and the army wi th gl o ry D avoust sought to u nite
,

h i s fortunes with th o se o f the young C orsican H e .

was consequently j oined to the expedition to Egyp t ,

and under the walls o f S a m a n hou t and A boukir ,
fought with a bravery tha t S h owed h e was worthy
,

o f the p lace he had sou ght He was no t included

.

with those selected by Bonaparte to accompany him

to France and did not return till the latter was pro
,

claimed F irst C onsul .

A ttachi n g h imself still more cl osely to o ne whose

fortunes were risin g so rapidly he wa s placed a t the ,

head o f the grenadiers o f the C o nsular Guard ,and

s oon after through the influence o f Bonap arte o b
, ,

t a in ed the hand o f th e S ister o f General L e Clerc — a

lady Of captivating manners and rare beauty ,

.

The r o ad to fame was n o w fairly open to the

young soldier and he pursued it wi th a boldness and
,

energy that deserved success I n 1 8 04 h e was made .

Marshal O f the E m pire and the nex t year found h i m

,

a t the head o f a corps of the Grand A rm y A r o un d .

U lm at A us terlitz chief o f all a t A uer s t a d t , he p er

, ,
1 18 H I S C HA R AC T ER .

and Swe d es combine d He held o u t lon g after N a

.

o leo n s abdication re s olutely refusing to surrend er

’

p ,

the place until General Gerard arrived on the part

,

o f L o u is XVIII . He then gave in his adhesion to

the Bourbons but wa s among the first to decl are fo r
,

the Emperor o n hi s return from Elba A fter the

,
.

overthro w at Wa terloo he t o ok command o f that

,

portion o f the army which still remained faithful to

Napoleon and retreated to O rlea ns and did no t give
, ,

in his adhe s ion to the Bourbons until the R us sian s ,

were m arching again s t him .

Thi s brief outli n e o f D a v o u s t s career e mbrace s’

,

the w hol e active life of Napoleon and was filled up ,

wi th the most stirrin g s cene s and marked by change s ,

that amazed and s hook the world The role that he .

played i n thi s m ighty Na po leonic drama sh ows him ,

to h ave been an extraordinary man and furnishe s ,

another evidence o f t he penetration that characterised

Bonaparte i n the selection o f his General s .

The three striking ch aracteristic s o f Davoust were

great person al intrep idity and darin g — perfect s e lf
pos s e ss ion and coolne ss in the ho u r o f peril and almo s t ,

invincible tenacity With all these rare gift s he wa s

.
,

also a great General In the skill with whi ch h e

.

chose hi s ground arranged his arm y and determ ined

, ,

o n the point and moment o f attack he h ad fe w s u ,

d

p er io r s in E u r O p e R a.s h in an on s et he wa s per ,

fec t ly cool in repellin g o n e This co mbinati on of t w o

.

such opposite quali ties s o prominen t i n Napoleon

, ,

seemed to be ch a racteristic o f most o f h is Generals ,

and was o ne great cause o f t heir success .

His personal darin g became proverbi al in t he

a rmy and whenever he was seen t o direct a blo w i t
, ,

w a s kn o wn that i t wo ul d be the fiercest , heaviest o n e

 M A R S H A L D A VO U S T . 1 19

th at c ould be given His suscep ti bility o f intense ex

.

c item en t carried him in the hour o f b attle , ab o ve the

,

thought o f danger o r death .

B A TT L E O F A UE R S TA D T .

O ne o f the most successful ba ttles he ever fo u gh t ,

wa s that o f A u er s t a d t where he ea rne d his title o f ,

Duke The year before a t A usterlitz he had e x

.
, ,

hib it ed tha t coolness in sud d en peri l and that un c on ,

~

u b le tenacity which made him so strong an ally

q e r a ,

o n a batt le field The night before the battle of Jena

.
,

Napoleon slept o n the heights o f L a nd g ra fen b er g ,

whither he had led his army with incredible toil and ,

at four i n the morning— it w a s an O ctober morning

rode alon g the lines and ad d re s sed his s oldiers in tha t
stirring eloquence which he kne w S O well h ow to,

use The dense fog tha t cu rtained in the dark and

.

chilly mornin g lifted and rent before the fierce a c

, ,

c la m a t io n s that answered him a nd wi th the fi rst ,

dawn his columns w ere upon the enemy W hen .

the u ncl ouded s u n at nine o clock brok e thro ugh ,

’
, ,

and scattered the fog i t shone down o n a wild bat tle ,

field o n which were heard the ince ss ant thunder of

,

artillery and rattle Of musketry ; interrupted now

, ,

and then by the h eavy S hocks o f c av alry and th e

, ,

S houts o f m addened men Napoleon was again vic .

t o r io u s and a t s ix o clock in the evening rode over

’
, ,

the c umbered ground while the settin g s u n shone o n ,

a d ifler en t scene from tha t w hich i ts ri s ing beams

'

ha d gilded But no t a t Jena wa s the great battle Of

.

the 1 4 th o f O ctober fough t nor was Napoleon the ,

her o of the day L ess than thirty miles distant

.

within hearing of his cannon could he have paused

—
t o is ten D av ou st wa s winni ng th e victory for hi m
l ,
12 0 B ATTLE O F A U E R S TA D T .

by prodigies o f valour to which the hard fough t bat - i

,

lle of Jena was an easy a ffair Napoleon imagi ned .

he had the King Of P rus s ia with his whole a rmy o n , ,

—
the heights o f L a n d gr a fenb er g and they wer e behind
them , t wo d ays previous With ninety thou sand .

men he s uppo s ed he was m arch n o n over a hundred

,

th ousand instead o f o n forty th o usand as the result

, ,

proved A fter several hou rs o f hard fighting the

.
,

P r u ssian s it is true were reinforced by twenty thou

, ,

sand under R uchel , making S ixty thousand agains t

,

ninety thousand with Napoleon a t their head an d

, ,

M u r a t s splendid c avalry in reserve

’
A t A u er st a d t .
,

m atters were reversed The King o f P russia with .

,

nearly two thirds o f his army , had marched thither

-
,

and wi th S ixty thousan d men threatened t o crush ,

D avous t with only thirty thousand

,
Na p oleon .
,

ignorant of this sent a despatch t o him wh ich he

, ,

received at six o clock i n the mornin g t o marc h r a

’
,

p id ly o n A polda in the rear of the army

,
he was abou t
to engage and defeat If Bernadotte wa s with him .
,

they were to march together ; bu t as the former h ad

received his orders before and t his s eemed a p ermis ,

sion rat her than an order he refused t o accede t o D a ,

’
v o u s t s reques t to j oin their a rmies H e took his own .

route and but for the heroi s m and unconquerable

,

firmness o f the latter thi s act w ould have cos t him ,

his head .

Davoust with his thirty thousand troops of which

, ,

o nly four thou s and were ca v a lry pushed forward , ,

not expectin g t o mee t the enemy till towards evening .

But a shor t distance in fr o nt o f him o n the pl ateau of ,

A u er s t a d t , that spread away from t he steep ascen t u p

which his army fresh from their bivouacs was toili ng
, ,
la y the King of P ru s sia with fifty thousand in fan
,
1 22 BATTLE O F A UE R S TA DT .

stead y ranks Finding from t he i ncessant roll of

.
,

musketry tha t Blucher was meeting w ith an o b s ti

,

nate re s i s tance the King Of P russi a sen t forward

,

three d ivi s ions to sus tain him These with Blucher s .

,
’

hu s sars n o w came S weeping do wn o n G a din s s in

,
’

gle divi s ion threatening to cru s h i t with a S ingle

,

blo w . O ne divi s ion a gains t three supporte d by ,

twenty fi v e hundred cavalry wa s fearful odds ; bu t

-
,

G u d in knew his defeat woul d r ui n the army no w ,

packed i n the d efile belo w , and makin g des perat e

e fforts to reach the pl ate au ; pre s en ted a firm fron t to
the enemy a nd proved by his heroic resistance
, , ,

worth y to be under the ill us trious C h i ef that co m

m a n d ed him Hitherto the combat had been carried
.

o n amid the thick fo g that stubbornly clun g to the ,

he igh ts involving every thing i n obscu ri ty and onl y

, ,

no w a nd then lifted like the folds o f a curtain as

, , ,

the a rtillery and mu sketry exploded in i ts bo s om .

A t thi s dreadful crisi s h owever i t suddenly rolled

, ,

over the mountain and parting i n fragments ro d e

, ,

away o n t he morning breeze w h ile the unclo uded ,

s u n flashed down o n t he immen s e P russian ho s t ,

dra wn u p i n b attle a rray I t w a s a t this sa me hou r .

the fog parted o n the pl ains o f Jena and revealed to ,

the astonish ed P ru s s i an their over whelming enemy

ru s hing to the ch arge Ther e the s u n shone on .

ninety tho u s a n d F renchme n moving down wi th , ,

resistle s s po wer o n forty thous and P russians ; b u t

,

her e o n sixty thousand P rus s ians envelo pin g thirt y ,

thousa n d French men Nothing could b e more start

.
~

ling than the sudden revelation w h ich that mornin g

,

su n made to D avoust— he e x pected to find only a

few detachments before him and lo ! there stood a , .

m ighty army with the imposi n g fr o nt o f battle A s .

 MA RSHAL DAVOUS T . 23

his eye fell on the glitteri n g rank s o f infantry an d

-
,

fla s hing helmets O f the superb cavalry it embraced ,

at o n ce the full peril o f hi s position It wa s enough .

to daunt the boldes t heart bu t fear and Davo ust were ,

utter stran gers He was n o t to reach A polda tha t d a y

.
,

that was certain and fortunate he m ight consider

”
,

him s elf if he reached it all i n any other way than a s

a pri s oner o f wa r The struggle before hi m wa s to be
.

agains t des perate odd s o n e a gain s t two while te n

, ,

thou s and cavalry s tood in battle array — their fo r m id

a b l e ma ss es alon e s u ffi cient apparently to S weep his , ,

army from the field O f Gudin e bra ve divi s ion o f

.
’
,

s even thou s and men ; which had fought o n e a gain s t ,

three to m aintain the plateau till hi s arrival half

, ,

had alrea d y fallen The tremendous on s ets Of c avalry

.

and infant ry together o n hi m could not be m u ch

longer with s tood ; but a t thi s j uncture the other di
vi sions o f the army appeared o n t he field and wi th ,

rapid step and in adm irable order moved into the line
, ,

o f battle The two armies were n o w fairly e n gaged

. .

The mi s t had rolled away a s if ha s ti n g in a ffr ight ,

from the s cene o f carn age a n d under the u ncloude d ,

s u n there was no lo n ger any room fo r d eception Da .

v o u s t wa s fairly taken b y s urpri s e and had o n his ,

ha nd an army doub le o f his o wn while a retreat ,

without a rout was impos s i ble Wi th that coolness .

and s el f po s se s sion which rendered him S O remark

-

able in the mid s t o f the conflict he ga v e all his ,

order s and performed his evolutions and conducted

, ,

the charges ; thu s inspiring by hi s v ery voice and ,

bea r ing the soldier s with confidence a n d courage

, .

He rode thro u gh the lines ; his bro w knit with his

stern re s olve and with the weight tha t lay o n his
,

b rave heart and hi s clear stern voice expressing b y

, , ,
 1 24 C H A R G E O F PRINCE WILLIAM .

its very c almne s s the intensity o f the exci temen t that

m a s tered him The n ext m omen
.
t the plai n fairly
rocked and trembled u nder the headlong charge o f t he
P ru ss ian cavalry as they came po uring o n the French
,

infantry The shock was terrific ; bu t that S ple ndid

.

body o f hor s e recoiled from the blow as if it had ,

fallen again s t th e face o f a rock instead o f living men .

The French threw them s elves into squares and the ,

front rank kneeli n g fringed with their glitterin g ,

bayonet s the entire form ation s wh ile th e ranks behind ,

p oured an incessant volley o n the chargin g squadrons .

Thes e would recoil turn and charge again with u n , , ,

paralleled bu t vai n bravery P rince William who

,
.
,

led them o n di s daining to abandon the contest again

, ,

and again hurried them for w ard with an impetuosity

and s tre n gth th a t threatened to bear do w n every thin g
,

before them Sometimes a square would bend and

.

w aver a moment like a line o f fire when i t meets the

,

bla s t but the next momen t woul d spring to i ts place

,

again presentin g the sam e girdle o f steel in front and

, ,

the same line o f fire behind Goaded to despera .

tio n and madness by the resistance he met with and ,

confiden t still o f the power Of his cavalry to break

the infantry hé rallied his diminished troops for
,

th e la s t time and led them to the c harge

,
These .

bra v e men rode s teadily forward through the storm

o f grape s hot and bullet s that swept their p ath till
,

they came to the very muzzles o f the guns ; but no t

a square b roke not a battalion y ielded Furious
,
.

with disappointment they then rode round the ,

square s fi ri n g thei r pistols i n the soldiers faces and

,
’
,

s purring their steeds in where ver a m an fell But all .

this time a most m urderous fire w asted them ; for

awhile they swept in ra p id circles r o und each sq uare
120 BAT T LE O F A U E R S T A D T .

had given place to the s moke o f cannon and mu s

k et y
r that curtained in th e armies ; and the w hole
plateau wa s one blaze o f ligh t s treaming thro u gh
clouds of dust, wi th which the fierce c avalry had
filled the air O ld Sonnenberg quivered o n his base
.

under the s hock and its rugged side s were s treaked wi th

,

wreaths o f s moke tha t seemed rent by violence from

the tortured war cloud below A mid this wild storm
- .

Davou s t moved unscathed— his uniform riddled with

ball s — and his guard incessantly falling around him .

A t length a S hot s truck hi s chapeau and bore i t from ,

hi s head amo n g his followers P rince kVillia m was .

down — the Duke o f Brunswick had been borne mor

tally wounded from the fight while s cores o f his own
,

brave o fficer s lay s tretched on the field o f their fame

— ye t s till Davo u s t towered unhurt amid his ranks .

A t length Morand wa s ordered to carry the heights

o f Sonnenberg and plant the artillery there S O as to
, ,

sweep the plateau belo w Thi s br ave General put

.

him s elf a t the head o f his columns and wi th a firm ,

s tep began to a s cend the s lope The King o f P rus

,
.

s ia perceivin g at a glance how disastro u s to him the

,

conque s t o f this position w ould be charged in person ,

at the head o f hi s troops Fo r a moment the battle

.

wavered ; bu t the next moment t he heroic Morand

w a s s een to move u pward and i n a few minute s his
,

artillery opened o n the pl ain carryin g death and havoc

,

through the P ru ss ian rank s .

The plateau was w o n and Davoust master of the

,

field B ut not satisfied with hi s success he deter

.
,

m ined to complete the victory by carr yi n g the height s

o f Eckartsberg which protected the retrea t of the
,

enemy . The trumpet s immediatel y s ounded the

ch arge , and the wearied Gudin pressed forward B u t .
 M A R S H AL D A VO U S T ‘

. 1 27

the King had already ral lie d hi s s hattered troop s b e

hind a re s erve of fi fteen thou s and men which ha d ,

not yet been en gaged There to o in s ecurity the .

, ,

iron sou led B lucher rallied the remnant s o f hi s s plen

-

did cavalry I t was in thi s cri s i s Davou s t S ho wed

.

him s elf the great co m mander and fixed forever his ,

m ilitary fame Thi s re s erve on ly a third le ss than

.
,

hi s entire force would ha v e wrung the v ictory

,

fr om almo s t any other hand than hi s I do not .

belie ve there were th r ee Ge n eral s in the French army ,

that would n o t have been defeated at thi s point

there wa s n 0 t o n e in the allied armie s Here wa s a n .

army O f s ome twenty four thou s and men wearied -

,

wi t h a morning s m arch and a half day s s evere

’
,
-
’

fighti n g dragging its bleeding column s u p to a peril

,

ou s a ss ault ; while fifteen thou s and fre s h t r oop s s u s ,

t a ined by the n o w reformed cavalry and infantry fell ,

wi th the energy of de s pair upon i t Blucher s tood .

eyeing th e rank s ready th e moment a column , ,

s hook to dash on it w ith his cavalry The day so

,
.

nobly battled for and wo n s eemed at la s t abou t t o ,

be lo s t Wearied tr 0 0 p s again s t fresh one s a di v i

.
-

sion again s t a co r p s — such was the relative strength

o f the armie s But Da v ou s t gathered his energie s for
.

a la s t e ffort and poured hi s wea r ied but res olu te t r o o ps

,

in such s trength and terror o n the enemy that they ,

s wep t down every thi n g in their passage — charged

the artillerymen at their piece s and wrenched their ,

gun s from thei r grasp — turned the cavalry in a ffrigh t

over the field and carried th e height s with S hou t s Of
,

victory th at were echoed back fr om O ld Sonnenberg a s ,

Morand drivi n g back the enemy that had j ust attacked

,

him in his positio n came driving down the S lope , ,

sca t tering l ike a whirl wind every thing befo re him .

 1 28 THE PURSUIT .

The P ru s sians were utterly defeated and the tired ,

Davoust paused amid the wreck o f his army and ,

surveyed the blo ody field that S houl d s tand as an

e verla s ting monument of hi s deeds .

That was a gloomy night for the P ru s sian king .

Fleeing from the di s astrou s field with his di s hearten ed,

troop s ; he was soon cro s sed in hi s track by the fugi ,

ti y e s from the eq u ally disa s trous plains Of Jen a .

Th e wreck o f Jen a came driving o n the wreck of

A u er s t a d t and the news o f o n e overthrow wa s adde d
,

to tha t of another sendin g i n de s cribable confu s ion

,

and terror through the already broken ranks Whole .

divi s ions di s banded a t once The artillery men left

.
-

—
their guns the infantry their ammunition and bag
gage wagons — all order was lost and n othing bu t a ,

cloud o f fugitives o f all that magnificent army that

,

moved in such pomp to bat tle w as seen driving ,

through the darkness The King himself we ll nigh

.

captured struggled no longer for his army but for his

, ,

life.

Such was the battle o f A u er s t a d t fo u ght on the ,

same day with tha t o f Jena Fo r his heroic con .

duct Davous t w a s created D uke o f A u er s t a d t

, ,

and to honour him still more Napoleon appointed ,

him to e nter fir s t the P r u s sian capital — thus S howin g

to the whole army his right to the precedence Not .

sati s fied with havin g done this and als o with m en ,

t io n in g him in terms o f unqualified praise in his bulle

tin home ; he two weeks after in revie wi n g his corps
, ,

on th e road to Frankfort extolled the valour o f the

,

soldiers ; and calling the O fficers in a circle around

him addressed them in terms of respect and admira
,

tion and expre s sed his sympathy for the lo s se s they

,

had s u s tained Davoust s tepped forward a nd replied

.
,
1 30 CHA RGE AT EYLAU .

bravery B ti t it was a t the bloody combat o f E yla u ;

‘

he performed the greate s t service for Na po leon for he ,

saved him from utter defeat Twice that day was .

, ,

Napoleon re s cued fro m ruin fi r s t in the mornin g

—
, ,

by M u ra t s S plendid charge of c a valry on the R u ss ian

’

centre after the destruction o f A u ger ea u s corp s a nd

,
’
,
.

the repul s e of Soult ; and last by the vic tory Davoust

,

won o ver the left wing o f the army j ust before nigh t ,

closed over the scene o f s lau ghter The Frenc h left .

and centre had been driven back— th e R u s sians were

far in advance o f their position in the morning and ,

they only waited the appro ach o f L es t oc q o n the

right t o complete the v ictory But the heroic corps
,
.

tha t had won the battle Of A u er s t a d t was there ,

.

Davo u s t had struggled S ince morning with invincible

bravery ; and Friant and Morand who had covered ,

them s elves with glory at A u ers t a d t here enacted over ,

a gain their great deeds The vic tory swung to and

.

fro from S ide to S ide till at length the two lines a p

, ,

r o ac h ed within pistol S h ot o f each other when the

p ,

R us s ians gave way The artillery men were bayo

.
-

netted at their gun s and thou gh rei n forced and par

,

t ia lly succe s sfu l I n turn the migh ty columns o f

,

Davoust poured over that part o f the field like a re

s is t les s torrent Huge column s o f smoke ri s ing fro m
.

burning Serpallen which he had s et o n fire in hi s

,

pas s age c am e riding the gale that s wept along the

,

R us s ian lines heralded by the triumphant s hout s o f

—

his conquering legions a s they thundered over the field

—and carried di s may to the astoni s hed R ussians The .

left win g wa s forced back till i t stood at righ t angles

with the centre ; when the reserve w a s brought up ,

and the victoriou s Davou s t who ha d s o s uddenly ,

brightened the threaten i n g S k y o f Napoleon w a s ar ,

 MARSHAL DAVOUST . 13 1

rested in his career A t this critical momen t L es to c q

.
,

arrived o n the field He had bu t o n e hour before

.

dark in which to recover the s e heavy los se s In

,
.

s t a n t ly forming his men into th ree columns he a d ,

v a n c ed o n the neares t hamlet K u s c hn it t en wh ich , ,

St H ilia r e h ad j u s t carried and where he h ad estab

.
,

lis hed himself threatenin g seriou s ly the R us s ian

,

line s . U nder a tremendous Cannon ade L es to c q ,

stormed and retook it ; and immediately forming his

men into line advanced on A n k la p pen where Da
, ,

vou s t with the o ther divi s ion s o f his corp s lay r igh t
, , ,

in rear o f the R u ss ian centre and which formed the ,

limi t o f his onward movemen t He ha d fo u ght for .

ei ght d readful hours and at las t wrun g victory alm ost

,

from defea t i tself ; and now W earied a n d exh au s te d ,

could poorly with s tand the as s ault of these fre s h troop s .

He rou s ed himself ho wever for the la s t time and

, , ,

that little hamlet an d the wood adj oinin g became

, ,

the theatre of a most deadly combat It wa s figh tin g .

over again the P rus s ian re s erve at A u er s t a d t s ave ,

that now h e w a s e xhau s ted by eight in s tead o f fou r ,

hours fighti n g Still he put forth almo s t s uperhuman

’
.

effort s to keep the advantage he had gai ned He .

r u s hed into the thickest of t he fight in per s on cheered ,

a n d rallied o n his wearied troop s for the twentieth

time calling o n them by their former renown to

,

brave re s istance “
Here said he i s the spot where
.
“
,
”
,

the brave S ho u ld fi n d a glorious death the co ward ,

will peri s h in the desert s o f Siberia The brav e .

”

fellow s needed no fiery wor d s to s timulate their cour

age . They j oyfully followed t heir leaders to t he
charge bu t in vain
,
Nap oleon in the di s tance
.
, ,

through the dim twilight s a w this little hamlet en ,

v elo p ed in a blaze o f light as the army r u shed u po n

1 32 C A VA L R Y A C T I O N .

I t, a nd for a whole h o ur watched his brave M arshal ,

wr apped in the fire o f the enemy stru ggling to win ,

f o r him the victory With grief he s a w him a t.lengt h

forced o u t o f the blazing ruins , and sl o wly retire with
his bleeding army o ver the field A nd n o w t he ,
.

nigh t dre w her curtain round the scen e — darkness

—
fell o n the mighty hosts the flash of musketry gre w
—
less and less frequent the sullen cann o n ceased thei r
r o ar and the blo o dy battle of Eylau wa s over A t
,
.

m idnigh t the R ussians began to re treat and Bo na ,

—
parte remained mas ter of the fi e d thanks t o t he
l
brave and fi er y hearted D avoust -
.

C AV ALR Y A CTI O N AT EC KM U H L .

The battle of Eckmuhl where he earned the title ,

of P rince was distin guished by one o f the fierce s t

,

caval ry actions o n record ; a nd a s described by Stut

t enheim P elet , and others , m ust have been a m a g nifi
,

cent spectacle .

L annes who had recently arrived from Spain too k

, ,

command o f two o f his divisions and with two such ,

leaders that renowned corp s could not well fail o f

,

victory Coming from L andshut where he had been

.
,

victorious the day before Davous t a nd his brave ,

troops a s cended the slope whose summit l o ok ed down

o n the village s o f Eckmuhl and L a ic hlin g I t wa s a .

spring noon and that green valley lay smiling before

,

them a s if fresh from the hand of it s Creator Em

, .

bosomed in trees and gardens and winding streams , , ,

it seemed too sacred t o be trampled by the h o of of

war .Bu t thou gh n o clan g o ur o f trumpets br o ke its
repose and the trees sh o ok their gree n to p s in t he
‘

p assing breeze and the meadows spread a way like

,

carpets fro m the banks o f the strea m s an d here a n d ,

1 34 CAVALRY ACTION .

on . A fter witnes s ing charge after charge le avin g ,

t he V ictory in the h ands of nei ther party the A ustrian ,

cuiras s iers put them s elve s in motion The tru m pets .

sounded th e charge —
thousands o f helmets rose and
fell a t the blast— the plain shook wi th the mu ffled
tread o f the advancing host and the nex t momen t ,

they bur s t with the sound o f thunder o n th e F rench

hu s sars scattering them like pebbles from their fee t ;
—

and sweepin g in o ne broad resistless wave over the ,

field bore down with their terribl e front o n the

,

French infantry But there was a c o unter bla s t o f

.

trumpets and before the startli n g ech o es had died

,
’
away Napo l eo n s resistless cuirassiers emerged into
,

v iew .Spurring their steeds i nto a trot and then ,

into a headlon g ga110 p wi th their plumes and ban ,

n ers floating back i n the breeze swept for ward to the ,

s hock The spectacle was sublime and each army

.
,

held its breath in awe as these warlike hosts w en t

rushing o n each other Their dark masses looked .
,

like t vvo thunder clouds ridin g opposite hurricanes

-
,

and meeting i n mid heaven The clouds of dus t -

.

ro lling around their horses feet the long line s o f

— ’

—
fla s hing helmet s above and the forest o f shakin g
sabres o ver all gave them a most terrible aspect a s
,

they swep t onward The shock in the centre shook

.

the field ; and the two armies ceased their firing to wi t

n ess th e issue The cannonier leaned on his gun and
.
,

the soldier stooped o ver his mu s ket absorbed in the ,

spectacle ; while in th e firs t rude m eetin g hors es

and riders b y scores and hundreds , rolled on the
,

pl ain Then commenced o ne o f those fierce hand t o !

.
-

hand fights so seldom w itnessed between cava lry .

In the firs t heavy shock o ne body o r the o ther give s

way , and a few m in u tes decide which is t he s u ccess
 MAR SHAL DAVOUST . 1 35

ful charge But here i t wa s like t w o w aves o f e qual

.

strength and vol u me a n d velocity meeting in ful l

, , ,

career a n d cresting an d foaming over each other as

,

they s truggle for the ma s tery The sudden silence

.

that fell over the field as the two armies ceased firin g,
added to the terror of the scene T he S ight w a s n e w
.
,

even to those veteran tr 0 0ps They were accustomed

.

to the tumul t a n d uproar of ba ttle where the thunder

,

o f cannon and rat tle of musketry and shock o f cav ,

a lr y are mingled in wild confu s ion

,
B u t here there .

was n othing heard b u t the clear ringing o f s teel save ,

when the trumpet s gave t heir bla s t .

It was n ot the noi s e o f a battle fi eld but tha t of ten

-
,

thousand anvil s ringing under the fierce s troke s o f the

hammer The s un went down o n the s truggle and hi s
.
,

farewell rays glanced over swaying helmets and

countless sabres cros s in g each other like lightning in
the ai r T wilight deepened over the field and then it
.
,

wa s o ne broad gleam o f light above the s truggli n g

ho s t s as the fire fle w beneath their rapid strokes
,
.

The stars came o u t upon the s k y bu t their rays were

,

dimmed by the dazzling s parks as sword cro s sed

sword o r glanced from steel armour — and a t length
the quie t moon came s ailing in beauty up the hea v ens
and shed her reproving light on the strife Bu t .

nothing could arrest the enraged combatants Fi ght .

in g in the ligh t o f thei r o wn flashing s teel t hey saw ,

neither moon n o r stars .

A t length the ri n ging strokes grew fainter and

fainter and that dark mass canopied with fire o f
,

its own making seemed to waver t o a n d fro i n

,

the gloo m ; and then the heavy tramp o f rushing steeds

was heard The A u s trians after leaving t wo thirds
. -

o f their entire nu m ber s tretched on the p l ain , b ro ke

1 36 m s ALLEGED CRUELTY .

and fled and horses and ri d ers lay piled to gether in

,

heaps o n the rent and trodde n plain .

T he next d ay the vic torious army wa s a t the gates

of R ati s bon .

The three followin g years D avou st spent in P ol and ,

as command er in chief o f the forces and governor of

- -
,

the country His conduc t here and after the cam

.
,

a ig n o f R ussia at Ham b urgh has given rise to se

p , ,

vere accusations again s t him It h as been ch arac .

t er iz ed a
s “
r uthless and opp r essive
”
The A bb é d c .

P r a d t declared that he filled all P oland with dread

and bro u ght much disgrace o n the F rench name .

T o acquire such a re p utation from a n ally like P o

lan d goes far to prove that his ch aracter a s a General
,

w as sullied by h is cond u ct a s a governor B ut the .

character an enemy m a y give of their conqueror es ,

p ec ia lly if he is forced to levy heavy con trib utions ,

and cr eate distress among the inhabi t ants in order t o

s upport his army must be taken with m any grains
of allowance Thus the title o f the Hamburg h
.
,

R ob e s p ierre which the citizens o f H amburgh ga ve

,
”

him while h e held th e city against the c o mbined a t

,

tack s o f th e a llies may o r m ay not b e j ust Their as

,
.

serti o n is o f no consequence o ne way o r the other If

,
.

m any poor families were turned o ut to star v e and the ,

ho s pitals seized for his ow n sick and wou nded and ,

w o men were forced to work at the fortifica tions an d ,

r u inous c o ntributions w ere levied ; an d m uch dis tress

p r o d u c ed,
a s is asserted ; they do n o t pr o ve the e p ithet

given hi m to be m erited The w hole q uestio n turns

.

o n the fact whether these things were n ecess ary for

the defence of the p lace and the sal vation o f the army
,
.

The famine and pestilence a n d death w hich a b e

s ieged ar m y u s u al ly brin s on t he i nha bitants w o uld
g , ,
1 38 VALENTINA .

mortal division with which he commenced the b at tle

,

o f A u er s t a d t wa s here while heading a charge struck

, , ,

by a cannon ball and borne dead from the field The,

.

next morning thi s divisio n s howed the m arks o f the

fierce encounter th ey had sustained A s Napoleon .

r ode pa s t it he s a w nothin g bu t skeleton s o f regi

,

ment s left in it The wear ied s oldier s black w ith the

.
,

smoke of battle stood looking o n their bent bayonets ,

,

twisted in the fierce s hock o f the day before ; while

the field around them exhibited a perfect wreck o f
overthrown trees s hattered w agons dead horses and
, , ,

mangled men He wa s s o deeply impres s ed with the

.

“
scene that he remarked with s u ch m en you could
, ,
”
c on
q u er t he wor ld .

Davo u st opened the battle o f the gi ants a t Bor o “ ”

dino A s he m oved over t he field with hi s dense

.

masses towards the flame o f th e batteries his horse ,

mortally wounded fell u nder him and he himself , ,

recei v ed a blo w which for awhile rendered him

, , ,

unable to comman d h is troops Recovering h o w .

,

ever he ru s hed in the thicke s t o f the fight ; j u s t a s

,

N ey hurled his corp s o n the centre Th es e t w o il .

lu s trio n s chiefs united thei r armie s a nd fough t s id e

by side in th at de s perate un p aralleled stru ggle for
, ,

th e height s o f S em o no w s k ie .

P r e v iou s to thi s Davou s t an d Murat had a quar

,

rel whic h well ni gh ended in a fight Commanding

,
.

the advance guard together they could not a g r ee o n ,

th e measures to be adopted The headlong ra s hnes s .

of Murat seemed downright madness to the m et hod i

,

cal mind o f Davoust and the latter became in s ub o r ,

dimate under th e command o f t h e former Thu s in .

approaching W ia s m a the cavalr y o f the t w o armie s ,

became engaged and Murat , wishin g to Support his

,
 MAR SHAL uA v o u s r . 1 39

o wn wi th the infantry put himself at the head o f o ne ,

of D a v o u s t s divi s ions and was about to make a

’
,

charge when the lat ter s tepped forth and forbade

,

—
his men to m arch declari n g that the movement was
rash and perilous Murat appealed to the gallantry
.

o f the soldiers and endeavoured to lead them o n b u t

, ,

the authority o f Davoust prevaile d A fter the ba ttle .

was over the p r eux cheva lier shut himself u p in

,
”

his tent and gave way to a violent fit o f rage de ,

c la r in that Davous t had insulted him and he would

g ,

wipe o u t the a ffront with his sw o rd He wa s j ust .

star ting to go and a ttack him when Belliard prevente d ,

him by pointing o u t the consequence to hi s friends

and the army He was persuaded to pocket the in
.

sult , tho u gh in the e ffort to do it , tears started t o his

eye s and the fearless warri o r wept that he c o uld n o t
,

ave n ge himsel f .

But through all this cam p ai gn D avoust was a h o s t

in himself When the retreat from Mosco w c o m
.

m en ced he was appo inted to command th e rea r guard ,

which post he held t ill his corps wa s al m ost annihila
ted and then hej oined the Emperor
,
.

In the battle o f K r a s no i, which Napoleon fought in

order to save Davou s t whom the R u ss ians threaten ,

ed to cut o ff the Marshal was s o hard pressed that ,

h e los t his baton and a great part of his c o rps Na .

o leo n w a s at K r a s n o i, and Davoust struggling u p

p
from S m o len s k o enveloped in the ene m y Hearin g
, .

o f his Marshal s p eril he dre w his s word , saying I

’
,
“
,

have long enou gh acted the Emperor ; n o w is the m o

”
ment to become the G eneral again and marched o n ,

fo o t towards S m o len sk o He soon descried Davous t .

coming up but i t w a s a sight en o ugh to appal the

,

st ou test hear t —H e was mo vin g sl o wly fo r wa rd p er

1 40 R ETREAT FROM R U s s rA .

fec t ly enveloped in C ossacks that formed a dense

m ovin g mass o f wh ich he and his devo ted followers
,

were the centre A dded to this the F rench Ma rshal

.
,

i n his great efforts t O join Napoleon was marching ,

s traigh t o n a superior force o f the R u ssians He .

s aved but the S keleton o f his c orps .

B ut though n o longer commandi n g the rear gu ard

, ,

he s till kept haltin g res o lu tely in every defile and ,

—
gi v ing battl e to the enemy disputing wi th his a o
customed bravery every sp o t o f gr o und o n w hich a
,

de fence could be m ade I t was there he sh o we d the

.

advantag e O f tha t s tern m ilitary discipline which ,

had so Often brough t o n him the ch arge of cruelty .

He an d Ney alone , o f al l the Marshals were able t o ,

preserve order am o n g their troo p s T hr o ugh the .

dreary wilderness plunging o n amid the untr o dden

, ,

sn o w witho u t pr o visio n o r fuel stu m blin g o ve r

, ,

the fallen ranks O f their c o mrades , and pressed

by a victorious enemy ; the F rench soldiers gave
way t o despair and flung away their arm s and
,

lay d o wn t o die A mid these tryin g c ircumst ances

.
,

D avoust exhibited his great qual ities Giving w ay .

to n o discouragement —di s he artened by no reverses ,

he m o ved amid the wreck around him like o ne ,

above the strokes Of misfortune T O arrest this dis .

order among his troop s h e caused every soldier th at ,

flung away his arm s to be s tri pped by his com

panions and insulted ; and thus made despair fight
despair H e arrived a t O rcha , with only four th ou
.

s and O u t o f the seventy thousand with w hich he

, ,

s tarted H e had lost every thin g belonging to hi m

.

—
s elf endur ed cold , hunger and fatigue without a , ,

murmur an d entered O rcha with the fragments of

,

his army o n foot , pale haggard , and wasted wi th fa

, ,
1 42 m s nE A T H .

he Obtained permission to reside i n P aris and three

,

years after 1 8 1 9 he wa s give n a s ea t in the chamber

, ,

Of P eers H e lived bu t four years afte r this , and

.

died in June 1 82 3 o f a pulm o nary a ffecti o n H is

, ,
.

s o n succeeded t o his wealth and his peera e

, g .
 M AR SH AL S T C Y R . .

H is L ife—C har ac t r —P f
e r o es s io n O f a P a in t er — C o mb at at B ib er ac h
B ttl
a f P le O o o ts k — B attle O f D r es d en .

L OU IS GOU VI ON was a di fferent m an fro m

S T . CYR ,
many Of the other m arshals His character was .

more firm and complete— settled on a broader basi s .

and capable o f greater development Though he .

seems n o t to h ave run hi s career with the same uni n

t er ru p t ed succes s as the others an d he is sometimes ,

called unfortunate ; ye t the cau se is to be found in

himself L ess impulsive and more methodical tha n
.

those d aring spirits which cast light around the

mighty genius they follo wed— hi s devotion less warm
—
and his admiration less enthu s iastic his complaints
and recriminations meant more in t he ears o f Bona
par te than those o f s uch men a s Murat and Juno t , ,

and L annes The penetrating mind o f the Empero r

.
,

which fathomed at a glanc e every character that cam e

u nder his Ob s ervation s a w less to love and more to
,

fear in St Cyr than in them T he anger O f the latter

.
,
.

was not a sudden spark that kindled and went o u t ;

and when once estranged he was no t easily won
over Even his hatred was not impulsive but ro o ted
.
,

itself in hi s j ud g ment and thoughts rather than i n his

p assing feelings P o w er was not likely to be confer
.

red o n a m an wh o se stern inde p endence d iminished

1 44 H i s E A R L Y L I FE .

the value o f the gift S till he had no cause to c o rn

.

plain O f fortune nor o f the neglect Of N apoleon if w e

, ,
’
except the long delay o f hi s marshal s baton .

He was born at Tou l, Of humble p arentage in ,

A pril 1 7 6 4 His parents designed hi m fo r a painter,

,
.

and in his youth he went to R ome t o study th e great

masters before enterin g o n his career There his
,
.

mind became filled with those w o nderful creations o f

art and his y outhful ambition pointed to a field as u n
,

like the o ne he was to tread as i t well could be In .

o rdinary t i mes he migh t have been a respectable

painter perhaps a di s tin g uished o n e B ut his li fe
,
.

was to be o ne Of ac tion rather than Of i m agination

hi s ha n d was to wield a sword instead Of a pencil ,
and to enact grea t scene s on a ba ttle fi eld rather tha n -

trace them o n canvass The bre aking o u t Of the .

R evolution summoned him with thousands Of others , ,

to a field o f grea t exploits , an d o verturning all at once

hi s schemes as an artist sent him forth into th e wo rld
,

a soldier o f fortune He enlisted a s a private in a

.

company Of volunteers and marche d to the Rhine ,

where the R e p ublic was making its fir s t stru ggle for

e x istence H e rose rapidly from o ne grade t o another
.

till at the age o f thirty o ne he found himself general

,
-
,

o f division Hi s promotion was no t o win g so m uch

.

t o his personal bravery and deed s o f darin g as to his ,

knowledge o f military tactic s .

I n 1 7 98 he combatted under Massen a in Italy ;

and after that commander was compelled t o with
dr a w fr om Ro me on acco u nt O f the insurrection O f his
,

troo ps was a p pointed in his place and by his reputa

,

tion as a j ust m an and his wise management r e ,

stored s ubordination and disci p line W hen B o n a .

1 46 m s ! U ARREL WITH MOREAU .

C yr treachery and of keeping back o n pu r po se

O f ,

to allo w the army to be cut to pieces B ut the truth .

’
is the latter o ffended at Morean s procedure ceased
, , ,

to concern himself abou t his movements and confined

him s elf to his o w n corps He would not stir without .

orders and seemed determined t o mak e Moreau feel

,

the neces s i ty Of changing hi s conduct by acti n g t he

part O f a mere machine ; moving or stoppin g as he wa s
b idden and doing no thin g more
,
Such independent .

dilatoriness would have cos t him his place at once

under B onaparte Hi s ta rdiness during the battle Of
.

M a esk irc h saved the A ustrians from a total rout

,
.

His excuse for no t c oming u p was that he had r e

c eiv ed no orders though Moreau ins isted h e had sen t
,

them It made n o di fference however ; he w a s in

.
,

hearing Of the heavy cannonadi n g i n front and ,

kne w that a tremen dous struggle wa s goin g o n a n d ,

the fate o f the army perhaps sealing Had D esai x , ,

.

acted thus a t Marengo Bonaparte would have los t ,

Italy Not only did he h ave no orders to m arch o n

.

Marengo but counter ones to pr o ceed to Novi — yet no

,

sooner did he hear the distan t roll Of cannon towards

the former place than he pu t his army in motion and ,

m archin g it at the t op Of its S peed arrived jus t in ,

time to turn a ruinous defeat into a victory .

The next day ho wever St C yr would have wi pe d

, ,
.

o u t the remembrance Of this negligence by crushing ,

the A ustrian army to piece s h ad Moreau n o t bee n ,

full Of suspicions and averse to everyth ing bu t t he

m o st m athematical regularity The A u strians in .
,

their retreat , were cro wded on t he shore s O f t he

Danube m a sort Of half circle made b y the bend O f
, ,

the river ; S O that there was no room to man e uvre ,

whi le consternation was visible in the i r ranks St .
.
 MARSHAL S T . CYR . 1 47

C yr though c o ol and steady saw at once that by

, , a

firm and impetuous charge he could roll the whole n u ,

wieldy ma s s into the river and waited anxiou s ly t he ,

O rder to advance In the mean time he brough t for

.

ward some Of his guns and trained them o n the close ,

p acked troops Of the enemy Finding however that .

, ,

hi s cannonading failed t o draw the attention O f

Moreau to the spo t he sent an o fficer to h im request
,

ing perm i s s ion to charge But the former refused .

,

either from t o o great prudence o r as i t i s more proba , ,

ble from want Of confidence in the good faith Of his

,

general The opportunity s lipped by and the A us

.
,

t r ia ns made good the ir passage over the Danube .

C O MB A T A T BIBE RA CH .

A few days after , however St Cyr performed one ,

.

Of tho s e brillian t ac tions which s tamp the man o f

.

genius The A ustrians had retreated and Moreau

.
,

did n o t expect to overtake them for another day In .

the mean time St C yr had received orders t o push o n

,
.

beyond Biberach a little town which lay o n the line

,

Of the enemy s retreat B ut to his surpri s e o n coming

’
.

U p to thi s village he found that the A u s trian s had r e

!

crossed the Danube and march ed back to Biberac h

to defend it o n account Of the magazines it c o n t a ined '
.

The entrance to it by the roa d St Cyr was marching , .

wa s through a n arrow defile whic h opened r ight in

front O f the village The A ustrian general thinking
.

it would be unsafe to put the defile in his rear left ,

ten thousand men to guard it while he posted his army

behind the town o n an eminence forming an excellen t
po s ition A s St Cyr came u p he s aw at once the a d
. .

vantage it gave the enemy But thinking the rou t O f .

,

the ten th o usand guarding the pa s s w o uld shake t he

1 48 C O M B A T A T BIBER ACH .

c o ura ge o f the whole army in rear he wished to ord er ,

an a ttack immediately and would have done so h ad his

,

whole corps O f twenty fi v e thousand men been w it h -

him But his best division under Ney had been sent
.
,

to Ob s erve the Danube and thou gh orders were im ,

m ediately de s patched to hasten him up he could no ,

where be found A t this lucky moment howeve r he

.
, ,

heard the firing O f R ic hen p a n s e s division which had ’

,

come up b y a cr o ss road Thus strengthened h e n o .

,

longer hesitate d and w ithou t waitin g for th e whole

,

to form in order he hurled h is o wn b attalions o n the

,

enemy The order to charge was given and his

.
,

brave troops advanced at double quick time to the

onset O verthrown and routed the enemy s w ep t
.
,

in a co n fused m ass throu gh the defile and through

the village hurryin g onwards to the heights o n w hi c h
,

the army wa s posted F ollowing close o n their heels ,

.

St Cyr entered B iberach in hot pursuit

. .

Here howe v er he arrested and r e formed h is men

, ,
-
,

and began to reconnoitre the enemy s p o sition The ’

.

—
river R iess crossed by a sin gle bridge and a marsh ,
—
la y between the village and those heights o n which
nearly sixty thousand men were drawn up in order of
battle I t was a bold attempt t o a ttack with a little
.

over twenty thousand men sixty thou sand occupying

s o formidable a po s ition and fo r a moment he hesi
;
t a t ed in hi s course P u s hing forward his men how
.
,

ever , he crossed the R iess and the mar s h and dre w , ,

Up in front Of the enemy A t this moment he s a w .

the A ustrians he h ad r o uted at the de fil e a p proach the

a rmy o n the heights The ranks Opened to let the m
.

p ass t o the rear and i n this mo vement his clear and

,

practised eye s aw evidences of alar m and irresol u ti on

w hich c o nvinced him at once tha t the fir mness o f the
150 COMBAT AR OUND UL M .

his consent A m an never storms through m athe

.
~

m aties and to Moreau w ar was a m athematical sci

, ,

ence A short time after h owever o n e o f h is grand

. , ,

m anoeuvres came very near des tro y ing h is left win g .

P retending he was abou t to march o n Munich h e e x ,

tended his line over the S pace Of six ty mile s leaving ,

S t Suzanne wi th
.
b ank Of the Danube
men alone on the left
I f the A us trian General had
.

po ss e s sed any genius or even common sense he , ,

would have crushed this d ivison at a blow by fall ,

ing with his entire force u po n i t A S i t was ho w ev .

,

er he sent a large bod y Of cavalry to assail it which

, ,

enveloped it like a cloud threatened to swee p it fr om ,

the field In the meantime masses O f A u s trian in fa n

.
,

try came pouring out Of U lm to secon d the attack ,

u ntil the s e fifteen thousa nd brave French w ere com
p elled to re s i s t th e onset O f twen ty four thousand -

A us trian infantry and twelve thousand ca valr y

,
,

R etreating in squares they m owed down their assail

,

ants with their rollin g fire steadily pursuing their ,

way over the field Hour after hou r did the comba t
.
,

rage and though the ground wa s s tr ewed with the dead

,
‘

no t a s quare broke not a b attalion fled St Cyr

,
. .
,

po s ted on the other s ide Of the river at some distance ,

from the scene— where the Iller joins the Danube

hearing the cannonading ha s tened forward to the S pot , .

I t wa s not Moreau in danger b ut St Suzanne and ,

.
,

he waited for no orders Comin g u p Opposite t he .

field O f battle h e found all the bridges broken down

, ,

and immediately planting his ar tillery S O as to cover

a ford across which he was beginning to pour his in
,

trepid columns ; he opened a fierce fire o n the enemy .

Hearing this cannona d ing and fearing fo r their re ,

 MARSHAL S T . CYR . 15 1

trea t the A u s trian s immediately began to retire

,

to w ard s U lm .

A fter thi s engagement from the movements Of M O ,

reau the whole army expected an a ss ault o n the city

, ,

but after various man oeuvres this cautious leader ,

e s tabli s hed hi s army and determined to remain inac

tive till he heard from Bonaparte who wa s d es c ehd ,

ing into Italy The General s complained S t Cyr

.
— .

Openly remon s trated and had man y fierce alterca ,

tion s with him The unequal di s tribution Of pro

.

vi s ion s wa s another cau s e Of dis s en s ion and bi tter

, ,

recrimination s General Gren ier arriving at this

.
,

time S t C yr wi s hed to re s ign hi s command to him

,
.
,

bu t Moreau refu s in g hi s con s en t he retired altogether

, ,

from the army under the plea O f ill health .

In O ctober o f t he same year he i s seen fightin g ,

bravely in Italy The next year he was called b v

.

B onaparte to t he Council Of State and the year fol ,

lowing ,
took the place O f L ucien Bonaparte
a s A mba ss ador to the Court Of Madrid He wa s .

s oo n after appointed to the command of the Neapoli

tan army where he remained inactive t ill l 8 05 whe n
, ,

he was made Colonel General O f the C uira ss ier s and .

r eceived t h e Grand Ea gle Of the L egion Of Honour .

I n the following campaign s O f P ru s sia and P ola n d he ,

di s ti n guished him s elf and in 1 8 07 wa s appointed , ,

Governor O f War s a w A fter the peace O f Tilsit he .

wa s s ent into Spain where he won but few laurel s

, ;
a n d indulging in unj ust unmanl y complaint s was
, ,

finally super s eded by A u ger ea u Two year s O f dis .

grace and exile followed But in 1 8 1 2 in the R us .

,

s ran campaign he appear s again and ex hibit s the

, ,

same great qualities Of a commander, and fighting

1 52 H I S C H AR A C T E R .

bravely at P o lotsk receives the l o n g withheld thou gh

,

long deserved Mar shal s baton ’

.

The next year he comma n ded at D resden when

, ,

i t was assailed by the allies ; and after their repulse ,

held po s session o f it till the disasters that overt oo k

the French army left him once m ore at the mercy O f
,

t heallies and he was com pelled t o capi tulate

,
He .

returned to F rance after th e restoration and w a s ,

given by L ouis a sea t in the Chamber Of P eers

, ,
.

O n the landing O f Napoleon from Elb a he retired ,

into the cou ntry and remained there inac tive till the ,

second overthro w o f the empire at Waterloo O n .

the king s return h e was honoured with the order O f

’

St L ouis and presented with the portfoli o Of the w ar

.

ministry In the autum n Of the s ame year h o wever

.
, ,

he retired becau se he could not give his consent to

the treaty o f P aris B ut tw o ye ars after he w a s
.

m ade Mini s ter Of the Marine from whence he pas s ed ,

to the W a r O ffice W hile in this department he s u c

.

c eed ed in gettin g a law passed by which no man

wa s to receive a commission in t he army till he h ad

served two years a s a soldier This thoroughly .

dem o cratic measure sprun g from his experience o f

,

the superior e fficiency of t hese o fficers who had arisen

from the ranks and also perhaps fro m a desire t o
, , ,

pay a compliment to his o w n career I n 1 8 1 9 bein g .

,

strongly opposed to the proposed ch an ge i n the law

O f elections he resigned his O ffice and never after
, ,

appeared i n public li fe .

The great characteri s ti c s O f S t C yr were clear .

,

S ightedness o n the field of bat tle ; perfect m ethod in

all hi s plans and a cold , deep spiri t However he
, .
,

migh t fail in a great campaign— o n th e field where an

engagement was to take p lace , he was regarded o ne
 1 54 H I S CHA RA CTE R .

c ertainty in h is Operations o n which o ne could de

p end and he himself placed the most imp licit c o n fi
,

dence in his Own j udgmen t H e h ad all the qualities .

O f a great commander and b u t for his unsocial dis ,

position and cold repulsive nature would doubtless

, , ,

e arly have attained to the highest honours of the Em

pire Napoleon rewarded the brave but lavished his
.
,

choice s t favour o n the brave that lov ed him Never .

governed by attachmen t him s el f how could St Cyr ,

.

expect others to be swayed by it in their treatme n t o f

him Ne vertheles s Napoleon always treated him
.
,

w ith j u s tice and frequently rewarded him with

,

places o f trus t The neglect to m ake him mar s hal

.

when o n a ss uming the imperial crown he m ade o u t

, ,

th at immorta l list wa s apparentl y undeserved ; and

,

gave rise perhapsj ustly t o some charge s O ffa v o u r it is m

,
.

St Cyr wa s an obstinate man in th e prosecution

.

o f his own plan s and equally s o in his oppo s ition to

,

those wh ich di ffered from them ; and though ready t o

c ondemn other s when thwarted o r con d emned him
,

self he flew into a pa s sion and his head became filled

, ,

with all forms Of s uspici on Th us whe n he and .

,

Moreau could no t agree and he found there w a s a ,

clique around the commander in chief arrayed a gainst - -

,
—
him in s tead Of performin g his duty bravely and win ,

ning back tha t confidence which o thers ha d unj ustly

deprived him O f —he fir s t became remi s s and inac t ive ,

then fierce and condemn atory and finall y thre w up ,

hi s command He ought to have known that wa s

.

n o way either to screen him s elf from un j us t charges

,

o r wi n his way to p ow er H e did no t seem to kno w .

the meanin g O f the device I bide my time

“ ”
Thu s , .

als o in Spain when placed over the ar m y des tined to

,

act in C a taloni a , he beca m e peevi sh, co mp l aini ng

3
 MARSHAL S T . CYR . 55

and foolish It was true the army wa s not an

.
,

e ffective o ne ; but o n the other hand the enemy ,

he had to contend with wa s not a dangerous

one .Be s ides it was the greatest compliment Na
,

o leo n could pay him to appoint him over a poor

p ,

army from which he expected victory The Em .

er o r k new i t was badly conditioned bu t he could

p ,

not help it and the only remedy o f the evil in hi s

, ,

power , wa s to place an able and s kilful commander

over it A poor general would have insured it s ruin
.
.

Yet St C yr ins tead Of winning confidence and r e

.
,

n own by executin g grea t things with s mall mean s

, ,

began to gru mble Ney w hen conducting the r e .

,

treat from R u ss ia created means where an ordinary ,

m a n would h ave decl ared it impo s sible ; and o u t Of

his very defeats and di s asters wove for himself the ,

brightes t wreath that ha ng s o n hi s tomb But St . .

Cyr not only compl ained though succe s sful i n all his ,

engagements — winning every battle bu t accu s ed Na -

l o n Of placi n g him there o n purpose to ruin him

p o e ,

because he had belonged to the ar my o f the R hine ,

under More au ; and this splenetic and ri diculous s ta te

m ent Of his ha s been taken up and incorporated in
,

Engli s h hi s torie s as an evidence Of the Emperor s,

’

m ea n n es s fit How such an accusation could h ave

received a sober thought i s passing strange ,
.

Napoleon , at the head O f th e F rench empire nour ,

ished such a hostilit y to Moreau for winning the ,

This s ill y ac c u t
s a i on has fo u d n t
its w ay i n o o ne O f o u r s c ho ol
b o ok s , Ca mp and Co u rt O f Np a o l eo n , w hic h c o n t a in s an er r o r s
,
m y
in fac t—as , for in st an c e, it s t a t es t ha tM o n c ey w as at t heb t tl fa e O

M ar en g o, w hen he w as on t he T ess in o , a nd k new no thi g f t h

n O e

eng ag e m t t ill it w
en as o v er . It sa y s , al s o , th at h e w as in t he R us
s ia n ex p d iti n wh n h
e o , e e was n ot , M r . A l is on t
r ei er a es t t he s am e

nons ense .
1 56 H I S C H A RA C T E R .

battle o f Hohenlinden which he as Firs t C o ns u l ,

, ,

sent him there on p urpose t o gain and o n w h o s e ,

success depended his own — that y ears after he tran s

ferred it t o o ne O f M or ea u s Generals by placing hi m
’
,

over a poor army in Spain at a time he was strainin g ,

every nerve t o subdue the kingdo m T he S impl e .

statement Of the ch arge , and the circums tances

connected with it S h o ws i t t o be the absurdest thing
,

that ever entered a diseased brain Besides Napoleon .

,

d id n o t tak e this round ab o ut way to disgrace those

w ho were displeasing t o him St C yr o ugh t to have . .

seen this a fter he w a s su p erseded by A u ger ea u ; and

no t h ave incor p orated such a S illy ch arge int o his
w o rk .

O flen d ed and p ro u d , he left his command to hurry

°

A u ger ea u to assume h is p lace , thu s evincing Openly

his con tempt for the reb uk e the Em peror had give n
hi m for his folly Tw o years of disgrace and exile
.
,

showed that Napoleon knew a shorter w a y to ru in

the Generals that o ffended him .

The truth is St C yr was p laced where he was

'

.
,

c ompelled to pu t forth great e fforts wi thout win

n in g much renown It wa s hard work without
.

c o rr esp o nding reward but he S hould have waited

,

patiently for the latter o n some more for tunate field ;

remembering that a good General i s known by his
s acrifices as much as by his victorie s O nce resign .

ing his c o mmand in a nger and once disgraced for ,

the same reas o n , argues very po orly for the a m iability

O f the m an .

P revi o us t o this i n 1 807 he fo u ght bravely in t he

, ,

campaign O f P russia and P oland , and especially at

Heilsberg though there was no opportunity O ffered
,

for great acti o ns as he c omm anded only a divi s ion

,
1 58 BATTLE O F P O L O T S R .

company Of R us s ian horse wa s carried and the b riga d e ,

sent to s upport it be ing overthrown and borne back

over t he cannon that dared not Open lest they S hould
sweep do wn their o w n troops ; S pread disorder in their
flight The cannoniers were sabred a t their pieces
.
,

and the French horse overwhelmed i n the general ,

confusion al s o fled overtur n ing the commander in

, ,
-

chief and his sta ff an d sendin g terror and di s may

,

through the rank s St Cyr was compelled to flee 0 11

. .

foo t and finally th rew him s el f into a ravine to pre

,

vent b ein g t r a m pled under the hoo fs o f the chargin g

hor s e The F rench cuira ss ier s however soon pu t
‘

.
, ,

an end to this s udden irrupt ion and drov e t he darin g ,

dragoons in to the woods The victory w as complete .

,

and a thousand prisoners remained in the hand s Of

S t C yr and the Marshal s bat o n wa s given him as a
.
,
’

reward for his bravery .

Here he remained for two mon ths while W it t gen ,

stein kep t a t a respectful distance In the mean ti me .

Mosco w had bl azed over the army Of the Empire and ,

the di s heartened and diminished ho s t wa s abou t to ,

turn its back o n the smouldering capital and flee from

the fury Of a northern winter Wittgen s tein who .
,

h a d not been idle though he dared not to a ttack St

,
.

Cyr had by constant reinforcements more tha n

, , ,

doubled his army The F rench commander o n the

.
,

o ther hand h ad carried o n a parti zan warfare for two

,

months ; which together with sick ness and su ffering

, ,

had reduced his army o ne half— S O t ha t in the middle

Of O ctober he had but seventeen thousand men while ,

the R ussian army amounted to fifty two thousand -

.

T O add to the peril Of his position another R u s sia n ,

army under S tein gell was ra pidly mo ving down to

, ,

hem him in ; while Nap ole o n three h u ndred m iles in .

 MARSHAL S T . CYR . 1 59

the rear was sealing hi s fate by tarrying around

,

M o s co w Macdonald was the only person fro m

.

whom he could hO pe for succour and he sent pre ss ing ,

requests to him for reinforcements But that brave .

commander had already discovered s ign s O f defection

in hi s P rus s ian allie s and dared not weaken his force ,
.

St Cyr therefore was left to meet his fate alone

.
, ,
.

A s if o n purpose to ins ure his ruin he was withou t ,

intrenchments not having received orders from the

,

Emperor to erect them Secure o f hi s prey the R us .

,

s ian General o n the 1 8 th O ctober bore dow n with

, ,

hi s overwhelming force on the F rench line s .

The b at tle a t once became furious St Cyr was . .

o ne of t he fi r s t struck Smit ten by a mu s ket ball he .

,

could neither ride his horse nor keep his feet still he—
would not retire Every thing depended o n his pre
.

sence and per s on al supervi s ion ; for the struggle

‘

a ga ins t such fearful odds w a s to be a stern o ne P ale .

gru d fe e ble ye t s elf

,
collec te d and clear minded as
-

ever he was borne about by his O fficers amid the

, ,

s torm Of battle cheeri n g o n his men again and

, ,

again to the de s perate charge Seven time s did the .

R u ss ian thou s and s sweep like a re s i s tle s s flood over

the partial redoubts and seven times did St Cyr , ,
.

steadily h u rl them back till nigh t closed the s cene , ,

and fourteen tho u s and men slep t o n the field O f vic

'

tory they had wrung from the grasp o f fifty thousand .

W hen the morning dawned the R u ssian General

”

seemed in n o hurry t O rene w the a ttack St Cyr . .

arose from h i s feverish couch where the pain fro m

.

, ,

his wound and hi s inten s e anxiety ha d kept him

,

to ss ing the long night ; a n d was borne again to the

field o f battle He percei ved a t once tha t the hesi
.

t a t io n o f t he ene m y did n o t arise fr om fear O f a r e

1 60 BA T T L E O F POLO TSK

pu lse but from some expected man oeuvre which

, ,

was t o be the signal Of as s aul t ; and so he stood

in suspense hour after h our firmly awaitin g the
, ,

approach o f the dense m asses th at darkened the woods

’
before him till a t ten O clock an aid de camp was
, , ,
- -

see n spurring at a furiou s g all o p over the bridge

.

th e hoofs o f his horse s trik ing fire o n the pa vements

as he dashed throu gh the village towards the com
mander in chief S t ein gell with thirteen thousand
- -
.
,

Rus s ia n s had come and w as rapidly marching along ,

the other side Of the river to as s ail him in rear Hem .

med in between these t wo a rmies St Cyr m ust in ,

.

ev it a bly be crushed Imagine for a moment his .

, ,

desperate condition P olotsk s tands o n the left side .

o f the D wina as you ascend it with only o n e bridge

, ,

crossing the river to the righ t bank B ehind this .

wooden town S t C yr h ad drawn up his forces in or

,
.
,

d er Of ba ttle with the formidable masses Of the R us

,

sian army in front threatening every momen t to over ,

whelm him In the meanti me word was brought tha t

.
,

t hirteen thousand fresh troo p s were appro achin g the

bridge o n the o ther side cutting o ff all hopes Of r e ,

treat Here were t wo armies numbering together

.
,

m ore than S ixty thousand men drawing every mo ,

m ent nearer together to crush between them four

, ,

teen thousan d French sol d iers commanded by a ,

wounded General B ut St Cyr forgetting his wo u nd , . .

,

s u m m oned all his energies t o meet the crisi s that wa s

approachin g H e gave hi s orders in that q uiet de
.
,

t er m in ed tone which indicates the settled purpose O f

,

a s te m and powerful mind U nseen b y Wittgenstein .

,

he despatched three regiments across the river t o

check the progr ess O f S t ein gell while he with his , ,

weakened forces sh o uld withstand the s h o ck Of the ,

162 BATTLE O F P o L O T s x .

horizon sending its fla s hing beams over the bat

,

tle arra y o n the sh ore s Of t he D win a never be fore ,

seemed so s low in its motion s St Cyr afterward s de . .

c la r ed th at he neve r in his life w a s S O agitated as in

, ,

the three hour s of su s pense h e then endured T he .

S hock and the overthrow can be borne by a brave

h eart ; b ut i n a state O f u t t er uncertainty to s tand a nd ,

w atch the d ial s face o n whos e slo w moving shado w

’
,
-

rests everything is too much for the cal m es t heart

,
.

A t length when w ithi n a h alf ho u r s m arch Of

,
-
’

the bridge S tein gell halted Had he kept o n a fe w

,
.

minutes longer the head Of his col um n s wou ld have

,

appeared in sight w hich would have been the s ig

,

n a l o f a general a ttack Nothin g could be more fa

.

v o u r a b le to St C yr than this unexpected h alt ; and

.

a den s e fog soon after spreading over the river wrap ,

pi n g the three armies in its folds hastened on the night , ,

and relieved hi s anxious heart Th e artillery was .

immediately sent o ver the brid ge and hi s divisions ,

were pre ss in g noiselessly a s p os s ible after i t when ,

L egrand foolishly s et fire to his camp s o as no t to let ,

i t fall i nto the hand s Of the enemy The o ther d ivis .

ions follo w ed hi s example and i n a moment the whole ,

line wa s in a blaze This rash act immediately r e

.

vealed to the enem y the whole movements I t s bat .

t er ies Opened a t once — the roused column s came hur

r y in g onward while b la z m g bombs hi ss in g through

, ,

the fog i n every direction fell on the town which blazed

,

up i n the darkne ss m aking a red and lurid ligh t by

, ,

which the two armies fou ght the one for exi s tence
—
,

the other for victory A mid the burn i n g d wellin gs

.

the w ounded m ar s hal stood and contes ted every inch ,

Of ground with the energy o f de s pair ; and S lo wly

retiri n g o ver the blaz in g timbers , by the light o f
 MARSHAL S T . CYR . 1 63

the c o nfla gr a t io n brought O ff his a rmy i n p erfect

,

o rder though bleeding a t every step It was three

,
.

O clock in the mornin g before the R ussians got pos

’

ses s ion O f the to wn I n the meantime S t C yr had

.
,
.

gained the farther bank and destroyed the bridge in ,

the face o f the enemy and stood ready for S teingell, , .

who had soundly slept amid all the uproar and strife o f
tha t wild nigh t The lat ter seemed under the influence
.

Of s ome unaccountable spell and could n O t have acted ,

wor s e had he been bribed by the F rench In the

,
.

m orni n g when he arou s ed himself for ba ttle St Cyr

, ,
.

was upon him and after relievin g him Of o n e S ixth Of

,
-

his army drove him into the wood several mil es fro m
,

the place o f action Ten thousand R ussians had falle n

.

in these three days Of glory to St C yr . .

This brave m arshal though wounded was c o m , ,

elled on account Of dissensions a mo ng the generals ,

p ,

to keep the command o f his tr o ops and commence his ,

retreat R eversing Nap oleon s m o de Of retreat from ’

“

Mo s cow he w ith ten thousand men , kep t nearly fifty

, ,

thousand at bay ; S O th at they did no t make more

than three m arches in eight days A fter eleve n .

days o f toil and combat and s u ffering in w hich he

, , , ,

though wounded had exhibited a skill coura ge an d

, , ,

tenacity seldom surpassed he at length e ffected a

, ,
.

j unctio n with Victor wh o had m arched fro m Smo ,

lensko t o mee t h im .

A fter th e termination O f that disastr o u s campaign ,

he i s s een next year at D resde n struggling to u p ,

hold the totterin g throne Of Napoleon With twenty .

thousand men he was Operating round the ci ty and ,

fearing that t he allies would make a demonstration

upon it wrote to that e ffect to Nap oleon who w a s
, ,

c om batin g Bl u cher in Silesia B u t the latt er did n o t .

1 64 BATTLE O F D R E S D EN .

agree w ith him , and kept pu shi n g his p r oj ects in t he

q u arter w here he then was w hen the astoundi ng intel ,

ligen c e w as bro u ght him tha t the allied forces wer e

,

m arching o n D resden St C y r s a w a t o nce his dan

. .

ger ; and pre p ared as w ell a s his means permi tted t o

, ,

m eet it Bu t after so m e fierce fighting with W itt gen

.

s tein s advanced guard— his O ld fee o f P olotsk in

’
,

R ussia — he retired withi n the red o ubts O f D resden ,

an d p atiently waited the resul t .

B A TT L E OF D R E S DEN .

A hundred and twent y th ousand soldiers W 1 th ,

more than five hundred p ieces O f cannon covered the ,

heights th at overlooked his entrenchmen ts I t was .

the latter part O f A ugus t , and every thin g was s m ili n g

i n summer vegetati on when this m igh ty host pitch ed
,

their tents o n the green hills th at encircled the cit y .

O n the evenin g O f their a p pr o ach St C yr wr o te t o ,

.

Napole o n the following letter : D r es d en 23d A u g

“
,
. .

1 8 1 3 ; t en a t n ig ht A t five this afternoon the enemy

.

appr o ached D re s den after having driven i n ou r cav

,

a lr y . W e e x pec ted an a tt ack this evening ; but p rob

ably it w ill take place t o morrow Your M aj esty -
.

knows be tter than I do wh at ti m e i t requires for

,

heavy artillery to beat dow n encl o sure wall s and

”
palisades The nex t night at midni gh t he des
.

p atched another letter t o him announcin g an im m ed i ,

ate attack and closing u p wi th , W e are determined

,
“

to do al l in ou r p o wer but I can answer for n o thing

more with such young soldiers ”
Imm ediately on .

the recep tion O f the fi rst letter Napoleon surrendered ,

his command t o Macd o n ald a nd turned his fac e ,

t owards Dre s den Murat was d espatched i n h o t

.

h a s te to announce h is arrival and r e as s u r e the b e

,
-
1 66 APPEARANCE O F THE A RM 1ES .

though they h ad m arched a hundred and twenty

miles in four day s pres s ed cheerfully forward ; for
,

a lready the distant sound Of heavy ca n nonading was

b orne by o n the mornin g breez e A t eigh t in the morn .

ing Napoleon and the advanced guard reached a n

, ,

el evatio n that overlooked the whole plain in which

the city lay embosomed and 10 what a sublime yet ,

terrific s ight met their g aze The whole valley was .

filled wit h marching column s , preparing for an a s

sault w hile the beam s O f the m ornin g s u n were sent
back from co u ntless helmets and bayonets that
moved and shook in thei r light H ere and t here .

volumes o f S moke tol d where the batterie s were firing ,

while the heavy cannonadin g rolled like thunder ,

over the hill s There we was the F rench army

.
, , ,

twenty thou s and s trong packed behind the redoubts

, ,

yet appearing like a S ingl e regiment in the m ids t Of

l
th e hos t that enveloped them C ourier after courier .
,

riding as for life kep t da s hi n g into the p re s ence Of

,

the Emperor bi dding hi m make ha s te i f he woul d

,

save the city A few hours woul d settle it s fate

. .

Napoleon leavin g his guard s to follo w on drove

, ,

a way in a furious g a llO p while a cloud Of dust ,

alon g the road alone told where his carriage was

,

w hirled onward A S he approached the gates the

.
,

R ussian batteries s wept the road wi th s uch a deadly

fire that he was compelled to leave his carriage and
,

crawl alon g on hi s hands a nd knees over the ground ,

while the cannon balls wh istled in an inces s ant

s hower above him .

S uddenly and unannounced as if he had fallen ,

from the clouds he appeared at th e R oyal P alace

, ,

where the King Of Saxony was deliberating o n the ,

term s O f capitulati o n Waiting fo r n o re s t , he took a

.
 MA R HAL S S T . CYR . 1 67

S ingle p a ge as not to attract the enemy s fire and

SO
’
,

went forth to visit the outer work s S O near had the .

enemy approached tha t the youth by his side was ,

struck down by a spent mu s ke t ball Having fi nish .

ed his inspection and s ettled his plans he returned to

,

the P alace and hurried O ff courier s t o the di fferent

, ,

portions o f the army that were advancing by forced ,

marche s to ward s the city First the indomitable .

,

guard s and the brave cuiras s iers eager for the onset , ,

came pouring in furiou s ha s te o v er the bridge The .

over— j oyed inhabitant s stood by the s treet s and O ffered ,

the m food and drink ; bu t thou gh weary hun gry and ,

thir s ty the brave fellows refused to take either and

, ,

hurried onward to ward s the storm that was ready to

burst on their companions A t ten O clock the troops .
’
,
—
commenced entering the city infantry cavalry and ,

artillery pouring forward with impetuous S peed — till

there a ppeared to be no end to the ru shing thous ands .

Thu s without cessa tion did the stea d y colu m ns arrive

, ,

all day long and were s till hurryin g in when at fou r

, ,

O clock the attack commenced The batteries tha t

’
,
.
,

covered the heights around the city opened their ter ,

rible fire and i n a moment Dresden became the tar

,

get O f three hundred cannon all trained upon her ,

d evoted building s Then commenced o ne Of war s ’

.

wilde s t scenes St Cyr replied with his artillery

. .
,

and thunder ans wered thunder a s if th e ho t A ugus t ,

afternoon was ending in a real storm Of heaven

, .

Ball s fell in an incessant shower in th e city while ,

the blazing bomb s traversin g the s k y hu n g for a mo ,

m ent like me ss engers o f death over the s treets and ,

then dropped with an explo s ion that shook the ,

ground among the frightened inhabitant s A mid the

,
.

shrieks o f the wounded and the stern language o f ,

108 THE ATTACK .

c o mm and was heard th e hea vy rumbling O f th e ar

,

tillery and ammunition wagons through the streets ,

and in t he in tervals the steady tram p tramp o f the

, ,

marching columns still h astenin g in to the work of

,

death — while over all as if to dro wn all ; like succes

,

sive thu nder claps where the ligh tning falls nearest ,

spoke the fierce b atteries that were explodin g o n each

o the r B ut the c o nfu si o n and death and terror that
.
,

reigned through the ci ty, as the burn ing buildings

shot their flames heaven ward were n o t y et c o mple te
"

.
,

The inhab itants had fle d to their c ellars to e sca p e ,

t he balls and s hells th at cam e crashin g every m o

'

men t through their d w ellings ; and a m id t he hurry

and bustle Of the arrivin g a rmies and their hasty tread ,

along the s treets and the r o l l o f drums a n d rattling

, “
,

o f armour and clango r o f trumpets and thunder O f

,

artillery the signal wa s g iven for the as s ault —thr ee

,

c a n n o n s ho ts fr om t he hei ht s o R a ec hn itz T he
g f .

nex t moment , S i x m assive colu mns with fifty ca n

n on a t their head began to mo v e down the slopes
,

pre s sing straigh t for th e city The m u fll ed s ou nd O f .

their heavy measur ed tread wa s heard within the ,

walls as i n dead silence and awful maj es ty , they

,

m o ved steadily for ward upo n the batteries .

It was a sight to s trike terror into th e hear t o f the

boldes t b u t St C yr m arked their advance wi th the
, .

c almness O f a fearless so u l and firmly awai ted t he

,

onset that even Napoleon tre m bled t o behold NO .

s
o o ner did they come within th e range O f art illery
than the o min o us silence wa s broken by its deafenin g
roar I n a moment the heigh ts abo u t the city wer e
.
,

in a blaze ; the fifty cannon at the head Of t hes e columns

belched forth fire and smoke ; and amid the ch argin g
i n fantry the bursting O f shells the rol ling fire o f in u s
, ,
 T H E T W O A RMIES A T N IGHT .

to end i t wi th a fight O f their o wn I n the midst O f .

the deepening gloom the allies no w for the first time

, ,

awar e that the Emperor was in the city dre w Off their ,

troops fo r the nigh t The r ain cam e down a s if th e

.

clouds were fallin g drenching the living an d th e

,

dead armie s ; ye t Napoleon heedless O f the storm and , ,

knowing what great re sul ts rested upon th e n ex t d a y s ’

action was s een hurr ying o n foot throu gh th e streets

,

to the bridge over which he expected the co rps O f

,

Marmont and Victor to a rrive Wi th anxi ous hear t .

he s to od and listened ,till the heavy tread O f their a d

v a n c in g column s through the darkness relieved his ,

su s pense ; and then as they began to pou r over the

,

bridge he hastened back a nd traversing the c ity

, , ,

pa ss ed o u t a t t he other si de and visited the entire ,

lines tha t were no w formed withou t the wall s The .

bivou ac fires shed a lurid li ght over the field and he ,

came a t every s tep up o n heaps Of corpses whil e ,

groans and lamentations iss ued from the gl oom i n

e very direction ; for thousands Of wounded uncovered ,

a n d unburied lay exposed to th e storm dragging

, ,

o u t the weary n ight i n pain Early in the morning .

,

Napoleo n wa s o n horseback and rode o u t to the ,

a r my T aking his place beside a huge fire that was

.

blazin g and cracklin g in the centre o f the square s of

the O ld Guard he issued his orders for the day Vic
,
.

tor was o n the righ t ; the resi s tless Ney o n the left ,

over th e Young G uard w hile S t Cyr and Marm ont ,

.

were in the centre wh ich Napoleo n commanded in

.

per s on .

The rain s till fell i n torrents , and the thick m is t

shrouded the field as if to shu t o u t th e ghastly S pec t a
cle its bosom exhibited The cannonading soon co m .

m enc ed , but with l ittle e ffec t as the mist concealed ,

 MA R SHA L S T . CYR . 171

the arm i es from each other A hundred and si x ty .

.

thousand Of the allie s s tre tched in a huge semicircle

,

along the heights while Napoleon with a hundred

, ,

and thirty thou s and in the plain belo w wa s waiting ,

the fa v o u a b le moment in which to commence the

attack A t le n gth the battle opened o n the right
.
,

where a fierce firing wa s heard as Victor pre ss ed fi r m

ly a gain s t an A u s trian battery Suddenly Napoleon .
,

heard a S hock like a falling mountain While Victor .

wa s enga ging the enemy in front Murat unperceived , ,

in the thick mi s t had stolen around to the rear and

, ,

without a note o f warning burs t wi th twelve tho u ,

s and cav a lry on the enemy He rode s traight through

.

their broken line s trampling under foot the dead and

,

dying Ney was equally succe s sful o n the left

.
,
,

and a s the mi s t lifted i t showed the allied wings

,

both dri v en back The day wore a wa y in blood

.

cart s loaded wit h the wounded moved in a con s tan t

, ,

s tream into the city ; but the French were vic to riou s
at all point s ; and w hen night agai n close d o ver the
scene t he allied arm ie s had d ecided to re treat
, .

I t wa s in thi s battle Moreau fell H e ha d j u s t . .

returned from the U nited State s a t the urgent solici ,

tati en Of the Empe r or A lexander to take up arms ,

against hi s country .

Thi s wa s hi s fi r s t b a t t le and Napoleon killed him

, .

A bout noon o n t he la st day O f the fight he noticed ,

a group o f persons o n an eminence a half a mile dis ,

tant Suppo s ing they were watching his man oeuvres ,

.

he called a C aptain of A rtiller y who commanded a ,

battery O f eigh teen o r t wenty piece s and pointing to ,

them s aid
, T hr o w a d oz en b u llets in t o tha t g r o up ,

at o n e fi r e er ha s t her e a r e s om e lit tle G en er a ls

p , p in
”
it
.
He obeyed and i t wa s immediately seen to b e
,
1 72 DE AT H MO REAU .

agitated O ne O f th e balls had s truck Morean s leg,

.
’

j ust below the knee and cuttin g i t O ff p assed throug h

, , ,

his horse carrying a w ay the o ther leg also The

,
.

n ext day a peasant picked u p o n e Of the bo ot s wi t h

, ,

the leg in which the surgeon had left on the field

, ,

and brought it to the King Of Saxony sayin g it b e ,

lo n ged to a superior O fii c er The boot o n ex a m i .

,

nation was found to be neither O f Engli s h o r French

,

m anufacture and they were still in doub t The s am e

,
.

day the advance guards w hile in pursuit Of the

, ,

enemy came upon a little spaniel that wa s roamin g

,

over the field moaning piteo u s ly for its master,

,

A round its neck w as a collar o n which wa s wri tten , ,

”
I b elo n g t o G en er a l M o r ea u .

B oth leg s O f the unfortuna te Ge neral had to be em

u t a t ed which he bore with stoical firmne s s cal m l
p , y ,

s moking a C iga r d uring the p ainful Operation It is .

a littl e singular that by thi s same b at tery an d s ame

,

captain another French traitor who occ u pied a high

,

rank in the R ussian arm y General St P rie s t was ,

.
,

afterward s killed under similar circum stances Na .

p o leo n gave t he order i n that case as in this

The death O f Moreau cast a gloom o ver the kingl y

group that as s embled to hold a council o f war and ,

o n the 2 8 th the morning after the battle th e allied

, ,

army wa s i n full retreat and the blood stained field ,

-

w a s left i n the h and s O f the French .

B ut what a field it was ! For two days a thousand

cannon had s wept it and three hundred thousand ,

m en had stru ggled upon it in the midst O f their fire .

The gra s sy plain was trodden into mire o n which ,

nearl y twenty th o u sand men m angled to rn and , ,

bleeding h ad been strewn Many had been carried

, .

int o the city during the n ight but some stark and
;
 17 4 DISTRESS O F THE AR MY .

before the city to Ob s erve i t A gainst these St C yr a d

.
,
.

va n c ed and rou ted them and thus Opened the country

, ,

about to the foragers But whe n L eipsic fell the allies

.

a gain directed their attention to the place and St Cyr ,

.

saw their v ictorious armies once more hem him in .

I n s ufli c ien t supplies had already weakened his men .

s o th at he had the mere shado w O f an army while ,

the mul titudes Of the s ick an d wounded added to the

burdens tha t oppres s ed him The maimed and .

wounded which he had been ordered to send b y b o a ts

to Torgau could not be got O ff O nly three thousand
,
.

were sent though multitudes hearin g they were to

, ,

leave their fetid h o s pitals crawled o u t to the banks o f

,

the river and when they found all the boa ts were filled
,

and they were to b e left behind refu sed to return to ,

the ci ty and lay down i n rows along the S hore .

Wa s ted with sickness and wounds these ranks o f ,

S pectres lay all night in the cold to be ready for the

next boa t that should appear I n the meantime the
.

fami n e a n d su ffering increa s ed in th e city St C yr . .

could not hear a word from Napoleon and was left ,

without orders to s a ve his army a s he could But the .

soldier s were depre ss ed and spiritless the Germa n

—

auxiliaries deserted him a nd the ammuni tion b e

,

coming exhausted he was driven tO de s peratio n In .

thi s hopele ss condition he resolved to s ally for th and

c u t hi s way throu gh the fift y thou s and that environed

him and j oinin g the garri s on at Torga u and Witten

,

b erg fight his w a y back to the R hine

,
.

Carr yin g o u t thi s bold determina tion he sallied forth ,

with his fifteen thousand men Vain and l ast e ffort

.

Hi s weary half famished soldiers s taggered back from

,
-
,

the s hock and were compelled to flee in t o the c it y

, .

All hope was gone The bread sh eps were cl o sed ,

.
-
 MAR SHAL S T . CYR . 1 75

a nd the mill s S ilent though the mi s erable crowds

,

pre ss ed around them threatenin g and be s eeching b y

,

turn s Famine stalked through the street s followed

.
,

by pe s tilence and woe and death ,

The meat was ,
.

exhausted and the s tarving soldier s fell o n their

,

horse s and devoured them Thirty were slain eve ry

,
.

day ; and at lengt h around the putrid carcas s e s in the

,

s treet s poor wretches were s een quarrelin g for the

,

loath s ome food — even the tendon s were chewed to a s

,

s uage the pang s of hunger Two hundred bodies .

were carried every day from the h O S p ita lS to the

ch u rch yard where they accumulated s o fast tha t
-
,
“
none were found to bury them ; and they were laid
naked in gha s tl y rows along the place Of sepulture
.
.

The dead tumbled from the overloaded car t s and over -

the corp s es that thus s trewed the street s the wheels ,

pa s sed cru s hing the bone s with a so u nd th at ma d e

'

even the drivers shudder Some were hurried a wa y .

be fore they were dea d and shrieked out as they fell ,

o n the hard pavement Multitudes were thrown into

.

the river s ome of whom revived b y the cold w ater

, , ,

were s een flinging about their arms and leg s in a vain

s tr u ggle for life Silent terror and faintne ss and
.
, ,

de s pair filled every heart A mid this accumulation

,
.

Of woe S t C yr moved with his wonted calmne ss

,
.
,

t ho ugh the p alene ss o n his cheek told how thi s s u f

fer in g around him wrung hi s heart He endured and .

s u ffered all as becam e his brave S pirit ; and then fi n d

in g there wa s no hope (for he no longer had m en ,

that could fi ght ) he con s ented to capitulate He O f

,
.

fer ed to s ur r ender th e city o n condition he s hould be

allowed to retur n with hi s s oldier s to France n o t t o ,

figh t again till r eg u larly exchanged The terms were .

a greed to , and he marched o u t O f the city ; but so

 CAPI TULATI ON THE CITY
'

1 76 O F .

wan and worn we r e the soldiers that he himself ,

said that p robably not more than o ne fourth w ould

,
-

ever reach the R hine He was sp ared the trial Of .

conducting thi s ghost Of a n army back to F rance .

T he allies wi th the fai thlessness o f barbarians

, ,

had no sooner go t him in their power tha n they ,

marched him and his army into Bohemia as prison

ers O f war Had Napoleon perj ured himself in th i s
.

m anne r the world would have run g with the villan

,

Ous deed The brave St C yr firm ly pro tes ted again s t

. .

this violatio n O f the la ws Of civilized na tions and ,

hurled scorn and contemp t on the s overeigns who

thu s stamped themselves with infamy in sight O f
t he world threatening them with future vengeance for
,

the deed It was all in vain for he had fallen into

.
,

the hands o f victors who were moved neither by s en

t im en t s o f honour n o r sympathy fo r the brave .

The cour s e Of St Cyr o n the abdica tion of Napoleon

.
, ,

an d hi s return and final overthr o w has been already ,

S poken O f He died in March 1 8 30 and sleeps in the

.
, ,

cemeter y of P ere l a C ha ise A n oble monumen t

- -
.

crowns hi s grave and he rests in pe ace amid the he

,

roes b y whose side he fought ;

St C yr w a s a humane m an and abstained fr o m
.
,

those excesses which s tained the repu tation O f S O many

O f the military leaders o f his time He was pos .

sessed Of great talents and deserved all the honour s

,

he received H is Journal des O perations de l A r

“
.
’

8 8—
m é e de C a t alo gu e en 1 0 9 sur le comm andment
, ,
”
d a G en eral Gouvion St Cyr is an able work thou gh.
, ,

tinged with acrimony agains t Nap o le o n which is a s

unj ust a s his conduct w as foolish .
1 78 H I S EARLY LIFE .

flic t in g energies and fo rce them to act in h ar m ony o n

,

o n e great plan o r they will only waste them s elves o n

,

each other Bonaparte was s uch a controlling mind

.
,

a nd he cared not how o n e sided the spirit s were he -

gathered about him if they only ha d force : he was ,

after p ower actin g in whatever direction A combi

,
.

n ation O f men each Of whom could do one thin g well

, ,

m u s t do all thing s well A cting o n this pri nciple he .

,

never allowed a ma n Of any s triki n g quality to e s cape

hi m Whe ther it was the cool and intrepid Ney , o r
.

th e chivalric Murat the rock fa s t Macdonald o r the

— -
,

tempe s tuous J unot— the bold and careful Soult o r th e ,

impetuous L anne s i t ma ttered n o t He n eeded them ,

.

all and he thu s co ncentrated around him the greates t

,

elements Of strength tha t man ca n wield I t is fear .

ful to s ee the S pirits Napoleon moulded into his plans

and the combine d energy he let loo s e on the armie s
o f Europe Knowin g the moral power o f grea t an d
.

s triking qualities he w ould h ave no leader witho u t

,

them In this he s howed hi s con s ummate knowledge

.

Of human nature especially Of Frenchmen E n th u ,

.

s ia s m and the reliance o n o n e they never tru s ted i n

,

vain in battle will carry an army farther th an the

,

sev ere s t di s cipline A company Of conscripts would.

follo w Ney as far as a body o f veteran s a common

leader S O would a column ch arge with L annes at
.

their head when with a les s daring and re s olute m an

,

they would break and fly Moral power is great a s .

p hysical , even where every thin g depend s o n hard

blow s Mind and will give to the body all its force
.

-
S O do they al s o to an army The truth O f th is was .

witne ss ed an d proved in o ur s truggle with the parent

country .

Jean L annes was born i n L ectoure a sm all t o wn ,

 M A R S HA L LANNES . 179

in Normandy in A pril 1 7 6 9 His father was a

, ,
.

humble mechanic and designin g hi s s o n for a simi

,

lar occupation he bound him o u t at an early age as

, , ,

an apprentice In ordinary t imes young L anne s

.

would probably have remained in the humble s tation

in which h is birth had placed him and become in ,

time perhap s a pas s able s hoemaker or carpenter

, ,
.

But the call which the R evolution s ent forth for the
military talent o f F rance could no t be re s isted and , ,

y oung L anne s ran away from hi s ma s ter and enlist ,

ed a s a common soldier in the army Soon after he .

,

wa s s ent with the army that operated o n the P yre

nean frontier Here he s oon exhibited th e t w o
.

s trik ing traits Of his character— tra its wh ich emi

u ently fitted him for the scene s in which hi s life was
—
to pa s s viz reckless daring and u n c o n q u er a b le reso
.
,

lu t io n. These qualities S hining o u t in the heat O f .

battle and in the mo s t desperate straits soon won for ,

him the regard Of his O fficer s a nd he was made chief ,

Of br igade In this rank he fought under L efebvre

.
,

but soon after for some c ause kno wn only to the C on

,

v en t io n which ye t scarcely knew the cau s e o f any

,

thin g it did he was deprived O f hi s commi ss ion and

, ,

returned to P aris A mid the conflicting elements .

that surrounded the young soldier in the French

capital he soon found work to do A n ardent repub
,
.

lican his bold politics and bolder manner could not

,

long escape the notice O f go v ernment and he was ,

sent to the army in Italy As chief o f a battalion a t .

Milesimo he conducted him s elf s o gallantly and

, ,

fought with such de s perate impetuo s ity that he ,

arre s ted Napoleon s attention in the hottest O f the ’

en gagement and he made him Colonel o n the spot

, .

C rossing the P o, s oo n after , u nder the enem y s fire , ’

1 80 BRIDGE O E LODI .

h e w a s the fir st to reach the Opp o site b ank and

finally crowned his brilliant e xp loits a t L odi , wher e
he was m ade general Of brigade and s oo n after of ,

division .

A fter the successive victories O f M o nten o tte Mile ,

s im O and Dego Napoleo n resolved to push on to

,

Milan I n his p r o gress he was forced to cross t he

.

A dda at L odi Twelve th o us and A u stri an infantr y,

,
.

a nd four thousand cavalry , with a battery of thirty

cannon stood at the farther e x tremi ty o f the bridg e
,

he was t o cross t o d ispute its p a ss age O n the fir st

,
.

o f May he arrived a t Lo di w ith his ar m y The

,
.

A ustrian c ann o n and mu s ketry began imm ediatel y to

p l ay on the bridge S O that it seemed im p ossible t o
,

rec o nnoitre the ground B ut Na p ol eon shel tering hi s .

,

men behind the houses o f the to wn s allied o ut into ,

the midst O f the deadly s torm , and immedia tely ar

ranged his plan F o rmin g a c ol um n O f seven thou;
.

sand picked men he placed himself a t their head and

,

ru s hed o n the b ridge ; but the cann o n balls and gra p e

S ho t and th e bullets of the infantry swep t every inch
O f the narrow defile and rattled like an inces s an t
,

shower O f hail stones against its stony S ides S O in

-
.

cessant and furi o us w as the discharge th a t a cloud ,

o f smoke l ay like a dense fo g round it — yet in to its

very bosom moved the intrepid column T he sudden .

volley that smo te their breasts made tho s e bold men

reel and stagger back as if s mitten by a bolt from hea v
,

en . For a m o ment the column wa vered and bal

a n c ed o n the pass for a thousand had already fallen ,
-

and i t was m arching straight int o a vol cano o f fire

but the next moment s eeing themselves supporte d b y ,

the t ir a lleur s that were fording the stream beneath

the arches the s o ldiers sho u ted
, Viv e la R ep u b ,
18 2 H i s C H A RA C T E R
‘
.

D urin g all this bloody s truggle L a nnes never left ,

him but advancing wh en he advanced ch arging ,

like fi re by h is s ide and coverin g his person wi th his

,

o w n body fro m the bullets tha t mowed everything

dow n around them he received three w ound s which

—
,

w ell nigh re lieve d him O f hi s life He w as s u ffering .

from a wound when h e entered the b attle but i t did ,

not preven t him from doin g deeds Of incredible dar

ing Nothing shows the p ersonal expo s u re and per
. .

s o nal d arin g Of the generals who one a fter ano the r , , ,

rose to be mar s h als a n d dukes m ore than the fr e ,

queney wi th which they were wounded in their earlier

career Here after three pitche d battles Murat Ney
.
, , , ,

Macdonald Berthier and L anne s were all w ounded

, , ,
.

O ne canno t follow him throu gh all his a fter career ,

b u t mus t select o u t those particulars i n w hich he

exhibited h is m o s t striking qua lities L anne s was .

frank even t o bluntness , and S O impatient Of re s tra int

,

that he sometimes became insubordina te but was ,

alw ays brave and fi rm as a rock in the h our o f

,

battle Indeed his very im p at ience Of control and

.
, ,

frequent ou tburs ts o f passion when crossed in his ,

p u rpose made him rise in exci tement a nd increa s e in

,

darin g th e greater the Obstacles that Opposed him

,
.

A l ways headin g his colum ns in the desperate onset ,

and exposin g h is person where dea th reaped down

th e brave faste s t he s o fastened him s elf in th e a ffec
,

tion s o f his soldiers that they would follo w him into

,

any extremity B y the Openness of hi s character and

.

brilliancy Of his exploits h e fixed himself deeply al s o ,

in the heart Of Napoleon who always wished hi m by ,

his side and leaned o n him i n ba ttle a s h e did o n

,

N ey B u t the impetuosity Of hi s character demanded

.

constan t acti o n , and he gre w irritable and u n m anly

 MAR S HAL LANNE S . 1 83

when co m pelled to su ffer wi tho u t re s i s tance He .

could encounter any Ob s tacle again s t which he was

allowed to da s h an d wo u ld enter any danger where
,

he could s w in g the arm O f defiance ; but he had n one

of the martyr spirit in him
-
P inion him and he .
,

would become frantic under s u ffering He needed .

self c ontrol an d the di s cipline o f calm an d collected

-

thought Trained in th e camp and educated in the

.
,

roar Of battle he was a ll action and exci tement Y et

,
.

hi s excitemen t made hi m s teady I n the mids t Of .

fallin g thousand s and the s hock O f armies hi s rriin d

'

worked with s ingular clearness and po w er I t needed .

the roa r O f cannon and the tumul t Of a battle fi eld to -

,

balance the inward excitement which drove him o n .

Hence in hi s earlier career he could not be tru s ted

, ,

alone with an army a nd Bonaparte knew it B u t

,
.

h e learned the duties O f a great leader fast and N a ,

po lco u s ay s h imself O f him “

I fo u nd him a dwarf
, ,

I lo s t him a giant ”
.

In the campaign Of Egypt he ap pe ars the same ,

great General and fought at A boukir and A cre as

,

he had done be fore a t L odi and A rcola A t A cre he .

,

n ea r ly lo s t hi s l ife and was carried from th e field Of

,

bat t le s everely wounded Bu t in the m arch from

.

Al exandri a to C airo a cro s s the de s ert he exhibited

, ,

that impatience and irritability before men tioned .

In the m i d s t of a boundless plain of s and without ,

water parched by the sun a nd s urrounded by troo ps

, ,

of Bedouin s ; the army gave way to despair an d ,

Murat and L anne s amon g the rest Where ver there .

w a s a ba ttery to be s tormed o r an army O f ei ght y ,

thousand me n to be annihilated none spurred more ,

j oyou s ly into the b attle than they B ut to bear up .

a gainst the solitude and s ile n ce O f the d esert — agai n st

1 84 H I S BEHAV I OUR IN EGYP T .

h unger a nd thirst and a burn in g sun — foes th a t could

,

n o t be routed o r even a s sailed required more sel f ,

!

control th an either pos s es s ed They became dispirited

.

and despera te and da s hed their plumed hats to t he

,

ground and trampled them in th e sand ; and it is said ,

even conspired to return t o A lexandria with the army .

Ney and Macdonald never would h ave acted thu s .

Selected by B on aparte as one o f the eigh t O fli c er s

,

to return wi th him to France he play ed an importan t

'

part in tha t conspiracy by which the government Of

F rance wa s o ver thrown and the commander in chief
,
- -

O f the army became the Firs t C onsul of the Empire .

Bonapar te h avin g resolved to overth row the imbe

,

cile Directory and take the power into his o wn h ands ,

,

assembled aroun d h im the m ost determined spirits t he

army could furni sh O n the morning tha t he mo unted
.

his steed and rode towards the Tuileries — re s olved to

stake everythin g o n o ne bold move and pass the ,

p o wer o f France into his own h ands — seven men a s ,

y e t only p artially kno w n to fame ,

were as s embled in
the palace s worn to his i nterests and bound to his
, ,

destiny Those seven name s afterward m ade Europe

.

tremble They were Moreau , Murat , M armont Mac

.
,

don ald Ber thier L efebvre and L annes O nly o ne

, , ,
.

—
w as w anting the in trepid Ney Napoleon felt the .

loss Of him and whe n ab o ut to present him s elf before

,

th e bar of the A ncients said “

I wo u ld g iv e a t t his
, , ,
”
m om en t , two hu n d r ed m illio n s t o ha ve N ey by m y s id e .

Being employed a while in France L annes after ,

w ards j oined the army destined to I taly , and S hared

l argely in the glory O f tha t brillian t campai gn H e .

accompanied Napoleo n over the St B ernard ; o r r a .

ther he went o v er five days be fore him The van

, .

g u ard , c o m po sed of si x regiments , w a s p laced under

1 86 BATTLE O F MONT EBELO .

ly be a more s triking in s tance o f valour tha n the b e e

h av io u r o f L annes on t hi s occasion There was n o

’

conceal m ent o f the danger no ch ance Of s udden s u r

—

p ri s e — and n o waiting th e e ffect Of s ome o ther move

m en t o n which his own would depend It wa s to be .

d o wnright hard fighting and he kne w it ; fighting too

, , ,

again s t hopele ss Odd s for the fir s t fe w hours But all .

the heroic i n him was aroused an d hi s chi v alric be ar ,

ing before hi s army in s pired them with the highest

ardo ur E s pecially after the battle was fairly s et and
.
,

i t was neces s ary t o m ake o n e man equ a l to three he ,

seemed endowed with the spirit Of ten men He was .

everywhere present n e w heading a column in a cha rg e

,

-
no w r a llym g a sh attered di vis ion — and now fi ght
ing desperately hand to hand with the ene my W it h
, ,
.

o u t w ai ting the attack O f the A ustrian s he formed his ,

troops en echelo n and a d vanced to the ch arge Tw o

,
.

battalions marched s traigh t on th e murdero us artil

l ery w hich stationed in the road s wept it a s the
, , ,

cannon did the bridge o f L odi The third battalion .

endeavoured tO carry the heights while W a tr in wit h , ,

the remainder m arched full o n the centre The battl e

,
.

a t once became terrific B efore the furious on s e t O f

.

the French the A ustrians were drive n back a nd

, ,

seemed abou t to break and fly when a re s erve O f the ,

Imperialists came u p and S ix fresh regiment s were

,

hurled o n their exhau s ted ranks The height s of R e .

vetta had been carried but the fre s h on s e t w a s too

,

heavy for the victorious troops and they wer e driv en ,

in confu s ion do w n the hill The centre s taggered .

,

b ack before the superior numbers and the heavy fi re

O f the ar tillery ; bu t still L anne s rallied t hem to a n
other and ano t her e ffort U nder o ne Of the mo s t de
.

str uctive fires to which a divi s ion wa s p erhaps ev er

 M A RS HA L L A NN ES . 1 87

exp o sed he suppo rted his men by almost superhuman

,

effort s Standing himself where the S ho t ploughed up

.

the ground in furrows about him he no t onl y cool ly ,

surveyed the danger but by his commands and pre ,

sence held hi s men for a long time in the very face O f

death B ut it wa s impossible for any column u nl ess

.
,

all composed o f s uch men as L annes lon g to with ,

s tand such a fire ; and they were on the point O f turn

ing and fleei n g when one Of the divisions o f Victor s
,
’

corp s arrived on the field and rushed with a S hout into

the combat T his restored fo r a time the figh t The
. .
-

A u s trians were agai n repul s ed when bringing up a

fre s h re s erve the French were forced to retire N o w
, ,

.
,

advancin g and no w retreating the two armies wavered ,

to and fro like mi s t when it fir s t meets the rising blas t

,
.

A s divi s ion after division Of Vic tor s corps came up ’

,

the French rallied ; till at le n gth when they had all ,

arri ved and the two armies stood twelve to eightee n

,

thousand — the whole French force and the wh ole

A ustrian reserve in the fi eld — the comba t beca m e
d re a dful Though pressed by such superior numbers
.
,

and wa s ted by such commandin g and hotly worked -

bat terie s L annes refused to yield o ne inch O f t he en

,

sanguined field It is s aid that hi s appe arance in thi s

.

battle was ab s olutely terr ific Besmeared with powder .

and blood and smoke he rode from division to division ,

,

inspiri n g co u rage and daring in the exhausted ranks

rallying again and a gain the wa s ted columns to the
charge and h olding them by his personal daring a nd
,

reckles s expo s ure Of his life hour after hour to the , ,

murderou s fire General R iv a u d bat tli n g fo r the

.
,

height s and the brave W a t r in charging like fire o n

, ,

the centre — cheered a t every rep u l s e by the calm ,

s tern voice O f L annes — fo u ght as Frenchmen had n o t
188 THE E I E L D O F BAT TLE .

fou gh t b efore during the w ar The moral po we r .

which one m an may wield was never more vi s i b le ,

th an o n this occasion L annes stood the rock Of tha t .

b attle fi eld around w hich his men clung with a te

-
,

n a c it y that nothing could sh ake H ad he fallen in .

,

fi ve min utes th at battle would h ave been a rout On .

his life hung victory and yet i t seemed no t worth a ,

hope i n the s teady fire through which he constantly

,

gal loped F rom eleve n in the morning ti ll eight a t

.

n ight for nine long hours did he press with a n army ,

, ,

first O f S ix then O f twelve thous and o n one of eigh

, ,

teen thousand wi th o ut intermission or relief I t was

,
.

one succession Of onsets and repulses till darkness ,

began to gather over the sc ene O ne fourth Of his .

army had sunk o n the field where they fough t A t .

len gth R ivand having carried the heights came do wn

, ,

lik e an avalanche o n the centre while W a tr in led his ,

I ntrepid colu m n fo r the las t time o n the artiller y .

Both were carried and the A ustrians were compell ed ,

t o retreat B on apar te arrived j ust in time to s ee the

.

battle w o n fii H e rode up to L a nnes surr o unded by ,

the remnants of his gu ard and found him drenched ,

with blo o d— his sword dripping in his exhausted hand

—his face blackened with p owder and smoke— and his
uniform looking m o re as if it had been dragged under
the wheels of the artillery during the day than wor n ,

by a livin g man B ut a s mile of exulta tion pas s ed .

over his features as h e s a w his commander gazing ,

w ith p ride and affection upon him ; while the soldier s

'

w eary and exh a u sted a s they were could no t restrai n ,

t heir j oy a t the vic tory they had w o n .

A l i n with his cu t
so ed c
, r e tn y A t l ngt h t he
ac s om or c es s , s a s, e

a r r iv a l of N p a o l eo n , w ith t he di v is io n O f G ar d an ne, d id d th
ec e e v ic

t o ry .
”
T his re mi d n s us O f his ac c o un t O f th t e akin g of t he P r es i d nte

b y t he E n dym i on .
190 BATTLE O F M A R P N G O .

Of som e half a d ozen house s and A lessandria wher e , ,

c rosses the plain bet ween t he little hamle t of Marengo ,

t he A ustrians lay enca m ped Coming o u t from t he .

city i n the morning and cros s ing the Bormida under

,

a severe fi re Of the French they d eployed into th e ,

o pen fi el d and m arched s traigh t O 11 Victor po s t ed

, ,

j u st before Marengo He had stationed himself he

.

h ind a deep and muddy s tream — re s embling indeed , ,

i n its bank s and cha n nel a narrow canal rather tha n ,

a rivulet — and s u s tained the s hock O f the enemy with

veteran firmness fo r t w o hours ; but overpowered by
,

superior numbers he wa s fa s t lo s in g his s trength ,

,

whe n L anne s came u p and res tored the comba t .

Th ere d ivided only b y this narro w ditch — across

,

which the front rank s could almo s t touch bayon et s

did the t ir a lleu r s stand fo r t w o ho u r s and fire into ,
’
each other s bosoms while the cannon brough t t o
, ,

within pistol s hot opened horrible gap s in the den s e

,

ra n ks at ever y di s charge which we re immediately ,

filled with fre s h victims It did not seem po s sible as

.
,

I stood beside this narro w s tream over which I could ,

almo s t leap that t wo armie s had s tood and fired into

,

each o ther s face s hour after hour acro s s it

’
, ,
.

But I do not de s i gn to go into the p articulars o f

this battle A ustrian numbers a n d the t w o hundred
.
,

A u s trian cannon were too much for Victo r and L an

,

nes both toge ther The little stream o f F ontanone

.

was carrie d and these t wo heroe s were com pelled to

,

fall back on the second line This after a desperate .

,

resistance wa s also forced back Victor s co rps e x

,
.
’
,
’
ha n sted by four hours fighting finally gave way , ,

and broke and fled towards L annes division whic h ’

,

alone was l eft to stay the reversed tide Of bat tle .

Seeing th at all now rested o n him he put forth o ne ,

o f t ho s e prodig iou s e ffor t s for which hewa s remark

,
 MA RSHAL LANNES . 19 1

a ble in the hou r Of e xtreme dange r Formi ng his .

men into squares he bega n slowly to re trea t T he

,
.

A ustrian arm y mo v ed en m a s s e upon him whil e ,

eighty pieces O f cannon sent an i ncessant S h o wer O f

round and grape sho t through his dense ranks m o w ,

ing them down a t every discharge like grass Still .

he hel d th e brave squares fi rm A gainst t he ch a rge .

Of cavalry the o n s e t Of in fantry and t he th un d er of

, ,

eighty cannon he opposed the same adamantine

,

front When pre s sed t o o h ard by t he infan try he

.
,

would s t ep and charge bayonet — then c o mmence

again hi s slow and heroic re treat Thu s he fou gh t .
‘

—
for two hours retreating onl y t wo miles in t he
—
whole time leaving entire ran ks Of men o n almos t
.

every foot of ground he traversed B ut betwee n the .

steady onse t Of the Hungarian infan try which h alted ,

every ten rods and p oure d a deadly volley 0 11 hi s

steady squares and the headlon g charge O f the I m
,

perial cavalry s weepin g i n a fierce gallop a r ou nd

,

them and the awful havo c o f those eighty cannon

, ,

ince ss antly pla y i n g o n the retrea ting m a Ss es — no hu

man endurance could longer withs tand the trial .

Square after s quare broke and fled and the field was ,

covered with fugitives cryin g To u t es t p er d u s a u ve

, ,

q u i p eu t
”
Still
. L annes unco n quered t o t he last
,
s
,

kept those immediately about him unsh aken amid

the storm and devastation Scorning to fly unable .
,

to stand he allowed his m en to mel t away before the

,

destructive fire Of the enemy ; while the blowing up

o f his own cai ss ons wh ich he could no t bri n g aw a y
, ,

added tenfold terror to th e t hunder o f cannon that

S hook the field He and the Consular G u ard als o in
.
,

s quare m o ved like li v ing citadels over t he pl ain

“
, ,

and fu r nished a wall o f iron beh ind which Bonapart e

1 92 ARR IVAL O P D E S A t x .

was yet t o rally his scat tered ar m y and turn a defe at ,

i nt o a victory .

’
From early in the morning till three O clock in t he
afternoon , the battle had raged with ceaseless fury ,

and n o w the head Of D es a ix s column w ith banners ’

,

flying and trumpets sounding was seen advancin g ,

wi th rapid step over the plain Imm ediatel y at the .

commencement O f the battle B onaparte despa tched ,

his aids de—cam p with urgent h as te for Desaix B u t

-
.

a s the report of the first canno n fired o n Maren

’

go rose d a ll and heavy o n the m orning air the hero

, ,

Of Egyp t s tood and li s tened ; a nd as he heard the

distan t and heavy cannonadin g like the roll O f far O ff ,
-

thunder come booming o ve r the plain he suspected

, ,

t he Enemy he wa s after a t Novi was on the plains ,

Of Maren go and despatched Sava ry in h aste to t he

,

former place to s ee Fi nd ing hi s S U S p ic io n s true he

.
,

immediately put his army i n motion and was miles ,

o n his way wh en th e dus t o f fierce riders i n the d is

,

tance told him he was wanted Sending for w ard his .

aids de c a m p o n the fleetes t horses to announce his

- -
‘

a p proach h e urged his excited army t o the t o p of its

,

S peed A t length as he approached the field and saw

.
, ,

the French army in a broken mass rolling b ack he , ,

co u ld restrai n his impatience no longer and da s h in g ,

away from the head Of his column spurred his steed ,

over the pl ain and bur s t in a fierce gallop into t he

,

presence Of Napoleon A short council o f the general s .

wa s immediately held when mos t advised a retreat ,

.

”
“
W hat think yo u O f it i s aid Napoleo n to Desaix "
.

P ulling ou t his watch he replied The battle is los t

“
, , ,

but it is only three O cl o ck ; there is time t O g a in a n

’ '

”
'

o ther .Deligh ted with an a n s wer c o r r esp o n din g s o

well with his o wn feelings he ord er ed him to advance , ,
194 THE VIC TOR Y .
’

crowds th at sou ght a passage ; and h o rses an d rider s , ,

and artillery and infan try were rolled together in to

, ,

the Bormida that gre w purple with the S lain Mel as ,

,
.

the A ustrian general who at three O clock s upposin g

,
’
,

the battle won had retired to hi s ten t n o w rallied the

, ,

remnant s O f hi s fe w hour s before victorious but n o w ,

o ve r thro wn army o n the further S hores Of th e river

,
.

T w el ve thou s an d had di s app eared fr o m his rank s

S ince the morning su n s hone u pon them flushed with ,

hope and confiden t o f victory The comba t had last .

ed fo r twelve hour s and n o w the s u n went down o n

,

the field o f blood O ver the heaps o f the slain and

.
,

acros s the trampled field Sa v ary the aid de cam p , ,

- -

and friend of De s aix was seen wandering in search ,

O f the fallen ch ief He soon di s covered him by his

.

long and flo wing hair (he had al ready been s tripped ,

naked by those after the S po il s ) and c arefully cover ,

ing hi s body wi th the man tle Of a hu s sar h ad him ,

brought to th e head quarters O f the army Desai x -

.

saved Bon aparte from a ruinou s defeat at Marengo ,

and saved him too by n o t waiting for orders b u t

, , ,

m oving immediately to wards where the cannon adin g

told him the fate Of the army and Italy wa s sealing .

Had Grouchy ac ted thus o r had Desaix been i n his ,

place a t W aterlo o the fa te of tha t battle and the

,

world would h ave been di fferent:

L anne s wrought wonders o n this day and was se ,

lec t ed b y Napoleon i n consideration O f His service

, ,

to pre s en t to government the colours taken from th e

enemy This call s t o mind a scene which took plac e
.

in P ari s j us t before Bonaparte s et o u t o n this expedi

t ion. The ne ws o f Washington s dea th h ad j u s t bee n ’

received and Bonaparte thus announced it to hi s army :

,
“
Wa s hin gton is dead ! Tha t grea t man fou ght
 MARSHAL LANNES . 19 5

a gainst tyranny ; he consummated the independenc e

o f his country Hi s memory will be ever dear t o th e
.

French peo ple a s to all freemen O f both world s and

, ,

mo s t o f a ll to French s oldiers , who like him and t he ,

so ldier s O f A merica are fighting fo r equality and free

,

dom .
”
Ten days mourning were appointed and a’
,

solemn ceremony performed in the Church o f the In

valides U nder t he s olemn dome Bonaparte as s em
.
~

bled all the authoritie s Of France , and the O fficers O f

the army and there i n their presence L annes pre
, , ,

s ented to the Government ninety six colour s taken in -

,

Egypt Berthier then Minister Of War S itting b e

.
, ,

tween two s oldier s both a hundred years Old S haded

, ,

by a thou s and s tandard s the fruits Of Bonaparte s ,

’

victories ; received them from the hand o f L annes who ,

pronounced a warlike s peech as he present ed them ,

.

The young R epublic O f France went into mourning

for the F ather Of the A merican R epublic and this ,

was the funeral ceremony .

Soon after this La nnes was sent as an ambassad o r

,

to P ortugal and feelin g t o o much the power B ona

, ,

parte a n d F r a n ce wielded treated with that in d ep en d ,

ent nation as if it s king and minister s had been s u b

,

ordinate s in the army He wa s b etter at the head Of .

a column tha n in the c abinet and got n o honour to ,

him s elf fro m his O ffice as amb as sador Thi s very .

bluntness and coarseness which rendered him fit only ,

for the camp and the battl e field and which indeed ,

w a s the cause Of his receiving this appointmen t were ,

su fficient rea s ons fo r his not havi n g it Bein g com . ~

m ander Of the Consular Guard he administered its ,

ches t and di s bur s ed the money intru s ted to him with

s uch prodigality and reckle ss nes s that there was a ,

general comp la int It was done with the full know

.
196 ! UA R R E L W ITH NAPO LEO N .

ledge and authori ty Of Nap oleon yet he reproved him ,

for i t when the excitement became too great to be

any longer disregarded This e x asperated L annes S O
.

m uch tha t he indulged in the most abrup t language

towards the F irs t Consul , and resolved to replace the
m oney that h ad been expended B ut from all his vic .

t o ries he ha d little left and A u ger ea u wa s com pelled

, ,

to loa n him th e su m he ne eded sa y in g : There ta k e , ,

this money ; go to tha t ungrateful fellow for whom

we h ave sp ilt our blood ; g ive him back wh at i s due
t o the ches t and le t neither o f u s be any longer n u
,
”
der Obli ga tions tO him But Napoleon could not a fford
.

t o lose two Of his bes t generals and thinking it was bet,

te r to keep s uch turbulent s pirits apart sen t A u ger ea u ,

t o the army and L annes as ambassado r t o P ortu gal .

R ecalled to th e army he fou ght at A usterlitz J en a

, , ,

Eylau and Friedland with h is accustomed v alour

,
.

I n the camp aign o f Eylau at the battle Of P ultusk , ,

he a dvanced with his corps Of men in the midst

Of driving sno w s qualls and knee deep i n mud U p to
-
,
-
,

the very muzzle s O f a hundred and t wenty cannon .

In 1 8 08 he w a s sent to join the army in Spain I n

,
.

cros s ing the mountains near Mondragon he came very

near losi n g his l ife H is horse s tumbled and in the
.

eflo r t to rally fell back o n him cr u shing hi s body ,

d readfully by his weight He who had s tormed o ver

.

S O many battle fi eld s -

and been hurled again an d
,

aga i n from h is seat am id trampling squadrons as his

hors e sun k u nder him and yet escape d death , wa s
,

here o n a quie t march well nigh deprived o f his life .

—
The surgeon who had seen a S imilar operation
,

p erformed by the Indians in Newfoundland — o rdered ,

a sheep to be S kinn ed imm edia tely and the war m pelt

,

s e w ed around the wounded M arshal s body H is ex ’

.
 SIEGE SARA GOSSA
'

98 O F .

U nyielding to the l a s t th e brave ,

S a r a go s sa ns
fo u ght o n ; and amid the p ealin g Of the tocsin , rush
,

ed u p to th e very mouths Of t he cannon and perished ,

by hundreds and thousands in t he s treets O f the city .

Every house was a fortres s and around its walls ,

were s eparate b at tle fi eld s where deeds o f frantic -

,
"

1 valour were done D ay after d ay did the s e s ingle

“

handed figh ts c ontinue while famine and pestilenc e ,

walked the city at noonday and slew faster tha n the ,

S wor d s O f the enemy The dead lay piled u p in .

'

e v er y s tr eet and o n th e thick heaps Of the slain the

,

living mo u nted and fo u gh t with the energy O f des

pair fo r their homes an d their liberty I n the midst . .

O f thi s incessant firing by nigh t and by day and ,

hand to h and fights o n t he bodies o f the slain eve r

- -
,

and ano n a mine would explode blowi n g the livin g ,

and dead friend and fe e together i n the air A n

, ,
.

awful silence would succeed for a moment and the n ,

over the groan s Of th e dying wo uld ring again the

rallyin g cry Of the brave inhabitants The streets .

ran torren ts Of blood and the s tench of p u t r ifi ed ,

bodies loaded the air Thus fo r three weeks did the .

figh t and b utchery go o n wi thi n the c ity walls til l ,

the soldier s grew di s pirited and ready to give up the ,

hop e O f s poils if they could escape the ruin that en

comp as s ed them Ye t thei rs was a comfortable lot
.

t o that Of the besieged Shut u p in the cellars .

with the dead— pinched with famine while t he ,

pestilence riote d without m ercy and withou t resist

ance — they heard around them the ince ss a nt burs tin g
O f bombs and thun d er Of artiller y and explo s ions o f
, ,

mine s and crash O f falling house s till t he city s hook

, ,

night and day as if within the gra s p o f an earth

,

quake Th ousands fell daily a nd the to wn was a

.
,

m ass of ruins Yet u nconqu ered, and appa rently u n

.
 MARS HAL LA NNES . 99

ca the inhabitants s truggled on O u t O f

u er a b le, .
‘

the d en s they had made for them s elves amid the !

ruin s and from the cellar s where there were more

,

dead than livin g me n wou ld crawl to fight who

, ,

looked more like S pectres than warriors Women .

would m a n the gun s , and m usket in han d advance ,

‘

fearle ss ly to the charge ; a nd hundreds th us fell ,

figh ting for their home s and their fi r es id es A mid .

thi s s cene of d ev a s t a t 1 o n again s t th is prolonged and

-

a lmo s t hopele ss struggle of week s — again s t the pesti

lence that had appeared in his o w n army and wa s ,

mowing down hl s Ow n troops — and above all again s t ,

the increa s ed m u rmurs and now Open clamor s o f the

s oldier s declaring that the s iege mu s t be abandoned
,

till reinforcement s could come u p Lannes rem ained

—

u n s haken a n d untiring The ince s sant r ea r and

.

cra s h around him — the fetid air— the exhaus ting toil ,

the c arnage and the pe s tilence could not chan ge his ,

iron w ill He had decreed th a t Sara gos s a wh ich

.
,

h ad heretofore ba ffled every attempt to take it s hould ,

fall A t length by a vigorous a ttemp t he took the

'

.
, ,

convent o f S t L azan in the suburbs o f the to wn

‘

,
.
,

a nd pl anted his artillery there wh ich soon levelled ,

the city around it with the ground T O fini s h this .

wor k o f de s truction by one grand blo w he caused s ix ,

mine s to be run u n der t h e m ain s treet o f the cit y ,

each o f which was charged with three thou s and

pound s Of powder But before the time appointed for
.

their explo s ion arrived the town capitulated The

, ,
.

hist o rian s O f thi s S iege de s cribe the appearance o f t he

city and it s in h abitant s after the s urrender a s in c o n
c eiv a b ly horrible W ith onl y a s ingle wall between
.

them and the enemy s trenches they had endured a

’
,

S iege O f nearly two month s by m en , and con

200 APPEARANC E O R T H E BE S IE GE D .

tinned t o resist after fa m m e and pestilence began to

slay faster than the enemy Thirty thousand c ann o n .

b alls and sixty thousand bombs had fallen in the city ,

and fi ft y fou r thou s and o f the inh abitants had per

-

ished . Si x thousand only had fallen in comba t ,

while forty eigh t thousand h ad been the prey Of the

-

pesti lence A fter the to wn had capitulated bu t

.
,

t w elve thousand were found able to be ar arms and ,

they looked more like spectres iss uing fro m the tomb s
than living warriors .

Sarago s s a was taken ; b ut w ha t a capture ! A s

L annes rode through the stree ts a t the head O f
his victorious army h e looked only o n a hea p ,

O f ruins while s ix thousand bodies s till lay n u

,

buried i n his p ath Sixteen thou s and lay sick

.
,

w hile o n the livin g famine had written more dreadful

,

characters than death ha d traced o n the fallen I n .

fa n t s lay o n the breasts O f their dead mothers striving ,

i n vain to dra w life from the bo s om s that never would

th rob again A ttenuated forms wi t h haggard faces
.
,

and s unken eyes and Cheeks wan dered around among ,

the dead t o search fo r their friends— corpses bloated

w ith famine l ay stretched across the thres hold Of
their dwellings and strong limbed men went s tagger
,
-

in g over the pavements we a k fro m want O f fo od o r , ,

s truck with the pestilence W oe was in every s tree t .

,

and th e silence in th e d wellings was more eloquent

tha n the l oudest cries and groans Death a n d .
,

famine and the pestilence h ad been there in ever y

, ,

variety of form and su fferi ng But the divine form .

Of L iberty had been th ere to o walking amid those ,

m ou ntains O f corpses and ruins o f homes shedding ,

her light through the s ubterranean apartments of th e

wretched and with her cheering voice animatin g the
,

thrice conquered y et still u n conquered to another

-
, ,
 202 ACCUSA TI ONS A GAINST H IM .

t hr o wn i nto the river s o that w hen their bod ies were ,

thrown asho re in t he morning they w ould strike ter ,

ror into o thers H e i s also accused of violating t ne

.

terms o f capitul ation by sending the sick P alafo x , ,

th e commander ih chief a close prisoner to France

- -
, ,

when he had p romised to let hi m retire wherever he

~ chose These
. are Mr A lison s allegations ; b u t as .
’

i M a d a m e d A b r a n t es is the only authority he gives

’
,

they are all to be doubted at leas t in the wa y they ,

a re stated w hile some Of the m carry their fals ehood

,

in the ir very in c on s i s tency ; and o n e hardly knows

which t O wonder at mo s t the S hort sighted pique O f ,
-

M adame Junot (alias d A b r a n t es ) which could origi

,
’
,

na te them o r the creduli ty o r n ational prej udice of

,

Mr A lison which could endorse them

.
,
.

Juno t h ad been unsucce s sful in conducting the

S iege and had been superseded i n t he command by
,

L annes who had won the admiration O f E urope by

,

his success Tha t J u n o t s wife should feel thi s was

.
’
,

n atural ; and that her envy S hould cau s e her to believe

any story that migh t meet her ear tendin g to di s ,

para ge her hu s band s rival was woman like B e ’ ‘

,
-
.

s ides J u not received le ss of the S poils than he would

,

h ave done h ad he been commander ih chief Thi s also

,
.

w arped the fair historian s j udgment — e s pecially the ’

loss o f the j ewels o f o u r L ady O f the P illar which ,

s he decl ares L annes appropriated to himself A ll this .

w as na tural in her but ho u Mr A li s on cou ld sup

,
r
.

p ose any o n e would bel ieve that L annes wreaked his

en t ir e v en ea n c e against the city o f Sarago ss a and
'

g
its b rave inhabi tants by spe a ring two harmles s ,

priest s o n the bank s o f the E b r O i s passing strange ,

.

H e mu s t find s ome o ther rea s on for the act before

any o n e will believe 1 t B u t the acc u sation tha t he .
 M A R S H A I LANNES . 203

dr o wned a few m o nk s to frigh ten the res t 1 s still ,

m ore laughable O ne would think that L annes con

.

s id er ed himself in d anger from mon k i s h con s piracies ,

to re s ort to thi s desperate method Of in s piring terror .

I f this story was to be believed a t all one would ln ,

cline to think th at he did it for mere amu s ement to ,

w hile away th e tediou s hour s in a deserted ruined , , ,

famine struck and pe s tilence struck city T O in s pire a

-
,
-
.

sepulchre and hospital with terro r by dro w ning a few ,

m onk s wa s certa inly a very o riginal idea O f hi s

,
.

I n the s torming Of R ati s bon L annes exh ib ited one ,

o f those imp ul s ive deed s which characterized h im .

Seeing a hou s e leaning again s t the ramparts he im ,

mediate ly ordered the artillery against i t which soon ,

broke down t he walls a nd left them a sort Of step

,

p ing stones to the top s o f the walls o f the c ity B ut

-
.

such a de s tructive fire was k ept up by t he A ustrians

o n the s pace bet ween the French and it th at they ,

could not be induced to cross i t A t length L annes .

seized a scaling ladder and ru s hing into and

-
,

through th e tempest Of ball s that swep t every foot o f

the ground planted i t firmly against the ruined house
, ,

and s ummoned his men to fo llow R u s hing through .

the fire they rallied around him s ea led the wall s and
, , ,

pou red into the city and Opened t he gates to the army
,

B u t n o w we come to the clo s e o f L annes career H e

’
.

had pa s sed throug h three hundred combats a n d proved ,

him s elf a hero in fi ft y three pitched battles Some

-
.

times the storm s wep t over him leaving him u n s c a t h ,

ed ; sometime s desperately wounded he was borne

, ,

from the field o f hi s fame but alway s rallied a gai n ,

to lead his ho s t t o victory B ut his la s t battle fi eld

‘

.
-

was at hand and o ne Of the s tronge s t pillar s of Na

,
‘

p o leo
’
n s thr o ne was t o fall a m id cl o uds and darknes s .
 B A T TL E (W ASP E R N

B A TT L E O F A SP E R N .

In the summer of 1 8 09 after Vienna had fallen in to

his ha nds Napole o n determined to pass the D anube
,

a n d give the A rchduk e Charles battle o n the farther ,

S hore The Danub e near Vienna flo ws in a wide

.
, ,

stream embracing many islands in i ts slow and m a

,

j es t ic movement over the plain Bonapar te resolved .

t o pass it at two points at the same ti me a t Nussdorf, ,

about a mile above Vienn a ; and aga inst the isl

and O f Lo bau farther dow n the river
,
L annes .

took ch arge O f the up per p ass , and M as sen a o f

t he lower— the t w o heroe s o f the coming b attle
O f A spern L annes fa ilin g in his attempt t he
.
, ,

wh o le army w as concentrated at L obau O n the .

e vening O f the 1 9 th O f May B onaparte surpris ed t he ,

A ustrians o n the island and taking p ossession O f it

,

and the other i s land s around i t had nothing t o do ,

b ut thro w bridges fro m Lo ba u to the northern bank

o f the Danube in o rder t o m arch his army over t o
,

the extended pl a ins Of M ar c hfi eld t hat stre t ched away ,

from the bank to the heigh ts O f B is o m b er g where ,

lay the Archduke with a hundred thousand men .

T hr o ugh unwearied e fforts Bonapar te was able t o ,

a ssemble o n the farther shore o n th e m o rni n g o f the ,

2 1 s t forty thousand soldiers

,
The A rchduke s a w .
,

fro m the h eight he o cupied every m ovemen t O f the

c

French army ; which seemed by i ts rashness a n d ,

folly t o be r u shin g into the very j aws O f des tructi o n

,
.

I t was a cl o udless summer mo rn in g and as the ,

glori o us sun came flashing over the hill tops , a forest O f -

glittering ba y o nets sen t back its beam s The grass an d .

the flowers lo o ked up smilingly to the blue heavens ,

u nc o nscious O f th e carna e that wa s to end the day
g .
2 06 BATTLE O F AS P E R N .

in g death and h avoc amid the F rench ra n k s A s .

nigh t dre w o n the conflict bec ame indescribably a w

,

ful. Bur s tin g s hell s explo s ions Of artillery and

, ,

volleys o f mu s ketry were mingled with S hout s Of

,

victory and cries Of terror ; wh ile over all as if to ,

drown all was h eard at in terv al s the brayi n g Of

,

t rumpet s a n d s trains o f marti a l mu s ic The v illages .

in wh ich Mas s en a and L annes m aintained their

ground w ith such u nconquerable fi rmne s s took fire , ,

and burned with a red flame over the nightly b attle -r

field addin g ten fold hor ror t o the wor k o f death

,
-
.

B ut I do n o t intend to descri b e th e first d ay s battle ’

,

a s I shall refer to i t a gain when speaking Of Massena

and B essi eres w ho fough t with a des p eration and n u
,

c o nquerable firmness that astonished even Napoleon .

A t eleven O clock at nigh t th e u proar Of battle

’

ceased and th ro u gh the sl owl y re tiring cloud o f w ar

,

that rolled away towards the D a n u b e the stars c a me ,

o u t o n e by o n e t o look on the dead and the dying

,
.

Groans and cries loaded the midnigh t blast while ,

’
the sleeping host l ay almo s t i n each o ther s embrace .

B on aparte wrapped in his military cloak lay s tretch

, ,

ed beside the D anube not half a mile from the en e ,

my s cannon The sentinel s could almost S hak e

’
.

h and s across the narrow s pace tha t s eparated them ;

and thu s the living an d the dead slept together 0 11 the
h ard fought field wh ile the silen t cannon loaded
-
, ,

wi th death were pointin g over th e S lumberin g hosts

, .

L u lled by the Danube t ha t rolled it s turbulent flood ,

by his side and c anopied by the stars Na poleon

, ,

rested his exhau sted fram e while he revol ved the

disastrous events o f the d ay and po n dered ho w he ,

might redeem his error Massena h ad lost m ost o f .

A s p er n ; b ut L annes still held Esslin g , a nd ha d hel d

 MAR S HA L LANNES .
07

It duri n g one O f the mo s t sanguinary struggles o f tha t

fiercel y fought battle .

Earl y in the morning as soon as t he li ght broke ,

over the ea stern hill s the two armies were a gain o n

,

their feet and the cannon opened ane w o n the walls

,

Of livin g men Th e French troops were dispirited

.
,

for the previou s day h ad been o n e Of defea t ; while

the A ustrian s were full Of hope But th e re s t o f L an .

ne s corps h ad crossed t he Danube during the night

’

w hile Davous t with n early thirty thousand more

,

w a s marchin g with flyin g colours over the bridge .

The A rchd u ke ha d al s o rece ived reinforcement s s o ,

tha t two armie s Of about a hundred thousand each ,

stood ready to conte s t the field o n the second day .

A t the commencemen t o f the onset L annes wa s ,

d riven for the first time from Es s ling ; but St B iliare .

coming u p to h is aid he rallie d hi s defeated troops

,

and led them back to the charge r e took the place ,

-
,

and held it th o u gh artill ery infantry and cavalry

, ,

thundered u pon it with shocks tha t threatened to

s weep the village itself from the plain .

A t length Bonaparte tired Of actin g o n the defeu

, ,

S ive beg a n to p repare for his great and deci s ive

,

mo v e m ent o n the centre Ma ss en a wa s to hold A s .

pern Davous t to march o n E s sling while L an n es

, ,

the brave L annes who had fought with such courage ,

,

and almo s t superhuman energy for two days — was ,

orde r ed with O u d in o t to force the cent re and cu t the

.

A u s trian arm y in two Bonap arte cal led him to his

.

side and from hi s statio n behind the lines which

,

overlooked the field po inted o u t to him the course he

,

w i s he d him t o take L annes s purred to his post and

.
,

when all wa s ready Napoleon came ridin g along the

,

lines to animate the soldiers i n the decisive onset th at

w a s ab ou t t o be m ade T he s hou ts O f Vive l E m
.
’
2 08 C HARGE AT ASPERN .

”
per eu r ! with which they received him were heard ,

above the roa r Of battle and fell with an omino u s

,

sound u pon the A ustrian lines A pprise d by t he .

sh outs where the Emperor wa s pa ss in g they imme ,

d ia t ely turned their cannon in tha t direction hoping by ,

a chance S hot to s trike hi m do wn General Mo u thie r .

w a s killed by hi s S ide bu t he pa s sed unhurt through

,

the fire In a fe w min u te s L annes terrible columns

.
,
’

were o n the m arch and moved with rapi d s tep over

,

the field T wo h undred canno n w ere placed in front

.
,

and ad vanced like a rapidl y moving wall o f fire o ver

the cumbered ground Behind wa s the cavalry— the
.

i rre s istible horseme n that had s wep t S O ma n y bat tle

fields for Napoleon a nd be fore the on s e t o f whi ch t he
,

best infantry o f Europe had gone down .

The Imperial G uard formed the reserve Thus .

arrayed a n d sustained those stead y column s ente red

,

the close fire Of the A us trian b atterie s and the deadly

volleys o f the infantry L annes kne w that th e fate
.

Of th e battle was pl aced in his h and s and tha t the ,

eye O f Napoleon w a s fi x ed with the deepest an xiety

upon him H e felt the weigh t O f E urope o n his
.

shoulder s and determined to su s tain it I n front

,
.
,

clearing a p ath fo r his stron g legi ons went the artil ,

lery , rending th e serried lines as though they ha d

been thre ads Of goss a mer A round the threatened .

p oint the whole in tere s t Of the battle gathered and ,

the most wastin g and destructive fire opened o n L an

’
n es s teady ranks B u t nothing could resist t he
.

w eight and terror o f their S h oc k T hrough an d .

t hrou gh the A ustria n lines they went wi t h the ,

s tre n gth Of the inrolling tide of the se a Into the wild .

b attle gorge th u s made by their ad v ance t he cavalr y

-

p lunged at headl o ng gallop ,

shaki n g their sab r es
210 THE RETREAT .

armour rat tli ng as they they burst i nto t he

came —

mi d s t O f the e n em y and charged the now s tead y ba t

talions w ith a ppallin g fury R ound and rou n d th e .

firm sq u are s they rode s pur r ing th eir steed s agains t

,

t he very point s o f the bayonet s bu t in vain N ot a ,

.

squ are broke n ot a battalion fled ; and charged i n

, ,

turn by the A u s tri an cavalry they were compelled ,

to fall back o n their o w n i nfant ry S till L annes stood .

a m id the wreck an d car na ge o f the battle fi eld a ro und -

him U nable t o d eploy s o a s to re turn the terri fic fire

.

tha t was ted him and disdaini n g to fly he let his

, ,

rank s m elt away be s ide him B eing in squares the .

,

A u s tr ian s coul d fire to advantage while L annes could ,

only retur n it from the edge s O f hi s column Seeing .

tha t h e dare not deploy hi s men the A rchduke advanced ,

the canno n to within fi ve rods Of them and there ,

pla y ed o n the dense masses Every discharge open ed .

hu ge gap s and men seemed lik e mi s t before the d e

, ,

structiv estorm S t ill t ha t shiverin g column stood as

.

if rooted to the groun d while L annes surveyed with

,

a flashi n g eye th e dis a s trous field from which he s a w

there wa s no relief A mid thi s des truction , and in
.

this cri s is the ammunitio n be gan to fail and his

, ,

o w n cannon were less hotly w orked Ju s t then , .

too the n ew s began t o fly ove r the field that the

, ,

bridges over th e Danube h ad been carried a way by

th e heavy b oats tha t had been floated do wn against
them Still L annes disdained t O fl y and seemed
.
,

to resolve to perish in his footsteps The brave Mar .

shal kne w he could not wi n the battle ; but he k n ew

also he coul d die on the S pot where h e stru ggl ed fo r
,

an Empi r e Bonaparte as he looked over the d is o r

.
,
.

dered field from his po s i tion s a w at once tha t the ,

“

b attl e was lost Still in this dreadful cr isis he sh o wed

. .
 MA RSHAL LANNES . 2 11

no agitatio n o r excitemen t Calm and collected as if

.
,
'

o n a mere revie w b e su rveyed the ruin about him

, ,

a nd ,
by his firm bearin g steadied th e soldiers and
,

O fli c er s amid whom he moved Seeing th at 11 0 time

.

wa s to be lo s t if he would save the remnan t O f his

army — fo r the bridges were fast yieldin g to the s wo l
len stream — he ordered a general retreat L annes .

and hi s ar my then began to retire over the field .

In a moment the retreat beca m e general and t he ,

w hole army rolle d heavily towards the bridge that

cro s sed to the i s land o f L obau A s they concentrated
.

o n the shore i t became o n e migh ty mass , where no t

,

a s ho t could fall amis s .

The A rchduke wishing to turn this retrea t i nt o a

total rout immedia tel y advanced wi th hi s whol e
,

army u pon them Hi s ent ire ar tillery was bro ug h t

.

up and arranged in a semi circle around this dense-

mas s cro w ding o n to the bri d ges and poured thei r

, ,

concentrated s torm int o a perfect mountain O f flesh .

I t s eemed as if noth ing c Ou ld prevent a n u tter o ver ~

throw ; but L annes cool and resolu te as his Emper o r ,

,

rallied his best men in the rear and c o vered the r e ,

treating and bleeding arm y With Mas s en a by his.

side n o w steadyin g hi s troop s by his word s a nd ac

,
:

tions no w charging like fire o n the ad vancing lines

, ,

the s e two heroes s ave d the army fro m b u rial in t he

D anube .

L annes never a p peared to bett er advantage than

on this occasion H is impetuosity was tempered b y
.

the most serious a n d thoughtful acti o ns and he ,

seemed to feel the importance Of the great m issi o n

wub which he ha d been entrusted A t length dis .
,

mounting from his horse to escap e the tempes t O f

cannon balls which s we p t down e v ery thin g o ve r the
2 12 H I S DEATH
soldiers heads he was struck by a S hot as he to u c hed
’
,

the groun d whic h carried away the who le o f t he

“

righ t leg and the foo t and ankle Of the left P laced
,
.

on a litter he was immediately carried over the

,

bridge into th e island w here Bonapar te was s u perin ,

tendin g s ome b a tteries with which t o pro tect the

p ass age Seeing a litter approach h im Na pole o n
.
,

turned a nd lo th ere l ay th e bleeding and dying

, , ,

L annes T he faintin g M arshal seized him by the

.

hand , and in a tremulous voice exclaime d F arewel l

“
,

S ire L ive for the world but bestow a passin g

.
,

thought on o ne O f y o u r bes t friends who in two h o urs ,

”
will be no more .

T he roar o f b attle wa s forgo tten and reckless a like ,

o f his defeat and the peril O f his arm y Of all sav e , ,

the dying friend by his si de Napoleon knel t over t he ,

rude couch a n d wept like a child The lip that had .

s eemed made O f ir o n durin g the day no w quivered ,

with e m otio n a nd the eye th at had never blenche d

,

in the wi ldes t O f the battle n ow flowed w ith tears ,

.

The v o ice O f a ffection s p oke louder than the thunder

O f artillery and the m arble hearted monarch wep t -
.
,

A nd wel l he might Fo r there before him m angled .

,

a nd torn lay the friend O f his youth and th e c o m

, ,

panion O f his early career — he who ch arged by his

side at L odi and A rcol a — s aved his army a t M o nte
—
bell o and Italy a t Marengo who opened R ati s bon
,

t o his vict o rious army nay the right hand O f his

—
,

—
p ower br o ken and fallen forever “
L ann es s aI d
”
.
,

he , in his o verp o wering em o tio n “

d o y o u n o t kn o w ,

me ! i t is th e Empero r i t is Bonaparte your friend ;

’

, ,
” “ ”
you will ye t live I would that I mi ght replied .
,

the dyin g hero fo r yo u and m y co u ntry , but in a n

,
21 4 H I S CHARACTER .

m arried poverty and from the lower ranks o f li fe ,

,

p artoo k o f hi s genero s i ty and kindness

.

The eldes t s o n o f L anne s the present Duke o f

,

M o ntebello m arried not many years ago , in P aris a

, , ,

daughter of C harles Jenkin s on , an En glish gen tle

m an .
 M ARS H AL M O N C EY .

H i E r ly L if — O p r ti n in Sp in— T he P r esent ation b y N p le

s a e e a o s a a o

on f hi S n t h im
o s d t h N ti n l G u ar d —H i n ob le eff r ts in
o o an e a o a s o

b hal f f N y— R c p ti n f N p l n b dy W h n b r ou ght fr o
e o e e e o o a o eo
’
s o e m

S t H elen a
. .

T HE R E can be no greater c o ntrast than that betwee n

Mo n cey and most o f Napoleon s other Marsh als T he ’
.

mo ral qual itie s in him predominated over t he m ental ,

and while he di d every thing ri ght he di d nothin g ,

brilliant Notwith s tan d ing the inj ustice of it t he

.
,

world will insist o n j udging every man by the sam e

standard without regard to the na tural tem p erament o r
,

mental constit u tion Fo r the quiet upright and.

,

ch aritable life a m an naturally o f a mild spirit and

equable feelin g s leads he receives all the praise o f ,

o n e who has combatte d his fierce propensities , and by

a long proce ss o f self discipline cha s tened his spiri t

-
,

and corrected hi s actions The world see m s to forget .

h e is acting o u t his natural tendencies and to be rash , ,

positive and encroaching would require a pain fu l

, ,

e ffort Bein g without force o f wil l and the c o nc en

.

t r a t io n o f purpose which love s action and seeks grea t ,

accompli s hments he is not at home in the violence o f

,

p olitical revolution s o r the fierce tum ult o f battle I n .

following the peaceful and even pa th he treads he is ,

consulting his o w n tastes and inclina tions , yet men

p oint to him as a model H e m ay be a good man .
,

a nd wo rthy o f all admiration ; yet were the worl d

2 16 H I S CHARA C TER .

filled with such it would s tagnate S uch men never

,
.

m ake reformers — conceive and execute vast plans , o r

p ush the ra ce onw ard toward s its final goa l .

Nei ther will men average character They will .

n o t allow for th e peculiar n ature with which o n e is eu

d owed , nor let h is good an d bad qualitie s balance each
other A man of s trong and vivid i magination and
.
,

impetuous spirit m ay not only exhibit more princi p l e,

,

sho w more self control and acquire greater virtue in

-
,

disciplining himsel f to the point from which error s

are still c o mmitted th an he wh o is with o u t spo t o r
,

blame —bu t his acti ons if m ingled up would take a

,

higher level O ne error .

“ ”
covers a multitude o f
v irtues in this world .

Moncey and Murat we re as di fferent as light and

darkness — neither o n e could have been th e other by
any possible training The career o f the fo rmer was
.

like a stream flowi n g through valleys — steady a nd

—
equable tha t o f t he la t t er like a rushing wave — n ow
breakin g in grandeur o n the shore and no w ret i r i ng ,

o u t o f sigh t into the deep The former cultivates o u r .

sentiments the la tter kindles o u r imagin ation and

,
i

a wake n s o u r emo tions Murat w as a c hiv a lr ic .

—
knight Moncey a n honest man O ne went down .

like a gallan t ship a t s ea — th e other slowly w asted

away i n the peaceful port where he sought s hel te r
and repose But if Moncey was not a brilliant m an ,
.
,

he exhibited in th e early part o f his c areer the qu ali

ties of a good general and received the reward o f his ,

bravery a nd suchess in bein g made D uke of C orne

l
g ia n o and Marshal o f the Empire .

R os e A drien de Moncey w as born at B ez a nc on in

-
,

July 1 7 5 4 Hi s father was lawyer o f the tow n par

,
.

d ament and designed to fi t his so n for his own peac e

,
 CAREER
’

2 18 H I S I N S P A I N .

represen tat i ve G a r r a u after enu m erating the ex tr a o r

,

d ina r y victories tha t ha d b een gained , cl osed w it h

s a yi n g The soldiers o f this army are no t men
,
“

they are either demon s o r go ds ”

T he whole state o f .

F rench a ffairs was changed i n that quar ter and as it ,

wa s attributed chiefly to the energy and skill o f Mon

cey h e was nominated commander in chief H earing
,
- -
.

o f his nomination he wrote t o the Convention n o t t o

,

ratify it as he did n o t deem himself qualified for the

,

s tation B ut the Con vention p aid n o heed to his r e

.

mon s trance and he was procl aimed C om m ander in

,
“ -

”
chie f o f the army i n Spain H e soo n s ho wed gth a t
.

the government h ad n o t mi s placed i ts confidence ; fin:

pursuin g h is success he beat the Spaniards at L ecfimJ
,
—
berry and Villa Nova , p assed the D eva , o verc a m e t he
enemy at Villa R eal and Mont D ragon — t oo k B ilbo a ,
rou ted the enemy at Vittori a and o ver run all Biscay ,
.

The court at Madrid , al armed at the rapid advance

o f the republic an genera l o ffered terms of peace which
, ,

w ere accepted and the victorious Moncey left the field

,

o f his fame and returned to France

,
In 1 7 9 6 he was .
,

sent to command the army on the side of Brest H av .

in g used all his endeavou r to heal the division s in

Vend ee he was appointed at the end of the year to
,

command the fi rs t military divisio n at Bayonne Here .

he remained idle , while the F rench army was filling

th e world with its deeds along the Nile and around ,

the P yramids ; and winning laurels in the A lps and by

the Rhine .

When Bonaparte was appointed First C onsul Mon ,

cey then a t P aris recei v ed the command o f the fi f

, ,

teen th military d ivision a t L yons Soo n after whe n .

,

the former commenced operations i n Italy the latte r ,

wa s de sp atched thithe r with fifteen thousand m en .

 MARS HAL MONCEY . 219

While the former was descendin g from the hei gh ts

o f St . Bernard the la tter was leadi n g his army o t
,

fifteen thousand men o v er the pa s s o f St Gothard

'

. .

Hi s hi s t o rians have m ade him present at the battle of

M a rengo but o n the day o f that grea t victory to the
,

French he w as guarding the T es s ino a w aiting orders

, ,

from Bo n aparte .

In 1 8 01 he was m ade chief inspect o r o f the g en s

,

d a r m er ie and three years after receiv ed his Mar s hal s

’ ’
,

baton Grand o ffi cer o f the L egion o f H onour P re

.
,

s id en t o f the Electoral C ol lege o f his own department ,

and Duke o f C o r neglia n o followe d in rapid succes s ion ,

.

In 1 8 08 when Napoleon invaded Spain Moncey

, ,

was sent into Valencia at the head o f ten thousand

me ,
n to watch the country bet ween the L ower Ebro

and C arthagena and if he thought it advis able to

, ,

attack Valenci a itsel f Hea ring at Cuenca that an .

army o f thirty thousand men was ga thering to attack

him and tha t the insurrection in the province was
,

rapidly increasing h e resolved to m arch o n the city

,

of Valenci a He immediately according to hi s in

.
,

s t r u c tio n s sent a despatch to General C ha b r a n who m

, ,

he supposed to be at Tortosa to ma rch al s o towards ,

the city and e ffect a j unction with his army there o n

,

the 2 7 t h o r 28 th of the month In the mean time he .

,

m oved forward with his small army towards the place .

F orcin g the river C abriel , he continued his march

wi thout serious interruption and took up his positio n
at O t r iel B ut heari n g that the patriots to the nu mber
.

of t welve thousand were intrenchin g them s elves a t

Cabrillas o n his left he turned a s ide t o attack the m, .

A s he came up to them his e x perienced eye saw im ,

mediately the advantage o u s position they had taken .

T heir centre was be hind a deep narrow defile lined , ,

22 0 SECON D C A MPAIGN IN S PAIN .

with p recipitou s r o cks o n which were gathered m ulti

,
~

tudes o f armed peasantry while the two wings s tretch

,

ed along the side O f a steep a nd r o cky mountai n .

O pening his artillery o n the cen tre and keepin g his ,

c avalry hoverin g about the defile i n order to d raw o ff ,

the a ttention o f the enemy he de s p atched General

,

H a r is p e to t u rn their flank The pla n was success

.

ful and the enem y was ro u ted a t all p oints Contin u

,
.

ing his march h e arrived before Valencia o n the 2 7 t h ,

but no G eneral C ha b r a n wa s there nor could he ge t ,

any tidings o f h im He ho wever di s posed his forces

.
, ,

to th e best advan tage Opened his artillery and s u m

, ,

m o n ed the city to s urrender B u t a walled to wn

.
,

filled with eighty th o u sand inhabi tants and surrou nd ,

ed b y trenches flooded by water s o tha t n o approach ,

could b e m ade excep t through the gates was n o t ,

likely to yield to a n army of ten thousand men wi th

out a stru ggle Moncey then u ndertook to carry it
.

by as s ault a foolish attempt unless a s i s reported , a

—
,

smu ggler had promised to betray the place .

—
The assaul t was unsuccessful the people were i n
arms ; a n d a friar traversing the s treets with a cross ,

in o n e h and and a s word in the o ther roused the m ,

by hi s fiery words to the highest pitch o f enthusias m .

In the meantime no intelligence h aving been received of

,

C ha b r a n and th e ammunition being nearly expende d

, ,

and a thousand wounded men encumbering his troops

he concluded to raise the siege and fell back to ,

! uarte . H earing a t this pl ace tha t the Spanish Gene

ral was o n the march for A lmanz a t o intercept t he
c om municati o n o f the French arm y , he resolved t o
advance a nd a ttack him before h e co u ld leave t he
kingdo m o f M urcia , from w hich he was hastenin g .

I n carrying ou t this p lan M o n cey , th ou gh no w fift y

.
222 R EC E IVES NAP OLE ON S ’
S O N .

h im great credi t an d s ays : Ma r s h al Moncey w h o se

, ,

whol e force was at first only eigh t thous and French ,

and ne ver exceeded ten thousan d men continued ,

marching and fighting w ith out cess ation for a month ,

, ,

durin g which period he forced t w o o f the s tr o nges t

—
m ountain passes i n the world c rossed several larg e
—
and di ffi cult rivers carried the wa r into the very
streets o f Valencia and bein g disappointed o f a s sis
,

tanc e from C a talonia ex trica ted his division from a

,

d ifficult S itu ation afte r h aving defeated his opponents

,

in five actions killed an d wounded a number o f

,

them equ al i n amount t o th e whole o f his o wn force ,

,

and made a circ u it o f three hundred mile s t hrou gh a ,

h ostile and populous country without having su s ,

t a in ed any seriou s l oss ; wi thout a ny deser tion fro m

t he Spa n ish b attali ons i ncorporated wi th his o wn ,
and wha t was o f more im portance having th o se bat ,
”
talions much incre ased by desertions from the enemy .

“
I n ano t h er place he s ays Moncey th ough an o ld , ,

m an wa s vi gorous active and decided

, ,
”
,
.

R ecalled to P aris by Napoleo n he was sen t int o ,

Flander s to repel t he Engli s h who were threatening ,

a descent upon A ntwerp The failure o f tha t ex p e .

ditio n le aving him w ithou t a ctive emplo yment he ,

w a s appointed to the command of the a rmy o f reserve

i n the North When Napoleon projected his fata l
.

R u ssia n campaign Moncey then an o ld man threw

, , ,

in his s trenu ous remonstrance against it A fter its .

dis a s trous termin a tion he did b u t lit t le till the allie s

,
.
—

invaded France When Napoleon in that crisis o f

.
,

his life roused himself to meet the storm tha t w a s

,

d arkenin g over hi s throne h e s a w with his far reach .

,
-

ing g lance th at the enemy might approach to P a ris ;

,

a nd amon g his las t di s positions w a s the reorgani z a

 MARS HAL M O N C EY ‘

. 22 3

tion o f the Na tional Guard over which he placed th e

veteran Monce y .

O n the Mo nday p revious to hi s setti n g o u t for

t he army t o m ake his l a s t stand for hi s Empire ;
,

h e assembled the offi cers o f the National Guard

in t he P alace o f the T u iller ies an d there in solemn , ,

p omp c ommitted his s o n to t heir charge The E m

,
.

p r e ss a d vanced first into the apartment followed by ,

Madame Montesquieu carryin g the infant kin g a l —

ready procl aimed King O f R ome The innoce n t child .

,

but three year s old was dres s ed in the uni form o f

,

t h e National Gu ard and hi s bl ue eyes sparkled with

delight at the gay ornament s that now for the first ,

time adorned hi s ve s tment s while his golden locks ,

clustered in ringlets ab ou t his neck Taking h im by .

the hand Napoleon stepped into the mids t o f the

,

circle of o fii c er s a nd thus addressed them : Gentle

,

men I am n o w t o s et o u t for the a rmy and I entrust

, ,

to you that which I hold deare s t in the world — m y

wife and s o n L et there be no political dissensions ;
.

let the re s pect for proper ty rega rd for or d er an d , ,

above all the love o f F rance fill every bo s om I do

, ,
.

not co n ceal fro m you t h at i n the stru ggle that i s to

come the enemy may a pproach o n P ari s bu t a fe w
, ,

d ay s will end the a ffair B efore they arrive I wil l .

be on their flanks and rear and annihilate those wh o ,

dare viol ate our country A fte r he had closed his.

”

addre s s a s ilence like that o f the grave succeeded

, , , ,

and he took the chi ld in his arm s an d pre s ented hi m

to t he aged Moncey The Old man who h ad stood .
,

s o m any battle s h ock s unmo ved was n o w unnerved : ,

and the quive r ing lip and swimming eye told o f the
deep emotions that mastered him as he received the ,

sacred tru s t “
T his s a id Nap oleon
.
”
is y our future
, ,

s o vere ign He then pr esented th e child t o t liff o t her

.
"
i
 !

224 NOBLE E FFORT T O S AVE NE Y .

O ffi cers and a s with s a d and seri o us co u ntenance he

, ,

w alked uncovered through th eir rank s sudden shouts ,

o f e n thusi asm filled the apartmen t and amid the cries

;
”
of Vine Z E mp er eu r and Vine le r o i d e R o m e
“ ’ “
,
”
,

tears bur s t from eye s u naccu s tomed to weep .

O n Tue s day m ornin g at three O clock Napoleo n ,

’
,

left his palace for the army n ever to see his wife and ,

s o n again .

A t length the allied armies wer e approachin g t o

P aris ; and soon the hei ghts aro und the city were
co v ered with thei r victorious legions B u t previou s .

to this the Em pres s and her s o n b y o rder o f Napo ,

leon had left P aris S till the National Gu ard com

,
.

bated bravely and Mar s hal Moncey , firm an d s tead

,

fa s t to th e end struggled o n after al l hope was gone ,

,

a nd remonstrate d a gainst submis s io n until Mar

’
mon t s defec tio n ruined e very thin g H e t hen r e .

signed his command to th e Duke o f Montmorency ,

and faithful to the las t retired with a few troops to

, ,

F ont ainbleau to Napoleon A fter the abdica tion o f

,
.

the Emperor h e gave in his adhe s ion to the n ew

,

government and was confirmed in his O fli ce o f In

,

spector General O f the Horse o f th e King s household ’

,

and i n the J une follo wi n g m ade Cheva lier of Sain t ,

L ouis a nd two days after P eer o f France

, ,
.

’
When th e news o f Napole on s landin g reached
P aris he addressed the Gens d A r m es remindin g
,
’
,

them o f th e oa th they had taken to be fai thful to the ,

K in g H e himself never swerved from his n ew alle

.

ia nc e and after the second o v erthrow o f Napoleo n

g ;
a t Waterloo w a s appointed a s the oldest of the Mar
, ,

sh a ls to preside at the trial of Ney Bu t the fir m

,
.

a n d upri ght o ld s oldier not only refused to s it in the

C o uncil o f War b u t dre w u p an a b le and b o ld re mo n

,
226 H I S IMPRISONMENT .

p are nts ? R eflect Sire ; i t is perh a p s the last time

, , ,

th at truth shall come near your throne .

“
I t is very dangerous very impolitic to push th e ,

brave t o despair A h if th e unhappy Ney had a c

.
,

complished at W aterloo what he had s o Often done

.

before perhaps he would no t h ave been dra wn before

,

a m ilitary commission P erhaps tho s e who to day

.
-

demand his dea th would have implored hi s p r o t ec

tion at it
.
it Nobly s aid brave Moncey in , ,

this trying ho ur o f France when each was s eekin g t o ,

p reser v e his own head o r fortune Thi s s ingle a c t .

should m ake him i mmo rtal B raving the hatred o f .

the k ing and the vengeance o f the allies h e on whose ,

life wa s no stain here interposed himself bet ween an

,

Ol d companion in arms and d eath H i s place his .

,

fortune an d his liberty he regarded light a s a ir w hen

,
‘

p ut in the balance with his honour an d with j u s tice .

T o any bu t a Bourbon s heart thi s appe al woul d not

’
,

have been in vain , and th at u nhappy r a ce would

h a ve been sa v ed ano ther stain o n its character and ,

England a dishonou r which s he n ever can wipe from

her history .

Thi s bold refusal o f th e Ol d es t Marsh al to be pre s i

dent o f the council o f war to try Ney a ccompanied ,

w ith such a noble appe al to the kin g and deep c o n ,

d em n a t io n O f the allie s awakened as was to be e x

, ,

p ec t e d,
th e deepes t indignation The only reply to it .
,

w as a royal order deprivin g him o f his rank as Mar

,

sh al and condemnin g him w ithou t trial to three

, , ,

m onths impri s onment This order was cou n tersign

’
.

c d by Marshal St C y r to h is everl a s ting di s grace

.
,
.

He had better died o n the field o f his fa me o r been ,

shot like Ney by kin gly m u rderers than pu t his s ig

, ,

na t u r e t o s u ch a p a p er If all the M arshals ha d eu

.
 MARSHAL MONCEY . 2 27

t er ed the ir solemn protest a gain s t the act as Moncey ,

did it is doub tfu l whether Ney w ould h ave been

,

slain .

The disgrace and imprisonment o f the O ld Mar s hal ,

without even the farce of atrial was in perfect keep ,

ing with the de s potic inj u s tice th at had beforehand

re s olved o n Ney s d eath B ut what a pitiful ex hib i
’
.

tion o f kingl y violen c e was thi s S hut t in g u p a n o ld

m an ove r s ixty years o f age who s e head had whiten ,

ed i n the storm o f bat tle , and o n whose name was no

s tain o r eve n reproach for darin g in the noblene s s o f,

his nature to refuse to condem n a n o ld companion in

,

arm s by whose S ide he had fo u ght so long a n d

,

bravely for F rance and fo r freedom .

When power depar ted from Napoleon mo s t o f his ,

Marshals in their eagerne s s to save their hard earned -

ho n ours and rank and fortune showed them s elves

, , ,

w anting in some o f the noble s t qualitie s o f man .

But Moncey un m oved by all hi s revers e s s till kept his

, , ,

honour bright and his i ntegrity un s haken ; and the

night th at he l aid hi s grey hai r s o n his prisoner s pil ’

low w it n es sed a nobler dee d than the day that looked

,

o n hi s mo s t victorious bat tle fi eld -

.

L ouis XVIII wa s not long in perceiving the bad

policy o f this petty tyranny ; and when the three
months imprisonment was ended he reinstated him
’
,

in his rank a nd in 1 8 20 named him commandan t o f

,

the 9 t h military division and soo n after C hevalier o f ,

the order o f Saint E sprit .

In the inglorious Spani s h war o f 1 8 23 Moncey , ,

then nearly seventy y ears o f age was appo inted o ver ,

the fourth corps H e marched into Spai n fought .

,

s everal battles and finally s a t down in regular siege

,

b efo r e B a r cel o na T he ca p it ul ati o n o f t hi s c i ty, a fter

.
22 8 GOVE RNOR O F THE v A L i nE S .

s om e severe fightin g ended the wa r ; and M o ncey r e

,

t urned t o F rance and received the gran d cr o ss o f

,

Sain t L o uis and a sea t i n the C hamber o f P eers

,
.

In th e la te R evolution o f 1 8 30 Moncey t o ok n o ,

p ar t He had lon g foreseen the storm which C harles

.

X, by determin in g to keep up the B ourbon reputatio n

for folly , was gathering o ver his h ead and s a w wi th ,

o u t regret the over thr o w o f his throne H is age and .

s o rrow for th e dea th o f his o nl y s on , who i n l eaping a

ditch in a hun tin g excursi o n , accidentally discharged
his gu n and killed himself, had driven hi m fr om
p ublic li fe But when the B o urbon thr o ne wen t
.

d o wn a gain , b e re p laced w ith jo y his o ld c oc k ade o f

A fter the death o f Marsh al J o urdan in 1 8 34 he , ,

w as a pp ointed Govern o r o f the Inv alides Nothi ng .

c o u ld be m ore touchin g than the sight o f this o ld

veteran no w eigh ty years o f age a m on g th e mutila
, ,

ted and decre p id soldiers o f Napoleon Sustained b y .

t w o servants he woul d dra g himself from hall to b a ll

,

amid the bless ings o f th o se old w arriors m a ny of ,

wh o m ha d seen him in th e pride of m anly strength

and courage lead his columns into battle Nearly
,
.

t w o hundred o fli c er s an d m ore than three thousand

m en the wreck of the gran d army , were assembled
,

here and the oldest Marsh al o f the Empire place d a t

,

their head H o w striking the contrast which M o n

.

c ey and those few thousand men in their faded regi

m en t a ls , p resen ted t o the magnificen t army w hic h

Na po l eo n led so o ften t o vict o ry Fr om the P yramids , .

fr om Lo di , A rc ol a Marengo A usterlitz , Jena W a

, , ,

gram an d B or o din o where the eye res ts o n mighty

, ,

armies , m oving t o battle and to v ict o ry amid the n u

r o llin g o f s tandard s a nd p ealing o f trumpets ; th e
2 30 N APO L E O N B R OU GHT B A C K F RO M S T . HE L ENA .

he wa s an ho n es t m a n ”
H e wa s not wantin g in
.

intellectual qualities bu t they predomin ated too much

,

o ver his impul sive o nes t o render him capabl e o f ,

those great and chivalrou s actions which character

iz ed s o m any o f Napol eon s general s Tho s e sudde n
’
.

in s pirations whic h s o o ften v i s it genius in th e h o u r o f

da n ger o r excitement he was an u tter s tran ger to
,
.

H e did all thin gs well and preserved throug h a l on g

,

career the respect and confidence of the Emperor ; fo r

thou gh he never flattered him in power he n ever betray ,

ed him in misfortune H is natural character was bett e r

.

suited to th e military tactics o f Wellin gton th an Na

l who — decided impetuous and rapid himsel f
p o eo n ; , ,

w i s hed t o h ave around him m en o f similar charac ter

and temperam en t .

The closing u p o f M o n c ey s life p resents perh ap s ’

, ,

the most a ffecting s cene i n i t When the rem ains o f .

Napoleon a few years ago , were brought from S t

,
.

H elena Moncey thou gh nearly n inety years o f a ge

, , ,

w a s still gover n or o f the H otel des Invalides and ,

hence was appointe d to receive them in the name o f

t hose disabled ve terans A ll France was a gitated a s
.

th e time dre w near when the vessel w as expected

that b o re back the dea d Emperor t o her shores The .

insulted her o had already slept to o lon g amid his foes ,

and when the vessel tha t was wafting him home

s wept do wn o n the c oast o f F rance the excitement ,

could scarcely h av e been grea ter h ad h e been l an din g ,

w it h s word i n hand .

O n the d ay O f solemn p r o cession in P aris , the whole

ci ty w as ab ro ad a n d Na p ole o n in the height o f his
,

power never receive d more disti n gui shed hono u r ,

than when dead h e was b orne thr o u gh the c api tal o f

his for m er em p ire A s the p r o cessi o n pas s ed t hro u gh
.
 MARSHAL M ONCEY . 2 31

t he streets the bea t o f the mu ffled drum and the pro

, ,

longed and mournful blast o f the trumpet as it ros e

and fell th ro u gh the solemn re q uiem a n d all the si gns
o f a nation s woe , filled every hear t with the pr o
’

foundes t grie f .

There beside the co ffin walked the remnants o f the

, ,

O ld Guard once the pride and stren gth o f the E m

,

p er or and the
,
terror o f Europe and there too was , ,

hi s O ld war —horse co vere d with the drapery o f mour n

,

ing o n whose back h e had galloped through the ba t

,

tle ; and over all drooped the banner o f F rance heavy ,

with crape all — all mourning in silence fo r the

-

mighty dead .

The church that was to receive the body wa s

cro wded in every par t of it waiting its arrival w hen , ,

the multitude was seen t o part i n front and an O ld ,

man bowed with years his wh ite lock s falling over a ,

whiter visage and seemingly ready himself to be laid,

in the tomb was borne through the throng in a large

,

arm chair and p laced a t the left Of the main altar

-
, ,

be s ide the throne Covered with decorations a n d .

honour s that contra s ted s tran gely with hi s wi thered

,

form and almo s t lifele ss features he s a t and lis tened

, ,

to the heav y dirge that came s weeping through the

chu rch as if memory wa s tryi n g i n vain to recall
,

the past Tha t wa s M a r s ha l ! Mo n cey n o w nearl y

.
,

ninety year s of age bro u ght hither to welcome his Old ,

commander back to his fe w rem ainin g soldiers A s .

the funeral train slowly entered t he court the thunder ,

of cannon s hook the solid edifice blendin g i n their ,

roar with the s train s of martial music The y fo o .

, .

S eemed con s cious being s and s triving with their Olden ,

v oices to awaken the chieftain for whom they had

s wept so many battle field s B u t dr um and tr u m pet -

.
2 32 RECEPTION o r NAPOLE ON S BODY ’
.

to ne , and th e s o un d o f ca nnon fell alike o n the dull ,

ea r of the mighty s leeper His battles w ere al lo ver

.
,

a nd his fierce spiri t gone to a land where the loud

t r umpet o f war i s never heard .

A S the c o fli n a ppro ache d the Old invalid soldiers

,

drew u p o n e ach S ide o f the way i n thei r Old uniform , ,

to receive it The spectacle move d the stoutest heart

. .

T he last time these brave men had seen their emperor

w a s o n the field o f battle and no w a fter long years his
, , ,

co ffi n approached their mid s t The roar of canno n and

.
,

the strai ns o f m arti al music brou gh t back the days o f

glory , and as their eyes met the p a lL t ha t covered the
for m o f their belove d chief they fel l o n t heir knees in
,

tears an d sobs and reached forth their hands in pas

,

s io n a t e s o rro w O ver whelmed with grief and with

.
,

the emotion s tha t m emory h ad s o suddenl y wakened ,

this was the o nl y welco me they could give him O n .

swept the train till i t en tered the church ; and a s the

c o ffin passed through the door heralded by the P rince ,

de Joinville wi th his drawn sword in his hand the im ,

m ense thron g involuntarily rose an d a murmur more ,

expressive tha n words filled the house The ki ng de

,
.

scended from his throne to meet it and the aged Mon ,

cey , w ho h ad hitherto s a t immovable and dumb the ,

m ere phantom of a soldier su d denly s tru ggled to

“
,
”

r ise . The sou l awakened from its torpor and the ,

dying veteran knew th at Napoleon was before him .

—
B ut his strength failed him with a feeble e ffort he
sunk back in his chair while a flash o f em o tion S hot
,

o ver his wan and w asted visage like a sunbeam and ,

h is eye kindled a m oment in recollection It wa s a .

—
striki n g spectacl e that silent co ffin and that old Mar
shal together Nothing could be more appropriate
.

either than this r ece p tion o f Nap o leo n s b o dy T h ’

e .
,
 VIII .

M AR SH AL M A CD O N AL D .

H is ear ly L ife— B a tl e t of bb i
Tr e a— ! u ar r el w it h Np a o l eo n —H is
P as s a g e of t he Sp l u g en — C h ar g e at W a g m— D ra efen c e a t L ei p s ic

—H is C h ar a c t er .

IT is a s toni s hing to s ee wh at re s olute and i ron m en

Bonapar te gathered arou n d him Every thin g that .

came near him s eemed to run in hi s mould o r rather , ,

perhaps he would con fide in no o ne who did not par

,

t ake more or le s s o f his charac ter Some as m uch .

unlike him a s men co u ld well be and worthy of n o ,

regard he had around him be c au s e he could use them

, , ,

b ut to none such did h e tru s t hi s armies o r commi t

the fa te o f a b attle Tho s e whom he trusted wit h .

hi s fa te a nd fortunes he kne w by s ter n experience t o ,

be men that n ever flin c hed in the ho u r o f peril and ,

w ere earth fas t rock s amid the tumult o f a b attle

-

fiel d H e tr ied every ma n before he c ommitted the

.

succe s s O f hi s grea t plan s to him R a nk a n d fortune .

bough t no place s o f trust from him He promo ted .

h i s offi cers on th e field o f the slain and gave them ,

t itles amid the dead tha t cumbered th e g round o n

which they h ad proved them s elves heroes by great
deeds When Bon aparte rode over o n e o f hi s bloody
.
,

yet victoriou s bat tle fi eld s as was ever his cu s tom -

,

after the conflict he s a w fro m th e s pots o n which t he

,

dead lay pile d in l argest heaps where the hea t and ,

c r isis o f t he battle h ad b een F ro m his observat o r y .

 MARSHAL MACDONA L D . 2 35

he had watched the whole progre ss of the s trife and ,

when he rode over the plain i t wa s n o t di fficult to tell

what column had fought braves t o r wha t leade r had ,

proved himself worthiest o f confidence ; and o n the

S pot where they ea r n ed their reward he g a v e it and ,

made the place where they struggled braves t a nd

su ffered most the birth p lace o f their renown This
,
- .

custom of his furnished th e grea test o f all incitements

to de s perate valour in battle Every o fli c er knew that .

the gla s s o f his emperor s wept the field where he

fough t and the q uick eye that glanced like lightning
,
'

over every obj ect was constantly on him and a s his ,

deeds were so would his honour s be This strung

,
.

—
the energies o f every ambitious m an and Bonapart e
would have none others to lead his battalions to -

their u tmos t tension What wonder is it then th at

.
, ,

grea t deeds were wrought and Eur op e stood awe ,

struck before ene m ies that seemed never t o dream o f

"
defeat .
l

Macdonald was o n e o f those s tern men Bonaparte

loved to have in his army H e kne w what Macdo .

n a ld attempted to do he wo u ld n ever relinquish till

h e him s elf fell o r his men fled There was as much

,
.

iron and steel in thi s bold S cotchman a s in Bona ,

parte himself H e had all his tenaci ty and in V1n01

.

b ilit y without his genius .

Macdonald was the s o n o f a Sc o tch m a n, o f the

family o f C lan ro na ld who fou ght u nder th e stan d ar d
,

o f P rince Charles E dward o n the fatal field o f C ul , ,

loden ; and after its disastrous issue fled to France , ,

‘

an d settled in Sancerre There the subj ect of this

.

sketch wa s born , in November 1 7 6 5 and received

-
, ,

the name o f Etienne Ja cqu es Joseph A le x andre Mac

donald He belonged to the ar m y before the r ev o lu
.
236 H i s EARLY HISTORY .

tion and during its pro gre s s took the republican S id e:

,

H e was an a i d de ca m p in the firs t R epublican army

- -

that a dvanced o nthe R hine at the declaration o f war ,

and distingui s hed him s elf throughout that m i serably
c o nduc ted campaign A t the b attle o f Jem eppe he
.
,

foug h t with such bravery th at h e was promoted to

the rank o f Colonel Engaged i n almost every battle
.

in the L o w C ountries h e was appointed to lead the ,

va n of the army at the North ; and in the winter

cam p aign of 1 7 9 4 p erformed one of those deeds of
,

daring for which he w a s aft er wards so distinguished .

The b atteries o f N im egu en s wept the ri ver Waal so ,

tha t it was deemed impossible t o cross it with any

considerable fo rce yet Macdon ald led his column
,

over the smoo th ice and through the s t o rm o f lead

that devoured h is ranks and routed the enemy F or ,
.

this gallant deed he was made general of bri gade .

I n 1 7 9 6 at C ologne an d Dusseld o rf he c o mmanded

, ,

the army and soon after was sent by the C o nventi o n

,

into Italy .

A fter the con quest of the P a p al s tates in1 7 9 8 h e , ,

wa s made governor of R ome In his new capacity , .

he exhibited other t alents than those o f a military

leader H e could scarcel y h ave been pl aced in a
.

more tryin g position tha n the o ne he occupie d a s /

governor o f the Ete rnal City The tw o factions— o ne .

of which acted with the revolution and t he ot he r ,

against it — kep t the population in a perpetual ferment .

Insurrec tions and popular outbreaks occ u rred almost

every day, while the indignity th at h ad bee n offered
the P ope and the indiscrimina te p illage of the Vat i
,

c an pal aces a n d churches ex asperated t he upper

, , ,

classes beyond control and it require d a str o ng ar m ,

to m aintain French authority i n t he city M acd o .

23 8 BATTLE O F TREBBIA .

i nto s o uthern Italy The invincible Suwarr o w , vvho

.

had never yet turned his back o n a human fo e began ,

to sweep do wn through the peninsula Macdonald .

c ould not contend with the superior force n o w

brough t again s t him and com m enced a masterly r e,

treat to ward Tu s cany which tested his skill as a ,

general mo re than any other act o f his life .

Still advancin g north he c ame upon Su warrow at ,

the river Trebbia and there for three day s endured

,

the S hock o f the entire R u s sian army A fter the first .

’
day s battle the t wo armies bivouacked on O pposite
,

sides Of the ri ver to wai t for the morning light t o

,

r enew the combat .

A t 6 o clock the Russians a dvanced to the attack

’
.

M acdonald finding that he mus t fight though anxious

, ,

to delay till Moreau could come up po ured hi s bat ,

talions across th e river but after a most de s perate ,

stru ggle wa s compelled to retire agai n o ver the Treb

,

bia Th e quiet stream swept with a gentle m urmur

.

between the foemen while t he w atch fi r es o f both ,

-

camps were reflected from its placid bo s om A ll was .

still as the moonligh t sleeping there when three ,

F rench ba ttalions mistakin g their orders adv anced

, ,

into the river and bega n t o fire o n the R us s ia n out

,

posts Both armies taken by s urpri s e supposin g a

.
,

grand attack wa s to be m ade rushed to arms In a ,

.

mo m ent all was hurry and confusion The artillery .

o n ei ther bank opened th eir fi r e— the cavalry plunged

—
headlong into the water the infantry followed after
and there in ine x tricable confusion t he two armies ,
, ,

up t o their middle in water fough t by moonlight, ,

while the closely advanced canno n played o n the dark

m ass es of friend and foe with dreadful eflec t .

This u seless s lau gh ter a t length b ein g sto pp ed t he ,

 MAR S HA L MACDONAL D . 2 39

two weary hosts a gain lay down to rest on the S hore ,

s o near ,
that each coul d almos t hear the breath
ing o f the other Early in the mornin g they prepared
.

’ ’
for the third and last day s battle and at ten o clock ,

Macdonald advanced to the attack H is m en , u p to .

their arm pits in water steadil y crossed the river in

-
,

the face of a murderous fire The b attle was fiercely .

conte s ted bu t the French w ere finally d riven again

,

over the Trebbia with grea t lo ss and next day were ,

compelled to retreat .

The battle o f Trebbia was o ne o f the fiercest tha t

h ad yet been fough t and though Ma cdonald was ,

blamed fo r his tactic s he there e v ince d that in domi ,

table courage and tenacity which afterward s so dis

t in g uis h ed him A s it wa s had Suwarro w receive d
.
,

no reinforcements o r had Macdonald been aided t o

,

the same e x ten t the i s sue o f it wo u ld d o ubtless h ave

,

been di fferent Nearly thirty thou s and men had fal len
.

during these three terrible days T he coura ge th e

‘

.
,

tenacity and firmne s s o f the troops o n bo th sides

were worthy o f tha t field on which nineteen hundred
years be fore the R omans a nd C a r t ha genia n s had
,

battled for I taly .

In the revolution of the 1 8 t h B rumaire which o ver ,

threw the Directory and made B onaparte First C on

sul,
Macdonald was by his s ide and with Murat , ,

L efebre Marmont L anne s and others passed the

, , ,

power o f Fra n ce over into hi s hands .

Fo r the s e rvice he rendered o n thi s occa s ion , Na

o leo n appointed him to the command Of the army i n
p
the Grisons A letter from him to General Regnier ,
.

then with the army in Egypt shows his exalted ,

views o f Napoleon In an extract he s ays “

.Sinc e ,

y ou left we h ave been com p elle d to la m ent o ver the

.
2 40 ! UA R REL WIT H NAP OLEON .

c apric i o u sness o f fortune and h ave been defeated

,

everywhere owing to the impotence of the old tyran

,

nic a l Directory .
—
A t la s t Bo n aparte appeared up s e t
the audacious government and s eizing the reins n o w , ,

directs with a s teady han d t he car o f the r evolutio n

to tha t goal all go od men h ave long waited to see i t
reach U ndismayed b y the burden laid u po n him
.
,

thi s wonderful man reforms the armies — call s back the

pro s cribed citizens flings open the pri s on i n w hich
-

—
innocence has pined abolishe s th e o ld re v olution ary
—
laws restores public c o n fi d en c e— protects industry
revives commerce , and making the republic t r iu m
ph ant by his arms , place s it in that high rank as
”
si gned it b y H e aven .

In 1 8 02 he was s en t a s ambas s ador to Copenh agen ,

where he remained a y ear O n his return he wa s ,

a p pointed Grand O fli c er of t he L egion o f Honour Bu t .

soon after he incurred the displeasure o f Bo n aparte

by his severe cond emna tion of the trial and sentenc e
o f Moreau Macdonald had fough t be s ide the hero
.

o f H ohen linden — they had planned and cou n s elled

together an d he felt keenly the di s grace i nflicted o n

,

his Old companio n in arms F earless in court as he .

was in b attle he never condescended t o flatter n or

, ,

refrained from expressin g hi s indign ation agains t

meanness and inj ustice His words which w ere utter
.
,

ed without disguise and couched in the plain blunt

, ,

terms O f a soldier were repeated to Napoleon who

, ,

afterwards treated him with marked coolness T o o .

proud to go wh ere he was n o t received a s became

his r ank , and equally disdainin g to make any e fforts
t o prod u ce a reconcili ation when he had told what he
considered the sim p le truth , b e kept a way fr om court
a ltogether .
242 H I S INJU S T I CE AND INTEGR ITY .

Gratz wh ere b e exhibi ted the n o b ler qualities of

,

j u s tice and mercy The bold denouncer o f what he

.

deemed inj u s tice in hi s Emperor was not likely to com

mit it him s elf B y the se v ere di s cipline he m aintained
.

a m ong the troop s — preventing them from violatin g the

home s an d prop erty o f the i nhab itants— and by the
equi t y and moderation with which he admini s tered t he
government entru s ted to him he so gain ed the love ,

an d re s pect o f the people tha t o n hi s d eparture they

,

made him a present O f francs or nearly ,

and a co s tl y box Of j ewels a s a wedding ,

gift for one Of his dau ghters But he nobly refu s ed .

“
them bo th replying
,
Gentlemen if y o u consider
, ,

yourselves under a ny obligation to me repay i t by ,

takin g c are o f the three hundred sick soldiers I am

”
co mpelled to lea ve with y o u .

No t lo n g after he wa s made D uke o f Tarentum ,

and in 1 8 1 0 wa s appointed to co m mand the army of

,

A u ger ea u in Catal onia who h a d been recalled

,
A ct .

in g i n conj unctio n w ith Suchet he car ried o n fo r a

while a specie s o f g uerilla warfare for w hich he was
by n atur e li ttle fi tted I n 1 8 1 2 he commanded the
.
,

tenth corp s o f th e Grand A rmy in its victoriou s marc h

into R u s sia and was o ne o f th e s urviving few wh o
, ,
.

after performin g prodigies o f valou r and patiently en ,

during u nheard O f s u fferings in th at calamitou s r e

treat ; s truggled s o nobly at B autzen and L utzen an d , ,

L ei psic to s ustain the totterin g throne o f Napole on

,
.

He never faltered I n his attachment ; nor refu s ed his

ai d till Bonaparte s abdica tio n a n d exile to Elba
’
.

H e was strongly opposed to his m ad attempts to r e

lieve P ari s which ended in his immediate overthro w
,
.

He declared t o Berthier that the Emperor sho uld r e

tire to L ens and there fa ll back on A u ger e a u a nd ,
 MARSHAL MACDONALD . 2 43

choo s in g o u t a field where he could make the best

s tand give the enemy battle
,
“
Then he s aid .
,
”
,
“
if P rovidence ha s decreed o u r final hour we shall ,

a t lea s t d ie with h onour U nwaverin g in his attach

.
”

ment t o the last — when the allies h ad determined o n

the Emperor s abdication he used e very e ffort to o b
’
,
.

tain the most favourable term s for him and his family .

Thi s generous conduct s o unlike wh at Bonapar te ,

might h ave expected from o n e whom he had treated so

unj u s tly a ffected him deep ly He s a w him alone at
,
.

Fontainbleau and in their private interview previous

,

to his departure for Elba acknowledged his in d e b t ed ,

n e ss to him expre ss ed hi s high regard for his cha

,

r e c t er
,
and regret ted that he had not appreciated .

hi s great worth sooner A t p ar tin g he wished to give

.

him some memori al o f his e s teem; and handing hi m

a beautifu l Turki s h s abre presented by Ibrahim Bey ,

when in Egyp t said It is only the present o f a so l

“
,

dier to hi s comrade .

When the Bourbon s r e ascended the thr o n e M a c

'

-
,

donald was made a P eer o f France and never after ,

broke hi s oa th Of allegiance U nlike Murat and .

,

Ney and Soult and others o f Napoleon s generals ;

, ,
’

he co n sidered his solemn o ath sacred and though ,

when sent to repe l the invader his soldiers deserte d ,

“ ”
him a t t he fir st cry o f Vive l E m per eu r he did ’
,

n o t follow thei r example bu t making his escape ,

has tened to P aris to defend L ouis A fter the final .

overthrow o f Napoleon at Waterloo he was promoted ,

from one post o f honour to another till he wa s made ,

Governor of the 2 l s t Military D iv i s ion and Maj or ,

General o f th e R oyal Guard He visited soon afte r .

Sco tland and hunting up hi s poor relative s bestowed

, ,

p resents u pon them and fi nally o n the overthro w

, ,
2 44 PASS AG E O F T H E S P L U G EN .

and abdication o f Charl es X gave his allegiance t o

.
,

L ouis P hillippe .

This brief outline Of his hi s tory gives us s pace t o

speak more fully o f the three great act s o f his life .

When com mandin g the army in the Grison s M ac ,

donald wa s ordered by Napoleon to pas s the Splugen

w ith 11 1 8 force s in order to form the left wi n g o f his
army in Italy . This was i n the Cam paign of Italy ,
’
after Bonaparte s re turn from Egypt Though no .

braver o r bolder m an than Macdonald ever lived he ,

felt that the execution of the F ir s t Consul s com ’

mand s was well nigh impossible and s en t General ,

D umas to represent to h im the hopele s sness o f such

an undertakin g Bonaparte heard him through and
.
,

th en wi th hi s u sual reckles s ne s s o f d ifli c u lt ies r e

plied ,
“
I will m ake no chan ge in m y di s positions .

R eturn quickly and tell Macdonald that an army can

al ways pa ss in e very season where t wo men can
place their feet . L ike an obedien t o fficer he imme
”

d ia t ely s et abo ut preparations for the herculean task

before him .

P A SS A G E O F TH E S P L U G E N .

T H E presen t pass o ver this mountain is a very dif a

fer en t thin g from the o ne which Macdonald and his

fifteen thou sand men traver s ed There is now a car .

r ia ge w ay across cut i n S ixteen zig zag s along the -

brea s t of the mountain B u t the r o a d he wa s c o m

'
.
~

p elled t o go was a mere bridle p ath going throu gh ,

the gorge Of the C a r d in el T o understand some o f

.

the di fficulties that beset him and h is army imagin e ,

a gl oomy defile leading up to the heigh t o f s ix t ho u

s a nd v e hu n d r ed feet above the level o f the s ea
fi ,

while the raging o f a n Al p ine s to r m a nd the rapid

24 6 FIRST DAY S ASCENT
’
.

hind the m came the workmen cl earing a way the

snow and behind them s till th e mounted dragoons
, , ,

wi th the mo s t po werful horses of the army to beat ,

down the track The fir s t company had advanced in

.
,

this m anne r nearly half way to the s ummit and

, ,

were approachin g t he ho s pice when a lo w moanin g ,

wa s heard among the hills like the voice o f the s ea,

o efore a storm The gu ides understoo d too well its

.

m eaning and gazed o n each o ther in alarm

,
The .

ominous s ound gre w louder every moment till s u d ,

d en ly the fierce A lpine blas t swept i n a clou d o f sno w

over the breas t o f the mountain , and ho wled like an
u nchained demon through the gorge belo w In a n .

in s tant all wa s c onfu s ion and blindne ss a nd u nc er

, ,

tainty The very heavens were blotted o u t an d the

.
,

frightened column stood and listened to th e raving

tempe s t th at threatened to li ft the rock rooted pines
,
-

t hat shrieked above them from thei r places and brin g ,

down the very A lps them s elves B ut suddenly .

another still more alarming sound was heard amid

the stor m an avalanche ! an a v alanche ! sh rieked
”

the guides and the next momen t an awful wh ite form

,

came leaping do wn the mountain and striking the ,

column that wa s strugglin g alon g the path pa s sed ,

strai gh t through i t into the gulf below carrying thirty ,

dragoon s and their hor s es along with i t i n i t s wild

p lunge The bl ack forms o f steed s an d their riders
.
, ,

were seen for o ne momen t su s pended in mid—heavens

, , ,

and in the next disappeared among t he ice and crags

,

belo w The head of th e column immediately pushed

.

o n and reached the hospice in safety while the rear, ,

separated from it by the avalanche and struck dumb ,

by this s udden apparition cro s sing their pa th with

such lightnin g like velocity , and bearing to such a
 MAR SHAL M CDONAL D A . 47

fearful death t heir brave comrade s refu s ed to p foc eed

, ,

and tur n ed back to the village Of Splugen .

F or th ree days the s torm raged amid the moun

tain s filli n g the heaven s with s now and hurlin g
, ,

avalanche s into t he path till it became so filled u p

,

th at the guide s declared i t w o u ld take fifteen days to

Open it a gain a s to make i t a t all pa ss able But fi f
,
.

teen d ay s Macdonald could no t s pare In dependent .

of the urgen cy o f hi s command s there was no wa y

,

to provi s ion hi s army in the s e s avage s oli tude s and ,

he m u s t proceed He ordered fo u r o f the s trongest

.
\

oxen that could be found to be led i n advance by the

be s t guide s Forty pea s ant s followed behind clear
.
,

in g away an d beating do wn the snow and t w o c o m,

a n ies o f s apper s came after to give still greater con

p
s istency to the track ; while o n their heel s marched
the remnant o f the comp any o f the dragoons part o f ,

which had been borne a way by the avalanche three ,

day s before The po s t of danger was given them at

.

their o w n reque s t They pre s ented a strange S igh t

.

amid tho s e A lpine s olitude s Those oxen with their

.

horn s j us t peer in g abo v e the snow toiled S lowly o n,

,

pu s hin g their unwieldy bodies thro u gh the drift s ,

while the s oldier s u p to their arm pit s s truggled b e

-

hind Not a drum o r bugle n ote cheered the solitude

.

o r a woke the echoes o f those s ilent peaks The .

footfall gave back no sound in the soft s no w , a nd .

the word s o f comm and s eemed smothered in the very

atmo s phere Silently noiselessly the va s t but dis
.
,

ordered line s tretched it s elf upward with naught ,

to break the deep s tillne ss o f the wintry noon save ,

-

the fierce pantings o f the hor s es and animal s a s wit h ,

reekin g S ides they strained up the ascent .

Th s day and t he nex t being clear and frosty , t he

i - .
2 48 THIRD DAY S ASCENT ’
.

s epar ate columns pas s ed in safety with the exce p tion ,

o f tho s e who s u nk in their footsteps overcom e by the

cold The succe s s ful effort s o f the colum n s these

.
,

two d ays induced Macdonald to m arch all o f the

,

remaini ng troop s over the next day ; an d s o order

i ng the whole army to advance commenced o n the ,

5 t h o f December the pa ss age Bu t fresh sn o w had .

fallen t he night previo u s filling up the entire track

, ,

s o that it had all to be made over again The guides .

,

e x pec t in g a wind and avalanches after thi s fresh fall

o f s no w refu s ed to go till they were compelled to by
,

M acdo nald B reas t deep the army waded up the

.

difficult and desolate p ath m aking in s ix hou rs but six

,

mile s o r o n e m ile a n hou r They h ad not advance d

,
.

fa r however wh en the y c ame upon a hu ge block o f

, ,

ice and a newl y fallen a v alanche that entirely filled

, ,

u p the w ay The g u ide s h alted before these ne w

.

ob s tacles and refused to proceed an d the head of the ,

colum n wheeled a b out and began its m arch down the

mountain Macdonald i mmed ia tely hastened for
.

w ard ; and placing himsel f at th e h ea d o f his m en ,

walked on foot with a long pole in h i s hand to so un d

, ,

the treacherous mass he was treadin g up on while he ,

revived the drooping spi rits o f the soldiers with words

O f encouragement
“
Soldier s said he you r des
” “
, ,

ti nie s call you i nto Ital y advance and conquer firs t

the mountain and the sno w— then the plains and t he
arm ies ”
As hamed to s ee their Genera l hazarding his
.

life at every s tep where they ha d refused t o go they ,

returned cheerfully to their toil B ut before they .

could effect the passag ethe voice o f the hurricane w a s

again heard on its march and the next mo m en t a ,

cloud of drivin g sn ow obliterate d every thing fro m

v iew .The p ath was filled u p a nd all traces o f it ,
 25 0 FALL O F AVALANCHES .

sn o w imparted infinite terr o r t o these m y st eri

w ith ,

ous messengers Of death , as they came down the

m ountain declivity A lo w rumbling sound w o ul d .
,

be heard amid the pauses of th e s torm ; and a s the

n ext shriek o f the bla s t swep t by a ru s h in g as o f a ,

co unterblast smote the ea r ; and b efore th e thou gh t

h ad time to change a rolling leaping broken m ass , , ,

O f sno w burst through the thick atmo s phere and the ,

n ex t momen t rushed with the sou nd o f thunder far , ,

far belo w be aring a way a whole comp any Of soldiers

,

t o its deep da rk resting place

,
O n e drummer c arried .

ove r the preci pice fell unhu rt t o the botto m o f the

,

gul f and crawlin g o u t from the mass o f the s no w

,

which had broken his fall began to bea t his drum for ,

relief Deep down amid the crushe d forms o f ava

.
,

lanches the poor fello w s tood and fo r a whole hou f

, ,

beat th e rapid strains which had s o often s ummo n ed

hi s companions t o arm s The m u flled sound cam e .

ringing u p the face o f the precipice the m o s t touching ,

appeal tha t could be m ad e to a s oldier s heart B ut no ’

.

hand cou ld reach him there an d th e rapid blo ws ,

grew fainter and fain ter till they ce as ed altogether , ,

and the poor drum mer la y down t o die H e h ad .

beaten his la s t reveill e and hi s c ompanions pa s sed ,

m o u r n fully o n leaving th e A lpine s torm t o S ing his

,
J

dirge .

O n the e vening of the 6 th o f December the greater ,

p art o f th e army h ad p as s ed the mountain s and the ,

van h ad pu s hed o n a s far a s L ake Como From the .

26 t h o f No v ember to the 6 th of December o r n early ,

two week s had Mac d onald been engaged i n thi s per

,

ilo u s pa s s Nearly two hundred men had perished in

.

the u nder t aking and a s m any more mule s and hor s es

,
.

A nd never c an one in imagination see tha t long stra g

 M ARSHAL MACDONALD . 25 1

gling line winding itself like a huge a n aconda over

,

the lofty s no w peak o f t he Splu gen wi th the indom

-
,

it a b le Macdonal d feeling h is way in front covered with

sno w while ever and anon huge avalanches s weep
,

by him and the blindi n g storm c o vers his men and

,

the path from hi s S ight and hear his stern calm ,

-
, ,

clear voice direc ting the way —without feelings of

,

supreme wonder There is nothin g like i t in modern

.

hi s tory u nless i t be S u w a r r o w s passage o f the G larus

,
’

i n t he m id s t o f a superior enemy B onaparte s p a s .

’

sage over the St Bernard— s o world renowned — wa s

.
-

mere child s play compared to it Th at pa s s wa s

’
.

m ade in pleasant weather wi th nothing but the rug ,

d n es s o f the ascent to obstruct the pro gre s s S u

g e .

warro w , o n the contrary led his mighty arm y over ,

the P r a gel breast deep in snow w i th the enemy o n

,
-
,

every side o f him m owing down hi s ranks without re

,

s is t a n c e M acdonald had no enemy to contend wi th bu t

.

—
nature bu t it was n a t u re alive and wild Th e path .

by which h e conducted his arm y o ver the Splugen was

nearly as bad in summer a s the St Bernard the time ,
.

Napoleon cro s sed it But in midwinter to m a k e a path

.
,

and lead an army o f fifteen thousand men through

"

hurricane s a n d avalanche s where the foo t o f the ch a ,

moi s scarce d ared to trea d was an undertakin g from ,

,
which even B onaparte himsel f would h ave s hrunk .

A nd Napoleon never u ttered a greater untruth than ,

when he said The pa s sage o f the Splugen pre s ented

“
,

wi thou t doubt some difficulties but winter is by no

, ,
.

mean s the s eason o f the year in whic h such Opera

tions are conducted with mo s t di fficulty ; the snow is
then firm the wea ther s ettled and there is nothing
, ,

to fear from the ava lanches which con s ti tute the true ,

and onl y dan ger t o be a pp rehended in the A lps ”

.
2 52 BATT LE O N M OUN T T O NAL .

B o na p arte w o uld h ave u s su p pose that n o avalanche s

fall i n D ecember and that the p assage of the S p lugen
,

in the mids t o f hur ricanes o f sn o w , was executed i n

“
se ttled weather ”
Wh at then mus t we think o f his
.

p assa ge o f the St Bernard in summer time w ith o u t

.
, ,

a foe to molest him or an avalanche t o frighten him

,
.

B ut M a c d en a ld s d ifli c u lt ies did n o t end with the

’

passage o f the Splu gen To fulfil the orders o f N a .

o leo n to p enetrate into the valley o f the A dige he

p , ,

h ad n o so o ner a rrived a t L ake C omo than he bega n ,

the ascent of the C ol A pr iga which also was no so o ner ,

achieved than the bl ea k peak o f Mount Tonal arose

,

before hi m A m ere sheep p a th led o ver this s tee p

.
-

m ountain and the army was com p elled to t oil up it in

,
-

s i n gle file th rough the deep sn o w A nd when he ar .

rived a t the S ummit which was a small fla t ab ou t , ,

fifty ro d s acro s s he found the A ustrians the re p re

, ,

p ared to di s pute the passage with him This narro w .

flat lay bet w een two enormous glaciers that no huma n ,

foot could scale and across it the enemy had built

,

three entrenchments forming a triple line and composed ,

chiefly o f huge blocks o f ice cut i nto regul ar sh apes , ,

and fitted t o each other Behind these walls of ice .

,

th e A ustrians lay waitin g the approach o f the ex v

ha n sted French The grenadiers clambering u p t he

.

sl ippery path formed in column and advanced wit h

,

firm step o n the strong entrenchments A shee t of .

fire ran along their sides s tre win g the rocks wi th t he ,

dead P ressing o n ho wever they carried the exter

.
, ,

n a l palisades , but th e fire here becoming so destructive

they were compelled to retreat an d b r o p gh t w o rd to ,

Macdonald that the entrenchments Co uld n ot be forced .

Eight days after however he ordered a fresh column

, ,

u nder Vanda mm e , t o attem pt t o carry them by ass ault .

2 54 BATTLE O F WAGRAM .

men t o f these t hree s tand s lowest i n the sc ale it

‘

,
Is

not d ifli c u lt to determine .

B AT T L E O F WA G R A M .

B ut i t i s at Wa gram that we are to look for Mac

donald s greates t deed O ne never thinks o f that ter
’
.

ri he b a t tle w ith o u t feeli n gs Of the profoundest wonder

,

a t his desperate charge that then and there s aved ,

Napoleon and the Empire The b a t t le O f As pern .

had proved disas trous to the F rench The utmost .

e fforts of Na pol eo n coul d no t wring v ictory from the

hand s of the A u strians Massena had s tood under a
.

tree while the boughs were cra s hing with cannon

balls ove r head and fou gh t a s n ever e ven he fought
,

before The brave L an nes h ad been mangled by a

.

cannot shot and died while the victorious guns o f the

,

enemy were still playing o n his heroic but flying ,

column a n d the fragments o f the magnificent army ,

t h at had in the morning moved from t he banks of the

D anube in all the confidence o f v ictory a t ni gh t fall ,

were cro wded and packed in the little i s l and o f L O

bau R ej ecting the counsel O f his O fficers Bo n aparte
.
,

re s olved to make a stand here an d wait for rein force ,

ments t o come u p N O where does his e xhaus tles s

.

geniu s show itsel f more than i n this critical period of

his life He revived the drooping spirits o f his soldiers
.

by pre s ents from his o w n h ands and visited in per ,

s o n the S ick i n the h o s pitals ; while the mos t gigantic

plans at the s ame time strung his vas t energies to ,

their utmos t t en s ion .

Fro m the latter part o f May to the firs t of July he ,

had remained C ooped u p i n this l ittle island but not ,

inac tive He h a d done every thin g that could b e

.

d one o n the sp o t w hil e orde rs ha d been sen t t o t he

,
 MARSHAL MACDONALD . 2 55

di ffe rent arm ies t o hasten to h is relief an d n ever was

there such an exhibitio n Of the skill and pro mptitude
with which ord ers had been issued and carried o u t .

A t t wo o c lock in the afternoon the di fferent armies

’

from all quarters first began t o come in and before ,

the next nigh t they had all arrived F irst with m u .

s ic an d s treamin g banners appeared the columns o f

Bernadotte ha s ten ing from the banks o f the Elbe

, ,

carrying j o y to the despondin g hearts o f Napoleon s ’

army They had hardly reached the field before the

.

stirring notes o f the bugle and the roll o f drums in

,

another qu arter announced the approach o f Van

,

damme from the p rovinces o n t he R h ine Wrede .

cam e next from the banks o f the L ech , with his

s tron g Bavarians wh ile the m orning su n shone o n
,

Macdonald s victorious troops ru s hi n g down fro m

’
,

Illyria and the A lpine s ummit s to save Bonaparte ,

and the Empire A s the bold Scotchman reined his

.

s teed u p be s ide Napo leon and pointed back to his

,

a d vancing column s he little thought that two d ays

,

after the fate O f Europe wa s t o turn o n his single

will Scarcely were his troops arranged in their
.

appointed place be fore the brave Marmont appeared

,

wi th glitterin g b ayonets and w aving plumes fro m ,

the bo rder s o f Dalmatia L ike an e x haustless stream

.
,

the magnificent armie s kept pouring into tha t li ttle

i s le while to cro wn the whole Eugene came up with
, ,

his veterans from the plains o f Hungary In t w o .

day s they had all as s embled and o n the evenin g o f

,

the 4 th of July Napoleon glanced with exultant eye

,

o ver a hundred and ei ghty thou s and warriors crowd ,

ed and p acked into the s m all s pace o f two miles and

a half in br eadth and a mile and a half i n length
,
.

Congratula ti o ns were exchanged by soldiers wh o last

2 56 PASSA GE O F THE DANUBE .

sa w each other o n some glOr io us battle fi eld and uni -

,

versal j oy and hO p e s pread throu gh the dense ranks

t ha t almo s t touched each other .

Bridges had been c on s tructed to fling across the

channe l and during th at evenin g were brought o u t
, ,

from their places o f concealment and dragged to the ,

bank In t en m in u tes one was acro ss and fa s t ened

.
,

a t both ends In a little lo ng er time two others were

.

th rown over and made firm to the Opposite s hore

,
.

B onapar te wa s there w alking backward s and for ,

war d s in the mud cheerin g o n the men and a c c ele

‘

, ,

rating the work which was driven wj th such wonder ,

ful rapidity that by three O clock in the morning s ix

,
’
,

bri d ges were finished a nd filled with the marchin g

column s H e had constructed two bridges lo w er
.

d own the river a s if he intended t o cross there i n

,

order to distract th e enemy from th e r ea l point o f

danger O n these the A u s trians kept up an incessant
.

fire o f artillery which wa s answered b y the F rench

,

from th e i s land wi th a hundred cannon lighting up ,

the darkness o f the night with thei r incessant bl aze :

The vi llage of E r z er d o r f was s et o n fire and burned ,

w ith terrific fi er ceness — for a tempes t arose as if i n

h armony with the scene and ble w the flames into ,

ten fold fury D ark clo uds S wept t he midnigh t hea

’

-
.

vens as if gatherin g for a contest amo n g themselves

,

the artillery o f heaven wa s heard above the roa r

o f cannon and t he brigh t lightnin g th a t ever and
,

anon rent the gl oom blen t in with the ince s sa n t ,

flashes below — while blazing bomb s t raver s ing th e ,

s k y in every direction wove their fiery n et work ,

-

over th e he avens making the n igh t wild a n d awful ,

as the last d a
y o f time In the mids t o f this s cene o f .

t error Napoleon remained unmove d heedless alike o f

, ,
258 SEC OND D A Y
’
s BATTLE .

like the s pokes of a wheel The A ustr i ans on t he .

,

contrary s tood i n a vas t s em i circle as i f abou t t o

,
-
,

enclo s e and swallow up their enemy Macdonald s .

’

divi s ion wa s among the fir s t brought into the engage

ment and bra v ely held its groun d durin g the day
,
.

When night clo s ed th e scene of stri fe the A u s trians ,

had gained on t he French They nevertheless sounded .

a retreat whi le the exhausted army o f Napoleon lay

,

down o n the field Of blood to S leep ,

.

E arly in th e m orning the A ustrians taking a d v a n

,

tage o f their s ucce s s the day before commenced the ,

attack and the thunder of thei r guns at day light

,
-

brought Napoleon into hi s s addle The field was .

agai n alive with charging squadron s and co v ered ,

wit h the smoke o f battle From day light till nearly .

-

’
noon h ad the conflict raged withou t a moment s ces
sation Every w here excep t agains t th e A ustrians
.
,
’

left the French were defeated From the steeples

,
.

O f Vienna the multi tude gazed o n the progress o f t he

,

doubtful fi gh t till they heard the cheers of their coun

,

t r y m en abo ve the roar o f cannon driving the flying ,

enemy before them when they shouted in j oy and

, ,

believed the victory gained B ut Napoleon galloped .

U p a nd restoring order in the disordered lines ordered

, ,

D avoust to make a circui t and a s ce n din g the plateau ,

o f Wagram carry Neusiedel,

While w aitin g the r e .

sult o f this m ovement o n the success o f which de

,

pended al l hi s future Operati ons the French lines ,

under Napoleon s immediate ch arge were exposed t o

’

a mos t s courgin g fire from the enemy s artillery which ’

,

tore them into fra gmen ts U nable to advance and .

,

too dis tant t o return th e fire they were compelled to ,

stand , as idle spectators and see th e cannon shot ,

-

p lough thro u gh them Whole ba ttalion s driven

.
,
 MA RSHAL MACDO NALD . 25 9

frantic by this inaction in the midst o f such fearfu l

carnage broke and fled B ut every thing d epended o n
,
.

the infantry holding firmly their po s ition till the e ffect

O f D a v o u s t s a s saul t was seen Ye t nothing but Na
’
.
,

o leo n s heroic bravery kept them steady Mounted

’
p .

o n his milk white charger E u phrates given him by

-
, ,

the king of P ersia he slowly rod e back ward an d fo r

,

ward before the line s while the cannon ball s whistled

,

and rattled like hail s tones about him — casting ever -

and anon an anxious look towards the spo t where

D a vou s t wa s expected to appear with his fifty thou
sa nd brave followers For a who le hou r he thus rod e.

in front o f his men and thou gh they expected every

,

moment to s ee him shattered by a c annon ball he ,

moved unscathed amid the storm A t length D avoust .

was seen ch arging like fire over the p lateau o f W a

gram and finally appear with his canno n o n the
,

farther S ide o f Neusiedel In a moment the plateau .

was covered with smoke as h e ope ned his artillery o n

the expo s ed ranks of the enemy A s mile lighted up .

’
Napoleon s countenance and the bro w that had bee n ,

knit like iro n during the d eadly strife o f the two

hours before as word was con s tantly brough t him
,

o f hi s succes s ive lo s ses and the steady progress o f th e

,

A ustrians — cleared up and he ordered Macdonald , ,

wi th eigh t battalions to march straight on the ene m y s

,
’

centre , and pierce it .

CH AR GE OF M A CD O NAL D .

This formed the crisis o f the battle and n o s oo ner ,

did the A rchduke s ee the movement o f this terribl e

co lumn o f eigh t b attalion s composed Of s ix teen thou ,

s a nd men upon his centre ; than he knew that t he

,

hour of Europe s destiny and o f his o wn army had

’
260 M A C D O N A L D
’
s CHA RGE .

arrived He immediately doubled the lines at t he

.

threaten ed point and brou ght up th e reserve cavalry ,

‘

while t w o hundred cannon were wheeled around t he

s po t o n w hich such destinies hung : and opened a
steady fire o n the approaching column Macdonald .

immediately ordered a hundred cannon to p recede

him and answer the A us trian batteries that swe p t
, ,

every inch o f g round like a storm of sleet The can .

noniers m oun ted their h or s es and star tin g o n a rapid ,

t r o t w ith their hundred pieces approached t o withi n ,

’
a h alf cannon shot and then opened on the enemy s ,

ranks The column marched up t o this battery , and

.

with it , at its head belchin g forth fire like som e huge

,

m o nste r s teadi ly advanced The A u stria ns fell back

,
.
,

and closed i n o n each other knowin g that the final ,

struggle had c o me A t thi s crisis o f the battle nothing

.
,

c o uld exceed the sublimity and terror of the scene .

T he w ho le interest o f the armies was c o ncentrated

.

here w here t he incessan t and rapid roll of ca n n o n t o ld

,

h ow desperate was the conflict Still Macdonald .

slowly advanced though his numbers were diminish,

ing and the fierce ba tter y at his head was gradually

,

beco m in g silen t Envelop ed in the fire o f its antagon

.

ist the guns ha d one by o ne been dismounted and a t

, ,

the distance O f a mile and a h al f from the spo t where

h e started on his awful mission Macdonald fou nd ,

himself wi thout a protec ting b attery an d the centr e ,

s till unbroken Marching over the wreck of his guns ,

.

a nd p u s hing the naked head of his column into t he

open field and into the dev o uring c r O ss fire o f the
,

A us trian artillery , he continued to advance The .

carnage then became terrible A t every discharge .

,

the head o f tha t c o lumn disappeared a s if it s ank int o ,

the earth while the o uter ranks o n eith er side melted

, , ,
26 2 ROUT O F THE ENEMY .

fate as they go B ut human strength has its l i mits

.
,

and human e ffor t the spot where it ceases forever .

No livin g man could hav e carried th at column to

where it stands bu t the iron hearted leader a t i ts head
-
.

But n o w he h alts and ca s t s hi s eye o ver h is l i ttle

surviving ba n d th at stand s all alone I n the m id s t of
the enemy H e looks back o n his path and a s fa r
.
,

as the eye c a n reach he sees t he cour s e o f his heroes

,

by the black s wath o f dead men tha t stretches like a

huge serpen t over th e plain O u t o f the s ix t een t hou
.

s a nd m en with whic h he s ta r t ed bu t fifteen hu n d r ed

ar e left bes id e him .
f T eny out o ever eleven ha ve fa ll
en and here at len gth the tired hero pause s and s u r
, ,

veys with a s tern and anxious eye his few rem aining
follo wers The heart of Napoleon s top s beating a t
.

the sight , and well it may for his th rone is where ,

Macdonald s ta nds He be ars the Empire o n his s in

.

—
gle brave heart he is t he E M P I R E Shall he turn a t .

l ast , and sound the r et r ea t l The fate Of nations ’

.

w a v ers to and fro , for , like a speck in the dis

tance , Macdonald is seen s till t o pause while t he ,

canno n are piling the dead in heaps around him .

W ill he t u r n a n d fly is the secret and a gonizin g

q ue s tion Na po leon p uts to himsel f N O ! he i s wor .

thy o f the mighty tru s t c o mmitted t o him T he E m .

p ire s tands o r falls w ith him , b ut shall stand while

he stands L ookin g away to where his E mperor sits ,
.

he sees the dark masses o f the O ld Guard in mo tion ,

and the shining helmets of the brave cuira ssiers
“ ”
s weeping to his relief Forward , breaks from his
.

iro n lips The roll o f drums and the pe aling o f

.

trumpets ans wer the volley tha t smites th at e xhau st

ed c o l um n and t he ne x t mom ent i t is s een p iercing
,
 MAR S HAL M ACDONALD . 26 3

t he A ustrian centre The day i s w o n. Empi re — the

saved— and the whole A u stri an army is in full retreat .

Such was th e battle o f Wagram and such t he ,

charge of Macdonald I know o f no thing equa l to it

.
,

except Ney s ch arge at W aterloo and th at was n o t

’
,

e qual beca u se it failed

,
.

O n riding over the victorious fiel d B ona p arte ca m e ,

where Macdonald s tood amid his troops A s his eye .

fell o n the calm and collected hero he s topped and , ,

ho lding o u t his hand said S ha k e ha n d s M a c d o , ,

n a ld — n o m or e ha tr ed bet ween us — we m u s t hen c efo r th

be fr ien d s ,
a nd as a
p led
g e o
f my s in c er it
y, I w ill
s en d m a r s ha l s or io u s l
’
j which y ou ha v e l
‘

s ta
y o ur ,
so g y
”
ea r n ed The frankness and kindness o f Napoleo n
.

e ffecte d what al l his neglec t and coldness h ad failed

to do — s u bd u ed him G rasping his hand , an d wit h
.

a voice choked with emo ti o n , which the wildes t u p

roar o f battle could never a gitate he replied , A h ! “
,

,
for th for life a n d d ea th N o
s ir e w it h u s it is hen c e
”
.

ble man kindnes s could overcome hi m in a m o m en t .

It is no wonder th at Bonaparte felt at las t that he

’
had no t known Macdonald s true worth .

The la s t great conflict in which he was engaged

w as the di s astrous battle o f L eipsic F or t wo da y s .

he fought like a l ion ; and when all ho p e was ab an

d o n ed he was a p p o inted by Napoleo n to form , wi th
,

L a nn is t a u and P oniat o wski , the rear gu ard of the

retreating army while i t passed over the only remain ‘

in g bridge o f L indena u across th e E ls ler Here he .

stood and kept the allies a t bay , though they swarmed

in c o untles s multitudes into the city , making it fairly
r eel under their w ild hurrahs as they drove before ,

the m the scattered re mnants o f the rear o f the Frenc h

a rm y . C arriages , and baggage wa ggons , and char -
264 DEFENCE AT LEIPSIC .

lo ts , a nd artillery came thundering by and M acd o ,

n a ld hurri e d the m over the bridge still maintaining ,

his p os t agains t t he headlong attack s o f the victorio u s

army Slowly the confused and bleeding m ass
.

st r eamed over the crowded bridge protected from the ,

p ursuing enemy by the steady resistance of Macdo

n a ld . The allies were struck with astonishment a t
this fir m Opposition in the mids t o f defeat H alf the .

d isasters of that bat tle so fatal to Napoleon w oul d

, ,

have been saved bu t for the rashness of a single cor

poral Bonaparte h ad o rdered a mine to be con
.

structe d under this bridge which was t o be fired t he

,

moment the French a rmy had passed The cor p oral .

to w hom this duty h ad bee n entrusted hearin g the ,

s hou ts o f the al lies a s they rolled like the s ea into

L eipsic and seeing the t ir a lleur s a mid the gardens o n
,

th e side ne ar the r iver though t th e army had all

,

passed and fired the trai n The bridge was lifted

,
.

in to t he air wi th a sound o f thunder and fell in fra g ,

men ts into the river I t is s aid th e shriek of the

.
,

F rench soldiers forming the rear guar d when they ,

s a w their only c om munication with the army cut o ff

,

wa s mos t appallin g They b roke their ranks and

.

rushed to the b ank o f the river stretchin g o ut their ,

arms tow ards the opp o si te shore where were the r e ,

tre atin g column s o f thei r comrades Thousa nds in .

,

desperation plunged into the s tream mos t o f who m

, ,

perished , while the whole remaining fifteen thousand

w er e made prisoners B ut amid the m elé e that s u c
.

c eed ed the blowing up o f the bridge were seen tw o

,

o fficers spurrin g their horses throug h the dense mul

t it u d e tha t ob s tr u c ted their wa y A t length after
.
,
.

m o s t d esp er a t e e fforts they re ached the b anks A s the y

,
.

galloped u p to the sh o re o n their panting and bl oo d

266 H I S CHARACTER
excitement but in the stea dy m arch into th e very
,

face o f des truction , and the firm re s istance in the

mid s t o f carn age you need the co ol re s olute man
, ,
.

This tra it in Macdon ald s character wa s evinced in ’

his condu ct when sent to repel the invasion o f Napo

leon who w a s drawin g all hearts after him i n his
,

return ft o m exile He repaired to L yons with his

.

army b u t fi nding tha t his troo p s had cau ght th e

,

wild fi r e enthusiasm th at wa s c arrying e verything

-

b efor e i t he addres s ed the m on thei r duty

,
It w a s .

to n o pu r pose h owever for no sooner did they s ee

, ,

the advanced guard of Nap oleon s s mall company ’

,
”
and hear the sh ou t o f Vive l E mp er eu r wit h ’
,

which they ren t the air than they ru s hed forward , ,

s houtin g
“
Vive l E m per eu r in return and cl a s ped
” ’
,

their o ld com rade s t o their bo s oms Ney under .

,

si milar circumstances was als o borne a way by th e ,

en thusias m o f the moment an d flinging his hat in t o .

the air j oined in the wild cry that shook E urope like
,

a n e arthqu ake and summoned a con tinent to arms

,

a gain and m ade kin gs tremble for their throne s

,
.

Bu t Mac d onal d was n ot a bein g of s uch rapid im

p ulses Hi s actions were the resul t o f reflectio n
.

rather than o f feel ing Tr ue to hi s recen t o ath he.

,

tu rned from his treacherous troops an d fled a nd nar ,

r o w ly escaped being taken p risoner by the m .

H e was a con s cientious s oldier— kind i n peace

sp arin g o f his m en in battle unless sa crifice was im ,

er io u s l d emanded and the n spilling blood l ike w

p y , a

ter Generous and Op en hearted he spoke his senti

.
-
,

ments freely a nd abhorred inj us tice and m eanness

,
.

Dazzled a s all t he w o rld wa s b y th e splendid talents

,

a n d brillian t achieve m ents o f Bona p arte he foll o we d

,
 M A RSHAL MA CD ONAL D . 26 7

him wi th a constancy and devotion that evince a

generou s and noble heart .

To a wa tchfu lness tha t never slept and a s pirit that

,

never tired h e added exertion that overcame the mos t

,

in s urmountable d ifli c u lt ies a nd ba ffled the plans o f

,

all hi s enemies He see m ed to be unconscious o f

.

fatigue and never fo r a momen t indulged in that

,

las s i tude which is s o epidemic i n an army and s o ,

often en s ure s its destruction O ne canno t put his

.

finger o n the s pot in the ma n s life where he acted a s

’

if he felt discouraged o r ready to abandon everything

in de s pair He seemed t o lack enthu s iasm bu t had
.
,

i n it s place a dogged re s olution that was still more

resi s tles s He quietly s a w what was to be done and
.
,

then commenced doing it in the bes t pos s ible manner ,

withou t the though t o f failing in his de s igns He .

was con s cious of the m igh ty force o f will a nd kne w ,

by experience h o w d ifli c u lt ies v anish by pushin g

again s t them .

The Duke o f Taren tum a s Macdonald was called

,

in France had no sons He had three daughters

, .
,

tw o of whom m arried nobles , and the third a ric h

banke n
 M AR S H AL M OR TIE R .

H is E y L if — C h t —B ttl f D i t i — B u i g f M
ar l e ar ac er a e o r ns e n rn n o OS

w—B l w i g up f t h K m li — H i B
co o n y tK
o ei re n s r aver a r as no .

E DW AR D AD O L P HE C A S I M E R JO SE P H MOR TIE R was ,

born for a soldier ; and though inferior a s a c o m m a n

der to Soult Ney Mas s ena St Cyr and Suchet he
, , ,
.
, ,

neverthele ss played an important par t in the great

,

Napoleonic drama , and a lways exhibited the qual ities

o f a good general .

H e was born in C ambray in 1 76 8 and his father , ,

being a rich farmer wa s able to give hi m a good ed u

,

cation Havin g adopted the republican side in t he

.

R evolution he obtained for his son when twenty

, ,

thr ee year s o f a ge a commis s ion i n a regiment o f

,

cavalry Here by hi s kno wledge and good beh a

.
,

v io u r h e w a s soon promoted to the rank o f adj u tant

,

general O n the R hine , u nder P ic hegr u and Moreau ,

.

and i n Switzerland under Massena , he fough t bravely

in hi s place and was finally promoted to general o f a
,

divi s ion .

A t the rupture o f the peace of A mien s he w as or ,

dered to march into Han o ver with men .

With scarcely any opposition he occupied the cou n ,

try and acted a s h u manely and uprightly a s his orders

allowed him ; and o n the assumptio n o f the imperi al
cr o wn by Nap o le o n was m ade M a rsha l o f the E rn
,
270 H I S A P PE A R A N C E A N D C H A R A C TE R .

throw L oui s XVIII on his res toration denied hi m

.
, ,

a sea t in the C hamber o f P eers ; bu t i n 1 8 1 6 h e was

elected me mbe r o f the C hamb er o f Deputies and ,

governor of the fifteenth military l 1 8 1011 and three ,

ye ar s a fter re s tored to the P eerage .

A fter the R e volu tion o f 1 8 30 he gave in his adhe ,

sion to L ouis P hillippe and retained his rank

,
.

Mortier was a noble hearted m an o f great va lour,

-
,

tempered w ith prudence an d o f incorr u ptible integ,

rity Napoleon loved some o f his generals fo r their

.

chivalric d evotion to him while he had no grea t a d ,

—
m ir a t io n for their characters others he tolerated b e
cause they were useful ; w hile some fe w received bot h
his re s pect and a ffection Mortier was o n e of these
. .

'

Napoleon loved the frank unos tentatio us and heroic ,

chieftain whom he had proved in s o m any trying cir

,

c u m s t a n c es .

Mortie r wa s n o t a n imp ulsive man though capable ,

o f being strongl y aroused H is excitement steadied .

him and in the mom ent of extreme peril he was a s

,

calm as if in pe r fect s afety H e would m a n ce u v r e his.

men under the m urderous fire of a h undred can

non a s composedl y as in a p eaceful review Hav .

ing determined what he o ugh t to do h e seemed ,

to give hims elf no concern abou t the results t o him

self .

. Tall an d wel l formed his spl endi d and command

,

ing figu re moved amid th e ch aos o f a b attle fi eld -

like some ancien t hero while his calm and p owerful

,

voice would re s tore confidence in the very momen t o f

despair H e never murmured like Bernadotte a nd
.

St C yr a t th e tr yin g circumstances in which the Em

.
,
~

p er o r placed him If a sacrifice was to be made and

.
,

he was s elected a s the victi m , he m a de no c om p lain t ;

 MARSHAL M O RT IER . 27 1

and where hi s du ty as a commander placed him ,

there he s tood and fought apparently caring li t

—
,

tle whether he fell o r was s aved in the s tru ggle .

He wa s les s ambitious a nd vain than m any o f the

other m a r s ha ls a nd w a s governed by hi ghe r principles
,

o f action Hi s s elfishne s s wa s not con s tantly i nter

.

fer in g with his duty and h e al ways appears calm ,

and s elf s u s tained amid the tumultuou s events in

-

which his life w a s pas s ed B e tter educated th an

.
.

many o f the other generals hi s mind and feel ings ,

were better di s ciplined s o that the warrior never tri ,

umphed over the man His very chival ry s prung not .

,

s o much from the exc itement o f the momen t a s from

hi s high sense o f honour whic h was a par t o f his ,

nature .

B A TT L E O F D I R N S TE I N .

B ut i n the campaign o f A usterlitz at the battle o f ,

Dir ms tein he appears in hi s most ch ivalric and de

,

t er m in ed character .

A fter the capi tulation o f U lm , Napoleon continued

his progres s alon g the Danube w aiting the momen t ,

to strike a mortal blo w at the enemy The A us .

t r ia n s hearin g o f the surrender o f M ack , began to

,

re treat toward s Vienna pres s ed by t he v ictoriou s ,

F rench Napoleon wa s moving down the righ t bank

.

o f the D anube while Mortier at the head o f twen ty

, ,

thou s and men , wa s to keep nearly parallel o n the left

shore Murat with the advanced guard wa s press
.
, ,

ing with hi s accu s tomed audaci ty toward s Vienna ,

.

In the mean time the R u s sian allies finding they

, ,

could n o t s a ve the capital crossed over the Danube ,

to the left shore t o escape the pursuit o f Napoleon

, ,

an d eflec t a j unctio n wi th reinforcements tha t wer e

27 2 CO MBAT O F DI R N S T E I N .

c o ming u p Mortier wa s aware of th is and p ressed

.
,

eagerly forw ard t o i nterce p t their m arch t o wards

Moravi a .

A s y o u pass from Dirmstein to Stein the only road ,

w inds by the Danube and between it and a rang e ,

s f rocky hills forming a d eep and narrow defile

, .

Mortier was at the former place h as tening the march ,

o f hi s columns ; and eager to advance pushed for ,

w ard with only thesingle divi sio n of Gazan , leavin g

order s for the army t o follo w close in the rear P assing .

through this defile he approached S tein at daybreak , ,

and fo und the rear guard o f the R u ssi an army po sted

o n heights in fron t of the town s ustained by po wer
,

ful ba tterie s which swep t the road alon g which he

,

w as m arching Notwi thstandin g his inferiori ty o f

. .

num b ers an d the murderou s fire he shou ld be forced

,

to encoun ter he resolved immediately t o attack the

,
’
enemy s position .

A s the bro a d daylight of a November mo rnin g

spread o ver the D anube he opened his fire on them , ,

and ru s hed to the a ssau lt In a short time the a o .

,

tion became de s perate an d the grenadiers o n bo th ,

s ides could a lmost touch e ach o ther in the close eu

counter The R ussian troops came p ouring back to
.

s u s tai n the rear guard while the French advanced

-
,

with rapid step along the road to aid their co m pau

ions With headlo n g courage o n the o n e side and
.
,

st eady firmness o n the other th e s truggl e grew hotte r ,

e very moment Neither would yie ld and Mortie r;

.
,

stoo d hour afte r h our amid the wasting stor m ; till ,

a t le n gth he began to gro w anxio us for the issue ,

and a t eleven o clock to hurry up his troops gal ’

, ,

loped back t o Dir ms tein Spurr i ng furiously alon g .

,
—
the defile he came u p t o D upont s division a littl e '
 CO MBAT I N TH E DEFILE .

n o thing but dense battalions the enemy in orde r of

of battl e Wi thou t s hrinking however the steady

.
, ,

column moved wi th fixed bayonets into the livin g

m ass A deadly fire received them and the carnage
.
,

a t once becam e dreadful With the c annon thunder .

ing o n their rear and burying their fi er y lo a d s in their

,

ranks — swept in front by ince s sant discharges o f mus

—
k etr y trampled under foot by the cavalry and cru s hed ,

between two armies the escape o f that brave divisi o n

,

seemed u tterly hopeless I ndeed the work of a n ni .

,

hila t io n h ad begun wit h frightful rapidity Mortier .

,

after the most desperate fi gh ting h ad pierced b ut a ,

lit tle way into the pass and hope gre w fainter every,

m oment a s he surveyed his thinned and wasting ranks ,

,

w hen the thunder of cannon a t the farther extremity

shot a thrill o f j oy th rough his heart N O cannon sh o t .

before ever carried such hope to his bosom for he ,

knew th at Dupon t was charging along tha t defile to

his rescue The R ussians i mmediatel y faced t his
.

new foe als o an d then commenced the complicated

,

strife o f four a rmies fighting in the form of o n e long

pro tracted colum n— Mortier hemmed i n between tw o
Russia n armies and D o c to r o ff between two French
,

o nes But Mortier was naturally the first to go dow n

.

in thi s u nequal s trife C ombating all the morning

.

again s t overwhelmin g numbe rs and s tr u gglin g all ,

the afternoon in a deep ravine crushed be tween two ,

armies hi s noble division ha d sunk a way till nothing

,

bu t the mutilated fragments remained ; and now as ,

twiligh t deepened over the D anube i ts la s t hou r ,

seemed striking B ut perceiving that the fire o f D a

.

pont approac hed s teadily nearer he cheered on hi s m en ,

t o anothe r , and s till another e ffo r t U nder the ligh t .

o f the s tars that now and t hen t win kled thro u gh the
,
 MARSHAL MO R T IER 27 0
I
P
.

volumes o f smoke th at curtained in the armie s and ,

by the blaze o f the artillery the work o f d eath went

,

o n — while an o ld castle in which R ichard C aeu r de

,

L ion once lay imprisoned s tood o n the hills above

, ,

and looked sternly d o wn o n the s trife A ll along that .

g orge was o n e ince s sant thunder peal o f artillery

-
t o ,

which the blaze o f mu s ketry was as the lightning s ’

fla s h . A mid the carnage that wa s ted around him ,

Mortier towered l ike a pillar o f fire before his men as ,

they closed s ternly behind him Nearl y three —fourth s

.

of his whole division h ad fallen in this Thermopyl ae ,

and nothing b u t it s skeleton wa s left s tandin g l ook ,

ing as if a hurricane had p a ss ed through it Still he .

would no t y ield but rou s ing his men by hi s words

,

and example cleared a terrible path through the

,

enemy with his sword Wi th hi s m aj es tic form rising

.

above the throng that to s sed like a wreck on a s trong

current about him he was vi s ible to all his men
, .

S ometimes he would be seen completely enveloped by

the R ussian grenadier s wh ile hi s dripping s abre s wept
,

in rapid circles round his head drinking the life of ,

s ome poor wretch with e ver y blo w a s he moved ,

s teadily o n i n the lane he made for him s elf P arry .

ing sword cut and bayone t thru s t he trod a mid this

'

chao s and death as if above the power o f fate Wi th .

friends and foes falling like aut u mn leave s around

him he still remained untouched ; and it wa s o win g
,

to his amazing strength alone and the s kill and power

,

with which he w ielded hi s sabre that he e s caped death

, .

H i s s troke s fell like lightning on every s ide and u nder ,

them the s tronges t grenadier bent like a smitten reed .

Struck with admiration at hi s gallan try and thinking ,

all wa s lost his Officers be s o u ght him to Step into a

,

bark they s a w m oored to the sh o re and escap e “

No ”
.
,
27 6 THE D E FI L E I S FO RC ED .

said he in the spirit o f true heroism kee p tha t fo r

, ,
“

the wounded He who ha s the honour to command

.

such brave soldiers should th ink himself happy ,

t o die with them We have still two guns left and a

.
,

few boxes o f grape sho t— w e are almo s t through-

.

C lo s e up the r a n ks for a la s t efi or t A nd they did

”
.

clos e U p and m ove intrepidly into the fi r e But the

,
.

last o f the ammunition was s oon gone and then no thing ,

w a s left bu t the bayonet Bu t j ust then a cheer bu r st

' ’

—
O n their ears over the roar o f battle the Cheer of a p
‘

p r o a c h in g deliverance ,
and they answered i t Tha t .

sh out was like life to the dead, and that torn and
m angled remnant o f a colum n closed u p for a final
charge The R ussians flew u p a side valley before
.

“
the onset ; and wi th the shout , France F rance , ,
”
y o u h ave saved us ! that weary but heroic band
rushed into the arms o f their deliverers A loud .

hurrah ren t the air and the bloody conflic t was done
,
.

Nearly s ix th o usand men lay piled i n gh astly heaps

alo n g th e r o ad while broken muske ts an d twisted
,

bayonets sca ttered here and there showed h o w clos e

, ,

a n d fierce th e struggle had been .

The deep and solemn silence th at succeeded this

u pro ar was broken only by the groans of the wounded
, ,

O r the sullen m u rmur of the Danube that rolled its ,

,

bright waters along a s calmly as if no deadly strife

had stained its banks with blood The smoke o f .

battle which had rolled s o fiercely over t he scene

, ,

n o w hu n g above the river or lay along the hill sides ,

like thin vapour cal m and tranq u il ; while n ature

,

breathed lo n g and p eacefully .

Mortier had been o u t generalled but not con q uered ;

-
,

and his bearing o n this occasion stamped him as a tru e

her o . The decisi o n t o c u t his w a y thr o u gh the enem y
27 8 ENTR ANCE T o MOSC OW .

fully o n tha t goal o f his wishes Mura t wen t fo r .

w ard and entered the gates with his splendid cav

a lr y ; but as he passed throu gh the street s he w as ,

struck by the s oli tude that surrounded him Nothin g .

w a s heard but the heavy tramp o f his squ adron s as

he pa s sed alon g fo r a de s erted and abandoned city
,

w a s the m eage r prize for which such unparalleled

e fforts had bee n made A s night dre w it s curtain .

over th e splendid capital Napoleon entered the gates ,

and immedia tely appointed Mor tier governo r In his .

directions he commanded him to ab s tain from all pil

lage “
For th i s s aid b e “ ”
s h all be w
‘

.
y,
o u a n s er a , ,

ble with your life D efend Mosco w again s t a ll .

,

whether friend o r foe .

The bright moon ro s e over the m igh ty city tippin g ,

with silver the dome s o f more tha n two hundred

churches and pouring a floo d of ligh t o v er a thousand
,

palace s a nd the dwellin g s o f three hu ndred thou s and

,

inh abitants The weary army s unk to re s t ; but

.

there w as no sleep for Mortier s eye s Not the gor ’

.

geons and variegated palace s and thei r rich orna

m ents — nor the park s and garden s and O r iental m ag ,

n ific en c e th at e v ery where s urrounded him kept him ,

wakeful but the ominou s foreboding tha t s ome dire

,

c alami ty was hangi n g over the s ilen t capital When .

he e n tered it scarcely a li vin g soul me t hi s gaze

,

as h e looked down the long s treet s ; and when

he broke open the building s he found pa rlou r s and
bed room s and chamb er s all furni s hed a n d i n order
-
,

but no o ccupant s Thi s s udden abandonmen t o f

.

their home s betokened some s ecret purpo s e ye t to be

fu lfil led The midnigh t moon w as s ailin g over the
.

city when the cry o f fire l reached the ear s of M o r

,
”
~

tier ; and the firs t l ight o v er Napoleon s falling em ’

 MARSHAL MORTIER . 279

p ire was kindled and that most wondrous scene

.
,
of

modern time commenced , ,

TH E BU R NIN G OF M O SC OW .

Mortier a s governor o f the city immediately issued

, ,

hi s orders and wa s putting forth every exertio n when ,

a t da ylight Napoleon ha s tened to him A ffecting to .

di s believe the reports th at the inhabitants were fi r ing

their o w n city he put more rigid commands o n Mor
,

tier to keep the s oldiers from the work of de s truction

,
.

The Mar s hal s imply pointed to some iron covered

hou s es t ha t ha d n o t yet been opened from every crevice ,

o f which smoke wa s is s uing l i ke s team from the S ide s

of a pent u p volcano Sad and thoughtful Napoleon

-
.
,

turned towards the Kremlin the ancient palace of the ,

Czars whose huge structure rose high above the s u r

,

rounding edifices .

In the morning Mortier by great exertions was en

, ,

abled to subdue the fire B ut the next night Sept .

,
.

1 5 th at midnight the sen tinels o n watch upon the

, ,

lofty Kremlin s aw below them the flames bur s ting

through the hou s es and p alace s and the cry o f fire !
“
,

fire pa s sed through the city The dread s cene had .

n o w fairly opened Fiery balloons were s een d r op

.

ping from the air and lighting upo n the house s — du ll

expl o s ion s were heard o n every side from the s hut up
dwelling s and the next moment a bright light bur s t
,

forth and the flames were ragin g through the apart

,

ment s A ll wa s uproar and confu s ion The serene

. .

a ir and moonlight o f the n igh t before h a d given way

to driving c loud s a n d a wild tempe s t that s wept wi th
,

the roar of the s ea over the city Flame s aro s e o n .

every side blazing and crackling in the storm w hile

, ,

cloud s of s moke and s parks in an i nces s ant shower

wen t dr ivin g to wards the Kremlin The cloud s .

28 0 B U R N I NG O F MOS C OW .

them s e lves seemed turned i nto fire rolling in wrat h ,

o ver devoted Mosco w Mortier crushe d with the r e

.
,

s pon s ibility th u s thro wn u pon his s houlders moved ,

with his Youn g Guard amid thi s de s olation blowin g ,

u p the hou s e sa n d facing the tempe s t and the fla m es

s trugglin g nobly to arre s t the c o nfi a g r a t io n .

H e ha s tened from place to p lace amid the bla zin g

ruin s hi s face blackened wi th the s moke and hi s hair
,

and eye bro w s s in ged with th e fierce heat A t len gth

-
.

the day dawned a day of tempe s t a n d of flame ; and

,

M ortie r who had s trained every nerve for t hirty s ix

,
-

hours entered a palace and dropped down from

,
“

fatigue The manl y form and s tal wart a rm that had

.

s o often carried death into the rank s of the enemy at ,

length gave way and the gloomy Mar s hal lay and
,

panted i n u tter exhau s tion But t he night of tem .

pe s t s had been s ucceeded by a d ay of tempe s t s ; and

when night again en v eloped the c ity it wa s o ne b ro ad ,

flame wa ver ing to and fro in t he bla s t The win d

,
.

had increa s ed to a perfect h u r r ic a r e and s hifted fro m '

quarter to quarter a s if o n pu r po s e to s well the s e a of

fire and extin gui s h the la s t hope The fire wa s a p .

o a c hin g the Kremlin and already the roa r of t h e

p r ,

flame s and the cra s h o f falling hou s e s and th e crack ,

ling o f burning timbers were borne to the ear s of t h e

startled Empero r He aro s e a n d walked to and fro
.
,

stopping convul s ively and gazing on the terrific

scene Murat Eugene and B erthier ru s hed into his
.
, ,

presence a nd o n their k nee s besought him to flee

,

but he still clun g to that hau gh ty palace as if it were ,

his Empire .

But a t le n gth t he s hout “

The Kremlin is o n ,

fire ! w a s hea r d above the roar o f the c o n fla g r a t io n

”
,

and Napoleo n reluctan tly consented to leave He de .

282 BURNI N G O F MO SCOW .

ed a spec tacle the like of which was never seen be fore ,

and which b afll es all description Th e streets were .

—
stree ts of fi re the heaven s a canopy o f fire and the ,

entire body o f the city a ma s s of fire fed by a hur ,

r icane that w h ii led the blazin g fragments in a con

'

s tant stre am through the ai r Incessant e xplosions

.

from the blowin g up o f stores of oil and tar and , ,

s piri ts shook the very foundations o f the city and

, ,

s ent vast volumes of sm oke rolling furiously to wards

the sky Huge s heets o f canvass o n fire came flo a t
.

ing like me ss en gers o f death through the fla m es— the

tower s and domes o f the churches and palaces glo w ,

ed with a red heat over the wild s ea belo w then to t ,

t er in g a moment o n their bases were hurled by the

tempest into the common ruin Thousand s of wretch .

es before u nseen were driven by the heat from the

, ,

cellars and h ovels and streamed in a n incessant

,

throng through the streets C hildren were seen car

.

r y in g their parents — the s trong the weak while thou

“

; ,

sand s more were staggering under the loads o f p lu n

der they had snatched from the flames Thi s too .
, ,

would frequently t ake fire in the falling shower and ,

th e mi s erable crea tures would be compelled to drop

it and flee for their lives O h it was a scene of woe and
.
,

fe ar inconceivable and indescribable A m ig ht y and

, .

clo s e packed city o f hou s e s and churche s and palace s

, ,

wrapped from limi t to l imit in flames which are fed by

a fierce hurricane is a s ight this world will seldom s ee
, .

B ut this wa s all within the city To Napoleon .

wi thou t the s pectacl e wa s still more sublime and ter

,

r ifi c. When the flame s h ad overcome all ob s tacles ,

and h ad wrapped every t hing in their red mantle that ,

great c it y lo o k ed like a sea o f rolling fire swept by a ,

tempest that drove it into vast billo ws Huge domes a n d .

 M A R S H A I M O RTIER . 2 83

t o wers throwing o ff s pa rks like blazing fir e brands

,
-
,

n o w towered above these waves and now di sappeared

in their maddening flow as they rushed and broke ,

hi gh over thei r top s scattering their spray of fire

,

agains t the clouds The heavens themselves seem

.
,

ed to have caught the c o nfla gr a t l on and the angry ,

masses that swept them rolled over a bosom o f fire , .

Columns of fla m e would r i se and si nk alon g t he s u r

face o f this s ea and huge volume s o f black smoke
,

suddenly shoot into the air as if volcanoes were work

ing belo w The black form of the Kremlin alone
.
,

towered above the chaos no w wrapped in flame and ,

smoke and agai n emerging into view standin g —

,

ami d this scene of de s olation a nd terror like virtue ,

in the mids t o f a burnin g world enveloped but un ,

sca thed by the devouring elements Napoleon st o o d .

and gazed o n this scene i n silent awe Though near .

ly three m iles distant the windows and walls of his

,

apartment were so hot that he could scarcely bear his

hand again s t them Said he, years afterward
.
“
It °

wa s the sp ec ta c le of a s ea a n d b illows of fi r e a s hy ,

a n d c lo u d s o fla m e m ou n t a in s of r ed r o llin g fla m e
f , ,

lik e im m en s e w a v es of the s ea a lt er n a tely b u r s ting ,

f o r t h a n d elev a t in g t hem s elv es t o s kies o

ffir e a n d ,

then s in /cin g in t o t he o c ea n of fla m e b elow Oh it .

wa s t he m os t g r a n d , t he m o s t s u blim e, a nd the m o s t
t er r ifi c s ig ht t he w or ld ev er b eheld
”
.

When the c o n fla gr a t io n s ub s ided Mortier found ,

him s elf governor o f a city o f a s hes Nine tenths of .

-

Mo s co w had s unk i n the flame s and th e gorge o u s ,

capital with its oriental m a gn ifi c en c e— its palaces

, ,

and towers and garden s w a s a hea p o f smokin g

, ,

ruins amid which wandered h alf naked s ta rvin g

,
-
,

wretches like s p ectres aroun d the place o f the dead

, .
284 APP EARANCE
‘
O F THE CAMP .

Napo leon re turned to th e Kremlin but the s pectacle ,

the camp s o f the soldiers pre s ented a s h e passed

through them wa s o n e hi s eye had never re s ted o n
,

b efo r efi ‘ The s oldier s had here and there thro wn

together a fe w board s to s helter them fro m the wea
ther and s prinkled over the s oft wet ground with
, ,

s traw to keep o ff the dampne s s and there reclining

“
, ,

u n der s ilken canopie s o r si ttin g i n elegant chairs , ,

wi th Ca s hmere s hawl s and the co s tlie s t fur s and all ,

the a pparel o f the noble and wealthy strewed around

them t hey fed their camp fi r es with mahogany fu r n i
,
-

ture and or n amental work which h ad a few days b e ,

fore decorated the palace s o f the noble ”

The h alf .

starved wretches were ea ting from silver plates thoug h ,

their only food was a miserable black cake and half

boiled horse fles h In the interval be tween them and
-
.

the ci ty were crowds o f disbanded so ldiers staggerin g

, ,

u nder the weight o f plunder and among them m any ,

R ussians men and women seeking the c am p fir es of

, ,
-

their enemies I n the c ity it was still w o rse and an in

.
,

s u fler a b le stench arose from th e smoking mass A ll .

disc ipline was lost and the disb anded arm y s warmed ,

through t he s treets for plunder This they gathered .

into the ope n places and bartered a way with their ,

friends Thu s the p o or creatures loaded themselves

.

with gold and s il v er and costly apparel little think , ,

ing ho w valueless the sno w drifts o f R u s sia would soon -

m ake them Whe n Napoleon was again e s tabli s hed

.

i n the Kremlin he put a stop to this disorder and

, ,

ordered the p lunderin g t o be carried o n according t o

rule.

A t length the r eluctant Napole o n turned his bac k

,

o n the towers o f M o scow c o n fessin g t o the w o rld , tha t ,

Vid e S g ur
e .
 286 BLOWING UP O P THE K REM LIN .

t er ed barrels of i t th ro ugh the di fferen t apartments

,

abo ve O ver thi s volcano of hi s own creatio n he

.

s tood and fough t for four d ays when the slightes t ,

ignition from o n e o f the enemy s guns would h a v e ’

buried him and his soldier s in o n e wild grave together .

A t length after he h ad kindled a slow fi r e wo rk ,

,
-

whose combu s tion could be nicely calculated he led ,

his weary troop s o u t o f that ancient structure B ut .

while i e marched with rapid steps from the sce n e o f

danger several Co s sack s and R us s ians finding t he
, ,

imperial palace de s erted ru s hed into it after plunder

,

The next momen t the massive pile wavered to and

,
,

fro like a column O f sand and s eeming to ri s e from ,

the earth fell with a cras h th at was heard thirty

,

m iles d i s tant The earth shook u nder Mor tier as i f

.

an earthquake was o n the march Huge s tone s .

fragments of wall — thirty th ou s and stand o f arms ,

and mangled bodie s and limb s were hurled in o n e

fierce s ho wer hea v enward together and then sunk ,

over the ruined cit y The second act in the great

.

tragedy was no w ended and the last was about t o ,

commence .

O n hi s arrival at the army he was again placed

o ver th e You n g Guard A t the b attle o f K r a s no i
.
,

wh ich Nap oleon fo u ght t o s ave Davoust and which ,

wa s described in the chapt er o n that Marshal M o r ,

tier was the principal actor Wh en Bonaparte with .

his s ix thou s and Im perial Gu ard marched i nto the

centre o f fifty thou s and R ussian s protected by power ,

ful batteries Mortier with five tho usand o f the

, ,

Youn g Guard— all that was left of that splendid body

—was j us t in advance o f him He and Gen eral R o .

guet commenced the attack The R ussians abl e by .

,

their over whel min g numbe rs t o crush that handful

 MA RSHAL MOR TIER . 287

o f French at once hesitated to advance and began

, ,

to cannonade them Mort ier stood with his noble .

Guard in the midst o f this iron storm wi lling victims ,

to save D avoust Having no artillery o f his own t o

.

a ns wer the m urderous batteries o f the R ussians and ,

they being beyond the reach o f musketry he had no ,

thing to do but to remain inactive and let th e cannon ,

plough through his ranks Fo r three mortal hours .

he s tood and saw the horrible gaps which every d is

charge made Ye t not a battalion broke ; and tha t
.

Young Guard there proved them s elves worthy to fi gh t

be s ide the O ld Guard of the Empire In those three .

hours two thousand o f his little band had fallen and ,

then he wa s directed to retrea t Steadily and in per .

fe e t order though the enemy were rapidly hemmin g

,

them in d id that heroic Gu ard retire before t hose

,

fifty thousand R ussians Mortier gave orders for .

them to retreat slowly and General L aborde repe a t , ,

in g his order s exclaimed “

D o yo u hea r s old ier s ?
, , ,

t he M ars ha l o r d er s o r d in a r
y t im e . O r d in a r y tim e,
s o ld ier s and amid that ince s sant tempest o f grape
sho t and ball s it wa s or d in a r y tim e with the m
“
,
”
.

The brave fellows never hastened their steps by a

single movement but marched a s calmly o u t o f that
,

storm as if going t o their bivouack s .

A t L utzen and Dresden he fought worthy o f his

former glory and at the disastrou s battle o f L ei p sic ,
,

commanded the O ld Guard He battled for F rance .

till the last moment and when the allied forces in ,

vaded hi s country and were marching towards P aris

, ,

he and Marmont al one were left t o arre s t them .

N apoleon thinking to draw the enemy after hi m had

, ,

hun g o n their rear till th ey were o u t of his reach and ,

o n the m arch for the French capital .

2 88 BATTLE O F MONTMIRAIL .

But pre v ious to hi s separa t ion fro m Na p oleon Mor ,

t l er combated bravely by his side in those s tu p en

d o u s e fforts h e put forth to s ave his Empire A t t he .

b attle of Montmirail h e fo u ght be s ide Ney with the

g reate st heroism A t the
. comm encement o f the a c

tion he was no t On the field but amid the roar o f artil ,

lery and the sh ock s o f the bayone t he came up bring ,

in g with h im the O ld Guard the cuira ss ier s and the , ,

G uards of H onou r Na poleon immediately ordered a

.

grand a ttack o n the centre and while victory s tood ,

balanci n g i n the con fli ct he brough t u p the cui ,

r a s s ier s and Guard s o f Honour A s they rode .

“
i n their splendid array past him he said Brave , ,

youn g men ! there is the enemy ! will yo u le t the m

march o n P aris 2
2 W e will n o t
” ”
was the ready ,

response and shaking their glittering sabre s over their

,

head s they bur s t with a loud hurrah o n the enemy

, ,

scattering them lik e a whirl wind fro m their path .

A t the bloody batt le o f Craon he fought o n foot a t ,

th e head o f his col u mns ; and amid o ne o f the most

wasting fir es o f artil lery troops were perhaps ever ex
,

p osed to s tea d ie d his men by his example and was

, ,

s een again and a gain with his tall commanding for m

, , ,

risin g ab o ve his soldiers to move straight in t o the blaze

,

o f the enemy s batteries When the s moke clear ed

’
.

a way there he still s tood amid his ren t and s hat tered
,

r anks sending his c a lm voice o ver the tu mult and

, ,

a ni mating for the third time his t roop s by his coura

, ,

eo u s words and still more courageou s actions

g .

But when Marmont and Mortier who had held ,

th e p ositions at R heims and Soi s sons a s Napoleo n ,

had directed fo und themselves cut O ff from a ll com

,

m u n ic a t i o n with the Emperor by the interpositi on o f

the R ussi an army their case beca m e des p era t e
,
.
290 A T OUCHING IN CIDEN T .

brou ght t o bear with fatal e ffect made a la ne ,

th rough o n e square into wh ich they d a s hed an d

,

s abred i t to pieces The Emperor A lex ander a d

.
,

m iring their valour w ished to s ave them and ordered

, ,

them to surrender General P a c t ho d refused and

.
, ,

cheeri n g h is men by hi s ac ti ons and word s rou s e d ,

them to the highe s t pitch o f enthu s ia s m and though

the canno n ball s cru s hed throu gh them with fright
ful havoc th ey moved unshaken amid th e storm
, ,

rent and torn into fragment s — then weepin g in in d ig

n ation tha t they had fired their las t cartri d ge o f e m

munition charged bayonet A t length when h alf of

,
.
,

the whole division ha d fallen and the enemy s cavalry ,

’

w a s riding through their broken ranks with ir r es is

tible fury General P a c t ho d deli vered u p his sword
,
.

A mo s t touchin g incident oc c u r r ed d u r in g thi s

‘

engagement In t he mid s t o f the figh t L ord Lo ndon

.
,

derry s a w a y o u n g and beau tiful l ady the wife of a ,

French o fii c er dragged fro m a cal eche by three

,

wretche s who were makin g o ff with their prey Gallop .

in g up to her re s cue he snatched her from their

,

hand s and delivered her to his orderly to be taken t o ,

his o w n quarter s who l ifting her to the horse beh ind

him s tarted o ff bu t was scarcely o u t o f sigh t
, ,

when a band o f Cossacks rushed upon him and

'

piercin g h im throu gh with a lance bore o fl the lady ,

.

She wa s never heard o f more Every exertion was .

made t o discover her fate bu t i t was never known

,
.

W hether a prey to lawless violence she wa s released ,

from her su fferings by death o r whether s he dragged ,

out her exi s tence a helpless captive n o o n e can tell ,

.

A fter this defeat Mortier a nd Mar m ont c o uld n o

,

longer keep the field and fell back o n P aris There

,
.

they m ade the las t stan d for thei r country and ,

 M A R SH A L MORTIER . 29 1

fo u ght till valour and resistance were no longer o f

avail and then delivered up their swords to t he
,

enemy Bu t though together in thei r retreat and

.
,

equally brave in their las t defence they were not ,

’
alike i n their surrender of the city Mortier s honour .

is free fr om t he s tain th a t dims the lustre o f Mar

’
mont s fame .

Sicknes s as before stated prevented Mortier from

, ,

striking a last blo w for Na poleon at W aterl o o I f he .

had commanded the Y oun g Guard o n that day and ,

M urat the cavalry the fate o f the battle and t he

,

world migh t have been changed .

He was retained in the confidence of L ouis P hil

lippe ; until at length he w ho had pa s sed through so
,

many battles un s ca thed fell a victim to an assassin

,
.

O n the 2 8 t h o f July 1 8 35 as L ouis P hillippe w as

, ,

goin g to a review o f the National Gu ard Mor tier on ,

horseback close behind was killed by the explo s ion

,

o f Fies c hi s infernal m achine

’
A little delay had a l.

lowed the ki ng to pas s the s pot o f danger but whe n ,

the smoke lifted Mortier w as seen fallin g from his

,

horse dead H e was the most dis tinguish ed victim

,
.

in that attem p t to assassinate the King .

 M ARSH AL S OUL T .

H is ea r l y c ar eer — C am p a ig ns wi h M t — H is C har ac t e r —B attle

as s e n a

of A ut fi t mp ig in
s er l i z — H is
t rs ca a n . Sp ain— D eath o f S ir J ohn
M —S t
o or e i g f O p t —R t t f m
or m n o or o e r ea ro P or tug l —B tt l
a a e of

A lb u S d mp ig i Sp i — S i g
er a - ec on ca a n n a n e e o f S t S b ti n i
. e as a

S u lt l t t u ggl f t h E mp i
o
’
e as s r e or e re .

N A merican ha s visi ted the Ch amber of P eer s

o ,

wit hin the la s t fe w years witho u t bein g s truck wit h ,

the appearance o f Mar s hal Soult The o ld w arrior .

,

w ith his grave and s evere look comes li m ping in to ,

the hall almo s t the s ole repre s enta tive o f that band
,

o f he roes t o whom Napoleon committed hi s Empire ,

and whose n ames are indi ss olubly linked wit h his

throu gh all comin g time He i s now abou t seventy .

s e v én year s o f age thoug h erect as a soldier

,
His .

head is bald on the top and the thin hair that r e .

,

m ains is whitened by the fro s t s o f age He is pe r .

,

h ap s a little over the middle height rather squ are

, ,

built an d evidentl y once possessed great mu s cular

,

po wer Hi s eye is dark an d no w and then exhibi t s

.
,

something o f its ancien t fire while hi s bro wn v i s age ,

looks as if he had j u s t returned from a long campai gn ,

r ather than lived a t his ease in P aris He i s ex tremel y .

b o w legged which is evidently increa s ed b y the wound

-
,

that makes hi m limp and though he wears ample ,

pantalo o ns t o conceal the defect , nothing but petti

2 94 H I S E A R L v CAREER .

L ieutenant A dj utan t Maj or Captain C hief o f Bat

, , , ,

talion and Colonel learning the ar t of war u nder

,
—

L uckner Hoche L efebvre and Jourdan

, , ,
.

A t the battle o f Fleurus in 1 7 9 4 he was chief , ,

o f the s ta ff under L efebvre and there exhibited tha t ,

admirable coolne s s and pene tration in the hour o f ,

danger which afterwar d s m ade him s o con s picuou s

,

a s a military lea d er General Marceau commande d .

the right o f the army and his divisio n A rdennes ,

wa s hu rled back by a charge o f the enemy and thrown

into di s order Marceau in despai r hurried to Soult
.
, , ,

a n d a s ke d fo r four b attalions to help him restore the

com ba t But the latter s a w that h e could n ot grant his

.

reque s t without endangering L efeb v r e s division and

,
’
,

refu s e d Marce au i n the agony and confusion of the

.
,

m o ment threatened to S hoot himself if he was n o t

,

a ided Soult told him to be calm and s teady

.
“
R ally .

your m en to the charge said he and the fou r bat

“
, ,
”
t alions shall come as soon as pos sible The word s .

were scarcely o u t o f his m o n th before P rince C o b ur g ,

w a s o n him like a rolling torren t and Soult was in a ,

m omen t in the thicke s t o f the figh t A fter the bat tl e .

w as over Marceau sought him o u t and generously

, ,

begged his pardon for his rudeness and p raised hi m ,

for hi s valour .

P romoted to General of Brigade this year he fought ,

bravely at the battles o f A ltenkirchen L ahn and , ,

Friedberg Bein g detached o n e day with three bat

.

talions and a hundred and fifty cavalry , to cover the

left o f the army s tationed at H er b a n he suddenly ,

found himself in the course o f his march surrounded

, ,

by fou r thousand cavalry H is de s tructio n seemed .

inevitable ; b u t immediately forming h is men int o

squares he coolly met the shock while a devo u ring
,
-

,
 M AR SHAL s o u L T . 95

fire rolli n g r o und the steady ranks e mp tie d the

, ,

enemy s saddles with frightful rapidity

’
But the .

A us trian commander thinkin g this li t tle b and must go

,

down before his fierce squadrons rallied hi s men a t ,

a distance and again ordered th e charge The trum

,
.

p ets sounded and these four

,
thousand riders moved
to the onset A dvancing first o n a pl u nging trot they
.
,

at length broke into a fierce gallop and with an ,

et u o s it y and strength that made the ground thunder

p
and s moke i n their passage burst with a loud shout ,

upon the ranks The smoke covered both for a mo

.

ment and when it lifted the s h attere d squadrons

, ,

w ere recoiling over the field A gai n a nd again did .

that s plendid bo dy o f cavalry r e form and rush to the -

charge and a s often retire be fore the steady valou r

,

that Opposed it Thu s for five hours did Soult stand

.

amid his little b and animating them by his voice an d

,

example till five successive shocks had been repulsed

, ,

and then contin u ed hi s march wi thou t having left a ,

single m an in t he h ands o f the enemy .

A fter the peace o f C a m po Formio Soult rested for ,

a while ; but in 1 7 9 8 while Bonaparte w as i n Egypt ,

,

he is found again in the field of battle A t the village .

o f O strach wit h only,

men compo s ing the a d ,

v a n ced guard of the army he was attacked by ,

Austrians under the A rchd uke Charles U nder the .

m urderous fire of such superi or numbers hi s com ,

p a r a t iv el
y feeble band began to sh ake O ne b attalion .

bent backward and was o n the point o f flyin g when

, ,

Soult seized a s tandard and ru s hing to its head called , ,

o n the soldiers to follow him and boldly charged into ,

the very mid s t o f the enemy and thus saved his army ,

from a rout .

The ne x t month he was made Gener a l o f D ivision ,

2 96 H I S B RAV ER Y A T GENOA .

and p assed throu gh the campaign o f Swit zerland

u nder Mas s ena While the latte r wa s winning the
.

ba ttle o f Z urich Soult stationed between L ake Z u

, ,

fich and Wallen s tadt to preven t the j unction o f the

,

A u s trian s and R u ss ia n s wa s equally s ucce s sful T he

,
.

enemy w a s encamped on the farther side o f the L inth ,

in a s ecure po s ition ; but Soult organized a company

of a hundred and fifty swim m er s who with their , ,

s abre s in their teeth and holdin g their mu s kets in

,

o n e hand o ver their head s boldly da s hed into the ,

rive r at midnigh t and s w am to t he opposite s hore

,
.

They here m ade a s tand till s ome grenadier s could be

got over and then attacked the camp o f the enemy
, ,

p utting it to rout s laying and taking four thou s and

,

men While the s e brilliant victories by Massena and

.

Soult were s endin g a fe w ray s of light acros s the gl oo m

tha t hung over the French armies Bonaparte re turned ,

from Egypt Ma s sena wa s immediately appointed to

.

Genoa ; and in a s sumin g the command he requested ,

that Soul t might be a ttached to him He had seen .

his S kill a n d bravery in Switzerland and he needed ,

him in th e de s perate u ndertaking which wa s no w

before him Elevated to the rank o f lieutenant gene
.
-

ral he passed the A lps ; and after fi ghting bravely

, ,

wa s dri v en with Ma ss ena i nto Genoa H ere by his .

,

fierc e on s ets which perfectl y s tunned the ene m y and

, ,

b y hi s br illiant victories fightin g heroically an d vic ,

t o r io u s ly again s t the mo s t o verwhelming numbers he ,

sho wed that Mas s en a was n o t decei v ed in the spiri t

he h ad sough t to aid him in this campaign Th e l as t .

ef fort that wa s made before the French were c o m,

p le t el
y S hu t U p in the city was the a s sault on Moun t
,

Creto conducted by Soult It was a desperate u n

,
.

d er t a kin g at the best , and in the m id s t o f the bloody

29 8 H is D I SC IP L INE .

fierce up r o ar a p proached the city , till the cannon ‘

seemed to be playing almos t o n i ts very w a lls a smile -

o f j oy p assed over hi s countenance The next mo .

m ent a crowd o f fu gitives burs t through the gates ,

and the cry o f A ll is lost told the wounded chief
,
”

tain tha t Italy wa s w o n .

Being soon after exchanged for some A ustrian offi

cer he was presented to Napoleon who ha d hereto
,

fore known li ttle o f him e x cept by report He asked

,
.

Massena if he was de s ervin g o f th e high reputation

“
he had gained T he hero o f Genoa replied
. for ,

j udgmen t and courage he h as few equal s He had .

fou gh t beside him in three desperate s or ties from the

c ity and h ad s ee n him ch arge w ith a coolne s s and
,

intrepidity a gainst overwhelmi n g odds that w o n his

adm ira tion and e s teem .

In consequence of thi s hi gh encomium Soul t was ,

a ppointed chief comm ander in P iedmon t to quell the ,

b rigands called B a r bets and soon after wa s made

, ,

C olonel General o f th e Consul ar Guard and given the ,

co mm and of the c am p o f St O mei .

'
.

When Napoleon meditated h is grand d e s cent on

England Soult wa s placed over the army between
,

Boulogn e and Calais Knowin g well what kind of

.

an enem y E n gland was and the ch arac ter o f her

,

troops he commenced a cour s e o f discipline to which

,

F rench s oldier s had never before been s ubj ect With .

a frame of iron and a w ill tha t m a tched it he c o nc en ,

t r a t ed all his energies to the ta s k before him From .

dayligh t till dark h e w as see n moving abou t n o w o n ,

horseback inspecting his troops and drillin g them to ,

t he limit o f human endurance and n o w passing ,

through the entrenchmen ts and directing their p ro

g ress .T he c o nstant e xercise he d em a nded o f t h e
 MARSHAL SOULT . 29 9

soldiers cau s ed them to complai n to Bonaparte ; and

,

the lat ter finally expostulated with him saying that ,

he fea red th e men would sink under it Soult replied .

,

Those who cannot endure what I myself do will ,

remain at home ; while tho s e who bear i t w ill be fit ,

to under take the conque s t o f the world ”

H e could .

n o t have returned a reply more grateful to Napoleon

and when the latter became Emperor o f France he ,

made him Marshal of the Empire .

He commanded t he righ t wing at A usterlitz ; a nd

at Jena assailed the centre o f t he enem y wi th de s pe
,

rate energy A t Eylau he with A u ger ea u was firs t

.
, , ,

e n gaged ; and although enveloped in the middle of

,

the field by a s no w storm that blotted o u t every th ing

from vie w while two hundred cannon ince ss antly
,

played o n hi s s taggering column he was enabled to ,

fall back in good order A t Heil s berg he fought with

.

unrivalled courage ; and after the battle o f Friedland ,

m arched into Konig s berg after havin g forced the ,

enemy from the city .

Soon after he wa s sent into Spain to repair the

di s asters o f Kin g Joseph w hom no experience o r ,

in s truction s could m ake a great military leader D r .

dered to i n vade Portugal he carried O porto by a ss ault,

with great sl aughter ; but wa s compelled finally to

retreat before the superior force of Welle s ley To ‘

put an end to the rivalry amo n g t he various generals

in Spain Napoleon at length appointed him Maj o r
,

General of the Fren c h army the r e ; thus s how ing

the hig h Opinio n he h ad o f his military abilities The .

v ic tory o f O cana soon after j ustified the confidence

placed in him .
~

F or several year s he carried o n this unhappy war

in S p a in now pursuing and no w retrea t ing —u nti l
n -
, ,
3 00 R E - A PP OIN TMENT T o SP AIN .

a fter the di s astrou s is s ue o f the R u ss ian campaign ,

when he wa s balled by Napoleon in (1 8 1 to support ,

his falling empire i n the north A fter the battles of .

L u tz en a n d B au tzen new s reached Napoleon o f his

'

lo ss e s in the penin s ula and the defea t o f his armies

,

at the battle o f Vittoria H e immediately looked .

a round among hi s general s to s ee who could best

repair the follies o f hi s royal brother ; and So ul t was
a gain s elected B u t the wife o f the obedient Marshal
.

d id no t w is h to re turn to a country where there was

such ob s tinate figh ting with so few l aurel s and used ,

all her per s ua s ion no t onl y with her husband but

, ,

with the Emperor to h ave him remain Napoleon

,
.

repul s ed her rudely ; and Soult hastened as fast as ,

hor s e s could carry hi m to P aris Stoppi ng th ere

,
.

o n ly a few h our s b e pre ss ed o n to Spain Scarcely

,
.

had he arrived at head quarter s before the army was

i n mo tion ; and thou gh he did all tha t hu m a n energy
could do he wa s finally beaten a t every point He
,
.
,

ho wever fought the la s t battle — fi r ed the la s t c a nnon

,

for Napoleon ; and a t leng th o n the new s of the ,

abdication tran s ferred h is command to the D uke

,

o f A n goul eme and returned to P aris

,
Confirmed in .

hi s rank s and title s b y L ouis XVIII he was a p .

pointed to the thir teenth military d i v i s ion H e was .

s oon after named Mini s te r o f War ; and in u rgin g the

s eque s tration o f the proper ty of the B onaparte family ,

a nd i n bringin g G eneral E x c elm a ns before a Coun

cil o f War he sho wed a grea t deal of gratuitous zeal
,

fo r hi s ne w ma s te r .

When Napoleon returned from Elba Soult publish ,

ed his famous order o f the day in which the Emperor ,

wa s s tigmatized as a nadventure r and u s urper L ouis .

,

however , s uspected him and took from him his a p

,
3 02 H I S CH ARA CTER .

than m o s t of the di s tingui s hed Fren ch Marsh als

He had none o f that high chivalric feeling which s o
frequently bore them t r iu p h a n t ly over the battl e
field bu t he h ad in it s place a clear s o u nd j udgmen t , , ,

and a fearless heart It requ ired no th u nder o f cannon

.

—
to clear his ideas hi s thought s were al ways clear ,

a nd hi s han d e v er ready to s trike He depended o n .

the conclu s ion s o f re a s on rather than o n the in s piration

o f geniu s for vi ctor y He calcul a ted the chance s b e
.

foreh and and whe n hi s purpo s e wa s taken it wa s

, ,

no ordinar y ob s tacle o r da n ger that cou ld shake it .

Such me n as Murat and L anne s and A u ger ea u r e

, , ,

l i ed v ery much o n the enthu s i a s m of thei r s oldier s ,

and the power which in ten s e excitement always im

pa rt s So ult o n the contrary o n the d i s cipline o f
.
, ,

hi s troops and the fir m nes s and s teadine s s i t give s

, ,

ei ther in a s saul t o r r et r ea t ; and hence when le ft

.

al one could be depended on a s an able a nd e fficient

,

General Though impetuo u s a s a sto rm in the early

.

part o f his life it wa s the impetuosity o f you th

, ,

ra ther than of character ; and one familia r wi th hi s

career ever think s Of him as the s tern and s tea d y
,

Soult H e wa s more o f an Engli s hman than French

.

m a n ih his natural character and succeeded bet ter ,

tha n most o f the other French General s when O p

po s ed to Engli s h troop s But t ho u gh methodical and
.

prac tical in all his plan s he kne w t he value of a hea d,

lon g ch arge and could m ak e it Still he doe s no t

,
.
,

s eem to ri s e with the dan ger that surround s him but ,

rather meets it with the firmne s s o f o n e who has s et

t led beforehand th at it s h all n ot o vercome him In .

th e tumul t and terro r o f a migh ty battle he mo v e s ,

befo re u s no t s o m u ch as th e genius o f the storm it s e lf ,

as like o n e wh o ha s m ade up his m in d t o take i t s A

 MARSHAL SOULT . 3

p elti ngs with c omposure He stands where the tide

.

o f battle flows like a rock over which the s u rg e beats

,

in vain ; and his calm s tern voice arres ts the p anic

, ,

that has begun and turns the shaking ranks in t o

,

walls of iron before the foe .

He did not pos sess that versatility o f genius which

enabled B onaparte so frequently to turn his very de
—
feats into victory he depended rather o n the stren gth
and terror o f the blow he had planned — and if tha t
failed i t became him to pau s e before he gave another
,
.

Like the lion he measured his leap before he took it

, ,

and if he fell short measured i t over again But

,
.

with all this coolness and forethought hi s b lb w was ,

s ome times su d den and deadly as a fallin g thunder

bolt A m ore prompt and decisive man i n action
.
,

wa s not to be fo u nd in the army A s cool amid the .

fallin g ranks and fire o f three hundred cannon as o n

a parade his onset wa s neverthele s s a most terrible
,

thing to meet He carried such an iron will wit h

.

him into the bat tle and disputed every inch o f ground
,

with such tenacity of purpose that th e courage o f the ,

boldes t gave way before him Though he performed .

perhaps fe wer p er s o n a l heroic deeds than many

others he also co m mitted fewer faults A fter seein g
,
.

him a few times i n battle o n e unconsciou s ly gets

,

s uch an Opin i on o f his invincibility tha t he never sees ,

h is columns movin g to the assault w it ho u t ex p ec t in g ,

s udden victory o r o ne o f the most terrific struggles

,

to which brave men are ever exposed We do not .

exp ect the pomp a nd S plendour o f o n e o f Murat e ’

charge s of cavalry nor the maj est y o f Ney s mighty

'
’
,

column s a s he hurls them o n the foe ; but the firm

'

step and s tern purpo s e and re s i s tle ss on s et o f o ne

, ,

who lets h is naked deeds re po r t his p o wer So ul t e .

’
304 C H A R GE D W I TH RA P A C I T Y .

eye measured a battle fi eld with the correctness of -

Napoleon s and hi s j udgment wa s a s good upon a

’
,

d rawn battle as U pon a victory No t h aving those .

fl u ctuation s o f feeli n g to which more excitable tem

er a m en t s are s ubj ec t a defea t produced no di s cour
p ,

a gem en t and hence a victory gave the enem y no

,

mora l power over him I t wa s s ingular to s ee in .

wha t a m atte r o f fac t way he took a beat i n g and ho w

- -
,

little his confidence in him s el f w a s de s troyed by the

greate s t di s a s ter s A man th at i s n o t humbled or
.

rendered fearful by defeat can never be conquered ,

till he is s lain .

Soul t po ss e ss ed a stro n g mind a n d great charac

t e r and in his military life the warrior s ink s before
,

the m a n o f intellect and even Briti s h pride conde

s cend s to render him homage a s an abl e and g r ea t
com m ander .

He has been charged with rapacity while in Spain ,

and hi s plunders commented freely o n by hi s ene
m ie s b u t th e charge has never been clearly made o u t
, .

Still there is no doubt he did not let the weal th the

,

chances o f war flung into hi s h and s s lip through his ,

fingers ; and he m anaged amid all hi s tergiver s ations , ,

and flour all th e change s he p a ss ed through to a o ,

quire large estate s which now enable him to s u p

,

port his rank with s plendour .

Soult was n o t cruel in his dispo s ition and exhibits ,

none of the ferocity o f the warrior in hi s career A .

bold s kilful and inflexib le man in the field he ranks

, , ,

among the fir s t o f Napoleon s Mar s h al s ’

.

Napoleon who after the battle o f Maren go ha d

, , ,

a s ked Massen a if Soult really deserved hi s high repu

t a t io n and o n being a n s wered in the affirmative had
, ,

a ttached him to his person — gave him command o f

3 06 ILLUMINATI ON O F THE S O L DIER S .

their he ads makin g an illumination a s splendid as i t

,

w a s u nexpected . A ll along through the valley those

bl azing torches lighted the path of the a s tonished Na
p o leo n — t he fir s t a n n iver s a r
y f
o his c o r o na t io n Sud .

d en ly the enthusia s tic s hou t of Vive l E m p ereu r burst

’
,

around him The cry was caugh t by the next a nd

.

the next battalio n a s he advanced a nd prolonged by ,

those he ha d left till the shou t o f that immen s e ho s t

,

filled all the valley a nd rose like the ro ar o f the s ea

,

—
over the height s mile s a way falling with an o m i
, ,

nou s s ound o n the cam p o f the enem y I t was a

,
.

scene that ba ffl e s de s cription Those myriad torches .

,

blazing and s winging to and fro in t he darkne s s — a

broad ma s s o f flame lo s ing it s elf in the di s tance — and
the s hou t of that arm y rollin g i n s uch deafening a c
,

cents after Napoleon formed to gether a far more im

,

p osin g ceremony than hi s coronation i n the C apital .

’
Next mornin g at four o clock Napoleon was o n
, ,

h o rseback be s ide his tent The moon had j u s t gone

.

do wn — the stars shone pale and tremulous in the sky ,

and all was silent and t rn q u il around him No t a .

sound broke from the immense ho s t that S lumbered

below over which the motionle ss fog lay like a white
,

covering — o r i t might be a s hrou d i n anticipation o f

the thousands tha t ere nigh t would there lie s tark and
sti ff in their last sleep But amid thi s deep hus h
.

his quick ear cau gh t a lo w continuous sound b e

yond the heights o f P ratzen like the hea vy tread ,

of marchin g columns and rumblin g of artillery car

r ia ges over the groun d The deep murmur pas s ed
.

steadily from right to left sh owing tha t the allie s ,

were gathering their force agai n s t his right w ing .

A t length the sun ro s e s lowly above the horizon ting ,

ing with gold the he igh ts of P ratzen o n which were ,

 MARSHAL SOULT 307

seen moving dense masses of infantry and pou red it s ,

glorious ligh t over the sea of mis t that slept i n t he

”
valleys belo w It wa s the S u n of A u s t er litz The
. .

h our the s cene — the immense results at stake and

, ,

th e sudden bursting o f that blazin g fire ball o n his

vi s ion made a profound impre s sion on Na p oleon
, ,

which he nev er forgot .

The allie s inten t o n o u t fla n k in g the French , w ere

,

weakening their centre by drawing o ff the troops to

the left The Mar s hals who s tood a round the Em
.

o r s a w the fault o f the enemy and eagerly asked

p er ,

permiss ion to take advantage o f it But he turning to .

Soult whose troop s were mas s ed in the bot tom o f the

,

v alley near the height s covered by the fo g asked hi m , ,

how lon g i t would take to reach the summi t o f P ra t

zen L ess than twenty minutes replied the Marshal
.
“
,
”
.

“ “
Wait a little then said Napoleon ,
,
when t he
,

e nemy is making a false m ovement it is necessary t o ,

be careful not to interrupt him ”

It was n o w eight .

o clock in the mornin g and soon after he gave the

’
,

impatiently expected signal and Murat L annes Ber , , ,

n a d o t t e a n d Sou lt who h ad stood around him p art

, , ,

ed like lightnin g from his side and s w ept in a head ,

long gal lop to thei r re s pective corps Napoleon rode .

to ward s the centre and as he pas s ed through the ,

troop s said ,
Soldiers ! the enemy has i mprudent
,

ly exposed him s elf to your stroke s Fin is h the ca m .

ai n b
p g y a c la
p f
o t hu n d er V iv e l E m p er eu r
” ’
,

an s wered him in o n e long protracted S hout ,

.

In the meantime Soult emerged with his s trong ba t

, ,

talion s from the coverin g mi s t and clothed in the rich

, ,

s u nlight a s cended with an intrepid s tep the slopes of

,
.
,

P r atzen I t w as a m agnificent s ight and Napoleon

.
,

wa tched with intense anxiety the advance of that

308 STO RM S THE H EIGHT S O F PRATZ EN .

splendid arr ay W ith banners flutteri n g i n the morn

.

ing sunli ght and drums and trumpet s rending th e air

, ,

the massive columns s treame d up ward and onward .

I n a momen t the top o f P ratzen wa s covered with

smoke from wh o s e bo s om i ss ued thunder and light
,

ning a s if a v olcano was there hu r ling it s fier y frag

,

ment s in the ai r Covere d fro m s ight those t wo hos t s

.
,

—mixed in mortal combat — s tru ggl ed for the mas

t er y w hile the cur tain o f s mok e that folded them in
, , ,

w aved t o a nd fro and rent before the heavy artillery

, ,

a n d closed a gain a n d rolled in rapid circle s round

,

t he h ill tel ling to the armie s below wh a t wild work

,

the stern Soult was m aking with the foe A t le ngth .

the fire and smoke which Pr atzen had belched forth ,

—
fo r two h ours gre w less the sulphurous clo u d l ifted
,

in the mi d day s u n and 10 there waved the F r ench

-
, ,

s tandards while a victorious shout went pealing over

,

the armies struggling in the valley .

’
Soult having pierced the enem y s centre next de
, ,

s cended like an aval anche o n their left wing Bes s ieres .

was ch argi n g like fire below with the Im perial Gu ard , ,

an d the who le field s ho c k w ith the S hock o f cavalry

an d thunder o f cannon while t he entire valley was
fil le d with rolling smoke in which were moving d ark ,

m asses o f infan try There w as Mura t with hi s head .

,

lon g valour and L annes Davou s t and A u g er ea u s tr e w

, , ,

ing the fields with the dead A t length help bein g s ent .
,

to Soult the left o f the enemy wa s bo rne away and th e

-
,

allied army routed Fleeing be fore t he victoriou s Ma r .

sh al B u x ho w d en bravely a ttempted to cove r the r e

,

treat and forming his men into clo s e column strove gal
, ,

la n t ly to direct the reversed tide o f ba ttle B ut piere .

ed through and trodden u nder foot seven th ou s an d ,

fel l be fo re the v ictori ou s French , while the re m ainder

31 0 P U RSU ES S I R J OHN MO O RE .

any time for the Duke of Wellington His very first .

m ovement s convinced Napoleon o f his super io r abil

ity A rrivin g together a t B a yonne the Emperor im
.
,

m edia tely pl anned the camp a ign and is s ued his o r ,

'

ders Soult was to s u p er s ed e B es s ier eS in the com

.
~

m an d o f th e s econd corp s ih the p ath o f which Na -

o leo n with his Imper ial Guard was to follo w In

‘

p , ,
.

a fe w hours after he rece ived his orders S o u lt s army ,

’

wa s in mo tion In fifty hours he tra v elled fro m

.

B ayonne to Burgo s — took the latter to w n gained t he ,

battle o f Gamon al ; a n d s till o n the po s t horse he h ad

mou nted a t Brivie s ca where h e took comma nd o f the
,

army — pu s hed o n hi s column s in every direction and

i n a few d ay s laid pro s t rate the whole north o f Spain .

F ollowi n g up hi s succe ss e s he marched a gain s t Sir ,

John Mo ore a nd forcing him back step by s tep fo r a

, , ,

fortnight across ri vers and through mountains covered

, ,

wi th snow fin ally dro v e him i nto Corunn a There

,
.

the Engli s h comm ander fortified himself to await the ,

transport s that had been ordered ro und to receive his

a rmy Soult opened hi s cannon on the place and
.
,

with his weary troop s p re s sed h i s a s s ault s vig o rou s ly ,

in the hope of forcin g the Engli s h a rmy to surrender

before the arrival of th e expected ves s els B u t Sir .
,

Joh n Moore resolved to comb a t to the last and prepared ,

for a final battle I n the m ean time t o prevent a n

.
,

immen s e ma gazine of powder of four thou s and barrels

from falling i nto the hands o f the French he ordered ,

i t to be blo wn up A smaller quan tity in a store

.

h ouse n ear i t was first fired The explosion of thi s .

first wa s like the d ischarge o f a th ousand cann o n a t

once ; bu t when the great magazine took fire and
those four thousand barrels e x ploded at once t he ,

town rocked t o and fr o as if an earthquake w a s li ft

 MARSH A L S OULT . 31 1

in g its foundations R ocks were u pro o ted by the

.

s hock the ships in the harbour rose and fell on the

,

sudden billows that swep t un der them ; w hile a sound

like the crash o f n ature itself startled the t w o ar m ies
,

as it rolled a way before the blast .

A t le n gth the transports arrived and the em b ar k a ,

tion commenced ; while Soul t advance d to the attack .

The ba ttle soon became general and Sir John Moore , ,

while watching the progre s s o f th e fight was struck ,

by a cannon bal l o n the brea s t and hurled from hi s ,

horse R allying hi s energies he s a t up o n the groun d

.
, ,

and withou t a movement o r expressio n o f pain ag ain ,

fixed his eye o n th e conflict Seeing tha t his men .

were gaining ground he allowed himself to be c ar ,

ried to the rear A t the fir s t glance i t was plain that

.

the gha s tly wou nd wa s mortal “

The S houlder wa s .

S hattered to pieces the arm w a s h anging by a piece

,

o f the skin the rib s over the heart were broken and
, ,

bared o f the flesh and the muscles o f the breast tor n

,

into long strips which were interlaced by their recoil

,

from the dragging of t he S hot A S the soldiers placed .

him in a blanket his sword got entangl ed and t he

, ,

h ilt entered the wound ; C aptain H ardinge a staff ,

ofl i c er w ho wa s near attempted t o take i t o ff but t he

, , ,

dying m an S topped him s aying I t is well a s it is I ,

‘
.

h a d r a ther it s ho u ld g o o ut of the fi eld with m e .

Thus was the hero borne from the field o f battle H e .

died befo r e ni ght and was buried in the citadel o f

,

C o r u n n a L —the thunder o f S o u lt s guns being the

’

m ournful salute fired above his grave A ctuated by .

a noble feeling t he b r a v e Mar s hal erected a m en u

, .

ment to h im o n the s pot where he fell .

The g reat ability which Sou lt exh ibited in this

pursu it caused Na p oleon to rely o n hi m chiefly I n
,
3 12 S TO RMING o r OPO RTO .

those operation s removed from hi s personal observa

t ion and he was ordered t o invade P ortugal
,
In the .

m i dst of the rainy season he s et ou t fro m Corun n a

, ,

a n d against the mo s t overwhelmin g ob s tacles steadily ,

and firmly pursued hi s way u ntil at le n gth he ar ,

rived a t O porto and s a t down before the city

,
.

ST OR MING
OPOR T O O F .

A summons t o s u rren d er being disregarded he ,

w aited for th e morning to carr y the place by assault .

B ut at m idnight a terrific thunder s torm arose ; t he

,
-

clouds in dark and an g ry mass e s swep t the he aven s ;

the wind ble w with fr igh tfu l fury and the alarmed ,

inh abitants mi s takin g the roar o f the blast for the

tread o f the adv ancin g a rmies s et al l their bells ,

ringing while t w o hundred cannon suddenly opened

,

into the s torm and o ne fierce fire o f musketry swept

,

the whol e circuit o f the entrenchments The lou d .

a nd rapid ringing o f s o m any bell s in th e midst o f the

m idnight storm — the thunder o f cannon replyin g to
the th unders o f he aven as clap after clap broke over
,

the city — th e fierce lightnin g o u tshining the flash o f

m usketry— the ro ar of the wind and the confused cries
o f th e inhabitants a s they rushed by thousands
,

through the streets combined t o render it a scene o f

,

indescribable sublimi ty and terro r The French .

S to o d to their arm s w o nderin g wha t this strange t i p

,

r o ar meant .

B ut at length the morn i ng broke serene and clear ,

and the waving o f s tandards in the air the beat o f ,

drums and the loud stra ins of the trumpets told the
, ,

inhabitants that Soult w a s finally leadin g his str o ng

battalions to the assaul t A fter an obstinate strug
.

g l,
e the entrenchments wer e carried a t all po int s .
31 4 H IS R E TRE A T .

breath O f life st i ll rema ined Fierce cries o f revenge .

n o w blent wi th the s ho ut s o f victory The o ffi .

cers lost a ll control though they mingled with t he

,

soldiers and by their voice and e ffort s s trove to stay

, ,

the carnage and violence Their e ffor t s were in vain .

,

and even the authority o f Soult w a s for a whi le no , ,

more tha n threads o f gossamer before the m adden e d ,

pas s ions o f the soldiers T en tho u s a n d P ortugue s e fell

.

i n this s ingle a s sault and the s treet s o f O porto ran

,

blood O nly five h u ndre d Frenchmen were s lain

. .

This s anguinary a ffair being over Sou lt im m ed i ,

ately e s tabli s hed order and by hi s vigorous mea s ures

, ,

grea t ki ndne ss and humanity s o w o n the e s teem o f

, ,

the Portugue s e that addre ss e s came pouring in u pon

,

him from all quarter s and o ffers were made him of

,

the throne o f P ortugal .

B ut thi s brilliant opening of his c ampaign wa s des

tined s oon t o meet wi th s a d reverse s A large Eng .

li s h forc e unknown to him had as s embled in his

, ,

vi cinity and were rapidly marchin g again s t him I II

,
.

the meantime trea s on in hi s own camp began to S how

,

i t s elf Many of the French o fficers had resolved to

.

deliver the army into the hands o f the Engli s h This .

conspir acy extending more o r less through the dif

fer en t a rmies in the peninsula was set o n foot to ,

overthro w Napoleon I t was a l on g time before Soult

.

could fatho m these s ecret m achina tion s Hi s o w n .

forces — their position and de s tin ation were all known ,

to the English ; while he was left in u tter uncertainty

o f their s trength and pl ans But at length his eyes .

were opened and he s a w at once the appalling d an

,

gers wh ich surrounded him I t wa s then he exhibit .

ed the immense energy and strength o f character he

po ss e ss ed A n abyss ha d O pened under his feet b ut
. .

he s tood and looked into it s impenetrable dep t hs with

 M AR S HAL S O ULT . 315

out a s hudder N o t knowin g who m to trus t— al mo st

.

enveloped by a s uperior enemy he never theless took ,

his deci s ion with the calmness o f a great mind Com .

p e ll ed to fall back he escaped ,

as by a miracle the
gra s p of the enemy and once more entered O porto
,
.

Compelled to abandon the city h e continued to fall ,

back re s ting his hope o n L oi s on whom he had o r

, ,

dered to hold A marante But that general h ad .

departed leaving his commander ih chief to d es t r u c

,
- -

tion Soult heard o f this new calamity a t m idnight

.
,

j u s t after he had cro s sed the Souza river The news .

spread thro u gh the di s mayed army and insubordina ,

tion broke forth and voices were heard calling fo r a

,

capitulation B ut Soult rose calmly above the s torm

.
,

and learning from a Spani s h pedlar th at there was a

b y— path acro s s the mountains instantly resolved to ,

lead h i s troop s over it The treacherous and discon

.

tented were alike paralyze d by hi s firmne s s and s a w ,

w itho u t a movement o f re s istance all the artiller y and

'

baggage destroyed and with their muskets on their

S houlders s tarted over th e mountain s and finally ,

e ffected a j unction with the retreating L oison No .

th ing can be more sublime than the bearing o f So ult

in this retreat Superior to trea s on — to complaints
.

and danger he moved at the head o f his di s tracted

,

army wi th a firmne s s and constancy that awed rebel

lion and crushed all oppo s ition
,
.

In s tead o f retreatin g o n the high road which m ust ,

have en sured his destruction he commanded that all ,

the artillery of L o is o n s corp s also s hould be destroy ed

’

in presence o f the army Knowing when to sacrifice .

,

and doing it with an inflexibility o f purpose tha t

quelled re s i s tance he bent hi s great energies o n t he
,

salvation o f his army Taking again to the m o u n

.
3 16 B RAVERY O F MAJOR DULO NG .

ta i ns he gained a day s march o n his pursuers R e

,
’
.
~

organiz ing his ill conditioned army he took command

-
,

of the rear guard himself ; and thu s kept his stern eye
-

o n the enemy while the mutinous and traitorou s were

,

held before him and in reach o f his certain stroke,

.

T hus retreating the despoiled s tarving army at length

, ,

approached the river Cavado when word was brought ,

the M arshal that the peasantry were destroyi n g the

,

only bridge across i t Should they succeed the last .

,

hour o f his army h ad s tru ck ; for there it mu s t hal t ,

and by morning the Engli s h guns would be thunder

ing o n his rear wh ile he h ad n o t a S ingle cannon to
,

answer them The abyss Opene d wider beneath him

.
,

but over his marble feat ures passed no shadow o f

fear Calling Maj or Dulong to him — the bravest man
.

—
in his ranks he told him the enemy were destroyin g
th e bridge acro ss th e river ahead and he had chosen ,

him out o f the whole army to sa ve i t He ordered .

him to pick o u t a hundred grenadiers and twenty fi v e ,

-

horsemen and surpri s e the guard and secure the

, ,

pa ss age “
If you succeed s aid he send me word ;
.
” “
, ,

but if you fa il s en d n on e your S ilence will be s u ffi

—
,

cient O ne would be glad to know what the la s t

.
”

de s perate re s olution o f that iron willed commander -

was should silence follow the bold undertaki n g o f the

,

b rave Dul o n g .

He departed ; while Soul t waited with the intensest

anxiety the result The rain fell in torrents — the wind
.

w en t howlin g fiercely by an d midnigh t blackne ss ,

wrapped the drenched and staggerin g a rmy a s they ,

s to od barefoot and un s heltered in the s torm A fter .

a long and painful su s pense a me ss enger arrived ,

.

“
The bridge i s won fell o n S o u lt s ear l ike hO p e on
”
,
’

th e dying A flash o f j oy passed over his i n flexible

.
318 H i s MILITAR Y TA LENT S .

and uncerta i n whom to trus t among his

s p ir a t o r s ,

o fficers d o better o r S how that any lead er ha s acted

, ,

more worthily in similar circumstances before ex

, ,

c ep t io n s are taken .

I t would be uninteresting to follow Soul t through

all his after operations in Spain Napoleon ha d gone .
,

and between the quarrel ling o f the rival chiefs and ,

the imbecility o f Jo s eph a ffa irs were no t managed ,

with the greates t wi s dom So u lt w a s crippled in all .

his movement s — hi s s ound policy neglected and hi s ,

be s t combination s thwarted by Jo s eph The disas .

trous ba ttle o f Talavera wa s fough t in direct oppo s i

tion to hi s advice ; neverthel e s s he soon after hai l the ,

plea s ure of cha s ing Sir A rthur Welle s l ey o u t o f Spain .

Hi s Operations in A ndalusia and E s t r a m a d u r a , and

the firmness with which h e resisted the avarice o f
Joseph all exhibited his well balanced character I n
,
-
.

A ndalu sia he firmly held his ground although hedged ,

i n with h ostile armies and s urrounded by an in s ur ,

gen t population while a wide territory had to be

,

covered with his troops His vas t and skilful combi .

n a tion s durin g thi s period S ho w the powerful intel

, ,

lect he brou ght t o the ta s k before him King Jo s eph .

could not comprehend the operation s o f such a

m ind a s S o u lt s and con s tantly impeded his succes s
’
, .

When without ruin to the army the s tubborn Marshal

, ,

might yield to his command s he did ; bu t where the ,

’
King s proj ects would plunge him in to i rredeemable
errors he openly a nd firml y with s tood him The anger
,
.

an d threats o f Joseph were alike in vain ; the inflexibl e

o ld s o ldier pro fe s sed his willingness t o o bey but de ,

c la r ed he would no t with his eyes open commit a , ,

great military blunder King Jo s eph would de s patch .

l ou d and vehe ment complaints to Napoleon but the ,

 MARS HAL SOU LT . 31 9

E m peror knew t o o well the ability o f Soul t t o hee d

them Had the latter bee n o n the Spanish throne
.
,

instead o f Joseph the country w o ul d h ave been long

,

before subdued , and F rench po wer established .

B ut it would be im possible without going into the ,

entire complicated hi story of the P eninsular war to ,

give any co rrect idea o f the prodigiou s e fforts he pu t

forth — of hi s s kilful combination s o r o f the military ,

geniu s he exhib ited in his succes s ful career Yet ,

,
.

a rduous as wa s the duty assigned him he drove ,

Wellington o u t o f the country ; and though fettered by

the foolish order s o f a foolish king maintained French ,

p ower i n Spai n till he was recalled to s teady Napo

’
leon s rocking throne i n Germany Cautious i n .

attack yet terrible in his onset and endless in his

, ,

resources when beaten no General could have a c ,

complished more than he an d he adopted the onl y ,

m ethod th at could at all be successful in the kind of

war h e w as comp elle d to wage .

The bloodiest ba ttle durin g the P enins u lar war ,

was fought by Sou lt and lost in the very m o ment of

,

victory I n Ma y 1 8 1 1 he rapidly concentra ted his

.
, ,

forces and moving from Seville advanced on B eres

, ,

ford occupying the heights before A lbuera .

B A TT L E O F AL B U E RA .

Soult had twenty one thousand men u nder him -

,

while the Spani sh and Engli s h armies together num

bered over thirty thousand The French Mar s hal , .

ho wever relying o n the steadiness and bravery of his

,

troop s and n o t reckoning the Spaniards a t more th an

,

half their numerical strength resolved to give ba ttle ,

.

T he allies were stationed along a ridge three miles ,

in extent The action commence d by an attack of

.

Fre nch cavalry bu t s o on S o u lt s massive c olumns

,
’
320 B A T T L E O F A L BUERA .

began to m ove over the field and ascend with a firm ,

s tep the oppo s i n g height s The artillery opened o n

, .

the heads o f those columns with terrible precision ,

bu t their batterie s replied with s uch rapidity that t hey ,

seemed moving v olcanoes traver s ing the field o f death .

Am id the charge s o f infantry the shock s o f cavalry , ,

and the carnage o f the batteries they continued to , ‘

press o n while t heir a dvancin g fire spread like an

,

a s cending c o n fla gr a t io n u p the hill Every thin g .

w en t dow n in their p a ssage O ver infantry artillery

.
, ,

and cavalry they pas s ed o n to the summit of the

heigh ts Bere s ford in thi s crisis o f the ba ttle ordered
.
, ,

up the B riti s h div isions from the centre These t o o .

, ,

were overborne and trampled under foot the heights—

w o n — the ba ttle to all appearance gained and B eres

, , ,

ford wa s preparing to re treat .

Suddenly an Engl ish O fficer C olonel Hardinge took , ,

th e responsibility o f ordering up a division n ot yet en

gaged an d A bercromby with his reserve brigade A d
,
. .

v a n c in g with a firm and intrepid s tep in face of the ,

vic torio u s enemy they a r r es t ed t he disorder a nd began

, ,

to pour a des tructive fire o n the dense ma s ses o f Soult .

H i s columns h ad penetrated s o far into the very heart

o f the army th at not only their front bu t their ent ire
, ,

flanks were exposed to a most severe fire Thus did .

Macdonal d pre s s into th e A u s trian lines and takin g ,

the cro ss fire of the enemy s batteries s ee his mighty ’

,

c olumn s di ss olve be s ide him Soult endeavoured to .

deplo y his men s o a s to return a more e ffectual fire

,
.

B u t the di s charges o f the enemy were s o rapid and

clo s e that every e ffo rt was in vain The s teady
,
.

rank s mel ted away before the storm bu t s till refused ,

t o y ield Soult sa w the cri s i s th i s s udden check had

.

brough t upon him and strained every nerve t o save

,
322 DEFEAT o r SO U LT .

n a nt o
f s ir tho u s a n d u n c o n qu er a ble B r it is h s old ier s
s t oo d t r iu mp ha n t on t he hil
The fight was done and fifte en thousa nd men lay ,

p iled i n mangled heap s al on g th at hill a nd in the val

ley The rain came do w n in torrents and ni ght s et
.
,

in da r k and gloomy ove r the scene o f conflict B u t

, ,
.

fro m the dreadful field , gro an s and cries arose throu gh

the lon g night as the wounded wri the d in their pain
,
.

The pitiless storm and the moaning wind and t he , ,

murky ni g ht and heart breaking c ries o f the su ffer

,
-

ing and the dying combined to re nder it a s cene of

,

u nmingled terror Soult took five h undred prisoners

.

and several st and o f colour s, w hi le the British h ad

o nly the bloody field fo r their fr O phy The n e x t day, .

h owever Soult still hung like a thunder cloud on t he

,

army of the Engli s h But they h aving rece ived re .

,

in fo r c em en t s ; o n t he third day he deemed i t pruden '

to retire Ma rmont however j oining him soo n after

.
, ,

h e a gain took the o ffen s ive a nd drove the E nglis l ,

b efore him an d over t he Spanish borders

,
.

It i s impossible t o follo w the Marshal through his

chequ ered career For fi ve years he stru ggled m an
.

fully a gainst the mos t harrassing obstacles and fi n a l ,

ly whe n Spain was delivered from the enemy he has ,

tened a s before remarked t o Napoleon to help him

, , ,

s tem the torrent that w a s threatening to bear him aw ay .

With hi s d epartu re vic tory also departed and soon

, ,

th e di s a s trou s bat tle of Vi ttoria th rew Spain again

into the hands of the English .

T he appoin tmen t by Napole o n o f Soult t o retriev e

these lo s s es s howed what his opinion was o f the Mar
,

shal , a s a military leader No t the complaints and .

false represe ntations o f hi s o w n brother n o r the r e ,

po rts o f rival generals c ou ld blind his p enetra ti ng .

 MARSHAL SOUL T . 323

eye to the great ability o f the D uke o f Da lmatia .

N o higher e ulogy could be passed o n him than this

s ingle appointment .

The frontiers o f F rance were threatened through

the pa s ses o f the Py renee s and these Soult w as ord er .

ed to defend to the la s t ex t r em ity H e found at B ay .

onne but the fragme nts o f the armies that had battle d
in Sp ain bu t with his accu s tomed energy he s et abou t
, ,

their organization and wi th s uch untiring persever

,

ance did he work th at in a fortnight he wa s ready

,

to take the field Bearing do wn o n Wellington he

.
,

po u red his s trong columns like a resistle s s torrent

through t he pass o f the R once s valle s The gorge s .

and precipices o f the P yrenees rung to the pea l o f

mu s ketry the roll o f the drum and the ro ar o f c an
, ,

non a nd S o u lt s conquerin g troop s broke with the

,
’
,

shout o f v ictor s into Spain .

It wa s hi s de s ign to succour St Sebastiani which .

, ,

with a s mal l garrison had wi thsto od a long siege , ,

and been mos t heroically defende d B ut th e energ y .

which he had impa rted t o h is army was onl y mo

mentary The soldiers were exhausted and wor n
.

down and could not be held t o the conte s t like fresh

,

troop s and Soult wa s compelled to retire before supe

,

rior force The sudde n abys s that h ad opened u n d er

.

Wellington clo s ed again and having repulsed h is

, ,

able antagonist he s a t down anew before S t Sebas

,
.

tia n i . Soult had given his word t o thi s brave garri

s o n tha t if they wo uld hold o u t a short time lo n ger he ,

would m arc h t o t heir relief and he now s et about ful

’

filli n g his promi s e hopeless as the task was and

, ,

moved to within eigh t miles of the place w ith his

army B u t the besiegers in th e meantime had no t
.
, ,

been idle The siege was p ressed vi gor o usly , and a

.
32 4 STORMING o r s r . S EBASTIAN I .

hundred an d eighteen gun s we r e d ragged before t he

doomed town Before Soult broke s o rash and s u d
.

den through the P yrenees Wellington h ad made an ,

ineffectual as s aul t o n the place and though th e fo rti ,

fi c a t io n s had been weakened and many o f the hou s es

burned withdrawing his forces to meet the French
,

Mar s hal the garri s on ha d a breathing spell and made

, ,

good use o f their time to repai r their defences .

TE RR IB L E A SS AUL T OF ST . SEB A STIA NI .

W ell ington a t len gth placed in battery sixty

c annon s ome of t hem s ixty thre e pounders
,
-
,

and began to pl ay o n the wall s The thunder of .

the s e h ea v y gun s s hook t he hill s around and w as ,

echoed in su llen s h ock s o n the e ar o f th e di s tant

Soult F or four d ay s did thi s fierce volcano belch
.

fo r t h it s s t r eam of fire again s t St Sebastiani carrying .

,

te r ror a n d di s may to the heart s o f the inhabita nts .

Nothin g could wi thstand such batterie s and the iron ,

s torm s mote again s t the walls t ill a frightful gap a p

p ea r ed furni,
s hin g foo thold for the as s a ultin g com
a n ies
p .

St Sebastiani s tands by the s ea with th e river

.
,

U r em ea flo wing clo s e under it s walls which in lo w ,

tide can be forded O n the farther s ide o f thi s river

.

were the B ri ti s h troop s and o n the 3 1 s t o f ,

at half pa s t ten the forl orn hO pe took its st

-
,
-

the trenche s waiting for t he ebbin g tide to a

,

them to cro s s A s thi s de vo ted band s tood in s il

.

w atching th e slo w settling o f the water s they 0 ,

see the wall they were to mount lined with shel

fi r e barrel s ; ready t o explode a t a touch
-
,

bayonet points gleamed beyond sho wi n g into

-
,

destruction they were to mov e Sol

326 THE T o w iv rs CARRIED
d own while the few who passed met the b ay o net
,

point an d fell a t the feet o f the heroic defenders

,
.

A fter t w o hours o f thi s m u rderous stri fe the breach ‘

w a s left empty o f all bu t the d ead and the shou t of ,

the F rench wa s hea rd in the pau s e o f the s torm In .

thi s cri s is the E n gli s h s oldier s were ordered to lie dow n

,

a t t h e foo t o f the r a m part s while fo rty seven cannon ,

-

w ere brough t to bea r on the high c u rtai n wi thin from ,

w hence the fire s wept the breach The batterie s .

opened and the balls flyin g only t wo fee t over the

,

s oldiers head s crushed w ith re s i s tle s s power thr o u gh

’
,

the enemy s w orks A t thi s m oment an acciden t

’
.
,

co mpleted wh a t the besieger s had begun a n d o v er ,

whelmed the de fenders A s hell bu rsting amid t he .

,

hand grena de s shell s train s o f fi r e barrel s and all

, ,
-
,

kinds o f explo s ive m aterials which the ga rrison h ad

laid alon g the rampart s for a la s t defence — the wh ole
took fire A s hee t o f flame ran alon g the wall s and
.
,

then the mouth o f a volcano seemed to ope n followed ,

by an explosion that s hook t he city to its foundatio n s ,

sendin g fi erce columns o f smoke and broke n fra g

ments into the ai r and strewing the bodie s o f thre e ,

hundred F renc h sold iers amid th e ruins A s the .

smoke lifted the a s sailants rushed with a deafenin g

,

shou t for w a rd a n d th ough fi r m ly m et by the bayo

,
'

net thei r increa s in g n umber s overwhelmed every

,

ob s tacle and they poured into the town Soult eight

, .
,

miles d istant ha d j ust been defeated i n a ttempti n g to

,

m arch to the relief o f the garrison and from the heights ,

o f B id is so a heard th at terrific ex lo s io n t ha t follo w

’

, p
ed the cannon ading and s a w the fiercely ascendin g ,

columns o f smoke th at told that S t Sebastiani wa s .

wo n .

At this mom ent , w h en the s h o ut s o f t he c on qu er

 MARSHAL SOULT . 27

or s , maddened by every passion that makes m an a

mon s ter and a fiend were p aralyzing the hearts of ,

t he inhabi tants with fear the long gatherin g thunder ,

s torm burst o n the town Sudden da rkness wrapped .

every thing through w hich the lightning incessantly

,

s trea m ed followed by crash after crash o f thund er

, ,

till the very heavens seemed ready t o fall A mid .

thi s s tern language o f the skies and war o f the ele ,

ment s and roar o f the c o nfla gr a tio n tha t fanned by the

,

tempe s t wrapped the d wellings scenes were trans

, ,

p ir ing over which his tory must draw a veil R a

,
.

pine reven ge drunkenness lus t and murder burst

, , , , ,

forth withou t restrain t m aking a wilder hell than ,

man ever dre amed o f before The inhabitants fled .

from their burning houses and crowded into a quar ,

ter where the flame s had n ot yet c o me A s men .

,

women and children s to od thus packed together the , ,

brutal soldiery reeled and staggered around them ,

fir in g into the shrieking mass and plungin g their ,

b ayonets into the o ld and yo u ng alike L ust t o o was .

, ,
'

abroa d and the cries o f violated wo men , mingled in

,

with the o a ths and bla s phemies and sh o uts o f the

sol d iers W ives were ravi s hed in presence o f their
.

husbands mothers in presence of their da u ghters and

, ,

o n e girl o f seventeen was violated o n the corp s e of

her mother Fo r three days did the rapine and m u r

.
,

der and cruelty continue and scenes were enacted

, ,

which may n o t be d escribed and before which even , ,

fiend s would blush Such is war a nd such i ts h o r

.
,

rors .

The Governor retrea ted to the citadel and bravely ,

d efended himself with a handful o f men for s evera l

days still hoping the arrival o f Soult B ut tha t Mar
,
.

sh al had his hands full to k e ep Wellington a t b a y .

328 H I S LA S T B RA VE S TRUG G LE .

A t length compelled to retrea t he yie lded the gr ou n d

, ,

s tep by step fighting his way a s he went He de

, .

livered the bloody b attles of B id is s o a and Neville dis , ,

p u t ed the passage o f the Nive and fought a t St , .

P ierre worthy o f a better result He sho wed a depth

,
.

of combination an energy o f character and a tenacit y

, ,

o f pur pose seldom equalled by any General Had

, .

his shock i n battl e been equal t o Ney s he would ’

,

h ave been i rresistible A s i t was with half the forc e

.
,

brough t against him he ba ffled every eflb r t of t he

,

enemy to overwhel m him and being d r iv en int o , ‘

F rance dispu ted every inch of his native so il w it h

,
-

a heroism and patri o tis m that h ave render ed hi m

immortal Now enforcing discipline n o w enc o u ra g

.
,

ing hi s tro ops in the on set , and n o w o n foo t a t the

head o f the ch arging columns p erilli n g his li fe like ,

the meane s t soldier ; he strained every n erve to r esist

the advance o f his overpowering adversa ry He had .

arrived a t B ayonne and taken c omm and o f the d is

,

organized an d humble army in July He had re .

organized it broken like a thunderbolt into Spain

, ,

fought seven pitched battles l o st thirty thousand ,

men and in Decembe r is agai n seen at Bayonne

, ,

showin g a firm fron t to the enemy Fo r five month s .

he h ad struggled agains t the most o verwhelming o b

s t a c les — fought with troops tha t would have ruined
the cause o f a less stern General — s tr u ck blows that
even a gains t the o dd s they w ere directed , well nigh
gave him the victory ; and amid the complaints o f
the soldiers and the deserti o n of his German troops ,

n ever o nce g ave w ay to discouragement Self sus .

-

t a in ed and resol ute his iron will would be nd b efore

,

n o reverses and in tha t l as t s tr u g gle fo r Napoleon in

,

Spai n and France a nd his m asterly re treat he has

, ,
3 30 D E L I VE R S U P H I S SWORD .

full in formation o f the terms o f the abdication r e

i
,

fused to make any change in his o p er a t io n s excep t to ,

grant an armi s tice till farther reports could be r e

c eiv ed
. Even if Napoleo n had abdicated he did not ,

k now tha t the B ourbo ns would be rein s tated o r tha t ,

the army s ho uld not retain i ts pre s ent hostile a tti tude .

In thi s uncertain state o f a ffairs the t wo leade rs ,

agai n prepared for battle ; bu t th e usele s s wa s te o f

blood wa s spared by o rders from th e Minister o f
W ar ; a n d Soul t delivered up his command to the .

Duke o f A ngoul eme A s before remarked he s truck

.
,

the la s t blo w and fired the la s t c a n no n shot fo r Na

, ,

leo n and the Empire

p o .

His conduc t at Waterloo has caused many remarks ,

and s ubj ected him t o some heavy accu s a tions Bu t .

the m o s t tha t can b e m ade o f it is that he did not ,

a c t with hi s accu stomed vigour A t Wa terloo he

.

wa s n ot the hero o f A usterlitz .

So ult has committed m any errors ; and i t could not

well be otherwise A life passed in su ch an agitated
.

political sea as his has been mus t no w and then ex

,

b ibit some contradictions and inconsi s tencie s : But

the s e mino r faul ts are buried beneat h his noble deeds ;
and hi s bloo d s o freely s hed o n s o many battle field s for -

—
F rance the great talents he h as pl a ced at the service
o f his country —a nd the glory with which he has c c v

ered her armies will render h im d ear t o her long

,
‘

a fter hi s eventful life has closed .

The Duke o f Dal ma ti a is no w seventy seven years -

o f age
; and though he h as re s igned his o ffice o f Min
ister o f War he is s til l P resident o f the Co u nc i l and
, ,

takes an active par t in the politica l a ffair s of F rance .

No thing shows m o re plainly the ridiculous s el f

c o nceit o f En glish historians i n dra wing a para l
 MARSHAL SOULT . 3 31

lel between Wellington and Bonaparte merely b e ,

ca u s e the former won th e ba ttle o f Waterloo or ,

rather wa s Commander in Chief when i t wa s w on

,
-

than this long s truggle be tween him and Soult in Spain .

The French Mar s hal S ho w ed him s elf a m atch for him

a t any time ; nay beat him oftener and longer than he
,

wa s beaten . The advantage if an y was o n t he s ide

, ,

o f the French Mar s hal ; for while he pos s es s ed equal

coolne s s and prudence he carried greater force in his

,

on s et s Yet wh o would think o f drawing a paralle l

.

between Soult and Napoleon with the lea s t intentio n

,

o f making them equal . Wellington was n o ordinary

general ; and he receive s all the merit he deserves ,

when put be s ide Soult a s an equ al P itted against

.

each other for year s they were s o nearly balanced

, ,

that there s eem s little to choo s e bet ween them ; but

to place either be s ide Napoleon a s his equal excit es ,

a sm ile i n any o n e but a n En glishman .

 P L E A S E DO N O T R E M O VE
C A R D S O R S L IP S FR O M TH IS P O C KE T

UN IVE R S ITY O F TO R O N TO L IB R A R Y