Chapter 22

[271]Fouché, tom. ii., p. 150.[272]The court of Napoleon were amused at this time by an incident connected with Soult's departure. As he had been designed to command in the German campaign, this new destination compelled him to sell his horses, and make various other inconvenient sacrifices to the hurry of the moment. His wife, the Duchess of Dalmatia, a lady of a spirit equal to that of the great soldier to whom she was wedded, went boldly into the Emperor's presence to state her grievances; to insist that her husband had been subjected to too much fatiguing service, and to remonstrate against his being employed in the Pyrenees. "Go, madam," said Napoleon sternly; "remember that I am not your husband, and if I were, you dared not use me thus. Go, and remember it is a wife's duty to assist her husband, not to tease him." Such was (with every respect to the lady, who might, notwithstanding, do well to be angry,) the Imperial "Taming of a Shrew."—S.—SeeMémoires deFouché, tom. ii., p. 144.[273]According to orders accurately calculated, the little bands of recruits, setting off from different points, or depôts on the frontier, met together at places assigned, and, as their numbers increased by each successive junction, were formed first into companies, next into battalions, and last into regiments; learning, of course, to practise successively the duties belonging to these various bodies. When they joined the army, these combinations, which had but been adopted temporarily, were laid aside, the union of the marching battalion dissolved, and the conscripts distributed among old regiments, whose example might complete the discipline which they had thus learned in a general way.—S.[274]Given on account of the marriage of Napoleon and Maria Louisa.—Seeante, p.26.[275]Jomini, tom. iv., p. 390; Savary, tom. iii., p. 106; Military Reports to the Empress; Baron Fain, tom. ii., p. 309.[276]Baron d'Odeleben, Relation Circonstanciée, tom. i., p. 198.[277]To be precise—a shoulder of mutton, stuffed with garlic, was the only dinner which his attendants could procure for him on the 27th. Mahomet, who was a favourite of Napoleon, suffered by indulging in similar viands. But the shoulder of mutton, in the case of the Arabian prophet, had the condescension to give its consumer warning of its deleterious qualities, though not till he had eaten too much for his health.—S.[278]The Abbé de Pradt represents Vandamme at Warsaw, as beating with his own hand a priest, the secretary of a Polish bishop, for not having furnished him with a supply of Tokay, although the poor man had to plead in excuse that King Jerome had the day before carried off all that was in the cellar. A saying was ascribed to Buonaparte, "that if he had had two Vandammes in his service, he must have made the one hang the other."—S.[279]Jomini, tom. iv., p. 339; Baron Fain, tom. ii., p. 321.[280]Baron Fain, tom. ii., p. 328; Jomini, tom. iv., p. 404.[281]Jomini, tom. iv., p. 409; Baron Fain, tom. ii., p. 334.[282]Jomini, tom. iv., p. 416; Baron Fain, tom. ii., p. 334.[283]Jomini, tom. iv., p. 423.[284]Relation Circonstanciée de la Campagne de 1813 en Saxe, tom. i., p. 234.[285]Baron Odeleben, in his interesting Circumstantial Notice of the Campaigns in Saxony.—S.[286]Jomini, tom. iv., pp. 450, 462; Baron Fain, tom. ii., p. 384; Baron d'Odeleben, tom. ii., p. 32; Savary, tom. iii., p. 117.[287]See Sir Howard Douglas's work on Military Bridges.—S.[288]Jomini, tom. iv., pp. 465, 480; Baron Fain, tom. ii., p. 403.[289]Manuscript de 1813, par le Baron Fain, tom. ii., p. 420.[290]This story was at first doubted, and it was supposed that Napoleon had commanded the bridge to be blown up, with the selfish purpose of securing his own retreat. But, from all concurring accounts, the explosion took place in the manner, and from the cause, mentioned in the text. There is, notwithstanding, an obscurity in the case. A French officer of engineers, by name Colonel Monfort, was publicly announced as the person through whose negligence or treachery the post was left to subordinate keeping. Nevertheless, it is said, that the only officer of that name, in the engineer service of Buonaparte's army, was actually at Mentz when the battle of Leipsic took place. This is alluded to by General Grouchy, who, in a note upon his interesting Observations on General Gourgaud's Account of the Campaign of 1815, has this remarkable passage.—"One would wish to forget the bulletin, which, after the battle of Leipsic, delivered to the bar of public opinion, as preliminary to bringing him before a military commission, Colonel Monfort of the engineer service, gratuitously accused of the breaking down the bridge at Leipsic." Neither the colonel nor the non-commissioned officer was ever brought to a court-martial.—S.[291]His body was found, and his obsequies performed with great military pomp; both the victors and vanquished attending him to the tomb, with every honour which could be rendered to his remains.—S.[292]"The French were computed to have lost 50,000 men, including the sick abandoned in the hospitals at Leipsic, and 250 guns."—Lord Burghersh,Operations, &c., p. 28.[293]"The hasty journey of the King of Naples through France created general surprise. The first idea excited by it was, that the Emperor had commissioned him to assemble the army and form a junction with the force under the viceroy, in order to protect Italy from an invasion, which appeared to be contemplated, and the execution of which was at that time rendered probable, by the movements of the English troops in Sicily. Nobody attributed his return to any other object."—Savary, tom. iii., p. 126.[294]This account of Blucher's march is derived from Lord Burghersh's "Memoir of the Operations of the Allied Armies in 1813 and 1814," pp. 35, &c.—Ed.(1842.)[295]Three to one, according to the general rule of war, is the proportion of a blockading army to the garrison which it masks. But where there is little apprehension of relief or of strong sorties, the number may be much reduced.—S.[296]See Memoir of the Operations of the Allied Armies in 1813 and 1814, by Major-General Lord Burghersh; second edition, p. 49.[297]French Envoy to the Duke of Saxe Weimar.[298]"M. Metternich told me, that he wished Napoleon to be convinced that the greatest impartiality and moderation prevailed in the councils of the allied powers; but that they felt themselves strong in proportion to their moderation: that none of them entertained designs against the dynasty of the Emperor Napoleon; that England was much more moderate than was supposed; and that there never was a more favourable moment for treating with that power."—M. de Saint Aignan'sReport.SeeMontholon, tom. ii., Appendix.[299]Fouché, tom. ii., p. 150.[300]George Hamilton Gordon, fourth Earl of Aberdeen K.T., F.R.S., and P.S.A.[301]Speech to the Senate, Oct. 7.[302]Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, was born in 1769. In 1821, he succeeded his father, as Marquis of Londonderry, and died in 1822.[303]Dated Frankfort, Dec. 1, 1813.[304]See the correspondence in Savary's Memoirs, tom. iii., p. 140.[305]"The Emperor placed no confidence in the sentiments expressed in the declarations of the allies. He had said long before, 'They have appointed my grave as their place of rendezvous, but none of them will venture to come first.' He now added, 'Their time of rendezvous has arrived. They think the lion dead; and the question is, "Who will give the ass' kick." If France abandon me, I can do nothing.'"—Savary, tom. iii., p. 158.[306]Moniteur, Oct. 10, 1813.[307]Richard III., act i., scene iii.[308]Les Bourbons s'en tireraient.Memoirs of Fouché, vol. iii., p. 87.—S.[309]Fouché, tom. ii., p. 132. "The conferring of this authority on the Empress Maria Louisa was generally approved. Her good and amiable character was well known; and she was consequently much loved and esteemed. Every one connected with her household had experience of her kindness; and it might with truth be said, that she had won the good-will of the nation, which regarded her with an affectionate respect."—Savary, tom. iii., p. 56.[310]It has been given as a sufficient answer to these complaints, that Buonaparte is falsely accused of having drained France of her youth, since, upon the whole, the population is stated to have, on the contrary, increased. This may be the case; but it is no less certain, that the wars of Buonaparte consumed at least a million of conscripts, and it does not occur to us that the population of a country increases under such circumstances, like the growth of a tree subjected to much pruning; still less that the general result would satisfy parents for the slaughter of their children, any more than the sorrow of a mother who had lost her infant would be assuaged by the information that her next-door neighbour had been safely delivered of twins.—S.[311]"The Emperor possessed a considerable treasure, the fruit of his economy: he transferred thirty millions to the public treasury; but this resource was far from being sufficient to meet the exigencies."—Savary, tom. iii., p. 147.[312]Montgaillard, tom. vii., p. 273.[313]Montgaillard, tom. vii., p. 294; Savary, tom. iii., p. 172.[314]"'What need have I,' said the Emperor, 'of that assembly, if, instead of giving me the support of its strength, it only throws difficulties in my way? Is this the proper moment, when the national existence is threatened, to speak to me of constitutions and of the rights of the people? In a case analogous to the present state of France, the ancients extended the power of the government instead of restraining it. Here we are losing our time in trifles, whilst the enemy is at our doors. I will adjourn an assembly which is so little disposed to second me.' He immediately signed the decree to that effect, and gave me the order to seize every copy of the Report."—Savary, tom. iii., p. 174.[315]"Some deputies replied to certain passages of the Emperor's speech: he listened attentively to them; but did not admit the validity of their excuses, and persisted in the sentiments he had expressed. The audience lasted a full quarter of an hour: it was the last that he ever granted to the Legislative Body."—Savary, tom. iii., p. 178.[316]"The Emperor having returned to his apartments, sent for the arch-chancellor, M. de Bassano, and myself. In reply to something which fell from M. Cambacérès, he said, 'What would you have had me do with an assembly which only waited for a favourable opportunity to excite a disturbance in the state?—I recollect, besides,' added he, 'that M. Fouché, who was connected with all these men, entertained the same opinion in respect to them. He said, that they only came to Paris for the purpose of asking certain favours, for which they importuned ministers from morning till night, and complained that their wishes were not immediately attended to.' The Emperor added, that this opinion of M. Fouché might be relied upon as sincere, since he had always professed republican principles."—Savary, tom. iii., p. 179.[317]"His courage and tranquillity of mind remained unshaken. He laboured day and night to create an army capable of defending our territory; but the conscription lists no longer presented disposable men, and the arsenals afforded but meagre resources. His conduct on this trying occasion serves to show what may be effected by genius such as his. Fate seemed to have proportioned the weight of his misfortunes to his power of endurance. Nothing astonished him, or shook his firmness."—Savary, tom. iii., p. 147.[318]Moniteur, Jan. 26; Savary, tom. iii., p. 203.[319]"The Emperor's circle that night was composed of persons who enjoyed the favour of private admissions. He withdrew at an early hour, saying to those who were near him, 'Farewell, gentlemen, we shall perhaps meet again.' I had the honour of being in his society that night; and fell a prey to the deepest despondency, when I beheld him taking what to my mind appeared a last farewell. At midnight he set off for Châlons-sur-Marne."—Savary, tom. iii., p. 203.[320]Talleyrand is intimated; for Fouché, to whom the description might otherwise have applied, was not at this time in or near Paris.—SeeSavary, tom. iii., p. 199.[321]Lord Burghersh,Operations of the Allied Armies, p. 72.[322]Lord Burghersh,Operations, &c., p. 88.[323]"On receiving the news of the simultaneous invasion of the French territory at so many different points, Napoleon's firmness of mind did not forsake him. 'I am two months behind-hand,' he said; 'had I that time at command, they should not have crossed the Rhine. This may be attended with serious consequences; but I can do nothing single-handed. Unless I am assisted, I must fail in the struggle.'"—Savary, tom. iii., p. 185.[324]"Marshal Blucher established his army at Nancy in fifteen days from the passage of the Rhine. What would have been the advantages, if, in the same period the great armies had by the end of November advanced to the same position? This question being put to Marshal Ney, he answered, 'Messieurs les alliés auraient pû compter leurs journées d'étapes jusqu'à Paris.'"—Lord Burghersh,Operations, p. 80.[325]In a proclamation to the French, issued by Bernadotte from Cologne, Feb. 12, he says, "Once more in sight of the banks of this river, where I have so often fought for you, I feel a desire to communicate to you my thoughts. It has been the constant effort of your Government to debase every thing, that it might despise ever thing: it is time that this system should change. All enlightened men desire the preservation of France; they only require that she shall be no longer the scourge of the earth. The allied sovereigns have not coalesced to make war against nations, but to force your Government to recognise the independence of states: Such are their intentions, and I pledge myself to you for their sincerity."—Meredith'sMemorials of Charles John, p. 208.[326]For the various opinions, as to the military operations to be pursued from Langres, see the memoirs drawn up at the Prussian, Austrian, and Russian headquarters.—Operations, &c., pp. 91, 94, and 104.[327]Lord Burghersh, p. 99.[328]Jomini, tom. iv., p. 524.[329]"General Dejean, feeling himself closely pressed, turned about and gave the alarm, by exclaiming,The Cossacks!and at the same time attempted to plunge his sabre into the breast of one of the assailants, whom he thought he had secured. But the enemy had escaped; they then darted on the horseman in the grey great-coat who was somewhat in advance. Corbineau instantly rushed forward; Gourgaud made the same movement, and, with a pistol-shot, stretched the Cossack dead at Napoleon's feet."—Baron Fain,Manuscript de, 1814.[330]Lord Burghersh, Operations, &c., p. 113; Jomini, tom. iv., p. 527.[331]Lord Burghersh, Operations, &c., p. 121.[332]We ought to readleftwing. See Lord Burghersh, Operations, &c., p. 122.—Ed.(1842.)[333]"This bold incursion of the enemy roused Napoleon. He resolved, at least, to make the Prussian army pay dearly for their temerity, and formed the design of unexpectedly falling on their flank. The Emperor was poring over his maps, with the compasses in his hand, when the Duke of Bassano presented him with the despatches, which he had prepared for Chatillon! 'Oh! here you are,' said Napoleon, as the duke entered the apartment; 'but I am now thinking of something very different. I am defeating Blucher on the map. He is advancing by the road of Montmirail; I shall set out and beat him to-morrow. I shall beat him again the day after to-morrow. Should this movement prove as successful as I have reason to expect, the state of affairs will be entirely changed, and we shall then see what must be done.'"—Baron Fain.[334]Jomini, tom. iv., p. 535; Burghersh, Operations, &c., p. 134.[335]Lord Burghersh, p. 136; Jomini, tom. iv., p. 532.[336]"No sooner had the battle of Champ-Aubert afforded a pretext for exultation, than M. Denon ordered a medal to be executed to designate the state of France at that moment. On the obverse, was the head of Napoleon; on the reverse, an eagle erect; above his head was a star; his claws rested on a thunderbolt; and on one side was the sign Pisces—on the other a flying Victory. This was the only medal record of this memorable campaign."—Events at Paris, Feb. 1814, p. 19.[337]Baron Fain, Manuscript de, 1814.[338]According to Lord Burghersh. (Operations, &c., p. 153,) Schwartzenberg recommended the retreat of the Silesian army to Nancy; but Blucher (Ibid., p. 186,) "took upon himself the responsibility of declining to conform," &c.—Ed., (1842.)[339]Lord Burghersh, p. 168.[340]Jomini, tom. iv., p. 529; Lord Burghersh, Observations, &c., p. 143.[341]The presence of the allies in the ancient capital of Champagne, had reanimated the hopes of the partisans of the Bourbons. The Emperor of Russia could not help observing to them, "that he considered the step they had taken a little premature; that the chances of war were uncertain, and that he should be sorry to see them sacrificed."—Beauchamp,Hist. de la Champagne de 1814, tom. i., p. 241.[342]It has been said that Napoleon had been persuaded to save his life. But the result was similar to the execution, of Clarence.—S.—See Baron Fain, Manuscript de, 1814, p. 156.[343]Dated Troyes, Feb. 24. Moniteur, March 1.[344]"The King of Naples, being indisposed, has been obliged to retire from the command of the army, which he has resigned into the hands of the prince viceroy. The latter is more accustomed to the direction of large masses, and possesses the entire confidence of the Emperor."—Moniteur, Jan. 27, 1813.[345]See papers relating to Naples, laid before the British Parliament in 1815,Parl. Debates, vol. xxxi., p. 150.[346]The following letter from Napoleon to Murat, dated Nangis, Feb. 18, 1814, fell into the hands of the allies:—"You are a good soldier in the field of battle; but excepting there, you have no vigour and no character. Take advantage, however, of an act of treachery, which I only attribute to fear, in order to serve me by useful information. I rely upon you, upon your contrition, upon your promises. The title of king has turned your head. If you wish to preserve the former, keep your word."—Parl. Debates, vol. xxxi., p. 151.[347]On the 5th of March, just before the battle of Craonne, Napoleon again wrote to Murat:—"I have communicated to you my opinion of your conduct. Your situation had turned your head. My reverses have finished you. You have surrounded yourself with men who hate France, and who wish to ruin you. What you write to me is at variance with your actions. I shall, however, see by your manner of acting at Ancona, if your heart be still French, and if you yield to necessity alone. Remember that I made you a king solely for the interest of my system. Do not deceive yourself, if you should cease to be a Frenchman, you would be nothing for me."—Parl. Debates, vol. xxxi., p. 153.[348]Manuscript de 1814, p. 139.[349]"Augereau did not know Napoleon until the latter had become a general-in-chief. Augereau was certainly a good general, but he owed this to the school of Napoleon, and at best he was inferior to Massena, Desaix, Kleber, and Soult."—Louis Buonaparte, p. 92.[350]London Gazette Extraordinary, March 14, 1814; Lord Burghersh, Operations of the Allied Armies, p. 281.[351]"I now began to watch M. de Talleyrand narrowly. I considered him as the man who was about to become the leader of a party against the Emperor; though certainly not against the dynasty sprung from a revolution in which he had himself acted so conspicuous a part."—Savary, tom. ii., p. 233.[352]Journal de Bourdeaux, No. 1, March 14.[353]"M. de Metternich said, 'Here is Lord Aberdeen, the English ambassador: our intentions are common, we may, therefore, continue to explain ourselves before him.' When I came to the article about England, Lord Aberdeen observed, that the expressionsliberty of commerceandrights of navigationwere very vague. Metternich added, that these words might raise misunderstandings, and that it was better to substitute others. He took the pen, and wrote, that England would make the greatest sacrifices to obtain apeace on these foundations," (those previously described.)—Report ofBaron St. Aignan.[354]"You must hear and observe every thing. You must discover the views of the allies, and write to me every day. Italy is yet untouched; before the lapse of a week I shall have collected troops sufficient to fight many battles. If I am seconded by the nation, the enemy are hastening to their destruction. If fortune should betray me, my resolution is taken: I cling not to the throne. I will neither disgrace the nation nor myself by subscribing dishonourable conditions."—Napoleon,Memoirs, tom. ii., p. 352;Manuscript de 1814, p. 66.[355]Bassano to Caulaincourt, Troyes, Feb. 5.[356]Manuscript de 1814—"A narrative which, from the official situation (that of Secretary of the Cabinet of Napoleon) held by its author, is calculated," says Lord Burghersh, "to excite a greater degree of interest, and hereafter to be more relied upon, as an authority, than any other publication which has appeared on the side of the French army."[357]"Nangis, Feb. 17.—Providence has blessed our arms. I have made 30 or 40,000 prisoners. I have taken 200 pieces of cannon, a great number of generals, and destroyed several armies, almost without striking a blow: Your attitude ought still to be the same; but my intention is that you should sign nothing without my orders, because I alone know my own situation."[358]This alluded to the match, then supposed to be on the tapis, betwixt the late Princess Charlotte of Wales and the Prince of Orange.—S.[359]Lord Burghersh, Observations, p. 156.[360]Napoleon, Mémoires, tom. ii., p. 389.[361]See Journal, &c., par M. de Las Cases, tom. iv., pp. 47, 53, 60.[362]Manuscript de 1814, p. 186.[363]"There is a light cloud by the moon—'Tis passing, and 'twill pass full soon;If, by the time its vapoury sailHath ceased her shrouded orb to veil,Thy heart within thee is not changed,Then God and man are both avenged."Byron'sSiege Corinth.—S.[364]For a copy of the Treaty, see Parl. Debates, vol. xxvii., p. 623.[365]In a MS. memorandum, Lord Burghersh denies the whole of this story. He distinctly states that Prince Wenceslaus of Lichtenstein was never sent to Buonaparte after the 23d of February; and that the account in the text misrepresents the feelings and intentions of the Emperor of Russia at the period to which it refers. Compare his "Operations" under the dates.—Ed.(1842.)[366]Napoleon, Mémoires, tom. ii., pp. 432-468; Manuscript de 1814, p. 296.[367]"The triumph, and the vanity,The rapture of the strife—The earthquake voice of victory,To thee the breath of life."—Byron.[368]Baron Fain, p. 213.[369]M. de Salazar, formerly aide-de-camp to the Duke of Ragusa, who had quitted the service, and retired into England, was one of those who gave information respecting a plan formed in France to carry off the Prince-Royal. He made a full communication on this subject to an illustrious personage in England, and to Baron de Rehausen, the Swedish minister at London, who immediately informed Count d'Engestrom of what had been revealed by M. de Salazar, as to the plots which Napoleon was laying against the personal safety of the Prince. In order to facilitate these communications, Baron de Rehausen was instructed to furnish M. de Salazar with money to enable him to go to Sweden. He arrived at Orebro during the diet of 1812, and was admitted to some private audiences, in which he repeated to the Prince the declarations which he had previously made to Baron de Rehausen and Count d'Engestrom.[370]It was from a similar motive that the Prince-Royal opened the ports of Sweden to all nations on the 15th August, 1812, Napoleon's birth-day, and that the peace with England was signed at the same time.

[271]Fouché, tom. ii., p. 150.

[272]The court of Napoleon were amused at this time by an incident connected with Soult's departure. As he had been designed to command in the German campaign, this new destination compelled him to sell his horses, and make various other inconvenient sacrifices to the hurry of the moment. His wife, the Duchess of Dalmatia, a lady of a spirit equal to that of the great soldier to whom she was wedded, went boldly into the Emperor's presence to state her grievances; to insist that her husband had been subjected to too much fatiguing service, and to remonstrate against his being employed in the Pyrenees. "Go, madam," said Napoleon sternly; "remember that I am not your husband, and if I were, you dared not use me thus. Go, and remember it is a wife's duty to assist her husband, not to tease him." Such was (with every respect to the lady, who might, notwithstanding, do well to be angry,) the Imperial "Taming of a Shrew."—S.—SeeMémoires deFouché, tom. ii., p. 144.

[273]According to orders accurately calculated, the little bands of recruits, setting off from different points, or depôts on the frontier, met together at places assigned, and, as their numbers increased by each successive junction, were formed first into companies, next into battalions, and last into regiments; learning, of course, to practise successively the duties belonging to these various bodies. When they joined the army, these combinations, which had but been adopted temporarily, were laid aside, the union of the marching battalion dissolved, and the conscripts distributed among old regiments, whose example might complete the discipline which they had thus learned in a general way.—S.

[274]Given on account of the marriage of Napoleon and Maria Louisa.—Seeante, p.26.

[275]Jomini, tom. iv., p. 390; Savary, tom. iii., p. 106; Military Reports to the Empress; Baron Fain, tom. ii., p. 309.

[276]Baron d'Odeleben, Relation Circonstanciée, tom. i., p. 198.

[277]To be precise—a shoulder of mutton, stuffed with garlic, was the only dinner which his attendants could procure for him on the 27th. Mahomet, who was a favourite of Napoleon, suffered by indulging in similar viands. But the shoulder of mutton, in the case of the Arabian prophet, had the condescension to give its consumer warning of its deleterious qualities, though not till he had eaten too much for his health.—S.

[278]The Abbé de Pradt represents Vandamme at Warsaw, as beating with his own hand a priest, the secretary of a Polish bishop, for not having furnished him with a supply of Tokay, although the poor man had to plead in excuse that King Jerome had the day before carried off all that was in the cellar. A saying was ascribed to Buonaparte, "that if he had had two Vandammes in his service, he must have made the one hang the other."—S.

[279]Jomini, tom. iv., p. 339; Baron Fain, tom. ii., p. 321.

[280]Baron Fain, tom. ii., p. 328; Jomini, tom. iv., p. 404.

[281]Jomini, tom. iv., p. 409; Baron Fain, tom. ii., p. 334.

[282]Jomini, tom. iv., p. 416; Baron Fain, tom. ii., p. 334.

[283]Jomini, tom. iv., p. 423.

[284]Relation Circonstanciée de la Campagne de 1813 en Saxe, tom. i., p. 234.

[285]Baron Odeleben, in his interesting Circumstantial Notice of the Campaigns in Saxony.—S.

[286]Jomini, tom. iv., pp. 450, 462; Baron Fain, tom. ii., p. 384; Baron d'Odeleben, tom. ii., p. 32; Savary, tom. iii., p. 117.

[287]See Sir Howard Douglas's work on Military Bridges.—S.

[288]Jomini, tom. iv., pp. 465, 480; Baron Fain, tom. ii., p. 403.

[289]Manuscript de 1813, par le Baron Fain, tom. ii., p. 420.

[290]This story was at first doubted, and it was supposed that Napoleon had commanded the bridge to be blown up, with the selfish purpose of securing his own retreat. But, from all concurring accounts, the explosion took place in the manner, and from the cause, mentioned in the text. There is, notwithstanding, an obscurity in the case. A French officer of engineers, by name Colonel Monfort, was publicly announced as the person through whose negligence or treachery the post was left to subordinate keeping. Nevertheless, it is said, that the only officer of that name, in the engineer service of Buonaparte's army, was actually at Mentz when the battle of Leipsic took place. This is alluded to by General Grouchy, who, in a note upon his interesting Observations on General Gourgaud's Account of the Campaign of 1815, has this remarkable passage.—"One would wish to forget the bulletin, which, after the battle of Leipsic, delivered to the bar of public opinion, as preliminary to bringing him before a military commission, Colonel Monfort of the engineer service, gratuitously accused of the breaking down the bridge at Leipsic." Neither the colonel nor the non-commissioned officer was ever brought to a court-martial.—S.

[291]His body was found, and his obsequies performed with great military pomp; both the victors and vanquished attending him to the tomb, with every honour which could be rendered to his remains.—S.

[292]"The French were computed to have lost 50,000 men, including the sick abandoned in the hospitals at Leipsic, and 250 guns."—Lord Burghersh,Operations, &c., p. 28.

[293]"The hasty journey of the King of Naples through France created general surprise. The first idea excited by it was, that the Emperor had commissioned him to assemble the army and form a junction with the force under the viceroy, in order to protect Italy from an invasion, which appeared to be contemplated, and the execution of which was at that time rendered probable, by the movements of the English troops in Sicily. Nobody attributed his return to any other object."—Savary, tom. iii., p. 126.

[294]This account of Blucher's march is derived from Lord Burghersh's "Memoir of the Operations of the Allied Armies in 1813 and 1814," pp. 35, &c.—Ed.(1842.)

[295]Three to one, according to the general rule of war, is the proportion of a blockading army to the garrison which it masks. But where there is little apprehension of relief or of strong sorties, the number may be much reduced.—S.

[296]See Memoir of the Operations of the Allied Armies in 1813 and 1814, by Major-General Lord Burghersh; second edition, p. 49.

[297]French Envoy to the Duke of Saxe Weimar.

[298]"M. Metternich told me, that he wished Napoleon to be convinced that the greatest impartiality and moderation prevailed in the councils of the allied powers; but that they felt themselves strong in proportion to their moderation: that none of them entertained designs against the dynasty of the Emperor Napoleon; that England was much more moderate than was supposed; and that there never was a more favourable moment for treating with that power."—M. de Saint Aignan'sReport.SeeMontholon, tom. ii., Appendix.

[299]Fouché, tom. ii., p. 150.

[300]George Hamilton Gordon, fourth Earl of Aberdeen K.T., F.R.S., and P.S.A.

[301]Speech to the Senate, Oct. 7.

[302]Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, was born in 1769. In 1821, he succeeded his father, as Marquis of Londonderry, and died in 1822.

[303]Dated Frankfort, Dec. 1, 1813.

[304]See the correspondence in Savary's Memoirs, tom. iii., p. 140.

[305]"The Emperor placed no confidence in the sentiments expressed in the declarations of the allies. He had said long before, 'They have appointed my grave as their place of rendezvous, but none of them will venture to come first.' He now added, 'Their time of rendezvous has arrived. They think the lion dead; and the question is, "Who will give the ass' kick." If France abandon me, I can do nothing.'"—Savary, tom. iii., p. 158.

[306]Moniteur, Oct. 10, 1813.

[307]Richard III., act i., scene iii.

[308]Les Bourbons s'en tireraient.Memoirs of Fouché, vol. iii., p. 87.—S.

[309]Fouché, tom. ii., p. 132. "The conferring of this authority on the Empress Maria Louisa was generally approved. Her good and amiable character was well known; and she was consequently much loved and esteemed. Every one connected with her household had experience of her kindness; and it might with truth be said, that she had won the good-will of the nation, which regarded her with an affectionate respect."—Savary, tom. iii., p. 56.

[310]It has been given as a sufficient answer to these complaints, that Buonaparte is falsely accused of having drained France of her youth, since, upon the whole, the population is stated to have, on the contrary, increased. This may be the case; but it is no less certain, that the wars of Buonaparte consumed at least a million of conscripts, and it does not occur to us that the population of a country increases under such circumstances, like the growth of a tree subjected to much pruning; still less that the general result would satisfy parents for the slaughter of their children, any more than the sorrow of a mother who had lost her infant would be assuaged by the information that her next-door neighbour had been safely delivered of twins.—S.

[311]"The Emperor possessed a considerable treasure, the fruit of his economy: he transferred thirty millions to the public treasury; but this resource was far from being sufficient to meet the exigencies."—Savary, tom. iii., p. 147.

[312]Montgaillard, tom. vii., p. 273.

[313]Montgaillard, tom. vii., p. 294; Savary, tom. iii., p. 172.

[314]"'What need have I,' said the Emperor, 'of that assembly, if, instead of giving me the support of its strength, it only throws difficulties in my way? Is this the proper moment, when the national existence is threatened, to speak to me of constitutions and of the rights of the people? In a case analogous to the present state of France, the ancients extended the power of the government instead of restraining it. Here we are losing our time in trifles, whilst the enemy is at our doors. I will adjourn an assembly which is so little disposed to second me.' He immediately signed the decree to that effect, and gave me the order to seize every copy of the Report."—Savary, tom. iii., p. 174.

[315]"Some deputies replied to certain passages of the Emperor's speech: he listened attentively to them; but did not admit the validity of their excuses, and persisted in the sentiments he had expressed. The audience lasted a full quarter of an hour: it was the last that he ever granted to the Legislative Body."—Savary, tom. iii., p. 178.

[316]"The Emperor having returned to his apartments, sent for the arch-chancellor, M. de Bassano, and myself. In reply to something which fell from M. Cambacérès, he said, 'What would you have had me do with an assembly which only waited for a favourable opportunity to excite a disturbance in the state?—I recollect, besides,' added he, 'that M. Fouché, who was connected with all these men, entertained the same opinion in respect to them. He said, that they only came to Paris for the purpose of asking certain favours, for which they importuned ministers from morning till night, and complained that their wishes were not immediately attended to.' The Emperor added, that this opinion of M. Fouché might be relied upon as sincere, since he had always professed republican principles."—Savary, tom. iii., p. 179.

[317]"His courage and tranquillity of mind remained unshaken. He laboured day and night to create an army capable of defending our territory; but the conscription lists no longer presented disposable men, and the arsenals afforded but meagre resources. His conduct on this trying occasion serves to show what may be effected by genius such as his. Fate seemed to have proportioned the weight of his misfortunes to his power of endurance. Nothing astonished him, or shook his firmness."—Savary, tom. iii., p. 147.

[318]Moniteur, Jan. 26; Savary, tom. iii., p. 203.

[319]"The Emperor's circle that night was composed of persons who enjoyed the favour of private admissions. He withdrew at an early hour, saying to those who were near him, 'Farewell, gentlemen, we shall perhaps meet again.' I had the honour of being in his society that night; and fell a prey to the deepest despondency, when I beheld him taking what to my mind appeared a last farewell. At midnight he set off for Châlons-sur-Marne."—Savary, tom. iii., p. 203.

[320]Talleyrand is intimated; for Fouché, to whom the description might otherwise have applied, was not at this time in or near Paris.—SeeSavary, tom. iii., p. 199.

[321]Lord Burghersh,Operations of the Allied Armies, p. 72.

[322]Lord Burghersh,Operations, &c., p. 88.

[323]"On receiving the news of the simultaneous invasion of the French territory at so many different points, Napoleon's firmness of mind did not forsake him. 'I am two months behind-hand,' he said; 'had I that time at command, they should not have crossed the Rhine. This may be attended with serious consequences; but I can do nothing single-handed. Unless I am assisted, I must fail in the struggle.'"—Savary, tom. iii., p. 185.

[324]"Marshal Blucher established his army at Nancy in fifteen days from the passage of the Rhine. What would have been the advantages, if, in the same period the great armies had by the end of November advanced to the same position? This question being put to Marshal Ney, he answered, 'Messieurs les alliés auraient pû compter leurs journées d'étapes jusqu'à Paris.'"—Lord Burghersh,Operations, p. 80.

[325]In a proclamation to the French, issued by Bernadotte from Cologne, Feb. 12, he says, "Once more in sight of the banks of this river, where I have so often fought for you, I feel a desire to communicate to you my thoughts. It has been the constant effort of your Government to debase every thing, that it might despise ever thing: it is time that this system should change. All enlightened men desire the preservation of France; they only require that she shall be no longer the scourge of the earth. The allied sovereigns have not coalesced to make war against nations, but to force your Government to recognise the independence of states: Such are their intentions, and I pledge myself to you for their sincerity."—Meredith'sMemorials of Charles John, p. 208.

[326]For the various opinions, as to the military operations to be pursued from Langres, see the memoirs drawn up at the Prussian, Austrian, and Russian headquarters.—Operations, &c., pp. 91, 94, and 104.

[327]Lord Burghersh, p. 99.

[328]Jomini, tom. iv., p. 524.

[329]"General Dejean, feeling himself closely pressed, turned about and gave the alarm, by exclaiming,The Cossacks!and at the same time attempted to plunge his sabre into the breast of one of the assailants, whom he thought he had secured. But the enemy had escaped; they then darted on the horseman in the grey great-coat who was somewhat in advance. Corbineau instantly rushed forward; Gourgaud made the same movement, and, with a pistol-shot, stretched the Cossack dead at Napoleon's feet."—Baron Fain,Manuscript de, 1814.

[330]Lord Burghersh, Operations, &c., p. 113; Jomini, tom. iv., p. 527.

[331]Lord Burghersh, Operations, &c., p. 121.

[332]We ought to readleftwing. See Lord Burghersh, Operations, &c., p. 122.—Ed.(1842.)

[333]"This bold incursion of the enemy roused Napoleon. He resolved, at least, to make the Prussian army pay dearly for their temerity, and formed the design of unexpectedly falling on their flank. The Emperor was poring over his maps, with the compasses in his hand, when the Duke of Bassano presented him with the despatches, which he had prepared for Chatillon! 'Oh! here you are,' said Napoleon, as the duke entered the apartment; 'but I am now thinking of something very different. I am defeating Blucher on the map. He is advancing by the road of Montmirail; I shall set out and beat him to-morrow. I shall beat him again the day after to-morrow. Should this movement prove as successful as I have reason to expect, the state of affairs will be entirely changed, and we shall then see what must be done.'"—Baron Fain.

[334]Jomini, tom. iv., p. 535; Burghersh, Operations, &c., p. 134.

[335]Lord Burghersh, p. 136; Jomini, tom. iv., p. 532.

[336]"No sooner had the battle of Champ-Aubert afforded a pretext for exultation, than M. Denon ordered a medal to be executed to designate the state of France at that moment. On the obverse, was the head of Napoleon; on the reverse, an eagle erect; above his head was a star; his claws rested on a thunderbolt; and on one side was the sign Pisces—on the other a flying Victory. This was the only medal record of this memorable campaign."—Events at Paris, Feb. 1814, p. 19.

[337]Baron Fain, Manuscript de, 1814.

[338]According to Lord Burghersh. (Operations, &c., p. 153,) Schwartzenberg recommended the retreat of the Silesian army to Nancy; but Blucher (Ibid., p. 186,) "took upon himself the responsibility of declining to conform," &c.—Ed., (1842.)

[339]Lord Burghersh, p. 168.

[340]Jomini, tom. iv., p. 529; Lord Burghersh, Observations, &c., p. 143.

[341]The presence of the allies in the ancient capital of Champagne, had reanimated the hopes of the partisans of the Bourbons. The Emperor of Russia could not help observing to them, "that he considered the step they had taken a little premature; that the chances of war were uncertain, and that he should be sorry to see them sacrificed."—Beauchamp,Hist. de la Champagne de 1814, tom. i., p. 241.

[342]It has been said that Napoleon had been persuaded to save his life. But the result was similar to the execution, of Clarence.—S.—See Baron Fain, Manuscript de, 1814, p. 156.

[343]Dated Troyes, Feb. 24. Moniteur, March 1.

[344]"The King of Naples, being indisposed, has been obliged to retire from the command of the army, which he has resigned into the hands of the prince viceroy. The latter is more accustomed to the direction of large masses, and possesses the entire confidence of the Emperor."—Moniteur, Jan. 27, 1813.

[345]See papers relating to Naples, laid before the British Parliament in 1815,Parl. Debates, vol. xxxi., p. 150.

[346]The following letter from Napoleon to Murat, dated Nangis, Feb. 18, 1814, fell into the hands of the allies:—"You are a good soldier in the field of battle; but excepting there, you have no vigour and no character. Take advantage, however, of an act of treachery, which I only attribute to fear, in order to serve me by useful information. I rely upon you, upon your contrition, upon your promises. The title of king has turned your head. If you wish to preserve the former, keep your word."—Parl. Debates, vol. xxxi., p. 151.

[347]On the 5th of March, just before the battle of Craonne, Napoleon again wrote to Murat:—"I have communicated to you my opinion of your conduct. Your situation had turned your head. My reverses have finished you. You have surrounded yourself with men who hate France, and who wish to ruin you. What you write to me is at variance with your actions. I shall, however, see by your manner of acting at Ancona, if your heart be still French, and if you yield to necessity alone. Remember that I made you a king solely for the interest of my system. Do not deceive yourself, if you should cease to be a Frenchman, you would be nothing for me."—Parl. Debates, vol. xxxi., p. 153.

[348]Manuscript de 1814, p. 139.

[349]"Augereau did not know Napoleon until the latter had become a general-in-chief. Augereau was certainly a good general, but he owed this to the school of Napoleon, and at best he was inferior to Massena, Desaix, Kleber, and Soult."—Louis Buonaparte, p. 92.

[350]London Gazette Extraordinary, March 14, 1814; Lord Burghersh, Operations of the Allied Armies, p. 281.

[351]"I now began to watch M. de Talleyrand narrowly. I considered him as the man who was about to become the leader of a party against the Emperor; though certainly not against the dynasty sprung from a revolution in which he had himself acted so conspicuous a part."—Savary, tom. ii., p. 233.

[352]Journal de Bourdeaux, No. 1, March 14.

[353]"M. de Metternich said, 'Here is Lord Aberdeen, the English ambassador: our intentions are common, we may, therefore, continue to explain ourselves before him.' When I came to the article about England, Lord Aberdeen observed, that the expressionsliberty of commerceandrights of navigationwere very vague. Metternich added, that these words might raise misunderstandings, and that it was better to substitute others. He took the pen, and wrote, that England would make the greatest sacrifices to obtain apeace on these foundations," (those previously described.)—Report ofBaron St. Aignan.

[354]"You must hear and observe every thing. You must discover the views of the allies, and write to me every day. Italy is yet untouched; before the lapse of a week I shall have collected troops sufficient to fight many battles. If I am seconded by the nation, the enemy are hastening to their destruction. If fortune should betray me, my resolution is taken: I cling not to the throne. I will neither disgrace the nation nor myself by subscribing dishonourable conditions."—Napoleon,Memoirs, tom. ii., p. 352;Manuscript de 1814, p. 66.

[355]Bassano to Caulaincourt, Troyes, Feb. 5.

[356]Manuscript de 1814—"A narrative which, from the official situation (that of Secretary of the Cabinet of Napoleon) held by its author, is calculated," says Lord Burghersh, "to excite a greater degree of interest, and hereafter to be more relied upon, as an authority, than any other publication which has appeared on the side of the French army."

[357]"Nangis, Feb. 17.—Providence has blessed our arms. I have made 30 or 40,000 prisoners. I have taken 200 pieces of cannon, a great number of generals, and destroyed several armies, almost without striking a blow: Your attitude ought still to be the same; but my intention is that you should sign nothing without my orders, because I alone know my own situation."

[358]This alluded to the match, then supposed to be on the tapis, betwixt the late Princess Charlotte of Wales and the Prince of Orange.—S.

[359]Lord Burghersh, Observations, p. 156.

[360]Napoleon, Mémoires, tom. ii., p. 389.

[361]See Journal, &c., par M. de Las Cases, tom. iv., pp. 47, 53, 60.

[362]Manuscript de 1814, p. 186.

[363]"There is a light cloud by the moon—'Tis passing, and 'twill pass full soon;If, by the time its vapoury sailHath ceased her shrouded orb to veil,Thy heart within thee is not changed,Then God and man are both avenged."Byron'sSiege Corinth.—S.

"There is a light cloud by the moon—'Tis passing, and 'twill pass full soon;If, by the time its vapoury sailHath ceased her shrouded orb to veil,Thy heart within thee is not changed,Then God and man are both avenged."

Byron'sSiege Corinth.—S.

[364]For a copy of the Treaty, see Parl. Debates, vol. xxvii., p. 623.

[365]In a MS. memorandum, Lord Burghersh denies the whole of this story. He distinctly states that Prince Wenceslaus of Lichtenstein was never sent to Buonaparte after the 23d of February; and that the account in the text misrepresents the feelings and intentions of the Emperor of Russia at the period to which it refers. Compare his "Operations" under the dates.—Ed.(1842.)

[366]Napoleon, Mémoires, tom. ii., pp. 432-468; Manuscript de 1814, p. 296.

[367]"The triumph, and the vanity,The rapture of the strife—The earthquake voice of victory,To thee the breath of life."—Byron.

"The triumph, and the vanity,The rapture of the strife—The earthquake voice of victory,To thee the breath of life."—Byron.

[368]Baron Fain, p. 213.

[369]M. de Salazar, formerly aide-de-camp to the Duke of Ragusa, who had quitted the service, and retired into England, was one of those who gave information respecting a plan formed in France to carry off the Prince-Royal. He made a full communication on this subject to an illustrious personage in England, and to Baron de Rehausen, the Swedish minister at London, who immediately informed Count d'Engestrom of what had been revealed by M. de Salazar, as to the plots which Napoleon was laying against the personal safety of the Prince. In order to facilitate these communications, Baron de Rehausen was instructed to furnish M. de Salazar with money to enable him to go to Sweden. He arrived at Orebro during the diet of 1812, and was admitted to some private audiences, in which he repeated to the Prince the declarations which he had previously made to Baron de Rehausen and Count d'Engestrom.

[370]It was from a similar motive that the Prince-Royal opened the ports of Sweden to all nations on the 15th August, 1812, Napoleon's birth-day, and that the peace with England was signed at the same time.

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