THE STT3TDAT OBEGCEvXAf, POKT&A3FB, JAnCAU 0, 1895,
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k XVI L
THE BATTLE OF WAGRAM.
The Austrian army, in abandoning the
capital of the empire, had not renounced
the war. although in 33 days Napoleon
liad, with one stroke of his sword, cut in
two the mass of their armies, and with
the second burst open the gates of Vienna,
lie was now firmly established in his cap
ital, and master of the main resources of
the monarchy; but his work -was far
irora being done, either in Austria or In
Germany. A great difficulty remained to
be overcome that of crossing a vast
liver in the face of the enemy, apd to
Rive battle with the river behind him.
This difficulty Napoleon had been unable
to prevent, and it resulted Inevitably from
the nature of things. On leaving Ratls
bon he had been obliged to take the route
'which was shortest, thus keeping the
two main divisions of the Austrian army
separated from each other. He was con
sequently obliged to march along the
right bank of the Danube, abandoning the
left to the Austrians, bpt securing to him
self exclusively the means of crossing
from the one to the other.
The Archduke Charles was soon tempt
ed to quit the fastness of Bohemia, and
try once more the fortune of a battle.
Having re-established the order, and re
cruited the numbers of his army to 100.000
men, he was soon posted on the banks of
the Danube. Opposite were the French,
and the river being greatly swollen, and
all the bridges destroyed, the two armies
seemed separated by an impassable bar
rier. Napoleon determined to pass it and
after an unsuccessful attempt at Nuss
dorff, met with better fortune at Ebers
dorff. where the river is broad and inter
peeled by a number of low and woody
Islands, the largest of which bears the
name of Lobau. Here Massena had
thrown several bridges over the arms of
the Danube.
On these islands Napoleon established
the greater part of his army on May 19.
an on the following day made good his
passage by means, of a bridge of boats to
the left baulc of the Danube, where he
took possession of the villages of Asperne
and Essling, with so little show of oppo
sition that it became evident that the arch
duke wished the inevitable battle to take
place wjth the liver between his enemy
and Vienna.
On the 2lst, at daybreak, the archduke
appeared on a rising ground, separated
from the French position by an extensive
plain. His whole force was divided into
Jive heavy columns and protected by not
less than 200 pieces of artillery. The bat
tle began at 4 o'clock In the afternoon
with a furious assault on the village of
Asperne, which was taken and retaken
several times, and iemained at nightfall
in the occupation partly of the French
and partly of the assailants, who had es
tablished themselves in the church and
churchyard. Essllng sustained three at
tacks also, but Uiere the French remained
In complete possession. At one time
Lannes, who defended this point, was so
hard pressed, that he must have given
way had not Napoleon relieved him, and
obtained him breathing time by a well
timed and terrific charge of cavalry under
Bessieres, which fell upon their center.
Night finally Interrupted the action, the
"AuptrtanseMiJting In their partial success;
and Napoleon turprlscd that he should
not have been wholly victorious. On either
side the carnage had been terrible, and
the pathways of the villages were liter
ally choked with the dead.
Just as Napoelon was about to retire for
a. lew hours' rest he was interrupted by
a -violent altercation between two of his
chief lieutenants, Besslercs and Lannes,
the former of whom complained of the
language used by the latter, his inferior
In rank, in giving a necessary order for a
charge of cuirassiers and chasseurs, then
under the orders of Marshal Besslercs
himself, Massena. who was on the spot,
was obliged to interfere between these
gallunt men, who after having braved
for a whole day the crossfire of 308 pieces
of cannon, were ready to draw their
swords for the sake of their offended
pride. Napoleon allayed their quarrel,
which was to be terminated next day by
the enemy in the saddest way for them
selves and for the army.
Next morning the battle recommenced
at 4 o'clock with equal fury, the French
re-covering Asperne; but the Austrian
right wjng renewed their assaults on that
Ioint, and in such numbers that Na
poleon guessed that their center and left
had been weakened for the purpose of
strengthening their right. Upon this he
instantly moved such masses upon the
Austrian center that the archduke's line
was shaken, and for a moment it seemed
as if the victory of the French was secure.
In fact it was extremely doubtful If the
Austrian center could withstand the mass
of 20,009 Infantry and COOO horse which
Lannes had thrown upon it.
The Archduke Charles now hastened to
the spot to prevent the catastrophe that
threatened the center, and in this critical
moment discharged at onee the duties of
general and a common soldier. He
brought up reserves, replaced the gaps
which had been made in his line bv the
furious onslaught of the French," and
-while awaiting the execution of these
orders, seised a standard and. himself led
the grenadiers to the charge, while his
bravest officers were struck down by his
side, Lannes. who also headed his soldiers
In person, seeing the Austrian infantry
disordered, let loose upon them Bessieres
and his own cuirassiers, who. charging
Hohcasollern's corps, broke several
squares 3nd took prisoners, cannon and
flags.
Success now seemed certain, and Lan
nes sent a staff officer to acquaint Na
jwleen of his progress and asked him to
cover his rear whilst he was advancing
In the plain and loeving so large a space
between him and Essllng. The officer
found NaiHrteon watching the grand spec
tacle of which he was the director. He
old net express anything like the satis
faction he might have been expected to
feel at &ucjj communication. The fact
was, an unfortunate accident had oc
curred. At this critical moment the
bridge connecting the island of Lobau
was being wholly swept away by means
of flreshlps sent down the river by the
Austrians. Napoleon at once perceived
that if he wished to preserve his commu
nication with the right of the Danube,
where his reserve still lav, he must in
stantly fall back on Lobau. The want of
troops, however, was not the first conee
ouence of the rupture of the bridge, for
the 1,003 already passed1 over were enough
to beat the Austrians. "What was most
to be regretted was the want of ammu
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nition, a prodigious quantity of which had
already been consumed, and of which
there would soon be a scarcity.
Napoleon, therefore, resolved upon a
painful sacrifice in order not to expose
himself to risks which prudence forbade
him to brave. Having formed this reso
lution, in an instant he ordered tho staff
officer to return to Lannes as fast as
possible and tell him to suspend the move
ment and fall back gradually on the Ess
llng and Asperne line. He was also to
recommend the marshal to be sparing of
ammunition.
On receiving this 'order Lannes and Bes
sieresi were compelled, to their ueep re
gret, to halt In tbejmidst of therast field
of Marchfield. No "gooner did tle French
troops commence tpelr backward move
ment than the Austrians. recovered their
order and seal, charged In turn, and
finally made themselves masters of As
perne. Essllng, where Massena commanded,
held firm, and under the; protection of that
village and numerous batteries erected
near it. Napoleon succeeded in withdraw
ing his whole force during the night. The
commander had sent earlier In the day to
Inquire of Massena if he could rely on the
possession of Asperne, for as long as It
and Essling remained, the safe retreat of
the army was insured. The staff officer
who took the message found Massena on
a heap of rubbish, harassed with fatigue,
with blood-shot eyes, but with unabated
energy of spirit.
On receiving the message he stood up
and replied with extraordinary emphasis:
"Go tell the emperor 1 will hold out two
hours 24 so long as It is necessary for the
safety of the army!"
It was during this exciting retreat that
a dreadful calamity befell the army.
Whilst Lannes was galloping In front of
the line from one ccrps to another, en
couraging his soldiers by his voice and his
example, an officer who was alarmed at
seeing him exposed to so much danger,
entreated him to dismount for greater
safety. He followed the advice, though
It was far from his habit to be careful of
his life. At that instant he was struck
by a cannon ball that shattered both his
knees. Besslercs and an aide raised him
up, and found him bathed in blood and al
most senseless. Bessieres, with whom he
had quarreled on the preceding day,
pressed his weak hand. He was laid op a
cuirassier's cloak and carried to a little
bridge where an ambulance was sta
tioned. The news soon spread through the
army and filled it with sorrow. The sur
geon declared his wounds to be mortal.
In his frenzy the brave marshal called
for Napoleon, his friend. The latter ob
served a group advancing, supporting
Lannes on a bier formed of crossed fire
locks and some branches of oak. Twelve
old grenadiers, covered with blood and
dust, bore this Illustrious warrior along.
As soon as the emperor saw it was the
Duke of Montebello he hastened to meet
him. The grenadiers stopped, and Na
poleon, throwing himself upon his old
companlon-ln-arms, who had fainted with
the loss of blood. In a voice scarcely ar
ticulate, said, several limes, "Lannes, my
friend, do you know me? It is the em
peror, it is Bonaparte, your friend."
At these words Lannes opened his eyes,
till then closed, collected his spirits, and
made some atfempts to speak; but. being
unable, he could only lift his dyingarmsto
pass thorn round the neck of Napoleon.
The fear of exhausting the little life still
remaining In the marshal determined the
emperor to leave him.
Somewhat later Napoleon visited his
wounded friend and conversed with him
briefly. "My r.oble marshal," said the em
peror, "it is all over." "What!" cried the
dying man, "can't you save me?" He died
In delirium some days later in the arms
of his chief, who wept over him as ho had
done at the death of Desalx at Marengo.
The French soldiery delighted to call him
the "Roland of the Camp." and Na
poleon said, "It was- impossible to be more
brave than Lannes." No man could in
spire his soldiers with more confidence
than could this brave soldier who had
been the companion of the fortunes and
glory of Napoleon frcm the very begin
ning of his public career.
Napoleon had charged Lannes to main
tain Essling at all hazards and he vaj
lantly fulfilled his taslc. At length, at 9
at night, the sanguinary conflict ceased;
the French preserving the position they
had occupied in the morning and the Aus
trians bivouacking where they were. Both
sides sustained an equal loss, from 15,000
to 20,000 men having been killed or wound
ed on both sides. Among the Austrians
were four Held marshals, eight generals
and 663 officers.
On the morning of the 23d of May the
French were cooped up In Lobau and the
adjacent Islands Asperne; Essllng the
whole left bank of the river, remaining
in the possession of the Austrians. On
either side a victory was claimed. In the
eyes of Europe It was a check for Na
poleon, accustomed to crush his enemy, to
have been unable at this time to drive the
Austrians from their position.
The situation of the French emperor
was Imminently hazardous; he was sup
arated from Davoust and his reserves,
and, had the enemy cither attacked him
in the Islands or passed the river higher
up and so overwhelmed Davoust and re
lieved Vienna, tho results might have
been fatal. But the archduke's loss in
these two days had been very great; and.
In place of risking an offensive movement,
he contented himself with strengthening
the position of Asperne and Essllng. and
awaiting quietly the moment when his
enemy should choose to attempt once more
the passage to the left bank, and the re
cccupation of the hardly contested vil
lages. Napeleen availed himself of this, pauso
With his usual skill. That he had been
checked was true, and that the news
would be heard with enthusiasm, he well
knew. It was necessary, therefore, to re
gain the fame which had surrounded the
beginning of the campaign, and he made
every preparation for another decisive bat
tle. Some weeks elapsed ere he ventured
to assume the offensive.
On the 4th of July, 1SC8, Napoelon at
last re-established his communication
with the right bank, and arranged the
means ef passing to the left at a point
where the archduke had made hardly any-
preparation for receiving him. On the
5th of July, at 10 o'clock at night, the
French began to cross from the Islands
In the Danube to the left bank. Gunboats
prepared for the purpose silenced some of
the Austrian batteries; others were avoid
fceANX
a-3 yt'
ed by passing the river out of reach of
their fire on other bridges that had been
secretly erected by the French. When Na
poleon had a river to be crossed he began
the operation by suddenly conveying some
determined men to the opposite side In
boats. These men proceeded to disarm or
kill the enemy's advanced posts, and to fix
the moorings to which the boats were to
bt attached that were to carry the bridge.
The army then passed over as quickly
as possible.
The first of these operations was the
most difficult in presence of an enemy so
numerous and so well prepared as were
the Austrians. To facilitate it, Napoleon
had large fiatboats constructed, capable
of carrying 200 men each, and having a
moving gunwale to protect the men from
musketry, which on being let dowp, would
serve Instead of planks for landing. Every
corps was provided wjth five of these flat
boats, which made an advance guard of
1500 men carried over at once, and the
enemy, not knowing exactly where the
crossing would be made, could not con
front the French with advanced posts in
sufficient numbers to prevent their land
ing. The Austrians having rashly calculated
that Asperne and Essllng must needs be
the objects of the nex contest, as of the
preceding, they were taken almost un
awares by Napoleon's appearance In an
other quarter. They changed their line
on the instant and occupied a position, the
center and key of which was the little
town of Wagram. Here, on the 6th of
July, the final and decisive battle was to
be fought. Adding together the troops of
Massena, Oudlnot, Davoust, Bernadotte,
Prince Eugene, Macdonald, Marnjont,
De Werde and the guard, there appeared
to be 150,000 men; of whom 26,000 were
cavalry and 12,000 artllerymen serving 550
guns an enormous force, such as Na
poleon had never yet mustered on a field
of battle, and according to some authori
ties, such a host as had never been brought
into action by any leader. Besides this
vast force. Napoleon had with him the
Invincible Massena, who'was then suffer
ing from a fall from his horse, but who
was capable of mastering all physical suf
ferings on a day of battle: the stubborn
Davoust. the Impetuous Oudinot, the in
trepid Macdonald, and a multitude of
others who were ready to purchase the
triumph of the French arms with their
blood. The heroic Lannes was the only
one missing. Fate had forbidden him to
witness a victory to which he had power
fully contributed by his conduct in this
campaign.
When the day dawned on the banks of
the river, about 4 o'clock In the morning,
a most Imposing spectacle .presented itself
to both armies. The sun glistened on
thousands of bayonets and helmets, and
70,000 men were already In line of battle
on the enemy's side of the river capable
of making a good fight with the arch
duke's forces. Seeing Napoleon ride along
the front of the lines his soldiers raised
their shakos on their bayonets and cried:
"Vive 1' Empereur!" The ground cov
ered by the two armies was about two
leagues In extent. The troops nearest
were about 1200 fathoms from the city of
Vienna, so that the towers, steeples and
tops of the highest houses were covered
by the numerous population, thus become
spectators of the terrible contest then pre
paring. The archduke had extended his line over
too wjde a space, and his old error enabled
Napoleon to at once see an opportunity
to ruin him by his old device of pouring
the full shock of his strength on the cen
ter. In fact, so apparently weak wa"s the
position of the Austrians at this time that
the emperor in his bulletin of the engage
ment sent to Paris, had this to say: "This
disposition of the army appeared so ab
surd that some snare was- dreaded, and
the emperor hesitated some time before
ordering the easy disposition which he
had to make in order to annul those of the
enemy, and render them fatal to him."
At sunrise the cannonade commenced .upon
th.e two lines, Nappleon, perceiving .that
the Prince of Rosemberg was moving
against Marshal Davoust, repaired in
person to the right wing, which he rein
forced with the cuirassiers under General
Arrighe, and caused 12 pieces of light ar
tillery to advance upon the flank of the
enemy's columns. After an obstinate en
gagement of two hours' duration, Davoust
succeeded in repulsing his adversary as
far as Neusledel.
While the French army thus signalized
itself by Its success In the beginning of the
day, the battle was carried along the
rest of the line with great determination.
The fire of musketry am cannon was now
general on that vast front of nearly three
leagues-, along which 30Q.000 men and 1100
pieces cf cannon were arrayed against
each other. It was a principle of Napo
leon's that by concentrating on one point
the action of certain special arms that
grand effects were to be produced, and
therefore it was that he bestowed an im
mense amount of artillery on the Guard
and kept under his hand a reserve of 14
regiments of cuirassiers.
The emperor now ordered that the whole
of the artillery of the Guard, together
with all that could be spared by the sev
eral corps, advance at a gallop. Just then
General de Wrede arrived on the ground
with 25 pieces of excellent artillery, and
solicited the honor of taking part in the
decisive movement, to which Napoleon
consented. He then sent for General
Mocdonald, his design being to shake the
Austrian center with 100 guns, and then
pierce it with Macdonald's bayonets and
Nansouty's sabers. These orders were
ohpVfH? nn tlin instant.
While awaiting the carrying out of these!
movements. Impatient for the arrival of
Macdonald and Lauriston, Napoleon rode
about the field on his Persian horse of das
zjlng whiteness, giving orders to his aides
constantly. The cannonade had by this
time acquired the frequency at musket
firing, and everybody shuddered at the
thought of seeing the man, on whose life
so many destinies depended, struck by
one of those blind messengers of death.
The hundred guns were now ranged In
line, and instantly began the most ter
rific cannonade ever known to those who
witnessed it. Napoleon observed with
his glass the effect of that formidable
battery, saw the enemy's artillery dis
mounted, and was satisfied with the cor
rectness of his own conceptions. But ar
tillery was not sufficient to break the
Austrian center; bayonets, too, were req
uisite. The intrepid Macdqnall now advanced
at the head of his corps under a deluge of
fire, leaving the ground covered at every
step with his dead and wounded, still
closing the "ranks withouj wavering, and
communicating his own gallant bearing
to his soldiers. "WJiat a brave man!"
Napoleon several times exclaimed, as he
saw him thus march under the shower of
grape and buljets. The archduke's center,
shaken by the fire of a hundred pieces of
ordnance, retreats, as also does his right.
Davoust now shakes the Austrian left
wing, and as he does so -Napoleon ex
claims. "The battle Is won!" And so it
was. Lauriston, with a hundred pieces of
cannon, and Macdonald at the head of a
chosen division, charged the Austrians in
the center and broke through it. The vic
tory Too for the French once more.
At length the Austrian army fell into
disorder, their center was driven back
two or three miles out of the line; cries
of alarm w'ere heard, the right wing gave
way and the left soon followed. The route
was now complete. At the close of the
battle there remained 20,000 prisoners, be
sides all the artillery and baggage In the
hands of the French. Napoleon showed
all his courage and talents on this day,
and was ever in the hottest of the action!
though the appearance of his retinue
drew on him showers of grape by which
he was repeatedly endangered. From ear
ly morning he was occupied In galloping
through the different lines, encouraging
the troops by his presence and persuasive
eloquence; many being killed by the balls
and bullets that flew about him. It was
observed that the enemy's fire was par
ticularly directed against the emperor;
in consequence of which Napoleon was
obliged to change his surtout three times.
The aides-de-camp, and officers of the staff
were also given to understand tha.t they
should keep more at a distance and the
regiments were Instructed not to salute
the emperor with acclamations at the mo
ment he was passing.
On the following morning, after sur
veying the field of battle. Napoleon went
to place himself in the midst of his troops
who were about to pursue the retreating
enemy. He walked around the bivouacs
without either hat or sword, his hands be
ing crossed behind him, and as he talked
with the soldiers of his .guard his manner
and countenance expressed the utmost
satisfaction and confidence. On passing
Macdonald, with whom he had. lost favor,
and who had not followed the fortunes
of the emperor for some years, Napoleon
stopped and held out his hand, saying:
"Shake hands. Macdonald; no more ani
mosity between us, we must Thenceforth
be friends; and. as a pledge of my sin
cerity, I will send you your marshal's
staff, which you so gloriously earned. In
yesterday's battle." The general, press
ing the emperor's hand, affectionately, ex
claimed: "Ah, sire, with us It Is hence
forth for life or death." The act was
heightened by the grace and good
will with which It was performed. The
same rank was granted a few days after
to General Oudlnot and'the Duke of Ra
gusa (Marmont), for their eminent ser
vices. After the battle Napoleon recognized
among the dead a colonel who had dis
pleased him. He stopped and looked at
the mangled body for a moment and then
said, "I regret not having told him before
the battle that I had forgotten every
thing." The archduke fled in great confusion as
far as Znalm In Moravia, abandoning, as
trophies of his defeat, 10 standards, 40
pieces of cannon, nearly 1S.0M prisoners.
9000 wounded and a spreat quantity of
equipage.
The loss of the French, while much less
than that of the enemy, was 6000 wounded
and 2600 killed. Marshal Bessieres was
among the former. !The French army had
to lament the loss of the valiant La Salle,
one of the first generals of light cavalry.
His death was greatly regretted both by
the emperor and the army. He was con
sidered the best light cavalry officer for
outpost duty and had the surest eye. He
could take In a whole district in a mo
ment, and seldom made a mistake, so
that his reports on tjie enemy's pqsitJon
were' clear and precise. He was a hand
some man and of bright wit, an. excellent
horseman and brave t6 the point of rash-'
ness. He first attracted the notice of
General Bonaparte .'at' llje battle of Ra
voli. when he galloped down a descent to
which the fleeing Austrians had resorted
to escape, and took some thousand prison
ers under the -eyes of General Bonaparte
and the array. From that time on La Salle
was in high favor. -with Napoleon, who
promoted him rapidly and took him to
Egypt, where he made him colonel.
The imperial cdtjncil perceived that
further resistance 'was useless and an
armistice was agreed to at Znaim. Na
polean returned to Vienna, which he
occupied until October?, For the third
time he found himself master of the des
tinies of the house of. Lorraine, which he
had accused of ingratitude and perjury be
fore Europe and in the face of history;
for the third time this conqueror, so vio
lent in his menaces, so overwhelming In
his reproaches, eagerly received the pro
posals of those who had provoked the
war, whose hopes had been overthrown,
and whose resources were destroyed on
the day of Wagram. The Tesults of the
battle, without being as extraordinary as
those of Austerlitz, Jena or Friedland,
were great nevertheless.
The announcement of the armistice with
Austria put en end. in effect, to all hos
tile demonstratiens on the Continent, ex
cept in the peninsula, and Germany, in
apparent tranquility, awaited the result
of the negotiations of Vienna.
A few days after Napoleon returned to
Schoenbrunn from Moravia he narrowly
escaped the dagger dl'a young man, who
rushed'jipon him. at agjand'Yeview of the
Imperial Guard, and, ivrhjle ,ln the midst
of all his staff, Berthjer and,Rapp threw
themsclves upon the,, would-be assassin
and disarmed him atj.the moment when
his knife was about to enter the emperor's
body.
Napoleon demanded to know oft him
what motive" had actuated the assassin.
"What injury." said he", "have I done to
you?"
"To me personally, none," answered
the youth; "but you are the oppressor of
my country; the tyrant of the world; and
to have put you to death would have
been the highest glory of a man of hon
or.'1 The youth, a son of a clergyman of
Erfurt named Staaps, was condemned to
death. It Is said Napoleon wished to
pardon Staaps, whose frankness and
courage had struck him, and in whom,
besides, he saw but a blind instrument
of the passions Incited by the monarchy;
but his orders arrived too late. The
young German met his death with the
greatest coolness, exclaiming: "Hail,
liberty! Germany forever! Death to the
tyrant!"
. The length to which the negotiations
with Austria were protracted excited much
wonder, but Napoleoiu who was occupied
incessantly with his ministers and gener
als, and seldom showing himself in public,
had other business on hand besides his
treaty with the Emperor Francis. His
long-standing quarrel with the pope had
now reached Its crisis, growing out of the
Concordat, Involving affairs in Spain and
Portugal, and finally by a refusal of the
pontiff to acquiesce in theBerlin and Milan
'iffegrees against England's commerce. On
the 17th of May Napoleon had issued from
Vienna his final decree declaring the tem
poral sovereignty of the pope to be wholly
at an end. Incorporating Rome with the
French empire, and declaring it to be his
second city, settling a. handsome pension
on the holy father in his spiritual capac
ity, and appointing a cpmmittee of admin
istration for the civil government of Rome.
The popo replied with a bull of excommu
nication against Napoleon, which finally
resulted In the removal of his holiness to
Fontainebleau. where he continued a pris
oner, though treated personally with re
spect and magnificence, during more than
three years.
The treaty with Austria, was at last
signed at Schoenbrunn on the 14th of
October, Austria giving up territory to
the amount of 43,000 square miles, with a
population of 4,000,000, and depriving her
of her last seaport. Yet, when compared
with the signal triumphs or the campaign
at Wagram, the terms on which the con
queror signed the peace were universally
looked upon as remarkable for modera
tion. Napoleon afterward expressed him
self as highly, culpable in having left
Austria too powerful after the affair at
Wagram, using the following words on
that occasion: "The day after the battle,
I ought to have published in the order of
the day that I would ratify no treaty with
Austria until after a previous separation
of the crown of Austria, Hungary and
Bohemia, to be placed on three different
heads."
Napoleon quitted Vienna orf the 16th
of October, and was congratulated by the
public bodies of Paris at Fontainebleau
op the 14th of November as "the greatest
of heroes, who never achieved victories
but for the happiness of the world."
When he reappeared at the palace at
Fontainebleau on October 26, 1SCD. crowned
with the victory of Wagram, there was
one to whom dark forebodings came
Josephine felt that her fate was sealed.
In fact, as a modern writer has said, the
Immediate result of Wagram was the di
vorce from the empress.
XVIII.
CAMPAIGN OF RUSSIA.
The first public intimation of a. measure
which had for a considerable period occu
pied Napoleon's thoughts came from the
emperor himself when he said. In an im
perial speech in which he described the
events of the past year, and the state of
France: "I and my house will ever be
found ready to sacrifice everything, even
our own dearest ties and feelings, to the
welfare of the French people."
Long before Napoleon assumed the Im
perial title, his hopes of offspring from the
union with Josephine were at an end. For
a time the latter lived in the hope that
Napoleon would bt content to adopt her
son Eugene, and make him heir to his
colossal empire. Lcul3 Bonaparte after
ward married Hortep.se Beauharnais, and
an Infant son became so much the favor
ite of Napoleon that Josephine, as well as
others, regarded this boy as the heir of
France. But the child died early, and the
emperor then began to direct his thoughts
toward the best means of dissolving his
marriage with Josephine In order that he
might form an alliance with some daugh
ter of Russia or other imperial family.
Emperor Alexander was approached
on this subject, and Informed that one of
his sisters, the Grand Duchess Anne,
would be acceptable, but the empress
mother hesitated, and this being taken
by Napoleon as a refusal, he sought the
hand of the Archduchess Marie Louise,
daughter of Emperor Francis of Aus
tria, the same youthful princess who has
been mentioned as remaining in Vienna,
on account of Illness, during the 3econd
occupation of that capital by the French.
On the 15th of February, 1S09, the em
peror summoned his council and an-"
nounced to them that, at the expense of
all hi3 personal feelings, he, devoted
wholly to the welfare of the state, had re
solved to separate himself from his most
dear consort. "Arrived at the age of 40
years," he said.. "I may conceive the hope
of living sufficiently long to elevate, in my
mind and after my ideas, the children
with which it shall please Providence to
bless me. God knows how much this res
olution has coat my heart; I should
also add, that, far from ever having to
complain, I have en the contrary only had
cause to laud the attachment and tender
ness of my belov ed wife. She has adorned
lo years of my life. The recollection there
of will always remain graven on my
heart.'
Josephine then appeared among them,
and, not without tears, expressed her
acquiescence in the decree. "I believe I
acknowledge all these sentiments," she
said, "by consenting lo a dissolution of a
marriage which, at present. Is an obstacle
to the welfare of France, which deprives
it of being one day governed by the de
scendants of a great man, so evidently
raised by Providence-to efface the ills of a
terrible revolution, and re-establish the
altar, the throne and social order."
The coupcil, after addressing the em
peror aqd empress on the nobleness of
their mutual sacrifice, accepted ant? rati
fied the dissolution of marriage. The tit'e
of empress was prest rved to Josephine for
life, and a pension of 2,000,000 francs, to
which Napoleon afterward added a third
million from his privy purse. She then
retired from the Tuilcrics, residing
thenceforth mostly at Malmatson. and in
the course of a few weeks Austria was
called upon for her daughter.
Having given her hand at Vienna on
the 11th of March, 1810. to Berthier, who
had the honor to represent the person of
the emperor, the young archduchess set
out for France on the 13th.
On the 2Sth, as her carriage was pro
ceeding toward Soissons, Napoleon rode
up to It, In a plain dress, altogether un
attended, and Introduced himself to his
proxy biide. She had never seen his per
son till then, and It is said her first ex
clamation was: "Your majesty's pictures
have not done you justice."
They spent the evening at the chateau
of Compiegnc, and a religious marriage
was celebrated on the 1st of April at St.
Cloud, amidst every circumstance of
splendor. The next day they made their
entry into the capital. Napoleon in his
exile said that "the Spanish ulcer" and
the Austrian match were the two main
causes of hid ruin; and they both con
tributed to it largely, though by no means
equally. The exile's own opinion was that
the error lay, not in seeking a bride of
imperial birth, but in choosing her at Vi
enna. Had he persisted In his demands,
the czar, he doubted not, would have
granted him his sister; the proud dreams
of Tilsit would have been realized, and
Paris and St. Petersburg become the two
only capital? of Eurcpe. Possibly, then,
he would not have had occasion to say'
that he "pet his foot uuon an abyss of
roses" when he married Marie.
Had he married a daughter of France,
or even an imperial princess of Russia,
he could have done so without the sacri
fice of the prestige of the nobility, and
even the divinity of the people he had so
gloriously contended, for; but when it was
announced that he had contracted an alli
ance with the House of Hapsburg that
hated race against whom and against
whoso principles he had fought a hundred
battles they were convinced that no good
would come of it, and they were right.
The war, meanwhile, continued without
Interruption in the Peninsula; whither,
but for his marriage, Napoleon would cer
tainly have repaired in person after the
peace of Schoenbrunn left htm at ease.
So illy was that Spanish campaign con
ducted during Napoleon's absence that
not an inch of soil could be counted by
the French beyond their outposts. Their
troops were continually harassed and
thinned by the indomitable guerrillas who
acted singly or in bands as occasion "of
fered. The emperor's new marriage was speed
ily followed on the 20th of April, 1S11, by
the birth of a son and heir, whom Na
poleon announced to the waiting courtiers
in these words: "It is a king of Rome!"
The happy event, announced to the popu
lace by the firing of 101 guns, was re
ceived with many demonstrations of loyal
enthusiasm. Even Josephine joined in ex
pressing her satisfaction at the event
which seemed to portend sq much for the
founding of a- Napoleonic ijynaiSty which
the emperor .now saw possible by direct
lineage. , .
When the emperor of Russia was inr
formed of Napoleon's ftRpoaching nuptials
with the Austrian "princess, his first .ex
clamation was, "Then the next thlnff will
Nbe to drive us back into our forests."
During the summer of 1811, the relation3
of Russia and France were becoming
every day .more dubious, and w hen toward
the close of it the emperor of Austria
published a rescript granting a free pass
age through his territories to the troops
of UJs f-on-lnrlaw, England, ever watchful
of her great enemy, perceived clearly that
France was about to have an ally. Alex
ander had long ceased to regard the
friendship of the great man. as a blessing
of heaven. Of the solemn cordiality of
Tilsit, artd the more recent meeting at
Erfurt, there remained in the coul of the
czar naught but the displeasure and re-J
sentment arising irora esunct auecuon
and deceived hopes.
Most persuasive appeals were made to
Napoleon by his ministers to refrain from
entering into a campaign of aggression
against Russia- To Fouche, minister of
police. Napoleon is reported lo have sail.
In reply: "Is It my fault that the height of
power which I have attained compels me
to ascend to the dictatorship of the world?
My destiny Is not yet accomplished the
picture exists as yet only in outline. There
must be one code, one court of appeal,
and one coinage for all Europe. The
states of Europe must be melted into one
nation, and Paris be Its capital."
In the arguments used by Napoleon's
advisers at this tune, they attempted to
show him, among other things, the great
extent of Alexander's resources his 100.COO
regulars and 50,000 Cossacks, already
known to be in arms and the enormous
population on which he had the means of
drawing for recruUs; " the enthusiastic
national feeling of the Muscovites; the
distance of their corntry; the severity of
their climate; the opportunity which a
war would afford to England of urging
her successes in Spain; and tne chance of
Germany rising In Insurrection in case of
any reverses.
Trusting to his star his "Star of Des
tiny," in which he yet firmly believed he
was far from being awed whep In April,
1S12, Russia declared war against France.
It was an indefensible violation of the
treaty of Tilsit, but It showed Napoleon
that Europe was determined to crush him
and he rallied, the forces of his empire for
a more terrible conflict than he had yet
beep summoned to.
Not satisfied wUh disposing everything
for war in the bosom of the" empire. Na
poleon., wh'o wished to iqarch Into Russia
at the head 6f his vast army of Europe,
bqsled himself in forming and cementing,
extsrnally, powerful allies. Two treaties
were concluded to thfs effect; the one
With Prussia and the other with Austria.
on the 2lth of February and 14th of
March, 1812.
Alexander's minister was ordered in .he
beginning of April to demand the with
drawal of the northern troops, together
with the evecuatlon of the -fortress In
Pomerania, in case the French govern
ment still entertained a wish to negotiate.
Napoleon replied that he was not accus
tomed to regulate the distribution of his
forces by the suggestions of a foreign
power. The ambassador then demanded
his passoprts and quitted Paris.
The emperor of France was confident,
and seems to have entertained no doubt
of his success in the coming campaign.
"The war," he said, "is a wise measure,
called for by the true Interests of France
and the general welfare. The great power
I have already attained compels me to
assume a universal dictatorship. My
views are not ambitious. I desire to ob
tain no further acquisition; and reserve to
myself only the glory of doing good, and
the blessing of posterity."
Leaving Pans with the empress on the
9th of May, 1812. on his way to join the
grand army then form'ng on the Polish
frontier, the imperial pair were accom
panied by a continual triumph. Not mere
ly In France, but thoughout Germany, the
ringing of bells, music and the most en
thusiastic greetings" awaited them wher
ever they appeared. On May 1G, the em
peror arrived at Dresden, where the em
peror of Austria, the kings of Prussia,
Naples, Wlrtemberg and Westphalia, and
almost every German sovereign of in
ferior rank, had been invited to meet him.
He hod sent to request the czar also to
appear in this brillicnt assemblage, as a
last chance of an amicable arrangement,
but the messenger could not obtain ad
mission to Alexander's presence.
Marie Louise was now sent back to
France, and the Itusslam campaign be
gan. Marshal Key, with one great di
vision of the army, had already passed
Vistula; Junot, with, another, occupied
botli sides of the Cder. Tho .czar was
known to be at Wilna, coUeatins the
forces of his immense empire and Intrust
ing the general arrangements of the ap
proaching campaign to Marshal Barclay
de Tplly, an officer who had been born
and educated In Germany. The season
was advancing, and it was time that the
question of peace or war should be forced
to a, decision.
Napoleon, before leaving the gay 'court
of Dresden, where he was hailed as "the
Icing of kings." dispatched Count de Nar
bonne to the Empercr Alexander to make
a fresh attempt at negotiation in order to
spare the shedding of more blood. On his
return, Narbonne staled that he "had
found the Russians neither depressed nor
boasting; that the result of all the replies
of the czar was that th'ey preferred war to
a disgraced peace; that they would take
special. care not to risk a battle with an
adversary so formidable; and, finally, that
they were determined to make every sac
rifice to protract the war, and drive back
the invader,"
Napoleon arrived at Dantzic on the 7th
of June, and during the fortnight which
ensued it was known that the final com
munications between him and Alexander
were taking place. On the 22d the French
emperor broko silence in a bulletin in
which he said: "Soldiers, Russia is
dragged on by her fate; her destiny must
be accomplished. Let us march; let us
cross the Nlemen, let us carry war into
her territories. Our second campaign of
Poland will be as glorious as our first;
but cur second peace shall carry with it
its own guarantee. It shall put an end
forever to that haughty influence which
Russia has exercised for 50 years on the
affairs of Europe."
The czar announced the termination of
the negotiations by stating the Innumer
able efforts to obfain peace, auJ concluded
in these words: "Soldiers, you must fight
for your religion, your liberty and your
native land. Your emperor is amongst
you: and God is the enemy of the ag
gressor." Napoleon reviewed the greater part of
his troops on the battle-field jof Friedland,
and, having assured thera of still more"
splendid victories over the same enemy,
issued his final orders to the chief officers
of his army. The disposition of his forces
when the compaign commenced was as
follows: The left wing, commanded by
Macdonald, and, amounting to Gu.000 men,
had orders to march through Courland,
with the view, If possible, of outflanking
the Russian right and gaining the posses
sion of seacpast In the direction of Riga.
The right wing, composed almost wholly
of Austrians, 30,000 in number, and com
manded by Schwartzenberg, was stationed
on the Volhynlan frontier. Between these
moved the various corps forming the
grand central army, under the general
superintendence of Napoleon himself, viz.,
those of Davoust, Ney, Jerome Bonaparte,
Eugene Beauharnais, Prince Poniatowski,
Junot and Victor; and in numbers amount
ing to 250,000 men. The communication
of the center and the left was maintained
by the corps of Oudlnot, and those of the
center and the extreme right by the corps
of Regnier, who had with him the Saxon
auxiliaries and the Polish legion of Dom-
browski. The chief command of the whole
cavalry of the host was assigned to Mu
rat; but he was in person at the head
quarters of the emperor, having imme
diately under his order three divisions of
horse, those of Grouchy, Montbrun and
Nantousy. Augereau, with his division,
was to lemain in the north of Germany
to watch over Berlin and protect the com
munications with France. Napoleon's
base of operations, as will be seen by the
map, extended over full 100 leagues, and
the heads of his various columns were so
distributed that the Russians could not
guess whether St. Petersburg or Moscow
formed the main object of .their march.
The Russian army, "under De. Tolly, had
its headquarters at Wilna.-and consisted,
at the opening of the campaign, of 120,000
men. Considerably to the left lay "the
second, army,'' as it was. called. of 80,000
inen under Bagition, with whom were
Platoff and 2,eQ0 of his Cossacks; while
at the extreme of that wing "the army of
A'olhypla," 20,000 strong, commanded by
Torrtlazoff, watched Schwartzenberg. On
the "right of De Tolly was Witgenstein
with -SO.OOO men, and between these again
and the sea the corps of "Essen, 10,000
Strong. Behind the whole line two armies
Of reserve were rapidly forming at Novgo
rod and Smolensk, each, probably, of
about 20,000 men. The Russians actually
on the afield at the opening of the cam
paign were, then, as nearly as can be
computed, in number 260,000; while Napo
leon was prepared to cross the Niemen at
the head of 470.000 men.
The czar was resolved from the begin
ning; to act entirely on the defensive and
to draw Napoleon, If possible, into the
heart of his own country ere he gave him
battle. The various divisions of the Rus
sian force had orders to fall back leisurely
as the enemy advanced, destroying what
ever they could not remove along with
them, and halting only at certain points
where intrenched camps had already been
formed for their reception.
The difficulty of feeding 500,000 men in a
country deliberately wasted beforehand,
and separated by so great a space from
Germany, to say nothing of France, was
sure to increase at every hour and every
step. Alexander's great object was, there
fore, to husband his own strength until
the polar winter should set in around the
strangers and bring the miseries which he
thus foresaw to a crisis.
Napoleon, on the other hand, had calcu
lated on being met by the Russians at or
even in advance of their own frontier (as
he had been by the Austrians in the cam
paign of Austerlitz and by the Prussians
in that of Jena), of gaining a great bat
tle, marching immediately either to St.
Petersburg or Moscow, and dictating a
peace within the walls of one of the czar's
own palaces.
On June 24 the grand imperial army,
consolidated into three masses, began
the passage of the Niemen Jerome Bona
parte at Grodno. Eugene at Pilpny, and
Napoleon himself near Kowno. The em
peror rode on In front of his army at 2
o'clock In tjie morning to reconnoitre the
banks, escaping observation by wearing
a Polish cloak and hat; Ills, horse stum
bled and he fell to the ground. "A bad'
omen; a Rom.an would return," some one
remarked, After a minute- investigation
he discovered a spot near the village of
Foineraen, above Kowno, suitable for the
passage of his troops, and gave brders for
three bridges to be thrown across at
nightfall.
The passage of the troops was impeded
for a time; for the bridge over the Villa,
s. stream running into the Niemen, had
been broken down by the Russians. The
emperor, however, despising this obstacle,
ordered a Polish squadron of horse to
swim the river. They obeyed instantly:
but on reaching the middle the current
proved too strong for them, broke their
ranks, and swept away and engulfed many
of them.. Even during their last struggles
the'brave fellows turned their faces toward
the shore, where Napoleon was watching
their unavailing efforts with the deepest
emotion, and shouted with their dying
breath, "Vive l'empereur!"
Three of these noble-spirited patriots
uttered this cry when only a part of their
faces was above the waters. The army
wa3 struck with a mixture of horror and
admiration. Napoleon watched the scene.
apparently unmoved, but gave every order
be could devise for the purpose of savings
as many of them as possible, though with
little effect. It is probable that his strong
est feeling, even at the time, was a pre
sentiment that this disastrous event was
but the beginning of others, at once tre
mendous and extensive.
As these enormous hosts advanced into
the Russian territory, Alexander with
drew his armies as deliberately as the in
vader pushed on. Wtlna. the capital It
self, was evacuated in two days before the
French came in sight of it, and Napoleon
took up hig quarters there on the 23th ot
June. Here It was found that all the
magazines which he counted on seizing
had been burnt before the Russians with
drew. Alrpady the imperial bulletins be
gan to denounce fhe "barbarous method"
In which the enemy resolved to conduct
his defense.
The emperor remained 20 days at Wilna.
during Which time he redoubled his efforts
to secure quantities of provisions which
were to be conveyed along with his army;
these were to render him Independent of
the countries through which he might
pass. The destruction of the magazines
at Wilna reassured him that he had.
judged well in departing from the old
system of marauding, which had been
adopted in previous campaigns with suc
cess. At the end of this period Napoleon:
became aware that, while the contracts
entered into by his war minister were ade
quate for the army's needs, the handling
of such enormous quantities of provisions
under the most favorable circumstances
must be slow and in some degree uncer
tain. Thus the emperor found himself!
under the necessity either of laying aside
his invasion for another year or of urging:
It in the face of every difficulty, all of
wnieh he had foreseen except the slowness,
of a commissariat department.
When Napoleon arrived at Wilna he was!
regarded by the people as their liberator.
A deputation was sent to him by the diet
of Warsaw, entreating his assistance
toward the restoration of their ancient
kingdom, the re-establishment of Poland
having been proclaimed. They came, they
said, to solicit Napoleon the Great to pro
nounce these few words: "Let the king
dom of Poland exist!" and then It would
exist; that all the Poles would devote
themselves to the orders of the fourth
French dynasty, to whom ages were but
a moment, and space no more than a.
point.
Napoleon at length re-entered the field
without having done much to remedy the
disorders of his commissariat. He at first
determined to make St. Petersburg his
mark, counting much on the effects which
a triumphal entry into the capital would,
produce throughout the country; but, his
troops meeting with some reverses at
Riga and Dunaburg, he changed hjs plans
and resolved to march on Moscow instead.
The center of the army was now thrown
forward under Davoust with the view of
turning Barclay's position and cutting off
his communication with Bagration. This
brought about an engagement with the
latter on the 23d of July near Mahllow.
the French remaining in possession of the
town, The Russian commander in retreat
ing informed Barclay that he was now
marching, not on Vitepsk, but on Smol
ensk. During the three days of the 25th, 26th
and 27th of July, the French were again
victorious. Napoleon halted at Vitepslc
for several days In order to allow his
troops to recuperate. On the 8th of Au
gust the emperor quitted Vitcpsk, and
after a partial engagement at Krasnol on
on the 14th, came In sight of Smolensk on
the 16th. On the 10th of August Napoleon
was observed to write eight letters to
Davoust, and nearly as many to each of
his commanders. "If the enemy defends
Smolensk," he said in one of his letters to
Davoust, "as I am tempted to believe he
will, we shall have a decisive engagement
there, and we cannot have too large a;
force. Orcha will become the central
point of the army. Everything induces
me to believe that there will be a great;
battle at Smolensk."
The first and second armies of the czar,
under Bagration and Baiclay, having at
length effected a junction, retired with
120,000 men behind the river which flows
at the back of this town.
As soon as Napoleon saw these masses
of men approaching from the distance, he
clapped his hands with joy, exclaiming.
"At last I have them!" The moment that
was to decide the fate of Russia or the
French army had apparently arrived.
Napoleon passed along the line, and as
signed to each commander his station,
leaving an extensive plain unoccupied In
front between himself and the Dneiper.
This he offered to the enemy for a field of
battle, but Instead ot accepting the chal
lenge Barclay and Bagration were seen
next morning in full retreat.
During the night the Russian garrison
had withdrawn and joined the" army
across the river. Before they departed
they committed the city to the flames,
and, the buildings being chiefly of wood,
the conflagration, according to the French
bulletin, "resembling in its fury an erup
tion of Vesuvius." "Never," said Napo
leon, "was war conducted with such In
humanity; the Russians treat their own
country as if it were that of an enemy.",
It now, however, began to be difficult in
the extreme to extinguish the flames cre
ated by the retreating Russians. The em
peror in person used every effort tor stop
the progress of the devouring element and
render succor to the wounded. "Napo
leon." says Gourgaud, "is of all generals,
whether ancient cr modern, the one who
has paid the greatest attention to the
wounded. The Intoxication of victory
never could make him forget them, and
his first thought, after every battle, was
always or them."
It was very evident that the Russian
commander had no desire that Napoleon
should establish himself In winter quar
ters at this point. From Smolensk the
Russians retreated to Dorogoburg, and
thence to Viasma; halting at each of these
towns and deliberately burning them in
face of the enemy. Having returned to
Smolensk, Napoleon became a. prey to the
most harassing reflections on the oppor
tunity which had so lately escaped him
of destroying the whole of the Russian
army, and attaining a speedy conclusion
of peace. TJncertainty began to gain
ground with him; vague presentiments
made him desire to terminate as soon as
possible this distant campaign. "We are
too far engaged to fall back," said the
emperor on arriving at Ougea; "and if I
only proposed to myself the glory of war
like exploits I should have but to return
to Smolensk, there plant my eagles, and
content myself with extending my right
and left arms, which would crush Witt
genstein and Tormasoff. These operations
would be brilliant; they would finish the
campaign very satisfactorily, but they
would not terminate the war. Our troops
may advance, but are Incapable of re
maining stationary. Motion may keep
them together; a halt or retreat would at
once dissolve them. Ours Is an army of
attack, not of defense; of operation, not
of position. We must advance upon Mos
cow, jcain possession of that capital, and
there dictate terms of peaqe to tho czar!
Peace is before us; we are but eight days
march from it. When the object is so
nearly attained, it would be unwise to de
liberate. Let us, therefore, march upon
Moscow!"
(To bo continued.)