onward march at first their path had literally been strewn with flowers roses were shed upon them from the windows and of every town through which they passed and women and girls to the roadside with for their blessing them and encouraging them when they reached the ground from which the had retired before them signs began to show themselves of the of war the country was everywhere beautiful but running to waste no were at work farms were abandoned deserted no in the lanes nor cows in the meadows from the empty houses the furniture and even the doors and windows had been carried away rows of trees had been cut down and their trunks and branches converted into churches were turned into looked into a fine cathedral and saw the floor with straw and depending from the pillars and fires lighted outside in one church were two hundred horses such was the excellent temper of the country however that no was nor was there as yet any difficulty in getting supplies private persons placed their horses and money at the disposal of government the waiting rooms at the railway stations were turned into for bread and piled with to the to the march was a mere the last had crossed the frontier river the french and were swiftly following them in compact masses along narrow roads with their stores dragged behind in innumerable old brick that the might well have defended had been taken no advantage of and on either hand had been turned to no account as cover for in front were woods of oak and chestnut the beautiful foliage of which might well have concealed an but they no lurking foes a deep and wooded valley crossed this at its bottom flowed the and round a hundred the river was by a good stone bridge under the green cliffs beyond were seen the bell towers of the villages of and the french and crossed the river in two columns and their bright arms were soon glancing through the green foliage on the other side then began the horrors of the fight but still enthusiasm carried the raw hands well through it and those who were went boldly onward leaving the blood stained behind for others to muse over and shudder at and thus again and again once or twice threw himself before to between him and danger till the elder gentleman him with some saying � young gentleman you are do you think no one is ready to for italy but yourself was checked and ashamed but continued to watch over the s safety as he hoped and believed in fact his motive was penetrated but both reached comparatively and were s feelings as he passed through the ornamental iron work gates of the city and beheld the wondrous of the world famous soaring high overhead oh the enthusiasm with which the were greeted the first large body of troops which entered the city was headed by m duke of the people frantic with joy were ready to cast themselves beneath his horse s feet a little girl of five years old dressed in white forced her way through the crowd and with a child s fearless eagerness held up to the great general a almost as large as herself the brave man raised her up and placed her standing before him on his saddle the little creature threw her arms round his head and kissed him repeatedly amid ringing cheers and thus still holding and her he rode on amid showers of o flowers and applause while some eyes were wet with tears nothing could be or more free from studied effect than the entry of the two sovereigns hot and dusty they rode along side by side and the emperor s usually impenetrable countenance was not without emotion after short repose the proceeded on their glorious march it was again a to the banks of the for the were in full retreat towards their famous it was a pleasant course to the victorious troops through that park like country the long straight roads were shaded by rows of tall elms and and on each side a little of water a dense growth of with a profusion of wild flowers the nut and wild vine grew in wild here and there the opened into charming little grassy while amid the were heard the songs of and picturesque villages greeted their eyes at every turn and large farm houses peeped from the woods a little off the road the ran from their work to look at the troops and offer them of their best and the bursts of lively music the of wine glasses the groups of tired warriors and refreshing themselves and the admiring crowds shouting gave the whole scene the appearance of a fair and thus onward across the and onward across the even to otherwise the had retreated even across the when with that fatal weakness of purpose which seemed to all their military movements they the in four enormous divisions and came upon the main body of the french their left wing seems to have commenced the attack and an early success attended their right wing against the but the emperor napoleon directed his chief efforts against their centre which he at length broke and from that moment the battle was lost and won the the leaving behind them fifty thousand men in killed wounded and prisoners and louis napoleon who had been constantly in the fire and thereby animated his troops slept that night in the room occupied in the morning by the emperor of retiring to rest he wrote this letter � the emperor to the friday evenings great battle � great victory the whole army formed the line of battle which extended five in length we have taken all their positions and captured many cannon flags and prisoners the battle lasted from four o clock in the morning till 