# Napoleon (O'Connor 1896)

Layout 2
NAPOLEON.
NAPOLEON
BY
T. P. O'CONNOR,
AUTHOR OF "SOME OLD LOVE STORIES."
LONDON: CHAPMAN AND HALL, Ld. 1896.
F. M. EVANS AND CO., LIMITED, PRINTERS,
CRYSTAL PALACE, S.E.
PREFACE.
I have thought of various methods for presenting these Essays in a collected form. The first and most natural suggestion was that I should, after a careful comparison of their conflicting points of view, and an assortment of their statements, present to the reader a final estimate and a finished picture. I found it impossible to adopt this course. Napoleon had so many sides; was not only so contradictory in himself, but produced such contradictory impressions on different people, that it lay far beyond my power to make one consistent picture of him, and to decide with anything like confidence between testimony at once so contradictory and so authoritative. The plan to which I have been driven, then, is to present these Essays pretty much as they originally appeared—which means that I have made ​myself the interpreter, and not the judge, of the witnesses and of the evidence. I am conscious of the disadvantages of such a plan; but, on the other hand, it has its compensations. The reader will have ample material for forming his own judgment: Napoleon, too, will be presented in his vast many-sidedness; and finally, there will probably be in the reader's mind, after hearing all these conflicting voices, a nearer approach to a just and accurate estimate of Napoleon than if he had read any one set of witnesses, or if he had been confronted with a self-confident judgment on the final merits of the evidence. No human character is mathematical in its lines; and historical characters especially are much less consistent, either in their goodness or their badness, than their admirers and their foes represent. The final picture of Napoleon which these Essays will leave in the minds of the reader will, I expect, be somewhat blurred, inconsistent—perhaps even chaotic. The picture, perhaps, will be for all this the nearer to reality.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I. :
| | | PAGE |
| TAINE'S PORTRAIT | TAINE'S PORTRAIT | 1 |
| I. | Napoleon an Italian | 1 |
| II. | His Italian temperament | 3 |
| III. | In déshabille | 6 |
| IV. | His Italian loquacity | 8 |
| V. | And his sensibility | 9 |
| VI. | His moments of cowardice | 11 |
| VII. | Napoleon's family | 14 |
| VIII. | Napoleon's beginnings | 17 |
| IX. | His power of command | 20 |
| X. | An early portrait | 22 |
| XI. | His power of work | 24 |
| XII. | The power of taking pains | 26 |
| XIII. | His mastery of detail | 28 |
| XIV. | His grasp of character | 32 |
| XV. | What his memory held | 35 |
| XVI. | His imaginativeness | 38 |
| XVII. | Dreams of a new religion | 40 |
| XVIII. | His Court | 43 |
| XIX. | His rudeness | 47 |
| XX. | His aggressiveness | 49 |
| XXI. | His treatment of his Ministers | 50 |
| XXII. | The dependence of the Marshals | 52 |
| XXIII. | His hatred of independence | 54 |
| XXIV. | His estimate of humanity | 57 |
| XXV. | His judgments on himself | 60 |
| XXVI. | The causes of his fall | 62 |
| XXVII. | The instability of his rule | 64 |
| XXVIII. | His obstinate egotism | 66 ​ |
| CHAPTER II. |||
| THE ESTIMATE OF A WORSHIPPER | THE ESTIMATE OF A WORSHIPPER | 70 |
| I. | Méneval | 70 |
| II. | A hero worshipper | 72 |
| III. | Napoleon appears | 73 |
| IV. | Méneval starts work | 75 |
| V. | First dictation | 77 |
| VI. | A portrait of Napoleon | 79 |
| VII. | Napoleon at table | 82 |
| VIII. | Life at Malmaison | 83 |
| IX. | Josephine's occupations | 85 |
| X. | Méneval charmed | 87 |
| XI. | The shadow of a crime | 88 |
| XII. | Napoleon's power of work | 89 |
| XIII. | Napoleon in his study | 92 |
| XIV. | Napoleon as a man of letters | 93 |
| XV. | Napoleon's orthography | 95 |
| XVI. | Lapses | 97 |
| XVII. | Was Napoleon superstitious? | 98 |
| XVIII. | Curious characteristics | 100 |
| XIX. | Daily habits | 102 |
| XX. | Napoleon in the field | 104 |
| XXI. | The descent begun | 107 |
| XXII. | Napoleon's forlorn young heir | 109 |
| XXIII. | A doomed man | 111 |
| CHAPTER III. |||
| THE ESTIMATE OF AN OFFICIAL | THE ESTIMATE OF AN OFFICIAL | 113 |
| I. | The Pasquier dynasty | 113 |
| II. | The old régime | 114 |
| III. | Paris before the storm | 117 |
| IV. | The taking of the Bastille | 119 |
| V. | The Girondists | 120 |
| VI. | The advance of the storm | 121 |
| VII. | A narrow escape | 123 |
| VIII. | A terrible plan | 125 ​ |
| IX. | The death of the King | 125 |
| X. | The Reign of Terror | 127 |
| XI. | Another narrow escape | 129 |
| XII. | A rescuing angel | 132 |
| XIII. | Still the Reign of Terror | 134 |
| XIV. | A prison scene | 137 |
| XV. | A prison terrorist | 139 |
| XVI. | Napoleon | 141 |
| XVII. | The return from Egypt | 142 |
| XVIII. | Napoleon's moment of fear | 144 |
| XIX. | Talleyrand | 145 |
| XX. | Talleyrand's treachery | 146 |
| XXI. | Humiliation of Germany | 148 |
| XXII. | The Talleyrand intrigue | 150 |
| XXIII. | Napoleon in a passion | 152 |
| XXIV. | A curious Bonaparte trait | 154 |
| XXV. | The female Bonapartes | 156 |
| CHAPTER IV. |||
| AS NAPOLEON APPEARED TO A RELATIVE | AS NAPOLEON APPEARED TO A RELATIVE | 159 |
| I. | About the Bastille | 160 |
| II. | The hanging of Foulon | 162 |
| III. | "To Paris" | 164 |
| IV. | Paris during the massacre | 166 |
| V. | How a village was affected by the overturn | 168 |
| VI. | A first view of Napoleon | 171 |
| VII. | Napoleon and Josephine | 172 |
| VIII. | Labours and fatigues | 173 |
| IX. | The return from Elba | 175 |
| X. | A changed France | 177 |
| XI. | Waterloo | 179 |
| CHAPTER V. |||
| NAPOLEON, AS HE APPEARED TO A SOLDIER | NAPOLEON, AS HE APPEARED TO A SOLDIER | 182 |
| I. | Glimpses of the Terror | 184 |
| II. | The Revolution in the school | 187 ​ |
| III. | First sight of Napoleon | 189 |
| IV. | Napoleon often deceived | 195 |
| V. | Napoleon's diplomatic methods | 200 |
| VI. | Austerlitz | 203 |
| VII. | The path of glory | 207 |
| VIII. | Napoleon and his troops | 208 |
| IX. | The rise of the house of Rothschild | 209 |
| X. | Napoleon and Queen Louise | 212 |
| XI. | Napoleon wounded | 213 |
| XII. | Napoleon and the Grenadier | 215 |
| XIII. | Detection of a spy | 217 |
| XIV. | Napoleon as Haroun-al-Raschid | 219 |
| XV. | Marbot in a tight place | 222 |
| XVI. | The end of the adventure | 226 |
| XVII. | After Moscow | 229 |
| XVIII. | The blood tax | 230 |
| XIX. | The defeat at Leipsic | 233 |
| XX. | Napoleon as a friend | 234 |
| CHAPTER VI. |||
| NAPOLEON'S CHIEF DETRACTOR | NAPOLEON'S CHIEF DETRACTOR | 237 |
| I. | Nearly a great man | 238 |
| II. | Barras and Robespierre—a contrast | 239 |
| III. | The Incorruptible at home | 240 |
| IV. | A memorable interview | 243 |
| V. | Danton | 246 |
| VI. | Robespierre's lust for blood | 248 |
| VII. | Fouquier-Tinville | 249 |
| VIII. | Two notorious women | 254 |
| IX. | The symmetry of Barras's villainy | 257 |
| X. | Two portraits—Barras and Robespierre | 258 |
| XI. | Napoleon and Josephine | 260 |
| XII. | Josephine's tears | 264 |
| XIII. | Her story to Napoleon | 268 |
| XIV. | Barras's most deadly charge | 272 ​ |
| CHAPTER VII. |||
| JOSEPHINE | JOSEPHINE | 275 |
| I. | Early years | 280 |
| II. | In the Artillery | 283 |
| III. | Early poverty | 285 |
| IV. | A youthful cynic | 288 |
| V. | Flight from Corsica | 291 |
| VI. | A first chance | 294 |
| VII. | He | 298 |
| VIII. | She | 299 |
| IX. | Bonaparte knocks | 300 |
| X. | The room | 301 |
| XI. | Enter Josephine | 302 |
| XII. | The fascination begins | 303 |
| XIII. | In the toils | 305 |
| XIV. | Venial mendacities | 307 |
| XV. | Dithyrambic love | 310 |
| XVI. | Suspicion | 312 |
| XVII. | Frivolous Josephine | 313 |
| XVIII. | The first quarrels | 317 |
| XIX. | Hippolyte Charles | 322 |
| XX. | In Egypt | 323 |
| XXI. | Hopeless Josephine | 331 |
| XXII. | Napoleon's infidelities | 333 |
| XXIII. | Madame Walewska | 335 |
| XXIV. | The divorce | 338 |
| XXV. | After the divorce | 342 |
| CHAPTER VIII. |||
| MARIE LOUISE | MARIE LOUISE | 344 |
| I. | The Corsican ogre | 344 |
| II. | The rearing of Marie Louise | 347 |
| III. | Iphigenia | 350 |
| IV. | Everlasting peace | 351 |
| V. | The bridegroom | 354 |
| VI. | As a Western odalisque | 355 ​ |
| VII. | The gilded cage | 357 |
| VIII. | The Nemesis of nature | 359 |
| IX. | The first meeting | 361 |
| X. | An escapade | 363 |
| XI. | A portrait | 366 |
| XII. | Self-distrust | 368 |
| XIII. | Napoleon's foibles | 369 |
| XIV. | Household changes | 371 |
| XV. | Horseplay | 373 |
| XVI. | Delicacy | 375 |
| XVII. | A son | 377 |
| XVIII. | Napoleon as a father | 378 |
| XIX. | Marie Louise's treason | 379 |
| XX. | Neipperg | 380 |
| XXI. | Il Serenissimo | 381 |
| CHAPTER IX. |||
| NAPOLEON'S LAST VOYAGES | NAPOLEON'S LAST VOYAGES | 384 |
| I. | An adventurous enterprise | 384 |
| II. | Marseilles after the abdication | 387 |
| III. | The fallen Emperor | 389 |
| IV. | Departure for Elba | 391 |
| V. | Napoleon's powers of observation | 393 |
| VI. | Ruler of Elba | 394 |
| VII. | The voyage to St. Helena | 397 |
| VIII. | A caged lion | 398 |
| IX. | Life in St. Helena | 401 |
| X. | Napoleon's selfishness | 402 |
| CHAPTER X. |||
| A FINAL PICTURE | A FINAL PICTURE | 405 |
| I. | Waterloo | 406 |
| II. | The battle | 408 |
| III. | Napoleon | 410 |
| IV. | Napoleon in retreat | 414 |
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1929, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 94 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse