The Sun.
London, England, 1851-12-02 00:00:00

Marshal Soult, one of the most distinguished of
French soldiers, and one of the most exalted of French
statesmen, died on the night of the 26th ult. at St.
Armand.
Marshal Sonic had been in complete retirement from
the political world for about tea years, and had there-
fore lived long enough, as it were, with postority to test
the results of that appeal which is decisive of the just
estimate of historical character. As a politician, active
daring more than twenty years of peace, he livc d to en-
joy the fame e hielt he had d«pircd as a great general
in the eventful era of the wars of she revolution and of
Napoleon; and, lastly, in the seclusion to v. hit's his
years called him, concurrently with circumstances
which had bail d his undying ambition, he has been
enabled, among his serene honours, to observe and ap-
preciate the cons:enemies of that contest in which he
was a conspicuous actor, and by the results of which
he, with his royal master, and hi., contemporaries have
been judged. The eighty-two years of his life hart
been those years in a hich Franco has seen many
mighty revolutions—and the life oompletiog a circle,
ends where it cerement in a poried of social disorder
and political distraction. He entered on his career
under a Republic; he sustained the empire; he strug-
gled - through the Restoration; he was the soldier of
Louis Philippe; and he has seen a Republic again.
Throughout that wonderful age. he was always a fore-
most man; and a more marvellous biography is not to
be found in history. This biography, always of interest
to Englishmen, because Soult was once a dreaded foe
to England, is us familiar as the story of the times.
Custom requires, however, that we should reproduce on
this occasion the heads of the strange chapter.
Souk was born in the year fruitful of great En( n-
-1769. His origin was obscure, and, like most of me
generals of the empire, he was of the people, and a poet
man's son. His birth-place was St. Aurau's, in the de-
partment of the Tarn. He was a soldier frera the .first.
In his sixteenth year,- he entered 'a regiment of artil-
lery; and passing soon under the commands of Hocht
and Jourdan, the generals of the new Republic, ho rest
with the rapidity peculiar to the time, when there wet
too much to risk to allow of etiquette or routine to in-
terfere with the search of the mete fitted for the work.
His character was not only that of a brave offi :er, but
of a brave officer who was brave at the right time : and
his merits attracted attention and secured promotion.
The first occasion on which he forced himself on the
notice of the whole army was at the battle of Flour us;
ind the anecdote, taken from the historian of the " Vic-
cokes et Conquetes des Francais" has long been current
Soult was chief of the staff to General Lefebre, who
headed the advanced guard of the army of the Moselle.
When the right wing under Marceau was routed, and
the general himself forced to fall back on Lefebre's di
vision, he entreated, iu an agony of despair, a succour of
four battalions, that he might seek to recover his lost po-
sition. " Give these battalions to me," said Marceau to
Lefebre, "or I will blow out my brains." Lefebre hesitated
and consulted Soult. Soult remonstrated, and repre-
sented that to lend these battalions would endanger the
safety of the whole division. Marceau was indignant
that an obscure Aide should venture to have any opinion
on such a subject. " Who are you?" cried Marceau
Souk responded, " Whoever I em I am calm, which y eu
are not." The indignation of Marceau was extreme. He
threatened, and then challenged Souk to a fight on tat
renewing day. " Tres Lien," said Scutt, " I will no.
treat you with disrespect. Bat I must speak the truth.
Do not kill yourself, General; lead on your men to the
charge again, and you shall have our battalions as seer.
as we can spare them." The result justified Souk's
presumption. Lefebre's division was almest instantly
afterwards assailed by the enemy. In the middle of the
battle, when the French, as Lefebre thought, were
being beaten, Souk's advice was again asked. Lefebre
wanted to retreat, Soult pointed out signs on the
enemy's side which indicated that they were.
themselves giving way. An order from Jourdat
arrived to charge; and Souk was right, the enemy was
retreating. When the battle was over Marceau con-
fessed the superiority of Soult; and the two of cere
embraced, Marceau protesting that Soult had won the
battle. These and similar incidents spread the fame of
the young soldier. He gained the confidence of his men;
and his genius, supported by that confidence, accom
plished wonders. We need not follow him through the
career in which he was only a subordinate. He reached
the rack of General of Brigade so early as 1794, and in
tour years more he was General of Division. Napo-
leon's eagle glance was ever on the look out for worth)
lieutenants, and he inquired of Massena, who the most
unequal of men, was at least invariably honest, whether
3oult was a man to be trusted? Massona's emphatic report
was, " Soult has no superior." This led to Soult being
brought into activity within the personal observation o
.e First Consul; and from the first Napoleon placer
implicit faith in him. Soult was one of the first general
to whom, in 1804, was handed the baton of a Marshal o
France.
Soultawea _probably the more trusted the he wout
never sacrifice his individuality. Lie was an intensel)
obstinate man, and would seldom submit to the superio•
genius of his leader after ho bad received and acted epee
the general instructions. Sink was given the command,
in camp, of the " army of England.' He here becarn'
remarkable for the rigid and remorseless discipline ht
-nforced on the troops. They complained, and the Firs
consul interfered. Soult replied, "Such as taunt,
withstand the fatigue which I support myself will remain
in the depots. Such as do stand it will be fit for the
soequeet of England and of the world." Soult was with
Napoleon at Marengo, at Austerlitz, and at Eylau. At
lusterliee Napoleon said, when he had assigned Souk's
Josition' " The only instruction I have to give, Marshal,
ts this: Act as you always do." Souk did act as he
always did—acted for himself. In the heat of the
eattle orders came from the Emperor, who had waited
a long time for Soult to move, to attack with-
est delay and gain the heights of Pratzan. The
side-de-camp returned to the Emperor with the Mar
Alai's reply, "It is not time yet." The Emperor,
enraged, and fearing a fatal blunder, sent a second order.
It was unnecessary—Souls had put his columns in =-
ion. The Marshal had been watching the Russians.
who were extending their line to the left, and so weak-
ening their centre, which rested on the heights, and be
had waited for the right moment. Napoleon saw the
minis/toy of the movement. He galloped to the greund
where Soult stood, and in the gladness of the assured
conqueror, he said, " Marshal, you are the ablest tacti-
cian in the army." " I believe it, Sire," responded the
Marshal, " since your Majesty tells me so." At Eylau,
again, the French army was in a critical situation. Au
4areau had been routed; Davoust had been impeded.
Ney and Bernadotte wore still at a distance. The Em-
peror, discouraged and disappointed, desired to fall back,
for the purpose of effecting a junction with the other
corps. Soul recommended keeping the field, promising
t tat the enemy would retreat in the night. This they
dd; and the French had the honour of a conceded vic-
tory. Napoleon was as generous in his acknowledg-
ments as Marceau had been years before. ,
In 1808 Soult was sent to Spain—to crush the Eng-
lish. His career in Spain, against Moore, Beresford,
and Wellington, is a thrice-told tale. His battles have
been contested in books as well as on the field. French-
men innsist that he was invariably victorious. Eng-
lishmen insist that he was invariably beaten. The
French military authorities state that he drove Sir John
Moore to the sea, that Wellington fled before him if he
had fled before Wellington, that ho conquered at
Albuera, and remained the victor at Toulouse. The
Eaglieh, if Southey be a representative, relate, as mat-
ters of course, that Soult was beaten at Lugo and at
Corunna by Sir John Moore ; that the passage of the
Douro by the English was disgraceful to the French
Marshal ; that the battle of Albuera was discreditable
to him ; and that at Toulouse he never had a
chance against 'Wellington ; and they enhance
ill this by picturing Soult as a demon of
cruelty, who upheld plunder and rapine as duties
to his officers, and who marked all his marches in Spain
and Portugal by gibbets in lieu of milestones. The
first English histories of the Peninsular war were trium-
phantlaudations of Wellington and insolent denial of all
genius to his competitors: and even so late as 1837, when
Soult was a guest of England, he was given to under-
stand by Quarterly Review and " leading journal" that
he could only be welcomed on the understanding that he
had been soundly beaten at Toulouse. The military
technical controversies in respect to great battles rage
without any reference to the civil results; and English
professional critics aro just as absurd in insisting that
Corunna was gained by the English as Frenchmen arc
in pointing out why Napoleon won at Waterloo. Fortu-
nately for Souk's fame in England, the English judg-
ment of him has, of late years, been entirely guided, first,
by the Duke of Wellington's own dispatches, and next by
the impartial summing up of Sir William Napier. In the
great work of Napier full justice is done to Soult; and the
Marshal stands out in the picture of the war as a superb
General, less than Wellington only because less fa-
voured by fortune. Soult was a generous soldier, and
should be spoken of generously by a soldier. Lie could
see the merits of Sir John Moore, testifying to them by
erecting a monument at Corunna to the unfortunate
Scotchman ; and Napier, in all the defeats of Soult,
whether defeated when the terms were equal, or when
political circumstances, as at Toulouse, made a drawn
battle a defeat, can perceive nothing which ought to
deprive the vanquished of a glory less than that of the
conqueror. In his first Spanish campaigns Souk hail
enormous difficulties to deal with. He was only one of
many generals, of equal power; he was in the midst of
a country hostile to him ; and he was never proper!
backed. Ho was in a perpetual quarrel with Ney, Mar
mont, Suchet, and King Joseph; and as they would not
do what ho wanted, he was the last man to be guided b
campaign against the El„el. Y
them. In his second
1813.14, he fought on the lost aide, knowing it to bu
hopeless: the enemy triumphant, flashed witl
well-earned victories, the country diapiritedEcraiai=
and his own at my beginning to doubt if th
ways won. Yet upon taking the command de ofacltrheere arm;
in in July, 1813, as the " lieutenant" o the Emperor,
his proclamation to the troottistibrneathed the haughtiest
confidence in his cause his chances; and it is
worthy of notice that while declaring
had been well commanded at Vairtti"g" thath if the French
had
beaten the English, he is just ancl°nriosblte eeynowugohu to pay
the highest compliments to Lord Wellington. The Duke
in his dispatches charges Soult with cruelty: and
praises, when he has to praise, with terrible ooldnese.
That Soult was careless of means in attaining his ends