Literary cadet and Rhode-Island statesman. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1827-1829, 1827-09-01

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obeycd, but subject to the influence Of tina
more acute and imaginative species of sensi-
pity. Ho mentions a circumstance which IN
dicates deep sense of feeling. As he passed
over field of battle in Italy, he saw house,
less dog lying on the body Of his slain master.
The creature came towards them, then re-
turned 10 the dead body, monned over il pi,i-
fully, and seemed to ask their assistance
whether It were the feeling Of the moment,
continued Napoleon, the scene, the hour, or
the circumstance itself, was never so deeply
Affected by any thing which have seen upon
a field OF battle. That man, thought, has
perhaps bad house, friends, comrades, and
mere he hes deserted by every one but his dog.
How mysterious are tho impressions to which
We are subject l was in tho habit, without
| emotion, o. ordering battles which must decide
! the fatc pf campaign, and could look with
| dry eye WI Aihe execution OF manTuvrcs which
must be offended with much loss, and here
was moved nay painfully affected; by tho cries
and the grief of Il dog. II is certain that at
that moment would have been more acccss-
| BILE to a suppliapt enemy, and conld better un-
| derstand the conduct of Achilles in restoring
the body Of Hector to the tears Of Priam's
The anccdoto at once shows that Napoleon
| possessed heart amenable to human feelings
| and that they were usually in total subiection
was common and expressive phrase, that the
heart of a politician should be in his head, but
| his feelings sometimes surprised him in gen
| 'lcr mood.
"A calculator by nature and by habit, Napo-
leon was fond of order, and friend to that
moral conduct in which order is best cxempli-
| fled. The lbels Of the day have made some
scandaouS averments to the contrary, but
without adequate foundation. Napoleon re-
spected himself too much, and understood the
value OF public opinion too well, to have
plunged into general or vague dcbauchery.
Considering his natural disposition, then, il
may be assumed that if Napoleon had contin-
ucd in the vale Of private life, and no strong
temp alton Of passion or revenge crossed his
path, he must have teen generally regarded as
one whose friendship was every way desirable,
and whose enmity il was not safe TO incur.
But tee opportunity afforded by the times,
and the elasticity of his own great talents,
both military and political, raised him with un-
exampled cecrity to sphere of great power,
and at least equal temptation. Ere we con-
slider the use which he made of his nscehdan-
cy, let Us briefly review the causes by which it
was accomplished.
The consequences Of the revelation, howev-
cr fatal to private families, were the means Of
filling the camps of the nation with armies of
fore, and it is to be hoped, will never witness
again. There was neither safety, honor, nor
almost Subsistence, in any other profession,
and accordingly it became the refuge of the
best and bravest of the youth Of France, until
the army ceased 10 consist, as in most ma atoms,
of the miserable and disordarly class Of the
community, but was levied in the body and
bosom Of the state. and composed Of the flow
| or Of France, whether as regarded health,
| moral qualities, Of elevation Of mind. With
such men, the generals oftho republic achiev-
ed many and great victories, but without being
able to ensure corresponding advantages.
This may have been IN great measure occa-
stoned by the dependence in which the gene
rails were held by the various administrators Of
the repub!i 1T home; dependence account
ed for by the necessity of having recourse to
the government at Paris for the means of paw
ing and supporting their armies. From the
time that Napolcop passed the Alps, he invert-
cd this state of military dependence. and made
the newly conquered countries not only main |
tain the army by means of contributions and
coniiscations, but even contribute TO support |
tho French government. Thus war, which had |
hitherto been n burden 70 the republic. be- |
came in his hands source Of public revenue;
whilst the youthful general, contributing TO the |
income OF the state, on which his predecessors
independence at which he speedily aimed, and
correspond with the Directory upon a footing |
approaching to equality. His talents as a
soldier, and situation as victorious general !
soon raised hirn from equality TO pre-cmi-
ncnce.
These talcnts applied not less to the gene
raj arrangements OF the campaign, than TO the
dispositions for actual battle. In each Of
these great departments Of war, Napoleon was
not merely pupil Of the most approved mas
ter of the art--hc was an improycr, all inno-
vator, and an inventor.
In strategic, he applied upon gigantic scale
those principles which Frederick of Prussia
had acted upon, and gained capital o. a
kingdom, when Frederick would have won
town or province. His system was, Of
course, that of assembling the greatest possi-
bic force of hls own upon the vulnerable point
of the cncmy's position, paralyZlng, perhaps,
two parts of their army, whilst he cut the third
to pieces, ard then following up his position
by destroying the remainder in detail. For
this purpose, he taught generals 10 divide their
armies upon the march, with vie- to celeri-
ty of mpyemon and facility Of supply, and 70
unite them at the moment OF contest, where
an attack would be more fccbly resisted, be-
cause least expected. For this, also, he first
threw aside all species Of baggage which could
possibly be dispensed with supplied The want
Of magazines by the contributions oxacted from
lie country, or collected Com individuals b.
a regular system Of marauling --disconiinucd
the use of tcp's, and trusted to bvoua ckng
with his soldiers, where hamlc's could no! b.
found, and there was no time % erect huis
His system was ruinous in point Of lives, for
even the military hospitals were often dspcps-
cd with. But although Moreau termed Napo-
leon conqucrer at the rate of zen thousand
men day, yet the sacrifice for length Of
time uniformly attained the object for which
il was designed. The enemy who had remain
cd in their extensive canionmcn's, distracted