Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1842-09-22
From the Young p.,pi.'s BOX.
THE YOUTH OF
EgGTasD.AEsCs2,
By J. KIRKPATRICK.

He was born at A]acclo, IN the rs
land of Corsica, on the 10Th of August, |
1869. His character is best given IN
his own words as recorded by Las Ca
ses. lin my infancy" he said, 81
was extremely headstrong; nothing O.
verawed me, nothing Disconnected me.
I was quarrelsome, mischievous; was
afraid ofnobody | beat one, scratch
ed another; | made myself formidable
to the whole family. My elder brother
Joseph was the one with whom l was
oftenest embroiled; he was beaten, bit
ten, abused; | went to complain before
he had time to recover from his confu-
sion. I had need to be on the alert
nv mother would have repressed my
warlike humor; she would not have
put up with my caprices. Her tender
ness was Joined with severity; she pun
ished, rewarded all alike: the good,
the bad, nothing escaped her. My ia
Their, a man of sense, but too fond Of
pleasure to pay much attention to our
infancy, sometimes attempted to excuse
nnr faults. ssLet them alone" she re-
deed, watch over US with solicitude
unexampled. Every low sentiment,
every ungenerous affection, was discar-
ded, discouraged; she suffered nothing
but what was grand and elevating to
take root in our youthful understand
ings. She abhorred falsehood, was
provoked by disobedience; she passed
over none of our faults.'' .....
Napoleonhad a rapldcomprehension;
resistlessness under restraint; great
energy, keen sensibllity, and violent
temper. He generally gained his point
whether the aggrieved or the agrees
scr, he always came of, Victorious
No one had the least command over
him except his mother, who succeeded
in inspiring him with sentiments Of
love, obedience and respect towards
her.
At the age of ten years he went to
the military school at Brienne, where
he soon distinguished himself by his
reserved manners, and his diligence in
the prosecution of his studies. He sut-
fered much persecution from his com
rades on account Of his poverty and the
obsolete saint whose name he bore; vet
he possessed great influence with them
Notwithstanding their animosities. At
one time they elected him to command
them, and he led them in many of their
sports and depredations. On one &C.
casion, the cadets, being ordered to
conine themselves to their own grounds, |
at the time Of the annual fair held near
Brienne, thought themselves very much
wronged, and applied to Napoleon to
invent some means of escape for them.
Under his direction, they soon laid
plot to secure their usual diversion.-
They undermined an unfrequented part
of the wall of their parade ground with |
so much skill and recrecy, that on the
morning of the fair it fell, as if acct
dentally, and through the breach they
Immediately marched to their days a
musement. Each pupil had small
portion of ground allotted to him to.
break up or use as he pleased. Napo-
leon prevailed on some of the scholars
to assign him the portions allotted to
them, which he enclosed with his own,
for his own exclusive use. Here he
would sit alone for hours while the 9TH
ers were enjoying themselves. During
the winter Of 1884, the snow fell
everywhere to the depth of six OF eight
feet, by which Napoleon was peculiarly
He could no more enjoy his
solitary musings in his little garden,
but was compelled to remain with the
others, and walk with them backwards
and forwards from one end of the great
hall to the other. In order to escape