The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-04-03
Thiers' History OF the Consulate and
Empire.

|
The ninth volume of the Hisfoire du COnsiliat st
| de Empire, by M. THEIRS, has just been repub-
| lished in this country. The author has, in this
volume, described the scenes Of the in the Pen
insua of Spain--the same ground few years since
gone over by Sir WILLIAM NAPIER. OF course it
| would be unreasonable to expect Frenchman and
| an Englishman, describing battle-scenes in which
their respective countries were contestants, and
drawing many of their materials from different
sources, to agree in their facts, figures or conclu
sions. We not surprised, therefore, at the fol-
lowing letter which appears in late number Of the
London Times
| To the Editor qf the London Times:
Sin: M. Theirs, in his 9th volume of the Consu-
late and Empire claims for himself the secret of the
Peninsular war; having found it in certain papers
to which he only has had access. That may be; but
ask if he is incapable of drawing false conclusions
| from secret materials to support perverse asser-
tions? To answer with good warrant let
anime how he deals with authentic documents, not
confined to his secret repertory.
Thiers.-"3, 900 brisk resolute Frenchmen" OPP
posed $1,000 English at Rorisa. Reply The Duke
Of Wellington judged the French to be 5000. La
borde, their commander denied he had 5000, thus
tacity admitting he had 5000 or more. Thiers.-
The English had 400 cavalry. Reply y-The Eng
lish Adjutant Generals return gives 250 Thiers.-
Laborde wounded or killed 200 or 500 English
at Rorica. Reply The Adjutant Generals return
gives 479 killed, wounded and missing. Theirs
"Junot collected 5000 some hundred men to fight
at Vimeira." Reply.-The French order of battle
found on the field gave $4,000. Theirs. .-22, 900
French embarked under the convention. Reply
The official French embarcation return gives nearly
men followed Junot into Portugal Reply.-The
Imperial muster give % ,5S4 effective in Portu
gal, 23d of May, 1908. Thiers.-The French army
of Spain under Napoleon was $50 900 strong, Of
which 200, 900 only assembled there the end Of
October. 1908. Reply.-The imperial muster rolls
show on the 25th Of October, more than $4,000 ef
fective; the 18th of November than 1886, 900
effective. Thiers.-Sir John Moores troops arrived
at Salamanca, exhausted by their long march and
by privations. Reply.-Moore's dispatches say his
troops in better case than when they started
from Lisbon. They suffered no .priyations, and
their excellent condition up to Sahagun was noto-
rious. Thiers.-s' Moore advanced to Sahagun
with 30 900 English troops and about I0,000 Span
iards." Reply.-The adjutant generals return Of
the 18th December gives %, ,5S3 of all arms. Moore
bad no Spaniards, and Romano, who did not act in
concert, had only 5000
M. Theirs cannot deny the authenticity Of my
numbers, seeing they were taken from the original
imperial muster rolls in the French office; not
the yellow but the green rolls the officers Of that
Office will appreciate the distinction Of coors. NJ
Theirs cannot plead ignorance. All the documents
are printed i'm my history and he had access TO the
French originals. So much for quantities. Let
US examine him as to qualities.
Wellington has contracted intellect;"
Sir John Moore ''irresolute in counci;" the
English soldier is ''beaten almost TO death for the
least fault" he is little practised to march,; sis
inanimate feeble when forced to move to attack
"he has no viyacity; no audacity, no enthusiasm,
no hardihood, no enterprise; "to beat him he must
| be forced TO take the initiative in attack, &c
Reply.-Wellington's intellect, measured by M
Thers's imagination, must appear very contracted
Yet it is strange that with few troops having no
enterprise no hardihood, and fearing to be beaten
to death for triing offences, he should have main
tanned the war for five years successfully in Spain
against enormous numbers of soldiers and officers
| the best and most skilful in the world, accord
4 - NJ 6ro liz ohn that
war into Francel Strange that troops unable
to march should have moved, in the face OF
an enemy, from Lisbon to the Agueda, from
the Agueda TO Madrid, from the Douro To the
Adour, from the Adour TO the Upper Garonne
Stranger STILL If 10 beat those troops 1t only
cessary TO make them attack, that they should
French hill was five times more steep, rugged and
difficult than the English hill at Vimeira, which
| the French unsuccessfully attacked; that they
| forced the passage OF the Douro and drove Soult
out Of Portugal; that they attacked Massena at
| Redinha, at Casal Nova at Fonte d'Aronce, at Sa-
bugal, and drove him, also, out Of Portugal; that
they attacked and retook the key OF the position at
| Albuera which the Spaniards had lost; that they
attacked and defeated Marmont at Salamanca-
the king at Vittora driving him out Of Spain; that
in the second fight, near Pampeluna, they attacked
Soults mountain position, and drove him out oil
Spain that they forced the intrenched mountain
position at Vera, and his fortified mountain lines
on the Nivelle, covering Bayonne; that they
passed the Gave du Pau in the face Of the French
army, and defeated that army at Orthes that they
passed the Garonne and forced the intrenched
camp at Toulouse, thus terminating the war. Nj
Theirs is not happy in his military reveries. Bril-
liant phrases, condemnatory of revolutions which
he could neither arrest nor guide are more conso-
Thers-Sir John Moore was ''irrcsolutc in coun
cil''-"he yielded to the imperious admontions Of
Mr.. Frere"-"pagers published by his family prove
this" Reply.-The papers published by Moore's
family prove that he repelled Mr.. Freres arro-
gance with calm dignity, did not follow his plans
| and changed his own because fresh events called
for change. His irresolution in council exists in
NJ. Thiers's Imagination nowhere else. Those
who knew Sir John Moore will laugh at such sill
assertion. M. Theirs has not been so remarkable
for political resolution himself as TO give him right
10 censure others In what council known to him
did Sir John Moore display irresolutionl Those
| who have read that Generals journals know OF
several held with Mr.. Pitt, Lord Melville. and
others, wherein his ability ,unhestatng vigor and
| readiness 10 undertake what he advised, the sure
! sign Of resolution, signally manifested. NJ
Theirs speaks afterwards Of his "prudent frmncss.
| Prudent frmness combined with irresoution, In
domitable resolution, both in council and in the
field, was Moores Characteristic. Napoleon him
self was not more decided.
One more example Of unfounded censurc.
"Sir John Moore said his advance served the
Spanish cause by drawing Napoleon TO the north
and giving the south time TO rally" This M
Thiers calls "presumptuous manner Of presenting
the affair TO cover disastrous campaign"
The best reply TO that presumptuous remark Is
NJ. Thiers's history, wherein he distinctly shows
that Napoleon did turn all his forces from the south
10 the north in consequence of Moore's advance 70
Sahagun--an advance which that general had pre-
viously declared he would make TO produce such a
/ result
Verify, NJ. Theirs must amend his manner OF
treating known accessible facts, IL he would have
his authority accepted for the unknown and mac
cessible. WIN. NAPfER, Maj Cen.
INSTITUTIONS ron TINE EDUCATION OF THE BLIND.
The Thirteenth Annual Report for ls4e, Of the
-.
Education Of the Blind, has just appeared.
The number Of pupils in the institution, during