The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-04-16
ABBOTT'S LIFE OF NAPOLEON-THE
BATTLE OF LODI,

AODSL OE IhGOLEON-l0
BATTLE OF LODI.
There is now in course of public a life
ofthe Emperor Napoleon by the Revd. MIR.
Abbott, gentleman of some distinction in the
literary world. We can hardly be induced to
believe that parson is the best person in the
world TO write the life of q great warrior, es.
pecially of such warrior as was the remarka-
BILE person whose life he has undertaken. The
book is accordingly, as far as it has gone, a
rhapsody rather than history. The style is
exaggerated, the sentiments are often absurdly
swollen, and there is sort of cant running
through the whole that renders it, to our taste,
sapremely disgusting. Not Mrs. Gaines her
selftwe beg pardon for introducing the name
Of a lady, and should not have done so but for
her owD apparent willingness to keep always
before the publie) could have discoursed more
eloquently, or if the reader choose, more ridic-
ulousiy upon the horrors of war than he has
done. Yet he is relating actual occurrences,
not preaching sermon to prevent any OF these
horrors from taking place. II he undertakes TO
write history, surely he ought to inform him.
selfbeforehand ofths fact that cannon balls will
kill-that shells will destroy houses and their
inmates-that men when they 60 to war mean
to kill each other-and thata battle must inev-
itably result in vast deal Of wholesale murder.
All this, we say, ought 10 be known to the his
torian, aswell as to the moralist !; it is known,
we should fancy, to every human being. The
folly of many wars, and the rickedness of all,
when the precepis of our Saviour are taken in
10 consideration. cannot be a subject of doubt
TO any man who is christian, that is to saw,
who has been educated in christian commu-
nifty. Why, then, when writing the life of
man whose whole reputationis grounded upon
q continual violation of the commandment,
"Thou shalt not KILL" preach everlastingly
about the fact that he actually did kill
This, however, was not what we aimed at
when we commenced this article. Mr.. Abbott
seems to have been at little trouble in obtaining
his facts, and the consequence is that they are
not always Of the "6rst water" His ;account
Of the battle Of Lodi, for instance, seems to
have been taken entirely from SCOTS life Of
Napoleon, nor does he appear to have consul,-
ed any other. He states that the loss of the
French ut Lodi as two thousand. Napoleon
stated it at two hundred aud ii is literally i'm.
possible that It could have been much larger,
il all the circumstances stated by himself, and
never since contradicsed, are true. Those cir
cumstances we have before spokenos; but as
they are Of lasting interest, we do not hesitate
10 repeat Them.
The French army had beaten the Austrians
in one or two battles. and were attempting to
cut them off from Milan. The river AIDA lay
bstween them and Milan; and the town of
Lodi ian ancient city of middIe-age celebrity,
|the name being corrupted from the two Latin
words Laus Dei,') offered the point at which it
vas most convenient for both parties to cross.
There was bridge across this river, and the
Aussrians having crossed il, i, was Of great i'm.
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