New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-06-29

ant for his guide, slowly and thoughtfully he
ascended those silent soitudes He was dressed
in the gray great coat which he always wore
Art has pictured him as bounding up the cliff,
proudly mounted on prancing charger. Even
the young peasant who acted as his guide was
entirely unconscious Of the distinguished rank
Of the plain traveller whose steps he was con-
Quoting. Much of the way Naeoleon was silent,
distracted in thoughts And yet he found time
for human sympathy. He drew from his young
and artless guide the secrets Of his heart The
young peasant was sincere and yirtuous. He
loved a fair maid among the mountains. She
loved him 1t was his hearts great desire to
have her for his own. He was poor and had
neither house or lands to support family Ma
poleon struggling with ali his energies against
combined England and Austria and with@aI |
the cares Of an army, on the march to meet one |
hundred and twenty thousand foes, crowding
his mind, with pensive sympathy won the conf
dence Of his companion, and elected this artiess
recital of love and desire. As Napoleon dis
missed his guide, with an ample reward, he
drew from his pocket pencil, and upon a loose
piece Of paper wrote few lines, which he re-
quested the young man to give, on his return. |
to the Administrator of the Army upon the
other side When the guide returned and pre-
sented the note, he founl to his unbounded sur
prise and delight, that he had conducted Napo-
| leon over the mountains, and that Napoleon had
given him field and house. He thus
enabled to be married, and to realize all the
dreams of his modest ambition. Generous i'm
| pulses must have been instructive in a heart,
| which, in an hour so fraught with mighty
events, could turn from the tolls of empire and
of war, to find refreshment in sympathyzing
with PEASANTS love This young man but re-
| Gently died. having passed his quiet life in the
enjoyment of the field and the cottage which
had been given to him by the ruler of the world.
| Napoleon ascended a
mountain ridge, and upon its summit, quite ex
hausted with days and nights Of sleeplessness
and toll, laid himself down in the shadow
Of the rock, and fell asleep. The long line filed
carefully and silently by, each soldier hushing
his comrade, that the repose Of their beloved
chieftain might not be disturbed. 1t was an
interesting spectacle, to witness the tender af-
fection beaming from the countenances of these
bronzed and war-worn veterans, as every foot
trod softly, and each eye, in passing, was rivet-
ed upon the slender form and upon the pale and
wasted cheek of the sleeping Napoleon
The very day Napoleon left Paris, Desaix ar
rived in France from Egypt. Frank, sincere,
upright and punctilously honorable. he was
one of the few whom Napoleon truly loved.
Desaix regarded Napoleon as infinitely his supe-
rior, and looked up to him with species of
alteration; he loved him with fervor of feeling
which amounted almost to passion. Napoleon,
touched by the affection of Il heart so noble,
requited him with the most confiding friendship.
; Desaix, upon his arrival in Paris, found letters
for him there from the First Consul. As he
read the confidential lines, he was struck with
the melancholy air with which they were per.
vaded, Alas!'' said he, &c Napoleon has gained
everything, and yet he is unhappy l must
hasten to meet him Without delay he crossed
. the Alps, and arrived at the headquarters Of
Napoleon but a few days before the battle OF
Al, :, tIar
talking over the events of Egypt and the pros
, poets of France Napoleon felt greatly strength
en- ed by the arrival of his noble friend, and i'm.
diately assigned to him the command Of :
divi sion of the army. s'Desaix," said he, ii:
+ my sheet anchor"
y Napoleon was fully aware that decisive bat
tie would soon take place. Nlelas was rapid,
q from all parts, concentrating his army. TIL
. following laconic and characteristic order wa
= issued by the First Consul to Lannes and Murat
q 90 Cat her your forces al the river Stradela O
e the St h or 9th at the latest, you will have o.
n your h ands fifteen or eighteen thousand Aus
=, trians. Meet them and cut them to pieces. !
i will be so many enemies less upon your hand
on the day of the decisive battle we are to ex
- peot with the army Of Melas." The prediction
a : was true. An Austrian force advanced eightee
d thousand strong. Lannes met them up Il tn
4 field of Montabello. They were strongly posted
q with batteries ranged upon the hill sides whic
a swept the whole plain. 1t was of the utmos
~ moment that this body should be prevented frol
combining with the other vast forces Of the Aus
h trians Lannes had but eight thousand, mel
!, Could he sustain the unequal conflict for a fe
,r hours, Victor. who was some miles i'll the real
could come up with a reserve Of four thousan
men. The French soldiers, fully conscious
q | the odds against which they were to contenc
q and of the carnage into the midst of which the
r were plunging, with shouts of enthusiasm
: rushed upon their foes lnstantaneously
. swarm of grape e-shot from all the batterie
swept through his ranks. Said Lannes. g
- could hear the bones crash in my division lii
NC glass in hail Storm For nine long hour
70 from eleven in the morning until eight at nigh
: the horrid carnage continued Again and agai
the mungled, bleeding, wasted columns wei
q rallied to the charge.
;. At last, when three thousand Frenchmen we,
a strewn dead upon the ground, the Austrian
~ broke and fed, leaving also three thousand mi
Il tilated corpses and six thousand prisoners behir
nf them Napoleon, Fastening to the aid of his le'
" tenant arrived upon the field just in time to s
! the battle Won. He rode up to Lannes III
is intrepid soldier stood in the midst of mounds
/. the dead-his sword dripping with blood in h
rs exhausted hand-his face blackened with po,
10 der and smoke-and his uniform soiled and tt
j. tered by the long and terrific strife. Napol
,o silently, but proudly, smiled upon the hgie
f. General, and forgot not his reward. Fron'his
I'd battle Lannes received the title Of Duke of.ooh-
> tebello, title by which his family is stln-
n guished to the present day. r
10 This was the opening of the campan' |,
to inspired the French with enthusiasm nerVeu
:, the Austrians to despair. Melas II deter
he mined to make a desperate efforto ofeaN
he through the tolls Napoleon. WI mtenst
en- solicitude, was watching every Nement ol
g. his foe, knowing not upon VIII Polnt u tIie
ot onset would fall. Before daytak, on the
n morning of the l4th of Jun Neias' nav
r ing accumulated about forty iouSahu men
n including seven thousand cava anu '"o nun
NV dred pieces of cannon, made lnlPetuous as
70 saGlt upon the French, but rn.y tnousanu ID
nr number, drawn up upon thu laln n Oh Aarengo
e- was nt snch = distonce-'ary thirty miles
~ from Marenpo--that he I'D not possibly be
Oh recnlled before the close the day. The dan
re- sor roS f.;rhtf1 tbo t'French would be en-
lto t;ralv ont to nnces bofn any succor could ar.
sle r;vn Rnt the nu;ck of Desaix caught the
,ol sound ot tba beayv "a onadc, MS it came boom
an. ing over the plain ! Instant 1 ,humaer m h'
wn ond Tninter,rnte1 5ar proclaimed pitched
TO hattle and he " alarmed for his beloved
1T nus chief immediate he reused his troops, and
ain they started upo!.e ruSn 70 suceor .aelr com
ra- radcs. NapoleoI IsPatcheo courier aitef cour
re- or 10 hurry th vision along, while his troops