The Texas Republican. [volume] (Marshall, Tex.) 1849-1869, 1852-01-17
MIS- & r. /. !. a y Y.
Hannsbai and Napoleon.

Scarce any one nj all, familiar with his.
tory. can have failed to observe the cxtracr.
binary parallelism between the campaigns,
the military conduct aud the fortunes OF
Hannibal aud Napoleon. That parallclism
Is thus stdkiugly touched apon by Arnold.
Twice he SAYS, III history has there
been witnessed the struggle Of the high, It
individual genius against the resources and
and institutions of great natiun aud in
both cases the nation has been yirtpfinns
For seventeen years Hannibal s,rovc against
Rome; 10, sixteen years Napoleon Bpua.
parte s,rove against England; the Efforts
OF the first ended in Xama, those of the
second in Waterloo" The extraordinary
.imilitnde of the genius, conduct. aud null
tary character. Of these two giants la arms
is far from ending with This general rescn-
bMncc. Almost from point to point, their
desini.s are similar. At the age of twenty.
Six. Hannibal was elected to the supreme
command of the Car,haceuian armies, md
lhence!orth TO the close of the war he dis.
rosed at his viii the resources, and held in
tlte hollow of his hand the council, Of hs
cona'ry. At the age of twenty sX, Va
p,iodt assumed the couuIaud of the army
Of fs',, aud from thcuce biz fortunes aud
hi. viii were those of France. The scoucs
of the glory Of both wese the Abs aud
Italy.
Both had tine faculty of seeing at
glance where the bow niust bee planted.
which should cripple the enemy, both de-
liyered that blow iusinntlGcou,N and fre.
sis,lv. Both had thc same reliance Qua
their csvalry as an ann of service; Ilauri
bal winning by il all hi. gicatost victories,
aud Napoleon insisting to the last, that
cavalry in equal force. equally led, must
conquer infantry Both yauGoi4hed every
leader in the field. whom be- PERSONAL, "a.
couu,,rcd. save the very l1s'; nnd there Is
probably no one So preiudlced a' 10 ASSERT
at this day tha, either Hannibal or \apo
leon found ia his congueruf n superior lu
strategy or ia military genius Nor dors
the similarity even end here; for hutH found
their final yanauishcrs IT, Generals uade 90
Spain hv conflicts With their own licutcu
ants. who were in no wis" 'rp".inr TO other
eminent leaders Of thrir cucW1 and 10th
ultimately perished mi'crablv, 90 exile, We
Tins 10 the counties which ihry had kept
so long in awe aud pciiurhJtlor
",n military point Of view, 'he cor.
rectness Of their coup ca; tae iah'hi"s
speed with which they followed up capeep
ton hy execution; the p,wer OF con'
ceutraioo, by which. constantly inferior
on ia, whole, ~ force. they were ever
superior a, the point Of action; the marvel.
Gus foresight, by which they showed seem
inc ,as.ness to he real prudence; the thun.
derons crash with which, when they delIv-
cred battles, they annihilaied, not conquered,
their antagonists: my, the uncrrins GER
tain.y with which they threw themselves
on the communications Of their enemy. ana
defeatcdat 'aow, the most skil'oi conbina
tons were identical in these two m's"ty
captains none other. IN my opinion, sve,
have pos.ssssssa. ~, II, same qusnehs. or used
them with the same effect Doth were The
makers OF their own ayssems, the founders
of their own schools; but on the WHOLE
must consider Hannibal as the g'ea'es.
atrategist Of the two; because, ~ 'he hfs'
place, he was the prime originator aug y"
veutor, while his grea. eulogis', and - some
points mitator. had tic tenc'lt Of h's es'
ample, xs well as that Of other mighty con-
QhefoFs, nHV w ''c oVe",'' T''
with means infinitely inferior, aga'ns. o.
r,acles infinitely greater, aud w'''o"' "s
aid OF modern science ne aecomp'''heo'
what may be held to have been N Tue u'e,'
condition OF the world, results nearly equal,
As the man Of genn'm greatness !
shall observe only, that no single net o.
lIannihal's life ever sahsc've' :" any sell
ISL motive Or miniss<red 10 lbs own asgr""'
dizement; and TIM. no single AN OF Nap",
leons did not 50. The consideration Of sen
would seem never to have occurred TO the
one; To have been ever present to the ether
both were fanatics for glory the one, i's'
cause his own was his country's; the other.
because III. country's wa. his own Both
were accused by their ENEMIES Of great
moral crimes and .u,pi.ude and both, ~
thu main. uujustly. Il Is one ~ the ssd
,rn:hs concerning warfare, hut no less 4
truth. that IL MA, ing the game Of wav, with
nations Ia rlay.lings and the world tor
field. exvcdieney must be, in great degree.
tho moral rule aud that. II the ga'nes are
all hIaA