The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-06-26
On anotA er occasion, in exile. he said.

On anoth er occasion, in exile, he said
| OF all the generals ever had under me. Desai
and Kleber possessed the greatest taents-espd
cially Desaix " no was wholly wrapped nm in wa
and glory He was a little black looking man. abou
sometimes even ragged, and despising comfort AM
convenience.
SOlILT.
OF all Napoleon's nisrshals, Soult, creatcd
Duke of Dalmata in 1908, is regarded, il
popular opinion, as the greatest general
exceeding others when invested with the chic
command, though many of them, for particular
qualities, were equally, if not more valuable
when under Napoleon's own eye and direction
indeed, such was the genius of that wonderful man
tat he turned the very faults of his generals into
good account in his grand and comprehensive plan
Soult rose from the ranks. 1t has been asserted
that he was superior to Napoleon; but Napoleon
possessed not only his best. qualities in higher do
gree than himself, but combined in his own person
the good parts of all his other generals In fire
rapdity and terrible energy Soult was not equal
to Ney and Murat, while they were very deficient
in the qualities in which he shone. He was almost5
the only one that could be safely trusted to fight
con his own hook" At Austerlitz he was wonder
full and when Napoleon met him in the evening ON
the field of that glorious battle, he said to him,
Marshal, you are the first tactican in Europe.w
"Sire, replied Soult, with great felicity of compli
ment, 81 believe it, since it is your Majesty that
has the goodness to tell me So" Napier, in his
History of the Peninsular War" pays him the
highest tribute.
LANNES.
Lannes, who was known as the "Orlando of the
army" entered the service as a sub-leutenant and
Napoleon first observed his ability and courage at
the village of Dego during the battle Of Mlesno
and made him colonel on the spot, l4th April
1885, At Lodi, Bassano, Governolo, and, above all
at Arcola, he was "a thunderbolt of war;" At Ma,
rengo, in 1900, says Napoleon, he covered himself
with glory. At MOntebello, from which he won his
title, he was covered with blood In personal
prowess and lighting qualities he was worth dozen
men. Napoleon said "for long time he was a
mere fighting man. but he afterwards became an
officer OF the first talents. found him dwarf and
lost him a giant" When he fell MORALLY wound
ed at the battle of Essng, Napoleon shed tears
over him. He had been in fftyfour pitched battles,
and three hundred combats of different kinds Napo-
leon considered him as general greatly superior
to Soult" At st. Helena Las Casas read for Bona
parte, from his own memoirs, an account which he
had written of the passage of the bridge of Lodi,
and in which it was stated that Napoleon had passed
the bridge first and Lannes AFTER "No," said Ma
poleon, "before me; Lannes passed first and only
followed him. 1t is necessary to correct that error
upon the spot" at was the passage Of this brdgev
said Napoleon, 'that excited in my mind the spark
of great ambition;' and it was from Lodi that Ma
poleon was called by his troops the "Little Cor
poral."
MASSENA.
In the highest sense Massena, who was an Italian
born at Nice, was greater general than Soult-that
is as strategist or in preparing beforehand those
arrangements which make battle decisive, and
which compel the enemy to fight under disadvan-
tage. In tactics, or on the field itself in leading
troops, particularly infantry, Soult excelled al
others. Massena contributed largely to the victories
of Montenotte, Rivoli, Roveredo Arcola, Aspern,
Wagram and Essling 1t was in acknowledgment
of these services he was created Duke of Rivoi
and afterwards Prince of Essling. He was bril-
liant leader of cavalry. In the field he acted
always with most courage and best judgment when
the battle was going most against him. He was
wonderfully cool, and was great at retrieving
fight. His campaigns when leading whole army.
were highly meritorious. He was apt, however to
neglect discipline. In reply to O'Meara, Bonaparte
said in ST. Helena in 1885, that Massena was at that
time the first of French generals" His character
was soied with the vice of avarice, and his hands
with peculation. "Massena," says Bourrienne,
"loved two things-glory and money; but as to
what are termed honors, he valued only those
which resulted from the command of an army"
MURAT.
Murat was the son Of an inpkeanar HI aarJv
distinguished himself in the wars of Napoleon in
Italy, AT the passage of the Mincio, in 1876, his
cavalry measured its strength with the Austrian
cavalry which it never dared to do before. He
conquered, and thenceforward that arm of the SER
vice was cultivated and developed by Napoleon
At Aboukr he was superb. Under Murat the ca
VARY wrought wonders. In January, 1900, he mar
rled Caroline, sister of Napoleon
Murat, as commander of cavalry was like the
thnnderbolt-as sudden, as quick and as effective.
At Alarengo at Ulm and at Austertz he dazzled
the army. He was the handsomest of all Napo.
Icons generals In 1902 he was made governor of
the Cisalpine Republic, and in 1904, besides being
created marshal of the empire he was appointed
commalder-in-chief of the National Guard of Paris
He was appointed Grand Duke of Cleves and Berg
in 1906, and he afterwards became King of Naples.
AS statesman he was miserable Napoleon
drew the distinction between him and Lannes
thus:-
1t was difficult, Lay, impossible, to be
more courageous than Murat and Lannes: but
Murat had remained courageous and no.
thing more. The mind of Lannes, on the
contrary, had risen to the level of his courage he
had become giant
On the return of Napoleon from Elba, Murat en-
parked in revolutionary movement in favor of
Bonaparte, but was defeated by the Austrians, and
was obliged to fly from his own kingdom. Napoleon
was displeased with this foolish premature move