Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1861-09-18

AOoeOis Hoiu oAi1cio "cic puDilSneQ, rep
resenting that the Allies were thorough
ronted, and describing the conflict SO min
utely, that there could be no doubt of til
result. All was now JOY and congratuls
ton and conjectures were freely made 6
to the terms to be vouchsafed to the cor
quered, and the boundary limits whic
should be assigned to the territory {
France.
A day or two after this, we made Gus
tomary visit to a swimming-school on tn
Seine, and some of Vi; entered into CONVEX
sation with the gendarme, or police soFdie,
placed there to preserve order. He wa
..'.ssiy ,':'y raseryed and unwilling to say much
but, at last, when we dwet on the receu
successes, be shook his head mournfnlIy
and said he feared there had been som,
great disaster; adding, " The Emperor i
IN Paris. | saw him alight from his car
rage this morning, when on duty !; he hae
very few attendants, and it was whispered
that our army had been defeated" Tba,
my companions did not seek relief at the
bottom OF the river can be ascrbed onIv
10 their entire disbelief of the gendarme's
story. But, as they returned home. dis
cuSslng his words at every STEP. fears be-
gan to steal over them when they reflected
now seriously he talked and how sorrowf,l
he looked.
The gendarme spoke the truth. Napo.
leon was in Paris. His army no longer
existed, and his star had been blotted from
the heavens. His plans, wonderfully CON
celved, had been indiferentIy executed q
series of blunders, behind his control. in
tterrupted his combinations, and DELAY in
important movements, added to the neees.
sltV OF meeting two enemies at the same
moment, destroyed the Capitalization on
which he had depended for overthrow;no
both In succession. The orders he sani
/, to his Marshals were Intercepted and
they were left to an uncertainty which nra.
vented any unity of action. The accusa-
tIon OF treason, sometimes brought against
them, is false and ungenerous and the
lnslnuations of Napoleon himself were nm.
worthy OF him. They may have erred in
Judgment, but they acted as they tbonoht
expedlent, and they never showed more
Devotion to their country ard to their
chief than on the fatal day of Waterloo
| have been twice over that field, ana
nave heard remarks Of military men, which
nave only convinced me that it is easier
10 CRITICIZE battle than to fight one. Had
Grouchy, with his thirty thousand mon
joined the Emperor, the British would have
been destroyed. But he stopped at
Mayre, to fight, as be supposed, the whole
Thousand men to deceive and Keep MN m
check, hurried on to turn the scale. The
fate Of both contending hosts rested on
the cloud of dust that arose on the cas-
tern horizon, and the eyes OF Napoleon
and Wellington watched its approach,
knowing that it brought victory or defeat.
The one was still precipitating bis lmpet-
nous columns on the sometimes penetra-
ted. but never broken, squares Of infantry,
which seemed rooted to the earth, and
which. though torn by shot and shell, and
harassed by incessant charges OF cavalry,
closed their thinned ranks with an obstlna-
cv and determination such as he had never
before encountered. The other stood
amidst the growing grain, seeing his army
wasting away before those terrible assaults
and when the officers around him saw In
evitable ruin, unless the order for retreat
was given, he tore up the unripened corr
and. grinding it between his hands, groan
ed out, in his agony" Oh, that Blucher
or night would come !
The last time [ was at Waterloo, many
years ago, the guide who accompanied m
told me, that, short time before, mar
whose appearance was that of substantls
farmer. and who was followed by an atten
dant, called on him for his services. Th
guide went his usual round, making his Q
ten.repeated remarks and commentin
severely on Grouchy. The stranger exam
ined the ground attentively, and only 0
casionally replied, saying, " Grouchy r
ceived no orders" At last, the serva
fell back, OBTAINING the guide, and, in
low tone, said to him, "Speak no mo
about Marshal Grouchy, for that is he.'
The men told me, that, after that, he a
stained from saying anything otfensiv
but that he watched carefully the soldle
agitation, as the various positions OF t
battle became apparent to him. lie dou
| less saw how little would have turned
current of the fight, and knew that
means Of doing il had been in his Q
hands. The guide seemed much ,mpr,
e ed with the deep feeling OF the Mars s.
5 and said to me, l will never speak III
5 him again. !.
e The battle of Waterloo is often mentl
y ed as the sole cause of Napoleon's do
If fall: and it is said, that had he gained
: day. he would have secured his throne
seems to be forgotten that complete
le tory would have left him with weake
re forces. and that he had already exhau
a the resources of France in his preparat
= for this one campaign; that the mass
$ Austria and Russia were advancing In
nd haste, which, with the rallied remain
y. Prussia, and the indomitable persever
rst and uncompromising hostility OF Eng
as quickened by reverse OF her arms, "
ng, have presented an array against who
Us, could have had no chance of success
rit hour Of utter ruin would ouly have
vas procrastinated, involving still greater
ar of life, and augmenting the desol
en- which for SO many years had been tn
70 of Europe.
on, courNc WITT OATS