The Placer herald., 1862-12-27
Napoleon's Last Military Project.

gives the following account OF the last mill
tary project of Napoleon, who, after his ab
dicaton, had retired from Paris, and was
awaiting the means of escaping to America
Napoleon was almost alone at Mamaison,
except NM. de Bassano, Lavalette, de Riv;
90, Bertrand, who scarcely ever went out.
Except his brothers and mother and Queen
Hortense, the only visitors seen there were
officers escaped from the army, who came
with the dust of the battlefield, to inform
Napoleon Of the march of the enemy, and
to entreat him to place himself once more
at their head. He heard them quietly,
calmed their excitement, thanked them, and
profited by their information. Without
knowing precisely the position of the allies
he concluded from these different reports,
that according to his wont, the iDpetUous
Bucher had got the start of the discreet
Wellington, and was at least two days march
distant from the English Suddenly, with
the ordinary promptitude of his military oh
servations, he perceived that it was possible
to surprise the allies apart from each other,
and by lucky chance to find under the walls
of Paris the opportunity he had vainly sought
at Waterloo, of defeating them separa tely,
and thus re establish the fortune of the
French arms. In effect, at least 10000
men were returning from Scissors; there
we 10000 in Paris, and 10000 com
batants were more than were eeded to
overwhelm Blucher, who could not bring
into the field over 60, 900; and Blucher out
of the way, there was a chance of subject
ing the Duke Of Wellington to similar dsl
aser. Who could tell what ardor such a
| tri, tka ,c ;l,a
Natter! Napoleon, giving the rein to his
last dream of happiness, imagined that it
would be glorious to render such service TO
France, without wishing to profit by it hint
self, and to return to the path of exile after
having made possible favorable treaty Of
peace. To save, perhaps, the crown to his
son, was all that he expected from this last
feat of his arms.
He ruminated this great project during
the night of the 2Sth (for it was not till that
evening chat he obtained the Information on
which he founded his new combnation), and
was interrupted by the arrival Of M. Decres
and M. Boulong de la Meurthe, who came
at midnight to inform him of the intentions
Of the Executive Commission relative to his
depal ture, He received them Immediately,
and on the delivery of the order, requiring
the captains of the two frigates to weigh
anchor without waiting for safe conducts,
he declared he was ready to start out, but
that he desired to send message to the
Executive Committee. lie then dismissed,
with an oppressed breast, those two old
servants, whom he was to behold no more.
On the 39lh, at dawn, he ordered his
horses to be saddlel, put on his uniform,
sent for Gen. Baker, and with singular
animation which had not been remarked in
him since the Sth of June, he explained
his purpose. The enemy, he said, has com
mitted great fault, which, indeed, was to
have been expected with the character of
the two allied generals. They have advanced
in two masses of sixty thousand men each,
and have left between them distance so
great that one may be destroyed before the
other can come up. Here is an unique
opportunity which Providence has furnished
us We should be very guilty or very
insane not to profit by it. Accordingly,
offer to put myself again at tie head of the
army, which, at my appearance, will regain
all its zeal, to fall desperately upon the
enemy, and after having punished him for
his temerity, to restore the command to the |
my word as a general, soldier, a citizen
not to retain the command an honr beyond
the certain and splendid victory which
promise to bring back, not for myself, but
tor France.
This proposition was, Of course rejected by
Fouche and his colleagues in the Executive
Commission, but when Gen Baker returned
to Malmaison he found Napoleon still in
uniform, and with his aids de camp all ready
to mount and set FORTH Not surprised, but
afflicted and for moment angry at the
rejection of what he believed to be last
opportunity of crushing the allies, he at once
completed his preparations for leaving
France. Once more we quote M. Theirs:
"Ihe companions of his exile were chosen
They were Gen. Bertrand, the Duke of Ro
vigo, and Gen. Gourgaud. Drouet should
have been Of the number, but he had been
judged to be alone capable of commanding
the Imperial Guard after Napoleon's depart
ure, and he had been obliged to accept that
command. Napoleon himself had required
him to do so. He regarded Droue,, he said
as the noblest heart and the best mind he
had known. But he did not despair of see
ing him in America, as we'll as Count Lavel,
lete and some Others on whom he counted.
His mother, his brothers, Queen Hortense,
were also to rejoin him there. All his pre-
prations being finished, he determined to
quit at the end Of the day He had given
but little thought to pecuniary resources,
and had confided to NJ. Laffitte four millions
in gold, which had been found by accident
in an army wagon. Queen Hortense be'
sought him to accept diamond necklace, in
order that he might always have at hand
resource easy both to conceal and to dispose
Of He refused at first, but when she insist
ed, weeping he permitted her to place the
diamonds in his clothes, then embracing his
mother, his brothers, Queen Hortense, his
generals, he entered the carriage at o'clock,