The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-01-25
A NapOleonIc Campaign.

magnificent army at BoulOgne, preparing
for the invasion of England. Secretly
Austria and Russia entered into q coali.
ton against him, and prepared to assail
him in the rear. Five hundred thousand
allied troops were Immediately on the
march, for the invasion Of France with
out any declaration of war. OF these,
250, 900 were Austrians, 200, 900 Russians,
10000 English, Swedes aud Neapolitans.
There were also 100000 Prussians, for
midably armed and disciplined, eager to
ioin the coalition upohhthe first reverse
which should attend~ the French arms.
To meet these armies of combined Europe,
Napoleon had but 10000 combatantS,
$4,000 of whom were horScmen.
The allies supposed they were moving
in secresy, and that they were to strike
their victim by surprise. But vigilant
eye was watching them. The moment
! the Austrian troops commenced thrir
march, by the invasion Of Bavaria, Napo.
Icons ally, he put the seal of silence upon
all the avenues of information, and, by
means of 1000 carriages, which he had
in readiness, transported his army, with
almost the speed of the whirlwind, across
! France, passed both the Rhine and the
Danube, and planted his batteries in the
] rear Of the division of $4,000 Austrians,
who had entered the Bavarian kingdom.
! The retreat of the foe was thus cut off,
and he was separated from his supplies
and could hope for no aid. The Austrians
could not have been more amazed had an
army descended from the skies.
A., tl,,a
trating his troops III the rear OF the foe,
he wrote to Tallcyrand:
"Thc Austrians are in the defilcs Of
the Blck SwaiVn- ,,Gnd crSht that they
may remain there. My only fear is that
we shall lrighten them too much. IL they
allow me to gain few more marches |
shall have completely turned them. For.
bid the newspapers to make any more
mention of my army than if it did not
exist" -,....-. -....
Napoleon seemed to be omnipresent.
Night and day, almost without food or
sleep, he was on horseback, galoping
from post to post. For eight days and
nights of inceSsant rain, the Emperor had
not taken Oft his boots, or even thrown
himself upon couch for rest. One night
Napoleon overlook brigade of his sol
diers on the march. Gathering them
around him, as father would assemble
his children, he explained to them mi
nutely the situation of the enemy, and the
mannuvres by which he hoped to gain
triumphant and bloodess victory. lie
had no fear that there would be a single
descrter to betray his trust. And he put
I to al Il ~, fha
darkness; burst of irrepressible enthu-
siaSm cheercd him on his ways
In less than three weeks 1000 of the
AustrianS were taken captive, and 81, 900
more were trembling behind the ramparts
of Tim, all possibility of escape being cut
oft. The batteries of the French were
placed upon the adjacent heights, and
now and then shell fell into the city,
portentous Of the coming storm. Gen.
Mack in despair sent Prince Maurice to
the Emperor with flag of truce. The
Prince, as was customary on such occa.
sions, was conducted through the lines of
the French army to the Emperor's head
quartcrtcrS blindfolded. When the band
ages were removed, he found himself in
the presence of Napoleon, in storm-torn
tent, through which the rain dripped free
Iy. The Emperor stood upon loose
board, which alone protected his feet
from the water which deluged the plain.
Nothing remained for the Austrans but
unconditional surrender.
The next day was clear cold and bril-
liant, when a scene was witnessed seldom
paraleied in the annals of war. Thirty
| = tI,o,,pnn1 An hol (rOr
the city and laid down their arms before
the conqucror. Napoleon stood upon the
hill side, before a campfire, as the melan-
choly procession deliled before him In
generous terms he said to the officers,
humiliatcd and gricfstricken:
"Gentlcmen-war has its chanceS.- -
Often victorious, you must expect some.
times to be vanquished. Your master
wages against me an unjust war. | say
it candidly, | know not for what am
fighting"
The cxultation of the French army was
boundless. Sixty-six thousand prisoners,
two hundred pieces of cannon, ninety
standards, and an immense amount of
military stores had been taken in cam.
paign of twenty days, and with loss of
but fifteen hundred men. A few thous-
and only Of the great army of invasion
had escaped, in fugitive bands through
the delilcs Of the mountains.
But astounding as was this success, the
French army was still in imminent peril.
But 81, 900 of the 100000 of their foes
had been captured or dispersed Alex
ander Of Russia was hurrying down thro'
81 e Dy1., 4 Al. e
hundred and sixteen Thousand troops.
Dense columns Of Austrians, numbering
10000, from Italy and Tyrol, were ma.
king forced marches TO combine with the
Russians. a Hungarian army, $4,000
strong, was goadetl forward to join the
enemies of France. Thirty thousand
English troops landed in Hanover, united
with the Swedish and NcapOlitan auXilia-
rieS, and were fastening to the scene Of
conflict. The Queen Of Prussia had also
effected an interview between her huS-
band, Frederick William, and the Empe-
Tor of Russia The two sovereigns met
at midnight in the tomb of Frederick the
Great, at PottsdaIn, and over the remains
of the great warrior pledged their mutual
faith against France Prussia placed her
army of two hundred thousand at the SER
vice of the allies. Napoleon was nearly
five hundred miles distant from his capi.
tai, and all Europe deemed him ruined
beyond redemption. His only safety lay
in attacking his vast outnumbering foes
before they could concentrate
Forward to Vienna" was the com.
mand. 1t was an audacious march oI
nearly four hundred miles farther into the
very heart of the enemies country, re.
r gardleSs of impregnablc fortresses, and
swarming armies upon his right hand and
his left.
"lf Napoleon" says his brother Louis,
, ain his bolI and often hazardous actions,
seemed to calculate wholly on good for.
tune, no person seemed to leave less tC
, accident in the conception Of his plans
He nlwavs ron Si1nra1 things undar pvprv