The Shasta courier., 1862-09-13
The Capitulation of Paris.

The Capitulation of Paris.
About the middle of January, 1914, the
allied army, in several divisions, crossed the
Rhine. On the 25th, Napoleon left the Tuil-
leries, and took command of his little army,
mostly of raw recruits, to repel the invaders.
The allies proclaimed that every French
peasant. taken with arms in his hands,
should be shot as brigand, and that every
village or town making any resistance should
be burned. Napoleon rode rapidly one
hundred miles east of Paris to St. Dizier,
and here, at the head of few thousand
troops, fell upon one Of the advancing col
umns of the foe, led by Blucher. He routed
them and scattered them like leaves by the
whirlwind. Then instantly turning, he
marched fifty miles south to Troyes, through
mud and rain and snow, the wheels often
sinking to the hubs. On the Goth, with but
&c, ,00O men he came suddenly upon 10000
Russians, near Brienne. Before the sun
went down, 10000 of these Russians were
dead upon the plain, and the remnant were
in precipitate retreat.
The next day the fugitives effected juno
tion with another division of the army, and
with battalions l5Q, 900 strong, returned to
crush Napoleon. The Emperor had also
gathered reinforcements, and had &C, 900 men
to meet their assault. Through another day
of tumult and blood the terrible battle
ragged, till again the wintry night darkened
the scene. Overpowered by numbers, Ma
poleon was compelled to retreat, leaving
6 900 of his little bard dying and dead up
on the ground. Alexander of Russia and
Fredrck William Of Prussia, from neigh
boring height, witnessed this triumph OF their
troops The exultant allies now crowded
from all directions upon Paris.
Napoleon retreated six miles down the
Seine to Nogent. Two hundred thousand
Austrians pursued him. Butcher, with
10, QUO men, was descending the Marne, fifty
miles from the Seine. Wellington, with an
immense army. was coming up from the
south. Bernadotte, with uncounted legions,
was advancing from the north.
Napoleon, leaving 10000 men to retard
the advance of 600, by a forced march
through mud up to the axels of his carriages,
with 10000 men, crossed the Marne, fell as
unexpectedly as thuuderbq!t upon the
flank of Butcher, and scattered his army as
wolves drive sheep. The next day, Blucher,
with reserves swelling his host to 60, 900, ad
vanced to meet Napoleon. Again he was
defeated, and driven back with great slaught-
er In an extraordinary march of SIX
hours, Napoleon hurried back to the river
Seine The Austrians, 800, 900 in number,
were now iue1hc vicinity of Fontainbleau.-
Napoleon with 40,0 900 advanced to meet
them For whole day he resisted all their
! efforts, with his own hand aiding the artil
lerymen in their herculean tolls. When
night came, the whole allied army was on
the retreat, and Napoleon was vigorously
pursuing them. With Alexander and Fred
rick in the midst of the fugitves, they fed
back one hundred and fifty miles to Chau
mont. 1t was in the midst of these ter
rife scenes that Napoleon had brief in
terview with Josephine, and said to her.
Josephine, ! have been as fortunate as
was ever man upon the face of this earth.-
But in this hour, when storm is gathering
over nv head, have not, in this wide world,
any one but you upon whom can repose.
The allies were astounded by these defeats.
But they had enormous reserves, amounting
to a million of men, to bring up. With vast
reinforcements they divided their army into
two bands, one to descend the Marine, the
other the Seine. The former river enters
the latter but Sw miles from Paris
Again Napoleon eros sed to the Marine, and
with 10000 drove loo, 900 Austriaus before
him. In the midst of their route, Berna-
dotte appeared With 25 eco fresh men, to
join the Austrians, and Napoleon was COM
PEELED to retire, the enemy not daring to
pursue him in his despair.
The 100000 Austrians, now from the
Seine, pressed forward with alacrity, while
Wellington, with vast force of English,
Portuguese, and Spaniards, was advancing
from Bordeaux. Another army of the al
lies had also crossed the Alps from Swift
erland, and had reached Lyons. With
amazing celebrity Napoleon crossed again
from the Marne to the Seine, and fell with
such fury upon the Austrians that they
turned and fed.
Napoleon was now about two hundred
miles from Paris, on the Seine. The allies
had gathered an army of 800, 900 at Chalons,
on the Marne, hundred miles nearer Paris,
and were marching with the utmost rapidity
to reach the city before Napoleon could get
there In one day, through the miry roads,
Napoleon's heroic band marched nearly fifty
miles, in the endeavor to arrive at the city
before the enemy. At midnight. with the
advance guard OF his army, he reached
Troyes 1t was a cold, dark, dismal night.
He could see far across the country, the
whole horizon illumined with the bivouac
fres of bis foes. With a small detachment
he galloped along the road and entered the
little village of La Cour. The church clock
was just tolIing twelve. To his surprise he
saw groups of disbanded soldiers marching
away from, Paris. He rode into the midst of
them exclaiming, "How's this? Why are
not these soldiers marching to Paris?'
General BeIliard, friend of the Emperor,
recognized his voice, and coming forward.
said
paris has capitulated. The enemy en-
ters tomorrow. two hours after sunrise
The Emperor seemed stunned by the blow.
For moment not word was uttered
Cold drops of agony oozed from his brow
With staggering step he walked backward
and forward on the rugged pavement, bewil
dered with the enormity of his woe It was
a night of agony such as is rarely experienced
on earth. With his few and faithful troops
be repaired to Fontainbleau, and thence to
his exile in Elba.
MANY who would not for the world utter a
falsehood are vet eternally scheminp tn pro-