The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1863-06-04
VO PA.

the bank of the river for the purpose of
preventing any pursuit. Gen. Bazaine,
| with his splendid division, reached thescen
Of the battle too late to participate in it.
"Finding that<he Austrian troops were
ready to dispute the passage of the river
| at Stradella, the emperor conceived the
| plan which proved SO successful, and for
| which he was greatly lauded by all militia
ry authorities. Leaving large force at
Montebello and Voghera, a town near by,
in the night he marched the main body
of his army toward Vercelli, and arriving
| there with astonishing rapidity-thanks
to his railway facilitIes-he crossed the
Sesia, and fought The battle of Palestro,
which was SO gloriously won by Zouaves.
He then pursued the rctreating enemy,
fought them at Tur5igo and Magenta,
gaining another splendid victory, which
gave him possession of Milan, and, in fact,
so cut up and discouraged the Aus
trlan armies as to enable him to free Italy
from her invaders. The world saw in the
sudden change Of operations which took
place after the battle of MontebeiIo proof
of extraordinary military capacity on the
part of Napoleon ILL, and greatly was his
foresigh. applauded. 1t was asserted that
he had made pretence of massing his
troops at Stradella, while he really intend
ed making that grand circuit which
brought him upon the flank of the Aus
trian army, to their utter dismay and dis
comfture.
GA few persons are aware that the
emperor up to the very moment he heard
of the battle of Muntebello fully intended
crossing the Po at the village of Stradella; /;
that he had ordered his household to
move to that place the moment it should
be in possession of his troops ; in fact that
he bad determined upon making it his
head quarters. When, upon making the
reconnaissance we have above refer
red to, he saw the Austrians moving. to-
ward Stradella, he determined he would
reach that place before them and this he
would have done had not that Sentinel
perdu'-that lone picket detained him
until it was too late to accomplish his
purpose. His majesty, no doubt, writhed
at the detention, and was, perhaps, tempt
ed strongly enough to blow out the brains
of the little chasseur with his revolver;
but he reflected that the man was doing
no more than his bounden duty. Had he
shot that sentinel, the soldiers would
have stigmatized the act as murder, and
have looked upon the emperor as unworthy
TO command them. Discipline is the safe
guard of an army, and none more than the
commanding. officers must submit to its
requirements, even when, as In the in
stance we have just related, whole plan
of campaign is changed thereby. The
soldier must obey ORDERS to the letter.
lie neither sho' d nor can make distinctions.
s'That day, while at dinner, the Empe-
ror Napoleon related the incident of the
morning to those who shared his meal.
Among these was Marshal paraguay
d'Hillies, who commanded the division
to which the Eleventh Chasseurs belonged.
The next day the marshal sent for the
soldier who had detained the emperor SO
long and gave him a military medal.
"sNever let any one pass without the
countersign, mes entants, said the veteran;
mot even the emperor himself
"Recent events point moral to this
story, which all will fin6 without our aid.
Napoleon I'LL, Emperor of France, the
mightiest monarch in Europe, with the
fate of two nations depending upon his
movements, allowed one of his sentinels
to Getain him a prisoner for two hours, and
that at moment he deemed Of paramount
importance. He made no effort to shoot
or disarm the sentinel He felt the man
was doing his duty, and he submitted to
a necessity which he could not overcome
save bv violence. He knew that no ex-
cuse could have palIiated any other course
of action. Obedience is the soldiers first
law-trom the hykest 10 The lo,oest..