Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-03-08
QDBlo STATESMAN, I,
A LETTER FROM DRUID.
A Curious ParaIIcI-History Repeat
ing neutrality-suspicious. Campaign of
1914 Being Fought over Again i'm Vir-
glnia. f' -'
[The Worlds Correspondence

tThe Worlds Correspondence
'".t .'.'t BALTIMORE, February 2S.
NAPoLEoN's CAMPAIGN OF 1914 REPEATING
ITSELF IN VIRGINIA. .
Whoever will sit down with the map OF
| France before him, and will study atten-
| lively the last struggle of Napoleon in that
country, during the first four months OF the
year 1914. will rise from that study i'm
pressed with the remarkable similarity be-
| tween that campaign and the one now in
progress in Virginia and the Carolinas. In
almost every point the resemblance is stri-
king. The season Of the year, the state OF
the roads, the vast numerical difference be-
| tween the contending armies, the military
objects in view-all seem to be same. Gen.
Lee is playing the part of Napoleon; Grant,
Sherman and Terry are playing the parts of
the allied sovereigns of Russia, Austria,
and Prussia. The three armies of Grant,
Sherman, and Terry. are closing around
Gen, Lee. and pressing him hard, as the
allied armies of Russia, Austria, and Prus-
sia were closing around Napoleon, and
pressing toward Paris. General Lee stands
at bay with not one-third as many troops
as those under Grant, Sherman, and Terry,
as Napoleon stood at bay with not one-third
as many troops as were concentrated against
him. General Lee is not Napoleon, but lie
Is known to possess military genius OF
very high order, and he possesses all the
advantages which Napoleon possessed at
the period alluded to, and some that Napo-
leon did not possess. 1t cannot fail to be
instructive to glance briefly at what Napo-
leon did in the crisis of his fate; for it is
probable that General Lee will adopt tine
same line of strategy, and, it may be, with
the same results.
INVASION OF FRANCE BY THE ALLIES IN JAN
UARY.
Early in January, the allied army, nearly
two hundred thousand strong, had passed
the Rhine at different points, and invaded
France. Napoleons armies, greatly infer
ior, were obliged to retire before them, and
in twenty-five days after the invasion of the
French territory mad commenced, the allies
had succeeded, almost without firing a shot,
in wrestling one-third of France from the
grasp of Napoleon. The united forces of
the allies stretched in an immense line,
three hundred miles in length (eXactly the
distance from Richmond to Columbia in
South Carolina), from Flanders to the banks
of the Rhone; all the intermediate country
in their rear was occupied by them, its fort
resses garrisoned by their troops, its resour-
ces lost to Napoleon.
DESPERATE POSITION OF NAPOLEON.
That great General bent all the energies
of his mind to the task of concentrating his
own forces, and of reorganizing his armies,
which had been terribly shattered and dis
organized in the severe campaigns of 1872
and 1918. The resources OF his empire were
exhausted. There were no more men of
the properm military age to be obtained. Af-
30, tetr hn
that he could only concentrate seventy
thousand men, of whom fifteen thousand
were cavalry. Yet, such was his conf
dence in the discipline of these, and in his
own powers, that he resolved to assume the
offensive at once. He did so; but, after
few successful but comparatively unim-
portant engagements, he was defeated, with
heavy loss, by Blucher, in the terrible bat
tie at Brienne, on the 1st of February, in
which Napoleon commanded in person, and
in spite of his personal eXertions.
THE ALLIES BELIEVE THE FALL OF NAPOLEON
TO BE CERTAIN.
The cause of Napoleon appeared now alto
gether desperate. He had been defeated in a
pitched battle, on ground which he himself
had chosen, losing six thousand men and
seventy three pieces ofcannon. Everything
|
tion of the French power. Obliged, after
this defeat, to evacuate even Troyes, to see
that city occupied by the allies, and COM
PEELED to retreat toward Paris, the spirits of
his soldiers became so much depressed that
they seemed incapable of anv further eXer-
tion. They believed that the star of Ma
poleon had set; they feared that Paris itself
would have to be abandoned; the cause of
Napoleon seemed with them to be at an end.
The new conscripts deserted by crowds; the
sides of the roads were covered with arms
and knapsacks; already the litters of the
wounded, and the disbanded conscripts, be-
gan to be seen in the streets of Paris
These facts were known to the allied pow
ers. They believed Chat the cause of Ma
poleon was altogether desperate; that 1t
was impossible for him to recruit his army,
or to make with it any stand whatever
against their combined forces, and that his
defeat was inevitable. They rose in their
demands, therefore, believing that they had
the power to enforce them.
HOW THE GENIUS OF NAPOLEON TURNS THE
SCALE.
But then it was that the genius of Napo-
leon shone forth with undiminished luster.
Then it was that he snatched victory from
defeat. Then it was that he made strategy
and skill supply the place of numbers
Concentrating forty-fve thousand of the
elite of his army, he fell, like thunderbolt
on the 9th of February, upon the long and
thin line of Blucher, pierced it, and routed
it; then marching rapidly to Champaubert
he defeated the Russians there. Having
thus gained the initiative, and having by
these victories again inspired his troops
with their former courage, he found HIM
self able, with concentrated army, to turn
at pleasure upon any of the scattered col
umns of the allies. The defeat of the Rus,
slams and Prussians at Montmirail follow
ed on the 11th; the defeat of Butcher at
Vauchamps followed on the 14th; and on
the 10th Butcher, with his great army, re-
treated to Chalons, closely pursued by Ma.
poletn n. Paris was thrown into transports
of Joy by these brilliant victories of Napo-
leon; the allied army continued to retreat
at all points, and the naughty allies pro-
posed to Napoleon an immediate suspen-
sion of hostilities. Napoleon, however, al
though he only had now fifty-tive thousand
troops, had determined to make negotia-
Jon entirely dependent on the progress of
military events, and he refused to suspend
L. his operations. On TIN, 18th of February
ne defeated the allied army at Montereau,
md the allies retreated beyond the Seine.
THE ALLIES PROPOSE AN ARMIsTIcE.
These repeated successes OF Napoleon re-
stored the prestige of his name and the
magic of his rcnown; the young conscripts
Ieemed themselves invincible under his di-
rection. The allied sovereigns were con-
founded and amazed at such a succession
# disasters as had befallen their arms; they