Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1868-04-03
Great Men Get Bafled.

When the Great Napoleon had ta-
ken Moscow, the capital of the Czar
of all the Russias, he was brought to
halt in his onward career by the
impossibility of holding the many
places he had taken, and Of having
men left for an advancing army. He
with all his mental resources, was
staggered to know what to do. The,
Emperor Alexander ordered his grand
capital to be burned over the heads
of the conquering French ARMY, and
for that purpose left in the cellars and
about the city several thousand incen-
diaries to apply the torch, when the
French should have become fairly
quartered in the city. It was the
grandest confagration ever witnessed
by men. 1t baffled the ingenuity of
Li.o ooa4~oror IL ir4 a;lor.A-aan
To remain on the burned and desert
ed site of Moscow was impossible
provisions for an army were not to
be had. The country for long dis
tances around had already been de-
vastated. To think of following Al
exander to St. Petersburgh was out of
the question. For the grand army of
100000 men with which Napoleon set
out from France had been left, some
dead upon the numerous battle-felds
along that 1000 miles of contested
way, some were in hospitals and thou
sands were garrisoning captured po-
sitions in the rear and keeping open
communication with France, there
were now, not more than 100000
men left him to go into battle with.
The Russians could meet them with
two hundred thousand strong. This
was too great a disparity even for
French valor and intrepidity. The
man of supposed inexhaustible men
tai resources was brought to a stand
With his headquarters in the Kremlin
the palace of the Gar, the goal Of his
ambition, he found that all his con
quests, all his sacrifices counted hin
nothing. He had believed Alexander
would sue for peace and be willing tC
make d treaty of Napoleon's own
preparing. But no such offers were
: lade. After some days of fighting
ire and of doubts and perplexitiei
| worse than fire, messenger was dis
I patched with a flag of truce, to St
Petersburgh with proposals for trea
/ ty. Alexande er made no haste to giv'
E him an audience, but would see hin
5 the next day-daIliance was tn
: game-when he had been detained
l. as long as courtly apologies could b
/ invented, he was dismissed with th
e answer that Alexander had no propc
sails to make.
Y He ratnrned Nanoleon had GROW
:. anxious and now quite secluded hin
self from the observation of his gel
erals, only Caulincourt his privat
secretary, was admitted much to hi
! presence. He was in a state Of mer
a tai abstractedness. Retreat, was
new and hateful word to him. Ii
- hesitated, he pondered; the probler
y was more than he had resources t
y meet; he was baffled, ambition ha
= = o'erleaped itself. But delay was ri
!, in-that every body could see; an
: finally word was given to break cam
: and prepare to return. But a Ru;
sian winter was now at hand Ha
. the French commenced their retrea
- at once after the burning of Moscow
:. = they might have been half way bac
. to France ere they started. BJ
:, men are Overruled, and "whom th
= - gods would destroy they first max
mad )" and now the time, as it ha
- come to the voluptuous and despoti
y Bourbons, and as it had come to RoI
- espiere's reign of terror, so it ha
~ come to the ambitious Napoleon, wh'
~ miStaking his mission as an enlightel
~ ed and humane ruler of France an
- - the pacifcator of Europe, misdirec
- ed his great endowment to ends G
" personal ambition and aggrandiz
ment. His downfall was deserve,
- and it was made signal and con
- - plete-a lesson to all the world, fC
- all time, and for men in all station
,o 20 Of life-that no human power ca
- long maintain itself in systematic o.
preston and wrong.
Napoleon came out of his mad Ru
r sian campaign, a broken down mo
W arch, whose ambition had o'erleape
a. itself. Weak men working for ju
in tice and right are mightier than tt
. strong when seeking the triumph q
injustice and wrong.-WatertoeOm, 7
c5 Y, Retormer.
Iv AN OLD FORM.-The old form Q