The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-09-14
FALL OF gHE FIRST NAPOLEON.


ment Of the downfall of bis nephew. 1t is
fair to remember, in estimating the compa-
rative difficulties by which the two men we're
surrounded, that Napoleon III. assembled
the throne at about the same age at which
Napoleon l was finally overthrown, and
that the reign of the former as Emperor
was about double in years that of
the latter. Napoleon III welded the
sceptre about as long as his predecessor,
Louis Philippe-that is to say, a few months
short of eighteen years. So far as credit is
due for maintaining control during long
period over exceptionally turbulent and
exctable people, Napoleon III deserves
large share Of it. Unlike his uncle, who
.abdicated, he dethroned in his absence
by the act of the people. Paris never turned
upon him while present although his
imputed saying that he will return thither
mot to give u reckoning but to exact one,
may be the utterance of resentful despair
We must not forget that from 1852 he was
only in Paris as a reigning sovereign.
Napoleon l thoroughly expected to have
won the battle of Waterloo. His exulting
exclamation on seeing the English army on
the morning of the 18th of june drawn up
on the heights opposite the eminence of La
Belle Alliance, "At last, then, / have these
English in my grasp" entirely represented
his anticipations of triumph. OF his subse-
quent observations on the subject those
made to OMeara, at st. Helena, are among
the clearest and most decisive:-
81 told him, said OMeara, 'that Lord
Wellington had determined never to quit the
field of battle alice"
''He could not leave it," replied Napoleon;
che could not retreat. He would have been
destroyed, with his whole army. He said SO
himself to that cavalry officer who was
wounded. If Grouchy had come up at that
time instead of the Prussians, not O man
would have escaped"
OMeara asked him if he had not believed
for long time that the Prussians who ad-
vanced on his right were Grouchys division.
He replied
''To be sure 1 did; and can even now
scarcely account for the reason why it was
not Grouchy's division instead of them"
OMeara then asked him what he supposed
would have been the event if neither G7OUcdy
nor the Prussians had come up that day-if
it would not have been a drawn battle
whether both armies would not have kept
their ground?" 'No," was his reply, ''the
English army would have been DESTROYED
1t was defeated before midday. I should
have gained everything, had gained every
thing. 1 beat the Prussans, but accident, or
more likely destiny, decided that Lord
Wellington should gain it, and he did So
He was fortunate - accident and destiny
favored him. could scarcely have believed
he would have given me battle, because
done, to Antwerp 1 must have been over
whelmed by armies of three or four hundred
thousand men coming against me whom L
could not possibly have resisted Besides, if
they intended to give battle, it was the
greatest cO9lI0ne7Sd in the world to separate
the Prussian and English armies; they ought
to have been united, and L cannot conceive
the reason of their separation. 1t was also
c0gIlOne7Sa in him to hazard battle in a place
where, if defeated, all must have been lost
for he could not retreat. He would have
been altogether destroyed He suffered him
self to be surprised by me. He ought to
have had all his army encamped from the
beginning of June, as he must have
known that 1 intended to attack him; he might
have lost everything by it; it was great
fault on his part; but he has been fortunate,
and everything he did will meet with ap-
plause. My intentions were to destroy the
English army. This 1 knew would produce
an immediate change of Ministry. The in
dignation against the Ministry for having
caused the loss of 40, 900 of the flower of the
English army, of the sons of first families
and others who would have perished there,
would have excited such popular commo-
tion that they would have been turned out.
The people would have said-What is it to
us who is on the throne OF France, Louis or
Napoleon :? The English would
have made peace. The Saxons, Ba-
DeiBiduS, w ana OIlerS
would have joined me. The Russians would
have made peace. 1 should have been quietly
seated on the throne"
The effect of the loss of Waterloo on Ma
poleon was almost maddening He raved in
alternate paroxysms of grief and anger,
although he did not, as, according to Caulain-
court, he tried to do after his abdcation in
1914, attempt to commit suicide by taking
prison at Fontainebleau. He returned after
Waterloo, as is known, Immediately to the
Elysee. she endeavored, says Caulaincourt,
''to give vent to the emotions of his heart
but his oppressed respiration permitted him
to articulate only broken sentences" ''The
army" he said, ''has performed prodigies of
valor... .inconceivable efforts. What troops
Ney behaved like a madman......He caused
nay cavalry to be cut to pieces. All has been
sacrificed ..... am i'll and exhausted. L must
lie down for an hour or two.....My head
burns......I must take a bath" After his
bath, SIT is grievous," he continued ''to
think that We should have been overcome
after SO many heroic efforts. My most bril-
liant victories do not shed more glory on the
French Army than the defeat of Mont ST.
Jean.....Our troops have not been beaten
they have been sacrificed by
overwhelming numbers. My guards suf-
fered themselves to be cut to pieces without
= asking for quarter......I wished to have died
with them, but they exclaimed, Withdraw,
withdraw, you see that death is resolved to
spare your Majesty and, opening their
ranks my old grenadiers screened me from
the carnage, forming around me a rampant of
their bodies.....My brave, my admirable
guard has been destroyed.....a / have not