The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-09-27
THE FIRST NAPOLEON.
The sJnmpa,Rp ofIS14.

nmuvres by which Napoleon, in 1914, re-
sisted the allied armies in their march on
Paris. Such description will be easily in
telligible by the help of any of the numerous
maps of the seat of the pending war which
are published in the newspapers. At the
outset of the campaign Blucher passed the
Rhine near Mayence, and advanced on Nancy.
Wittgens Elm passed the Rhine at Brsah, and
crossed the Vosges mountains. Schwartzen-
berg, with the grand allied army, entered
France on the side of Switzerland. The
various corps of the French army yielding
to the enormous superiority Of the enemy,
concentrated towards Chalons. The cam
paign opened with battle at Brienne, about
midway between Troyes and Joinville, in
which Napoleon was defeated so that il-suc-
cess at the beginning combined with nume-
rical inferiority to depress his troops. After
this battle, if the allies had followed in
mass tue road to Paris by Troyes, they might
have reached the gates of the capital. This
was the opinion of the Emperor Alexander,
but the allied Generals wished to manueuvre.
Schwartzenberg, with the grand army,
crossed the Aube, and marched with slow and
uncertain steps on Troyes to act in the basin
of the Seine Blucher was to operate in the
valley of the Marne by Epernay, Dormans,
Chateau-Thierry and La Ferte-sous-J ouarre.
The desire of preceding his colleague to
Paris drew him into series of false move
ments, of which Napoleon Immediately re-
solved to take advantage. He left Troyes on
the 9th of February, and passed the Seine at
Nogent on the 7th. Blucher continued to
extend himself along the Marne, threatening
Meaux. Napoleon left twenty thousand men
with Oudinot and Victor to defend the course
of the Seine, and the roads from Troyes to
Paris, against the grand allied army, and with
the remaining twenty-five thousand marched
from Nogent to Sezaine. Russian division
posted at Champ-Aubert was first attacked
and destroyed. The position thus gained cut
Blucher's army in two. The corps of Sacken
and York were defeated at Montmirail, and
Blucher himself was defeated at Vaux-
Champs "The Prussian Marshal distin-
guished for his operations in Silesia and Sax
ony, seemed blinded by hatred and presump-
ton" Blucher retired after defeat on Chalons,
where The was joined by the corps of Sacken
and York, who had made a long detour by
Rheims. His army was weakened by the loss
of twenty thousand men, but reinforcement
received at Chalons restored its strength. Not
withstanding this, the disorder in his army was
80 great that if Napoleon had pushed it warmly
he would have annihilated it. But the danger
of the capital called him in another direction.
''This was unfortunate, for in war, as in
smithery, it is necessary to strike while the
iron is hot While Napoleon was thus occu-
pied on the Marne, Paris was threatened on
the side Of the Seine. The marshals whom
he had left on the roads from Troyes to Paris
were too weak to arrest the grand army of
the allies if it acted together and with vigor
but Schwartzenburg was tied down by
the instructions of his Cabinet, which had
ordered him not to pass the Seine. All mill
tary dispositions were made subordinate to the
political thermometer of the Congress of Cha
tillon. Nevertheless the grand army of the
allies made such progress as filed Paris with
alarm. Oudinot and Victor had fallen back
from Nogent by Nangis on Gugnes. Courier
after courier entreated Napoleon to come to
the assistance of his capital. He was now
ready to do so, as Blucher's army, thrown
back on Chalons, gave him no more in
quietude, He left Marmont with ten thou
sand men at Etoges to observe Blucher and
with his Guard he quilted Montmirail,
and marched on Guignes. Convinced that
it was oely by extreme activity that he could
compensate for his inferiority in numbers he
attacked the allied army successfully at Nam
gis and Montereau. These attacks dis
couraged the allies, and Schwartzenberg re-
tired on Troyes, soliciting Blucher to fly to
bis assistance. Napoleon passed the Seine at
Montereau, and marched on Troyes. The
grand army of the allies concentrated at
Troyes occupied both banks of the Seine.
Butcher, coming from Chalons by Arcis, was
at Merry, and in immediate connection with
Schwartzenberg. Napoleon expected that
the allies would profit by the union of such
large forces to offer him decisive battle.
He was resolved to accept it; but to his as
tonishment they continued their retreat.
This result had been attained on the 22d
February by the employment of 10, 900 allied
troops against 10000 French troops. These
successes made Napoleon hope that national
movement would expel the invader from
French territory. But his expectation was
disappointed. Meantime the Emperor Alex
ander desired that the war might be con-
Quoted in a more military manner. 1t was
therefore decided that the grand army should
remain on the defensive, while Blucher should
operate with 100000 men in the valley of the
Marne. Accordingly the Prussian Marshal
pushed back the corps of Mortier and Mar
mont as far as Meaux, but here his progress
was arrested by the appearance of Napoleon
in his rear. The grand army having retired
beyond Troyes, Napoleon marched thence by
Arcis and Sezaine to Epernay, and thence to
La Ferte-sous-J Jouarre on the Marne. Blucher
now saw the necessity of retreat, but this
was no easy matter Napoleon was in po-
stion to intercept the road to Chalons and
Rheims The only road which remained
open was that to Scissors. Napoleon had
now strong hopes of destroying Blucher
army, which, having no per-
manent bridge over the Aisne, would be
thrown on that river and exposed to ruin.
Unfortunately the garrison Of scissors was
commanded by weak officer, who was init
Undated into capitulating to the allies at the
moment when Napoleons guns were heard.
Blucher, fortunate In escaping this imminent
peril, passed the Aisne in the night of the Sd
of March, and established himself on the
right bank of this river, between Scissors
and CYaone. The loss of scissors deranged