Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1871-08-11
TzIE VICTOR OF nYARENGO
Prize Grafton Delivered at Hamilton Col
lege, \. Y, J"ls I7ih, Is7E-By MIA
F. Bachman, Of kingsport, Tenn.

Napoleon was sitting in his tent
Before him lay the map of Italy. He
took four pins and stuck them up
measured moved the pins, and meas.
| ured again. Now, said he. "that
is right! l will conquer him there ~
"Who sire ?" asked an officer. "Me.
las, the old fox of Austria. He will
retire from Genoa, pass through Turin
and fall back on Alexandria. / shall
cross the Po, join him i'm the plains OF
and the finger of the child of Destiny
pointed to MarengO.
Two months later the memorable
campaign of 1900 began. The Goth of
| May saw Napoleon on the heights of
st. Bernard. The 22nd, Lannes, with
the army of Genoa, held Ivree. So
! far all had gone well with Napoleon.
| He had compelled the Austrians TO
| take the position he desired reduced
the army from 120,0G0 to 40, ,00O men ::
| dispatched DesaiX on the right, and
June l4th moved forward to cOnsum-
mate his mastery plan. But God
t6waTted his scheme! In the gOrges
of the Alps few drops of rain had
fallen, and the PO could not be crossed
las, pushed to the wall by Lannes .re-
solved TO cut his way out; and Napo-
leon reached the field to see Lannes
beaten, ChampeauX dead, and Kuller-
man still charging. Old Melas poured
his Austrian phalanx on MarengOPtiI
the Consular Guard gave way; and
the well-planned victory of Napoleon
was a terrible defeat.
Inc Iaa ,lax
bog general, sweeping across the field
at the head of his cavalry, halted on
the eminence where stood Napoleon.
There was in the corps, a drummer
boy, a !gdDii,a, whom Desaix had pick
ed up on the streets of Paris. He had
followed the victorious Eagles of
France in the campaigns of Egypt
and Germany. As the column halted,
Napoleon shouted to him, "Beat a
ReiredtW The boy did not stir
" Gdnin, Beat q Rctreatr ~ The boy
stepped forward, grasped his drum
sticks, and said, Sire, lido not k,1oaO
hOlC. DesaiX has never taught me
THAT. But can beat charge Oh
| can beat charge that would make
the dead fall inlo line. l beat that
charge at the Pyramids once; |
beat it at Mt. Tabor, and 1 beat it
again at the Bridge of Lodi May /
beat it herc?" Napoleon turned to
DesaiX. 1--WE are beaten! What shall
we do ?" ''DO? Beat them! 1t is only
o'clock! There is time enough to
win victory yet. Up FrOlut! The
Charge! Beat the old charge of Mt
Tabor and Lodi! !" A moment later
the corps, following the sword gIeam
of DesaiX and keeping step to the furi
Gus roll of the gdmin's drum, swept
down on the host of Austria. They
rolled the first line back to the second
the second on the third, and there they
died, Desaix fell at the first vOlley,
but the line never halted. AS the
smoke cleared away, the gdn1in was
seen in front of the line marching
right on and still beating the furious
charge over the dead and the wound
ed; over breastworks and bitches
over the cannon and batterymen, he
led the way to victory, and the Eff
teen days in Italy" were ended.
To-day men point to Marengo in
wonderment. They laud the power
and foresight that so skillfully plan
ned the battle; but they forget that
Napoleon failed; they forget that he
was defeated: they forget how a gener-
al only thirty years old made, victO-
ry of the COrsican's defeat; and that
QdniH of Paris, put to shame the
"Child of DeStinV.p