, 1873-03-09

496 guns. Napoleon'a army amounted to t.. 90
combatants, mostly volunteers, with 81 Suas
:. and under tried commanders. Compact in or
ganization, speaking one tongue, moving BY th
voition OF single WILL devoted to its chief, an!
inspired "not merely with enthusiasm, but al
actnal passion against it's enemies" 1t must h
admitted that it was one Of tho most compact,
| formidable masses OF troops ever moved
| into the field OF war. But Napoleon had
at various points in France, not less than 1G4 e0t
troops Of the line, and about 220, 900 Of different
reserves, such as gardes mobiles, old soldiers and
sti1o1s drawn from 1otreat, cLasseurs OF the Alps
and Pyrenees, &C.; and what was there to prevent
his adding 40, 900 or 50 900 Of these to the army
| with which he vas moving upon Belgium By
! SO doing, he might hare fought Wellington aaa
Blucher, confcssed1y the bitterest and most pow
e:fn1 OF his foes, With DC9 men ard 500 guns
and as tho English and pzussans alone fought
with vengefu1 1ocliugs, Iko mon personally in
terested in the quarrel, md impened, too; BY
fanatical love OF honor, it was vitally inn
portant to crush >; tkfir.> at all hazards.
The Emperor himself: acknowledged that o VIC
tory over these; onnuie ca would have probably
broken the alliance The PEuss!ans and English
crushed ho would hayoaroubled himself little
about the gigantic hoets which the coalition WAS
rolling up from the South and Wcst. or eu
soldiers tho French neod most to be encouraged
by early successes. Defeat at tho beginning OF
\ Var greatly demoralizes them Napoleon
should have neglected no prccaution, therefore,
to insure yiotorss nt tho start in "the Cockpit
Of Europe" -.
On the 18th Of June tho campaign began.
Ncpolcon had ordered the left and centre OF As
nrmy,-which was I'll to concentrateat Charlcroi,
81 miles south Of Brusso}s,-to move At
8 a. H.; but, by sending his orders
to Vandammo the commander Of the
vanguard, BY only one messenger, who
WAS captured by the enemy, seven precious
hours were lost, and d considerable portion OF
tile army did not cros5 1.o Sambro TILL the next
day. An indirect result OF this delay WIS that ::
Ney, instead OF advancing to Quatro Bras TINT
night, did not reach it till next da3 Nevertho-
loss, Napoleon Lad ct night 100. 600 men on the
nort1, Eauk Of tho river, and tho Prnsslans,
though fighting brevely, had been driven back
on Fleurns at every point. Butcher had but
one corps, namely, Zieten's, Ut $4,000 men. on
the ground chosen by the allies for a battle; an
other Pircl4's, comprising $4,000. was six miles
east; third, Tbielmann's, 24,0o0, Was fifteen !
miles away; and the fourth, under Balo':,
81, 900 men, WAS ut Liege. distance OF |
sixty miles. Meanwhile Wellington had not ]
moved man to meet the enemy, and had
ordered concentration, which would have le1t !
Ney at liberty to push within fourteen mlles on
Brussels. The French advance was almost With
in gunshot Of zleton's corps Ut t1ousns; "hJ,
tEen, did NOT Napoleon attack the Prusslans carly
tue next morning, before Tn1elmann could come
10 their nid, when their defeat would have been
sure: The Napoleon Of Apsterlitz and hivoh
would 1nTe hurled his men at daybreak on the
enemy; In which case, with Ills great numerical
superiority, he could hive scattered them IKE
sheep. Scattered as they were, tho prusslan
:orps must ln1ahbly have been beaten III detail
Instead OF thus it was not until O'CLOCK IN the
morning, i've hou1a later, That the dlspohtons
u tho day had hoea made; anu seven OF e'ght
PRECIOUS houfs III Ill nao passed. away oetoto n1s
:roops began TO nova
by that tune Inc ffneslan8 haa couecteo 'hfee-
oufths OF tnels army IN pos'tlon at L'gnY' TO
10 hln oattle. blucher STOOD awaiting tae shook
u u what he thought the "ho!e frsnoh army, with
o'ooo nen "nue Napoieon, WAC tHoaens No
I'D only tho neht wing Of tue F1usslans IN front
n6nnt only