River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-04-10
Napoleon and Moscow

It had beea prophesied that Russia
aould not successfully resist Napoleon's
attack, even when much less over
| whelming invasion had been contemplat-
ed than had now taken place. And
those prophecies had come true. The
| Russians had given up one position after
another, had been defeated in the field,
and finally had lost their capital Only
one anticipation had remained unrealized.
| rha Russians had refused 10 acknowl-
| edge themselves vanquish ed by signing
| treaty OF peace. Their armies still
! kept the tieId, and a Landwehr had been
set on fo9t. 80 far Napoleon's success
had fallen short of his expectation, as it
| had done Ia Spain, where he had like
wise been unable TO Quell the national
|. resistance. II was possibibe that this
/ obstinacy might SO far embarrass Ma
]; poleon as TO oblige him to give up the
i capital again, 10 repass Smoleusk, and
fcoutinue the war in q position nearer ~
mis- own tftntier, But as this frontier
was not, as we are apt TO imagine, tho
frontier of France, but that of Prussia
and the Duehy of Warsaw, his position
with respect TO the enemy would still be
one of enormous superiority. That he
would remain al Moscow too long and
expose his army TO Russian winter,
which might no doubt cause him serious
losses, was surely not TO
| be imagined A leader OF his experience
would be in no danger Of such mis-
calculations, and even leader accustomed
Ito strokes OF audacity would, when re-
sponsiblo For SO vast an army. be awed
ths1a nn al
the Russian Gar and nation might be
exp eted not only to prolong the wal, to give
( Napoleon zach check as he had received
in Spain, 40 compel him to adopt other
! means Tor quelling their resistance, but
7 by no means 20 cause him any serious
I disaster, much less such a disaster as
/ might shake the whole fabric OF his
/ power. Ii would carry us far into the
! history of France If we should try to ex-
/ plain how it could have happened that
1 such vast destiHies should depend upon
/ the cle&rness Of judgment Of single
man, SO that Is ft of Tashness and eccen-
! tricity in Napoleon should change the
| face OF the world and doom millions to
( death. Ii is less intricate question how
/ Napoleon could be capable OF making
| the mistake he made at Moscow. We are
TO consider that the course he took might
have been completely successful. Alex
4 ander's hTmness might have yleldes after
! Il little deiay to the clamors Of his brother
! and tie eHtroates OF his mother Moth
1 ini. ig more characteristic OF Napoleon
1 than his vivid conception OF the character
! If those with whom he had 10 deal. We
may imagine that in his mind il was
registered as a certainty that Alexander
4 could nor be firm No doubt another
! General would not have dreamed of
! stakingsthe existence even of an ordinary
army upon the soundness Of AN Impression
/ Of this ki9d. But Napoleon would not
4 have been what he was II no
had not over and over again risked Every
| thing tc obtain result that could noe be
/ gained hy ordinary methods. Such a
4 calculation as he now acted upon had
aucceed&d with him many times before.
/ he ought, indeed, 10 have known hat hes
/ was not exempt from fsiiure. His
i egyptian failure and his biunder ia Spain
| must hava cost him many moments Of
! secret ChnRrin but the world had been so
/ blind ~ "a this ill-luck and had 50 stead
! ily persisted in regarding him rs Invinci-
! bic that lac may well have come to believe
| himself a.s. Meanwhile, the scale Of his
| affairs had become SO gigantic that sin
! gle exception TO his usual good fortune
! might have infinite consequences; the
| slightest liberation IN bis mind might be
represented by the complete trarstorma-
| ton OF E3r0pe just as the intinheslmai
| iisplaco ment OF a telescope will make
! difference o. a million Of miles in an as
1ronoms3gl calculation. Thus TO explain
! the largest and most sudden reverse NJ
fortune that the world ever saw wo have
10 put together three conditions each un-
precedeuted First, the course Of French
history ifom Louis XIV, through the
Revolution 10 Napoleon, had produced
AN intense autocracy, unparalleled IN the
nlst0ry ot civilized States; second, this
autocracY was welded By one who, hg a
very peculiar course Of life, had been
framed IN hazardous strokes Of policy
and strategy, such az are altogether icf-
hidden 10 ordinary rulers thirdly, Its
affairs were on an Unprecedented scale
Of magnitude.--Ltfo md Times 81 Stein,
j. IT, See6sy.