The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-12-14

| itnry histories. He told Jomini that mo man
could writo history. because tho truth could not
he told" and in a like tenor he wrote to Croker
that IA battle was like n ball-thnt ono re-
mombcred ones own partner but knew very
little what other couples might be about; nor
II ono did, might 1t be quite decorous to tell all
| he saw. SO that besides almost inevitable in
| accuracy. there was tho risk, indeed the GER
| tainty. that you could not tell tho whole truth
without offence to some and perhaps satisfying
| nobody" Some alluson being made to Gen.
Foy's history of the Peninsular War Wellington
| took occasion to point out Its pre-
sumption in matters OF opinion and
| tho gross mistatcmcnts Of matters OF
fact. Foy himself. however. tho Duke looked
| upon rs II very distinguished officer. The
| best of all the publications. about Buonnparte."
| no said In 1896 I" IL that Of Baron Fain. All
| the diciatons to Monthoon Gour.aud. and
| Las Casas are OF little real authority They
are what Buonaparte. on after consideration.
thought 1t cXpcdiont to represent things to
| have been. and not what they wero. Any ac-
| curatc reader will ind thom to be what made
| up stories always must be. full OF contiadic-
| tons, but we who know the affairs OF our
time. know that thcy arc full OF fasehoods
| But Fain's book II not absolutely true. is mt
| least sincere; that is, Eain may DO mis-
| taken in some facts. but he Is generally correct,
| and. barring n little natural leaning to Buona-
| partc very fair. That il tho real hook the rest
nrc all fabricated apologies" They who get
| their notions Of tho Napoeonic era from tho
| concocters OF the Napoeonc legend will be
| surprised ut tho place among great Captains
| assigned by Wellington to the Archduke
| Charles. Tho current impression OF that Aus
| trian commander is not unlike that which Iago
| conceived OF Cassie. ms of n man only CONVEX
| SAINT With the book ish thcorick mere prattle
| without practiro.' But up to u certain point
| tho Archduke was great in prac-
| tcn. for to Cookers query whether the
| Austrian were rcallya great officer. Yelling
ton replied: a great officer? Why he knows
| more about 1t than all OF us put together"
WHAT" persisted Croker. than Buonaparte.
Moreau. or yoursclf?" Aye" repeated the
| Duke. than Buonapnrto or any OF us. We ara
none OF Va worthy to fasten tho latchets OF his
shoes, If | am to judge from his book and his
| plans of campaign. But his mind or his health
| has. they tell mo, n very peculiar defect lie is
| admirable for five or six hours. and whatever
| can be done in that timo will be done perfectly:
| but aftor that he falls into n kind of epeptic
| stupor does not know what he is about, has no
| opinion of his own and does whatever tho man
| at his elbow tells him."
| What. now was Wellington's candid opinion
Of Nnpoleon2 Speaking OF him to Croker in
| 1896. he said: 4" II / am to believe SGgur's and
| indeed. all the othor accounts OF tho Russian
| campaign. Buonaparte committed the most
| cgrcgious faults OF gencralship and conduct
| Time was everything. and can show on paper
out OF his own reports and returns. that no lost
| seven weeks in point OF time in the advance to
| Moscow. He made. also. a false movement in
| changing the line upon Minsk. which had
| inter aha. tho disadvantage OF bringing him
nearer to the South Russian army. when
he might have attained his object in
| another way without these disadvan-
| tages. 1io lost n good deal also by
| what looks like indolenco: he was oitcn
| absent when he ought and might have been
present. for instance. mt Valentino. l think it
was when he heard the firing. and sent orders
and might have come up. II he had, he would
have put an end to a dispute between his Cen
erals. and probably have had decided sue
cess His personal proceedings previous to
and during the battle OF Borodino mex
| plicable. Some of his apologists attribute 1t to
| sudden illness but that does not account for
| tho details. unless tho illness could DO sup
| posed SO serious as to derange his understand
| ing. His conduct in oil these cases Is not
easily accounted for. believe he was in more
| awe OF his Marshals than was generally sup
posed Iie acted rs il he was not sure
| OF their obedience; for instance, no would or
| dor ono of them to take another under his COM
| mand, but he never ventured to tell the other
| TO obey him iof course the two fellows get into
| quarrel directly. or was he afraid that any Of
| them. II TOO successful, might eclipse him?
But there were none OF them that know any
| thing about. except Massena, who mad any pre-
tensions to comparison with him." The Duke
goes on to say that Buonapartes mind was
| IN It's details. low ana ungentiemanlikc. sup
| pose the harrowhess OF MS early prospects and
habits stuck to him; what IRE understand by
| 0entieman'ike feelings he know nothing at all
| reader
| oushiy this judgment mas since been
| confirmed by Jungs careful study OF Napo-
Icons youth and early manhood. and by the
| revelations OF Nine. do Nemusat. AS to the
hawS in ms Eeheraiship. they nav" been dis
| tlnctly pointed out by Lanfroy. In fact. French
men in the last thirty years have themselves
| done much TO explode tho Napoleonic legend.