Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-05-12
To he Editor ofR.e Dispatch:

10 me LdfOT OF me DtSUdCt:
Please allow me brief space in which to
reply to my critic, Madame Franchise, in
her remarks on my lecture on Napoleon
BOnaparte.
/. / did not say the statement that the
Old Guard dies but never surrenders" had
not been made. l gave Lieutenant Col
onel Halkett's views upon the subject,
which must say ! intimated that | put
faith in and which ! now say believe.
Nv authority for what said may be found
in the oath volume of the Dictionary Of
National Biography, at page 81. This work
is by Leslie Stephen and Sidney Lee.
1t Is regarded by the learned as one of
the most reliable works IN the English
language The book quote from can be
seen in the library ct the Capitol. Their
statement is as follows
ain tho Waterloo campaign Halkett COM
manded the Third and Fourth brigades Of the
subsidiary force Of Hanoyerian militia or lam
wehr, which accompanied the newly-organized
Hanoverlan regular troops mot 20 DO confound-
cd with the German legion In British pay into
Belgium. On the 18th June these brigades were
with ClintOn's division In the wood % tho right
Of HougomOnt, where, at the close Of the day,
Halkett distinguished himself by taking pri-
sOner the French General CambrOnne, COM
mander Of the Imperial Guard, whose tradi-
tiOnal utterance La gudrds HeUrt et ne &c reno
pas he laconically pronounced TO be damned
were actually spoken 10 the guard. Halketts
version was shat after the last French adj
vance broken parties OF tho guard, which had
already begun TO fall back, were close 10 tho
British advance skrmishers. Observing a
French general rallying his men, and Wishing TO
give encouragement 70 his own young soldiers,
Halkett put spurs 70 tho powerful English
hunter he bestrOde, whicn started OIL. The
French evidently thought that Halkett's horse
had bolted. Coming close 70 CambrOnne, Hal
kett presented pistol and called on him TO
surrender, which no did. At tho moment
Halkotts horse was shot under him and he saw
Cambronne making of towards his men.
Getting his horse on its legs again with a des-
perate effort, Halkett pursued, caught Cam
b.onne by the aiguillette, swung him round and
cantered of with him into the British lines.
(Boamlsh H., 3Sl; Notes and Queries, 9th SER,
IL, IA: Wilkinson, "reminiscences IL, Boz"
2. did not say that Napoleon's mental
powers had declined at the time of the
battle of Waterloo. On the contrary,
said that his genius never shone out more
splendidly than there, and described the
strategical moves that brought on Waterloo
to show how completely his genius was at
its best. / said, though, he was q sick
man and that his physical powers could
not keep pace with his mental that he
was not the Napoleon of Rivoli and Aus
terlitz.
3. did not in any part of my lecture
depreciate Napoleon's genius. On the con-
trary, L endeavored to picture him as a
man more wonderfully endowed with mind
than any other that has ever lived. dealt
with HIM as q genius without heart OF
soul-as demon. l did not speak of his
great public works. the wonderful code in
Guided. because my lecture was already toe
| long and there was no time for 1t.
A. Let US now see about the tender at.
tachment Of the friends Madame Franchise
Ynantiona First New
Madame dc Remusat heard Bonaparte
say once that If he ever fell by the hand OF
any one OF the marshals it would be by
Neys hand.
After Napoleon had been absent from
him at Elbs ten months Ney had become
( one of the most trusted advisers of Louis
XVIII. He was sent by that monarch to
| command the troops ordered to kill OF
capture Bonaparte, and on setting out he
promised his Majesty that he would
F" bring him the adyenturer in an iron
cage"
| Savary and Rapp commenced their careers
| together as dides-de-cdnp TO Dessaix. When
| Dessaix was killed at Marengo, Rapp, q
/ blunt, sincere Alsatian, burst into tears
and exclaimed: oh! my poor general. y
/ Savary on hearing of it exclaimed: "0h
my poor general; rhdi is TO become Of meg'
Bonaparte took him on his staff and
afterwards made him ehiefof the detective
police TO succeed the infamous Fouche
| His whole subsequent life bears strong
analogy to his exclamation at Marengo
He tried hard TO 60 10 ST. Helena with
Bonaparte, but il was 10 save his own life
He knew he would be shot by the Bour
bons. Forbidden by the English Ministry
TO go there he hid himself in distant
part Of the East, notwithstanding which
he was tried in France contimar and sen
| fenced to death. The same fate overlook
Bertrand. He also was ssntenced to dealt
lively that he knows Duroc had M
affection for Napoleon, and he know Duro,
intimately. He also gives one of Napo
Icons conversations, IN whichthe autocra