The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-07-20
NAPOLEON THE FIRST.
Count Chaptafs "reminiscences of til
Great French Soldier.

Great French Soldier.
Chaptal pretends to give us an inn
partial and accurate portrait of Napo-
leon; he means to be just. but he is in
complete. The Italian nature of Napo-
leon was compounded of precision and
of imagination; the latter element was
not understood by Chaptal. What
seemed monstrous to him was the eff
feet of that imagination which played
with facts, fortunes, empires, armies,
as with the creatures of fancy. A cal
culating spirit combines very well in
the Italian character with an extra
ordinary contempt for realities and
with unreasonab bic ambition. Even in
our present time we can see proof of it.
II Chaptal were still alive he would
suppose that the house of Savoy, hav-
ing made a United Italy, having no
more to fear from the forestieri, having
made Rome its capital, might rest and
be thankful. No, it can not be con-
tented; it has entered into the Triple
Alliance, and, tormented by its am
bition, keeps its old war cry: ''Avanti
Savoia."
There was much OF that spirit in Ma
poleon; he had succeeded in organizing
France. but he felt that his only hold
on Europe was by force. He said 10
Chaptal several times:
Five or six families occupy the
thrones of Europe and see with pain
that Corsican is come to sit among
them. | can maintain myself only by
force; can accustom them to look up
on me as their equal only by keeping
them down-my empire is gone as soon
as | cease to be dreaded. | can allow
no one to threaten me without striking
him. What would be Indifferent TO
king or an older race is serious to me.
| will maintain myself in this attitude
as long as l live, and if my son is not a
repeat me. he will fall from
the throne, as more than one
man is necessary TO consolidate q mon
archy. Loui, XIV, after so many vic
tories, would have lost his scepter at
the end of his life if ne had not received
it from long line of kings
AT home, my position is not com
parable to that of the old sovereigns.
They can live at leisure in their cas-
ties; nobody contests their legitimate
rights, nobody thinks of taking their
place, nobody accuses them OF ingrati-
tude, because nobody helped to place
them on their throne. With me IL Is
quite different: there is no general who
does not think that he has the same
rights to the throne as myself: there is
no influential man who does not think
that he paved the way for me on the
18th Brumaire. | am obliged TO be
very severe with these men.
They do not love me, but they fear me,
and that is enough"
These words throw food of light on
many of Napoleons actions. Nothing
has struck me so much in these souvc-
Mrs of Chaptal as the account he gives
of the relations of Napoleon with his
marshals.
Napoleon" says Chaptal. was al
ways on his guard against the am bition
of his generals. With the cx-
ception OF two or three who had known
him in his youth, and who had main
tanned certain freedom with
him, they approached him with
trembling, and they could not say
that they ever had moment Of
familiarity with him. He loaded them
with money; he gave them estates in
the conquered countries, because he
wished TO create opulent houses in his
court. / never caugh. the
emperor eulogizing any general and I
often heard him critiaise them sharply
sometimes for their want Of talent. /
sometimes for their bad conduct He /
often said in speaking % hi. rnsTshals- |
These people think themselves neces |
sarv: they don't kno. that ! have a /
hundred division generals who can /
very well replace them He I
never tolerated the smallest ipfrae- /
ton Of discipline in his generals Gen. i
Gouvion ~. Cyr onee presented him 4
self Al his ievee al the Tuileries. The 4
emperor asked him calmly: General, 4
VOC come from Naples Yes. sire. 4
have tHrneo over the coInmsnd 70 Gen. z
Perignon. whom ron sent 70 replace 4
me You have nndou ofedlv received i
the perm ission Of the minister 81 war i
No. sire, hat had nothing more 70 i
do az Saples- If IN tvvo hears you are I
no; on roar way 20 Naples. Dsfore /
twelve o'clock sou will be shot on the
plain ~ erenelIe.
B,erthier and Duroe. The only generals