New-York tribune., 1894-03-25
NAPOLEON.
HIS DELAYS At WATERLOO

SO. Imported by Charles Scribners sons.
1t has now been nearly half a century since
the publication Of the third and fullest edition OF
Captain Sibernc'ss elaborate work. The, present.
volume is somewhat abridged, but the remark
able narrative which in variety Of incident. in
dramatic movement and in the overwhelming
catastrophe surpassed the utmost powers of
fiction remains intact, II would be useless 10 re-
peat It, to enter the controversy as to the sFAl
shown in the contest or as to the responsibility
for the result Most Of the writing on this sub
ject has neglected what may be called the human
side Of Napoleon. and has considered him as 'he
mere embodiment Of military genius or the lack
OF 1t, according TO the prejudces Of each writer
As a sort Of finite ana conditioned god OF wal
Mars in q cooked hat and tOp-boots, Napoleon
was subject to such incidents as Grouchy ana
that legendary bad quarter Of an hour or more
on the field: but as human being he was sub
tect TO something more significant than clther
of these incidents or all others. There is con-
siderable material in SiboInes work for speeu!a-
ton on the matter Siborne never maintained
that Napoleon was beaten for hack of skill. or by
reason Of any sudden defect of mental power
But he expressed wonder and the world mas
wondered ever since, at the failure OF the Em-
peror t. order the doing Of things which, IN
earlier DAYS he would have looked after WIN
sleepless vigilance He seemed. for example not
10 realize the difficulties Of Neys position AT
ouatre Bras. nor to have adequately aided him
with his own superhous force. IT was Just az
important that the Anglo-Allied Army should be
driven back. or al least. restrained on the west
side of the area Of military operations as, that
the Prussians shodid be driven away to thf ea st.
ward Then. aft, + he had beaten the Prussans
IN the neighbofhocd Of Ligny. his previous career
would lead one to look for vigorous pursuit
and strenuous efforts to turn the orderly retreat
of the enemy into rout He certainly had pracu-
callv fresh troops for the purpose, and it was an
indispensable part of his plan that the frusslahs
should be thoroughly beaten and prevented from
Joining Welngton's forces. That would have
insured success from his point of view in the
later struggle. But he almost seems TO nave
taken It for granted that when the Prussians
-obegan to retire they would not stop until theF
got out Of harms way. There was a crowd ef
seven or eight thousand men who justified such
anticipations by running off in panic. But
this was not the way Napoleon had usually
made war Il resembed the practice which ne
had known in his youth one OF the pracuceS
that made him weary of Europe.
But those were days when were prolonged
q for merely professional reasons. For about a
score of years he had been teaching the world a
new lesson He had impressed upon IL the TACT
that war was not merely game OF SIKH IN whlch
foundly serious business in which all the people
must take hand. Even as late as 1914 he had
stll shown the same untring energy and the
same celeritv in battle though with diminished
resources and in falling cause. that had charac-
terized him from the first But now. with the GER
tainty of a tremendous battle on the morrow or
on the third day at the furthest' he was calm ana
contented, after sangunary conllct iOf "4llch
he had nothing to show except possession OF 'he
field of battle and twenty-one pieces or cannon
- with these however ii would seem that the EN-
peror was fully satisfied; if he had entertained
u any idea of pursuit. 1t was now abandoneu; ne
took measures for watching the movements and
prying into the designs Of his adversary, but left
his troops resting in their bVouacs. onerlhg no
moestation whatever to the Prussians. while he
in nerson returned TO FeurIs where he passed
the night The contrast between the circum-
stances Of the two armies during the night was
very striking: for while the victors We're indulging
in perfect repOse. the vanQuished were completely
on the alert. seizing every possible advantage
which the extraordinary quietude OF their enc
mics afforded during the precious hours of dark
ness: and never. perhaps, did defeated army
extricate itself from its difficulties with 50 much
adrotness and order retire from a hard-fought
field with so little diminut.on Of its moral force
On the fatal day as everybody knows. the de-
greater He made the state Of the ground which
prevented the getting up of artillery promptly
an excuse for pageant in the formation OF
his line of battle. pageant which will doubtless
illuminate the pages Of history thousand years
hence 1t was marvellous that man who had
been through such experiences as Napoleon had
endured should care for the mere play Of war.
When asked about this afterward. he remarked
on the condition of the earth after the rain or
the preceding night delaying the movements
of artillery and cavalry and added that there was
no good why the time should not be
used in an orderly and deliberate formation Of
a well-defned order of battle. He naturally
rejected those moral afterthoughts dictated by
the result But all criticism agrees with that Of
Siborne that the advantages Of an early be-
ginning on the day Of Waterloo would have been
all on the side Of Napoleon. The deliberation OF
that morning not merely that of military
expert who displaying his skill. IT was uni
form with the whole Of the previous conduct Of
Napoleon during the campaign. If he had ig-
nored the Prussians on the night after Ligny, he
was equally easy going on the following morning
when he made a speech to almost every corps
and entered into conversation freely 'and at
great length with Grouchy and Gerard on the
state Of public opinion in Paris, the different
politjcal parties and on various other subjects
quite unconnected with those military operations
upon the successful issue Of which depended the
ability Of his present power This incident
seems 10 furnish the key to the conception Of
r Napoleon embodied IN SibOrnes work The heart
uf the Emperor was not in this Belgian cam
palgn. IT was in Paris where. If war were at an
e ond he felt that he had work 70 do as 81 rnler.
il was the WEAKNESS of genius which possessed
him He had contributed to the SCIENCE <of war
all that he was capable. ef.,' New battles were to
him only the repetition of those which had al
ready been fought. He had already experienced
all the vcissitudes Of victory and defeat. AS
Charles V wearied OF the throne. as Shakespeare
wearied Of the stage and retired TO meagre
village. Napoleon had become weary Of war
and would gladly have escaped He himself had
trained by conflict and opposition the spirit that