Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1894-12-13
NAPOLEON ON HORSEBACK.
He Was an Indefatigable Rider Though
His Seat Was Not Secure.

/
His Seat Was Not Secure.
1t was one of Napoleon's aphorisms
that the most suitable palace for
French monarch was his tent the most
proper throne a war-horse And SO it
has come about that in the Napoleonic
legend the famous white horse" seems |
as necessary as the three-cornered hat
and the gray coat of Marengo" to
complete the picturesque little figure |
of the great emperor
The white horse" is familiar enough |
to all who have seen Meissonier's pic
lures, and has evidently been painted
by the great artist with as much So
licitude of detail and affectionate care
as are employed in depicting its i'm
perial master himself The type of
charger then, that so often reappears
is that of Z three-quarter- bred, light,
but muscular animal, white or gray in
color, with considerable dash of Arab
blood, as seen in the long neck, high
crest and easy, springy gait. The
horse, though spirited, is remarkably
docile, and has entirely put aside the
mere vanities of snowy and FESTIVE
parade charger. Like its owner, II
gives the impression of calm power and
reserved force. This placid tempera-
ment was not the effect of any SUI
perior command in the horsemanship
of Napoleon-for he had neither good
seat nor good hands-but simply the
result of the most careful previous
preparation of the horses designed for
his use. They were drilled to stand
immobile by the hour, in the midst OF
the most fearful tumult, noise and ex-
citemcnt-for it would not have been
easy for Napoleon to survey the battle
ground through his feld-glasses on the
back of champing, paving and cara
colling animal-and yet the horse must
have lively step in walking and
swift gallop in the moment of need. In
the glimpses one obtains of Napoleon
during the progress of battle he
seems either to be ''immobile" and
statuesque, or galloping recklessly at
headlong pace.
With respect to his seat in the saddle
| L
in detail. Napoleon himself used to
take pleasure in describing the aston
ishment of the Mamelukes, after the
battle of the Pyramids, when they be-
held that this bold and irresistible con
oueror was little man who rode like
a butcher Yet, to begin with, some
reservation must be made as to the
popular notion of Napoleon's exiguity
of figure At the time of the Egyptian
campaign, and also, of course, at Lodi
where he gained the title of lie Petit
Caporal," he was slight and extremel!
thin; but considering that on his death
bed his physician, Antommarchi, foun'
his measurement to be five feet. six AM
one-half inches, he could hardly b
considered very deficient in stature. Il
the prime of life he must have been az
preciably taller, and, with his squar
shoulders, broad chest, and command
ing bearing, looked, no doubt, extreme
ly well on horseback This is the NOR
easy to believe when it is known tina
the shortness of his figure was due Ell
tirely to the lack Of proportion of HI
lower limbs. His torso was that of
fairly tall man.
, Whatever disadvantages as rider h
derived from the shortness of his leg
however, must have been considerabl
increased by his manner of sitting h
y. horse. He not only rode with sho
: stirrup, but his saddle was made vel
!, wide and very fat on top, as comfor
able as an armchair, but also very i
secure.
- Of the latter point there are abu
, dant proofs, for though there does n
= appear to be any detailed account
:. Napoleon's numerous accidents, y
from casual reading of various episcd
= one might count up surprising nul
Der of times that he had fallen from
. horse.
i. One of Napoleop's falls ought to
y rather interesting to the amateurs
premonitions and auguries, for it {
9 Cured in that momentous passing
the Rubicon-or, rather, in this ca'
- the Niemen-which was the prelude
,s the downfall of his empire.
US NJ. Segur, in his "Histoire de
y Grande Armee," mentions that it W
~ at 2 o'clock in the morning that
- poleon ''reconnoitered the Russi
" river, without Disgusting himself,
:. has been falsely asserted, but unt
% cover of the night crossing the front
w which, five months afterward, he v
.. only enabled to repass under cover
~ the same obscurity. When he came
~ the bank his horse suddenly fell a
-, threw him on the sand. A voice
CIV claimed: This is bad omen;
Russian would have recoilt
On 1t is not known whether it ,
nc himself or one of his retinue who I
'n nounced these words" Other nal
tives aver that it was about Ell
in o'clock in the morning that Napol
crossed the Niemen, and that he
~, then disguised in the uniform o
~, ~ Prussian hussar. Possibly both
Ivy counts are true, the explanation be
i'h that he had recrossed during the nj
'on after his first adventure.
ace On other occasions his horse ser
the 80 "a ,,,os shortl, ofte,.
| MIN DtUUeT. IL was Siioi NY aitSi
W passage of the Mincio that Napol'
overcome with grief, rested some Il
4 time in a neighboring chateau, and
"a actually in his bath when the sent
va warned him of the approach of a
on merous body of Austrian horsemen
appeared that they had lost their
and were wandering about the c.
try with no very precise INTENT
However, they almost had it in
sd" hands to have settled the camp
Ao' abruptly by capturing Gen. Bonap;
for that redoubtable individual
,ars compelled to make his retreat by
fire.. back door, and in the most h
;oo fashion, and, it is averred, in the
and undignified of costumes. 1t was
sion adventure that suggested the estat
ron. ment of the corps of guides" as
,;m were then called-afterward thu
life nous guards of the great Napol'
For battles.-N. Y. Advertiser.
tici-
Evidently Wedding.