Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-10-18

The story of how the great Napoleon
met and conquered the very flower
of the armies of the allied nations of
the old world, there arrayed against
| the Frenchmen, is a pretty story-in
fact, is not a story at all. but a mat
| ter Of history. Those who hay read
history or the life of Napoleon will
! remember that his motto was punctual
and implicit obedience to orders With
Napoleon ) O'Clock meant 5 o'clock or
| before. not five minutes or one min
| ute after D. One incident will be found
| in Napoleon's career where he pun
| lshed favOrite general, after having
publicly reprimanded him for appear
ing at a certain bridge some ten min
| uteS later than he had been ordered
to appear there by his superior officer.
| The general offered as an excuse that
the weather was rigorous but Napo-
leon impetuously interfered with a re-
| mark: Not too rigorous for me to be-
here on time
The French troops had implicit con-
fidence in their leader. The night
before the great battle of AuSteriltz
the men sang patriotic songs until eau
toned that they We're within earshot
of the enemy and must be silent, but
some time later, when just before re-
firing to his tent for the night-though
| it is said that Napoleon did not sleep
that great general passed among his
warriors outstretched on the ground.
Suddenly one enthusiastic soldier faS-
tened his little pallet of straw on his
bayonet, fired it and tossed it in the
air. Others followed and the flames
lit up the entire country surrounding,
carrying to the enemy the news that
the Frenchmen We're near. Such action
was decidedly unjudicious, it is true,
bat it showed the wonderful faith and
confidence the soldiers had in their
general, whom they fairly worshipped,
and at whose command they would
face without fiinching what. at least,
appeared to be certain death.
The battle began at an early hour in
the morning. Napoleon saw before
him more than 100000 of the very
flower of the army of Russia. Austria,
Germany, England and other ma 'ons,
while he had scarcely $4,000 Scared,
worried and not too we'll fed or
clothed soldiers with which TO face the
seemingly overwhelming, better cared
for allied army of 100000 tried men,
and yet Napoleon won and all the ma
tons marveled thereat. though it is
now a matter of history that he should
have won for the reason that his plans
were successfully carried out, because
Of the implicit confidence of his sol
diers and their prompt obedience to
each order issued.
Some of Napoleon's generals differed
with the greatest of all generals Or
ders, but they did not stop to question
and carried out their instructions to the
letter. Napoleon threw his entire
army of $4,000 men first on the right
wing, then on the left, then on the
center. Several times the enemy was
fanked without knowing how the
trick had beeh accomplished but turn
as they might, the allies found con-
fronting them 10000 men in acom-
pact mass. while to save themselves
the generals of the allied army could
not swing their 100000 into such posi-
ton as to face NapOleon's army at
the same time That was the very
trick Napoleon wanted to play. While
there were 100000 men arrayed against
him, he was fighting about one-fourth
that number with a superior force be-
hind him. True, upon each maneuver
he faced fresh men, but never more
men than he threw against that par
ticular part of the allied armies.
He won because there was organiza-
| ton, and the men who did the fighting
asked no questions as to the wisdom
,, of this or that order, but simply knew
that the ultimate result to be achieved
was defeat Of their enemy and, being
properly organized and disciplined,
they accomplished the result aimed at.