Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1895-07-12

! Napoleon himself. Courtesies began be
| tween him anG the Emperor.
Suddenly, however. on tho 18th o.
September, 1906, Fox died; and by the
incoming Of Lauderdale, the whole com
plexion was changed Toryism agar
ran rampant. Tho Anglo-Russo-Pru
sian intrigue was renewed. Frederick
William sent a peremptory challenge
to Napoleon to botako himself out OF
Germany. The Emperor had in truth
agreed to Withdraw his forces: but the
Gear had also agreed to reIinquish Ger
tain vantage ground OH the Dalmatian
fronticr-and had not dono it. There
fore, Napo!eon's army corps would re-
main in Germany. Frederick William
suddenly declared "a war; and Napoleon,
in month after the death Of Fox and
the sudden revulsion in diplomacy, con-
centratod in Sake Weimar all army Of
nearly hundred thousand men.
The Prussians, sixty Thousand strong,
under Prince Hohenlohe, occupied the
city of Jena, Oh the Saalo. There, OIL
tho 14th of October, they were attacked
and utterly routed by the French, leav-
ing behind twelve thousand in killed
and wounded, and about fifteen thou:
sand prisoners. On the same day, at
Auerstadt, fourteen miles from Wei
mar, corps of the Grand Army, thirty
five thousand strong, under Marshal
Davout. fell upon division Of fifty
thousand Prussians, commanded by thi
Duke of Brunswick and Frederick Will
liam in person, and won signal vic
tory. Brunswick was mortally wound
ed, and about ten thousand Of his SOL
diers were put hors du combat
Prussia was utterly overwhelmed by
the disaster. Her fortresses wero sur.
rendered without resistance, and Napo'
leon, in less than fortnight, occupied
Berlin. On the 2lst Of November, h,
issued from that city his celebrate
Berlin decree, declaring the British l.
lands in a state of blockade, and inter-
dieting all correspondence and trade
with England!
The property Of British subjects, I'M
der wide schedule of liabilities, was
declared contraband Of war.
Meanwhile, the aid promised to Prus-
sia by the Gear had been too slow for
the lightning that struck at jena. The
but were forced back by the victorious
French, who took possession of Warsaw.
There the Emperor esta blished his win
ter-quarters and remained for nearly
three months, engaged in the formula
tion of new plans Of conquest and new
schemes for the pacifcation of Europe.
After Jena, Prussia, though crushed,
remained belligerent. Her shattered
forces drew off to the borders, and were
joined by the Russians in East Prussia.
The campaign of 1907 opeHed here. On
the Sth of February, the French army,
about 10000 strong, advanced against
the allies commanded by Benningsen
and Lestocq. At the town of Eylau,
about twenty miles from Konigsberg, a
great but indecisive battle was fought,
in which each army suffered loss Of
nearly Is, 600 men. The Russians and
Prussians fell back about four miles to
Friedland, and both armies wero rein
forced, tho French to about 80, 900, and
the allies to approximately the same
number.
The shock Of Eylau. the inclemency
of the season, and the political compli-
cations that thickened in every horizon
held back military movements until the
beginning of summer. On the 18th Of
June was fought the great battle Of
Friedland; and the allied army was vir-
tually destroyed. The loss Of the Rus
slams and Prussians was more than 49,.
900 men; that Of the French, fewer
than s, 900. Napoleon commanded III
person, and his triumph was prodigious.
Though common fame would have Aus
uerlitz to be the most glorious of his
battles, critical opinion comedies the
palm to Friedland.
After Friedland, Tilsit. There, in the
middle of the Memel, on the 25th Of
June, 1907, Napoleon and the Gear met
on the famous raft. The beaten Alexan.
der had come to admire his victorious
antagonist. Why should the faces Of his
fifty thousand dead prevent him from
falling in love with the destroyer? Tho
Emperors readily agreed to be at peace.
On the 18th of July a treaty was con-
cludel between Franco and Russia, and
two days afterwards similar compact
between France and Prussia. Frederick
William had sought refuge after the
battle in the town of Memel, which was
now about all he might call his own!
Now was created the grand duchy OF
Warsaw, composed Of Prussian territory.
Over this new state was set Napoleon'x
friend Frederick Augustus, king of the
Saxons. Another part Of Prussia was
given to the Gar Dantzic was declared
independent. The province west Of the
Elb was coded to France All tho Bona
parties were confirmed in their king
doms, and the Confederation of the
Rhine was recognized. The ports Of
Prussia were shut to English commerce.
Frederick Williams army was placed
at maximum of az, 900 men. To these
provisions was added large indemnity
to France from Prussia. The map which
the Corsican had etched with his sword
point on the broken landscape of Europe
was confirmed by the agreement of all
the Powers-save England.