The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1895-04-27

and the coalition should continue FREEDOM
inant from Piedmont to Venice was the
question. The existing order in the Ital
power; but the popular party was in SYM
pathy with Republican France. Bona
parties mission into Italy was ostensibly
for ~preoccupation and defense; but it
meant, out of the nature of things, sharp
wal and speedy conquest.
Hardly had the campaign in Piedmont
begun before the Directory in Paris would
send out the veteran Kellerman to be sec
ond in command, This might he a COM
pliment to a general .in-chief not yet TWEEN
ty seven; but not so to BOnaparte. He at
once replied saying that it was indifferent
to him Ga thing most u%ntrue) whether he
should serve in Italy or somewhere else.
All he wished-so ran his plaint-was a
brief page in history awarded for service
to his country. General Kellerman had
more experience han he, and knew better
how to makew war; but both together we
shall make it badly. | will not willingly
serve with Il man who considers himself
the first general in Europe" How strong
ly is here revealed tho u~nconquerable will
and self -sufliciency and purpose of Bona
parte to be all or nothingl
Let us sean the field. The coalition
against France now embraced Austria,
Bavaria, Piedmont, Naples, and England.
The smaller States of Germany II Italy
were also in the league. For the "protec-
ton" of Piedmont and indeed of all Italy,
an army of about sixty thousand men,
thoroughly equipped and supplied, and
commanded by General Beaulieu, one of
the ablest and most experienced i'll Europe,
had been sent into Lombardy. Against
this power Napoleon's Army of Italy was
set, consisting of only thirty-tive thousand
new men, miserably destitute, and having
enthusiasm for its principal resource
With this he must compete for the mastery
of states and kingdoms.
But the Army of Italy had for a com
mander a military genius of so audacious
a character as to rank its possessor with
the two other prime warriors of human
history. He had daring, military inven.
ton, the power Of combination, the dis.
covory of new expedients, sudden adapta-
ton to unforeseen contingencies, courage,
ambition, foresight, subtlety, and indeed
every quality fit to make him what he was
now about to become-the greatest com
mander Of modern times.
At MontCnOtte, twenty-siX miles west
Of Genoa, Napoleon fought his first field
battle He attacked the Austrian division
of D'Argentcau, and won a victory. Mark
you, he fought with a dirisiOn of the en-
emyl This was on the 18th of April,
only twenty-five days after his departure
from Paris. On the l4th he struck the
Austrians and Sardinians at Millesimo,
ten miles further on, and won another vic
tory. On the next day he came on the
enemy at Diego, and added a third. On
the 2lst, he reached Mondovi, forty-eight
miles from Turin, and on the following
day attacked and defeated the division of
General Coli. In every engagement his
blow was like that of a thunderbolt. The
disciplined armies of his opponents broke
before him.
An incident of these first wild days of
battle and victory we'll illustrates the pre-
vailing temper of the conqueror. His
first passage with Coli was with pen
rather thar sword. Just after the conflict
at Diego, the German General demanded
the release of a certain Emigrant Moulin
who had been taken by the French, though
bearing a flag of truce. To this Bona
parte replied: IAN emigrant is a parri-
eide. You forgot the respect due to the
Frerch people when you sent M. Moulin
with q flag of truce. You know the laws
Of war. If contrary to those laws you au-