Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-05-29
A MILITARY POLICY
Was Tried Once Too Often by
Napoleon.
NAPOLEON'S RUSSIAN TRAGEDY.
How His Diplomacy and Strategy Failed
In That Disastrous Campaign-The
Battle Of Waterloo.


to push on to the enemy's capital,
though held in check by the same
natural forces that helped wreck the
Frenchman's Russian campaign, we
all may be in mind to review that
line of military policy which Napoleon
tried once too often. The Paris Ameri-
can Register thus tells how Napoleon
strategy of pushing for the enemy's
capital failed in the Russian campaign:
The Russian campaign of the great
Napoleon, which broke down the pres
tige of imperial infallibility, was a
terrible blunder, both from a military
and from political point of view.
From a military point of view it was
an error, because the capture of Mos
COW was not likely to produce the same
effect on semi barbarous Russians as on
the more civilized inhabitants OF
Vienna and Berlin. From political
point of view the orror was far greater,
as Russia was too far removed from
France to be antagonistic to French
interests. A good understanding with
Russia was then, as now, the grand
desideratum in French politics. Ma
poleon was too shrewd politician not
to know that his Russian campaign was
detrimental to the interests Of France;
but he yielded to the desire of occupy.
ing another European capital and daz-
zling the Partisan mob with the spec
tacle of continuous victory. He also
failed to discern that his military
secret was discovered and that totally
new tactics were necessary for victory.
"On the Gay that Napoleon crossed
the Niemen at the head of 400, 900
men, in the environs Of Wilma, at
fifteen leagues from the river, thu EN-
peror Alexander assisted at ball. F"
The Russian Emperor has been fire.
quently reproached for this. in the same
spirit as the Duke of Wellington was
subsequently censured for his appear
ance at Brussels ball prior to the
battle of Waterloo. But in both cases
the reproach was an eminently superb
cial one. In the case of the Emperor
the plan of campaign had been
arranged, and it was simply to retreat
before the French invaders, and to
draw them into the interior of the
country trusting to the absence of
means of subsistence in thinly popu-
lated country and the rigor of the Rus
sian climate to do the work of defense.
Moreover the Emperor had another
object in view and that was to concil-
late the Polish-Lithuanian nobility and
to prevent their espousing the cause of
Napoleon. "Policy was not stranger
to his attentions. which were special
ly addressed to the Poles of Lithuania.
By testifying for this portion of mis-
subjects a marked predilectionr by
affecting great respect for their bus-
toms, traditions and beliefs, by assist
ing at religious services in their
churches Alexander tried to rally the
Lithuanian Poles to his cause to per-
suade them to turn deaf ear to the
appeals of the invader, and to make
them forget their lost country" The
wilma ball was therefore simply a
means of Cancellation, and it was sue
cessful. for the Polish instruction, on
which Napoleon had reckoned, never
took place. In fact, he himself pre-
vented French manifestation on the
part of the Lithuanian nobility by
issuing proclamation emsncipating
the Polish serfs, and thus striking a
heavy blow at the social position of the
Lithuanian mobiles. While Napoleon
was following the Russian troops, who
disappeared at his approach, the EN-
peror Alexander dispatched to Napoleon
General Balachoff with offers of peace,
the preliminary condition of which was
that Napoleon's army should recross
the Niemen-a condition to which
Napoleon was not likely to consent
On the arrival of Balachoff, the EN-
peror Napoleon, who was pushing his
corps d'armee in hot haste toward
wilma. avoided seeing the envoy, in
the hope of winning great battle near
wilma over the Russian army CON-
msnded by the Emperor Alexander in
person, before entering into negotia-
tions for peace. But when Napoleon
had reached wilma, the Russian army
with the Emperor Alexander had dis
appeared and had fallen back on Mos
COW. The rapidity Of the march on
wilma, the breakdown of the French
commissariat arrangements, the alb
sence of roads. and the poverty of the
country traversed by the French troops,
had already demoralized and disorgan-
lied Napoleon's army before single
battle had been fought. The French
troops entered wilma in a famished
state and proceeded to plumber the
town, which was a singular way of
conciliating the Lithuanian nobility
and inducing them to declare for the
French invaders. At length, despair
ing of winning grand victory over his
retreating foes, Napoleon resolved to
see the Russian envoy. and the inter-
view was an extraordinary one. Napo.
leon, who desired to brighten Balacho,
stormed and ragged an smashed the
window Of the audience chamber.
He overwhelmed the envoy with re-
proaches, declared that the Emperor
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