Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-01-16
NAPOLEON IN THE FIELD.
His Headquarters Arrangements Were Ex-
cellently Well Planned.

Tho admirable celebrity and accuracy OF
Napoleon's movements in the field were
duo to the excellent arrangement by
which they were made. His two insepa-
rablo companions were the grand marshal
Duroc ana Caulainoourt, master Of the
horse. The laser had always the map of
the country through which they acre driv-
ing or riding ready for instant Use. The
seats of the imperial carriage could be con-
verified into couch for the emperor's fire.
quont night journeys, but ordinarily Bor-
thier and Murat took turns at sitting ut
his side, while CaulaincOurt rode close be-
sido the door. Behind, and as near the
! wheels as possible, rode adiutants, Ii
ordnance officers and pages %yho must
be ready on the instant to receive and carry
orders. Two of the officers must be famil-
lar with the speech of the country. Rus
TAM his Egyptian body servant rode with
than. There were also two mounted
lackeys each carrying maps papers and
writing materials. This escort was pro-
tected by a body of mounted chasseurs. In
case tho emperor alighted for any purpose
four of these instantly did likewise, and
surrounding him with fixed bayonots or
loaded pistols pointed outward to the four
points of the compass, preserved this rela-
came the grooms with extra norscs for
the emperor personal use there were from
seven to nine. These were substantially
the arrangements still in vogue during the
Prussian campaign Thereafter his dis
trust of those about him gradually in
creased, until toward the end of his career
1t became acute, and thon, as "a conse-
quence, the numbers of his suit were
much diminished
Whenever there was need of post haste
the emperor found relays of nine saddle
horses or six carriage horses prepared at
intervals of from Z to 10 miles along
his route. In this way he often journeyed
ut tho ratio of II miles an hour for six
hours at n time Similar arrangements
on much smaller scale were made for the
staff This body YVES under the indispen-
sable Berthier and was so numerous as to
DO practically capable of subdivision into
several. In 1906 thero wero - adiutants,
three heads of departments, with adju-
tants, 81 staff officers and l3 engineers.
Under the chief of artillery was personal
staff Of Is officers, under the chief of en-
gineers one Of 49, and under tho commits
sGry general one of 49, Arriving at his
night quarters, tho emperor found his Of
fec rcady-a tent, or room, with five
toDles, one III tne center 1Or nlmsel1 ana
ono at each corner for his private secre-
taries On his own was map oriented
and dotted with colored pins, which mark
ed tho position of every body of his troops
For this campaign he had only one in ex.
istence, prepared long in advance by his
own orders. 1t is significant of the Prus-
sian overconfldence and supineness that
they had none. AS soon as possible was
arranged tho emperor's bed chamber,
across tho door of which Russian slept,
and adjoining it was another for the off,
GERS on duty Dinner occupied less than
90 minutes, for in the field Napoleon ate
little, and that rapidly. By in the even
ing no was asleep.
A in the morning the commander In
chief arose, entered his Office where the
secretaries were already at work, found
all reports from the divisions ready at his
hand, and then, pacing the floor, dictated
his dispatches and tho orders for tho COM
Ing day. There is an accepted tradition
that he often simultaneously composed
and uttered in alternate sentences two diff
ferent letters, so that two secretaries were
busy at the same time in writing papers on
different topics The orders, when COM
pleted and revised. were handed to Ber-
on their way and reached the separate
corps fresh from headquarters just before
the soldiers set out on their march. 1t
was by such perfect machinery that ac-
ouracy in both command and obedience
was assured. -Professor W. M. Sloane In
Century.