The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-02-24

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Hss8
These qualities renaered hiEn en- lnxnh
abs ais b. Bonsparts I'm his great hsfties.
Standing ara his Observatory. and k~skissg
| over the conflict. Napoleon often ~aw here
the xhole issue turned on n single polnf.
/ such a cosumn must h. shaken. such a
Mac. an fI. line I.s.-L..rl 1..stAssa h.f-
terry sarFted. - the day was io~t.
tiu such missions he vouid send Nev.
I knoWing q human skill and waller could
I avail. 81 would he done; and when be saw
him start with his column and move
/ down towards the spot where the fate OF
the battle was vibrating, his c0untenance
always wore "a complacent look.
Again and again did he fling his crown
and France into his keeping and that of
his legions, and almost without fear see
them borne ON into the smoke of battle.
The bold Marshal never disappointed him,
and II was for this reason BOnaparte
hands, and saw them both go down in the |
last charge of the Old Guard at Waterloo.
Even here Ney would have saved his |
master, II bravery and devotion could have |
done it.
During the whole campaign of 1867, Ney
moves before us as some hero OF former
ages. AT Jena, borne on by his impetuOus
courage, he charged and took a battery,
and the next instant found himself sur
rounded by an army that no other man
would have thought of resisting.
But though hemmed in, and apparently
overwhelmed instead OF yielding, as pru
dence itself seemed to dictate, he immedi-
ately formed his men into squares; and
kept up such a rolling, devouTing fire, on
every side, that the headlOng masses fell
by hundreds at every discharge.
Bonaparte, seeing the imminent peril
of his brave Marshal, detached Bertrand
with several regiments Of horse to his re-
lief. No sooner was he extricated, than he
unrollcd his men again into column, and
with firm and rapid step assembled the
hill on which Vierzhen Heiligen stood, and
after a fierce conflict, took it.
IRRESISTIBLE CHARGE.
This was the center of the enemy's
position, and Napoleon saw from dis
lance with delight his favorite Marshal in
the very heart of the PrusSian lines. Re-
puISing for awhile with prodigiouS slaugh-
ter every attempt of the enemy to regain 1T,
he again unroiled his squares into column,
and marched through a most scourging
fire, straight on the Prussian's right.
The tempest of musketry and grape
through which he advanced, drove like
storm of slcct in the face of his men; but
nothing could resist the impetuous charge,
and the right line of the allies was swept
away Around the wall of ErfuIt and
Madgeburg-crossing the Vistula-at the
terrible battle Of Soldau-annihilating
Russian corps at Deepen, at Gustadt and
Amskerdorff-he is the same calm, de-
termined, and terrible man,
In the picture the imagination draws OF
the battle of Friedland, Ney always oc-
cupies the foreground There, the tried
veteran was appointed to commence the
action. The engagements with detached
corps had ceased, and both armies were
drawn up in battle array. For several
hours there had been no firing, and it
being now o'clock, the Russian General
supposed there would be no engagement
till morning.
But mt o'clock the sudden discharge of
20 cannon from the French center, the
signal Of attack, announced TO the Rus
sian army that the day was to cEd in
blood. The troops were ordered 10 stand TO
their arms, and the next moment the head
of Ney S mighty column was seen to emerge
from a wood behind POsthenen and stretch
itself, in huge black line, into the open
field
In close array and quick time. it moved
straight upon FriedIand. The sun was
STOPPING to the western horizon, as if hast
ing from the scene Of carnage about TO
open-yet his departing light gave new
splendor to the magnificent array /
forest of gittering steel seemed moving I
over the field, while from the steepies and /
towers OF Friedland, the countless thou /
sands Of those that still remained in the
wood were visible.
But all eyes were directed on Ney and