The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1900-04-26
The Greatest Of Campaigns

~~OSSAA 10y "a SPoiAASo AOA SiiS
of England. Secretly Austria and
Russia entered into a coalition with
England against him, and prepared
to assail him in the rear. Five hun
dred thousand allied troops were i'm
mediately on the march, for the in
vasion of France, without any dec
iaration of war. Of these, 100000
were Austrians, 100000 Russians, 50,-
600 English, Swedes and Neapolitans.
There were also 100000 Prussians, for
midably armed and disciplined, eager
to join the coalition upon the first
reverse which should attend the
French arms. To meet these armies
of combined Europe, Napoleon had
but $4,000 combatants, $4,000 of
whom were horsemen.
The allies supposed that they were
moving in secrecy, and that they were
to strike their victim by surprise
But a vigilant eye was watching
them. The moment the Austrian
troops commenced their march, by
the invasion of Bavaria, Napoleon's
ally, he put the seal of silence upon
all the avenues of information, and
by means of 10000 carriages which he
had in readiness, transported his
army, with almost the speed of the
whirlwind, across France. passed both
the Rhine and the Danube, and plant
ed his batteries in the rear of the di-
vision of $4,000 Austrians who had en-
tered the Bavarian kingdom. The re-
treat of the foe was thus cut off, and
he was separated from his supplies
and could hope for no aid. The Aus
TRANS could not have been more
amazed had an army descended from
the skies.
As Napoleon was thus rapidly con-
centrating his troops in the rear of
the foe, he wrote to Talleyrand:
''The Austrians are in the defles of
the Black Forest. God grant that
they may remain there. My only fear
is that we shall brighten them too
much. If they allow me to gain a
few more marches I shall have COM
pletely turned them. Forbid the
newspapers to make any more men
ton of the army than if it did rot
exist"
Napoleon seemed to be omnipres-
ent. Night and day, almost without
food or sleep, he was on horseback
galloping from post to post. For
eight days and nights of incessant
rain, the emperor had not taken off
his boots, or even thrown himself
upon a couch of rest. One night Ma
poleon overlook a brigade of his sol
diers on the march. Gathering them
around him. as father would as
semble his children, he explained to
them infinitely the situation of the
enemy, and the maneuvers by which
he hoped to gain a triumphant and
bloodless victory. He had no fear
that there would be single deserter
to betray his trust. AS he put spurs
to his horse and disappeared in the
darkness, a burst of irrepressible en-
thusiasm cheered him on his way.
In less than three weeks 10000 of
the Austrians were taken captive, and
$4,000 more were trembling behind
the ramparts of Ulm, all possibility
of escape being cut off. The bat
teries of the French were placed upon
the adjacent heights, and now and
then shell fell into the city, por-
tentous of the approaching storm.
Gen. Mack. in despair, sent Prince
Maurice to the emperor with a flag
of truce. The prince, as was GUS
tomary on such occasions, was con-
Quoted through the lines of the
French army to the emperor's head
quarters, blindfolded. When the
bandages were removed he found him
self in the presence of Napoleon. in a
storm-torn tent, through which the
rain drippedfreely. The emperor stood
upon a loose board, which alone pro-
tected his feet from the water which
deluged the plain. Nothing remained
for the Austrians but unconditional
surrender.
The next day was clear, cold and
brilliant. when a scene was witnessed
seldom paralleled in the annals of
war Thirty-six thousand Austrians
marched out from the city and laid
down their arms before the con-
queror. Napoleon stood upon the hill
side, before a campfire, as the mel
ancholy procession defiled before him.
In generous terms he said to the
officers, Inundated and grief-stricken:
Gentlemen, war has its chances.
Often victorious, you must expect
sometimes to be vanquished Your
master wages against me an unjust
war I say candidly, 1 know not for
what am fighting"
The eXultation of the French army
was boundless. Sixty-six thousand
prisoners, 200 pieces of cannon, 90
standards and an immense amount OF
military stores had been taken in a
campaign of 30 days. and with the
loss of but 1900 men. A few thou
sands only of the great army of in
vasion had escaped. in fugitive bands
through the defiles of the mountains
But astounding as was this success
the French army was still in immi-
nent peril. But 10000 Of the 100000
of their foes had been captured or
dispersed. Alexander Of Russia was