The Afro-American advance., 1900-04-14
The Greatest Of Campaigns

IN THE middle of the month of Oc-
tober. 1905, Emperor Napoleon
was with his magnificent army of
Boulogne. preparing for the invasion
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 inn
mediately on the march, for the in
vasion of France, without any dec
laration of war. OF these, 25G,000
were Austrians, 200, 900 Russians, 50,-
900 English, Swedes and Neapolitans.
There were also 100000 Prussians. for
midably armed and disciplined, eager
10 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.
Bnt a vigilant eye was watching
them. The moment the Austrian
troops commenced their march. by
the invasion of Bavaria, Napoleon
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
and could hope for no aid. The Aus
trians 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 defiles OF
the Black Forest. God grant that
they may remain there. My only fear
is that we shall frighten them toe
much. IL they allow me to gain a
few more marches / shall have com
pletely turned them. Forbid the
newspapers TO make any more men.
lion of the army than if it did not
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 of
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 minutely the situation OF the
enemy. and the maneuvers by which
he hoped to gain a triumphant and
bloodless victory. He bad no fear
that there would be a single deserter
TO betray his trust As he put spurs
10 his horse and disappeared in the
darkness. burst of irrepressible en-.
thusiasm cheered him on his way.
In less than three weeks 10000 oi
the Austrians were taken captive. and
$4,000 more were trembling behind
the ramparts of Tim, 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 10 the emperor with flag
Of truce. The prince. as was Gus
iomary 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 dripped freely The emperor stood
upon a loose board which alone pro.
fected 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 scene was witnessed
seldom paralleled in the annals oi
war. Thirty-six thousand Austrians
marched out from the city and laid
down their arms before the con,
qaeror. Napoleon stood upon the hill
side. before a campfire. as the mel
ancholy procession defiied before him
In generous terms he said to the
officers. hnmiliatsd and grief-strieken:
Gentlemen. war has its chances
often victorious, you must expect
sometimes to be vanquishesl Your
master wages against me an unjust
var say eandidly. / know not for
What ! am fighting.
The exultation OF the French arms
was ooundiess. sixty-s.x thousand
Prisoners, 300 pieces of cannon. 81
Saadards and an immense amount ol
military stores had been taken in a
campaign Of 20 days, and with the
osa Of but / 800 men. A few thou.
a&aS@ only Of the great army Of In,