The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1902-01-07

lltNN WHICH no hlIhu Dht lAdN va " ''i
der could have conceived or presented
But the work has been severely reviewed
and criticised in England. in France, in
Germany. Russia and the United States.
These structures have led to replies from
the author. in which he has defended his
statements with great ability ana gen.
orally with success
4 recent and attentive reading OF this
fine history has led to the preparation OF
this article. ln it no attempt has been
made 10 follow the military events, either
I'm their facts or their results Thepurpose
sought herein il simply to direct ntten-
tion 10 some points bearing upon the
institutions Of Europe, Of Great Britain
and Of our own land. which Napier
work brings into our view
IL certain that he presents the diff
cultie-. unxictics ond trials arising from
the British Cabinet officers and from the
Juutas" OF Spain and Portugal, and
sustained aud overeomeby Wellington in
n light 30 clear that our admiration ioi
that strong -0llier and statesman l.
confirmed
But il would not be easv 10 prOyefrOm
the work that Sir William Napier really
n lmircl Wellington as much as he did
Napoleon Bonoparte The view that
Napier takes Of the character and career
oi the great Corsican il one that he seeks
to uphold. from the beginning of his vol
umes TO their end. And yet it is a view
which has been shown 20 be erroneous
wrong deiuling, dangerous, by all the
lights OF authentic history.
IL lin condensed form. set forth in the
following brief extracts Alter eulogizinq
Napoleon's policy in attempting to force
Russia to join in his continental sys
tenn B" by which he hoped to destroy th,
wealth and power Of England, Napier
writes Vol ~, p. 3S5: Was he wrong
The fierce Democrat will answer, yes
| But the man who thinks thatreal liberty
was never attained under a single. IN
mixed form OF government giving no nat
nra vent to the swelling pride OF honor
birth, or riches: those who measure the
weakness Of pure Republicauism by the
miserable state OF France at home and
abroad when Napoleon, by assuming
power. saved her; those who saw
America, with all her militia and her IL
centious liberty unable to prevent three
thousand British soldiers from passing
three thousand miles OF ocean, and burn
ing her capital. will hesitate 10 condemn
him."
And on the same page he continues II
the same strain Of unsound statement
aud suggestion; But, as have before
said, and it is true. Napoleon's ambition
was for the greatness and prosperity o.
France, for the regeneration OF Europe
Tor the stability Of the system which he
had formed for the end-never for him
sell personally, and hence it is that the
multitudes Of many nations instinctiyely
revere his memory"
The preteuce that Napoleon was on the
side Of the people early in the revolution
airy thr0es may have some basis in TACT
But he soon changed. Personal ambi
ton took full possession of his soul, al
soon as power came to him. After the
establishment OF the consulate he saw the
way ito wade through slaughter to 4
throne" and he took it, He did literally
"shut the gates Of mercy on mankind.
| lie adopted the most despotic and mefci
less forms OF conscription to fill hi
armies. His conduct in deceiying anC
driving away the hereditary monarchs o
Spain and Portugal, and putting hi
own brother. Joseph, on the throne al
king was one OF the most selfish outragei
of personal ambition ever perpetrated by
power in this world We pity poor King
Joseph. He never was really king, al
though Napier constantly gives him thai
title. Great Britain was right in sending
armies to Portugal and Spain to resist
this Iawless usurpation. And Wellington
was right in conducting the British
armies aided by the chiefs and soldiers o
Spain and Portugal and Germany
through many bloody fields OF successfu
| battle to final overthrow OF Napoleon
and his armies.
| Napoleon, by arms, built up an En-
pire, in which be was Emperor. Was
| this needful for the welfare OF the people
Was it good for the people, for the homes
and iresides, for the fathers and motheri
| and their children that be should call out
by CONSUMPTION or by despotic authority
from France and from Germany anc
from Austria and from Italy four hun
dred and sixty-fve thousand men-mer
generally in the prime OF young man
hood. and lead them into Russia, thai
they might fall on the bloody field
Borodino, that they might become
the victims OF the Cossack and
the wolf, that they might sink down and
suffer and die under the pitiless beatingi
OF the SHOWS and tempests of a Russian
winter, that they might die so hopelesslJ
aud so disastrously that out OF the 465,
600 men with whom he passed the Rus
sian frontier authentic statistics have
shown that 125, 900 fell in battles, 1872,
600 died from fatigue, hunger, disease
and freezing, and 100000 were made
prisoners? The sad. feeble, almost naked
and hopeless man OF the remnant who
(many weeks after. Napoleon had left BID