The sun., 1907-12-01
~ q.

On the fall Of the RObespierres their
friends sought for safety either in fight or
in submission and disavOwal OF the ~ty-
rants" The latter alternative was adopted
by Napoleon. a letter from whom. dated
August 7, 1894, can have had no other OBJ
ject Il am somewhat moved" he writes,
by the fate Of the younger Robespierre,
whom loved, and in whose purity OF mind
l believed: but had he been my father
myself should have stabbed him had he
helped to maintain tyranny The time
serving attitude was Of no use to him. On
August s, i7s4, the commissaries attached
to the Army Of the Alps denounced him as
a traitor to the Committee Of Public Safety,
and on the 10th he was placed under arrest
He remained ten days in custody and then
was set free Professionally. The commits
saries are thought to have suspected Ma
pOleon of having relations with the enemy.
a suspicion for which there was no iusti-
fication.
Going to Paris in May. 1906. he was wit
ness of new phase in the Revolution,
namely, the outbreak of the First OF Prsirial.
when the Jacobins sought to stamp out
the reaction which was gathering strength
both in the capital and in the Convention
On September is OF the same year his name
was struck out OF the list Of Generals on
active service upon the ground OF his re-
fusal to betake himself to the post in la
Vendee to which he had been appointed.
This proceeding has always been regarded
as a serious blow to Napoleon. but DIR. Lenz
points out that another decree, published by
the committee on the same day. directed
Napoleon to undertake a military mission
70 the Sultan. showing that as a matter Of
fact he was high in favor. In order. how
ever. that he might undertake the mission
to the East IL was needful that his name
should be removed from the list OF Generals
in active service, and some pretext for il
had 70 be made out.
Napoleon would have departed on the
mission but for the reactiOnary agitation OF
the Partisan populace against the new
Constitution which the Convention was
seeking to force upon the country. The
troops which the insurrectionary sections
OF the capital could muster amounted TO
some thirty thousand men. against whom
the Convention could set only five thousand,
the command Of whom was conferred upon
Barras, who for his part appointed Ma
poleon his chief OF staf The latter gave
the orders and directions. to which Barras
put his name and on the 18th Vendemiaire
cuelled the rebellion with artillery. Thence
forward fortune lavished gifts on the young
General. On October 10. 1875. the Conven-
ton. at the instance Of Barras, appointed
him second in command Of the Army Of the
Interior: on the 18th he was promoted to be
a General OF Division, and four days later
no became the successor OF Barras as Com
maRder in Chief OF the Army OF the Interior.
He was now the right hand OF the Directory.
No doubt il was Barras who gave him his
opportunity. and il was also Barras who
promoted his marriage to Josephine, thc
widow OF the Marquis de Beauharnais. who
had been guillotined the year before.
Our author finds IL easy to understand
the grounds upon which Barras advocated
the match. Josephine could boast OF social
standing with the old regime and with the
new; marriage with her would strengthen
the young Gensral's position. enable him TO
live down the sabriqust Of The Ccrsioan.