The Washington herald., 1914-06-21
VEY

solent, quarrelsome, DARING. was too
eoarse for the court but Joyed In the gore
Of battle He was forever besmeartng
DUKE Of MonteSeIlo 10 seemed U to take
pleasure in remembering the terrible fury
Of the battle from which he derived his
ducal title: II could hear the bones
crash in my division like hailstones beat
ing on q window pane
He was first across the Bridge Of Lodi
and thrice wounded at Arcole. He led
the rush into the Garden Of DetezZar at
Acre and there received the neck wound
head to one side His horse stumbling
while crossing q Spanish mountain, he
was thrown and badly injured But a
surgeon wrapped and sewed him IN the
still bleeding skin of a sheep, and he was
charging in battle five days afterward.
lie had the French peasants passion
for money and came back rich from a
mission to Portugal. where, II Is related.
the prince regent gave him three handfuls
of diamonds, one for the marshal, one
for his wife. and one for his boy. As q
duke he continued to live in the village
where he had been q mechanics appren-
tice and to enjoy his old friends He in
stalled as postmaster the soldier who res
cued him from the Turks at Acre and
gave a house to another who had once
lent him $50.
Three Peasant Dukes.
A touch Of the same happy sort was
contributed by Augureau, when he re-
turned from the early Italian campaign
TO present to the Directory sixty stand
ards of captured colors; Appointing ms
father and mother from their fruit stall.
he placed them on either side of him at
the imposing ceremonial
This Duke OF CastigiioEe was bold in
war. but a simpleton In peace, and had
an itching palm. Napoleon disliked him
always, and often had 10 remind himself,
let US not forget that Augureau saved
us at Castiglione." He blamed the mar
shars increasing shortcomings on pros
perity His courage. his early virtues"
the Emperor said, raised him high above
the crowd, but honors, dignities and
wealth dragged him back into the rusk-"
There was at least one among the peas
ant marshals who lacked the thrift OF
his class. For Lefebre, who was only a
sergeant at thfrty-three. remained an
honest. simple man, careless Of titles and
of Dantzic. which the visitor to the ceme-
terry of Pere la Chaise may see, was
erected by his wife-''Mme. Sans Gene
from the proceeds OF the sale of her
jewelry.
Marshal Bessieres, Duke Of Istria, died
even poorer than he was born, for he
died in debt. This Gascon. who tramped
into Paris with Murat to become a pri-
vate in the Guard OF Louis XVI, saw
his first battle in the court yard Of the
Tuileries, where he was destined to be
the commander of the Guard of Napo-
leon. The closest to the Emperor. after
chance to develop. but his gentleness
and bravery merited Napoleon's tribute:
renne.'
The BraVest of the Rrave.
Some of the marshals were born great
some achieved greatness and-Marmont
and Victor were at Toulon! That seems
to be their clearest title to their batons
and to their dukedoms.
Ney was by far the most celebrated
and entertaining character among the
marshals, although Napoleon said he
never was any more than hussar. Yet
he made this hussar the Duke of Elch-
ingen and, not content with leaving him
a mere duke, he created him Prince Of
the Moskowa. While ne was not much
of a commander he was many regiments
In himself, notably In stubborn, hot rear
guard fighting Even Napoleon could not
any more than the general reader Of HIS
honest. unspoiled soldiers joyous dash
amid the hazards Of battle, "the bravest
OF the brave" as the Emperor acknowl-
Thread. half iiiiterate, Ney never trou-
bled his head about the science and art
of war But II has been said that knowi-
edge consists in having a clerk who
knows where to find IT, And Ney chanced
upon a clerk or chief Of stan in a Swiss
banker, who was a storehouse Of mill
tary wisdom. II remained for this banker,
Jonini In reading the reports of Napo-
Icons Italian campaign to discover its
ynderlying p=rineipae; = the Mr,,iG ssGret OF The the
on his discovery. Ney found a publisher
for him and introduced him to Napoleon
at Austerlitz-
Jofnini proudly presented copy Of his
book to the Emperor, who. on reading II