The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-03-12
The LOVE LETTERS 0
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Collapse of the Grand Army
"MADAME EFT CHERE
AMIE." began a letter


the letter. 1t instructed
her to have the orators Of
the Council of State sub
NIT and the conservative
Senate pass a senatus-con-
sultum prescribing a levy
of 100000 conscripts, 16O,-
900 of them as an advance
of the 1915 contingent.
In the imperial missives, the
words my affairs are going fair
" we'll" occur again and again.
which shows that they were 60
ing badly. all the more so in view
of the fact that the illness Of the
ma ior general of the army,
Berthier, Prince de Neufchatel,
was not calculated to comfort the
Emperor.
Between oct. 5 and 26 there is
a gap in the Emperor's CORE
spondence. Silence prevails.
What a number of events-of
painful events-succeeded one
another in the meantime!
On the 9Th, the Bavarian Corps
went over TO the enemy: Gen.
eral de Wrede had come to terms
with the Austrians. In order to
hem in Napoleon finally, three
armies had converged towards
Leipzig. coming up from Silesia,
from Bohemia and from the
North, under Butcher, Schwarzen-
berg and Bernadotte, respective
ly; they we're 5000 strong, while
Napoleon had but 214.000 men.
Action was joined from all sides
on oct. IL. In the North, Mar
mont had Butcher to contend
with; in the West, Bertrand beat
Gyulay. But it was more partic-
ularly in the South, at Wachau,
that the storm ragged. Napoleon
was holding his own against the
PruSSians and the Russians,
against Kleist, Wittgenstein and
Prince Eugene of Wurttemberg.
A headlong charge by Murat,
Kellerman and Latour-Maubourg
was about to break through the
enemy's center, when the Car
sent the Russian Guard, the
PruSsian Guard and the CosSacks
into action. Napoleon held his
own at every point. An informal
armistice observed on the follow
ing day favored the Allies, who
received reinforcements.
NAPOLEON mover nearer to
IN Leipzig. On Oct. 8 the
Probstheida plateau was the key
position. Here Iaursiton and
Victor successfully resisted the
furious assaults of Schwarzen-
berg. Kleist and Wittgenstein, who
vainly charged again and again.
Macdonald, however, was pushed
back by BenningSen. Bernadotte
crossed the ParIha with his
Swedes. and suddenly. in the
midst of the battle, the Saxon and
Wurttemberg Corps. $4,000 strong,
vino served as a link between Ma
poleon and Ney, went over to the
enemy, joined Bernadotte and
turned their guns against their
erstwhile brotherS-in arms.
Napoleon moved up with the
Household Cavalry to Ney's as
sistance. But retreat was i'm
perative. Napoleon had lost the
Battle of the Nations.
How poignant is the short note
dated Oct. IS. in which the En-
peror announces his impending
return to Mayence and refers the
Empress to the bulletins for
knowledge Of the state Of his
affairSl"
Ma bonnie annie, I shall be in
Mayence in a few days time.
The bulletins will tell you all
about my affairs. My health is
very good. Please give kiss to
the little King and never doubt
your faithful husband. NAP.
GOtha, Oct. 25th. 1913.
With Bertrand in the lead and
Oudinot bringing up the rear. the
French army fell back. vigorously
pursued by Butcher. while Gyulay
on the left and Yorck on the
right chung to its TANKS like a
pack of wolves. The Bavarian
General de Wrede, formerly so
proud of the approval of the fore
most of the worlds soldiers, was
in position at Hanau. near Frank
fort. on Oct. 5, when Napoleon
appeared.
Macdonald's sharpS h oters,
pending the arrival of his guns,
came into action. Then, as soon
as Drouot'S batteries were lined
up. the Old Guard moved to the
attack. Sabred by the CuiraSSiers
and the Dragons, Schwarzen-
berg's Uhlans and the Austrian
regiment and the Austrian regi-
ment under Jordis we're wiped
out. De Wrede was wounded. The
rout of the AuStro- Bavarians was
complete.
IT is a dangerous thing to at
Il tack a wounded lion.
Ma bonnie Louise, have arrived
at Frankfort, on my way to May
ence. / gave the Bavarians and
AuStrians a good thraShing yes
terday, the 30th. at Hanau. They
were $1,000 strong. 1 took 5000
prisoners. some colors and some
guns. They were foolish enough
to think they would cut me off.
Ny health is very good and has
never been Better Ado, milo bene.
Nap.
Frankfort, o. scer 31st 1873.
BY ~. 2. Napoleon was in
Mayence: the year 1918 alone had
witnessed he retreat of the
French army from banks of the
Nsar,,av, - the hov,kc IF the Phipe