NAPOLEON AT BAY.*
ONE hundred years ago, in the months of January, February, and Match, 1814, Napoleon was making a hopeless fight on the frontiers of France against the combined forces of the European coalition. He was in a desperate plight. His Empire was crumbling away. The disastrous Russian cam- paign of 1812 had destroyed the flower of the French Army. For the campaign of 1813 against an awakened Europe, throbbing with a fierce patriotism, he bad to fall back on raw conscripts. Those, too, were swept away on the fields of Liitzen, Bautzen, and Leipzig. France was exhausted by the terrible drains which had been made on her resources. The Tictorious armies of her enemies were rolling on in over- whelming numbers, and in the beginning of 1814 were marching on Paris. Such an advance in such circumstances could only have one result ; but before the end Napoleon was to show, to the dismay of his foes and the amazement of posterity, a wonderful example of his rare military genius, although his back was at the wall and his Grand Army gone from him.
After Leipzig the Emperor set himself, with a patient courage and a wonderful steadiness of spirit, amid the ruins of his dearest hopes, to the instant needs of the situation. Manifold duties awaited him at Paris, where he alone could bold the reins of government. His presence was necessary there to quell the growing discontent and the uprising of the Royalist spirit. And he must get another army somehow. But there was no time. Too late he endeavoured to stem the advance of Wellington from the south by restoring Ferdinand VII. to the throne of Spain; so he had to leave the armies of Soult and Sachet where they were, and content himself with withdrawing only a small portion of their troops. He had armies in Italy, but the Viceroy there had sufficient troubles to deal with. In the Netherlands his small force of eighteen thousand had to deal with a general rising stimulated by the advance of the Prussians. And meanwhile Schwaizen- berg and Blucher, in the beginning of January, were advancing on Paris with a force numbering over two hundred and fifty thousand.
Napoleon's striking force only amounted to some forty thousand, but he made a last effort to defend his country. On January 26th he reached his headquarters at Chalons. On the 29th he beat Blucher at Brienne, but failed to prevent his union with the main army of the Allies. In the beginning
• Napoleon at Bay. By F. Loraine retre. London: Jolla Lane. [10s. 6d.
seta of February Blucher, strongly reinforced, attacked Napoleon at La Bothiere, and after a terrible fight drove him back with a loss of six thousand men, and the Allies slowly pressed their advance up the valley of the Seine. Napoleon recognized that he had been too late to deal with the Allies' commanders separately, and the odds were now so heavy against him that even his indomitable spirit sank. Then suddenly he saw an opening. The forces of Bliicher and Schwarzenberg separated, the former marching to the Marne, the latter advancing up the valley of the Seine. Leaving a small force to hold Sehwarzenherg in check, Napoleon hastened off to deal with Bliieher. He caught his enemy with his army in a long straggling line, fell like a thunderbolt on the centre, then attacked the flanks and drove the whole force back in con- fusion in the brilliant actions of Ohampanbert, Montmirail, and Vanchamp, which were fought on February 10th, 11th, and 14th. Then he returned to fight Schwarzenberg ; but that general suffered badly from nerves, and retreated hastily. Had Napoleon now had an adequate army he would doubtless have kept the advantage gained. But, in the circumstances, he could do little more. Bfficher, undaunted and full of energy, was never afraid of defeat. He advanced again. Napoleon tried to drive him northwards, and gained the battle of Gramme on March 7th, but was beaten at Leon a few days later. There was a general advance by the Allies. Napoleon's last effort was to strike at Sell war- zenberg's line of communications, but without avail. The Allies pressed on. Paris was in no state to stand a siege, and the end came.
Mr. Petre deals in a careful and impartial manner with the details of the campaign, and his book should prove of great service to the student, illustrated as it is with satisfactory plans of the various battles. The campaign has been regarded as Napoleon's greatest effort. This view may place it too high, but it is certainly a wonderful example of what he could accomplish when in desperate straits. "Admirable —quite admirable," was Wellington's judgment, and he was not a friendly critic. Napoleon was opposed to the choicest soldiers of Europe commanded by generals skilled in warfare and acquainted with his methods; he had also to encounter the enmity of winter, for the weather was bad and the roads almost impassable. Over these the boldness of genius triumphed for the moment, and the sudden transformation from the crushing defeat at La Rothiere to the succession of brilliant victories over Blucher, followed by the retreat of the great allied army before Napoleon's small force, remains without a parallel in history.
Previous page
