BEFORE THE BATTLE.
Five hours later General Savary reentered the emperor’s cabinet; he was
still lying on his arm-chair and sleeping; but when the general accosted
him in a low voice, Napoleon opened his eyes and asked eagerly: “Well,
did you see the czar?”
“Yes, sire, I saw him and conversed with him.” “Ah,” exclaimed Napoleon,
quickly, “tell me all about it; do not omit any thing. How did he look
when he read my letter?”
“Sire, when I had delivered your letter to the Emperor Alexander, he
went with it into an adjoining room, from which he returned only half an
hour later, with a reply in his hand.”
“Give me the letter, Savary!”
“Sire, here it is.”
Napoleon took it hastily; but when he fixed his eyes on the address, he
frowned.
“Ah, this emperor ‘by the grace of God’ believes he need not address
me with the title conferred upon me by the French nation,” he said,
hastily. “He does not write to the Emperor of the French, but ‘to the
chief of the French government.’ [Footnote: historical.--Vide “Memoires
du Due de Rovigo,” vol. ii., p. 187.] Did you read the address, Savary?”
“The Emperor Alexander called my attention to it himself, sire. I
remember his words distinctly. They were as follows: “The address does
not contain the title which your chief has assumed since then. I do not
set any great value on such trifles; but it is a rule of etiquette, and
I shall alter it with pleasure as soon as he has given me an opportunity
for doing so.” [Footnote: Alexander’s own words.--Vide “Memoires du Due
de Rovigo,” vol. ii., p. 187.]
“And what did you reply to him?”
“Sire, I replied, ‘Your majesty is right. This can only be a rule of
etiquette, and the emperor will not judge it in any other way. When
he was general-in-chief of the Italian army he already gave orders and
prescribed laws to more than one king; contented with the homage of the
French, he only deems it a satisfaction for them to be recognized.’”
[Footnote: Historical.--Vide “Memoires du Duc de Rovigo,” vol. ii., p.
167.]
“Your reply was fitting and to the point,” said Napoleon, with a
pleasant nod, while he opened the emperor’s letter and glanced over
it. “Phrases, empty words,” he then exclaimed, throwing the letter
contemptuously on the table. “Talleyrand was right when he said language
was given to us for the purpose of concealing our thoughts. Those men
use it for that purpose.”
“Sire, the emperor did not conceal his thoughts during our interview,”
replied the general. “I conversed with him long and freely, and I may
say that he uttered his opinions very frankly. The Emperor Alexander
said: ‘Peace was only to be thought of if your majesty should stipulate
reasonable terms which would not hurt anybody’s feelings, and which
would not be calculated to weaken the power and importance of the other
princes and to increase that of France. France was a power already large
enough; she needed no aggrandizement, and the other powers could not
tolerate such a one.’”
“Ah, I shall teach them to tolerate it nevertheless; I shall prove to
all of them that France is at the head of all monarchies, and compel
them to recognize the Emperor of France with bowed heads!”
He paced the room hastily with angry eyes and panting breast. His steps,
however, became gradually more quiet, and the furrows disappeared from
his forehead.
“I need two days more,” he muttered to himself--“two days, and I must
have them, Savary.” He then said aloud, turning to the general: “Did you
make no further observations? Did you not notice the spirit animating
the Russian camp?” “Sire, the whole youth of the highest Russian
nobility were at the emperor’s headquarters, and I conversed with many
of them; I heard and observed a great many things.”
“Well, and what do they think of us?”
Savary smiled. “Sire,” he said, “those young men did not breathe any
thing but war and victory, and they seemed to believe that your majesty
wished to avoid active hostilities since the Russians had formed a
junction with the Austrians.”
“Ah, did they seem to believe that?” exclaimed Napoleon, joyfully.
“Well, we will try to strengthen their belief. General, take a bugler
along and return to the headquarters of the emperor. Tell him that I
propose to him an interview for to-morrow in the open field between
the two armies, the time and hour to be designated by himself, and a
cessation of hostilities to take place for the next twenty-four hours.
Go!”
“I believe,” said the emperor, when he was alone again, “I believe I
have gained my second day also, and I only want a third one, in order
to be able to vanquish all my enemies. Those arrogant Russians believe,
then, that I wish to avoid a battle, and to remain in my present
position? I will try to strengthen this opinion of theirs; earthworks
shall be thrown up, and the batteries shall be fortified. Every thing
must have the appearance of anxiety and timidity.”
And Napoleon summoned his generals and gave them aloud these new orders,
but, in a whisper, he instructed them to begin the retrograde movement,
and to let the troops occupy the positions he had selected for them on
the extensive ground he had reconnoitered yesterday.
And the night expired, and half the next day, before General Savary
returned from his mission. In the mean time Napoleon had changed his
quarters. He had repaired to the camp of his army, and a bundle of straw
was now his only couch. He had impatiently looked for Savary, and went
to meet him with hasty steps.
“Why so late?” he asked.
“Sire, it was almost impossible for me to reach the emperor. He had left
Olmutz. All the night long I was conducted from bivouac to bivouac, in
order to find Prince Bagration, who could alone take me to the emperor.”
“And you have seen the emperor?” asked Napoleon, impatiently.
“Yes, sire, after overcoming many obstacles and difficulties, I
succeeded in penetrating to the emperor. I submitted your majesty’s
proposition to him. The emperor replied: ‘It would afford him the
greatest pleasure to see and make the acquaintance of your majesty,
but time was too short for it now. Moreover, before entering into such
negotiations, he would have to consult the Emperor of Austria, and learn
your majesty’s views, so as to be able to see whether such an interview
would be advisable or not. Hence, he would send one of his confidential
advisers with me, and intrust him with a mission to your majesty. The
reply which he would bring to him from your majesty would decide the
matter.’”
“Ah, and the third day will pass in this manner!” exclaimed Napoleon,
joyfully. “Where is the emperor’s envoy? and who is it?”
“Sire, the emperor sent his first aide-de-camp, Prince Dolgorouki, with
me.”
“Where is he?”
“Sire, I left him with the grand-guard; he is waiting there for your
majesty’s orders.”
Napoleon rose hastily from the straw, on which he had been sitting with
folded arms.
“My horse!” he shouted; and when Roustan had brought his charger, he
vaulted into the saddle and galloped so rapidly forward that his
suite were scarcely able to overtake him. On arriving close to the
grand-guard, he halted and alighted, and while he sent off Savary to
conduct Prince Dolgorouki to him, he muttered: “Only a third day!”
He received the prince with the calmness and composure of a proud
imperator, of a chieftain accustomed to victory. A wave of his hand
caused his suite to stand back; and when the officers had withdrawn, he
commenced conversing with Prince Dolgorouki, while walking up and down
with him.
The emperor suddenly approached the members of his suite, and they heard
him say in a loud and angry voice:
“If that is all you wish to say to me, hasten to inform your emperor
that I had not thought at all of such conditions when I applied for an
interview with him; I should only have shown him my army; and, as to the
conditions, relied on his honesty. He wishes a battle; very well, let
us fight. I wash my hands of it!” [Footnote: Napoleon’s own words.--Vide
“Memoires du Due de Rovigo,” vol. ii., p. 196.]
He turned his back to Prince Dolgorouki with a slight wave of his hand;
and fixing his flaming eagle-eyes on his generals, he said, shrugging
his shoulders:
“Russia will make peace if France will give up Belgium, and, first of
all things, cede the crown of Italy to the King of Sardinia. Oh, those
men must be crazy!. They want me to evacuate Italy, and they will find
out soon that they cannot even get me out of Vienna. What would have
been their terms, and what would they have made of France, if they had
beaten? Well, let things turn out as it may, please God, but in less
than forty-eight hours I will pay them well for their arrogance!”
[Footnote: Ibid, p. 198.]
And instead of mounting again on horseback, he continued walking on the
highway, muttering to himself, and with his riding-whip knocking off
the small grass-blades he met on the road. He had now reached the first
infantry post of his army. The sentinel was an old soldier, who was
unconcernedly filling his pipe while holding his musket between his
legs.
The gloomy eyes of the emperor turned to him, and pointing over to the
position of the enemy, he said, angrily: “Those arrogant fellows believe
they can swallow us without further ceremony!”
The old soldier looked smilingly at the emperor with his shrewd eyes,
and quietly continued filling his pipe with the small finger of his
right hand.
“Oh, oh, they cannot swallow us so fast! We shall lie down, your
majesty!--”
The emperor laughed loudly, and his face became radiant. “Yes,” he said,
“you are right, we will lie down as soon as they try to swallow us; and
then we will choke them!”
He nodded to the soldier, and vaulting into the saddle he returned
to headquarters. Night was coming on already, and looking up to the
moonlighted sky, the emperor murmured: “Only one more day, and then I
shall defeat them!”
And fate gave him that day. It is true, the combined forces of the
Austrians and Russians approached his positions, but did not attack
them. They drew up in a long line directly in front of the French camp,
and so close to it that their movements could be plainly seen.
Napoleon was on horseback all day; he inspected every regiment of his
whole army; his eyes beamed with enthusiasm, and a wondrous smile played
on his lips.
The Bohemian corps had arrived: the delay of three days had borne
fruits; he now felt strong enough to defeat his enemies. He spoke in a
merry tone to the soldiers here and there, and they replied to him
with enthusiastic shouts. He inspected the artillery parks and
light batteries with searching glances, and then gave the necessary
instructions to the officers and gunners.
Only after inspecting every thing in person, after visiting the
ambulances and wagons for the wounded, he returned to his bivouac in
order to take a frugal meal. He then summoned all his marshals and
generals, and spoke to them about every thing they would have to do on
the following day, and about what the enemy might do. To each of them
he gave his instructions and assigned his position; and already on
the evening of this day he issued to his soldiers a proclamation,
admonishing them to perform deeds of heroism on the following day.
“Soldiers,” he said to them in his proclamation, “the Russian army
appears before you to average the Austrian defeat of Ulm. They are the
same battalions that you beat at Holabrunn, and, that you have since
been constantly pursuing to this spot.”
“The positions which we occupy are formidable; and while they are
marching to turn my right, they will present their flank to me.”
“Soldiers, I shall myself direct your battalions. I shall keep out of
the fire, if, with your usual bravery, you throw disorder and confusion
into the enemy’s ranks. But, if the victory should be for a moment
uncertain, you will see your emperor the foremost to expose himself
to danger. For victory must not hang doubtful on this day, most
particularly, when the honor of the French infantry, which so deeply
concerns the honor of the whole nation, is at stake.”
“Let not the ranks be thinned upon pretext of carrying away the wounded;
and let every one be thoroughly impressed with this thought, that it
behooves us to conquer these hirelings of England, who are animated with
such bitter hatred against our nation.”
“This victory will put an end to the campaign, and we shall then be able
to return to our winter quarters, where we shall be joined by the new
armies which are forming in France, and then the peace which I shall
make will be worthy of my people, of you, and of myself.”
The soldiers received this proclamation with jubilant shouts; and when
Napoleon, after night had set in, rode once more through the camp, the
first soldiers who perceived him, eager to light him on his way, picked
up the straw of their bivouac and made it into torches, which they
placed blazing on the tops of their muskets. In a few minutes this
example was followed by the whole army, and along the vast front of the
French position was displayed this singular illumination. The soldiers
accompanied the steps of Napoleon with shouts of “Vive l’Empereur!”
promising to prove on the morrow that they were worthy of him and of
themselves. Enthusiasm pervaded all the ranks. They went as men ought to
go into danger, with hearts full of content and confidence.
Napoleon retired, to oblige his soldiers, to take some rest. With a
feeling of the most unbounded satisfaction, he threw himself on the
straw in his tent, and smilingly rejecting the services of his valets de
chambre, Roustan and Constant, who implored him to permit them to wrap
him in warmer clothes, he said:
“Kindle a good fire and let me sleep as a soldier who has a hot day
before him on the morrow ought to sleep.”
He pressed his head into the straw and fell asleep; and he was still
sleeping when the marshals and generals at daybreak came to the
emperor’s tent to awaken him as he had ordered them to do.
They surrounded the open tent in respectful silence and looked at the
chieftain who was to fight a great battle to-day, and who was now lying
on the straw with a calm, serene face, and with the gentle slumber of a
child.
But they durst not let him sleep any longer, for the emperor, who had
regulated every movement of the present day by the hour and minute,
would have been very angry if any delay had occurred. General Savary,
therefore, approached the sleeping emperor and bent over him. Then
his loud and earnest voice was heard to say: “Sire, the fixed hour has
come.”
Napoleon, opened his eyes and jumped up. Sleep had suddenly fallen from
him like a thin veil; as soon as he rose to his feet he was once more
the great emperor and general. He cast a long, searching look on the
gray, moist, and wintry horizon, and the dense mist which shrouded
every thing at a distance of ten paces caused his eyes to sparkle with
delight,
“That mist is an excellent ally of ours, for it will conceal our
movements from the enemy. Issue your orders, gentlemen; let the whole
army take up arms as silently as possible.”
The emperor then mounted on horseback and rode through the camp to see
the infantry and cavalry form in column.
It was now seven o’clock in the morning. The mist began to rise; the
first feeble rays of the December sun pierced it and commenced gradually
illuminating the landscape.
The emperor placed himself on a small knoll, where his eye embraced
the whole field of battle; his marshals were on horseback at his side,
anxiously awaiting his order to commence the combat.
Profound silence reigned everywhere; but suddenly it was interrupted by
a very brisk fire of artillery and musketry. A radiant flash seemed to
light up the emperor’s face, and proudly raising his head, he said, in
an imperious voice:
“To your posts, gentlemen; the battle is about to commence!” [Footnote:
The battle of Austerlitz, Dec. 2,1805.]