that name. Constant thus describes it: "Built in 1754 by the
Empress Marie Therese, Schoenbrunn had an admirable position; its
architecture, if defective and irregular, was yet of a majestic,
imposing type. To reach it one has to cross the bridge across the
little river Vienna. Four stone sphinxes ornament this bridge, which
is very large and well built. Facing the bridge there is a handsome
gate opening on to a large courtyard, spacious enough for seven or
eight thousand men to manoeuvre in. The courtyard is in the form
of a quadrangle surrounded by covered galleries and ornamented with
two large basins, in which are marble statues. On both sides of
the gateway are two huge obelisks of pink stone surmounted by gilt
eagles.
"In German, Schoenbrunn means 'fair spring,' and the name is derived
from a fresh and sparkling spring which is situated in the park. It
wells forth from a little mound on which a tiny grotto has been built,
carved within so as to resemble stalactites. Inside the grotto is a
recumbent naiad holding a horn, from which the water falls down into a
marble basin. In summer this little nook is deliciously cool.
"The interior of the palace merits nothing but praise. The furniture
is sumptuous, and in taste both original and distinguished. The
Emperor's bedroom (the only place in the whole edifice where there was
a chimney) was upholstered in Chinese lacquer-wood of great antiquity,
yet the painting and gilding were still quite fresh. The study
adjoining was decorated in a like way. All these apartments, except
the bedroom, were heated in winter by immense stoves, which sadly
spoilt the effect of the other furniture. Between the study and the
bedroom there was a strange apparatus called a 'flying chair,' a sort
of mechanical seat, which had been constructed for the Empress Marie
Therese, and which served to transport her from one floor to another,
so that she was not obliged to go up and down the staircase like every
one else. The machine was worked in the same way as at theatres, by
cords, pulleys, and a counter-weight." The Emperor drank a glassful
from the beautiful spring, Schoen Brunn, every morning. Napoleon found
the people of Vienna less favourable to the French than in 1805; and
Count Rapp told him "the people were everywhere tired of us and of our
victories." "He did not like these sort of reflections."
_May 12th._--On May 13th is dated the _seventh_ bulletin of the
army of Germany, but none of the Bulletins 2 to 6 are in the
_Correspondence_. It states that on the 10th he is before Vienna; the
Archduke Maximilian refuses to surrender; on the 11th, at 9 P.M., the
bombardment commences, and by daybreak the city capitulated, and the
Archduke fled. In his proclamation Napoleon blamed him and the
house of Austria for the bombardment. "While fleeing from the city,
their adieux to the inhabitants have been murder and arson; like
Medea, they have with their own hands slain their children." The
Viennese had sworn to emulate their ancestors in 1683, and the heroes
of Saragossa. But Alison (than whom none can do the "big bow-wow"
style better) has a thoughtful comment on what really occurred. "All
history demonstrates that there is one stage of civilisation when the
inhabitants of a metropolis are capable of such a sacrifice in defence
of their country, and only one; and that when passed, it is never
recovered. The event has proved that the Russians, in 1812, were in
the state of progress when such a heroic act was possible, but
that the inhabitants of Vienna and Paris had passed it. Most
certainly the citizens of London would never have buried themselves
under the ruins of the Bank, the Treasury, or Leadenhall Street
before capitulating to Napoleon." 1870 and the siege of Paris modify
this judgment; but the Prussian bombardment came only at the last,
and barely reached the centre of the city.
No. 5.
_Ebersdorf._--Written five days after the murderous battle of Essling.
Montgaillard, whose temper and judgment, as Alison remarks, are not
equal to his talents, cannot resist a covert sneer (writing under the
Bourbons) at Napoleon's generalship on this occasion, although he adds
a veneer by reminding us that Caesar was defeated at Dyrrachium,
Turenne at Marienthal, Eugene at Denain, Frederick the Great at Kolin.
The crossing of the river was one which none but a victorious army,
with another[76] about to join it, could afford to risk, but which
having effected, the French had to make the best of. As Napoleon said
in his tenth bulletin, "The passage of a river like the Danube, in
front of an enemy knowing perfectly the localities, and having the
inhabitants on its side, is one of the greatest operations of war
which it is possible to conceive." The Danube hereabouts is a thousand
yards broad, and thirty feet deep. But the rising of its water
fourteen feet in three days was what no one had expected. At Ebersdorf
the first branch of the Danube was 500 yards across to an islet,
thence 340 yards across the main current to Lobau, the vast island
three miles broad and nearly three miles long, separated from the
farther bank by another 150 yards of Danube. Bertrand had made
excellent bridges, but on the 22nd the main one was carried away by a
floating mill.
_Eugene ... has completely performed the task._--At the commencement
of the campaign the Viceroy was taken unprepared. The Archduke John,
exactly his own age (twenty-seven), was burning with hatred of France.
Eugene had the impudence, with far inferior forces, to attack him at
Sacile on April 16th, but was repulsed with a loss (including
prisoners) of 6000 men. It is now necessary to retire, and the
Archduke follows him leisurely, almost within sight of Verona. By the
end of April the news of Eckmuehl has reached both armies, and by May
1st the Austrians are in full retreat. As usual, Napoleon has already
divined their altered plan of campaign, and writes from Braunau on
this very day, "I doubt not that the enemy may have retired before
you; it is necessary to pursue him with activity, whilst coming to
join me as soon as possible _via_ Carinthia. The junction with my army
will probably take place beyond Bruck. It is probable I shall be at
Vienna by the 10th to the 15th of May." It is the successful
performance of this task of joining him and of driving back the enemy
to which Napoleon alludes in the letter. The Viceroy had been reproved
for fighting at Sacile without his cavalry, for his precipitous
retreat on Verona; and only two days earlier the Emperor had told him
that if affairs went worse he was to send for the King of Naples
(Murat) to take command. "I am no longer grieved at the blunders you
have committed, but because you do not write to me, and give me no
chance of advising you, and even of regulating my own affairs here
conformably." On May 8th Eugene defeats the Austrians on the Piave,
and the Archduke John loses nearly 10,000 men and 15 cannon. Harassed
in their retreat, they regain their own territory on May 14th--the day
after the capitulation of Vienna. Henceforward Eugene with part of the
army, and Macdonald with the rest, force their way past all
difficulties, so that when the junction with the Grand Army occurs at
Bruck, Napoleon sends (May 27th) the following proclamation: "Soldiers
of the army of Italy, you have gloriously attained the goal that I
marked out for you.... Surprised by a perfidious enemy before your
columns were united, you had to retreat to the Adige. But when you
received the order to advance, you were on the memorable fields of
Arcola, and there you swore on the manes of our heroes to triumph. You
have kept your word at the battle of the Piave, at the combats of
San-Daniel, Tarvis, and Goritz; you have taken by assault the forts of
Malborghetto, of Prediel, and made the enemy's divisions, entrenched
in Prewald and Laybach, surrender. You had not then passed the Drave,
and already 25,000 prisoners, 60 cannon, and 10 flags signalised your
valour." This is the proclamation alluded to in this letter to
Josephine.
No. 6.
_May 29th._--The date is wrong; it should be May 19th or 24th,
probably the latter. It sets at rest the vexed question how the Danube
bridge was broken, and seems to confirm Marbot's version of a floating
mill on fire, purposely sent down by an Austrian officer of Jaegers,
who won the rare order of Maria Theresa thereby--for performing _more_
than his duty. Bertrand gained his Emperor's lifelong admiration by
his expedients at this time. Everything had to be utilised--anchors
for the boat bridges were made by filling fishermen's baskets with
bullets; and a naval contingent of 1200 bluejackets from Antwerp
proved invaluable.
No. 7.
_I have ordered the two princes to re-enter France._--After so
critical a battle as the battle of Essling the Emperor's first
thoughts were concerning his succession--had he been killed or
captured. He was therefore seriously annoyed that the heir-apparent
and his younger brother had both been taken out of the country without
his permission. He therefore writes the Queen of Holland on May 28th
from Ebersdorf: "My daughter, I am seriously annoyed that you have
left France without my permission, and especially that you have taken
my nephews out of it. Since you are at Baden stay there, but an hour
after receiving the present letter send my two nephews back to
Strasburg to be near the Empress--they ought never to go out of
France. It is the first time I have had reason to be annoyed with
you, but you should not dispose of my nephews without my permission,
you should realise what a bad effect it will have. Since the waters at
Baden are doing you good you can stay there a few days, but, I repeat,
lose not a moment in sending my nephews back to Strasburg. If the
Empress is going to the waters at Plombieres they may accompany her
there, but they must never pass the bridge of Strasburg.--Your
affectionate father, Napoleon." This letter passed through the hands
of Josephine at Strasburg, who was so unhappy at not having heard from
her husband that she opened it, and writes to Hortense on June 1st
when forwarding the letter: "I advise you to write to him immediately
that you have anticipated his intentions, and that your children are
with me: that you have only had them a few days in order to see them,
and to give them a change of air. The page who is announced in
Meneval's letter has not yet arrived. I hope he will bring me a letter
from the Emperor, and that at least he will not be as vexed with me
for your being at Baden. Your children have arrived in excellent
health."
_The Duke of Montebello, who died this morning._--The same day he
writes to La Marechale as follows:--
"_Ma Cousine_,--The Marshal died this morning of the wounds that he
received on the field of honour. My sorrow equals yours. I lose the
most distinguished general in my whole army, my comrade-in-arms for
sixteen years, he whom I looked upon as my best friend. His family and
children will always have a special claim on my protection. It is to
give you this assurance that I wished to write you this letter, for I
feel that nothing can alleviate the righteous sorrow that you will
experience." The following year he bestowed the highest honour on the
Marechale that she could receive.
_Thus everything ends._--The fourteenth bulletin says that the end was
caused by a pernicious fever, and in spite of Dr. Franck, one of the
best physicians in Europe. "Thus ends one of the most distinguished
soldiers France ever possessed."[77] He had received thirteen wounds.
The death of Lannes, and the whole of the Essling period, is best
told by Marbot. The loss of Lannes was a more serious one to Napoleon
than the whole 20,000 men lost in this battle. The master himself has
told us that "in war men are nothing, a man is everything." They could
be replaced: Lannes never. Like Kleber and Desaix, he stood on a
higher platform than the older Marshals--except Massena, who had
serious drawbacks, and who was the only one of Napoleon's best
generals that Wellington met in the Peninsula. Lannes had always the
ear of the Emperor, and always told him facts, not flattery. His life
had been specially crowded the last few weeks. Rebuked by Napoleon for
tardiness in supporting Massena at Ebersberg, his life was saved by
Napoleon himself when he was thrown from his horse into the flooded
Danube; and finally, on the field of Essling, he had under his orders
Bessieres, the man who had a dozen years before prevented his
engagement to Caroline Bonaparte by tittle-tattling to Napoleon.
No. 9.
_Eugene won a battle._--The remnant of the Archduke John's army,
together with Hungarian levies, in all 31,000 men, hold the
entrenched camp and banks of the Raab. Eugene defeats it, with a
loss of 6000 men, of whom 3700 were prisoners. Napoleon, in
commemoration of the anniversary of Marengo (and Friedland) calls it
the little granddaughter of Marengo.
No. 11.
The curtain of the war's final act was rung up in the twenty-fourth
bulletin. "At length there exists no longer the Danube for the French
army; General Count Bertrand has completed works which excite
astonishment and inspire admiration. For 800 yards over the most rapid
river in the world he has, in a fortnight, constructed a bridge of
sixteen arches where three carriages can pass abreast."
_Wagram_ is, according to Pelet, the masterpiece of _tactical_
battles, while the five days' campaign (Thann to Ratisbon) was one
long _strategic_ battle. Nevertheless, respecting Wagram, had the
Archduke John, with his 40,000 men, turned up, as the Archduke had
more right to expect than Wellington had to expect Blucher, Waterloo
might have been antedated six years.
_Lasalle_ was a prime favourite of Napoleon, for his sure eye and
active bearing. His capture of Stettin with two regiments of hussars
was specially noteworthy. Like Lannes he had a strong premonition of
his death. Marbot tells a story of how Napoleon gave him 200,000
francs to get married with. A week later the Emperor asked, "When is
the wedding?" "As soon as I have got some money to furnish with,
sire." "Why, I gave you 200,000 francs to furnish with last week! What
have you done with them?" "Paid my debts with half, and lost the other
half at cards." Such an admission would have ruined any other general.
The Emperor laughed, and merely giving a sharp tug at Lasalle's
moustache, ordered Duroc to give him another 200,000.
_I am sunburnt_, and, as he writes Cambaceres the same day, tired out,
having been sixty out of the previous seventy-two hours in the
saddle.
No. 12.
_Wolkersdorf._--On July 8th he writes General Clarke: "I have the
headquarters lately occupied by the craven Francis II., who contented
himself with watching the whole affair from the top of a tower, ten
miles from the scene of battle." On this day also he dictated his
twenty-fifth bulletin, of which the last portion is so skilfully
utilised in the last scene of Act V. in L'Aiglon. One concluding
sentence is all that can here be quoted: "Such is the recital of the
battle of Wagram, a decisive and ever illustrious battle, where three
to four hundred thousand men, twelve to fifteen hundred guns, fought
for great stakes on a field of battle, studied, meditated on, and
fortified by the enemy for many months."
_A surfeit of bile._--His usual source of relief after extra work or
worry. In this case both. Bernadotte had behaved so badly at Wagram,
that Napoleon sent him to Paris with the stern rebuke, "A bungler like
you is no good to me." But as usual his anger against an old comrade
is short-lived, and he gives General Clarke permission to send
Bernadotte to command at Antwerp against the English.
No. 16.
_My affairs follow my wishes._--In Austria, possibly, but not
elsewhere. Prussia was seething with conspiracy, Russia with
ill-concealed hatred, the English had just landed in Belgium, and
Wellesley had just won Talavera. Soult was apparently no longer
trustworthy, Bernadotte a conceited boaster, who had to be publicly
snubbed (see The Order of the Day, August 5th, No. 15,614). Clarke and
Cambaceres are so slow that Napoleon writes them (August 10th) "not to
let the English come and take you in bed." Fouche shows more energy
than every one else put together, calls out National Guards, and sends
them off to meet the northern invasion. The Minister of the Interior,
M. Cretet, had just died, and the Emperor had wisely put Fouche, the
most competent man available, into his place for the time being.
No. 17.
_August 21st._--The list of birthday honours (August 15th) had been a
fairly long one, Berthier becoming Prince of Wagram, Massena of
Essling, Davoust of Eckmuehl. Marshals Oudinot and Macdonald, Generals
Clarke, Reynier, Gaudin and Champagny, as also M. Maret, became Dukes.
Marmont had already, says Savary, been made delirious with the joy of
possessing a baton.
No. 18.
_Comedians._--Napoleon found relaxation more after his own heart in
conversing with the savants of Germany, including the great mechanic
Maeelzel, with whose automaton chess-player he played a game. Constant
gives a highly-coloured picture of the sequel: "The automaton was
seated before a chess-board, and the Emperor, taking a chair opposite
the figure, said laughingly, 'Now, my friend, we'll have a game.' The
automaton, bowing, made signs for the Emperor to begin. After two or
three moves the Emperor made a wrong one on purpose; the automaton
bowed and replaced the piece on the board. His Majesty cheated again,
when the automaton bowed again, but this time took the pawn. 'Quite
right,' said his Majesty, as he promptly cheated for the third time.
The automaton then shook its head, and with one sweep of its hand
knocked all the chessmen down."
_Women ... not having been presented._--One woman, however, the
mistress of Lord Paget, was quite willing to be presented at a late
hour and to murder him at the same time--at least so says Constant.
No. 19.
_All this is very suspicious._--For perfectly natural reasons Caesar's
wife was now above suspicion, but Caesar himself was not so. Madame
Walewski had been more than a month at Schoenbrunn, and on May 4th,
1810, Napoleon has a second son born, who fifty years later helped to
edit his father's _Correspondence_.
No. 20.
_Krems._--He left here to review Davoust's corps on the field of
Austerlitz. Afterwards all the generals dined with him, and the
Emperor said, "This is the second time I come upon the field of
Austerlitz; shall I come to it a third time?" "Sire," replied one,
"from what we see every day none dare wager that you will not!" It was
this suppressed hatred that probably determined the Emperor to
dismantle the fortifications of Vienna, an act that intensified the
hatred of the Viennese more than his allowing the poor people to help
themselves to wood for the winter in the imperial forests had
mollified them.
_My health has never been better._--His reason for this remark is
found in his letter to Cambaceres of the same date, "They have spread
in Paris the rumour that I was ill, I know not why; I was never
better." The reason of the rumour was that Corvisart had been sent for
to Vienna, as there had been an outbreak of dysentery among the
troops. This was kept a profound secret from France, and Napoleon even
allowed Josephine to think that Corvisart had attended him (see Letter
22).
No. 23.
_October 14th._--Two days before, Stabs, the young Tugendbundist and
an admirer of Joan of Arc, had attempted to assassinate Napoleon on
parade with a carving-knife. The Emperor's letter to Fouche of the
12th October gives the most succinct account:--
"A youth of seventeen, son of a Lutheran minister of Erfurt, sought to
approach me on parade to-day. He was arrested by the officers, and as
the little man's agitation had been noticed, suspicion was aroused; he
was searched, and a dagger found upon him. I had him brought before
me, and the little wretch, who seemed to me fairly well educated, told
me that he wished to assassinate me to deliver Austria from the
presence of the French. I could distinguish in him neither religious
nor political fanaticism. He did not appear to know exactly who or
what Brutus was. The fever of excitement he was in prevented our
knowing more. He will be examined when he has cooled down and fasted.
It is possible that it will come to nothing. He will be arraigned
before a military commission.
"I wished to inform you of this circumstance in order that it may not
be made out more important than it appears to be. I hope it will not
leak out; if it does, we shall have to represent the fellow as a
madman. If it is not spoken of at all, keep it to yourself. The whole
affair made no disturbance at the parade; I myself saw nothing of it.
"_P.S._--I repeat once more, and you understand clearly, that there is
to be no discussion of this occurrence."
Count Rapp saved the Emperor's life on this occasion, and he, Savary,
and Constant, all give detailed accounts. Their narratives are a
remarkable object-lesson of the carelessness of the average
contemporary spectator in recording dates. Savary gives vaguely the
end of September, Constant October 13th, and Count Rapp October 23rd.
In the present case the date of this otherwise trivial incident is
important, for careless historians assert that it influenced Napoleon
in concluding peace. In any case it would have taken twenty such
occurrences to affect Napoleon one hairbreadth, and in the present
instance his letter of October 10th to the Russian Emperor proves that
the Peace was already settled--all but the signing.
No. 24.
_Stuttgard._--General Rapp describes this journey as follows: "Peace
was ratified. We left Nymphenburg and arrived at Stuttgard. Napoleon
was received in a style of magnificence, and was lodged in the palace
together with his suite. The King was laying out a spacious garden,
and men who had been condemned to the galleys were employed to labour
in it. The Emperor asked the King who the men were who worked in
chains; he replied that they were for the most part rebels who had
been taken in his new possessions. We set out on the following day. On
the way Napoleon alluded to the unfortunate wretches whom he had seen
at Stuttgard. 'The King of Wuertemberg,' said he, 'is a very harsh man;
but he is very faithful. Of all the sovereigns in Europe he possesses
the greatest share of understanding.'
"We stopped for an hour at Rastadt, where the Princess of Baden and
Princess Stephanie had arrived for the purpose of paying their
respects to the Emperor. The Grand Duke and Duchess accompanied him as
far as Strasburg. On his arrival in that city he received despatches
which again excited his displeasure against the Faubourg St. Germain.
We proceeded to Fontainebleau; no preparations had been made for the
Emperor's reception; there was not even a guard on duty."
This was on October 26th, at 10 A.M. Meneval asserts that Napoleon's
subsequent bad temper was feigned. In any case, the meeting--that
moment so impatiently awaited--was a very bad _quart d'heure_ for
Josephine, accentuated doubtless by Fouche's report of bad conduct on
the part of the ladies of St. Germain.
FOOTNOTES
[70] This Archduke was the "international man" at this juncture. Louis
Bonaparte speaks of a society at Saragossa, of which the object
was to make the Archduke Charles king of Spain.
[71] These Adelphes or Philadelphes were the socialists or educated
anarchists of that day. They wished for the _statu quo_ before
Napoleon became supreme ruler. They had members in his army,
and it seems quite probable that Bernadotte gave them passive
support. General Oudet was their recognised head, and he died
under suspicious circumstances after Wagram. The society was,
unlike the Carbonari, anti-Catholic.
[72] Pelet, vol. i. 127.
[73] Pelet, vol. i. 282.
[74] "Gaily asking his staff to breakfast with him" (Pelet).
[75] Lejeune says "some hours afterwards."
[76] Eugene's.
[77] "What a loss for France and for me," groaned Napoleon, as he left
his dead friend.
SERIES M
No. 1.