once gave his adherence to the Orleanists, and was appointed Minister of
War; and it was thanks to his energy and wisdom that the numerous
revolts which threatened the early days of the new regime were stamped
out. Soult, like Wellington, hated the idea of civil war, but knew that
strong measures were the best means to prevent bloodshed, so when, as at
Lyons, it was essential to strike, he took good care to have the
necessary force at hand. A year later, when the Commune threatened to
raise its head in Paris, he overawed the mob by the sudden mobilisation
of eighty thousand troops. The weakness of the Government and the
courage and decision the Marshal showed during the emeute caused Louis
Philippe on October 18, 1832, to entrust him with the headship of the
administration. The Marshal proved how often a strong soldier may be a
weak politician, and in 1834 he resigned office. But during his term of
office he did not forget the needs of the army, as his measures for
recruiting, military pensions, and the training of officers prove. When,
again, in 1839 Paris was seething with discontent, the King sent for the
Marshal, and under his iron hand order was easily re-established. But
the old soldier was no orator, and was listened to more from respect for
his character than the cogency of his arguments, and when the crisis was
passed he was soon glad to resign his appointment; and though always
taking an active part, and ever ready to give his advice to his
sovereign, he never again held office. In 1838 the Duke of Dalmatia
visited London as representative of France at the Coronation of Queen
Victoria, and once again met his old opponent, the Duke of Wellington.
Lady Salisbury thus describes their meeting: "The Duke and Soult met in
the music-room at the Queen's concert for the first time for many years,
and shook hands. Soult's appearance is different from what I expected:
he is a gentlemanlike old man with rather a benevolent cast of
countenance, such as I should have expected in William Penn or
Washington: tall and rather stooping, the top of the head bald.... The
Duke, though the lines on his face are deeper, has a fresher colour and
a brighter eye."
The Duke of Dalmatia clung to the Orleanist dynasty till the end, and
attended the last council held by Louis Philippe. He had a special
liking for the Citizen Monarch, who reciprocated this affection, and had
in 1847 re-established for the veteran the title of Marshal General of
France, a designation held previously only by Turenne, Villars, and
Saxe. With the fall of the dynasty he appeared no more in public, and at
last, on November 26, 1857, he died at his chateau at St. Amand in his
eighty-second year.
"Soult is able but too ambitious." Thus Napoleon appreciated the Duke of
Dalmatia when discussing the characters of his Marshals. But Soult was
possessed of a crafty caution which seldom if ever allowed his ambition
to hinder the success his ability deserved. Cold and calculating by
nature, he knew exactly where to draw the line. The attempt to seize the
throne of Portugal was the only occasion on which he seemed to throw
caution to the winds, and those who knew him best were so astounded at
his lack of circumspection that they could scarcely believe that he
himself approved of the proclamations which appeared in Oporto. The
hard, crafty nature of the Marshal was responsible for his many enemies
among the officers of the army. His own staff never loved him, much as
they marvelled at his indefatigable industry and his suppleness of mind,
which permitted him to turn with ease from the highest political and
strategic problems to the drudgery of administrative details, and bring
to bear on all questions the cold, hard light of lucid reasoning. He
could attract men to him by sheer admiration of his ability, but he
could make no real friends, for those who came in contact with him soon
discovered that he only thought of what he could make out of them, and
then that he would drop them without the slightest regret. Sprung from
the lower ranks of society, the Marshal had all the cunning and avarice
of the typical bourgeois, and though he had the capacity to overcome his
want of education, he had not the power to eradicate these inherent
strains of character. Though not so rapacious as Massena, the Duke of
Dalmatia never withheld his hand when plunder offered itself and his
home in Paris was decorated with magnificent objects of art filched from
nearly every country in Europe. But though he allowed himself the luxury
of taking what seized his fancy, he sternly repressed marauding on the
part of his officers and men. Hence it was that, like Suchet, he was
able to subdue the provinces committed to his charge and win the respect
and obedience of the Spaniards. His methodical mind hated the idea of
disorder; administration came to him as Nature's gift. Under his rule
Andalusia gained a prosperity she had never before known. But we must
remember that his success in this province was due not only to his great
gift of administration, but also to his ambition, for it was the driving
power of self-interest which supplied the energy which oiled the wheels
of his system; for the Marshal hoped with the resources of Andalusia to
supply the material and means to drive the English from Lisbon without
the co-operation of King Joseph or the other French commanders. In
striking contrast to the aversion with which he was regarded by his own
fellow-countrymen was the feeling of admiration with which he was viewed
by his foes, and notably by his English adversaries in the Peninsula.
They only saw the results of his great versatility and resource, and his
acts of courtesy to those who fell into his power; while the discipline
he maintained among his troops stood in striking contrast to the conduct
of many of the other French commanders. Moreover, the Marshal was too
politic to be cruel, and it was easy to guess that his proclamation
against the Spaniards was really the work of the Emperor. That this was
the case was borne out by the following letter written by Berthier at
Napoleon's dictation: "Let the Duke of Dalmatia know that I learn with
indignation that some of the prisoners taken at Ocana have been released
and their arms restored to them. When I witness such behaviour I ask,
'Is this treason or imbecility?' Is it then only French blood that is to
flow in Spain without regret and without vengeance?" As a soldier the
Marshal stands high among his compeers. In spite of his defeats at
Oporto, Albuera, and Toulouse, throughout his career he clearly showed
that he had the essential quality of a great commander, the ability to
see and the capacity to perform what was possible with the material at
hand. His strategic insight was great, he had a magnificent eye for
country and the power of calmly surveying a field of battle, but, as
Wellington pointed out, he had one great fault, for though "he knew how
to bring his troops to the field, he did not know so well how to use
them when he had brought them up." Thus it was that at Sorauren, after
he had surprised Wellington and upset the whole of the English strategic
plans, he was unable to win the battle which was necessary to reap the
harvest of his labours. But the passage of the Pyrenees, the operations
round Bayonne, and the retreat on Toulouse, will always be studied as
examples of the most perfect military operations of their type. They
show to the full the secret of the Marshal's success as a soldier, the
blending of ardour with method and dash with caution. As a politician
the Duke of Dalmatia met with little success; his methods were those of
a dictator rather than those of a statesman. When the hour of action was
passed he invariably showed weakness. But whatever were his faults, it
must be laid to his credit that throughout the reign of Louis Philippe
he lent all the weight of his great name and reputation to the
maintenance of order at home and peace abroad.
VI
JEAN LANNES, MARSHAL, DUKE OF MONTEBELLO
Jean Lannes, the future Duke of Montebello, was born on April 10, 1769,
the year which saw the birth of many famous soldiers, Napoleon,
Wellington, Ney, and Soult. He was the fourth son of a peasant
proprietor of Lectourne, a little town on the slopes of the Pyrenees.
His family had long been settled in the commune of Omet, in the
department of the Gironde. The first to rise to any sort of distinction
was Jean's eldest brother, who showed at an early age such ability that
the episcopal authorities of Lectourne educated him, and in due time he
became a priest. It was to his brother, the abbe, that the young Jean
owed such elements of learning as he possessed. But the pressure of need
compelled his father to indenture him at an early age to a dyer in
Lectourne. The young apprentice was of middle height, very well built,
amazingly active, and able to bear the utmost fatigue. His face was
pleasant and expressive, his eyes small and keen. Behind those eyes lay
a brain of extraordinary activity, which was controlled by a boundless
ambition. Enthusiastic and passionate, Lannes' spirit could brook but
little control. Action was the zest of his life. Administration and
control came to him not as Nature's gifts, but as the result of his
great common sense, which guided his ambition along the paths which led
to success. A nature which could not endure the dullness of the dyer's
trade in Lectourne could, however, compel the young soldier during the
severest campaigns to give up part of his night's rest to study and to
the expansion of his knowledge beyond the elements of reading, writing,
and arithmetic, all the learning his brother, the abbe, had had time to
impart to him. Even in the later years of his life the successful
Marshal strove by midnight toil to educate himself up to the position
his military talents had won for him.
Jean Lannes had already had a taste of the soldier's life before the
outbreak of the revolutionary wars. But his uncontrollable temper had
brought this short military experience to an abrupt end, and he had been
compelled to return to his work at Lectourne after being wounded in a
duel. His employer had greeted his return with the words, "There is not
the price of a drink to be made in the trade. Return to the army; you
may perhaps become captain." But Jean Lannes did not need such advice to
drive him to the path of glory. In June, 1792, the Government of France
called for volunteers to resist the coming invasion of the Duke of
Brunswick's army. Lannes enlisted in the second battalion of the
volunteers of Gers, and was at once elected sub-lieutenant by his
fellow-citizens. This promotion he owed partly to his former military
experience, partly to his personal magnetism, and partly to his extreme
political opinions.
When Spain declared war on France the two battalions of Gers were sent
to form part of the Army of the Eastern Pyrenees. There Lannes gained
his first practical military experience. Both armies were extremely
ill-led, ill-disciplined, and ill-equipped. Consequently there was a
great deal of desultory hand-to-hand fighting, in which the young
sub-lieutenant distinguished himself by his courage and talent. He
enjoyed himself hugely fighting all day and dancing all night, when he
could spare the time from his books. When military knowledge was almost
entirely absent in the army, promotion came quickly to those who
distinguished themselves by courage and zeal. On September 25, 1793,
Lannes was promoted lieutenant. A month later, on October 21st, he was
made captain of the grenadier company. Two months later, on Christmas
Day, at the express desire of his chief, General Davout, he was given
command of his battalion, and appointed colonel on the staff and acting
adjutant-general. This distinction he gained for his brilliant conduct
at Villelongue. Summoned from his bed in hospital to command the advance
guard of five hundred men, he moved towards the main redoubt of the
Spanish lines, and, refusing to be bluffed by the proposal of an
armistice, captured the redoubt by a dashing charge. After the action he
once again retired to hospital. His next exploit was the delicate
mission entrusted to him by General Dugommier of releasing a great
number of French emigres who had been captured in battle, and who
otherwise would have fallen victims to the popular fury. While devoting
himself to his military duties he yet found time to fall in love. When
in hospital at Perpignan, at the end of 1793, he had met Mademoiselle
Meric, the daughter of a wealthy banker of that town; the friendship
very soon developed into an ardent passion, and on March 19, 1795, the
young couple were united, and the marriage seemed very advantageous for
the young soldier of fortune, who was barely twenty-five.
After the treaty of Basle the battalions of Gers were brigaded with the
old 53rd (regiment d'Alsace), and formed part of the troops which
Scherer took to reinforce the Army of Italy in the summer of 1795.
Accordingly, Lannes had the good fortune to take part in the battle of
Loano, and once again greatly distinguished himself and was specially
mentioned in despatches.
But during the winter of 1795-6 his successful career nearly came to an
untimely end, for on the reorganisation of the army, along with many
other officers, he was placed on half pay. Fortunately, at the moment
he was retiring dejected to France, Bonaparte assumed command of the
Army of Italy. The new general felt he could ill spare a capable officer
like Lannes, and consequently he retained him provisionally. The young
colonel immediately justified his action. At the critical moment of the
Austrian counter-attack at Dego, Lannes cleared the village by a brisk
bayonet charge. Thereon Bonaparte gave him command of two battalions of
grenadiers and one of carbineers, which formed part of his permanent
advance guard under General Dallemagne. From this time onward Lannes had
found his proper role. As nature had intended Marshal Ney for the
command of a rear guard, and Murat for the command of cavalry, so she
had equipped Lannes with those qualities which are specially required by
the commander of an advance guard. Wiry and strong, he never knew what
it was to be tired, and, never sparing himself, he never spared his men;
his kind and cheery disposition and his personal magnetism carried all
before him. His fiery enthusiasm swept aside all difficulties; his
inventive genius ever showed him the way to surmount all obstacles. When
danger was most pressing Lannes was there, the first to head the charge,
the first to rally the discomfited. Never had Fortune a more zealous
wooer. At Lodi he was the first man on the bridge. Later, at the head of
three hundred men, he re-established order in Lombardy; at one time
especially attached to the headquarter staff, at another hurried off to
suppress some outbreak in the rear, at another repelling a determined
sortie from Mantua, more and more, day by day, he made himself
indispensable to his young chief. At the battle of Bassano, of the five
flags wrested from the enemy Lannes captured two with his own hands.
Wounded slightly at Bassano and more seriously at Governolo, he yet
managed to creep out of hospital in time to take his place beside
Bonaparte at Arcola. Early in the battle he received two flesh wounds,
and had to retire to have them dressed. Scarcely were they bandaged
when the news arrived that Augereau's division had received a severe
check. Oblivious of his wounds, he leapt on his horse and arrived at the
head of his columns in time to see Augereau and Bonaparte, flag in hand,
vainly attempting to rally their soldiers, only to be swept off the
embankment into the marsh. But Lannes headed his grenadiers, and
charging home on the Austrians, swept them back to the bridge-head,
receiving in the charge yet another wound.
[Illustration: JEAN LANNES, DUKE OF MONTEBELLO
FROM AN ENGRAVING BY AMEDEE MAULET]
During the early months of 1797 he commanded a column at Bologna, and
was present at the capitulation of Mantua. Thereafter he commanded the
advance guard of Victor's army which invaded the Papal States. In front
of Ancona he met with a characteristic adventure. Making a
reconnaissance with two or three officers and half a dozen troopers, he
suddenly found himself in the presence of three hundred of the enemy's
cavalry. Their commander at once ordered his men to draw their swords
preparatory to a charge. Whereon Lannes rode up to him and told him to
order his men to return their swords, dismount, and lead their horses
back to their headquarters. The officer obeyed. By sheer force of
character Lannes thus dominated the situation and saved the lives of
himself and his escort. After the preliminaries of peace at Leoben,
Bonaparte employed him on several confidential missions, in which his
impetuosity led him at times into difficulties, and the
commander-in-chief was forced to write to the French Minister at Genoa,
"I have heard the reply that Lannes made to you. He is hot-headed, but a
good fellow, and brave. I must write to him to tell him to be more civil
to a minister of the Republic."
Africa has often proved the grave of great military reputations.
Napoleon himself only escaped the usual doom by deserting his army and
suddenly appearing as a _deus ex machina_ in the stormy field of
politics at Paris. But though so fatal to those in supreme command,
Africa has sometimes been the school from which the young officers have
returned with enhanced reputations. It was from the companions who had
stood the test of the fiery trial in Egypt and Syria that Bonaparte
later selected his most trusted Marshals.
On May 19, 1798, Lannes sailed for Egypt in the _Orient_ as an
unattached general of brigade on the headquarter staff. For his
successful action at the head of one of the assaulting columns in Malta
he was appointed to the command of a brigade in Kleber's division. He
took part in the capture of Alexandria, the march on Cairo, and the
battles of Chebrass and the Pyramids; but it was not so much his success
in these engagements which enhanced his worth in Bonaparte's eyes, as
the fact that Lannes alone of all the general officers in Egypt did not
share in the grumbling and depression which threatened to cripple the
army after its arrival at Cairo. Soldiers and officers alike had but one
desire--to return home. Lannes secretly informed Bonaparte of the plans
of those who led the discontent, and, in the words of Murat, "sold the
cocoanut." Thus he gained the future Emperor as his life-long friend and
Murat as his life-long enemy. When in February, 1799, Bonaparte started
for Syria, he took with him Lannes in command of Menou's division.
When Bonaparte found that his military reputation was likely to suffer
by a more prolonged stay in Egypt, and above all that France was now
ready to accept the rule of a dictator, he deserted his army in Egypt,
leaving Kleber, whom he hated, in command; he took with him his most
trustworthy officers, Lannes, Murat, Marmont, Andreossy, and Berthier,
ordering Desaix to follow. The return to France, so longed for by most,
was less agreeable to Lannes: while in hospital after the battle of
Aboukir he had heard that his wife had given birth to a son whose father
he could not be. Consequently one of his first acts on his return was to
divorce her. But Bonaparte gave him little time to bewail his
misfortune, for he relied on him, with Berthier, Murat, and Marmont, to
debauch the army and bring it over to his side. Berthier's business was
to win over the general staff, Murat the cavalry, Marmont the artillery,
and Lannes the infantry. Shortly after the coup d'etat General Lannes
was appointed commandant and inspector of the Consular Guard in
preference to Murat. But this was a hollow victory over his rival, for
when, after the Marengo campaign, these life-long enemies met in open
rivalry for the hand of Caroline Bonaparte, the First Consul's sister,
Murat, aided by Josephine, became the accepted suitor, and Lannes had to
submit to see his hated rival in quick succession the brother-in-law of
Napoleon, a Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, the crowned King of Naples,
and, most bitter of all, the confidential friend of his idol.
It was in the Marengo campaign that the general had his first
opportunity of distinguishing himself as an independent commander, and
winning the renown which the victory of Montebello inseparably connects
with his name. When Bonaparte made his famous march into Italy with the
Army of the Reserve, he appointed Lannes to command the advance guard.
The whole success of the operations depended on the rapidity with which
they were carried out, for the First Consul, in his endeavour to get
astride the Austrian line of communication, was exposing his flank to
the enemy, and the French army, if beaten, had no other line of retreat
save the terrible defiles of the Alps. Accordingly, Napoleon's selection
of Lannes to command the advance guard is the highest possible testimony
to his military ability. The battle of Montebello was Lannes's first
independent engagement. In it he showed his genius for war. If he had
allowed the Austrians to reoccupy Stradella he would have ruined the
whole of Napoleon's scheme of operations, but, though his force was only
a third of the enemy's, he remembered the advantage that comes to the
assailant; instead of waiting in an entrenched position, he attacked,
and by his indomitable courage and tenacity, and his tactical ability,
he kept the enemy pinned to his entrenchments until the arrival of fresh
troops under Victor enabled him to pulverise his foe. The battle was one
of the finest of the campaign. "The bones," said Lannes, "cracked in my
division like glass in a hailstorm."
At Marengo Lannes had to reverse his usual role and fight a rear-guard
action, for during the early part of the engagement the French were
outnumbered by thirty thousand men against eighteen thousand, and yet
the general was able to report: "I carried out my retirement by
successive echelons under a devastating fire of artillery, amid
successive charges of cavalry. I had not a single gun to cover my
retreat, and yet it was carried out in perfect order." The soldier who
in the hour of success was full of impetuosity and elan, in the hour of
retreat was able to inspire his troops with stubborn courage and
unfailing self-confidence, which did much to secure the victory.