Within a year, encouraged by the dissensions of the allies and the unpopularity of the Bourbons, he made his escape, landed in France (March 1, 1815), and was received with enthusiasm by a portion of the army. Yet France as a whole was indifferent, if not hostile, to his attempt to reëstablish his power. Certainly no one could place confidence in his talk of peace and liberty. Moreover, whatever disagreement there might be among the allies on other matters, there was perfect unanimity in their attitude toward "the enemy and destroyer of the world's peace." They solemnly proclaimed him an outlaw, and devoted him to public vengeance.
Battle of Waterloo, June, 1815.
Exile to Saint Helena.
Upon learning that English troops under Wellington and a Prussian army under Blücher had arrived in the Netherlands, Napoleon decided to attack them with such troops as he could collect. In the first engagements he defeated and drove back the Prussians. Wellington then took his station south of Brussels, at Waterloo. Napoleon advanced against him (June 18, 1815) and might have defeated the English had they not been opportunely reënforced by Blücher's Prussians, who had recovered themselves. As it was, Napoleon lost the most memorable of modern battles. Yet, even if he had not been defeated at Waterloo, he could not long have opposed the vast armies which were being concentrated to overthrow him. This time he was banished to the remote island of Saint Helena, where he could only brood over the past and prepare his Memoirs, in which he carefully strove to justify his career of ambition.[435]
General Reading.—Of the many lives of Napoleon the best and most recent are the following: Fournier, Life of Napoleon (a translation of this work from the original German, edited by E.G. Bourne, is announced by Holt & Co.); Rose, Life of Napoleon the First (The Macmillan Company, 2 vols., $4.00). The fullest biography of Napoleon is that of Sloane, Life of Napoleon Bonaparte (The Century Co., 4 vols., $18). An excellent sketch of the military history may be found in Ropes, The First Napoleon (Houghton, Mifflin & Co., $2.00).
CHAPTER XXXIX
EUROPE AFTER THE CONGRESS OF VIENNA
Problem of the reconstruction of Europe after Napoleon's fall.