“You must tell us about the battle of Waterloo; and then we shall hear how his Invincibles met British men.”
“I ought not to forget a proof of the generous conduct of Buonaparte on one occasion. It was when he had taken Berlin, the Prussian capital. The Prince of Hatzsfeld, while under his protection, corresponded with the Prussian general, sending him an account of the movements of the French. One of his letters being intercepted, the prince was arrested; when his wife, thinking her husband not guilty, gained access to the emperor, and boldly asserted his innocence. Napoleon handed to her the prince’s letter: when she fell, in silence and despair, on her knees. ‘Put the paper in the fire,’ said Napoleon, ‘and there will then be no proof of guilt.’”
“Ah! that was a noble action. What a pity that he did not perform more such actions!”
“In taking the bridge and town of Montereau, Buonaparte was seen pointing cannon with his own hand, under the heaviest of the fire. But though this delighted the artillery-men, they expressed great apprehension at his personal danger. ‘My children,’ said he, still persisting in his employment, ‘the bullet that shall kill me is not yet cast.’”
“He was, no doubt, a very bold man, but it was very presumptuous to talk in that way.”
“Most likely his object was to encourage his soldiers. The famous battle of the Pyramids was one in which Buonaparte obtained much reputation as a soldier. He had a strong frame, and could endure much. While other generals put on light clothing, and were bathed in perspiration, beneath the burning sun of Egypt, he wore his uniform, as usual, buttoned up to the chin. He was the last at night to fling his body, wrapt in his war-cloak, on the ground, and the first in the morning to spring up from slumber. When he came within sight of the pyramids he cried out, ‘Soldiers! from the summit of yonder pyramids forty ages behold you!’ The rage of the battle then broke loose.
“On came the Mamelukes, with their fiery steeds. Strong and rapid in their movements, they raised a wild cry, and rushed on the bristling bayonets of the French, who were drawn up in squares. They tried to force a passage, urged their horses on, and then backed them against their enemies. But the French would not give way. The Mamelukes were almost mad with rage; they dashed their carbines and pistols in the faces of the French soldiers, and, when wounded on the ground, cut at their legs, but it was all in vain. The French cannon and musketry mowed them down;—they fell back! The carnage was dreadful! The battle was won by Napoleon. Cairo soon surrendered to him, and he became the conqueror of Lower Egypt.
“The taking of the bridge of Lodi, in Italy, was one of the most daring achievements of Buonaparte. This bridge was a wooden one; and a battery of thirty cannon was so placed as to sweep it completely. The whole Austrian army was drawn up behind it.
“Napoleon Buonaparte was not to be intimidated by danger, he advanced, and a furious cannonade broke forth. Buonaparte rushed on in the middle of the fire, and pointed two guns with his own hands, so as to prevent the Austrians approaching the bridge to blow it up. His soldiers were delighted at his bravery, and called him ‘The Little Corporal.’
“Napoleon gave the word, and a column of grenadiers rushed to the bridge, shouting ‘Vive la Republique!’ The grape-shot swept them down terribly. They hesitated,—Buonaparte hurried to their head, with Lannes, Berthier, and Lallemaque, and cheered them onward. The cannon raged, a tempest of shot was around them, but they dashed on. The artillery-men were bayonetted at their guns; the bridge of Lodi was taken, and the Austrian army scattered in confusion.”