BERNADOTTE'S ORDER.

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us that after 1805 Napoleon said, "One has only a certain time for war; I will be good for it six years more, after that even I must cry halt." Was the time coming sooner?

On August 21 Napoleon wrote to Clarke, from Schönbrunn, while criticising the conduct of affairs in Spain, “Battles are not to be delivered if one cannot count on seventy chances of success out of one hundred in his favor; so that one should deliver battle only when one has no further lucky chances to hope for; for in its nature the event of a battle is always doubtful." This is not the Napoleon who was wont to use battle to decide every question. He does not seem to exhibit as much moral and physical strength as years before, yet his health was still good. To Fouché, September 9, he wrote: "I do not know where you have gone to find out that I am sick. I have never been better. Corvisart came because I wanted a doctor of superior merit, in this season especially, which is subject to give sickness." He was well, in a sense - but was it the crisp mental and physical health of 1805 ?

Bernadotte had issued an Order to the Saxons complimenting them on their conduct of the 5th and 6th of July. On August 5, in an Order of the Day," His Majesty conveys his dissatisfaction to Marshal Bernadotte for his Order of the Day of July 7, which was inserted at the same time in nearly all the journals. . . . Independently of the fact that His Majesty commands his army in person, it is for him alone to distribute the degree of glory that each one merits. His Majesty owes the success of his armies to the French troops, and not to any foreigners. The Order of the Day of Marshal Bernadotte, tending to give false pretensions to troops which are at least mediocre, is contrary to truth, to politics and to national honor. The success of the day of the 5th was due to the corps of Marshals Massena and Oudinot, who pierced the centre of the enemy at the same time that the corps of Marshal Davout turned its left. The corps of Bernadotte did not remain 'immovable as brass;' it was the first to beat a retreat. His Majesty was obliged to have it covered by the corps of the Viceroy,... by Marshal Macdonald, by the cavalry of Nansouty, and part of that of the Guard. . . . His Majesty desires that this testimony of

.

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CORRESPONDENCE GOING ON.

his discontent shall serve as an example, so that no marshal shall attribute to himself the glory that belongs to others. His Majesty nevertheless commands that this Order of the Day, which might afflict the Saxon army, although the soldiers know well that they did not merit the praise given them, shall remain secret, and shall be sent only to the marshals commanding army corps."

The feeling was strong, as is shown in the letter to Fouché of September 11: "I have been discontented with the Order of the Day of Bernadotte, who would make it believed that I have only fifteen [sic] thousand men, whereas I have the interest to persuade people that I have two hundred thousand. The vanity of that man is excessive. I have ordered the minister of war to recall him. He has mediocre talents. I place no manner of faith in him. He always has his ear open to intriguers, who inundate this great capital. In war he is the same. He just missed making me lose the battle of Jena. He conducted himself in a mediocre manner at Wagram. He was not on hand at Eylau, when he might have been there, and did not do at Austerlitz what he might have done."

During these days a correspondence had been going on among the three emperors.

To the Emperor Francis, Napoleon wrote, July 22: "If this fourth treaty of peace, which will succeed those of Campo Formio, Lunéville and Presburg, can finally be the last, can reëstablish in a durable manner tranquillity on the Continent, and be safe from the clamors and intrigues of England, I shall regard this moment as very happy; for out of the four wars which Your Majesty has made on France, the last three were superfluous, and have been useful and advantageous only to England, just as they were only counseled and raised up by her partisans."

On July 30 the Emperor Francis wrote to the Emperor Alexander with relation to the truce: "Peace will be forthwith established between France and me, if its sovereign wishes peace. If this is not the result of my efforts, let Your Imperial Majesty not seek the cause other than in demands of the Emperor of the French opposed to my duty as sovereign, and contrary to the independence of the state." To this the czar replied: "I have seen with a lively satisfaction the resolution of Your Majesty to put an end to the war. You know how much I had at heart that peace should not be broken by you. I have never hidden from you the evils that I could foresee from it." And on the same day the czar wrote to Napoleon,

POLISH OPERATION ENDED.

331 sending copies of the letter of Francis and his reply. "The possibility of peace," said he, "makes me feel a real satisfaction. My interests are in the hands of Your Majesty. I like to place entire confidence in your sentiments for me." He then refers to the Polish matter, and adds, "Your Majesty will render me the justice that in commencing war against Austria, I have made no demands in advance for myself; that I began this war while I had four others to manage, two of which were in consequence of my alliance with you. My greatest desire is that all which can harm this alliance should be put aside, so that it should be consolidated more and more. I repeat to Your Majesty, I like in so important a circumstance to count formally on your friendship for me. Your Majesty sees all the frankness and all the abandon of confidence that I put in you. I must expect that you also will act towards me in a similar spirit."

The Polish operation came to an end by Poniatowski moving towards Moravia, while Ferdinand retired towards Hungary, and by the Russians advancing their forces into Galicia. In north Germany Jerome coöperated with Junot and the few Saxons still on foot, to counteract the Austrians. Am Ende, joined by Kienmayer and Brunswick near Dresden, was faced by the King of Westphalia. The Austrians under Radivojevich, in the Bayreuth country, were met by Junot. At Gefrees, July 9, Junot was thrown back, but rallied at Erfurt; and after Wagram the Austrians withdrew to Bohemia. Brunswick retired on the English, who had made a descent in the Netherlands, and after some minor adventures, took refuge in Heligoland.

In the Tyrol matters were troublesome, and Lefebvre was sent back there; but defeated, August 11, at Steinach, he retired to Bavaria. Negotiations had no better results. The Tyrolese were in a fever of opposition.

Meanwhile the treaty of peace went on slowly. The Austrian Court at Buda was in no hurry, owing to the landing of the English in Belgium, the march of Wellington on Madrid, the Tyrol imbroglio, and a new plan of operations submitted

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ENGLISH FLEETS.

by the Aulic Council. Though defeated, Austria was still active in opposing Napoleon's harsh terms, and despite probable peace, Napoleon none the less kept up his military preparations with vigor. Each city and bridge-head he held had its fortifications either perfected or prepared for demolition, according as to what might eventuate. Pontoon trains were equipped in great numbers. A big Danube flotilla grew up. The conscript reserves, the provisional regiments, the smaller contingents of the Confederation, were added to Junot's, the 8th Corps, and ran its total up to thirty thousand men, not including the Westphalians, or 10th Corps. The Army of Germany had received back thirty thousand men from hospital, and six thousand men from depots. Neither was Austria idle, and the field armies were increased by a large number of men from the landwehr.

During this time England had aided the several enemies of Napoleon on lines which contributed to her own profit, though had she done fewer things, she might have injured Napoleon more. She had raised one hundred thousand men, and accumulated immense stores of ammunition, arms and artillery: the entire island was a vast workshop. But too much effort was directed against the French colonies, and too little against the Spanish peninsula, and to add to her burden, she invaded Belgium. In April, 1809, her fleets were ready in the home ports. Wellesley, who had been ordered home after Vimiero, was sent back to the Peninsula, with twenty thousand men, to repair the defeat of Moore. In mid-April an English fleet set fire by Congreve rockets to the fleet at Rochefort, hoping to destroy the shipyard. In June another fleet sought to raise an insurrection in Naples, but failed, for Murat suited this giddy people well. The attempt on Antwerp looked more threatening. Forty vessels of the line, thirty-six frigates and forty thousand men were directed against this port. The victory of

PORTUGAL

TO RELIEVE ANTWERP.

333

Wagram did not deter them. Chatham disembarked, July 30, on the island of Walcheren and laid siege to Flushing. He might better have landed at Blankenburg, and marched overland on Antwerp, slenderly garrisoned. Flushing was taken August 16, with its four thousand men.

A levy of all available troops was made in the north of France for the relief of Antwerp, and by the Council in Paris

NAPC

PRUSSIA

OF

WARSAW

AUSTRIA

French Empire, 1809.

Bernadotte was put in command of what reached thirty thousand men. Napoleon replaced him by Bessières. Allied to the army was the marshy climate of Walcheren, which soon affected the British forces; and shortly the expedition returned to Eng