Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte — Complete
war? Is it not criminal to bring foreign invasion upon a country? Is it
not betraying Europe to introduce Asiatic barbarities into her disputes?
If good policy had been followed the Aulic Council, instead of attacking
me, would have sought my alliance in order to drive back the Russians
to the north. The alliance which your Cabinet has formed will appear
monstrous in history. It is the alliance of dogs, shepherds, and wolves
against sheep--such a scheme could never have been planned in the mind
of a statesman. It is fortunate for you that I have not been defeated in
the unjust struggle to which I have been provoked; if I had, the Cabinet
of Vienna would have soon perceived its error, for which, perhaps, it
will yet one day pay dearly."
What a change fifteen days of success, crowned by the capture of Ulm,
had made in affairs! At Hamburg I knew through my agents to what a
degree of folly the hopes of Napoleon's enemies had risen before he
began the campaign. The security of the Cabinet of Vienna was really
inexplicable; not only did they not dream of the series of victories
which made Napoleon master of all the Austrian monarchy, but the
assistants of Drake and all the intriguers of that sort treated France
already as a conquered country, and disposed of some of our provinces.
In the excess of their folly, to only give one instance, they promised
the town of Lyons to the King of Sardinia, to recompense him for the
temporary occupation of Piedmont.
--[In the treaties and declarations (see Martens and Thiers, tome v.
p. 355) there is rather a tendency to sell the skin of the bear
before killing him.]--
While Napoleon flattered his prisoners at the expense of their
Government he wished to express satisfaction at the conduct of his own
army, and with this view he published a remarkable proclamation, which
in some measure presented an abstract of all that had taken place since
the opening of the campaign.
This proclamation was as follows:--
SOLDIERS OF THE GRAND ARMY--In a fortnight we have finished an
entire campaign. What we proposed to do has been done. We have
driven the Austrian troops from Bavaria, and restored our ally to
the sovereignty of his dominions.
That army, which, with equal presumption and imprudence, marched
upon our frontiers, is annihilated.
But what does this signify to England? She has gained her object.
We are no longer at Boulogne, and her subsidy will be neither more
nor less.
Of a hundred thousand men who composed that army, sixty thousand are
prisoners. They will replace our conscripts in the labours of
agriculture.
Two hundred pieces of cannon, the whole park of artillery, ninety
flags, and all their generals are in our power. Fifteen thousand
men only have escaped.
Soldiers! I announced to you the result of a great battle; but,
thanks to the ill-devised schemes of the enemy, I was enabled to
secure the wished-for result without incurring any danger, and, what
is unexampled in the history of nations, that result has been gained
at the sacrifice of scarcely fifteen hundred men killed and wounded.
Soldiers! this success is due to your unlimited confidence in your
Emperor, to your patience in enduring fatigues and privations of
every kind, and to your singular courage and intrepidity.
But we will not stop here. You are impatient to commence another
campaign!
The Russian army, which English gold has brought from the
extremities of the universe, shall experience the same fate as that
which we have just defeated.
In the conflict in which we are about to engage the honour of the
French infantry is especially concerned. We shall now see another
decision of the question which has already been determined in
Switzerland and Holland; namely, whether the French infantry is the
first or the second in Europe.
Among the Russians there are no generals in contending against whom
I can acquire any glory. All I wish is to obtain the victory with
the least possible bloodshed. My soldiers are, my children.
This proclamation always appeared to me a masterpiece of military
eloquence. While he lavished praises on his troops, he excited their
emulation by hinting that the Russians were capable of disputing with
them the first rank among the infantry of Europe, and he concluded his
address by calling them his children.
The second campaign, to which Napoleon alleged they so eagerly looked
forward, speedily ensued, and hostilities were carried on with a degree
of vigour which fired the enthusiasm of the army. Heaven knows what
accounts were circulated of the Russians, who, as Bonaparte solemnly
stated in his proclamation, had come from the extremity of the world.
They were represented as half-naked savages, pillaging, destroying
and burning wherever they went. It was even asserted that they were
cannibals, and had been seen to eat children. In short, at that period
was introduced the denomination of northern barbarians which has
since been so generally applied to the Russians. Two days after the
capitulation of Ulm Murat obtained the capitulation of Trochtelfingen
from General Yarneck, and made 10,000 prisoners, so that, without
counting killed and wounded, the Austrian army had sustained a
diminution of 50,000 men after a campaign of twenty days. On the 27th
of October the French army crossed the Inn, and thus penetrated into
the Austrian territory. Salzburg and Brannan were immediately taken. The
army of Italy, under the command of Massena, was also obtaining great
advantages. On the 30th of October, that is to say, the very day on
which the Grand Army took the above-mentioned fortresses, the army of
Italy, having crossed the Adige, fought a sanguinary battle at Caldiero,
and took 5000 Austrian prisoners.
In the extraordinary campaign, which has been distinguished by the name
of "the Campaign of Austerlitz," the exploits of our troops succeeded
each other with the rapidity of thought. I confess I was equally
astonished and delighted when I received a note from Duroc, sent by an
extraordinary courier, and commencing laconically with the words, "We
are in Vienna; the Emperor is well."
Duroc's letter was dated the 13th November, and the words, "We are in
Vienna," seemed to me the result of a dream. The capital of Austria,
which from time immemorial had not been occupied by foreigners--the city
which Sobieski had saved from Ottoman violence, had become the prey of
the Imperial eagle of France, which, after a lapse of three centuries,
avenged the humiliations formerly imposed upon Francis I. by the 'Aquila
Grifagna' of Charles V. Duroc had left the Emperor before the camp of
Boulogne was raised; his mission to Berlin being terminated, he rejoined
the Emperor at Lintz.
--[As soon as Bonaparte became Emperor he constituted himself the
avenger of all the insults given to the sovereigns, whom he styled
his predecessors. All that related to the honour of France was
sacred to him. Thus he removed the column of Rosbach from the
Prussian territory.--Bourrienne.]--
Before I noticed the singular mission of M. Haugwitz to the Emperor
Napoleon, and the result of that mission, which circumstances rendered
diametrically the reverse of its object, I will relate what came to my
knowledge respecting some other negotiations on the part of Austria, the
evident intent of which was to retard Napoleon's progress, and
thereby to dupe him. M. de Giulay, one of the generals included in the
capitulation of Ulm, had returned home to acquaint his sovereign with
the disastrous event. He did not conceal, either from the Emperor
Francis or the Cabinet of Vienna, the destruction of the Austrian army,
and the impossibility of arresting the rapid advance of the French. M.
de Giulay was sent with a flag of truce to the headquarters of Napoleon,
to assure him of the pacific intentions of the Emperor of Austria, and
to solicit an armistice. The snare was too clumsy not to be immediately
discovered by so crafty a man as Napoleon.
--[Metternich (tome ii. p. 346, compare French edition, tome ii.
p. 287) says, "Let us hold always the sword in one hand and the
olive branch in the other; always ready to negotiate, but only
negotiating while advancing." Here is Napoleons system.]--
He had always pretended a love for peace, though he was overjoyed at
the idea of continuing a war so successfully commenced, and he directed
General Giulay to assure the Emperor of Austria that he was not less
anxious for peace than he, and that he was ready to treat for it, but
without suspending the course of his operations. Bonaparte, indeed,
could not, without a degree of imprudence of which he was incapable,
consent to an armistice; for M. de Giulay, though entrusted with powers
from Austria, had received none from Russia. Russia, therefore,
might disavow the armistice and arrive in time to defend Vienna, the
occupation of which was so important to the French army. The Russians,
indeed, were advancing to oppose us, and the corps of our army,
commanded by Mortier on the left bank of the Danube, experienced in
the first engagement a check at Dirnstein, which not a little vexed
the Emperor. This was the first reverse of fortune we had sustained
throughout the campaign. It was trivial, to be sure, but the capture by
the Russians of three French eagles, the first that had fallen into the
hands of the enemy, was very mortifying to Napoleon, and caused him to
prolong for some days his staff at St. Folten, where he then was.
The rapid occupation of Vienna was due to the successful temerity of
Lannes and Murat, two men alike distinguished for courage and daring
spirit. A bold artifice of these generals prevented the destruction
of the Thabor bridge at Vienna, without which our army would have
experienced considerable difficulty in penetrating into the Austrian
capital. This act of courage and presence of mind, which had so great an
influence on the events of the campaign, was described to me by
Lannes, who told the story with an air of gaiety, unaccompanied by any
self-complacency, and seemed rather pleased with the trick played
upon the Austrians than proud of the brilliant action which had been
performed. Bold enterprises were so natural to Lannes that he was
frequently the only person who saw nothing extraordinary in his own
exploits. Alas! what men were sacrificed to Napoleon's ambition!
The following is the story of the Bridge of Thabor as I heard it from
Lannes:--
--[I was one day walking with Murat, on the right bank of the
Danube, and we observed on the left bank, which was occupied by the
Austrians, some works going on, the evident object of which was to
blow up the bridge on the approach of our troops. The fools had the
impudence to make these preparations under our very noses; but we
gave them a good lesson. Having arranged our plan, we returned to
give orders, and I entrusted the command of my column of grenadiers
to an officer on whose courage and intelligence I could rely. I
then returned to the bridge, accompanied by Murat and two or three
other officers. We advanced, unconcernedly, and entered into
conversation with the commander of a post in the middle of the
bridge. We spoke to him about an armistice which was to be speedily
concluded: While conversing with the Austrian officers we contrived
to make them turn their eyes towards the left bank, and then,
agreeably to the orders we had given, my column of grenadiers
advanced on the bridge. The Austrian cannoneers, on the left bank,
seeing their officers in the midst of us, did not dare to fire, and