FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   1774   1775   1776   1777   1778   1779   1780   1781   1782   1783   1784   1785   1786   1787   1788   1789   1790   1791   1792   1793   1794   1795   1796   1797   1798  
1799   1800   1801   1802   1803   1804   1805   1806   1807   1808   1809   1810   1811   1812   1813   1814   1815   1816   1817   1818   1819   1820   1821   1822   1823   >>   >|  
ale, at Schaffhausen, and at Mannheim. Capitulations made with the generals of the confederated troops in regard to the French garrisons of Dantzic, Dresden, and other strong towns had been, as we have seen, openly violated. Thus Marshal Gouvion Saint-Cyr and his army corps had been, contrary to the stipulations contained in the treaties, surrounded by superior forces, disarmed, and conducted as prisoners to Austria; and twenty thousand men, the remains of the garrison of Dantzic, were thus arrested by order of the Emperor Alexander, and conveyed to the Russian deserts. Geneva opened its gates to the enemy in the following January. Vesoul, Epinal, Nancy, Langres, Dijon, Chalons-sur-Saone, and Bar-sur-Aube were occupied by the allies. The Emperor, in proportion as the danger became more pressing, displayed still more his energy and indefatigable activity. He urged the organization of new levies, and in order to pay the most urgent expenses drew thirty millions from his secret treasury in the vaults of the pavilion Marsan. The levies of conscripts were, however, made with difficulty; for in the course of the year 1813 alone, one million forty thousand soldiers had been summoned to the field, and France could no longer sustain such enormous drains. Meanwhile veterans came from all parts to be enrolled; and General Carnot offered his services to the Emperor, who was much touched by this proceeding, and confided to him the defense of Antwerp. The zeal and courage with which the general acquitted himself of this important mission is well known. Movable columns and corps of partisans placed themselves under arms in the departments of the east, and a few rich proprietors levied and organized companies of volunteers, while select cavalry formed themselves into corps, the cavaliers of which equipped themselves at their own expense. In the midst of these preparations the Emperor received news which moved him deeply,--the King of Naples had just joined the enemies of the French. On a previous occasion, when his Majesty had seen the Prince Royal of Sweden, after having been marshal and prince of the Empire, enter into a coalition against his native country, I heard him break forth into reproaches and exclamations of indignation, although the King of Sweden had more than one reason to offer in his own defense, being alone in the north, and shut in by powerful enemies against whom he was entirely unable to struggle, even had the int
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   1774   1775   1776   1777   1778   1779   1780   1781   1782   1783   1784   1785   1786   1787   1788   1789   1790   1791   1792   1793   1794   1795   1796   1797   1798  
1799   1800   1801   1802   1803   1804   1805   1806   1807   1808   1809   1810   1811   1812   1813   1814   1815   1816   1817   1818   1819   1820   1821   1822   1823   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Emperor

 

enemies

 
defense
 

French

 

thousand

 

Dantzic

 

Sweden

 

levies

 

select

 

companies


levied

 
organized
 
proprietors
 

departments

 
volunteers
 
general
 

services

 

touched

 

proceeding

 

offered


Carnot

 

enrolled

 

General

 

confided

 

Antwerp

 

Movable

 

columns

 

mission

 

important

 
courage

cavalry

 

acquitted

 
partisans
 

reproaches

 

exclamations

 
indignation
 

coalition

 
native
 

country

 
reason

unable

 

struggle

 

powerful

 
Empire
 

prince

 

received

 
preparations
 

deeply

 

equipped

 
cavaliers