CHAP. XIII.

Battle of Trafalgar, and Death of Nelson. War with Prussia. Buona. parte again heads his army in the field. Naumberg taken. BATTLE OF JENNA, AND OF AUERSTADT. The French victorious, and Buonaparte enters Berlin. All the strong fortresses of Prussia surrendered to the French. Death of the Duke of Brunswick, and vow of revenge taken by his son.

THE triumphs of Napoleon had been greater at this period of his reign, than had ever before been recorded in history as achieved by a single man. Yet even these, like everything earthly, had their limit. Fate, while she seemed to as sign him complete dominion over the land, had vested in other hands the empire of the seas; and it frequently happened, that when his victorious eagles were flying their highest pitch upon the continent, some conspicuous naval disaster warned the nations, that there was another element, where France had a rival and a superior.

His

The combined fleets of France and Spain sailed from Cadiz on the 19th of October, 1805, and on the morning of the 21st they came in sight of the English fleet, off Cape Trafalgar. The wind never impelled along the ocean two more gallant armaments. Villeneuve, the French admiral, had thirty-three ships of the line, and seven frigates; which, besides the usual crews, carried 4000 troops, many of whom, excellent riflemen, were stationed in the tops. Nelson had twenty-seven line-of-battle ships, and three frigates. Villeneuve showed no inclination to shun the eventful action. disposition was singular and ingenious. His fleet formed a double line, each alternate ship being about a cable's length to the windward of her second a-head and a-stern, and thus the arrangement represented the chequers of a draught-board, and seemed to guard against the operation of cutting the line. But Nelson had determined to practise the manœuvre in a manner as original as the mode of defence adopted by Villeneuve His order for sailing was in two lines, and this was also the order for battle. An advanced squadron of eight of the fastest sailing two-deckers, was to cut off three or four of the enemies line, a-head of their centre; the second in command, admiral Collingwood, was to break in upon the enemy about the twelfth ship from the rear, and Nelson himself determined to bear down on the centre. The effect of these

manœuvres must of course be a close and general action; for the rest, Nelson knew he could trust to the determination of his officers and seamen. To his admirals and officers he explained in general, that his object was a close and decisive action; and that if, in the confusion and smoke of the battle, signals should not be visible, the captain would never do wrong who laid his ship alongside of the enemy.

With such dispositions on either side, the two gallant fleets met on the memorable 21st of October. Admiral Collingwood, who led the van, went down on the enemy with all his sails set, and, disdaining to furl them in the usual manner, cut the sheets, and let his canvass fly loose in the wind, as if he needed it no longer after it had borne him amidst the thickest of the enemy. Nelson run his vessel, the Victory, on board the French Redoubtable; the Temeraire, a second British ship, fell on board the same vessel on the other side; another enemy's ship fell on board the Temeraire, and the action was fiercely maintained betwixt these four vessels, which lay as close as if they had been moored together in some friendly harbor. While the Victory thus engaged the Redoubtable on the starboard, she maintained from her larboard guns an incessant fire on the Bucentaur and the colossal Santa Trini

dad, a vessel of four decks. The example of the Admiral was universally followed by the British captains; they broke into the enemy's line on every side, engaged two or three ships at the same time, and maintained the battle at the very muzzles of the cannon. The British naval superiority was soon made manifest. Nineteen ships of the line were captured, two were first rate vessels, none were under seventyfour guns. Four ships of the line which had escaped were taken in a subsequent action, and seven out of those which succeeded in reaching Cadiz were rendered unserviceable.— The fleets of France and Spain were, in fact, annihilated, yet, great and glorious as was the triumph to the British, it was dearly purchased-for Nelson fell, mortally wounded, early in the action. He lived just long enough to hear the cheers of victory, and then breathed out his spirit in words worthy of his life, "Thank God I have done my duty."

The unfortunate Villeneuve dared not trust his monarch's forgiveness. "He ought," said Napoleon, "to have been victorious, and he was defeated." For this, Villeneuve felt there was no apology to be accepted, or even offered, and the brave but unfortunate seaman committed suicide.

As the conduct of Prussia had been fickle and versatile during the campaign of Austerlitz, the displeasure of Napoleon was excited in proportion against her. By the treaty which Haugwitz had signed at Vienna, after the battle of Austerlitz, it was agreed that Prussia should receive the Electoral dominions of the King of England, his ally, instead of Anspach, Bareuth and Neufchatel, which she was to cede to France. The far superior value of Hanover was to be considered as a boon to Prussia, in guerdon of her neutrality.But Napoleon did not forgive the hostile disposition which Prussia had manifested, and it is probable he waited with anxiety for the opportunity of inflicting upon her condign chastisement. He continued to maintain a large army in Suabia and Franconia, and, by introducing troops into Westphalia, intimated, not obscurely, an approaching rupture with his ally.

Whatever reluctance the cabinet of Berlin had shown to enter into hostilities with France, the court and country never appeared to have shared that sensation. The former was under the influence of the young, beautiful and high-spirited Queen, and of Louis of Prussia, a prince who felt with impatience the decaying importance of that kingdom, which the victories of the Great Frederick had raised to such a pitch of glory. These were surrounded by a numerous band of noble youth, impatient for war, as the means of emulating the fame of their fathers; but ignorant how little likely were even the powerful and well disciplined forces of Frederick, unless directed by his genius, to succeed in opposition to troops not inferior to themselves, and conducted by a leader who had long appeared to chain victory to his chariot wheels. The sentiments of the young Prussian noblesse were sufficiently indicated, by their going to sharpen their sabres on the threshol of La Foret, the ambassador of Buonaparte, and the wilder frolic of breaking the windows of the ministers supposed to be in the French interest. The Queen appeared frequently in the uniform of the regiment which bore her name, and sometimes rode herself at their head, to give enthusiasm to the soldiery. This was soon excited to the highest pitch; and had the military talents of the Prussian generals borne any correspondence to the gallantry of the officers and soldiers, an issue to the campaign might have been expected far different from that which took place.

Amidst the general ferment of the public mind, Alexander, once more appeared in person at the court of Berlin, and, more successful than on the former occasion, prevailed on the

King of Prussia at length to unsheath the sword. The support of the powerful hosts of Russia was promised; and, defeated by the fatal field of Austerlitz in his attempt to preserve the south-east of Germany from French influence, Alexander now stood forth to assist Prussia as the Champion of the North. The King of Prussia had again placed at the head of his armies the Duke of Brunswick. The plan of the campaign, formed by this ill-fated prince, seems to have been singularly injudicious, and the more so, as it is censurable on exactly the same grounds as that of Austria in the late war. Prussia could not expect to have the advantage of numbers in the contest. It was, therefore her obvious policy to procrastinate and lengthen out negotiation, until she could have the advantage of the Russian forces. Instead of this, it was determined to rush forward towards Franconia, and oppose the Prussian army alone to the whole force of France, commanded by their renowned Emperor. The united force of the Prussian army, with its auxiliaries, amounted to one hundred and fifty thousand men, confident in their own courage, in the rigid discipline which continued to distinguish their service, and in the animating recollections of the victorious career of the Great Frederick. There were many generals and soldiers in their ranks who had served under him; but, amongst that troop of veterans, Blucher alone was destined to do distinguished honor to the school.

While Buonaparte assembled in Franconia an army considerably superior in numbers to that of the Prussians, the latter occupied the country in the vicinity of the river Saale, and seemed, in doing so, to renounce all the advantage of making the attack on the enemy ere he had collected his forces. Yet to make such an attack, was, and must have been, the principal motive of their hasty and precipitate advance, especially after they had secured its primary object, the accession of Saxony to the campaign. The position which the Duke of Brunswick occupied was indeed very strong as a defensive one, but the means of supporting so large an army were not easily to be obtained in such a barren country as that about Weimar; and their magazines and depots of provisions were injudiciously placed, not close in the rear of the army, but at Naumburg, and other places, upon their extreme left, and where they were exposed to the risk of being separated from them. The head-quarters of the Prussians, where were the King and Duke of Brunswick, were at Weimar; their left, under Prince Hohenloe, were at Schleitz; and their right ex

tended as far as Muhlhausen, leaving thus a space of ninety miles betwixt the extreme flanks of their line.

Buonaparte, in the meantime, commenced the campaign according to his custom, by a series of partial actions fought on different points, in which his usual combinations obtained his usual success; the whole tending to straiten the Prussians in their position, to interrupt their communications, separate them from their supplies, and compel them to fight a decisive battle from necessity, not choice, in which dispirited troops, under baffled and outwitted generals, were to encounter with soldiers who had already obtained a foretaste of victory, and who fought under the most renowned commanders, the combined efforts of the whole being directed by the master spirit of the age.

The French advanced in three divisions, upon the dislocated and extended position of the large, but ill-arranged Prussian army. It was an irretrievable fault of the Duke of Brunswick, that his magazines, reserves of artillery and ammunition, were placed at Naumburg, instead of being close in the rear of his army, and under the protection of his main body. This ill-timed separation rendered it easy for the French to interpose betwixt the Prussians and their supplies, providing they were able to clear the course of the Saale.With this view the French right wing, commanded by Soult and Ney, marched upon Hof. The centre was under Bernadotte and Davoust, with the guard commanded by Murat.They moved on Saalburg and Schleitz. The left wing was led by Augereau against Coburg and Saalfeld. It was the object of this grand combined movement to overwhelm the Prussain left wing, which was extended farther than prudence permitted; and, having beaten this part of the army, to turn their whole position, and possess themselves of their magazines. After some previous skirmishes, a serious action took place at Saalfeld, where Prince Louis of Prussia commanded the advanced guard of the Prussian left wing. In the ardour and inexperience of youth, the brave prince, instead of Deing contented with defending the bridge on the Saale, quitted that advantageous position, to advance with unequal forces against Lasnes, who was marching upon him from Graffenthal. If bravery could have atoned for imprudence, the battle of Saalfeld would not have been lost. Prince Louis showed the utmost gallantry in leading his men when they advanced, and in rallying them when they fled. He was killed fighting hand o hand with a French subaltern, who required him to surren