CHAP. XXIII.

Difficulties of my Situation at Hamburg-Wurlike Preparations in Austria-Napoleon's Complaints against the Emperor of Austria-Napoleon at StrasburgCaptain Bernard's Reconnoitering Expedition-Rapidity of Napoleon's Operations—the French Army before Ulm-Capitulation of Ulm-Napoleon before and after Victory-his Address to the captive GeneralsAbstract of the Causes which led to the Renewal of Hostilities-their Consequences.

SUCH was the state of affairs after I had been three months at Hamburg, when at length intelligence reached me, that the emperor had set out on the 23d of September for the army. This event was preceded by the abolition of all that remained of the republic, namely, its calendar.

This calendar was one of the most foolish inventions of the revolution, the new names of the months not being applicable to all places even in France, the harvests of Provence not waiting to be ripened by the sun of Messidor. On the 9th of September a senatus consultum decreed, that after the 1st of January following, the months should resume their ancient names. I read with interest the report of Laplace to the Senate, and I confess that I was well pleased to see the Gregorian calendar established by law, as it had already been in fact. It was particularly in foreign countries that we felt the inconvenience of a system different from that of all the world.

At Hamburg I was, as may be supposed, extremely anxious to receive news, of which I had plenty from the interior of Germany, and from some friends at Paris, and it is this correspondence that enables me to furnish my readers with a comprehensive and true statement of affairs, till the moment when Napoleon took the field. I have already stated that it was his constant practice, when he declared war, to endeavour to persuade the world that he was anxious for peace, of which artifice his career furnishes few examples more striking than that preceding the first conquest of Vienna. It was vident enough that the transformation of the Cisalpine

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republic into the kingdom of Italy, and the union of Genoa to France, were acts in violation of treaties; the emperor however asserted that all the violations were on the part of Austria. The truth is, that Austria was arming as secretly as possible, and collecting her troops on the frontiers of Bavaria. An Austrian corps had even penetrated into some provinces of the electorate, and this was made use of by Napoleon as a pretext for coming to the assistance of the allies of France.

I received at Hamburg the copy of a very curious note, in which the emperor enumerates his complaints a rainst Austria, and boasts of his moderation, in having allowed Austria to take possession of Lindau, subsequently to the treaty of Luneville. The note was intended for the diet at that time assembled at Ratisbon. The emperor,' it stated, had affected not to notice that the debt of Venice had not only not been paid, but had been actually cancelled, in violation not only of the letter, but of the spirit of the treaties of Campo Formio and Luneville. He was silent as to the denial of justice which his subjects of Milan and Mantua experienced at Vienna, where in spite of formal stipulations none of them had been paid, and upon the partiality of Austria in recognizing the monstrous right of blockade set up by England; and when the neutrality of the Austrian flag, so often violated to the detriment of France, had not occasioned on the part of the court of Vienna any complaint, he had made a sacrifice to his love of peace by preserving silence.'

The facts stated in this note were true; but Napoleon did not say that his complaisance in shutting his eyes, arose solely from his wish to allow Austria to commit herself so far as to afford him a reasonable pretext for attacking her, whilst he held up in contrast the moderation and forbearance of the French government. • The emperor of the French,' says he in the same note, has evacuated Switzerland, rendered tranquil and happy by the act of mediation; he has only left in Italy the number of troops necessary to protect the commerce of the Levant. Solely occupied in the operations of a war which he had not provoked, and which he carried on as much for the interests of Europe as his own, he had assembled his forces on the coast far from the Austrian frontiers, and this was the time chosen by Austria to

make a diversion more favourable to England and prejudicial to France, than she could do by an open and declared warfare.'

In the memorable sitting which preceded the departure of the emperor for the army, he caused to be presented a project of a senatus consultum, relative to the re-organization of the national guards. The minister of foreign relations read an exposé of the reciprocal conduct of France and Austria, subsequent to the peace of Luneville, in which the offences of France were veiled with wonderful address. Finally, before the sitting broke up, the emperor addressed the senators, stating that he was about to leave his capital to place himself at the head of his army, to afford succour to his allies, and to defend the dearest interests of his people.

This address occasioned a powerful sensation in Hamburg; for my part, I recognized in it the usual boasting of Napoleon, but this time events seemed determined to justify it. The emperor may have made more scientific campaigns than that of Austerlitz, but none accompanied by such wonderful results. Every thing appeared to partake of the marvellous, and I have often thought of the secret joy which Bonaparte must have felt, at being at length on the point of commencing a great war in Germany, for which he had so often expressed an ardent desire.

All the reports which I received agreed with my private correspondence, in describing the astonishing enthusiasm of the army, on learning that it was to march into Germany. For the first time Bonaparte had recourse to artificial means of transport, and 20,000 carriages conveyed his army as it were by enchantment from Boulogne to the banks of the Rhine. All the ambitious youths were on fire at the idea of an approaching campaign. All dreamed of glory and a speedy promotion, all hoped to signalize themselves under a chief, the idol of his army, who knew so well how to hurry away men into the sphere of his own incredible activity.

It was during his short stay at Strasburg, that the emperor, on hearing of the position of the Austrian army, ventured to predict the success which awaited him under the walls of Vienna, which, as Rapp informed me, he did in the presence of a great many persons. He said. The plan of Mack's campaign is settled, the Caudine

Forks are at Ulm.' This was a favourite expression with Napoleon when he saw an enemy's army concentrated upon a point, and foresaw its defeat. Experience proved that he was correct, and I must here affirm, that there is no truth in the report that Mack sold himself at Ulm; he was so placed that he could not have done otherwise. What might have given rise to this report was, that Napoleon humanely interfered to prevent his being tried by a court-martial.

On commencing the campaign, Napoleon placed himself at the head of the Bavarians, with whom he fought the enemy previous to the arrival of his own troops. When all had joined, he issued a proclamation to excite still more the zeal and devotion of this admirable army.

In the confidential notes addressed to his diplomatic agents, in his speeches, and in his proclamations, Napoleon always described himself as having been attacked; and it might happen that his earnestness on this point would have sufficed to reveal the truth, to those who had learned how much his thoughts differed from his expressions.

At the commencement of this campaign, a circum stance took place from which may be dated the good fortune of a very meritorious man. While the emperor was at Strasburg, he inquired of General Marescot, who commanded the engineers, whether he had in his corps a brave, prudent, and intelligent young officer, capable of being intrusted with an important reconnoitering mission? The officer chosen by General Marescot was a captain of engineers, named Bernard, who had been educated in the polytechnic school. This young man set out upon his mission and advanced almost to Vienna, and returned to the emperor's headquarters at the time of the capitulation of Ulm. Bonaparte examined him himself, and was well pleased with his answers. But not content with replying verbally to the inquiries of Napoleon, Captain Bernard had drawn up a report of what he had observed, and of the routes which might be followed. Among other things he observed, that it would be a great advantage to direct the army upon Vienna, passing by the fortified places, and that, once master of the capital, the emperor might dicrate laws to the whole Austrian monarchy. I was present,' said Rapp to me, at this officer's interview with

the emperor. After he had read his report, could you believe it, that he flew into a violent passion?" "What," said he, "you are very bold, very presumptuous, a young officer to pretend to trace out a plan of campaign for me! Go, and await my orders."'

In what I have already written, and in what I am about to add respecting Captain Bernard, we have a complete view of Bonaparte. Rapp told me, that as soon as the young officer had left, the emperor all at once changed his tone. 'There,' said he, is a young man of merit, he has observed correctly. I shall not expose him to the risk of being shot; I shall have occasion for him by-and-by. Tell Berthier to despatch an order for his departure for Illyria.'

The order was despatched, and Captain Bernard, who like his companions was ardently looking forward to the approaching campaign, saw himself prevented from taking any part in it, and considered as a punishment what, on the part of the emperor, was a precaution to preserve the life of a young man whose merit he had appreciated. At the close of the campaign, on the emperor's promoting those officers who had the most distinguished themselves, the name of Captain Bernard, who was thought to be in disgrace, did not appear upon the list of Berthier among those captains of engineers whom it was proposed to raise to the rank of chief of battalion, but the emperor with his own hand inserted Bernard's name before all the rest. However, the emperor had forgotten him for a length of time, and it was only by accident that he recalled him to his memory. I never had any personal acquaintance with M. Bernard, but I learned from Rapp that he afterwards became his colleague as aide-de-camp to the emperor, and I shall here relate the particulars of this circumstance, though it refers to a later period.

The emperor being at Paris some time previous to his departure for the campaign of 1812, wished to have exact information respecting Ragusa and Illyria. He sent for Marmont, whose answers were not satisfactory. He then interrogated different generals, but the result of his inquiries always was, 'All this is very well, but it is not enough, I do not know Ragusa.' He then sent for General Dejean, who had succeeded Marescot as inspectorgeneral of engineers. Have you,' he inquired, ' among