Lanfrey's Napoleon, No. II [pp. 297-308]

THE
OVERLAND MONTHLY
DEVOTED TO
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COUNTRY
VOL. 12.-APRIL, 1874.-No. 4.
LANFREY'S NAPOLEON.
NO. II.
HE cou~ d'61a1 of the i8th Fruc- these disasters following fast, led to the
tidor was followed by the reaction overthrow of the Directory, Barras alone
which Bonaparte had foreseen. During retaining power. Bernadotte was made
his absence in Egypt the work of retri- Minister of War, and for a while infused
bution had begun. Disaster had follow- new spirit into military operations, but
ed the withdrawal from France of her was soon removed, together with all the
best soldiers. Bonaparte had taken with friends of the Constitution of the year
him Desaix, Kle%er, Davoust, Murat, III., with the exception of two, by Siey~s,
Lannes, Marmont, Junot-in the words who was virtually the leader of this conof Lan frey, "every one who had youth, tr~-coup. We quote some striking pictenergy, and daring." Italy was lost. ures of the principal actors:
The ability, prudence, and resources of "Siey~s, a representative of the modMoreau could not repair the disastrous erate party, always carried about in his
results of Sch~rer's blunders. He was pocket his famous plan of a constitubarely able to hold the line of the Ap- tion, of which everyone was talking,
penines, but he had saved the army by but which no one had ever seen. He
one of those retreats which equally with had never been able to pardon the Conhis victories stamp him as an eminently stitution of the year III. for having supable soldier. Jourdan had been beaten planted this unappreciated masterpiece,
on the Rhine by the Archduke Charles. the last outcome of his revolutionary exForty thousand English and Russians perience. His position at the head of a
under the Duke of York threatened the government which he was bent upon
northern frontier of France, and the overthrowing, his reputation, consecratflames of civil war had been kindled ed by a flattery of Mirabeau, and which
anew in Brittany and La Vend~e. All he cleverly increased by the mystery in
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874, by JOHN H. CARMANY. in the Office of the
Librarian of Congress, at Washingtbn.
VOL. 12-20.