Napoleon an Officer

None

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter two of the Story of Napoleon. This is a
LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings on the public domain. For
more information or a volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Recording by Patrick Seville, The Story of Napoleon, but Henrietta
Elizabeth Marshall, Chapter two, Napoleon an Officer. There was still

(00:25):
another year to pass in Brienne, Napoleon thought. But one
day he was told that he had been admitted to
the military school at Paris, and on the thirtieth of
October seventeen eighty four, he set out for the capital
with four other boys. At Paris, Napoleon was in his element.
It seemed to him that he was no longer at school,

(00:46):
but in a city under arms and in the state
of war. All around him he saw men in uniform.
He was no longer awakened from sleep or called to
class for the son of a belle, but by the
right attack of a sentinels marched to and fro. Every hour,
by night or day, he heard the sharp word of command,

(01:08):
the ring and thud of grounding muskets. All the talk
was of war, and the boys discussed together the regiments
to which they would belong their uniforms and arms. When
Napoleon had been a year in Paris, he passed his
examinations and received his commission as second lieutenant in the
Artillery Regiment of La Fere, one of the finest in

(01:30):
the army, and on the thirtieth of October seventeen eighty five,
he and another boy set out to join the regiment
at Valence. They were the only boys of sixteen and seventeen,
but they felt very grand for now they were real officers.
They wore swords and belts and silver collar clasps, but
to their great grief, they were not yet allowed to

(01:53):
wear the uniform of the regiment, but had to travel
in their school uniforms. Still, it was a fine thing
to wear a sword, so they climbed joyfully into the
Lyons coach and were soon rolling away southwards behind spanking horses.
The fair regiment, being one of the best, was one

(02:14):
of the most hard working of the French artillery. The
men got up early and worked hard at marching, drilling
and shooting. Napoleon was in a way still a pupil.
He had to begin at the bottom to serve first
as a gunner, then as a corporal and sergeant, so
that he might know his work in every detail. Then

(02:37):
only was he considered fit to be an officer. Besides
drilling and studying gunnery, he read everything he could about
soldiers and about war. He learned too to draw maps
and plans, and as he was one of the keenest,
soon became one of the best of the officers of
the regiment. But he did not spend all his time

(02:57):
in work. He often went home on land leave. He
had a share too, and all the fun and jokes
of which his companions were fond He took part in dinners,
balls and parties. Indeed, since he had become an officer,
Napoleon was no longer the moody boy he had been,
although at times he might have fits of passion. But meanwhile,

(03:21):
as the days and months went on, great changes were
taking place in France. At this time, the position of
king and the people in France was very different from
what it was in Britain. The people of Britain, through
long years of struggle, had gained freedom. There they lived
under what is called a limited monarchy, that is, the

(03:43):
power of the king was held in check by lords
and commons. But in France. There was no check upon
the king. He could do as he liked. Under him,
there were the three estates, that is, the nobles, the clergy,
and the people. The nobles and the clerk he paid
no taxes. They were called the privileged classes. They and

(04:06):
the king spent a great deal of money. So the
third estate, that is the people, had to pay every year.
The king and his nobles spent more and more every year.
The people had to pay more and more. As the
years went on, the people grew more and more miserable,
and more and more weary of their rulers. Many of

(04:27):
them were very ignorant. They hardly knew what was wrong
or how it might be put to right. They only
knew that they were poor, miserable, and hungry. Riots grew frequent.
The summer of seventeen eighty nine was stormy with them.
At last, the people broke out fiercely. In Paris. They
seized and pulled down the state prison. The king was powerless.

(04:51):
This is revolt, he said when he heard of it.
Nay sire, replied the minister, it is revolution. Soon France,
revolution was blazing. The king was driven from the throne.
Everything was turned topsy turvy and men knew not whom
to follow. But Napoleon was no Frenchman. He was a Corsican.

(05:12):
The troubles of France did not touch him, except that
he thought perhaps out of them good might come to
his dear island, and so, in this time of wild unrest,
he asked for leave and went home. For the next
four years, Napoleon divided his time between France and Corsica.
Corsica liked France, was in a state of turmoil and anarchy. Paoli,

(05:34):
the great Corsican hero, had returned from exile, and was
everywhere greeted with cheers. When a boy, Napoleon had loved
and honored Paoli. But soon these two, the gray old
hero whose work was done, and the brown faced lad
whose work was only beginning, quarreled. The story of these
quarrels is hard to follow, but at last Napoleon, who

(05:56):
had been a great patriot, took side of France. Then
he and all his family were forced to flee from
Corsica in secret, and after may adventures, they arrived safely
in Marseilles. There Napoleon left his mother and sisters in
great poverty and went to join his regiment which is
now at Nice. From henceforth he was a Frenchman. When

(06:20):
the French rebelled against their king, many of the princes
and rulers of their countries of Europe joined together and
threatened to make war against France unless the French people
placed Louis upon the throne again. At first Britain did
not openly join with the others, but in January seventeen
ninety three, the French put their king to death, and

(06:41):
a few weeks after Britain joined the Allies. Even some
of the French themselves joined them, so that France had
to fight a civil war as well as one against
foreign enemies. Among the French who helped the Allies and
who were helped by them, were the people of Toulon,
and army of the Allies took possession of the fortress,

(07:01):
and a squadron of British ships lay in the harbor
while the French revolutionary army besieged the town. Napoleon now
joined his army as commander of artillery, and it is
from this siege of Toulon that his fame as a
soldier dates. It is said by some, indeed, that the
taking of the town was almost entirely due to him,

(07:22):
but others think that his part in it was really
very small, however that may be. When Napoleon arrived at Toulon,
the army was badly officered, and there was hardly any
artillery at all. He at once set eagerly to work,
and in a few days he had forty cannon and
everything needed for the building of new forts. He gathered

(07:44):
shot and shell too, and built forts and batteries. He wrote, ordered,
and fought unceasingly for weeks. The siege went on. There
were attacks and counter attacks, assaults and sallies, and at
last a fort called the Aegiete was taken. Tomorrow or
the day after, we shall sup in Toulon, said Napoleon,

(08:07):
and he was right. The British ships made ready to
sail away. The people of Toulon were seas with panic.
The British ships were a last and only hope. Nothing
else could save them from falling into the hands of
the terrible of Leochnists, so they made ready to go
with them. Soon the sea was crowded with boats carrying

(08:28):
terror stricken men, women and children to the fleet. In
their haste, many were drowned, sometimes whole bolt loads being
overturned by the two eager crowds all day. The flight lasted.
Then about nine o'clock in the evening, a terrible explosion
shook the earth. The sea seemed to belch forth fire.
The dark night was suddenly bright as day and horrible,

(08:51):
with noise and smoke. Fierce red flames licked the sky
in black. Against the lurid light showed the shattered hulks
of ships. It was the British commander who, before leaving,
had set fire to a great part of the arsenal
and blown up about a dozen French ships of war.
The siege was over, and next day the victorious troops

(09:11):
marched into the now almost silent and deserted town. Napoleon
by this time had many good friends among the men
who were ruling France, and it seemed as if his
fortune was made. But these were very wild in uncertain times,
his friends fell into disgrace. Napoleon himself was put into
prison for a short time, and at last we find

(09:33):
him once more, poor and lonely, wandering the streets of
Paris with nothing to do. But it was now when
he seemed forgotten and cast aside, that his great chance
came to him. France, besides having to fight outside enemies,
was full of unrest and discontent within its borders. The
people were tired of the conviction as the government was

(09:55):
now called, and wished to overthrow its power. At last,
the citizens of Paris took arms and resolved to attack
the Palace of Twillery. The members of the Convention then
gathered to a consult. They knew their danger was great.
They must do something quickly if they were not to
be overthrown. But who was to lead their soldiers. Suddenly

(10:18):
one of their number called Barhras Rose, I know the
men whom you want, He said, he has little Corsican
officer who will not stand on ceremony. So Napoleon was
sent for It was by this time late at night,
but Napoleon began to work at once, and by six
o'clock the next morning, every street leading to the Tileries

(10:41):
was guarded with cannon. The rioters had no canon, but
they were well armed with muskets, and thirty thousand of
them came crowding along their narrow streets to besiege the palace.
For many hours, the two forces stood facing each other,
neither exchanging a shot, but at last, about half past four,
someone fired. It was a signal for all to begin.

(11:04):
Napoleon's canyon swept the streets. The rioters fled before the
hail of grape shot, leaving their dead upon the ground.
By six in the evening, all was quiet again. Thanks
to that the le Corsican, the convention had won, and
Napoleon had gained from himself the post a commander in
chief of the Army of the Interior. One day, very

(11:27):
soon after this, a boy of about twelve asked to
see Napoleon. The boy's name was Urgin Boarnai, and with
tears in his eyes, he told Napoleon that his father
had been a soldier. He had fought for the Republic,
but had been killed. Now Urgin came to beg for
his father's sword. Napoleon was sorry for the boy and

(11:48):
ordered at once that the sword should be given to him.
As soon as Ergin saw it, he seized it, kissed it,
and carried it away happy. The next day, Ergin's mother,
who was a very bad lady, came to thank Napoleon
for having been so kind to her boy. Soon Napoleon
began to love this beautiful lady. Although she was many

(12:08):
years older than he, she loved him too, and in
a short time they were married. So in a few months,
from being almost penniless to unknown, Napoleon had become famous
and well off, and he had married a fine lady
who was able to make friends for him among the
rulers of the land. But Josephine that Baronae had married

(12:29):
a great man, or rather a man who was going
to be great, and a few days after the wedding
they had to say good bye to each other, for
among the Alps there was still fighting, and Napoleon was
ordered off to take command of the army of Italy.
It will not be possible to follow Napoleon through all
his battles. He had to fight two armies, one Austrian

(12:52):
and one Sardinian against so strong an enemy. He knew
that his only hope was in quick marches and surprises.
He must surround and astonish the foe, and take him
at a disadvantage. To do this, his own army must
travel without baggage so as to be able to move quickly,
and must trust to finding all they needed for food

(13:14):
and clothes in the country to which they went. Napoleon
knew that if the two armies of his enemies joined
and attacked him together, they would be too strong for him.
So he tried to keep them apart, and to fight
first one and then the other. This he succeeded in doing.
He led his soldiers with splendid skill. He beat every

(13:37):
enemy who came against him, both in the plains of
Italy and in the mountains of Austria. Nearly the whole
of Italy was in his hands when at last peace
was made. First, a treaty called the Treaty of Leobin,
from the name of the town in Austria where it
was signed, was agreed upon. Later came together called the
Treaty of Campo Formio. By this treaty much Lin was

(14:01):
added to France, and Napoleon made the first of those
changes in the map of Europe for which he was
soon to be famous. Napoleon, in all his fighting in Italy,
did not act merely as a commander and soldier. He
acted more like a conqueror and ruler. It seemed as
if he were not working for the Republic of France

(14:22):
but for himself. He did as he liked. Do you
suppose he said? That I triumph in Italy for the
glory of the lawyers of the directory. Do you suppose
I mean to found a republic? What an idea? The
nation wants a chief, a chief covered with glory. He
had covered himself with glory. His soldiers, whom he led

(14:46):
with such splendid success, with such skill and daring, loved him.
They called him the Little Corporal, this name that gave him.
After crossing the River Ada at the bridge of Lodi,
the Austrian were on one side of the river, the
French on the other, shouting long Live the Republic. And

(15:06):
the French charged the bridge, but such a terrible fire
met them that they wavered. Then Napoleon himself seized a
standard and urged them onward. The bridge was passed right
up to the enemy's guns. They charged, The gunners died
at their posts, but the Austrians were scattered and fled
in utter confusion, chased by the French until darkness ended

(15:28):
the flight and slaughter. Napoleon himself called it the Terrible
Passage of Lodi. And it was after this battle that
the French delighted and their clever leader, and called him
the Little Corporal, which for many a day was his
name among his soldiers. End of chapter two,