" campaign without an enormous
war indemnity. Once again, after temporary patching, French finances
were in disorder, and there was urgent need to repair them. The people
desired peace for their enterprises, but the continental blockade so
hampered commerce that any peace which did not include a pacification
of the seas would avail them little. It was a customary formality of
Napoleon's to put the entire responsibility of war on the enemy, and
it was announced in February that negotiations with Austria had
failed. This was in a large sense true, although the particular effort
referred to was perfunctory, and was intended technically to secure
the help of Russia, which was to fight only in case Austria should be
the aggressor.

Gradually, therefore, the war spirit revived in France. No one
remonstrated when once more recourse was had to the fatal policy of
anticipating the annual conscription. Not only were the conscripts for
1810 called out, but the number was stretched to the utmost, and those
who from immaturity or other causes had been unavailable in 1806,
1807, 1808, and 1809 were now collected. The total of the youths thus
swept together was not less than a hundred and sixty thousand. To
render available their slender efficiency, they were divided among the
various regiments already in the field, in each of which these raw and
boyish recruits constituted a fifth battalion.

Since the Archduke Charles had been again at the helm of military
affairs in Austria, not only had a transformation been wrought in the
army as a fighting instrument, but the general staff had likewise been
completely reorganized. For two years, therefore, Austria's occupation
had been not only forging a sword, but practising, as well, the
wielding of it. The lessons taught her by previous experience in
Napoleonic warfare were thoroughly learned. It was consequently a very
different strategic problem which the Emperor of the French had to
solve in this campaign.

For two years the Archduke had been studying his task, and that in the
light of ample experience. The conclusion he reached was that he would
attack and overpower Davout in Saxony; then, by an appeal to their
German patriotism, raise and use the peoples of northern and central
Germany for an overwhelming assault on Napoleon. But as the time for
action grew near, the moral influence of those annihilating blows
which the French armies had struck once and again began to assert
itself a