olish to deny him (as many of his
biographers do), great military talent, for that he certainly possessed,
as long as his good fortune allowed him to display it. This talent he
not only evinced in the formation of his plans, but in the execution
also. No man knew better the means of calling forth the inexhaustible
military resources of France. The people of that country were always
brave; but Bonaparte alone knew how to make them all soldiers. The
desire of glory has ever characterized the nation, and the state of
tyranny and oppression in which they were kept under his government, had
no effect in diminishing this passion. The French people under Napoleon
furnish a striking exception to the maxim of Montesquieu, when he says,
[22]"On peut poser pour maxime, que dans chaque etat le desir de la
gloire existe avec la liberte de sujets, et diminue avec elle; la gloire
n'est jamais compagne de la servitude."

The French forget their misfortunes almost immediately. After the
campaign of Moscow, one would have thought that the hardships they
endured might have given them a sufficient disgust, and that it was
likely they would forsake one who shewed so little feeling for them. I
happened once to meet with several of the poor wretches who had been
with him; they were then on their road home; most of them were entirely
disabled; one had his toes frozen off--they declared that they _would
again fight under him if they were able_. At one of the inns, I met with
a young officer who had also been with him at Moscow: I happened to
enquire how they could bear the cold? "We were as comfortable," said he,
"as you and I are at this fire-side." The poor fellow was not twenty-one
years old. [23]"La jeunesse d'aujour-d'hui est elevee dans d'autres
principes; l'amour de la gloire sur tout a jete des profondes racines;
il est devenu l'attribut le plus distinctif du caractere national,
exalte par vingt ans de succes continues. Mais cette gloire meme etoit
devenue notre idole, elle absorboit toutes les pensees des braves mis
hors-de-combat par leurs blessures, toutes les esperances des jeunes
gens qui faisaient leur premieres armes. Un coup imprevu l'a frappe,
nous trouvons dans nos coeurs une vide semblable a celui qui trouve un
amant qui a perdu l'objet de sa passion; tout se qu'il voit, tout ce
qu'il entende renouvelle sa douleur. Ce sentiment rend notre situation
vague et penible; chacun cherche a se dissimuler la place qu'il sente
exister