eze them. As the Emperor wrote to his brother, with scarcely any
exaggeration, there was still six feet of mud on highways and by-paths.

Napoleon, by rapid marching at the head of Maurice's Squadrons d'Elite,
mounted grenadiers, chasseurs, hussars and dragoons, had easily
attained a position in front of the van of the army commanded by
Marmont, which had rested a few hours at St. Prix, where the road
crossed the Petit Morin on a bridge. His requisition on the peasantry
had been honored, and great numbers of fresh, vigorous draft horses had
been brought in from all sides. There was not much speed to be got out
of these farm animals, to be sure, but they were of prodigious
strength. The ordinary gun teams were relieved, and numbers of these
plow-horses attached to the limbers pulled the precious artillery
steadily toward the enemy.

Scouts had discovered the fact that Olsuvieff's division was preparing
breakfast on the low plateau upon which was situated the village of
Champaubert, which had been observed by Marteau and Bal-Arret.
Napoleon reconnoitered the place in person from the edge of the wood.
Nansouty's cavalry had earlier driven some Russian skirmishers out of
Baye, but Olsuvieff apparently had no conception of the fact that the
whole French army was hard by, and he had contented himself with
sending out a few scouts, who, unfortunately for him, scouted in the
wrong direction.

While waiting for the infantry under Marmont to come up, Napoleon sent
Nansouty's cavalry around to the left to head off Olsuvieff's advance
and interpose between him and the rear guard of Sacken's division.
Even the noise of the little battle--for the skirmish was a hot one--a
mile down the road, did not apprise the Russian of his danger, and it
was not until the long columns of the French came out of the wood and
deployed and until the guns were hauled into the clearing and wheeled
into action, that he awoke to the fact that an army was upon him and he
would have to fight for his life.

With his unerring genius Napoleon had struck at the key position, the
very center of Bluecher's long drawn-out line. With but thirty thousand
men attacking eighty thousand he had so maneuvered as to be in
overwhelming force at the point of contact! In other words, he had got
there first with the most men. Bluecher's army was separated into
detachments and stretched out over forty miles of roads.

Olsuvieff's division comprised five thousand me