Napoleon appears to have now come to the conclusion that he could only put a stop to the hostile Machinations of the old legitimate dynasties by intermarrying with sonic one of them. Besides, his wife Josephine had no children, and he was ambitious of perpetu ating his power in his family. With that callousness to everything except his own inter ests, which is a prominent feature of his character, he immediately proceeded to divorce her. The act of divorcement was solemnly registered on Dec. 16. Less than three months afterwards he married Maria Louisa, archduchess of Austria. He was now at the zenith of his power, and so, according to the old Greek belief, Nemesis was on his track. What caused his ruin was really that outrage on civilization, the Berlin decrees.. Russia found it impossible to carry it out, without permanent injury to her great land owners; Sweden and other countries were in a similar predicament. This led to eva sions of the decree, and these, again, involved Russia particularly in further complications, until finally, in May, 1812, Napoieon declared war against her and, in spite of the advice of his most prudent counselors, resolved to invade the country. Every one knows the dreadful history of the Russian campaign. Napoleon—wringing contingents Isom all his allies, Germans, Austrians, Italians, Poles, and Swiss—concentrated between the Vistula and the. Niemen an army of half a million of men. The vast horde crossed the latter river (June 24 and 25) in three divisions, captured Wilna (June 28), and ravaged Lithuania. The Russian generals retreated before the invading host, deliberately wasting the country and carrying off the supplies, but avoiding, as far as possible, all engagements; their design being to surround Napoleon in the heart of the country, and by the help of famine and the rigors of a northern winter to annihilate him in his hour of weakness. Napo leon followed up the retreating foe with reckless resolution. He risked everything upon the chance of striking some overwhelming blow. The horrors of his march—in Lithu ania alone 100,000 dropped off (dead, sick, or captured by the swarms of Cossacks that hung upon his flankS)—are too familiar to require description. When he reached Smo lensk (Aug. 16), the Russians had just left it—on fire. Three weeks or so later he made up on the enemy at Borodino, where an obstinate and bloody battle was fought (Sept 7). The French remained in possession of the field, but of nothing else. A week after Napo leon entered Moscow, hoping to find rest for a time in the ancient metropolis of the country. But the city was deserted by its inhabitants; and on the 16th a fire broke out, which raged till the 19th and left Moscow a heap of ruins. After five weeks! stay, Napoleon was obliged to commence his retreat (Oct. 19). His army was reduced to 120,000 men. The winter set in much earlier than usual, and he had to return through the very districts which had been wasted on his advance. When he left Smolensk (Nov. 14), he hail only 40,000 fighting-men; when he crossed the Beresina (Nov. 26 and 27), he had not more than 25,000. With the excuse—which was in itself no doubt true—that his presence was urgent/y needed in France, he now abandoned the miserable remains of his army; and on Dec. 5, leaving Murat in command, set out in a sledge for Paris, where he arrived on the 18th of the same month. He instantly set about a fresh con scription; and in the spring of 1813 marched into Germany at the head of 350,000 men; but the Russian campaign had broken the spell of terror which his name had till then exercised. The spirit of all Europe was thoroughly roused. A conviction was, some what unconsciously, seizing every mind (at the close of the campaign of 1814 even France shared it) that the world had had "enough of Bonaparte" (asset de Bonaparte). Prussia, in particular, was burning to wipe out the disgrace of Jena and all the bitter humiliations to which she had been subsequently subjected. The victories of the British in Spain, the fame of which was spreading all over the continent, also proved to her that French soldiers could. be beaten, not once or twice only, but through whole campaigns. An alliance was formed between the king of Prussia and the emperor At first Austria remained neutral, but afterwards she joined the coalition. Napoleon's military genius, it has been often remarked, never showed to greater advantage than in this and the next campaign, which cost him his crown and his liberty. He was for some
months successful in winning battles—at Ltitzen (May 2), Bautzen (May 21), and Dres den (Aug. 24, 25, and 27); but the invineihle temper of the allies, who knew that he was playing his last card, made these victories almost fruitless. They Were convinced that one grand defeat would neutralize dl his triumphs. This was inflicted, after several minor defeats, at Leipzig—the great battle of nations, as it has been called (Oct. 16, 18, and 19). The result justified their expectations—Napoleon was hopelessly ruined! Ile commenced his retreat towards France, followed by the allies. When he recrossed the Rhine, he had only 70,000 or 80,00U men left out of his 350,000. All the French garri sons in the Prussian towns were compelled to surrender. Napoleon appeared at Paris Nov. 11; and though great discontent prevailed in the country, and a spirit of Opposition showed itself even in the legislative body, the senate decreed, at his bidding. another conscription of 800,000 men, with which Napoleon began, in Jan., 1814, to attempt to drive the allies out of France. The skill and energy which he displayed were extraor dinary, but they only marked the intensity of his despair. On 30 the allied forces captured, after a severe engagement, the fortifications of Paris; next day the emperor Alexander and the king of entered the city, amid the shoots If the populace; on April 4 Napoleon abdicated at Fontainebleau. He was allowed to retain the title of emperor, with the sovereignty of the island of Elba, and an income of 6,000,000 francs, to be paid by the French government. A British ship conveyed him to Elba, where lie arrived on May 4.
After a lapse of ten months, most of which was spent in intrigues, Napoleon made his escape from the island, landed near Frejus on Mar. 1, 1815, and appealed again to France, The army went over to him in a body, and several of his marshals, but the majority remained faithful to Louis XVI1I. On Mar. 20 he reached Paris, reassumed the supreme power, promised a liberal constitution, and prepared once more to try the fortune of battle with the allies. At the head of 125,0(10 men, lie marched (June 15) towards Charleroi, on the Flemish frontier, where the English and Prussian forces were assembling. The duke of Wellington, who, the year before, had completed the deliverance of Spain, was appointed by the congress of Vienna com mannder-in-chief of the armies of the Netherlands. The campaign lasted only a few days. On the 16th Napoleon defeated the Prussians, under marshal 131hcher, at Ligny, which compelled Wellington to fall back on Waterloo, where, on the 18th, was fought the most memorable and decisive battle of modern times. It resulted in the utter and irretrievable ruin of Napoleon. The despot, who knew what awaited him—for France had not recalled him from Elba; he came at the desire of a faction, whose interests were identical with his—returned to Paris. The house of representatives fiercely insisted on his abdication. He did so (June 22) in favor of his son, Napoleon 11.; they further demanded that he should leave the country forever, and he retired to Rochefort, with the design of embarking for the United States. On July 7 the allies again entered Paris, and refused to acknowledge the acts of the French provisional government. Napoleon, who saw that he could not escape either by sea or land, voluntarily surrendered (July 15) to rapt. Maitland of the Bellerophon, claiming the protection of British laws. It wits, however, resolved by the British government to confine him for life on the islet of St. Helena, is lonely rock in the southern Atlantic, 1000 miles from the coast of Africa. Ho was conveyed thither by admiral Cockburn, and landed at St. Helena Oct. 16, 1815. The remainder of his life was politically insignificant. His chronic quarrels with his governor—or jailer, as the French prefer it—sir Hudson Lowe; his conversations with friends and visitors about his past career; his deliberate attempts to falsify history in his writings, are familiar to every one. After more than a year of bad health, he expired, May 5, 1821. He was buried with military honors. In 1840 his remains were removed to Prance, and deposited in the Mel des lnvalides.