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 THE ROMANCE 
 
 OF 
 
 PRINCE EUGENE 
 
 BY 
 ALBERT PULITZER 
 
 '/ 
 
 3TransIatrtJ from tfjc jFrmdj 
 By MRS. B. M. SHERMAN 
 
 NEW YORK 
 DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY 
 
 1895 
 
 jrfft 
 
 BISHOP GARCIA DIEGO 
 
 HIGH SCHOOL LlbRARY 
 
 SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA
 
 
 * 
 
 
 Copyright, 1895, 
 By Dodd, Mead and Company. 
 
 All rights reserved. 
 
 Sanitoratts Press: 
 John Wilson and Son, Cambridge, U. S. A.
 
 4 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 POETS and novelists have dwelt fondly upon the 
 ecstasies of love, when sheltered under the eaves 
 of a cottage. If the shepherd's idyll merits the telling, 
 it seems to me that the one which flourishes under the 
 shadow of a throne is not the less worthy. And does 
 not the proverb say, " All the world loves a lover, 
 whether he be prince or pauper " ? 
 
 By chance, glancing over the Memoirs and Corre- 
 spondence of Prince Eugene, published, about forty years 
 ago, by A. du Casse, in ten octavo volumes, I read with 
 real pleasure the letters addressed by the Prince to his 
 wife, born Princess-Royal of Bavaria, and considered one 
 of the handsomest women of her time. These letters, 
 written during the stirring transformations of the Napo- 
 leonic epopee, reveal, in the exquisite tenderness which 
 they breathe, one of the most charming love-stories 
 which history has given us. On the eighth anniversary 
 of his marriage, the Prince thanks Heaven for hav- 
 ing given him " the most beautiful, the best, and the 
 most virtuous of wives." This graceful and romantic 
 side of the Prince's character seemed to me worthy of 
 being shown to the world. But his letters to his wife 
 
 5434
 
 v j PREFACE. 
 
 are intermingled with war news and interminable tech- 
 nical reports, which throw no light on the heart suffer- 
 ings of this charming Princess, menaced with the loss 
 of her heroic husband on the plains of Germany, in 
 the gorges of the Tyrol, or the snows of Russia. I 
 thought, in disentangling them from this chaos which 
 is interesting, no doubt, to the historian, but fatiguing 
 for one who is attracted to the lovable, poetical side of 
 things in this life, that I should be performing an agree- 
 able task for many people. 
 
 If, in presenting this charming idyll to my readers, I 
 can touch some sensitive hearts and inspire them with 
 a little of the sincere admiration which I myself felt for 
 this ideal love-story, I shall be fully recompensed for 
 my labour. 
 
 THE AUTHOR.
 
 
 CONTENTS TO VOLUME I. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Page 
 Prince Eugene's Childhood. — His Military Tastes. — De- 
 velopment of his Character. — His Precocity justifies 
 his Military Career. — His Marriage. — The Princess of 
 Bavaria and Napoleon i 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Mutual Affection of Husband and Wife. — Their Popularity 
 in Italy. — Eugene as a Patron of Arts and Sciences. — 
 Napoleon advises him to amuse himself more. — Admi- 
 rable Results of his Administration. — Satisfaction of the 
 Emperor. — He names Eugene Heir Presumptive to the 
 Crown of Italy 39 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 The Campaign of 1809. — Mobilisation of the Army of Italy 
 under the Command of Eugene. — His Private Corre 
 spondence with the Princess. — Italy Invaded. — A De- 
 feat. — Bulletins of Victory. — Pursuing the Enemy. — 
 March upon Bruck. — Campaign in Hungary. — Eugene 
 wins the Great Victory of Raab. — Triumphal Return to 
 Italy 53
 
 viii CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Page 
 
 Divorce. — Josephine's Resistance — Eugene's Intervention. 
 — His Admirable Disinterestedness. — The Empress at 
 Malmaison. — Relations between Josephine and Napoleon 
 after the Divorce. — Eugene and Hortense's Filial Devo- 
 tion. — The Prince's Return to Milan. — Grave Conse- 
 quences of the Divorce for Eugene 108 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Prince Eugene refuses the Throne of Sweden. — Family Life. 
 
 — Birth of the King of Rome. — Eugene is summoned by 
 Napoleon. — Rupture with the Czar. — The Crown of Po- 
 land. — Eugene resolves to refuse it, if it is offered to him. 
 
 — Prospects of Peace. — War is Declared 147 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Campaign in Russia. — The Passage of the Niemen. — Suf- 
 ferings of the Army from the Commencement of the 
 Campaign. — Russian Tactics. — The Uneasiness of Ab- 
 sence. — Napoleon as the Father of a Family. — The 
 Battle of Moscow. — Prince Eugene's Glorious Rdle in 
 this battle. — Entry into Moscow. — Incendiarism. — 
 Uncertainty as to the Future. — Overtures .towards Peace. 
 — The Order to Retreat 180 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Retreat from Russia. — Misery and Sanguinary Combats. 
 
 — Smolensk. — The Beresina. — The Emperor leaves 
 the Army. — The Twenty-ninth Bulletin. — Last Proofs. 
 
 — Desertions. — Adieux to the Cossacks 216
 
 CONTENTS. Jx 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Page 
 
 Departure of King Murat. — Eugene as Commander-in-Chief 
 
 of the Grand Army. — Difficulties of the Situation. — The 
 
 Retreat on the Oder. — Discouragement of the Army. — 
 
 Efforts of the Prince to reorganise it. — The Retreat on 
 
 the Elbe. — Return of the Emperor. — Eugene at Liitzen. 
 
 — Departure for Italy 251
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 Vol. I. 
 
 Page 
 Prince Eugene, Duke of Leuchtenberg . . Frontispiece. 
 After the original painting in the Castle of Arenenberg. 
 
 The Empress Josephine 4 
 
 From the original painting by G6rard in the Louvre. 
 
 Napoleon no 
 
 From the original by F. G6rard. 
 
 Pauline Bonaparte 131 
 
 After the painting by Robert Lefebre. 
 
 Maria Letizia Ramolino (Madame Bonaparte), 
 
 Mother of the Emperor 144 
 
 After the painting by F. G6rard. 
 
 Marie Anne Elise Bonaparte, Grand Duchess of 
 
 Tuscany 200 
 
 After the painting by R. Lethierie.
 
 THE 
 
 ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Prince Eugene's Childhood. — His Military Tastes. — Develop- 
 ment of his Character. — His Precocity justifies his Military 
 Career. — His Marriage. — The Princess of Bavaria and 
 Napoleon. 
 
 I. 
 
 THE star of Love, Prince Eugene's guiding 
 planet, shone even over his cradle. His 
 mother, Josephine Tascher de la Pagerie (after- 
 wards the celebrated Empress Josephine), had 
 loved and wedded at an age when other young 
 girls have not yet crossed the threshold of their 
 convent schools. The blood of the Island of 
 Martinique coursed through her veins. Eugene, 
 in his memoirs (dictated two years before his 
 death), says that she was hardly fourteen years old 
 when she married the Vicomte de Beauharnais, 
 who was later on the President of the Constitu- 
 ent Assembly. 
 
 VOL. I. — I
 
 2 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 At the time of Eugene's birth, September 3, 
 1 78 1, the first symptoms of the Revolution had 
 already manifested themselves; but few were 
 thoughtful and attentive enough to the distant 
 rumbling to take in the full gravity of the situa- 
 tion, or to gauge the violence of the ideas and 
 passions fermenting in the hearts of the masses. 
 M. de Beauharnais was among the first to com- 
 prehend the meaning of the signs. He espoused 
 the popular cause with the greatest ardour and 
 generosity. Elected member of the Constituent 
 Assembly, he took his seat on the Left. He was 
 not long in attaining great influence, and was 
 shortly chosen President of the Assembly. 
 
 Eugene received his first impressions while 
 still a child, living as he did in the midst of these 
 stirring events. He recalls with great simplicity, 
 in his memoirs, the incident of his being present 
 at a session of the Constituent Assembly under 
 very touching circumstances for a child. His 
 father, the Vicomte, imbued with liberal principles 
 and generously devoted to the progress and liber- 
 ties of the people, was seated on the Left. His 
 uncle, the Vicomte's elder brother, the Marquis 
 Francois de Beauharnais, on the contrary, had 
 remained faithful to the traditions of the old
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 3 
 
 monarchy, and was seated on the Royalist side. 
 Eugene, who often accompanied his father to the 
 sessions of the Assembly, as a rule remained near 
 the stove, which was placed exactly on the divid- 
 ing line of the two parties; it sometimes happened 
 that he held his father's hand in one of his, while 
 with the other he affectionately pressed that of 
 his uncle, forming a loving and living link be- 
 tween the two brothers, enemies through political 
 differences. What a touching remembrance for 
 a child of nine years ! 
 
 II. 
 
 Several years later, in 1794, the Vicomte de 
 Beauharnais, falling under suspicion at the ending 
 of a badly directed campaign on the Rhine, was 
 led to the scaffold. His son was, according to the 
 ideas of the day, apprenticed to a miller, and his 
 daughter Hortense, the future Queen of Holland, 
 to a dressmaker. The Reign of Terror ended, 
 Eugene and his sister, taken from this slavery, 
 regained their social rank ; the young man enter- 
 ing upon his military career under the auspices 
 of Hoche, to whom he had been recommended 
 by his unfortunate father. Nothing could have
 
 4 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 pleased him better, for he felt the blood of a gen- 
 eration of soldiers coursing through his veins. 
 It was just at this time that an event took place 
 which at first threatened to narrow his tastes, 
 but afterwards served as a stepping-stone to his 
 highest ambitions. His mother, the Vicomtesse 
 de Beauharnais, married General Bonaparte in 
 1796, notwithstanding the violent opposition of 
 Eugene and Hortense, who, venerating their 
 father's memory, looked upon the union as an 
 outrage to their beloved dead. 
 
 Bonaparte nursed no bitterness towards the 
 son of his loved Josephine, and he took him with 
 him in his Italian campaign, after having bestowed 
 upon him the grade of sub-lieutenant of Hussars. 
 The young man from the first showed himself 
 worthy of his ancestors; he was wounded at 
 Roveredo, the day after his fifteenth birthday, 
 and conducted himself throughout the whole 
 campaign like an old soldier. 
 
 After Campo-Formio, the young officer was 
 given a mission by Bonaparte, tending to develop 
 his experience of men and to mature his judg- 
 ment. He was sent as France's representative to 
 the new republic of the Ionian Islands, where 
 he was received with great enthusiasm. After-
 
 %
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 5 
 
 wards, his stepfather, who had become his idol, 
 took him with him into Egypt. During the 
 whole of this arduous campaign, Eugene dis- 
 played numerous proofs of courage, endurance, 
 and military talent. On one special occasion, he 
 showed, in a peculiar manner, the precocious firm- 
 ness and dignity of his character. Aide-de-camp 
 to the Commander-in-Chief, it was his duty to 
 ride beside his stepfather's carriage. One day he 
 positively refused to escort in this manner a lady 
 upon whom Napoleon was lavishing his atten- 
 tions, and who rode beside him in the carriage. 
 He recalled his mother's husband to his self- 
 respect, and nobly upheld her dignity. This 
 firm solicitude certainly spared Josephine many 
 hours of bitterness, and strengthened the esteem 
 in which his general held him. He returned 
 to France with Bonaparte, was associated with 
 him in the perils of his coup d'etat, and was 
 made Captain of light infantry in the Consular 
 Guard. 
 
 Eugene, who at this time had not attained his 
 eighteenth year, was a man in every respect. 
 Josephine, who lavished her love upon him, was 
 lost in admiration of his martial and manly as- 
 pect, his firm and dignified bearing, the matured 

 
 6 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 reasoning powers of his mind, ripened by adven- 
 tures and habit of command, under the trials of a 
 campaign carried on under the scorching African 
 sun. The First Consul evinced the greatest at- 
 tachment towards him, and reposed a confidence 
 in him far beyond that justified by his age, but 
 increased by the young man's courageous and 
 prudent conduct in Egypt. He often made him 
 the confidant of his inmost thoughts, as well 
 as of the anguish which the malicious reports of 
 his wife's conduct caused him ; for he adored her 
 in spite of her erratic behaviour. Eugene tells 
 in his memoirs how he often had to accept the 
 difficult task of soothing Bonaparte's resentment 
 and quieting the rage storming in his heart. He 
 acquitted himself with a delicacy and skill rare in 
 so young a man. His conciliatory words calmed 
 his stepfather's anguish, and prevented him more 
 than once from breaking the chain which bound 
 him to a still well-beloved spouse. 
 
 Joined to these solid qualities, Eugene pos- 
 sessed an amiable and loving character, which 
 had gained for him before this period the warm 
 affection of those who surrounded him. Con- 
 stant, who was his valet before becoming the 
 Emperor's, sketched the following portrait of
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 7 
 
 the future Viceroy, at this early stage of his 
 career : — 
 
 " He was good, gay, amiable, full of life, generous ; 
 and his open, frank physiognomy could truthfully be 
 said to mirror his soul. How many kind acts has he 
 not done during the course of his life, and at a time 
 when to do them imposed sacrifices upon him ! " 
 
 Another witness of his private life, Mademoi- 
 selle Avrillon, Josephine's lady-in-waiting, thus 
 expresses herself on the character of Eugene : 
 
 " He excelled in all athletic exercises, and danced 
 beautifully. Good, frank, and simple in his manners, 
 without arrogance, without haughtiness, he showed him- 
 self constantly affable to every one ; and though he was 
 not devoid of sensibility, he was remarkable for his 
 gaiety. Passionately fond of music, he sang divinely, 
 especially Italian music, which was, in fact, preferred by 
 the family." 
 
 III. 
 
 If Eugene was an expert and graceful dancer, 
 he was no less a frank and loyal soldier. He was 
 in love with his profession, and despised the life of 
 sloth and intrigue which was led in the antecham- 
 bers of the great. It was at his own request that 
 Bonaparte gave him a commission in the Guards,
 
 8 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 and that he accompanied him, in 1800, to the new 
 campaign in Italy. Eugene was among the first 
 to set foot on the soil of the new Peninsula. 
 Some of the soldiers, on reaching the summit of 
 Saint-Bernard, conceived the daring project of 
 sliding down the abrupt decline ; he joined these 
 foolhardy men, and rapidly descended the moun- 
 tain side, as though he were possessed with a 
 wild desire quickly to enter this beautiful country 
 over which he was one day destined to rule. 
 
 The young captain took part in many of the 
 engagements of that campaign, and distinguished 
 himself anew by his generosity as well as by his 
 courage. At Marengo, in the midst of a charge, 
 a wounded enemy fell to the ground in front of 
 his company, as they dashed forward at full 
 charge. The unfortunate man raised his hands 
 in supplication. Eugene perceived him, and gave 
 the order: "Open ranks! protect this brave 
 fellow 1 " His order was obeyed, and the wounded 
 man saved. 
 
 This cavalry charge was so disastrous that out 
 of the one hundred and fifteen horses which 
 Eugene had in his company in the morning, but 
 forty-five remained to him in the evening. His 
 brilliant action won for him, at the age of nine-
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 9 
 
 teen years, the rank of Chief of Squadron. On 
 this occasion, Bonaparte wrote to Josephine : 
 
 " Your son is marching with rapid steps towards im- 
 mortality. He has covered himself with glory in all his 
 battles. He will eventually become one of the greatest 
 captains in Europe." 
 
 Returning to Paris, Eugene passed through 
 Geneva, where a series of fetes was organised in 
 his honour. Madame de Stael, towards whom 
 Napoleon later showed so much aversion, com- 
 posed some verses for this occasion, to celebrate 
 the glory of the French army and the brave 
 young officer, the city's guest. Reaching Paris, 
 he was delegated to carry the flags captured from 
 the Austrians to the Invalides; afterwards he 
 took part in the fete held in the Champs de Mars 
 in honour of the conquerors of Marengo. He was 
 greeted with the wildest enthusiasm by the popu- 
 lace. Eugene wrote these stirring lines on this 
 memorable occasion : " It was one of the proud- 
 est moments of my life." And he added words 
 which showed the modesty of his thoughts: 
 " These witnesses of esteem and public recogni- 
 tion seemed to me the best and sweetest recom- 
 pense for our fatigues ; they inspired me with a 
 noble pride and heartfelt emotion."
 
 IO THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 The young man spent the winter of 1801 in 
 the capital. His cover was naturally laid at the 
 First Consul's table, at Paris as well as at 
 Malmaison; but, with his habitual delicacy, he 
 refrained from taking undue advantage of this 
 privilege. Constant has drawn an animated 
 picture of the life then led in the Bonaparte 
 household : — 
 
 "Society flocked there, but it was a heterogeneous 
 society. Conversation never flagged ; games of hide-and- 
 seek were organised; comedies were acted. Eugene 
 was the life of these merry gatherings, at which Bona- 
 parte found much amusement, without taking any very 
 active part; and in everything he did, he showed to 
 the greatest advantage." 
 
 The Duchesse d'Abrantes, who knew him 
 intimately at that time, has left us a charming 
 pen-portrait of him ; which I cannot resist the 
 desire to recall here, as it brings out the amiable 
 and gracious sides of my hero's character : — 
 
 " His personality [she said] displayed an elegance 
 much more attractive from the fact that it carried with 
 it one thing rarely found in combination, — an unassum- 
 ing frankness and gaiety. His laugh was that of a 
 child's, but his hilarity was never called forth by an ill- 
 timed jest. He was amiable, gracious, polished without 
 being obsequious, a joker without being impertinent, —
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 1 
 
 a lost talent, let me remark in parenthesis. He was a 
 good actor, a delightful singer, danced as his father had 
 danced before him, who had earned the nickname of 
 ' Beauharnais, the beautiful dancer,' and, in a word, was 
 a very agreeable young man." 
 
 Is that not a delightful sketch of the man, and 
 a proper explanation of the ardent friendships 
 and warm affections which Eugene was capable 
 of inspiring ? He merited them, and, moreover, 
 returned them with interest. Nothing could be 
 more touching than the affection he displayed 
 for his mother and his sister, except the devotion 
 which he lavished on Bonaparte. He would not 
 have hesitated to have sacrificed his life for that 
 of his chief; and he proved it during the course 
 of the winter. 
 
 One evening, going to Bonaparte's house for 
 dinner before repairing to the opera, he was 
 astonished at the laughing greeting he received 
 of, " Well, you do not know, perhaps, that I am 
 to be assassinated this evening at the opera ? " 
 His stepfather's features were so calm that 
 Eugene at first looked upon his words as a jest; 
 but he was quickly disabused, and was soon inter- 
 ested in planning how to defeat the conspiracy. 
 He took a handful of his infantry with him, and
 
 12 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 preceding Bonaparte by about fifty feet, entered 
 the Opera House as though he were the First 
 Consul. At a given signal, the soldiers halted, 
 Eugene retired, and the General entered his 
 box. At the same moment the conspirators were 
 arrested, without having an opportunity of using 
 the pistols and poniards found upon their per- 
 sons. A slight mistake in the carrying out of 
 this plan, and Eugene would have received the 
 death-blow intended for his beloved master. 
 
 IV. 
 
 The great love which Eugene bore for his 
 stepfather did not prevent him, as already stated, 
 from resisting him frankly. Like his mother, 
 he was very much affected by the tragic fate of 
 the Due d'Enghien. The future Empress over- 
 whelmed her illustrious spouse with bitter re- 
 proaches, to which he, who was ever ready with a 
 prompt and quick reply, found not a word to say 
 in extenuation. "Twenty years have passed since 
 that event," Eugene wrote; and he added with 
 an emotion distinguishable through his simple 
 words, " I was very much distressed, on account 
 of the love and respect I bore the First Con-
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 3 
 
 sul ; it seemed to me that his glory was tar- 
 nished." 
 
 He also relates this touching incident : — 
 
 " The Prince de Cond6, before dying, had expressed 
 a wish that his little dog, to which he was fondly attached, 
 should be sent — with certain other effects, which he 
 desired to leave as legacies — to a lady, whose loving 
 remembrances filled his last moments." 
 
 Eugene was very happy to learn that Jose- 
 phine, a few days after the stormy scene with her 
 husband, had found the means of complying with 
 the last request of the unfortunate descendant of 
 the Condes. 
 
 Eugene was made Colonel in 1802, and Briga- 
 dier-General in 1804, at the early age of twenty- 
 two. Bonaparte himself did not reach this dignity 
 until after he had passed his twenty-fourth year. 
 
 That same year Napoleon grasped the impe- 
 rial crown, and Eugene suddenly found himself 
 on the steps of a throne. Far from being filled 
 with pride, he rather felt himself incommoded in 
 his manner of living, and chilled in his tastes, by 
 the minute etiquette of the new court. He was 
 not impressed by the magnificence and the cere- 
 monious pomp of the new life, but, in the superior 
 trend of his mind, this very young man fled from
 
 14 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 the honours so lavishly heaped upon him, pre- 
 ferring an active career to these empty titles. " I 
 was never struck," he wrote later, " nor dazzled 
 by these outward marks of grandeur." When 
 Napoleon offered him the post of Grand Cham- 
 berlain, he refused it, under pretext that his tastes 
 were altogether too military for any other career 
 than that of arms. " I must admit, however," he 
 said with a naive and charming frankness, in later 
 retracing these years, " that if the Emperor had 
 offered me the post of Equerry, I might have 
 accepted it, because there were horses in the 
 question, of which I am passionately fond ; and, 
 besides, there was something in that post resem- 
 bling a regiment." 
 
 Shortly before the coronation, Eugene was 
 made Colonel-General of the Infantry of the 
 Army. He welcomed this promotion with the 
 greatest satisfaction, for the Emperor, to use his 
 own words, "left him in his element." 
 
 After this, cannot one be astonished at the 
 proud and loyal attitude he preserved, when it 
 was a question of regulating the succession to the 
 throne ? Napoleon's brothers allowed their ambi- 
 tious pretensions to be seen; they intrigued to 
 prevent the Emperor from adopting Hortense's
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 5 
 
 son. Eugene held himself aloof, an outsider to 
 all competition. But his superior merit called 
 forth a great deal of jealousy, and his enemies 
 worked hard to excite distrust in his Emperor's 
 mind against him. In January, 1805, it almost 
 looked as though calumny had succeeded in these 
 odious attempts; Eugene received orders to set 
 out for Italy in twenty-four hours; and when he 
 presented himself before Napoleon to make his 
 adieux, the cold reception awarded him gave him 
 to understand that he was really in disgrace. He 
 set out, however, without a murmur, disdaining a 
 justification. 
 
 Madame de Remusat, in citing this incident 
 in her memoirs, remarks that Hortense rejoiced 
 greatly in this submission to Napoleon's orders 
 by her brother. " If the Emperor," she said to 
 me, " had exacted a similar obedience from one 
 of his own, you would have seen rebellion and 
 heard grumbling ; but in this case, not one word 
 of objection was spoken, and I think that Bona- 
 parte will be impressed by this obedience." The 
 Emperor, in fact, was so impressed, and especially 
 by the malicious joy shown by his brothers and 
 sisters. He had sent his step-son away in a 
 moment of spleen, but, according to Madame de
 
 1 6 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 Remusat, "he wanted to immediately recom- 
 pense him for the wrong done him." 
 
 V. 
 
 The recompense was not long in coming, and 
 when it came was startling. Eugene had reached 
 Tarare, and, on horseback, at the head of his 
 regiment, under a heavy fall of snow, was prepar- 
 ing to march, when a courier handed him the 
 following letter: — 
 
 Tuileries, February ist, 1805. 
 
 My Cousin, — I have named you Prince and Arch- 
 Chancellor of State. I can add nothing to the senti- 
 ments expressed in the message which I sent to the 
 Senate on this occasion, a copy of which I forward to 
 you. In this you will see a proof of the tender love I 
 bear you, and the hope I entertain that you will continue 
 in the same path to profit by the examples and lessons 
 which I have given you. This charge carries with it no 
 obstacle to your military career. Your title is Prince 
 Eugene de Beauharnais, Arch-Chancellor of the State, 
 and you will be addressed as Serene Highness. 
 
 I pray God may hold you in His holy and loving care. 
 
 Napoleon. 
 Eugene hastened to reply : — 
 
 SlRE, — I have just this instant received the letter 
 with which Your Majesty has deigned to honour me. I 
 was already so overwhelmed with benefits that I thought
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. I 7 
 
 it impossible to add anything to them. It has pleased 
 you, however, to give me a new proof of your kindness 
 in elevating me to the dignity of Arch-Chancellor of 
 State and Prince. This dignity and title can add 
 nothing to the boundless devotion and attachment 
 which binds me to Your Majesty. These sentiments 
 will end, Sire, only with my life. 
 
 Did this high distinction succeed in detracting 
 from the natural modesty of our young hero? 
 Not at all. He continued to live with his officers 
 and men as formerly, and he remained impassive 
 under the deluge of felicitations poured upon 
 him, which he knew how to appreciate at their 
 true value. The intoxication of pride had no 
 power to move his heart. The only thing which 
 really troubled him was the superb message 
 addressed to the Senate by Napoleon, in which 
 the latter raised an imperishable monument to 
 the rare qualities of his step-son. 
 
 Senators, — We have named our step-son, Eugene 
 de Beauharnais, Arch-Chancellor of State. No act in 
 our power could be nearer our heart. 
 
 Brought up by our care and under our eyes since 
 his childhood, he has made himself worthy of imitating, 
 and, by the help of God, of surpassing one day the 
 examples and lessons which have been given him. 
 
 Though still young, we consider him from to-day, 
 vol. 1. — 2
 
 1 8 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 by the experience to which he has been subjected in 
 the most important circumstances, as one of the props 
 of our throne and one of the bravest defenders of our 
 country. 
 
 In the midst of the cares and bitterness inseparable 
 from the high rank in which we are placed, our heart 
 has had need of the loving affection and tenderness of 
 this child of our adoption, — a consolation necessary, 
 doubtless, to all men, but more eminently so to us, 
 whose every moment is devoted to the welfare of our 
 people. 
 
 I pray that your paternal benediction will accompany 
 this young Prince in every step of his career, and that, 
 seconded by Providence, he shall be worthy of the 
 approbation of posterity. 
 
 Tuileries, February rst, 1805. 
 
 On the 26th of May, Napoleon was crowned at 
 Milan as the King of Italy. On June 5, he 
 conferred the title of Viceroy on Eugene. This 
 young man was not quite twenty-four years old 
 when he became Napoleon's right-hand man, and 
 the representative of his genius in the govern- 
 ment of this brilliant kingdom. 
 
 Eugene accepted this new dignity in the spirit 
 of a man, consecrating all his strength to the 
 accomplishment of a heavy duty. He redoubled 
 the ardour of his work to such an extent that the 
 Emperor recommended him to take more repose 
 and some distractions.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 19 
 
 VI. 
 
 The labours of the energetic Viceroy were of 
 the greatest service to Napoleon in his campaign 
 in Austria in 1805. Owing to the foresight and 
 administrative talents of his step-son, the great 
 general found Italy prepared to defend herself, 
 and asking nothing better, after having already 
 repulsed the enemy, than to boldly attack him 
 on his own territory. But the Prince did not 
 content himself with contributing solely to the 
 Emperor's success; he desired to work for the 
 prosperity and happiness of the Italian nation at 
 the same time. Unfortunately, Napoleon looked 
 upon the kingdom as a country already con- 
 quered; for his war projects he had great and 
 incessant needs for money, men, horses, and mili- 
 tary provisions, and he pitilessly imposed heavy 
 taxes on his subjects across the Alps. 
 
 When, on the one hand, Eugene desired to 
 forward the designs of the one to whom he owed 
 everything, and, on the other, endeavoured to 
 lighten the heavy duties imposed upon his sub- 
 jects, it naturally followed that certain disagree- 
 ments arose between the Emperor and his Vice-
 
 20 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 roy. These oftentimes aroused a discontent on 
 the part of Napoleon, — a discontent which, to 
 tell the truth, was but fleeting in its nature. 
 
 Napoleon, believing himself opposed in the 
 slightest of his wishes, at once became imperious. 
 For instance, Duroc, Grand Marshal of the 
 Palace, holding his instructions certainly from 
 the Emperor, in a letter to Eugene under date of 
 July 31, 1805, at a time when the young kingdom 
 was not yet two months old, accused him of over- 
 stepping his powers and "doing things which 
 belonged to the Master alone." To demonstrate 
 to him more fully that he must always await 
 orders from Napoleon, and execute them vigor- 
 ously and to the letter, he makes use of the fol- 
 lowing words, which go to prove to what a point 
 the Emperor pushed matters when an obstacle, 
 no matter how slight, was set up in opposition to 
 his will: — 
 
 " To speak on the very smallest things, if you asked 
 His Majesty his orders or his advice, as to changing the 
 ceiling in your room, you must wait until you receive 
 them ; if Milan were on fire, and you demanded means 
 of extinguishing the fire from him, you must let Milan 
 burn, while awaiting his orders." 
 
 In dealing with a sensibility so touchy, the 
 Prince needed to exercise a most delicate tact in
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 21 
 
 order to content Napoleon and at the same time 
 to gain the affection of his subjects. He suc- 
 ceeded marvellously in the one case as in the 
 other, but not without much trouble. The prep- 
 arations for the campaign of 1806 augmented 
 still more the Emperor's demands on Italy. As 
 a careful and thoughtful ruler for the welfare of 
 his people, Eugene showed real repugnance to 
 aggravating the heavy taxes already supported by 
 the Italians. Napoleon scolded him, as can be 
 seen in a letter dated September 16, relative 
 to the requisition of horses and waggons, which 
 Eugene had found a trifle excessive. I cite this 
 letter, not for the importance of the fact, but 
 to show the kind of difficulties against which 
 Eugene had to struggle: — 
 
 "You have hired two hundred horses for General 
 Lacombe Saint-Michel. What are two hundred horses? 
 If the Austrians were masters of the kingdom, they 
 would not demean themselves by such economy. I 
 cannot see why you should feel such a repugnance; 
 and I am surprised the Minister of War has not enlight- 
 ened you on the subject In every similar circum- 
 stance, a requisition of horses has been made. It was 
 not nine hundred waggons I took when I was in Italy, 
 but two thousand, and these requisitions were made in 
 disorder, which was vexatious for the country. You
 
 22 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 must not let yourself be frightened by the cries of the 
 Italians; they are never content. But force them to 
 this reflection : ' What would the Austrians do under the 
 same circumstances?' They would act with decision." 
 
 Eugene's reply was worthy of his rank, of the 
 loftiness of his character, and of the watchful care 
 with which he protected his subjects. He wrote 
 from Monza, his summer residence, and at the 
 present day, that of the King of Italy: — 
 
 " If I have not earned the approbation of Your 
 Majesty in the matter of certain refusals which I made 
 to the French Army, I must certainly have explained 
 my actions badly. I take the liberty of forwarding to 
 Your Majesty a copy of a letter from Marshal Massena, 
 and in it you will see that I gave him nearly everything 
 he asked for. General Lacombe Saint-Michel only 
 received two hundred horses because he desired no 
 more. I only refused requisitions when there was a 
 question of payment, and I always said to Marshals 
 Jourdan and Massena that I would furnish the army 
 with everything in my power, but that I begged of them 
 to accord to this country the conditions they would 
 make with a Department of France." 
 
 Does not all this prove how anxious the young 
 Prince was to economise the resources of the 
 country which had been confided to his care ? In 
 his place, some courtier, more occupied with try-
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 2$ 
 
 ing to insinuate himself into the good graces of 
 the Master than to strengthen the prosperity 
 of his subjects, could easily have evaded these 
 reproaches. 
 
 During the whole of the campaign, Eugene 
 employed vigorous measures to maintain Italy, 
 to guard her from attack on the part of the 
 Austrians, and to prevent their sacking Venice. 
 Napoleon acknowledged this on the battlefield 
 of Austerlitz, saying to those who surrounded 
 him : " Well, Messieurs, you see what Prince 
 Eugene has done. I knew well to whom I had 
 confided my sword in Italy!" 
 
 Such was the man. Good, intelligent, and 
 brave, gifted with all the talents which make man 
 superior, he showed himself worthy of the highest 
 and most delicate functions at an age when the 
 majority of men had but started out in life. We 
 are now about to see him under a new aspect, 
 — that of a faithful and tender husband, a loving 
 and devoted father. He was, in fact, on the 
 verge of a decisive period of his existence.
 
 24 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 * 
 
 VII. 
 
 The Treaty of Presburg had made a kingdom 
 of the Electorate of Bavaria, to which the Tyrol 
 had been annexed. Napoleon, returning from 
 Vienna, stopped several days at Munich with his 
 ally, Maximilian-Joseph, to whom he had just 
 given a crown. He was received with an inde- 
 scribable enthusiasm, in which admiration for the 
 victor of Marengo held a secondary place to the 
 gratitude felt for the benefactor of Bavaria, so 
 elated at rinding herself elevated to the rank of 
 a kingdom. 
 
 Napoleon restored numerous flags and cannons 
 found by him in the Arsenal at Vienna, which 
 had been taken by the Austrians sixty years 
 before. The Court and the people rivalled each 
 other in the enthusiastic displays of their grati- 
 tude towards Napoleon. 
 
 Could they refuse anything to the author of so 
 many benefits ? And what he wanted for Eugene 
 was nothing less than the hand of the Princess 
 Royal of Bavaria, reputed to be the most beauti- 
 ful, the most charming Princess in Germany.
 
 THE ROMAxVCE OF PRINCE EC/GENE. 25 
 
 Napoleon, as is well known, had a passion for 
 making marriages. When it was a question of the 
 welfare of Eugene, to whom he was attached by so 
 tender an interest, he naturally looked for a con- 
 nection which would be worthy of him and add to 
 his happiness. His choice was an excellent one. 
 
 The Princess Augusta possessed a sweet and 
 amiable character, and — which certainly did not 
 detract from her charms — was of exceptional 
 beauty. The following is a portrait which has 
 been transmitted to us by a contemporary of this 
 charming young girl : — 
 
 " There was an indescribable charm emanating from 
 the personality of the Princess Augusta; she was not 
 yet eighteen years old ; she was tall, well formed, and 
 of a sylph-like figure. Her natural dignity commanded 
 respect at all times; her face was handsome rather than 
 pretty, her complexion remarkable for its freshness, 
 though perhaps too highly coloured. But what was most 
 attractive in her was her sweet manner, which won the 
 love and admiration of all who approached her. All 
 these advantages were not hers by nature only. Edu- 
 cation could claim the credit of a good share of them ; 
 she had been reared with extreme simplicity, and nothing 
 could be more modest than her ordinary toilette." 
 
 This union was not definitely settled without 
 some difficulty. The Princess was to have married
 
 26 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 her cousin, Prince Charles of Baden, to whom 
 she was devotedly attached. The King of Bava- 
 ria, knowing there was no harder sacrifice to ask 
 of his daughter than that of relinquishing her 
 dearest hopes, lacked the courage, in the tender- 
 ness of his paternal love, of asking her to change 
 the course of her destiny so suddenly. Fifteen 
 days before she saw Eugene for the first time, the 
 King, though but a few steps separated from her 
 apartments, wrote her this touching appeal : — 
 
 " If there is the slightest ray of hope, my dearly 
 beloved Augusta, that you can ever marry Charles, 
 Prince of Baden, I beg you on my knees not to renounce 
 him; I should still less insist, my dear daughter, that 
 you should give your hand to the future King of Italy, 
 if this Crown was not to be guaranteed by all the 
 Powers at the conclusion of peace, and if I were not 
 sure of all the good qualities of Prince Eugene, and that 
 he was capable of making you happy. Remember, my 
 dear child, that you not only assure the happiness of 
 your father, but that of your brothers and the people of 
 Bavaria, who all so ardently desire this union. A proof 
 that this marriage is a desirable one lies in the fact that 
 the Baron de Thugut (Prime Minister of Austria) who, 
 unfortunately for our house, has retaken the governmental 
 helm, has commenced by offering the Emperor's eldest 
 daughter as wife to Prince Eugene. It grieves me to 
 wound your heart; but I count on the love and devotion
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 2J 
 
 which you have always shown for your father, and the 
 thought that you would not willingly embitter his last 
 days. 
 
 " Remember, dear Augusta, that a refusal would make 
 the Emperor as much our enemy as he is at present the 
 friend of our house. 
 
 " Spare me the sorrow of an explanation which would 
 be detrimental to my shattered health. 
 
 " Reply to me by writing or through your brother. 
 Believe me, my dearest, that it causes me much pain to 
 write to you in this manner; but circumstances which 
 are more than imperious, and my duty to care for the 
 interests of the country over which Providence has 
 placed me as ruler, leave me no choice. God knows 
 that I have only your welfare at heart, and that 
 no one in the world loves you more than your faithful 
 father and best friend." 
 
 Could the young Princess refuse to ratify the 
 happiness of her family and people ? That same 
 day she sent these sadly resigned lines to the King, 
 in which were revealed sentiments so exalted as 
 to argue well for Eugene's happiness: — 
 
 My very dear and beloved Father, — I consent 
 to break the word which binds me to Prince Charles of 
 Baden, notwithstanding the pain it costs me, if by so 
 doing I can guarantee peace of mind to a cherished 
 father, and happiness to a people depending upon him. 
 
 If I put my faith in your hands, cruel though it may 
 be, yet the pain is softened by the knowledge that I am
 
 28 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 sacrificed for the welfare of my father, my family, and 
 my country. On her knees your child asks your 
 blessing; it will help her to bear her sad fate with 
 resignation. 
 
 VIII. 
 
 While his future was being thus settled, 
 Eugene was in complete ignorance of what was 
 passing at Munich. Only nine days after the 
 Princess' consent, he received orders from Napo- 
 leon to prepare for the marriage. This order 
 was as simple and formal as though it was a ques- 
 tion of a manoeuvre of troops on a battle-field : 
 
 My Cousin, — I have just arrived in Munich; I 
 have arranged your marriage with the Princess Augusta. 
 It has been publicly announced. This morning the 
 Princess favoured me with a visit, and I conversed with 
 her for a long time. She is very pretty. You will find 
 her portrait accompanying this on a cup; but she is 
 much better-looking. 
 
 I imagine that upon receipt of this peremptory 
 order, Eugene must have experienced some un- 
 easiness on the subject of his future. This 
 woman to whom he was to be united for life was 
 but a myth, upon which to build hopes of happi- 
 ness, or suppress fears of coming misery for the 
 rest of his life.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 29 
 
 Three days later, Eugene received this second 
 epistle, in the same strain as its predecessor : — 
 
 My Cousin, — Twelve hours after the receipt of this 
 letter you will set out in all haste for Munich. En- 
 deavour to reach here as soon as possible, so that you 
 will find me. You will leave your troops in command 
 of the general you consider the most trustworthy. It is 
 not necessary for you to bring a large suite with you. 
 Set out promptly and incog., as much to lessen danger 
 as to prevent any unnecessary delays. Send me a 
 courier to announce your arrival twenty-four hours in 
 advance. 
 
 P. S. One hour after the receipt of this letter, send 
 me a courier to announce the day upon which you 
 think you can arrive. 
 
 Eugene set out several hours later. He not 
 only hastened, as can be easily comprehended, to 
 make the acquaintance of his fiancee in a more 
 satisfactory manner than by means of a portrait 
 on a cup, but he was also burning with impatience 
 to see once more his mother, who he knew had 
 gone to Munich to wait for him. 
 
 Eugene had hardly crossed the threshold of 
 the royal palace in Munich before Napoleon sent 
 for him, and, taking him into his private cabinet, 
 advised him strongly to cut off his huge mous- 
 tache, as he feared the fierce and military aspect
 
 30 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 of this ornament might make an unfavourable 
 impression on the young Princess. 
 
 The first interview between the young people 
 went far towards calming their mutual apprehen- 
 sions. They agreed that there was nothing dis- 
 tasteful in the one for the other. Soon a mutual 
 esteem and a full confidence in the future was 
 established in their hearts. 
 
 As has already been seen from the King of 
 Bavaria's letter to his daughter, Napoleon had 
 given out that, in default of a direct heir, he 
 would make Eugene King of Italy. The offer 
 of an archduchess of Austria as a spouse for 
 Eugene, to which the King had alluded in his 
 letter, had confirmed his confidence in the high 
 destiny reserved for Eugene. As Napoleon, 
 already married ten years, was still childless, the 
 Princess had every reason to hope that she would 
 one day be Queen of Italy. 
 
 The marriage was celebrated the 14th of Jan- 
 uary, 1806, just eleven days after Napoleon had 
 notified Eugene of his wishes. 
 
 I will not undertake here to recapitulate the 
 pomps of the nuptial ceremony, which was per- 
 formed in the royal chapel. All Munich was en 
 fete. The city was profusely dressed with flags,
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 31 
 
 and was brilliantly illuminated in the evening. 
 On the facade of the Hotel de Ville, under the 
 letters " A and E " in jets of fire, shone the words, 
 corona virtuti, surrounded by allegorical tab- 
 leaux. All the municipal buildings, the palaces, 
 the monuments, the city gates, and especially the 
 Court of Honour of the Royal Palace, were fairy- 
 like. From sumptuous palace to modest cottage, 
 joy and gaiety pervaded all classes of society. 
 Munich thus evinced the enthusiasm excited 
 among her people by the alliance of the Royal 
 House of Wittelsbach with the Imperial House 
 of France. 
 
 The expression, " Imperial House of France," 
 was a just one; for forty-eight hours after the 
 marriage, Napoleon recognised Eugene as his 
 adopted son. He gave him the name of Eugene 
 Napoleon of France. From that moment Napo- 
 leon, writing to Eugene, no longer called him 
 " My Cousin," but " My Son." 
 
 Joined to the affection which Napoleon felt for 
 Eugene, the esteem which the admirable qualities 
 of the young wife called forth soon sealed a close 
 and tender friendship between the Vice-Queen and 
 the Emperor. Napoleon, during the first years 
 of their marriage, wrote the Princess Augusta 
 
 f 
 5434
 
 32 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 several letters, which testified to the closeness of 
 this tie. I will, before continuing my story, quote 
 a few of them. 
 
 Two days after the departure of the young 
 couple, he wrote them from Stuttgart: — 
 
 My Daughter, — The letter which I have just re- 
 ceived from you is as charming as you are yourself. 
 The sentiments which I have confessed to you grow 
 stronger every day. It is with pleasure that I recall all 
 your beautiful traits, and I feel the need of being assured 
 by yourself frequently that you are content in your new 
 life and happy with your husband. In the midst of my 
 busy life, my greatest pleasure shall be the assurance 
 of my children's happiness. Believe me when I say, 
 Augusta, that I love you as a father, and that I hope you 
 entertain for me all the tenderness of a daughter. Take 
 care of yourself on your journey, as also in the new 
 climate to which you are going, by taking as much 
 repose as possible. Remember you have passed through 
 much excitement this past month, and I am anxious 
 that you should not become ill. 
 
 I conclude, my dear daughter, sending you my 
 paternal blessing. 
 
 IX. 
 
 Baron Darnay draws an attractive picture of 
 the fetes which welcomed Eugene and his wife 
 to Italy. It can be thus seen that the joy of
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 33 
 
 the Italian people was equal to that of the King 
 of Bavaria's subjects. 
 
 "The Viceroy and Queen [he writes], on leaving 
 their carriage, found a delegation of twelve members of 
 the nobility of Venice awaiting them on the shores of the 
 first lagoon. They had accompanied the gondola set 
 apart for the transportation of the royal couple, with the 
 others destined for the officers of the Court. Two other 
 gondolas of smaller dimensions followed in the suite. 
 That of their Royal Highnesses was ornamented with all 
 that oriental luxury could suggest Silken stuffs, gold, 
 silver, embroideries, plumes, were used in rare profusion ; 
 superb tapestries covered the tables and the chairs ; 
 flowers and perfumes were scattered everywhere. The 
 gondoliers, dressed in gaily coloured silks, propelled 
 this sumptuous vessel with majestic motion. The other 
 two gondolas, equally enriched with silken hangings and 
 ornaments, moved slowly along on either side of the 
 first. Thousands of smaller boats, newly and beauti- 
 fully decorated, circulated around these vessels ; several 
 carried musicians who filled the air with strains of tri- 
 umphant music. These long and graceful gondolas, 
 each manned with a dozen gondoliers and decorated 
 with multi-coloured silks, shooting in and out swiftly and 
 lightly; the noise of drums and cymbals, mingling with 
 the roar of cannons ; the exclamations of welcome and 
 joy, — made the scene, during the passage of the royal 
 couple to the palace, a never-to-be-forgotten one. . . . 
 
 " On their arrival at Milan, the Viceroy and Queen 
 found their route bordered by troops in full regalia; 
 vol. 1. — 3
 
 34 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 superb regiments of French and Italian cavalry stood in 
 readiness to receive the royal couple, and extended far 
 into the distance. Further on, the Guard of Honour and 
 the Royal Guard shone in all the splendour of full 
 dress, and regimental bands were placed here and there. 
 The cannon's roar, mingled with that of church bells, 
 elegant equipages, jewelled women, cavaliers, and an 
 immense concourse of people in holiday attire filled the 
 air with their cheers and greetings. Such was the 
 homage and respect which surrounded the vice-regal 
 couple's carriage to the Oriental Gate, through which 
 they must pass to enter Milan." 
 
 As an example of Eugene's modesty and his 
 aversion to everything approaching exaggerated 
 adulation and flattery, Darnay cites a little inci- 
 dent which happened during these fetes, in the 
 course of a gala representation : — 
 
 " The interior of the stage represented Olympia, 
 through which the illustrious couple were supposed to 
 pass, presented to the public by two genii. At their 
 appearance the actors prostrated themselves. The Vice- 
 roy was much hurt at such an attitude, and sent word 
 by a chamberlain that such actions were reserved for a 
 gracious Providence, and not for simple mortals." 
 
 Fifteen days later the Emperor sent advices to 
 the Princess Augusta so paternally affectionate 
 that you could hardly find a better proof of the 
 jleep impression which the refined nature and
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 35 
 
 charming personality of the new Vice-Queen had 
 made upon him, from the first moment he had 
 A seen her: — 
 
 My Daughter, — It was with pleasure that I learned 
 of your arrival in Italy, and that you were well enough 
 to make the still longer journey to Venice without inter- 
 ruption. But what pleased me most was to learn from 
 your letter the assurance of your great happiness. I 
 take a real interest in your life, as you must surely know, 
 and I am not mistaken in hoping that you will be happy 
 with Eugene. Believe me, that had I not been con- 
 vinced of this fact, I would from the moment of making 
 your acquaintance have sacrificed my political interests 
 to your welfare. Your letter, my dear Augusta, is filled 
 with those delicate sentiments which seem to belong to 
 you. I have ordered a little library for you. Perfect 
 your education by reading a great many good books. 
 I hope the Empress will send you the fashions, and that 
 you will tell me what I can send you to assure you that 
 I am always thinking of you, and what will be agreeable 
 to you and Eugene. Take good care of yourself: there 
 is a great deal of sickness here ; I do not know if there 
 is much in Italy. In ending, my daughter, I recommend 
 my people and my soldiers to your care. Let your 
 purse always be open to the wives and children of the 
 latter. You can do nothing which will touch my heart 
 quicker than that. 
 
 I give you my blessing, my dear child. 
 
 It is only necessary to read the following lines 
 to see how enraptured was Napoleon with the
 
 36 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 young couple, upon whom from the first days of 
 their union no cloud, however slight, had come 
 to disturb their perfect happiness. 
 
 Ten days after the foregoing letter he wrote: 
 
 My Daughter, — I sent you my portrait as a proof 
 of my esteem and love. I received your last letter. I 
 have listened with great pleasure to all the good things 
 which have been said about you. I imagine that you 
 have received your wedding presents before this ; at the 
 same time I sent you a little library. Tell Eugene how 
 much I love him, and how happy I am to hear of your 
 reciprocal happiness. 
 
 Receive my benediction, my dear child. 
 
 There is not a letter written by Napoleon to 
 Eugene on strictest business, but in which some 
 words of tenderness for his daughter-in-law are 
 found. These expressions are often so intimate 
 in their kindness as to be imbued with a loving 
 meaning entirely their own. Such, for example, 
 is this postscript to a letter in which he announces 
 his arrival at Stuttgart: — 
 
 P. S. Two kisses to the Princess Augusta, — one 
 from me, the other from the Empress. 
 
 And this one from Paris : — 
 
 A thousand loving words to the Princess. I am glad 
 to learn that she sustained the journey [into Italy] so 
 well; tell her how much I love her.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 37 
 
 Six months later, Napoleon, in his constant 
 anxiety to see the women of France bear future 
 soldiers for their country, wrote the following 
 lines to Augusta: — 
 
 My Daughter, — I read your letter of the 10th of 
 August with much pleasure, and I thank you for all the 
 amiable wishes contain«d therein. You are right in 
 counting implicitly on my sentiments; take care of 
 yourself in your present condition, and try not to give 
 us a girl. I will give you a recipe for that, though you 
 may not believe me ; " that is, to drink a little pure wine 
 every day." Affairs are arranging themselves satisfac- 
 torily, and I hope to be able to send you in a few days 
 instructions for your voyage with Eugene, which must 
 be made slowly, in order not to fatigue you." 
 
 To this paternal, cordial letter, written in the 
 grave style and amiable brevity of the Emperor, 
 followed a fervent expression of maternal love. 
 The following is a letter written by Josephine to 
 her son, shortly after his marriage : — 
 
 " As your destiny becomes greater, my son, there is 
 no necessity for your soul to become filled with pride. 
 No matter to what height you may attain, I know that 
 your sentiments are higher still. Such is the advantage 
 a man has who makes his conscience paramount In 
 this you are the worthy son of one whose features, 
 principles, and conduct I can trace in you. In the 
 abyss of misfortune, he did not so much show courage
 
 38 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 as display all his honesty. The remembrance of 
 spotless virtue fortified his last moments, as it had 
 served to illustrate his whole life. Your destiny, given 
 over to greatness, will not carry you away if you do not 
 permit it to corrupt you. In the midst of honours and 
 opulence, remember Fontainebleau, where you were 
 poor, an orphan, and forsaken ; and when you do recall 
 these sad days, let them aid you to extend a helping 
 hand to the unfortunate. I learn with great satisfaction 
 that your young wife shares your sentiments ; it is a 
 proof that she also shares your love ; and as I am inter- 
 ested in all that concerns her as well as you, it is in my 
 role of mother that I rejoice with you. In this same 
 role I embrace both of you." 
 
 I have thus presented to my reader this bril- 
 liant couple destined to give to the world a rare 
 example of all the family virtues on a throne. 
 We are now about to follow them step by step in 
 their too short Court career, drawing attention 
 in advance to the mutual proofs of tenderness 
 and boundless devotion which these two lavished 
 on each other until the day death came to divide 
 them.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Mutual Affection of Husband and Wife. — Their Popularity 
 in Italy. — Eugene as a Patron of Arts and Sciences. — 
 Napoleon advises him to amuse himself more. — Admirable 
 Results of his Administration. — Satisfaction of the Emperor. 
 He Names Eugene Heir Presumptive to the Crown of Italy. 
 
 I. 
 
 WE have seen how the Princess Augusta, 
 betrothed at first for State reasons, learned 
 to esteem and finally to love her husband devot- 
 edly. As to Eugene, his young wife soon in- 
 spired him with a deep affection, not only by her 
 beauty, but also by her admirable qualities. In 
 the midst of her Court, surrounded by the French 
 and Italian ladies who composed it, she attracted 
 all eyes by the brilliancy of her charms and the 
 dignity of her carriage. Eugene hastened to 
 assure Napoleon of the perfect happiness he had 
 found in this union: — 
 
 " I am happy, Sire, in the companionship of the 
 beloved spouse your paternal tenderness has bestowed 
 upon me : she is sweet, amiable, and good ; she is more-
 
 40 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 over grateful for the benefits received from you ; and her 
 happiness will be complete if she continues to be worthy 
 of your favours." 
 
 A contemporary, in a position to see what 
 passed in the inner life of the husband and wife, 
 says, — 
 
 " The Viceroy and Queen had never met before their 
 marriage, but they soon loved as though they had known 
 each other for years. No two people were ever better 
 mated. There has never been a Princess, or in truth any 
 mother, who has more tenderly cared for her children. 
 She was born to serve as a model for all women. An 
 incident in this charming woman's life was told me 
 which I cannot resist citing here. One of her daughters, 
 while still a child, had replied in a very rude manner to 
 a lady's maid. Her Serene Highness, the Vice-Queen, 
 was told of the circumstance, and, to give her daughter 
 a lesson, she forbade any of the household to perform 
 any service for the young Princess or to comply with 
 her demands. The child was not long in coming to her 
 mother to complain of this treatment. The latter in a 
 grave manner told her that, when she was so depending 
 upon the services and cares of every one around her, 
 she must learn to merit and recognise them by kindness 
 and politeness. She made her promise to apologise to 
 the maid and to speak kindly in the future, assuring her 
 that she would thus obtain any reasonable and just 
 demand. Her daughter obeyed, and the lesson profited 
 her so well that she afterwards became, if the voice of
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 4 1 
 
 public opinion can be believed, one of the most accom- 
 plished Princesses of Europe. The fame of her perfec- 
 tions extended even to the new world. She is to-day, I 
 think, Her Majesty, the Empress of Brazil." 
 
 Augusta herself loved to assure Napoleon of 
 the great affection she bore the husband whom 
 he had given her, and she often wrote letters in 
 this strain to the Emperor. A reply of his (1807) 
 is here quoted : — 
 
 My Daughter, — Your letter has been received, and 
 I note with the greatest pleasure the sentiments which 
 you express towards the Prince. It has been a cause of 
 much joy to me to learn that you are perfectly happy. 
 I know that you have suffered much, and that you have 
 shown courage under your trials. 
 
 Your very affectionate father. 
 
 The conjugal happiness of which the Princess 
 writes, and in which Napoleon rejoices in his 
 turn, was not destined to be of many years' dura- 
 tion. But at least it was cloudless, and would 
 have been untroubled but for the formidable 
 events of this period unique in history.
 
 42 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 II. 
 
 The extract from Darnay s book which I have 
 quoted elsewhere shows how triumphal was the 
 young couple's journey across Italy, and how 
 enthusiastically the people received their future 
 sovereigns. 
 
 The radiant beauty, youth, and freshness, and 
 the exquisite and adorable kindness of the young 
 Princess captured all hearts. As to Eugene, he 
 had already proved his merit. The people expe- 
 rienced his devotion in the zeal with which he 
 knew how to defend the interests of his adopted 
 country, and his energy in favouring all that could 
 contribute to Italy's prosperity. He had thus 
 become very popular. This did not deter him 
 from giving new proofs of his capacity and 
 watchfulness, as well as of his devotion to the 
 Emperor. 
 
 He had hardly reached Milan before he gave 
 himself up so arduously to his work that Napo- 
 leon — who, by the way, was not afraid of too 
 much work for himself or others — thought it 
 necessary to put a check on the ambitious young 
 man by this affectionate reprimand : —
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 43 
 
 My Son, — You work too hard ; your life is too monot- 
 onous. This is not good for you ; your work should be a 
 relaxation for you ; but you have a young wife, and I 
 think you should arrange to pass the evening with her, 
 and gather some society around you. Why do you not 
 go to the theatre once a week, and make use of the 
 Royal Box? I think you should also have a hunting- 
 lodge, so that you could hunt at least once a week ; I 
 would willingly add a sufficient sum to your budget for 
 this purpose. You must have more gaiety in your 
 household; it is necessary for your wife's happiness 
 and for your own health. If properly managed, a great 
 deal of work can be done in a short time. I lead the 
 life you do ; but I have an old wife, who does not need 
 me to amuse her, and I also have more business to 
 attend to. And yet I must say that I take more pleas- 
 ure and dissipation out of life than you do. A young 
 wife must be amused. You liked pleasure well enough 
 formerly. You must return to your former tastes ; and 
 what you will not do for your own sake, you must do 
 for that of the Princess. 
 
 These last two days I have spent with Marshal 
 Bessieres ; we have played together like boys of fifteen. 
 You used to rise early in the morning ; you must take 
 that habit up again. This will not disturb the Princess. 
 If you retire at eleven and finish your work at six in the 
 evening, you have ten hours for working by rising at 
 seven or eight. 
 
 Eugene evidently paid but little attention to 
 Napoleon's advice not to overwork himself. The
 
 44 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 Emperor returns to the subject again, and this 
 time points out grave reasons for obeying his 
 commands on the working question, as it no 
 longer concerns himself alone : — 
 
 My Son, — I wrote you a short time ago, advising a 
 hunting-lodge. It is very important that the Italian no- 
 bility should accustom themselves to riding horseback ; 
 the exercise and the fatigue can only be for their advan- 
 tage. It is a great deal better for them to take this 
 pastime than to be dallying around the ladies all the 
 time. Besides, this relaxation is absolutely necessary 
 for you. 
 
 It is a rare thing for a father-in-law to write to 
 a daughter-in-law, especially if the latter is young, 
 beautiful, and captivating, reproaching her for 
 leading too exemplary a life. This was Napo- 
 leon's case, however. He wrote to the Vice- 
 Queen, during the summer following her mar- 
 riage, and when Eugene was obliged to be absent 
 frequently, — 
 
 My Daughter, — I can conceive the solitude which 
 must be yours, all alone in Lombardy ; but Eugene will 
 soon return, and you never know how much you love a 
 person until you meet the loved one again after an 
 absence, — as we never appreciate our good health until 
 we have lost it. 
 
 It is necessary in many ways that you should have 
 company and amuse yourself.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 45 
 
 All the news which comes to me from Italy tells me 
 that you lead too quiet a life. I am always happy to 
 obtain news of you, and I inquire of every one returning 
 from your Court It is very pleasing to me to learn 
 that every one considers you perfect. 
 
 Even during the rapid campaign in Russia, 
 which terminated in the famous victory of Jena, 
 Napoleon found time to address a few loving 
 notes to the Vice-Queen, such as this, dated 
 from Berlin : — 
 
 My Daughter, — I received your letter. You do 
 wrong to think that I could forget you. You know how 
 much I love and esteem you. In all circumstances 
 which may present themselves, you will have proofs 
 which can leave no doubt in your mind. 
 
 Believe in my constant desire to do everything that is 
 pleasing to you. 
 
 In another note he returns to his pressing 
 admonitions that she should lead a gayer life : 
 
 My Daughter, — I received your letter. I read it 
 with the same pleasure which I take in everything which 
 comes from you. Try to be gayer and take more recre- 
 ation than you do now. It is necessary at your age. 
 
 Eugene continued, in the mean time, to give 
 himself up to his absorbing occupations with an 
 indefatigable assiduity, as this extract from Baron 
 Darnay shows : —
 
 46 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 "Nothing which appertained to the Minister of War, 
 to the direct orders of the Emperor, to his correspon- 
 dence, ever left his cabinet; simple extracts from these 
 letters were sent to the Chancellor, which touched upon 
 business matters concerning him. The Prince worked 
 not less than ten or twelve hours a day." 
 
 Each day a special courier set out from Paris 
 for Milan, and in less than ninety hours bore 
 the Emperor's despatches to Eugene, and with 
 equal celerity carried those of the Viceroy to 
 Napoleon. It was necessary to re-organise every- 
 thing in this new kingdom, — the army, adminis- 
 tration, tribunals, customs, and departments of all 
 kinds. The impulse given by the Viceroy was 
 so powerful that in six months after his arrival 
 Milan was so totally changed as to be unrecog- 
 nisable. Activity reigned on all sides, industries 
 were making rapid strides, and the pomp and 
 luxury so dear to Italian hearts were the order of 
 the day. Although Napoleon scolded, he was 
 well content, and he never ceased to give expres- 
 sion to his satisfaction with the Viceroy and his 
 affection for him. He conferred the Order of 
 the Iron Crown upon him some little time after 
 his marriage. In reply to Eugene's letter of 
 recognition for this favour, he wrote: —
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 47 
 
 My Son, — I am delighted to know that the decora- 
 tion of the Order of the Iron Crown, which I sent you, 
 has pleased you. I am happy circumstances are such 
 that I can give you these proofs of my love. I can 
 add nothing to the feelings I bear for you ; my heart 
 knows nothing dearer than you. These sentiments are 
 unchangeable. 
 
 Every time I see you show evidence of talent, or 
 hear something to your credit, my heart is filled with 
 satisfaction. 
 
 Eugene, who always exhibited in the adminis- 
 tration of his new kingdom a wise and enlight- 
 ened moderation and an extreme watchfulness 
 over his subordinates and subjects, at the same 
 time gave ample proof of an energetic dignity 
 worthy of the great man whom he represented. 
 
 When his enemies endeavoured to effect the 
 landing of Anglo-Russian troops on the shores 
 of Italy, Eugene defeated these plans by a series 
 of measures so prompt and firm that Napoleon, 
 upon learning of them, cried out anew, as he had 
 already done on the battle-field of Austerlitz : " I 
 well knew into whose hands I had confided my 
 sword in Italy!"
 
 48 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 III. 
 
 It was at this time, during this marvellous 
 epoch, that Napoleon seemed to fly from one 
 victory to another. 
 
 This is the proud bulletin he sent to Eugene, 
 after the battle of Jena, in which the Prussians 
 were overwhelmingly defeated : — 
 
 My Son, — The army of the King of Prussia no 
 longer exists. The entire army at Jena (160,000 men) 
 have been killed, wounded, or taken prisoners. Not one 
 man crossed the Oder. I am master of their strong- 
 holds, Spandau and Stettin; my troops are on the 
 borders of Poland. The King of Prussia is across the 
 Vistula. Barely 10,000 men remain to him. I am 
 pretty well satisfied with the people of Berlin. I send 
 you the different decrees which you need. The four 
 regiments of cuirassiers should have set out ere this. 
 Let me know when they reach the Danube. 
 
 And so this letter, written at the beginning 
 of the new year, expressed his unceasing desire 
 to see the Vice-Queen give an heir to France 
 who would become a Prince and a soldier in the 
 future : — 
 
 My Daughter, — For love of you, I have given 
 orders that the members of the House of Strelitz shall
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 49 
 
 be treated with the greatest consideration. Your grand- ^ 
 
 mother is very quiet. Your aunt, the Queen of Prus- \jr 
 sia, on the other hand, was very unruly ; but she is so 
 unhappy to-day that it is unjust to speak against her. 
 I hope to hear from you soon that you have a fine boy; 
 but, if you give me a daughter, I pray that she may be 
 as amiable and as good as you are. 
 
 Napoleon's apprehensions were well founded. 
 A daughter was born on March 14, 1807, and 
 received, among others, the names of Maximili- 
 enne Eugenie. The Viceroy sent one of his 
 equerries to Paris, to announce the birth of her 
 grand-daughter to Josephine. 
 
 Notwithstanding his absorbing anxieties in his 
 operations against Prussia and Russia, Napoleon 
 found time to inquire for the health of the Prin- 
 cess. As soon as the news of the child's birth 
 was made known to him, he indicated by letter 
 to Eugene his desire that the baby should 
 receive a name dear to them both. Surely no 
 order could have been easier to execute : — 
 
 My Son, — I congratulate you on the Princess's ac- 
 couchement. I am impatient to learn that she is well 
 and out of danger, and I hope that your daughter will 
 be as good and amiable as her mother. It is a duty 
 with you to endeavour to have a son next year. The 
 means you have taken to record the child's birth are 
 vol. 1. — 4 
 
 ^
 
 50 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 very satisfactory. The Master of Seals must be in- 
 structed to send the papers to Paris, to be recorded in 
 my family register. Have them addressed to M. Cam- 
 baceres, to whom I have made my wishes known. Have 
 iy^^ the little girl called Josephine. 
 
 The Princess Augusta was too near Napoleon's 
 heart, too intimately one of his chosen family, not 
 to tender him a filial affection in his sorrows as 
 well as his joys. Thus at the time of the death 
 of the Queen of Holland's young son, upon whose 
 frail head Napoleon had for one moment thought 
 of placing his own heavy crown, the Vice-Queen 
 wrote a deeply affecting letter to Napoleon. The 
 Emperor replied from the spot which marked the 
 summit of his greatness, — Tilsit : — 
 
 My Daughter, — I received your letter of June 2d. 
 I thank you for your kind words relative to little Napo- 
 leon. His mother is very unreasonable and mourns too 
 deeply; we must have courage, and learn to resign our- 
 selves to the inevitable. I am very anxious to see little 
 Josephine, and hope that she resembles her mother. 
 
 Eugene bitterly regretted not having been able 
 to take any part in the victories of Austerlitz and 
 Jena. Urgent and exceptionally useful as was 
 his role of Governor in Italy, he was disconsolate 
 at being kept away from these battle-fields. But
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 51 
 
 he was consoled at finding himself the father of a 
 charming little daughter, and by the intense satis- 
 faction which Napoleon showed when, towards the 
 end of the year, he visited Milan to witness the 
 excellent results of the Viceroy's incessant labours. 
 The Emperor was so entirely content with the 
 admirable organisation to which Eugene had 
 brought his kingdom in so short a time, that he 
 publicly announced, in default of a legitimate or 
 natural heir, that Eugene should be his successor 
 to the Crown of Italy. This was when conferring 
 on him the title of the Prince of Venice. 
 
 The incoming of the New Year furnishing 
 Eugene with an opportunity to thank Napoleon, 
 the latter sent with the following despatch the 
 gift dearest to the heart of a soldier: — 
 
 January 3, 1808. 
 My Son, — I thank you for your New Year's letter. 
 I send you, as a New Year's gift, a sword which I carried 
 on the battle-fields in Italy. I hope it will bring you 
 good luck, and that you will use it with glory if the 
 circumstances ever oblige you to draw it in defence of 
 your country. 
 
 Eugene's work had been well worthy of Napo- 
 leon's approbation. When the Kingdom of Italy 
 had been created, its army barely consisted of 
 from twelve to fifteen thousand men. Now the 
 
 CATHOLIC WGM SCHOOL LIBRARY 
 SANTA BAttBARA, CALIFORNIA
 
 1/ 
 
 52 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 government had by diligence brought the num- 
 ber up to fifty thousand men, well disciplined and 
 ready to march upon the enemy. 
 
 Eugene had also effected miracles in his ad- 
 ministration of the finances. Notwithstanding 
 the great works of public utility and embellish- 
 ment which he had undertaken, he economised 
 for the benefit of the Italian treasury to the sum 
 of ten or twelve millions a year, merely because 
 he set himself the task of preventing fraud and 
 wastefulness. His rigorous honesty earned for 
 him, as we shall see later, the hatred and calumny 
 of powerful enemies. 
 
 About the end of 1808, the Princess gave birth 
 to a second daughter, who later became Princess 
 de Hohenzollern. A few days later, December 
 31, 1808, Eugene, in renewing, as was his habit, 
 his " absolute devotion " to Napoleon, could not 
 restrain this cry of a soldier condemned to the 
 inaction of peace when he burned with impatience 
 to shine once more on the battle-field : — 
 
 " My life is entirely at the service of Your Majesty ; and 
 I find, to my great regret, that it is worth so little to you, 
 since for so long a time it has been of so little use." 
 
 This noble consecration was soon to be accepted.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 The Campaign of 1809. — Mobilisation of the Army of Italy 
 under the Command of Eugene. — His Private Correspond- 
 ence with the Princess. — Italy Invaded. — A Defeat — Bul- 
 letins of Victory. — Pursuing the Enemy. — March upon 
 Bruck. — Campaign in Hungary. — Eugene wins the Dazzling 
 Victory of Raab. — Triumphal Return to Milan. 
 
 I. 
 
 FOR some time Napoleon had been preparing 
 the plans for a new campaign, and Eugene 
 was called upon to take a most active part in it. 
 Austria had fermented a national revolt among 
 the fanatical inhabitants of the Tyrol. By incit- 
 ing an uprising of the excitable students of the 
 celebrated Union de la Vertue (Tugenbund), she 
 had endeavoured to stir against Napoleon all 
 Germany's young blood, at that time filled with a 
 patriotic enthusiasm, and inspired with a horror 
 of the French yoke. 
 
 Austria pretended to act in this war, not in 
 defence of her rights, but as the liberator of 
 Europe.
 
 54 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 When war was declared, the Viceroy, for the 
 first time acting as commander-in-chief, sent forth 
 from Udine, where he had taken command of his 
 troops, an energetic proclamation to his army. I 
 will merely cull this extract as an example of 
 military eloquence: — 
 
 " Generals, officers, and soldiers, you hold the title of 
 the Army of Italy. Is there need for me to say more to 
 you? Does not this title demand of you a repetition 
 of the great deeds which it recalls? For a long time 
 you have been suffering from inactivity ; but thanks to 
 your enemies, the day of glory has now dawned for 
 you." 
 
 This proclamation is dated the ioth of April ; 
 but Eugene had already quitted Milan on the 4th 
 of the same month to take command of the army. 
 The day after his departure, at seven o'clock in 
 the evening, he wrote to the Vice-Queen the first 
 of a long series of private correspondence, filled 
 with most tender and touching sentiments. 
 
 The reading of these letters, in which is de- 
 picted so delicately the soul of so lovable a 
 man as was our hero, Eugene, caused me a 
 tender emotion, which I hope will be shared by 
 my readers. It is, so to speak, a romance of 
 love, enclosed in the midst of the most startling
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 55 
 
 changes of fortune known to history, which I will 
 endeavour to place before your eyes. 
 
 Here is the first letter. You can perceive with 
 what ardour the Prince at once set about perform- 
 ing his duties. Arduous though they were, they 
 did not prevent him from frequently repeating his 
 sentiments toward his loved ones: — 
 
 Verona, April 5, 1809. 
 
 I arrived at the gates of Verona two hours after noon, 
 my dear, good Augusta, and I at once mounted my 
 horse to pass the troops in review ; afterwards I visited 
 the arsenal, and had hardly returned here before I 
 received a delegation of the city authorities. I am 
 about to sit down to table ; it is seven o'clock in the 
 evening. After dinner I shall take a carriage and set 
 out for Trente and Lavis. I cannot tell if to-morrow 
 will be sufficient to enable me to inspect this part of the 
 country. We are having it very cold here. Last night 
 I did not close an eye. Would you believe it, we found 
 snow at Brescia, and that to-day, during my review, we 
 stood in it up to our ankles? There are three inches 
 on the ground everywhere ; it is really extraordinary. 
 I hope your health is good, my dear Augusta, as that 
 of our little flock. I have scarcely left you all, and yet I 
 am anxious to see you again. 
 
 Adieu, my darling Augusta, my loving wife; you 
 know, I hope, my sentiments towards you; they will 
 never change.
 
 56 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 The next day Eugene set out for the Tyrol, 
 He wished to satisfy himself of the reality of 
 these insurgent preparations, to reconnoitre the 
 ground over which they would operate, and, above 
 all, to find a good road for his artillery. The 
 second letter, written two days after the first one, 
 gives a detailed account to the Princess of this 
 fatiguing expedition, partly made on foot: — 
 
 Verona, April 7, 1809. 
 
 My dear and good Augusta, — I am just returned 
 from my long journey into the Tyrol. Since I wrote you 
 from here, — that is, the day before yesterday, — I have 
 travelled two hundred and fifty miles, in carriage, on 
 horseback, or on foot. There was a great deal of snow 
 in the mountains. It was not possible for me to keep my 
 incognito. I dined at the inn, with the principal men of 
 the county ; three of them were Bavarians. We, as you 
 can easily understand, spoke of you ; and, as you can also 
 understand, it was the one subject which afforded me 
 the most pleasure. Interested in the conversation, I 
 forgot the hour, and midnight sounded as we were rising 
 from table. I set out to-night for Mestre ; and I can 
 only stop over two hours at Vicence to inspect the 
 troops. 
 
 I have little time to myself, as I am making out a full 
 report for His Majesty on my journey through the 
 Tyrol. I must draw this letter to a close, but not before 
 expressing all my sentiments towards you. I beg you
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 57 
 
 take care of yourself and of our two little cherubs, and I 
 embrace all three as I love you, with all my strength. 
 
 Reaching Mestre at four o'clock, it was not 
 until midnight, when his companions in arms 
 were sleeping, and overcome with fatigue, that he 
 could spare a few moments to send news of him- 
 self to his dear absent ones ; and he wrote in the 
 following terms: — 
 
 Mestre, April 8, 1809, Midnight. 
 
 I can only write you a few lines, my dear Augusta. I 
 passed a division of the army in review this morning at 
 Vicence. I reached here at four o'clock, and immedi- 
 ately mounted my horse to visit the fortifications. On 
 returning, I dined, and I have worked unceasingly until 
 just this moment. All my staff are dozing and snoring 
 on chairs in the neighbouring salon, waiting for me to 
 get into my carriage. I will be at Udine to-morrow 
 evening; there, as everywhere, you will always be with 
 me, and my heart and my time are really divided between 
 my work and the pleasure of occupying my thoughts 
 with my little family. 
 
 I embrace you with all my heart, and our little love- 
 pledges as well. 
 
 The same day on which he sent out his noble 
 proclamation of which I cited an extract further 
 back, proud of the fine condition of his men, his 
 heart filled with a manly joy and confidence in
 
 58 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 the future, Eugene wrote with adoring and loving 
 expressions, and in a delicately charming manner, 
 sending his kisses to the dear ones who were his 
 whole happiness. He thus terminates a letter 
 dated from Udine (April ioth): — 
 
 "Adieu, my good and tender wife. I finish with 
 regret, but not without renewing to you the assurance 
 of all my love. A thousand kisses to share between you 
 and our little ones. You will tell me how you distributed 
 them." 
 
 Certain severe critics may perhaps find this 
 way of expressing his affections as a husband and 
 a father too bourgeois. But I hope that the 
 greater number may, like myself, find these letters 
 most sincere and touching. They are the true 
 expression of a pure and strong love ; and that 
 alone is sufficient to ennoble them and to endow 
 them with real interest. 
 
 II. 
 
 The next day, April 9, 1809, hostilities being 
 commenced, the Prince hastened to re-assure the 
 Princess in these affectionate terms, and to calm 
 the loving uneasiness which he foresaw would be 
 hers : —
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 59 
 
 Udine, April 9, 1809. 
 Rest perfectly tranquil, my dear and well beloved 
 Augusta. War has been declared since yesterday 
 morning, and, at a moment when least expected, our 
 outposts were attacked; I am gathering my troops 
 together. Do not allow yourself to be worried ; I hope 
 we shall come out of the affair in good shape. In spirit 
 I embrace you. 
 
 The first engagement between Eugene's army 
 and the Austrians was a victory for the Italians. 
 From the battle-field, the young Viceroy sent 
 these few rapidly written lines, which were worthy 
 of being signed by Bernais : — 
 
 April 12, 1809. 
 
 You have doubtless been very uneasy during the last 
 thirty-six hours, my very, very dear Augusta; and yet 
 there was no reason for it. The enemy attacked us on 
 all sides in pretty large numbers. The Austrians have 
 lost five or six hundred men, and we have taken two 
 hundred prisoners. 
 
 Good-by, my dear one; take good care of yourself 
 and my little ones, and do not be frightened about me. 
 A thousand kisses. 
 
 The first pitched battle, fought April 16, at 
 Sacile, was, frankly speaking, lost. Eugene's 
 generals, marching under his orders for the first 
 time, felt little of the confidence so necessary 
 towards the commander-in-chief, in this young
 
 60 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 man of twenty-seven years, and in consequence 
 failed to co-operate as they should have done with 
 him. The Austrians, it is true, had a much 
 better organised and larger army than that put 
 at his step-son's disposal by Napoleon. This 
 oversight on his part was due to the fact that he 
 had no thought of the enemy attacking the Ital- 
 ian army before the month of May. Indeed, this 
 was the Prince's debut as a commander, and he 
 had his own personal experience to acquire. But 
 all these excuses, notwithstanding their legiti- 
 macy, did not present themselves to Eugene. 
 For him this defeat, after twelve years of military 
 services commenced at the early age of fifteen 
 years, was, to his mind, a humiliating one, and he 
 cried out in anguish that never was there a battle 
 so completely lost. 
 
 He was soon to make up for this disaster by a 
 series of brilliant victories. The letter written to 
 the Princess two days after his defeat is unfor- 
 tunately lost, but in the following, it can be seen 
 that while frankly acknowledging his reverse, he 
 was no longer overwhelmed with despair as to 
 the future of the French army, and that, in his 
 unhappiness, he gave more thought to his wife's 
 fate than to his own: —
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 6 1 
 
 Trevise, April 18, 1809, Midday. 
 When I wrote you yesterday, my dear Augusta, I was 
 in despair, because I had before my eyes the recent 
 complete overthrow of our army. To-day I am more 
 tranquil, and I have regained my courage ; the enemy 
 has not profited by his advantages, but I have profited 
 by his idiocy, and have rallied my troops together. If 
 the news from the Tyrol is good, there is still a great 
 deal of hope for us. Adieu, my dear Augusta; rest 
 tranquil. If, contrary to all expectations, the enemy 
 marches from the Tyrol upon Verona or Brescia, you 
 must at once take steps to leave Milan and go to Turin, 
 even as far as Lyons, if necessary; this is in case of 
 anything extraordinary happening. Adieu, my be- 
 loved Augusta I tremble for your health ; I am afraid 
 this news will make you ill, and I am anxiously awaiting 
 a reply to this. 
 
 The day after the battle, Eugene had not 
 delayed confessing his defeat to the Emperor, 
 without offering the slightest shadow of an ex- 
 cuse. " As it became," he wrote, " more neces- 
 sary every day to open out on the enemy, I 
 fought them yesterday, and I have the misfortune 
 to be obliged to announce to Your Majesty that 
 I lost the battle." 
 
 Then, after relating the circumstances, he added, 
 anxious to take all blame from his subordi- 
 nates, —
 
 62 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 " It may appear extraordinary, but it is nevertheless 
 true that several brave deeds were performed yesterday, 
 and that our corps did their duty nobly." 
 
 Augusta, true to her charming character, wrote 
 to her husband, three days after the battle, to try 
 and console him for his defeat. We can see by 
 the following how Eugene in his misfortune was 
 deeply affected by this proof of affection, which, 
 unfortunately, we are unable to reproduce here: 
 
 Mestre, April 20, 1809. 
 
 Your letter of the 19th brought tears to my eyes, my 
 dear, tender-hearted Augusta ; no doubt I did wrong to 
 give way to my disappointment, but when I wrote you, 
 even a ray of hope was denied me. It seems that 
 Chasteler is marching on the Tyrol; he has already 
 passed Trente, and thus I am obliged to return to 
 Adige. The army will be there two days. 
 
 The courage you have displayed calms my troubled 
 spirit, and you well merit the loving sentiments I feel 
 towards you. 
 
 With a charming feminine delicacy, to recall to 
 him that even after having lost a battle he has not 
 lost everything, the Princess sends him her por- 
 trait. Eugene thanks her in these few words : 
 
 Trevise, April 19, 1809. 
 I have only time to write you a few lines, my dear 
 Augusta. We have been very quiet all day; our spirits
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 63 
 
 are reviving, and we already see a remedy ahead of us 
 for all our ills. 
 
 I send a thousand kisses to yourself and our two little 
 ones, and I am for life your loving and faithful husband. 
 
 I thank you for your portrait, which Lacroix trans- 
 mitted to me this morning; nothing could give me 
 greater happiness than to have my charming little 
 family under my eyes. 
 
 But only one thing will bring back joy to the 
 soldier's heart, and that is a victory. His only 
 dream is to be able soon to measure his forces 
 with the enemy, in order to efface the remem- 
 brance of his defeat. He writes from Vicence 
 three days later: — 
 
 Vicence, April 23, 1809. 
 I did not write to you yesterday, as I was on my horse 
 nearly all day, and was very tired in the evening (you 
 cannot imagine what trouble I have had in re-organising 
 the army). The news from the Tyrol is very much less 
 grave than I was led to believe at first. Adieu, my 
 darling wife. I am well, but I shall never be perfectly 
 happy until I have taken up the offensive (which will 
 be in a few days, I hope), and more than all, when I can 
 send you tidings of a grand victory. 
 
 Later, in the course of his march on the enemy, 
 he writes : — 
 
 Caldiero, April 26, 1809. 
 I embrace you in spirit, my dear and loving Augusta. 
 I have been on horseback all day; I am impatiently
 
 64 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 awaiting the evening's reports of the enemy's position. 
 I do not think anything new will turn up to-morrow. I 
 am very well, and I am naturally desirous of doing 
 something worthy of you. 
 
 Thus we see that he gives expression to his 
 inmost thoughts to the Princess. He ardently 
 desires success, that she should be proud of him. 
 But the enemy evaded the encounter which 
 Eugene sought so assiduously. The Viceroy 
 openly took the defensive, and in his forward 
 march gained a small victory, which argued well 
 for the future. The fact that he could prove his 
 readiness to enter the lists again with the enemy 
 gave him great satisfaction : — 
 
 MONTEBELLO, May 2, 1809, I A. M. 
 
 From daybreak we have been pursuing the enemy, 
 dear Augusta, and we have a slight skirmish at this 
 place with his rear-guard. Our advance-guard, com- 
 manded by General de Broc, had a sharp encounter, 
 and our troops only withdrew upon my orders ; we took 
 about five hundred prisoners, and lost about forty men 
 on our side. I hope to join forces with the enemy at 
 Piave. I have received word from the Emperor, and he 
 was not very angry at my lost battle. I am very well, 
 and we are all very happy at the prospects of continu- 
 ously advancing. I hope to find some faces ahead of 
 us that will be much surprised at seeing us again.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 65 
 
 Adieu, my darling Augusta; I love you and embrace 
 you, and through you our little cherubs. 
 
 Eugene redoubled his efforts to lose no chance 
 of meeting the enemy. He was on horseback all 
 day, and rarely found leisure to converse by letter 
 with his dear wife. This simple note of May 4th 
 speaks for itself : — 
 
 San-Pietro, May 4, 1809. 
 Bonjour, my dear Augusta ; I could not write you yes- 
 terday, and I have little time to do so to-day. I was on 
 horseback all day yesterday surveying the Brenta. The 
 Austrians have burned all the bridges, and I have been 
 obliged to construct rafts. To-morrow morning the 
 entire army will have passed over ; their rear-guard 
 have been before us all day, but I think they will march 
 away to-night. But for a little fatigue, I am well, and I 
 love thee ! 
 
 At last a bright day dawned for Eugene; it 
 would have been more brilliant still if the enemy 
 had not baffled him : — 
 
 Castelfranco, May 6, 1809, 6 a. m. 
 Yesterday was a lucky day for us, my dear Augusta ; 
 the results are : three hundred men killed, eleven hun- 
 dred prisoners ; our loss amounts to about one hundred 
 and twenty men. Yesterday I was at the head of all 
 the cavalry ; as soon as we had crossed the Brenta, we 
 pursued the enemy for seven miles, with havoc for him, 
 but we were never able to bring him face to face with 
 vol. 1. — 5
 
 66 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 us; I hope we shall meet him to-day on the Piave. 
 Cavaletti can tell you all the details ; but what he can- 
 not tell you, are my loving sentiments towards you. 
 
 The pursuit continued unabated ; but Eugene 
 despaired of overtaking the enemy, and regretted 
 the hours lost in endeavouring to force him into 
 battle. At last, on May 8th, the occasion pre- 
 sented itself, and the Prince seized it with impet- 
 uosity. By a bold attack he succeeded in routing 
 the Austrians. 
 
 The joy with which Eugene announced a real 
 victory to the Princess, in a bulletin as laconic and 
 precise as the success he had just gained had been 
 rapid and complete, may easily be imagined : — 
 
 Cornegliano, May 9, 1809. 
 At last I have gained a great victory, my good and 
 tender Augusta. The Emperor will, I hope, be satisfied 
 with us. Yesterday we made a very bold attack, for the 
 army crossed the Piave in full view of the Austrian 
 troops who were in retreat ; and yet three fourths of 
 my soldiers did not fire a gunshot. The cavalry covered 
 themselves with glory. The results of the battle are : 
 fourteen pieces of cannon, at least twenty-five to thirty 
 caissons, three thousand prisoners, including two gen- 
 erals, eight staff officers, and forty to fifty other officers ; 
 besides which, they lost two generals, and three were 
 seriously wounded. Give this good news out in Milan, 
 and I hope the people will be pleased to hear it.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE, 67 
 
 Adieu, my dear wife, I am going to try and follow 
 up my success. 
 
 From that time on, success seemed to reward 
 his every effort. Three days later Eugene de- 
 feated the Austrians at Saint-Daniel, and he sent 
 a short note to the Princess announcing the 
 
 fact : — 
 
 Saint-Daniel, May 12, 1809. 
 
 We fought a very brilliant battle yesterday at this 
 place, my dear Augusta.' The enemy's whole rear- 
 guard were in position on the heights above this city ; 
 the firing had already commenced when I arrived with 
 my advance-guard. I planned the attack, which was 
 lively and successful: we made fifteen hundred pris- 
 oners, of which twenty-two were officers, and captured 
 the flag of the Kieske regiment The enemy lost more 
 than six hundred men, killed and wounded ; our loss 
 might be estimated as being at two hundred and fifty 
 men. The other divisions of the army arrived after all 
 was over. I embrace you in spirit. 
 
 Eugene followed the enemy to the frontiers of 
 the kingdom, — the Austrians trying to evade 
 the risks of a great battle ; and, in the letter which 
 follows, the Viceroy jestingly scolds them for 
 constantly fleeing : — 
 
 Pontebello, May 1 5, 1809, Midday. 
 Here I am at Pontebello, my very dear Augusta, that 
 is to say, on the frontiers of the kingdom ; our outposts
 
 68 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 are in Malborghetto, which the enemy had fortified : I 
 have been there this morning already, inspecting their 
 works. These rascally Austrians, to enable them to 
 retreat more easily, have cut down all the bridges, and 
 there are two of them so completely ruined that it will 
 take at least a month to put them in condition for the 
 waggons to pass over. You can judge how all these 
 inconveniences enrage me ! My health is very good ; 
 I am very much fatigued, but I shall be well recom- 
 pensed for all that if the Emperor is only contented. 
 Adieu, my dear Augusta; always continue to love me. 
 I embrace you, and through you our little ones ; a kind 
 remembrance to the ladies of your Court. 
 
 III. 
 
 The campaign commenced to map itself out in 
 the most favourable aspect. Driven out of Italy, 
 the Austrians began to prepare to defend their 
 own territory ; but they were not long in retreat- 
 ing in great disorder before the attacks of the 
 Viceroy's army. And in effect, on the 17th of 
 May, they were routed from their intrenchments 
 by a coup de main, redounding entirely to Eugene's 
 glory ; for he, notwithstanding his generals' advice 
 to the contrary, ordered an attack on an enemy 
 protected by redoubtable strongholds, and gained 
 a complete victory, worthy of effacing in Napo-
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 69 
 
 leon's mind the remembrance of his preceding 
 defeat. Indifferent to the fatigue of such a day, 
 he was still up at midnight and writing these 
 lines to the Princess, breathing the joy of triumph, 
 and at the same time a warm affection coming 
 from the depths of his heart: — 
 
 May 17, 1809, Midnight. 
 I hasten, my dear Augusta, to announce my great 
 news to you. The 17th of May is for the Italian army 
 one of the most brilliant days in its military annals : 
 this morning we captured a fort looked upon as impreg- 
 nable, and yet our grenadiers took it at the point of the 
 bayonet. Nearly all the garrison were put to the sword ; 
 they only took three hundred prisoners from us. I set 
 out at once to rejoin the advance-guard ; I found them 
 at Tarvis. I immediately reconnoitred the enemy, and 
 made up my mind they were preparing to attack us last 
 night or this morning. Although there still remained 
 but two hours before daybreak, I mapped out the attack, 
 and it was made on my right, on which side was sta- 
 tioned the Italian division commanded by Fontanelli. 
 The fire was sharp, decisive, and successful ; the rest of 
 the army had hardly time to fire a shot. The enemy 
 was chased for six miles in the greatest disorder. I 
 cannot just now compute the total result of the day, but 
 we must certainly have captured two thousand or three 
 thousand prisoners, twenty to twenty-five pieces of 
 cannon, and God knows how many we will gather up 
 to-morrow. The battle was a hot one; we have lost
 
 70 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 about three hundred men, and the enemy's bullets tes- 
 tify in the ravaging evidences of their work of destruc- 
 tion to the fierce encounter of this great day. 
 
 I hope the Emperor will be content; I myself am well 
 satisfied. I tell you this in confidence : I am more than 
 content with myself, from the fact that this attack was 
 my own idea, and that I was advised against it, on 
 account of the enemy's strong intrenchments ; but I held 
 to my given orders, and the result has proved my good 
 judgment, — a few hours later, and we should have been 
 defeated ourselves. I am very well. For the last few 
 nights I have not slept at all, but everything is going 
 along smoothly. Adieu, my dear Augusta; announce 
 this good news to your Court, and love me as I love you ! 
 
 The decisive success of the Grand Army, under 
 Napoleon, and Eugene's unrelenting pursuit were 
 a severe reverse to Archduke John, General of 
 the Austrian troops. Four days after the date 
 of the preceding letter, Eugene was at Klagen- 
 furth, in Carinthia, en route to join forces with 
 Napoleon's army. As can be seen by the few 
 lines addressed from this place to the Vice-Queen, 
 if he found time neither to sleep nor to change 
 his clothes, he still found plenty of time to think 
 of his cherished companion : — 
 
 Klagenfurth, May 26, 1809, 6 p. m. 
 Here I am, encamped at Klagenfurth with a part of 
 the army, my dear Augusta; and four leagues farther on,
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 7 1 
 
 at Marburg, is my light infantry. We shall probably 
 march seven or eight days longer without meeting the 
 enemy, as he is retreating in great haste; and in the 
 mean time I am manoeuvring to join the Emperor. I 
 could not write yesterday, as I had worked a great deal 
 and slept but little; but I told Bataille to write to 
 Madame Wurmbs. I receive your sweet letters every 
 day, and I hope you realise all the pleasure they give 
 me. It has rained here excessively all day. I have no 
 change of clothes with me, as my baggage is two days' 
 journey behind me, and I am afraid I cannot get it 
 before to-morrow ; I am like a little Saint John, with a 
 single coat on my back, for I have lost my cape. 
 Those bridges destroyed by the enemy have played 
 the devil with us. 
 
 Five days later Eugene gained another victory, 
 at Saint-Michel, when he attacked and routed the 
 most important corps in the Austrian army. The 
 animated picture of this happy day, which he 
 drew for the Princess, is not overdrawn, if we 
 compare it with the accounts of contemporaneous 
 historians. For instance, Seel writes, — 
 
 " About two o'clock, the attack commenced along the 
 line. Before the fire had fully developed, Eugene arrived 
 with the rapidity of lightning to take command of the 
 troops. He at once ordered the assault at bayonet- 
 point ; the heights of Saint-Michel were soon the scene 
 of terror and disorder among the enemy's troops, who 
 fled in wild dismay."
 
 72 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 But let Eugene speak for himself : — 
 
 Saint-Michel, May 26, 1809, 6 a. m. 
 
 Again good news, my darling Augusta; but this 
 news is really excellent. I was fortunate enough, after 
 three days of extraordinary marching, to be able to 
 overtake the corps of the Austrian army commanded by 
 General Jellachich, who was defeated by the Bavarians 
 at Salzburg, though since then he has had some success. 
 This corps, reinforced by several battalions, came from 
 the interior and took up their position in front of us 
 yesterday morning, after a march of forty miles, upon 
 the slope of Saint-Michel (it is a superb position). I 
 reached the outposts at eleven o'clock. I at once 
 arranged the plan of attack. I hurried a second divi- 
 sion to my assistance ; and this corps of Jellachich's, 
 seven or eight thousand men strong, was totally 
 annihilated in two hours: hardly six hundred men 
 gained the mountains. General Jellachich saved him- 
 self with only sixty dragoons ; the Austrians had eight 
 hundred killed at least, twelve hundred wounded, and 
 we have already counted forty-five hundred prisoners, 
 of whom seventy are officers. You will read more de- 
 tails in the papers, and you will no doubt see the names 
 of Triaire and De Lacroix mentioned ; they made some 
 splendid charges. 
 
 I am very well satisfied, because I think the Emperor 
 will be. It is a great thing for us to have destroyed a 
 corps of the Grand Army. They assure me that Gen- 
 eral John is at Gratz ; if he comes to Bruck, we shall 
 meet him to-night or to-morrow. There are barely
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 73 
 
 twelve or fifteen thousand men left of this brilliant 
 army of fifty thousand. It was of the utmost impor- 
 tance to prevent the reunion of Jellachich and Prince 
 John. In one month we have captured twenty thou- 
 sand prisoners and one hundred and forty pieces of 
 cannon from the enemy. 
 
 I beg of you, give these good tidings to my sister and 
 mother, as well as to the King of Bavaria ; I have not 
 time to write to them. Tell them also to your Court. 
 I like to think that they will please the people of Milan. 
 Adieu, my dear Augusta; you know my love and ten- 
 derness for you, and that they will never change. 
 
 Eugene reached Bruck in Austria with an 
 unheard-of rapidity, and the 27th of May he ef- 
 fected his reunion with the Grand Army. The 
 Emperor was delighted with this bold step, and 
 cried out, on learning of it, " Nobody but 
 Eugene could have reached Bruck to-day; the 
 heart alone is capable of accomplishing such 
 marvels ! " 
 
 The Emperor addressed a proclamation to the 
 Italian army, in which the well-merited praises 
 were very flattering to Eugene and his soldiers. 
 He hastened to impart them the next day to 
 the Vice-Queen: — j^. 
 
 Bruck, May 28, 1809, 12.30 p.m. 
 I am overwhelmed with joy, my dear Augusta ; the 
 Emperor wrote me a charming letter, as soon as he
 
 74 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 learned of our junction. He appears well satisfied, and 
 he has ordered me to publish in the Italian army the 
 enclosed proclamation. You will see by it that he 
 gives proof of his great satisfaction with my actions. 
 Really we have made unheard-of marches, notwith- 
 standing the battles and the numberless obstacles the 
 enemy has placed in our path. I hope all these good 
 tidings will please Milan. The King of Bavaria will 
 also learn with joy that we have destroyed the corps 
 of the army which worked him the most injury. 
 
 At last Eugene arrived in Vienna, May 29th, 
 and at once set out to find the Emperor at his 
 headquarters at Ebersdorf, a quarter of a mile 
 by carriage from the city. He reached there 
 about five o'clock in the evening. Baron Dar- 
 nay, who had the honour of accompanying him, 
 and was the happy witness of the flattering re- 
 ception the Prince received from His Majesty 
 and the whole staff, relates how the Emperor 
 hurried to meet Eugene in the doorway and 
 pressed him closely in his arms, then presenting 
 him to the marshals and the Major-General, 
 cried out : " It is not only courage which brings 
 Eugene here, it is his heart also ! " 
 
 The same evening of this cordial reception, the 
 witness goes on to say : " The Emperor seemed 
 to be carried away in an extraordinary manner by
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 75 
 
 his admiration of Eugene." The latter, with his 
 accustomed modesty, contented himself with writ- 
 ing these few lines to the Princess : — 
 
 Ebersdorf, May 29, 1809, Midnight. 
 I reached here at midday from Vienna, my dear 
 Augusta, and I immediately repaired to the Emperor's 
 headquarters. He was extremely kind and loving to 
 me, and repeated that he was well satisfied with me 
 and my manoeuvres of the Italian army. 
 
 IV. 
 
 The campaign, however, was by no means 
 ended. The enemy tried to concentrate and re- 
 organise their forces in Hungary, where Arch- 
 Duke John had retired with the remains of the 
 Austrian army, together with the Crown jewels. 
 Napoleon ordered Eugene to attack and shatter 
 this last hope of the Hapsburg monarchy. The 
 young Viceroy felt that now was his opportunity 
 to revenge his first reverses, and threw himself 
 with ardour upon the work before him. 
 
 On June 9, he wrote from Sarvar in Hungary: 
 
 Sarvar, June 9, 1809. 
 You know that I left the Emperor five days ago, and 
 that I have come in search of the Archduke John at 
 the head of my army. We were all most anxious to
 
 76 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 meet him again before he crosses the Danube. The 
 Emperor has treated me so kindly that I am more 
 than anxious to please him, and will do all that I can 
 to accomplish his desires. 
 
 Adieu, my dear Augusta, rest quietly; we are all 
 well, notwithstanding our long marches. 
 
 I have now come to what was perhaps the. 
 most brilliant day in Eugene's life, — that of the 
 14th of June, 1809. That day the Viceroy gained 
 the famous battle of Raab, which cost him more 
 than six thousand men. This battle was fought on 
 the anniversaries of Marengo and Friedland ; and 
 Napoleon, famous for uttering words which were 
 afterwards destined to become historical, bap- 
 tised the battle of Raab as " The grandson of 
 Marengo ! " 
 
 When one has been on horseback twenty hours 
 out of the twenty-four, and, like Eugene, does not 
 even give to sleep the time strictly necessary, 
 there is little time in which to write as constantly 
 and fully as one desires. Thus it happened that 
 it was not until the next day the Viceroy took 
 up his pen to write the following succinct letter : 
 
 SZOMBATHELY, NEAR RAAB, June 1 5, 1809. 
 
 I send Tascher, my dear, good Augusta, to bring news 
 of me and reassure you. It is several days now since I 
 have been able to write to you, for I have been on
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. J J 
 
 horseback twenty hours at a stretch. I won three 
 battles this month, the nth, 12th, and 13th; and yester- 
 day, the 14th, the anniversary of Marengo and Fried- 
 land, I won a brilliant victory over the army under 
 Prince John. 
 
 The combat was the fiercest I ever saw in my life. 
 To oust the enemy from his position, we were repulsed 
 six times. At the seventh attempt we succeeded in 
 reaching the summit of the plateau. Our losses, while 
 not amounting to those of the enemy, were yet con- 
 siderable. Authouard, Triaire, and De Lacroix, on our 
 side, were wounded. Delbreme received a bullet-wound 
 in the abdomen. Several of my officers and pickets 
 were killed, and Petrus (Mameluke), who was behind 
 me, was wounded in the head. All these details are 
 now in the past, and I can give them to you. We have 
 captured two flags, and the Hungarian insurrection will 
 water its wine after this adventure. I think we must 
 have had yesterday in front of us nearly twice as many 
 as our own men. Tascher will give you all the details. 
 The Emperor has named him as my aide as well as 
 Jules de Serres, who was aide to the Minister of War, 
 and the young Lab6doyere, who was aide to Lannes, 
 and of whom great things are said. Adieu, my good 
 Augusta ; I am a little tired, for in the last eight days 
 I have actually not slept six hours. 
 
 To Napoleon, Eugene announced his victory 
 in these simple words preceding the exact rela- 
 tion of the facts: —
 
 78 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 Sire, — I hasten to acquaint Your Majesty with the 
 fact of a battle fought yesterday with Prince John, and 
 that I was lucky enough to win it. It was the anniver- 
 sary of too grand a day to allow us to suffer misfortune. 
 
 This letter is dated the 14th, the day of the 
 battle. On the 16th, Napoleon replied from 
 Schoenbrunn : — 
 
 " I congratulate you on the battle of Raab. It is the 
 grandson of Marengo and Friedland. Announce my 
 satisfaction to the army." 
 
 Napoleon's praises were honestly deserved. It 
 was remarked that during this campaign Prince 
 Eugene took more prisoners and captured more 
 artillery than he himself had men and cannons 
 under him. 
 
 In the midst of the fatigues of war and the 
 manly joys of victory, Eugene's heart never for- 
 got the more intimate pleasures of the far-dis- 
 tant fireside. 
 
 It was from Raab that he addressed the fol- 
 lowing letter, more like that of a lover than a 
 husband : — 
 
 In the Camp at Raab, June 22, 1809. 
 
 My very dear AUGUSTA, — I have calculated that 
 this letter will reach you on the day of your anniver-
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. Jg 
 
 sary, and that it may be more certain, I send it by my 
 courier, Tortes; I cannot send it by an officer, as all 
 mine are on sick beds. I offer you on the 21st what 
 I offer you every day, the expression of my deep love. 
 It is frank, passionate, and lasting, much more so than 
 any words can express. I have been away two months 
 and a half. A long time, is it not? But have I not 
 been well recompensed by the way in which the 
 Emperor has treated me, and fortune has smiled on 
 me? Confess that I was born to be happy, and you 
 know how large a share you hold in my happiness. 
 The battle of Raab was grand. The enemy lost one 
 thousand men. 
 
 The bombardment of Raab was directed by 
 Eugene with a pitiless energy. It lasted for two 
 days ; and during this time this man, so sensitive 
 to generous sentiments, suffered from the rigours 
 imposed upon him by war. His heart was riven 
 in hearing, amid the thundering of the cannon, 
 the cries from the half-consumed city. He 
 turned his eyes from this heart-rending spectacle, 
 endeavouring to forget it in the loving contempla- 
 tion of beings so tenderly cherished. In touch- 
 ing terms he traced for the Princess the following 
 picture of those awful days : — 
 
 In the Camp at Raab, June 23, 6 a. m. 
 Instead of reopening my letter, my good Augusta, 
 I write you a second to announce the capitulation of
 
 80 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 Raab. We have bombarded it pitilessly for two days, 
 and about half the city is burned. It was heart-rending 
 to listen to the cries of the unhappy inhabitants all dur- 
 ing last night. We were going to make a breach to-day, 
 and to-morrow perhaps order an assault. They did well 
 to surrender. 
 
 I do not think, though, that the capture of Raab will 
 mean a rest for us. We are prepared to march at any 
 moment ; and a happy thing for us is that we are always 
 ready and well disposed to march. 
 
 Adieu, my dear Augusta; I send a thousand kisses 
 for you and my little angels. I gazed on your portraits 
 this morning. My heart filled with pleasure, but this 
 happiness is as nothing compared to that which will fill 
 me when I press you in my arms once more. Adieu. 
 
 The city was finally taken. He entered in tri- 
 umph among the smoking ruins, which, as he 
 wrote his wife the following day, " were but piles 
 of rubbish." 
 
 In the mean time, the Emperor was concen- 
 trating his forces at Vienna in view of a decisive 
 battle, which was to rank among the greatest 
 battles of the century, that of Wagram. Eugene 
 received orders to retrograde the Italian army 
 from Raab in the direction of Vienna, where he 
 was to work in conjunction with the Grand 
 Army. The Prince and his men contributed
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 8 1 
 
 largely to the success of these two bloody and 
 triumphant days. They took twenty-five hundred 
 prisoners from the enemy and captured eight pieces 
 of cannon. The next day, July 7, the Emperor, 
 crossing the bivouacs of the Italian army at eight 
 o'clock in the morning, stopped before the tents 
 and said to the soldiers, " You are brave fellows ; 
 you have covered yourselves with glory." 
 
 This victory won Napoleon the peace of Vienna 
 and cost the Austrians eighty-five millions and 
 their beautiful Illyrian provinces. The next day 
 Eugene thus announces the exploits of his army 
 to the Princess : — 
 
 In Camp before Stamersdorf, July 7, 1809, Morning. 
 Victory is ours. My dear Augusta, I am well, except 
 for a little fatigue. We fought for forty-eight consecu- 
 tive hours. The Italian army covered itself with glory. 
 The Queen's regiment of dragoons deserve special notice. 
 
 Eugene was delegated by Napoleon to protect 
 Vienna against any aggressive return of the Aus- 
 trians. His troops were to be placed en echelon 
 in such a manner that his command extended 
 over a very important part of the Empire. Dur- 
 ing this whole occupation, the excellent discipline 
 which he maintained over his men, the human- 
 ity with which he treated the inhabitants, endeav- 
 VOL. 1. — 6
 
 82 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 ouring thus to soften the rigours of war, excited 
 the esteem and recognition of all. 
 
 On the 1 2th of July, still in ignorance of the 
 armistice signed that very day, he wrote the 
 Princess this charming letter, in which his re- 
 gret at being so far from all his loved ones is 
 so delicately expressed : — 
 
 SlEBENBRUMER, July 12, 1809. 
 
 Now that the great battle is ended, you should be 
 very tranquil. It is true the affair lasted two consecu- 
 tive days and was very hotly contested, but it is impossible 
 that there should be two such battles in one campaign. 
 I was happy in the midst of the cannon's roar, as I 
 always am ; but I should have thought my felicity ex- 
 hausted had I had you and my dear little ones with me. 
 Would you believe that on the day of that battle there 
 were one hundred and fifty thousand cannons fired, and 
 that thirty thousand of them were aimed at my corps of 
 the army? 
 
 It will be a happy moment for me when I can take 
 you and my little ones in my arms once more. 
 
 Following Napoleon's example, Eugene, in the 
 midst of his labours as Commander-in-Chief of 
 the army, did not neglect the cares of his gov- 
 ernment. He profited by the leisure which the 
 armistice afforded him to devote himself assidu- 
 ously to the affairs of his kingdom. 
 
 He hardly permitted himself from time to time
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 8$ 
 
 the relaxation of hunting. But neither the re- 
 sponsibilities of a general, nor the preoccupations 
 of a viceroy, nor the pleasures of the hunt, for 
 one moment obliterated the image of the ador- 
 able wife who was his idol. What touching sim- 
 plicity there was in this " 6onjour" at the reveille 
 
 of the soldiers! 
 
 Presburg, July 18, 1809, 6 a. m. 
 
 Bonjour, my dear Augusta. My first thought this 
 morning, as every morning, is for thee and my pretty 
 little ones. I received your letter of the 7th yesterday. 
 It came by way of Strasbourg. I knew that the Em- 
 peror intended to announce the armistice by equerry 
 to you. I did not know of it until thirty-six hours later, 
 and during this time I fought on the march as if those 
 last cannon-shots were meant for me. 
 
 V. 
 
 From that moment peace was looked upon as be- 
 ingvery near at hand. It was, however, the 14th of 
 October before it was signed, and the winter had 
 come before Eugene found himself free to return 
 to his family, who missed him so much. His isola- 
 tion weighed more and more heavily upon him, and 
 upon the 19th of July he wrote to the Princess: 
 
 Presburg, July 19, 1809. 
 I leave here to-morrow morning, my very dear 
 Augusta ; and as I shall be two or three days on the
 
 84 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 road, I hasten to notify you. I am going to visit the 
 battle-field of Austerlitz, and I shall profit by this little 
 journey to reconnoitre the country. 
 
 Yesterday evening, Tuesday, I was thinking of our 
 little games, and I regretted them very much. It seems 
 I shall be very well placed at Eisenstadt. They tell me 
 there is a superb park there filled with game. I intend 
 to hunt every morning, work afterwards, and think of my 
 little family all day. 
 
 Oftentimes the roads were infested with the 
 enemy's spies ; and, as the couriers could not pass, 
 it frequently happened that the Prince was with- 
 out news from home for days. He suffered from 
 this deprivation greatly, as the following letter 
 shows, — a letter in which Eugene gives free 
 rein to his sentiments as faithful husband and 
 loving father: — 
 
 Vienna, July 22, 1809. 
 My DEAR AUGUSTA, — I have just returned, and I 
 hasten to impart my news to you, and it is very good. 
 I came here to spend three or four days with the Em- 
 peror. I leave here for my headquarters in Hungary. 
 I saw Louis (Prince Royal of Bavaria) this morning. 
 He has gained greatly since I last saw him. We break- 
 fasted together with the Emperor, and I hope we shall 
 see a great deal of each other during the few days we 
 remain here. You can imagine of whom we spoke. 
 You were the constant subject of our conversation, as 
 you are always of my thoughts.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 85 
 
 The news of Eugenie's two teeth has pleased me 
 greatly, and everything points to her getting the rest 
 without any trouble. 
 
 Allemange joined me at Brunn, and remitted me all 
 the mail delayed at Udine. I have your fourteen letters ! 
 All that I suffered in waiting for them is amply made up 
 by the pleasure in hearing such good news of my little 
 family. Adieu, my dear, good Augusta; I hope we 
 shall not be separated much longer. I embrace you 
 and my two little ones, and I love you with all my 
 heart. Your faithful husband and friend. 
 
 For her birthday, Eugene sent the Princess a 
 present from Vienna — "a bagatelle," as he calls 
 it — with these lines, in which he depicts the ten- 
 der intimacy, the happiness, and the exquisite 
 simplicity of this princely household : — 
 
 Vienna, July 26, 1809. 
 
 I send Bataille with this letter, my dear, good Augusta. 
 It is near your birthday, and I hope this will reach you 
 just at the desired moment I send you a bagatelle from 
 Vienna, which I thought very pretty, and I hope it may 
 seem as pretty to you. I will not offer you any new 
 protestations of tenderness and affection for the 3d of 
 August. These sentiments are the same and will be for 
 all days and time. I send you some playthings for my 
 little angels; and I hope that Josephine will pay you 
 her little compliment, and I only regret that I am not 
 there to teach her a prettier one. I hope that the news 
 of the armistice will quiet Italy ; I was pained to learn 
 of those petty revolts. We are getting in readiness to
 
 86 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 reopen the war, but everything leads us to believe that 
 matters will straighten themselves out. I know not 
 when I shall see you and press you in my arms ; but 
 you know, I hope, that this moment, when it does arrive, 
 will be one of the happiest of my life. 
 
 Now that the excitement of battle no longer 
 occupied all his thoughts and tired his body, 
 Eugene lived in Milan more than in Vienna. He 
 entered into the smallest details of the Princess's 
 existence, worrying over a slight illness which 
 she had concealed from him, and talking to her 
 in terms which were much more those of an 
 ardent lover than of a husband. Here is a pretty 
 billet which he wrote her, to explain his great 
 regret at not being with her on her fete-day : . 
 
 Vienna, August 3, 1809. 
 To-day is the 3d of August and your fete-day, my 
 dear Augusta ; and it is with regret that I remember I 
 am not near you to give expression to my sentiments. 
 How happy all those who are near you at this moment 
 must be ! I slept at Schoenbrunn last night, as it was 
 late when the play was over ; and this morning Prince 
 de Neuchatel and myself hunted together. We returned 
 for parade and breakfast with the Emperor. Aubert 
 has just told me that your foot hurts you still ; why did 
 you not tell me about it? Adieu, my dear Augusta; I 
 love to think that in the midst of the pleasures of your 
 fete-day you will still think a little of my regret.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 87 
 
 On her part, the Princess felt this protracted 
 separation keenly; and notwithstanding all her 
 courage and her desire not to cause the slightest 
 worry to her husband, she could not hide the 
 sadness which filled her heart at the prospect of 
 a still longer duration of the campaign. Eugene, 
 upon receipt of a letter in which he read between 
 the lines the sorrow she so bravely tried to con- 
 ceal from him, hastened to reassure and comfort 
 her: — 
 
 " Clerici has just brought me your letter. Its con- 
 tents dashed my cup of joy from my lips, my dear 
 Augusta. In it I could read your sad thoughts, and I 
 swear to you, you should not have them. Believe in 
 me ; in our star, which is a happy one ; on my conscience, 
 which will always be pure ; on the justice of the Emperor, 
 and the bonds of love which unite us." 
 
 And he scolded her gently for not confiding 
 her smallest worries as wife and princess to him. 
 Did not their hearts, closely united, form but a 
 single soul, in all that was common between them, 
 — sorrows, joys, hopes, and the anguish of love ? 
 Here is a letter which plainly outlines his idea of 
 what should constitute an ideal marriage : — 
 
 Vienna, August 26, 1809. * 
 Why is it that when you are sad you hide it from me, 
 and keep it to yourself? You know me but little, my
 
 88 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 dear Augusta, and you give me little credit for my 
 sentiments towards you, if you keep silent on your 
 troubles. You can confide them to no one who will 
 sympathise with you more than I, and I must confess 
 you have hurt me. If I were to know that you were 
 worried, if I were to see you with sadness in your eyes, 
 I could only say to you that you were wrong. Yes, my 
 dear Augusta, you wound me deeply when I know 
 that you are worried and anxious over a future which 
 can be nothing but a happy one, for the omens since 
 our union have been most favourable. But what would 
 hurt me more than anything would be to know that I 
 was shut out from your confidence. Put these sad 
 thoughts and ideas away from you, because they are 
 not worthy of you, and there is no reason you should 
 have other than agreeable ones ; if you feel sorrowful 
 sometimes, it is on your husband's heart you should lean 
 for comfort, — he who has no other interest than yours ; 
 he who is devotedly and entirely interested in you. 
 Adieu, my dear friend ; do not look upon this as a scold- 
 ing, I pray you. I have opened my heart to you, so 
 that you shall always read therein my tender and 
 unchangeable love for you. 
 
 The Princess sent Eugene, upon his twenty- 
 eighth birthday, a present which could not be 
 otherwise than agreeable to him, — her picture and 
 that of his children. The joy which he felt, burst 
 forth in this sweet, simple, and delicately lover-like 
 epistle : —
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 89 
 
 Eisenstadt, September 4, 1809. 
 
 I thank you a thousand times, my darling Augusta; I 
 saw Anoni yesterday. I returned here yesterday even- 
 ing at eight o'clock, very tired with the heat of the day 
 and the hours spent in travelling, never giving my 
 twenty-eight years a thought I had hardly reached 
 my room before Anoni was announced. Judge of my 
 happiness when he handed me your letter and your 
 charming gift. The idea was a delightful one ; the por- 
 traits very like, especially that of Josephine; indeed, 
 they are all admirable. I will carry them with me 
 everywhere ; they will recall to me, every time I gaze 
 upon them, the happiness which is mine in my little 
 family. I am going out almost immediately, as the Em- 
 peror has ordered me to hold several reviews. I will 
 send Anoni to Vienna, which city I shall reach late this 
 evening, and I will keep him with me several days, so 
 that I can talk about you more at my ease. 
 
 Bonjour, my dear friend ; I have not the time now to 
 explain to you how much touched I was by your kind 
 attention, and how happy you have made me. Adieu, 
 my beloved Augusta; you well merit and possess all 
 the love of your faithful husband and friend. 
 
 Desirous as he was for the peace which 
 would enable him to return to his loved ones, 
 Eugene was none the less sensible of a new 
 proof of Napoleon's confidence. His tenderness 
 as a husband was not overshadowed by his ardour 
 as a soldier : —
 
 90 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 Vienna, September 12, 1809. 
 Anoni has told you no doubt, my dear Augusta, that 
 we talked long and often about you, and that my 
 thoughts are filled with the happiness of once more 
 feeling your arms about me ; this happiness will, I hope, 
 be possible next month, for I have strong hopes that 
 everything will be ended here by November 1. (This is 
 for you alone.) I set out day after to-morrow for Holla- 
 brunn, where the Emperor has ordered me to hold 
 cavalry reviews ; and I shall be absent two days. The 
 Emperor has added four regiments of light cavalry to 
 my corps, making in all three thousand horses ; this 
 division is a grand one, and I shall have more than nine 
 thousand cavalry under me. Adieu, my good and 
 tender friend ; our preparations for war are on a grand 
 scale, and yet you can in all certainty count on a near 
 peace. 
 
 The " Adieu " which ended each of Eugene's 
 letters to the Vice-Queen was always charming, 
 and breathed a sentiment of profound delicacy. 
 In one, in which he announced that the Emperor 
 was about to visit the troops, and "hoped the 
 Emperor would be pleased with their condition," 
 he terminated by saying : " Adieu, my dear Au- 
 gusta; I embrace you as I love you, that is, ten- 
 derly." The day after, September 20th, giving a 
 description of an enjoyable day he had spent 
 hunting, he finished thus : " I have a pile of
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 91 
 
 letters to read, so far I have only opened two ; 
 you do not need to be told whose. Adieu." 
 
 I have a letter before me, without historical 
 value, but which appears characteristic because of 
 the intimate and familiar tone in which the Prince 
 acquaints the Vice-Queen with the smallest details 
 of his daily existence, — details noted hourly, 
 so to speak, and which are so precious to two 
 hearts united by a strong tie, for this knowledge 
 enables them to live each other's lives while 
 separated : — 
 
 Vienna, September 23, 1809. 
 
 I could not write to you yesterday, my dear Augusta, 
 as I had intended to, for we were on horseback nearly 
 all day. The Emperor was drilling his Guard, and 
 placed me in command of his cavalry. For several 
 hours we were, so to speak, in mimic war. In the 
 evening I was somewhat fatigued, but it is all gone now. 
 I have nothing new to tell you. The weather is getting 
 quite chilly ; and I hope sincerely we shall not remain 
 here long enough to see snow in Vienna. 
 
 I received a letter from the Empress day before yes- 
 terday. She told me she had written to you the day 
 before ; her health seems good, and my sister writes me 
 from Plombieres that the waters are doing her good. 
 I saw the young Prince of Darmstadt on parade this 
 morning. I gave him your compliments ; he begged me 
 to send his in return. I think I told you that on the
 
 92 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 Emperor's fete-day he had a fall from his horse, which 
 laid him up for over two weeks. He was obliged to 
 keep his bed, but is fortunately on the high-road to re- 
 covery. Adieu, my dear Augusta ; think of the pleasure 
 of meeting again. That will console you for absence, 
 especially when you remember that the pleasure cannot 
 be much longer delayed. 
 
 Ah ! as to that so ardently desired return, he 
 thought of it ceaselessly, and it can easily be im- 
 agined with what joy he welcomed the slightest 
 indication of its near approach. " They talk," 
 he wrote September 24, " of the near approach- 
 ing journey of the Emperor to Paris, and conse- 
 quently of my turning my steps homeward. That 
 day will surely be one of the happiest in my life." 
 
 The nearer he felt that day approaching, the 
 more Eugene forgot the victorious hero of Raab, 
 and became the loving husband and the affec- 
 tionate father. From Vienna he sends some 
 playthings to his " petites choux," accompanied 
 by these simple words : — 
 
 " I hasten to send you good news, my dear Augusta. 
 Three Austrian generals arrived in Vienna yesterday 
 from Schoenbrunn, to consummate the treaty. It is 
 certain now that everything will be quickly arranged. 
 I now repeat what I have already told you, that I shall 
 see you before the month of October is over. If the
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 93 
 
 weather is not too bad, remain at Monza. I should 
 like to spend a few days there. I send you by the 
 courier, to-day, some toys for the little ones ; kiss them 
 both from Papa, and receive the assurance of my loving 
 tenderness." 
 
 Eugene comforted himself with the hope of 
 his approaching return; he could only think of 
 his beloved ones, and he consecrated every spare 
 moment which the duties of his high position 
 left him, to making all kinds of purchases in 
 Vienna. Who can read the passionately loving 
 words which terminate the following letter with- 
 out being affected ? 
 
 Vienna, October 1, 1809. 
 
 Nothing new for the last two days, my dear Augusta. 
 The Emperor is still in conference with the Austrian 
 generals, and I hope all will soon be settled satisfactorily. 
 
 I still cling to the hope that I shall be with you on 
 Saint Hubert's day. I have bought you some beautiful 
 pearls, toys for the little ones, and I still hope to pur- 
 chase a good piano for you. 
 
 To occupy myself with you is the relaxation of my 
 days, as to love you is the happiness of my whole 
 life. 
 
 In the following lines the same passionate 
 desire to clasp his adorable wife in his arms once 
 more, and the loving thoughts which fill his 
 mind, are delightfully depicted : —
 
 94 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 Vienna, October 6, 1809. 
 Everything is progressing fairly well: detachments 
 of the Guard had set out, en route to Munich ; but the 
 Austrian plenipotentiaries showed a cloven foot, and 
 they were recalled. However, this evening the news 
 has gone around that peace will be signed in two days. 
 In forty-eight hours I can tell you positively, and per- 
 haps think of my own departure. I do not speak of 
 how much I think of you, for you are not out of my 
 thoughts one instant. I have been making numerous 
 purchases the past few days, — horses, pianos, engrav- 
 ings, porcelains ; these last are for you, and I hope they 
 will please you. 
 
 VI. 
 
 The good news which was to bring such hap- 
 piness to Eugene and his sweet wife was at last 
 announced. Peace was signed, and he hastened 
 to acquaint the Princess on the 14th of October. 
 But, alas ! nothing in this world keeps pace with 
 the yearnings of love. Eugene was constrained 
 to have still more patience, for Napoleon had 
 need of him. He was obliged to remain with 
 the army until the ratifications were exchanged, 
 to review the troops, to pacify the Tyrol, to 
 organise the States wrested from Austria, be- 
 fore the sun rose on the ardently desired, long- 
 looked-for day of reunion : —
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 95 
 
 Vienna, October 15, 1809. 
 Yesterday peace was signed, my dear Augusta; this 
 should free you from all worry, and I hope your health 
 will be better in consequence. All you have to think 
 about now is the happiness of meeting. This happiness, 
 if retarded for the moment, cannot, however, be delayed 
 much longer. I received new instructions from the 
 Emperor this morning. He leaves to-morrow, but he 
 has ordered me to remain in Vienna until after the 
 ratifications, and to review the several divisions; thus, 
 you see, I shall be detained several days. Afterwards 
 the Tyrol must be pacified, the newly conquered States 
 organised ; and His Majesty has charged me with all this. 
 But I can assure you I will get through as quickly as 
 I can. I hope to be at Klagenfurth on the 25th of the 
 month, where I shall be obliged to remain for several 
 days. I will keep you informed of my movements 
 every day. I am filled with joy in thinking that I am 
 drawing nearer and nearer to you daily. I have written 
 to the Minister of Public Worship to have a Te Deum 
 sung throughout Italy. It would be well for you to have 
 one sung in your private chapel. If the weather becomes 
 too bad, and you can no longer remain in the country, 
 I think you had better return to Milan. It is very damp 
 and chilly here already. You cannot imagine how busy 
 I am and will be. Nearly all my men move as soon as 
 the ratifications arrive. 
 
 On his arrival at Klagenfurth, that pretty little 
 capital of Carinthia, — one of the most pictu- 
 resque spots in Austria, — a new and grave ob-
 
 g6 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 stacle faced him, and threatened to delay the 
 moment of his well-earned repose. Far from 
 quieting down, the insurrection started in the 
 Tyrol by Austria's perfidy seemed to take a new 
 life. Was Eugene to be detained in quelling a 
 revolt, instead of joining his loved ones ? 
 
 Klagenfurth, Morning of the 27th of October, 1809. 
 Here I am at Klagenfurth, my dear Augusta. I shall 
 remain here until to-morrow, because the troops I am 
 to take into the Tyrol will not reach here until then. 
 When the people know that peace has been signed, I 
 hope they will listen to reason, and we shall not need to 
 use force. In any case, the result is certain. The Em- 
 peror has placed three divisions of my army at my dis- 
 posal, — the division stationed at Trente, and the three 
 Bavarian divisions which are at Schlesburg, and which 
 have already commenced moving towards Innspruck. 
 I like to think that I shall not need to make use of all 
 my forces. I am not more than two days distant from 
 you, my beloved one, and my fondest hope is soon to 
 be still nearer to you. Adieu. 
 
 The Princess, as impatient at this enforced 
 separation as Eugene, proposed to join him if he 
 was to be further prevented from joining her. 
 Uncertain of the turn affairs might take, he had 
 the courage to refuse this loving offer, or at least 
 to delay its execution : —
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 97 
 
 " Our letters will take only two days in reaching us. 
 I am only two days and a half journey from you, and 
 I hope soon to be able to join you, if only for a few 
 days. It is better for you to wait for me. If I find I 
 cannot go to Milan, I will endeavour to arrange some 
 way by which you can come to me." 
 
 Unhappily the insurgent Tyrolese, carried away 
 by the voice of their chief, Andreas Hofer, the 
 intrepid innkeeper of whom I shall speak later, 
 showed no intention of laying down their arms. 
 The prospect, when so short a distance separated 
 him from Milan, caused Eugene great grief : — 
 
 Villach, November 2, 1809. 
 I received very good news from the Tyrol this even- 
 ing, my dear Augusta. General Baraguay d'Hilliers an- 
 nounces that he hopes to enter Linz without firing a 
 gun. I have hastened to inform the Emperor of this 
 fact, in order to hurry my return to Milan. You can- 
 not imagine how distasteful and tiresome this country is 
 to me. I worked all day yesterday; I passed half an 
 hour last evening with my staff; and they, poor fellows, 
 had great difficulty in concealing their yawns. I played 
 a game of chess with Triaire, and retired at eleven 
 o'clock, in very bad humour with the cold, the bad 
 weather, my present occupation, and my enforced ab- 
 sence from you. 
 
 After an interval of three days, he writes, — 
 VOL. 1. — 7
 
 98 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 Villach, November 5, 1809. 
 
 To-day is the feast of Saint Hubert, my very dear 
 Augusta. Just a year ago, we spent such a delightful 
 morning together at the Villa Augusta. Here, we are 
 not only not hunting game to-day, but we are at a loss 
 how to chase away the ennui which is tormenting us. 
 I say us, for I can see the gentlemen of my staff yawn- 
 ing from morning until night ; and if it were not for 
 the ten or twelve hours of work, I should be doing 
 likewise. 
 
 I have not yet received my courier from Linz this 
 morning. If the Tyrolese quiet down, I hope to get 
 away from here before long. I am anxious to embrace 
 you and my two little ones, but in waiting for this hap- 
 piness I send all three a million kisses. 
 
 That same day Eugene wrote the Princess a 
 long letter on the subject of the reproaches made 
 to him by his father-in-law, the King of Bavaria, 
 apropos of his proclamation to the Tyrolese. 
 
 To comprehend the difference which had arisen 
 between the King of Bavaria and Eugene, I must 
 say a few words as to the origin and progress of 
 the Tyrolese insurrection. The Tyrol had be- 
 longed to Austria until Napoleon had forced the 
 vanquished Emperor to cede it to his ambitious 
 ally, the King of Bavaria, at the Treaty of P res- 
 burg, shortly after the electorate had been raised 
 to the dignity of a kingdom. Austria, secretly
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 99 
 
 hoping to reconquer the Tyrol, had, by means of 
 agents, fermented a national revolt. Vanquished 
 anew, she had abandoned the poor Tyrolese to 
 their fate. Eugene, whose natural kindness of 
 heart always leaned towards humanity and clem- 
 ency, first tried means of conciliation. He issued 
 a proclamation to the people of the Tyrol, in 
 which, though demanding their submission, he 
 promised the insurgents " to hear their grievances 
 and listen to their requests." 
 
 " Tyrolese," he said, with great nobility, " if 
 your grievances are well founded, I promise you 
 that justice shall be done you ! " 
 
 This proclamation, strictly conforming to Na- 
 poleon's views, grated on the exaggerated suscep- 
 tibilities of the King of Bavaria. The Princess 
 Augusta's father looked upon the Tyrolese as 
 rebellious subjects, unworthy of clemency, and 
 needing extreme measures to recall them to their 
 duty. 
 
 My Beloved Son, — You should remember that in 
 acquiescing to these demands to listen to the grievances 
 of the Tyrolese, you degrade my sovereignty. This 
 is not the proper language to use to rebellious sub- 
 jects; it encourages them to rebel again at the first 
 opportunity.
 
 IOO THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 This was not Eugene's view of it, and he ex- 
 plains his actions thus to the Princess : — 
 
 Villach, November 5, 1809. 
 
 I was greatly grieved this evening, my dear and good 
 Augusta; and as I hide nothing from you, I hasten to 
 acquaint you with its cause. You have perhaps read 
 my proclamation to the Tyrolese. I venture to say it 
 was good, for I have already seen its effects. As my 
 troops advance, the inhabitants retire to their firesides. 
 You know me well enough to be certain that I put 
 nothing into that proclamation but what I was told to 
 say. Certain phrases displeased the King, and he wrote 
 me this letter, a copy of which I enclose you. I am 
 very much hurt, and I replied to him this morning. I 
 also enclose you a copy of my letter, and deliver my- 
 self to your judgment. Do not speak of this to any 
 one, — it is not necessary ; but I must confess I was 
 very angry that the King did so little justice to my 
 character. 
 
 He has been sadly misinformed when he has been 
 told that this country could be reclaimed by force. 
 Kindness was absolutely necessary ; and I do not think 
 that the dignity of a sovereign would be offended in 
 listening to the grievances of a people, — above all, as 
 these people have returned in an orderly manner and 
 laid down their arms. I curse this mission a thousand 
 times. There is neither honour nor glory in its success- 
 ful issue ; and there is nothing but disgrace for me, if 
 matters turn out badly. 
 
 Adieu, my dear, good Augusta ; you and my little
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. ioi 
 
 ones are my only consolation in this world. It is a cen- 
 tury since I wrote to the Empress and my sister, but I 
 have not conscientiously had the time. Give them the 
 latest news of me, I pray you. 
 
 The Viceroy's reply to the King of Bavaria 
 was worthy of both of them. He wrote as a son- 
 in-law should write to the father of a wife to 
 whom he owed all his happiness, but at the same 
 time as a man and a Viceroy, who knew his real 
 duties to the throne. Notwithstanding the length 
 of this letter, it throws so vivid a light upon the 
 nobility of Eugene's character that I think it my 
 duty to present it almost as it was written : 
 
 " Your Majesty seems to complain of the sense of my 
 proclamation. I have the honour of informing you that 
 I was simply executing the Emperor's orders. I feel 
 it my duty at the same time to state that I should have 
 taken it upon myself to announce to these rebellious 
 people that I would listen to their grievances and see 
 that justice was done them. It could not enter into 
 my mind to b - oblivious to the dignity of a throne to 
 which I am bound by ties of sentiment and whose glory 
 will always be as dear to me as my own. But I thought 
 that the most essential thing in an expedition such as 
 this is, was to succeed and to prevent as much blood- 
 shed as possible. Besides, my aim was to persuade 
 them to grow calm and to lay down their arms. But 
 in order to obtain this end, it was necessary to give
 
 102 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 them a ray of hope ; and it was this ray of hope I held 
 out to them when I said that we would listen to their 
 grievances and render them justice. I bound myself 
 to nothing positive in advance, and yet it must be in 
 Your Majesty's heart to do justice to all your subjects. 
 
 " Who knows whether the real truth with regard to 
 the Tyrolese has reached your throne? Perhaps some 
 dishonest agent has treated these people as it was not 
 in Your Majesty's heart they should be treated ; sover- 
 eignty is not degraded by listening to your subjects' 
 grievances ! These people, it is true, were armed yester- 
 day ; but to-day they are disarmed, and ask pardon for 
 their error, at the same time praying that justice be done 
 them. This is the sense of my proclamation. I beg 
 Your Majesty to pardon me, if I become warm over 
 this matter; but I am anxious that you should under- 
 stand the sentiments which animated me and the in- 
 tentions which I entertained. Besides, I have seen 
 enough of the country and its inhabitants to know 
 that you will gain nothing from them by force. If we 
 declare war, we shall only lose a number of brave men, 
 and conquer in the end a country in ashes and un- 
 fortunate for centuries to come." 
 
 Two days after his last letter to the Princess, 
 Eugene conceived anew some slight hopes of 
 being at last reunited to those who were dearer 
 to him than all the world. But, in any event, his 
 movements depended on the exigencies of his 
 command. With this man, everything — even to
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 03 
 
 the most legitimate aspirations of his heart — 
 yielded to duty. 
 
 Villach, November 7, 1809. 
 I have this evening received very good news from the 
 Tyrol. The disarming is taking place very tranquilly. 
 In some places on the mountains, our soldiers were re- 
 ceived by gun-shots; but, following out my orders, they 
 did not return the fire. In several villages the peasants 
 have taken up arms for Bavaria. You see by this that 
 patience and a desire to succeed, will put down any 
 mutiny. I assure you, I should much prefer an active 
 campaign than to recommence a parallel duty. My 
 success gives me great pleasure, and I am only awaiting 
 news from His Majesty. I hope his orders will enable 
 me to rejoin you shortly. The nth corps of the army, 
 by orders from the Emperor, is about to march forward 
 and occupy Frinne and Croatia. If this takes place 
 quietly, I am at liberty to repair to Milan; but if they 
 have the slightest trouble, I cannot in conscience leave 
 my army scattered over two hundred leagues of coun- 
 try ; and I must, whether or no, remain where I am. 
 All this is supposititious on my part, and may never 
 happen. 
 
 Eugene's noble heart revolted at the idea of 
 scattering death among these ignorant mountain- 
 eers, poor abused peasants, excited by their priests 
 and by Austria's spies, and now hemmed in by 
 the reunited armies of Napoleon and the King of 
 Bavaria. Obliged by Napoleon's orders to send
 
 104 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 a corps of twenty-six thousand men, taken from 
 the Italian army, to co-operate in the Tyrol in 
 conjunction with the Bavarian army, the hero of 
 Raab and Wagram ceased not to call this cam- 
 paign " a miserable war ! " He had no other 
 wish than to retire, if this could be done con- 
 sistently with his duties as Commander-in-Chief. 
 
 His most earnest desire was to return to Milan 
 in time for his fete-day, the 15th of November. 
 What joy that would be for his beloved wife ! 
 But whether this return was possible or not, he 
 desired that the Princess should be happy on 
 that day. 
 
 Villach, November 11, 1809, 7 p. M. 
 I am very seriously thinking of setting out ; and you 
 may rely upon it that I shall exert every effort to arrive 
 by the 15th, — it may be in the morning, it may not be 
 until evening. I am awaiting tidings to-morrow which 
 will decide the question. If it so happens that I cannot 
 reach home on that day, I beg of you to be happy ; and 
 that will be easy, for I shall surely be very near you 
 and ready on the instant to clasp you in my arms. 
 
 At last the ardently desired moment arrived. 
 Eugene announced to the Princess that he would 
 set out at once. It had been decided that the 
 Italian corps of the army which was to go into 
 the Tyrol should be commanded by General
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 105 
 
 Baraguay d'Hilliers, under the superior direction 
 of the Viceroy, who would direct its operations 
 from Milan. 
 
 The following are the joyful lines in which 
 Eugene announces his departure: — 
 
 Villach, November 12, 1809, 5 p. m. 
 I am just about to get into my carriage, my dear 
 Augusta, to fly to you ; I send this letter ahead by the 
 courier, who is in charge of my horses. I assure you 
 that I shall follow him as fast as possible; you may 
 rest assured of my intense desire to embrace you ! 
 
 Before accompanying Eugene into Italy, I 
 should add a few words as to the fate of these 
 poor Tyrolese, so cruelly duped by Austria, and 
 that of their audacious chief. After Eugene's 
 proclamation which I cited above, Andreas Hofer 
 decided to lay down arms and enter into nego- 
 tiations with the Viceroy. He wrote him in the 
 following terms : — 
 
 " It needs neither time nor trouble to rouse a people 
 irritated by oppression ; but it needs much of both to 
 calm them. A feeble spark is sufficient to fire a city, and 
 millions of hands can hardly subdue this incendiarism. 
 
 " Monseigneur, deign to hear the last prayer I dare 
 address you: permit a deputation to wait on you, in 
 order to recommend the people of the Tyrol to your 
 clemency. 
 
 £
 
 106 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 " It is buoyed by this consoling hope, that I place the 
 expression of my submission at the feet of Your Imperial 
 Highness ! " 
 
 In a second letter Hofer renews this submis- 
 sion in still more explicit terms : — 
 
 " Monseigneur, the Tyrolese people, confiding in the 
 goodness, the wisdom, and the justice of Your Imperial 
 Highness, place through us, their fate in your hands. 
 They are ready to lay down their arms, if by this means 
 they can obtain your good-will and protection. They 
 have much to complain of; for Austria, by her recent 
 perfidious insinuations, precipitated the insurrection ! " 
 
 Would any one believe that after this double 
 submission Hofer would have again ignited the 
 brand of revolt? This was what he did, how- 
 ever. After a slight success at Saint Leonard, a 
 new proclamation, fanatic and inciting, was spread 
 broadcast over the Tyrol, calling the people under 
 the banner of rebellion. 
 
 " God," Hofer says, " has chosen us for His own 
 people, and has ordered us to do battle against a 
 strange nation, the most powerful on earth. We will 
 fight like the chevaliers of old, and God and the Blessed 
 Virgin will give us their blessing ! " 
 
 Notwithstanding the desperate resistance of 
 the insurgents, many of whom died at the point
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 07 
 
 of the bayonet ; notwithstanding the rocks which 
 the enraged mountaineers rolled from great 
 heights upon the French troops, — this bloody 
 insurrection was promptly crushed on January 
 27, 1 8 10, and Hofer was taken prisoner. 
 
 Eugene, who knew how to appreciate courage, 
 was touched by the heroism which Hofer had 
 always displayed during this terrible struggle. 
 He had tried to save him. He might perhaps 
 have succeeded, if the intrepid mountaineer had 
 been willing to take back his last proclama- 
 tion. But the latter preferred to die, a martyr to 
 the cause, and, at the price of his life, pay a debt 
 which Austria had so badly recompensed. Much 
 against his own heart, Eugene was forced to 
 execute Napoleon's laconic order, which was a 
 death-sentence : — 
 
 My Son, — I wrote to have you bring Hofer to 
 Paris ; but since he is at Mantua, order a military court- 
 martial, have him tried and shot on the spot. Let this 
 be a matter of twenty-four hours only ! 
 
 Thus this terrible insurrection, which Eugene 
 had thought to quell by kindness, ended bathed 
 in blood. This pitiless repression made a hero, 
 a martyr, of Hofer, whose memory the Tyrol 
 venerates to-day !
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Divorce. — Josephine's Resistance. — Eugene's Intervention. 
 
 — His Admirable Disinterestedness. — The Empress at 
 Malmaison. — Relations between Josephine and Napoleon 
 after the Divorce. — Eugene and Hortense's Filial Devotion. 
 
 — The Prince's return to Milan. — Grave Consequences of 
 the Divorce for Eugene. 
 
 I. 
 
 THE cannon which announced the Viceroy's 
 return to Milan was also the signal for 
 great rejoicing. The loyalty and sweetness of 
 his character had gained the affections of his 
 subjects, as the charms of the Vice-Queen had 
 attracted the most cordial homage of her Court. 
 But the prominent part which Eugene had just 
 taken in the last campaign against Austria had 
 crowned him with a fascinating aureole whose 
 splendour was reflected on the happy Princess and 
 his government. Alas ! while Eugene awaited in 
 the sweet felicity of his renewed family happiness 
 the fetes which were in preparation all over the 
 kingdom, to welcome him joyfully home, a thun-
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 00. 
 
 derbolt was about to strike him, from the clear 
 and unclouded sky. 
 
 The Treaty at Vienna, in weakening Austria, 
 which deprived it of three millions and a half 
 inhabitants, had raised Napoleon, though already 
 master of the Continent, to the summit of his 
 power. 
 
 It was at this period that the regret of having 
 no direct heir grew in the conqueror's heart. 
 Josephine having had no children during the 
 fifteen years of their marriage, he had built 
 his hopes at first on the eldest son of Queen 
 Hortense ; but the child's death at the age of four 
 awakened him rudely from his dream. Napoleon 
 would gladly have adopted Eugene ; but a Beau- 
 harnais could not, as the Emperor declared, under 
 these painful circumstances, become the master 
 of the Bonapartes. Besides, Napoleon's brothers 
 (especially Joseph, who was the eldest of the fam- 
 ily and was particularly jealous of his rights) would 
 certainly have raised innumerable obstacles in 
 his path. 
 
 On October 26, hardly fifteen days after the 
 Treaty of Vienna was signed, Napoleon gave the 
 first evidences to far-seeing eyes of the resolution 
 which he had formed. On returning to France,
 
 I IO THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 instead of joining the Empress at Paris, where 
 she awaited him, he stopped at Fontainebleau, 
 where Cambaceres, the arch-chancellor, received 
 orders to join him. There was held a secret con- 
 ference lasting several hours, in which Napoleon 
 declared that he desired a direct heir to his 
 throne and power; that his brothers were not 
 fitted to reign, being profoundly jealous of each 
 other, and in no way disposed to obey his suc- 
 cessor if the direct heir were not such a one as 
 the law would force them to recognise. During 
 all the negotiations he showed a marked prefer- 
 ence for Eugene, praising his character, his ser- 
 vices, his modesty, his boundless devotion, but 
 declaring that no adoption would be sufficient 
 to make him acceptable as the heir to the 
 Empire after his death. 
 
 He was resolved to obtain a divorce. Cam- 
 baceres protested in a timid manner at first, 
 dwelling on Josephine's popularity and the fond 
 remembrances which joined her past with that 
 of Napoleon's at the dawn of his marvellous 
 career. He explained that the army, attached to 
 the recollections of the Revolution, Would view 
 with displeasure a daughter of the House of 
 Hapsburg or Romanoff taking the place of one

 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 1 1 
 
 who had wedded the brilliant Republican gen- 
 eral and mounted step by step beside him in his 
 grandeur. To all these objections, Napoleon, to 
 cite Thiers's majestic language, " replied, as ab- 
 solute master, whose will ruled the world, and 
 had in a measure become destiny itself, ' He 
 must have an heir; this heir obtained, the Empire, 
 even after his death, was permanently founded.' " 
 
 Josephine, alarmed by this mysterious conduct, 
 so contrary to Napoleon's usual habits, went to 
 Fontainebleau in the afternoon. The Emperor, 
 feeling himself insufficiently prepared to an- 
 nounce his irretrievable decision, hesitated to 
 acquaint her with his determination. He, in fact, 
 feared the effect of Josephine's anguish upon 
 him, and desired to await Eugene's arrival, know- 
 ing that he alone was capable of softening the 
 violent shock which the awful truth could not 
 fail to produce. 
 
 Husband and wife returned to Paris; but 
 Josephine, with that fine perspicacity of women, 
 at once divined the blow that Napoleon intended 
 to deal her, and burst into tears. Her daughter, 
 Queen Hortense, was summoned. The two poor 
 women at first attempted to soften Napoleon's 
 heart, and turn him from the dreadful project
 
 112 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 which they foresaw. But what could their tears 
 accomplish in opposition to this iron will ? Na- 
 poleon was not the man, once his decision was 
 made, to allow himself to be dissuaded from a 
 plan, especially if his personal ambition was in 
 question. Hortense was so overwhelmed by her 
 mother's despair that she would almost have pre- 
 ferred the brutal avowal of the sad truth to the 
 torments of a devouring uncertainty. 
 
 II. 
 
 So painful a situation could not be prolonged. 
 Napoleon, to put an end to the anxiety of all, 
 decided to summon Eugene, whom Josephine had 
 already, in her great grief, called to her aid. 
 
 November 26, the Empress wrote to the Vice- 
 roy of I taly : — 
 
 My Son, — I desire, if no important business pre- 
 vents you, that you set out from Milan so that you 
 can reach Paris by the 5th or 6th of December. Come 
 alone, with three carriages and four or five of your 
 suite. Pass through Fontainebleau. This is supposing 
 that nothing of vital importance prevents you from 
 carrying out these orders." 
 
 What sad days preceded Eugene's arrival, in 
 this royal family whose closest intimacy had been 
 so rudely broken!
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. \ 1 3 
 
 Every one could notice the great change in 
 Josephine's features and the silent restraint of 
 Napoleon. If, during the dinners of these lugu- 
 brious days, between the 26th and 30th of Novem- 
 ber, the Emperor broke the awful silence, it was 
 only to ask brief questions, the answers to which 
 he did not even listen to. The storm burst on 
 Thursday the 30th. Their Majesties were seated 
 at table ; Josephine wore a large white cap, partly 
 hiding her face and knotted under her chin. She 
 had been weeping, and seemed hardly able to 
 restrain her tears in the presence of the domes- 
 tics. Her face was a living picture of anguish 
 and despair. A deep silence had reigned during 
 the meal. They merely tasted of the viands 
 placed before them for form's sake. The only 
 words spoken were those addressed to the Comte 
 de Bausset, — 
 
 " What kind of weather is it? " 
 
 As Napoleon spoke thus, he rose from the table, 
 Josephine slowly following his example. Coffee 
 was brought in, Napoleon helping himself to a 
 cup, which a page tendered him, and signifying 
 by a gesture that he washed to be alone. 
 
 Every one retired ; but soon were heard heart- 
 rending cries from the Emperor's salon, and the 
 vol. 1. — 8
 
 1 14 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 voice was recognised as being that of Josephine. 
 One of the gentlemen-in-waiting, thinking she 
 was ill, rushed to the door, which was suddenly 
 opened by Napoleon himself, and upon perceiv- 
 ing the Comte de Bausset, he said quickly, — 
 
 " Enter, Bausset, and close the door." 
 
 Bausset, entering the salon, perceived the Em- 
 press lying prone on the carpet, moaning and 
 sobbing. 
 
 " No, I will never survive it," she cried. 
 
 " Are you strong enough to lift Josephine and 
 carry her to her apartments by the private stair- 
 case ? " Napoleon asked, turning to the Count 
 " Give the Empress into the care of her maids, 
 and see that she receives all the attention her 
 pitiful condition calls for." 
 
 Bausset obeyed, and lifted the Empress, who, 
 he thought, was suffering from an attack of 
 hysteria. He carried her in his arms with 
 Napoleon's assistance. The latter, taking a can- 
 dle from the table, lighted it and opened the door 
 of the salon, which gave upon a dark passage-way 
 leading to the private stairway. Warned at the 
 first steps, Bausset observed to Napoleon that 
 the staircase was too narrow to make it possible 
 for him to descend without danger of falling.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 1 5 
 
 The Emperor called the Keeper of the Port- 
 folio, whose duty it was night and day to remain 
 stationed at the door of the cabinet, opening on 
 this private stairway. Napoleon handed him the 
 candle, of which there was no longer any neces- 
 sity, as the passage-way was lighted, and then 
 ordered him to pass first and take the feet of 
 the Empress. She was then carried down, not 
 without great difficulty, and laid on a lounge in 
 her bedroom. The Emperor called her ladies-in- 
 waiting and passed out, followed by De Bausset, 
 into an adjoining salon, his agitation and ner- 
 vousness being extreme. In his trouble he in- 
 formed the Count of all that had just happened. 
 
 "The interest of France and my dynasty," 
 he declared, " does violence to my heart. This 
 divorce has become a stern duty for me — I have 
 been worried, anticipating the scene which has 
 just occurred — as I have been anticipating it for 
 three days, since I knew the Empress had been 
 told by Hortense of the unhappy obligation 
 which condemns me to separate from her — I 
 pity her from the bottom of my heart, but 
 I thought she was stronger-minded than that, 
 and I was not prepared for such a paroxysm of 
 sorrow."
 
 I 1 6 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 His emotion forced him to long pauses between 
 each phrase ; his words escaped him in an inco- 
 herent, jerky manner; his voice trembled, and 
 tears stood in his eyes. Indeed, he must have 
 lost his usual self-possession to enter into details 
 with a man so far removed from his counsel and 
 confidence. This scene did not last more than 
 seven or eight minutes. 
 
 Napoleon at once sent for Corvisart, Queen 
 Hortense, Cambaceres, and Fouche, and before 
 returning to his own apartments went to assure 
 himself of the condition of Josephine, whom he 
 found calmer and more resigned. 
 
 When Eugene received the orders to repair to 
 Paris, he was in the most complete ignorance of 
 Napoleon's plans. The Emperor, as I have 
 already said, did not wish to take any official or 
 definite steps before his step-son's arrival. 
 
 By a singular coincidence, the Viceroy, return- 
 ing from Austria to Italy, made his entry into 
 Milan the same day that Napoleon, with his 
 divorce fully resolved upon, had announced his 
 intentions to Cambaceres at Fontainebleau. The 
 Municipal Council had unanimously voted, in 
 honour of the Viceroy's victories, a grand ball 
 at the Scala, and a public ball in the Porto-
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 1 7 
 
 Risconosenza Gardens. A solemn Te Deum was 
 to be sung in the cathedral the next day ; and the 
 public ceremony of dowering sixty young girls, a 
 charming idea, emanating from the Prince, was to 
 close the fetes. 
 
 But Eugene was not to enjoy the pleasure of 
 assisting at these rejoicings. His sky, so serene, 
 was suddenly overshadowed, and instead of thrill- 
 ing with joy at the sound of popular acclama- 
 tions, he was destined to wipe away the scalding 
 tears of an anguished mother. 
 
 III. 
 
 The Vice-Queen, representing her husband 
 during these fetes, was more joyful than uneasy, 
 for she imagined — and not without reason — 
 that perhaps the Emperor had called Eugene, the 
 hero of whom she was so proud, to him, to pro- 
 claim him heir presumptive to the imperial crown. 
 What bitter thoughts were hers when the first 
 letter informed her of the sad truth ! 
 
 A new alliance on Napoleon's part cast sombre 
 shadows of uncertainty over the brilliant present 
 and the future filled with marvellous promise, 
 which was offered to her husband ; an heir,
 
 1 1 8 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 Napoleon's own flesh and blood, crushed all her 
 hopes of the grand throne of France. Was it 
 not to be feared even that the crown of Italy, 
 which had dazzled her eyes before her marriage, 
 might not vanish also like a deceptive dream ? 
 
 To celebrate the glorious Peace of Vienna, 
 Paris was given over to grand fetes on Napoleon's 
 triumphant return. The grandeur of these fetes 
 was enhanced by the presence of many princes 
 and allied sovereigns. The King and Queen of 
 Bavaria, the King of Saxony, and the King of 
 Wiirttemberg had come to Paris to join the circle 
 of princes of the Imperial family, of whom Their 
 Majesties of Holland, Westphalia, and Naples 
 formed a part. What irony in the contrast be- 
 tween these sumptuous rejoicings and the misery 
 which filled Josephine's uneasy soul, devoured by 
 jealousy and despair! 
 
 "I do not really know," writes Mademoiselle 
 Avrillon in her Memoirs, " whether she was more 
 unhappy in the blow which had been dealt her, or 
 in the preliminaries of the event itself. Notwith- 
 standing the conviction of her future, she still 
 nursed, if not hopes, at least a vague uncertainty 
 of thought; and each time a minister or grand 
 dignitary of the Empire came to see her, she
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 1 9 
 
 plied him with indirect questions, equally tor- 
 mented by the desire to know her fate, and by 
 the fear of learning it. But every one was dumb, 
 and only evasive replies were given her." 
 
 For the sake of public opinion, which the Em- 
 peror was not ready just at present to enlighten, 
 Their Majesties continued to live seemingly to- 
 gether ; and certainly one would never have 
 doubted they were still united by bonds of love, 
 so courteous and attentive to every little want of 
 the Empress did Napoleon show himself. 
 
 Waiting for Eugene, the Emperor had re- 
 quested his sister Hortense to remain near 
 Josephine. He hoped that the generous efforts 
 of her two children would inspire the Empress 
 with the courage to face the awful necessity of 
 the approaching supreme crisis in a dignified 
 manner. In this he was not mistaken. 
 
 The noble attitude of Queen Hortense during 
 these awful days of waiting was a guarantee of 
 her brother's conduct, when brought face to face 
 with this cruel upheaval of their fortune and 
 common future. She assured the Emperor that 
 Josephine's children, satisfied at renouncing the 
 grandeurs which had not made them happy, 
 would voluntarily consecrate their lives to con- 
 soling the best and tenderest of mothers. .
 
 120 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 Such quiet dignity, such grandeur in her dis- 
 interestedness, moved Napoleon deeply. His 
 eyes were filled with tears. What a touching 
 scene, to see the conqueror of the world weeping, 
 because, from a fatal stroke of politics, which he 
 was not strong enough to resist, he felt himself 
 constrained to repudiate the spouse his heart had 
 chosen, the companion of his earlier glory and 
 his best days ! He no longer commanded, he 
 implored, Hortense to remain near him to assist 
 Eugene in calming the agonies of the woman he 
 still loved. 
 
 Josephine found herself the recipient of the most 
 tender care from Napoleon, — attentions which 
 overstepped their mark and were more sorrowful 
 than beneficent for the victim, for until her son's 
 arrival they encouraged her to keep up the hope 
 that Napoleon would relent. Nothing definite, 
 in fact, had been said ; the irreparable word 
 would perhaps never pass Napoleon's lips. 
 
 Vain illusion, which Eugene's presence dis- 
 pelled at once ! 
 
 Eugene's arrival was preceded by a little inci- 
 dent which will bear repeating, as it shows into 
 what a condition of over-excitement and suspicion 
 Napoleon had fallen, under the weight of the
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 2 1 
 
 heavy secret which he desired to guard at any 
 price until the hour fixed upon for its execution. 
 
 Josephine's cousin, Commandant Tascher (later 
 General Count Tascher de la Pagerie), was 
 attached to Eugene's suite as aide-de-camp. As 
 he wished to return to France to visit his parents, 
 the Viceroy, taking advantage of his work in the 
 Tyrol, sent him to Paris to give the details on 
 the suppression of the Tyrolese insurrection to 
 Napoleon, and at the same time to see his cousin, 
 the Empress. 
 
 On arriving in Paris, Tascher went straight to 
 the Tuileries, and his presence was announced 
 to the Emperor. What was his astonishment to 
 be asked in Napoleon's most brusque manner, — 
 
 " Are you sent here by Eugene to spy upon 
 my actions ? " 
 
 The young Commandant had hardly time to 
 stammer out a reply, when Napoleon, thinking 
 he had already seen Josephine, demanded, " Have 
 you seen your cousin ? " 
 
 " No, Sire ; I have just arrived, and my post- 
 chaise is still in the courtyard." 
 
 This assurance finally dissipated the Emperor's 
 suspicions. He questioned Tascher for a few 
 moments, and opening a door leading to the Em-
 
 122 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 press's apartments, dismissed him, saying, " Go 
 down ; visit your cousin." 
 
 Tascher found Josephine in her little salon. 
 She, upon seeing him, flung herself into his 
 arms, sobbing and crying out, — 
 
 " He abandons me. He wants a divorce. 
 Where is Eugene ? " 
 
 Tascher informed the Empress that her son 
 suspected nothing; and it was agreed that the 
 young aide-de-camp should go to Hortense at 
 once, and beg her to go forward and meet Eugene 
 in order to prepare him for the distressing news 
 awaiting him on his arrival in Paris. 
 
 IV. 
 
 Eugene had left Milan on the ist of December. 
 On the 3d he wrote his wife a few lines from the 
 hospital of Mont-Cenis. This traveller's billet, 
 waiting a change of horses, offers in itself but a 
 secondary interest, but it proves what I want to 
 establish, and that is, that he was still in entire 
 ignorance of the terrible blow awaiting him : — 
 
 " Here I am just arrived at the Hospital of Mont- 
 Cenis, my very dear Augusta ; and as my carriages are 
 somewhat behind me, I am going to eat a morsel and
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 23 
 
 indulge in remembrances of you. The mountain is very 
 difficult just now. It took the Queen of Naples three 
 days to make the passage." 
 
 The Prince had the pleasure and the surprise, 
 also, of embracing his sister before reaching 
 Fontainebleau. It was a doleful interview which 
 was held between the Viceroy of Italy and the 
 charming Queen of Holland, unhappy wife and 
 mother, and the bearer of still greater news of 
 unhappiness. 
 
 Eugene reached Paris in the morning of the 
 7th of December. He at once wrote to his 
 wife : — 
 
 Paris, December 7, 1809. 
 
 I arrived this morning, my very dear Augusta. My 
 sister came as far as Fontainebleau to meet me, and as I 
 would have reached Paris late at night, I preferred to 
 sleep at the former place. I was very happy meeting 
 my dear sister once more. 
 
 I could not tell you the reasons for my journey, my 
 beloved, before my departure, for I was in ignorance of 
 them myself. 
 
 After a resume of the news he had heard from 
 Hortense, he continues, — 
 
 " It is indispensable for the Emperor's peace of mind 
 that all this terminate favourably. You know me well 
 enough to understand the position in which I find my-
 
 124 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 self. What sustains me through this terrible ordeal 
 is the knowledge that I possess your heart, and that 
 your sentiment, like your soul, is above all happenings. 
 I saw the King of Saxony at the Tuileries this even- 
 ing. We spoke of you most of the time. I will make 
 all my visits of etiquette to-morrow ; I cannot tell when 
 they will be over. 
 
 " Adieu, my dear friend ; I love you and shall love you 
 all my life, as well as our two children. I shall be back 
 in Milan much sooner than I anticipated." 
 
 His letter despatched, Eugene hastened to 
 Napoleon, who received him with honest affec- 
 tion, pressing him to his heart as formerly, and 
 assuring him that his tenderness for himself and 
 his mother had never changed. He then ex- 
 plained to him the State reasons which obliged 
 him to separate from an unfruitful wife, and to 
 sacrifice the hopes of the Prince himself, ex- 
 plaining that a Beauharnais could never reign 
 over the Bonapartes. 
 
 On leaving Napoleon, Eugene, with a broken 
 heart, but firm countenance, sought the Empress. 
 The interview was most touching. His mother's 
 great grief seemed somewhat assuaged by the 
 boundless love of her son. 
 
 He with his penetrating judgment needed but 
 a glance to see that all these struggles were
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 125 
 
 telling on his mother's health, and that it was 
 for Josephine's best interests to arrive at a defi- 
 nite solution quickly. He begged Napoleon to 
 grant the Empress a decisive interview which 
 would put an end to these uncertainties, more 
 cruel than the sad truth. 
 
 This interview took place on the same even- 
 ing, and Josephine submitted to the sacrifice 
 which the Emperor deemed necessary for the 
 welfare of France ; but foreseeing the uncer- 
 tain fate of her children, she addressed this 
 supplication to Napoleon, broken by sobs and 
 tears, — 
 
 " Once we are separated, my children will be 
 forgotten. Make Eugene King of Italy. My 
 mother-love will be satisfied ; your policy will be 
 applauded, I dare predict, by other nations." 
 
 " No," Eugene interrupted ; " I do not wish that 
 there should be any question of me in this affair. 
 Your son does not wish a crown which shall 
 be the price of your separation." 
 
 And sadly he added, repeating on his part the 
 disinterested words Hortense had uttered a few 
 days previous, — 
 
 " Our mother must go away. We must go 
 with her; and together we will expiate in retreat
 
 126 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 the ephemeral grandeur which has been a sorrow 
 rather than a pleasure in our lives." 
 
 Napoleon, deeply moved by so much nobility, 
 mingled his tears with those of Josephine and 
 her children, whom he begged to remain near 
 him. 
 
 Seeing his mother about to renew her suppli- 
 cation to the Emperor for his future, in accord- 
 ance with his dignity as Viceroy, Eugene put an 
 end to it by words worthy of the greatness of 
 his soul : — 
 
 " If you submit to the Emperor's will, it is you 
 alone of whom he must think." 
 
 And Napoleon cried out, — 
 
 " I recognise Eugene's heart. Indeed, he is 
 right to rely on my love for him." 
 
 Much has been written on this celebrated 
 theme. Numerous versions have been published, 
 but the most interesting is that of Madame 
 Remusat : — 
 
 " Eugene had declared to Napoleon that he would 
 accept nothing at a moment of such deep sorrow to 
 his mother, and that he would follow her into her 
 retreat, even to Martinique itself, sacrificing every- 
 thing to the need she had of consolation at such a 
 time. Bonaparte seemed struck with this generous 
 resolution, though he listened in surly silence."
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 12 J 
 
 Constant, who had overheard a part of the con- 
 versation between Eugene and Napoleon, gives 
 the following very curious version : — 
 
 " Several days after the festivities, the Viceroy of 
 Italy, Eugene de Beauharnais, arrived. He learned 
 from his mother's lips the terrible step which circum- 
 stances had rendered necessary. This confidence over- 
 whelmed him. Troubled, in despair, he sought His 
 Majesty; and, as if he could not believe the news he 
 had just heard, he asked the Emperor if it were true 
 that the divorce must be. The Emperor replied by 
 an affirmative sign, and with sorrow depicted on his 
 countenance he extended his hand to his adopted 
 son. 
 
 " • Sire, permit me to leave you.' 
 
 "'What?' 
 
 " ' Yes, Sire ; the son of one who is no longer Empress 
 can no longer remain Viceroy. I will follow my mother 
 into her retreat. I will console her.' 
 
 " ' You wish to leave me, Eugene, — you ? Ah, do 
 you not know the many imperative reasons which force 
 me to take such a step? And if I obtain this son, — the 
 object of my dearest desires, this son so necessary, — who 
 will take my place to him when I am no longer here? 
 Who will stand in the place of a father to him when I 
 am dead ? Who will bring him up ? Who will make a 
 man of him? ' 
 
 "The Emperor's eyes were filled with tears as he 
 uttered these words. He took Prince Eugene's hands
 
 128 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 in his, and, drawing him to him, embraced him ten- 
 derly. I could not hear the end of this very interesting 
 conversation." 
 
 No one was better able to describe to us the 
 inmost facts of Josephine's conduct during this 
 trying ordeal than Mademoiselle Avrillon, her 
 chief lady-in-waiting. In speaking of the night 
 following the all-important interview, she thus 
 describes Josephine's condition when she entered 
 her room to awaken her in the morning: — 
 
 " As I approached the bed, I found her in a condition 
 that was absolutely pitiable: her eyes were red and 
 swollen, and were mute witnesses of the tears she had 
 shed during the night. Then it was that she told me 
 all that had passed the night before; she said the 
 Emperor had declared that he had decided upon a 
 divorce, and every word she uttered was interrupted by 
 her sobs. I could not restrain a cry of surprise, which, 
 happily, was not heard outside. The sorrow which I 
 showed on learning this sad truth put me in a con- 
 dition of despair which I did not understand myself, 
 for the Empress in turn tried to console me. 
 
 " She excused the Emperor, against whom, in the 
 first moment of my surprise, an expression of anger 
 had escaped me. • He is disconsolate,' she said, ' at 
 the idea of separating from me; he has told me so 
 himself; he has given me proofs. He wept as he said, 
 " It is one of the greatest sacrifices I have had to make
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 29 
 
 for France." He told me that,' repeated Her Majesty, 
 and with what a persuasive tone she spoke ! ' Yes ; I 
 know he must have an heir to his glory, a child, who 
 shall live after him and consolidate his Empire. I 
 cannot doubt his love for me. He has sworn that he 
 will never oblige me to leave France.'" 
 
 During these painful emotions and about the 
 
 time of the official ratification of the divorce 
 
 by the Senate, Eugene received from his wife 
 
 this beautiful letter, in which the heart of the 
 
 Vice-Queen reached the grandeur of that of her 
 
 husband : — 
 
 Milan, December 13, 1809. 
 
 I do not know what I wrote you yesterday, my dear 
 and well-beloved husband: the news of the divorce 
 overwhelmed me ; my sorrow is greater because I suffer 
 for you. I picture your sad position ; and, though far 
 from you, I can see the joy and triumph depicted on 
 the countenances of our enemies. But they cannot 
 do you the injury they would, because they cannot take 
 away your spotless reputation and your conscience with- 
 out reproach. You have not deserved these misfortunes. 
 I say " these," as I suppose they are preparing others 
 for us; I am prepared for anything. 
 
 I regret nothing if your love still remains to me ; 
 on the contrary, I should be happy to prove to you that 
 I love you for yourself alone. I cannot write to your 
 poor mother; what should I say to her? Assure her of 
 my love and respect. You say your return is near. 
 vol. 1. — 9
 
 1 30 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 These words assuaged my sadness, and I await you with 
 impatience. Do not for one moment believe that I will 
 let myself be beaten. No, my Eugene; my courage 
 equals yours, and I am anxious to prove to you that I 
 am worthy to be your wife. Adieu, dear husband; 
 continue to love me, and believe and trust in the love 
 which I consecrated to you till the hour of my death. 
 
 V. 
 
 M. de Meneval, private secretary to the Em- 
 peror, and a witness to the inner life of the 
 Tuileries during the weeks which preceded the 
 formal act of dissolution of the imperial marriage, 
 thus speaks of the relations between Napoleon 
 and Josephine and their condition of mind during 
 this critical period : — 
 
 " Painful as these fifteen days must have been to both, 
 they nevertheless appeared very short to Josephine, 
 who could not accustom herself to the idea of losing her 
 rank as reigning Empress, and, above all, to the separa- 
 tion from Napoleon, whom she loved devotedly. 
 
 " The Emperor softened these last moments of their 
 union by acts of affectionate attention. He occupied 
 himself with her future, gave her advice, and forestalled 
 all her desires. Josephine possessed an irresistible 
 attraction ; she was not regularly beautiful, but she was 
 endowed with a grace much more attractive than beauty, 
 as our good La Fontaine puts it.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. I 31 
 
 " She had the soft languor, the supple, elegant move- 
 ments, and the negligence of the Creoles. Her temper 
 was equable, sweet, kind, affable, and indulgent to every 
 one without excepting any person." 
 
 To arrange the legal forms and ceremonials 
 of the divorce, Napoleon held a second interview 
 with Cambaceres, in which the smallest details 
 were decided upon. The Emperor declared that 
 " Josephine's future should be magnificently as- 
 sured. She should have a palace in Paris, a 
 princely residence in the country, an income of 
 three million francs, and the first rank among 
 princesses after the future reigning Empress. He 
 proposed to keep her near him, as his best and 
 most loving friend." 
 
 On the 15th of December, the great sacrifice 
 was finally consummated. In the Emperor's 
 cabinet were assembled Napoleon, Josephine, 
 King Louis, King Jerome, King Murat, the 
 Queens of Spain, Naples, Holland, and West- 
 phalia, Napoleon's mother, his sister Pauline, and 
 Prince Eugene. Napoleon, with tears in his eyes, 
 explained to the princely family gathered together 
 the political necessity of his divorce. Speaking 
 of Josephine, he said with a touching emotion and 
 absolute sincerity: —
 
 132 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 " She has embellished fifteen years of my life, the 
 remembrance of which will remain for ever engraved on 
 my heart. She was crowned by my hand, and I desire 
 that she shall preserve the rank and the title of Empress, 
 but, above all, that she never doubt my sentiments, 
 and that she look upon me always as her best and 
 dearest friend." 
 
 After Napoleon's words, Josephine made an 
 effort to reply to the Emperor's declaration. 
 Alas ! notwithstanding all her efforts at self-con- 
 trol, long and frequent sobs strangled her 
 utterances. 
 
 Comte Regnault de Saint-Jean d'Angely, who 
 held the position of Officer of Civil State for 
 the imperial family, was obliged to come to her 
 assistance, and in a flood of tears, her voice broken 
 by sobs, she said, — 
 
 "With the permission of my august and beloved 
 husband, I owe it to him to declare that, having no hope 
 of having children who could satisfy the needs of his 
 policy and the interests of France, I am glad to be able 
 to give him the greatest proof of affection and devotion 
 which any woman on earth has ever given. I owe 
 everything to his bounty ; his hand crowned me, and 
 from the height of this throne I have always received 
 proofs of affection and love from the French people. 
 
 " I believe I understand his sentiments in consenting
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 33 
 
 to the dissolution of a marriage which is an obstacle to 
 the welfare of France, which deprives it of the good 
 fortune of being one day governed by the descendants 
 of a great man so evidently raised up by Providence to 
 obliterate the evils of a terrible revolution, and re- 
 establish the church, the throne, and social order. But 
 the dissolution of this marriage will never change the 
 sentiments of my heart. The Emperor will always have 
 in me his best friend. I know how this act, demanded 
 of him by politics and his great interest, has racked his 
 heart, but both of us glory in the sacrifice we are 
 making for our country." 
 
 Napoleon tenderly embraced Josephine for the 
 last time in her life, and led her half fainting to 
 her children's arms. 
 
 What poignant emotions must have been 
 Eugene's during this never-to-be-forgotten scene ! 
 All was not finished for him, however, and he 
 must drink the bitter chalice to the dregs. The 
 Senate, called together in solemn session, pro- 
 nounced the dissolution of the marriage, — fatal 
 sentence, which not only was the Prince con- 
 strained to hear, but to which he was obliged to 
 reply in his mother's name, that of his sister, and 
 his own. In a firm, manly voice and a noble 
 modesty and touching simplicity, which deeply 
 moved the assembly, he expressed himself in the 
 following words : —
 
 134 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 " My mother, my sister, and myself owe everything 
 to the Emperor. To my sister and myself he has been 
 a real father, and he will find in us for ever devoted 
 children. 
 
 " It is necessary to the glory of France that the 
 founder of the Fourth Dynasty should grow old sur- 
 rounded by direct heirs, who will be our guarantee to 
 all as a pledge for the glory of our country. 
 
 " When our mother was crowned before the whole 
 nation, by the hands of her august husband, she con- 
 tracted the obligation to sacrifice her affections to the 
 interests of France. She has fulfilled the first of these 
 duties with courage, nobility, and dignity. Her heart 
 has often been touched in seeing the heart of this man, 
 accustomed to commanding fortune and marching firmly 
 forward to the accomplishment of his designs, the prey 
 to melancholy longings for a direct heir. The tears 
 which this resolution has cost the Emperor are recom- 
 pense enough for my mother ! " 
 
 The French Senate, though devoted to Napo- 
 leon, was so moved by Prince Eugene's speech, 
 and so touched by his noble attitude, that some 
 members moved to send a deputation to carry 
 their condolences to the Prince ; but other mem- 
 bers observed that such a step might be misinter- 
 preted. A large number of the senators went 
 singly and presented their condolences. Visitors 
 of all kinds flocked to the Viceroy. The most
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 135 
 
 touching as well as the most honourable interest 
 was manifested in his welfare. 
 
 The next day, Eugene accompanied Josephine 
 to Malmaison. 
 
 " It had been decided upon in advance," as 
 Mademoiselle Avrillon relates on this subject, 
 " that, the day after the divorce, Their Majesties 
 should leave Paris, — the Emperor for Trianon, 
 the Empress for Malmaison. From early morning 
 of our last day at the Tuileries, we were all astir, 
 to lend what aid we each could to the prepara- 
 tions necessary for a departure which was for ever. 
 I remained in the Empress's apartments for a 
 long time, helping to pack her belongings: her 
 children were with her; they never left her. 
 Prince Eugene forced himself to appear at ease 
 and affected a brave mien ; he even tried to force 
 a gaiety which was far from his heart." 
 
 At last the inexorable hour of departure 
 sounded, and Josephine crossed the threshold of 
 the Tuileries for the last time. Dethroned sov- 
 ereign, banished wife, she left for ever this place 
 which she had entered in a blaze of glory to share 
 a throne, the most brilliant, perhaps, upon which 
 any woman had ever sat. With what a flood of 
 distressing thoughts this broken heart was over- 
 whelmed !
 
 136 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 Eugene's place after those days of agony was 
 near his mother, and he remained at Malmaison. 
 Sad, indeed, were the first hours passed by Jose- 
 phine in that dear spot hallowed by such sweet 
 memories ! 
 
 Mademoiselle Avrillon writes of them thus : 
 
 " The first day, but especially the first night, was 
 extremely painful. The Empress was plunged in deep 
 affliction, but Her Majesty was not ill. I remained near * 
 her the greater part of the night. Sleep was impossi- 
 ble, and time passed as we conversed sadly. A great 
 grief held her in its grasp. No doubt she deplored 
 her fate, but in such sweet terms, in so resigned a 
 manner, that everything which has been said to the 
 contrary is pure invention. No bitterness entered into 
 her discourse, even during this first night, in which the 
 blow which had struck her was so recent; she spoke 
 of the Emperor with the same respect and the same 
 affection as in the past." 
 
 Eugene displayed during these sorrowful hap- 
 penings a loftiness of soul which did not belie 
 for one instant the abnegation and calm serenity 
 which are found in this letter to his wife: — 
 
 Paris, December 16, 1809. 
 It was impossible for me to write to you yesterday, 
 my dear Augusta, as I remained with the Empress until
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 37 
 
 midnight. At last this separation between the Em- 
 peror and my mother, which has been a subject of 
 conversation with the public for so long a time, has been 
 an accomplished fact since yesterday evening. A fam- 
 ily gathering was held at the Tuileries. The Emperor 
 explained the reasons which necessitated the step he 
 had taken, of separating from his wife, and commanded 
 the sacrifice; the Empress replied with * nobility and 
 dignity and with the most touching sensibility. The 
 Arch-Chancellor drew up the prods-verbal of the stance, 
 and we all signed it 
 
 This morning, I repaired to a special meeting of the 
 Senate ; and, carrying out the Emperor's wishes, I ex- 
 plained the sentiments which had animated my family 
 in these circumstances. Everything passed quietly, and 
 the Empress displayed the greatest courage and resig- 
 nation. To-morrow or the day after, a full account 
 of the proceedings will be published in the papers, and 
 you will see it. The Emperor goes to Trianon, the 
 Empress to Malmaison, and I set out at once to re- 
 join you. Adieu, my very dear Augusta; I love you 
 and my two little ones beyond any words. 
 
 At that moment, when Eugene, upon leaving 
 the senate-chamber, penned the foregoing lines 
 from Paris to the Princess, she wrote the follow- 
 ing words, so full of noble resignation, as though 
 their thoughts were mingled through the realms 
 of space in a common sentiment of heroic abne- 
 gation, placed high above human illusions : —
 
 138 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 Milan, December 16, 1809. 
 
 I am resigned to everything, and submit myself to 
 the will of God ; your greatness of soul may astonish 
 many, but not your wife, who loves you, if such a thing 
 is possible, more than ever. I will prove to you, dear 
 Eugene, that I have not less courage or strength of 
 character than you have, though I was forced to be far 
 from you during these sad events. The little ones are 
 well; God knows what their future will be. 
 
 Adieu, best of husbands; remember that my only 
 desire is to do what you would wish me to, and to give 
 you proofs of my tenderness, which will only end with 
 the life of your faithful wife. 
 
 This letter had barely time to cross the Alps 
 before Eugene seemed to anticipate it, he had 
 so much faith in his wife's goodness of heart, 
 which he knew he possessed entirely. 
 
 The day after his arrival at Malmaison he 
 
 wrote as follows : — 
 
 Malmaison, December 17, 1809. 
 We have been at Malmaison since yesterday even- 
 ing, my very dear Augusta. If the weather had been 
 better, we should have passed a more cheerful day; but 
 it has poured ever since we arrived. The Empress is 
 well. Her grief was very acute this morning, upon see- 
 ing once more, under such sad circumstances, the spots 
 where she had passed so many happy days with the 
 Emperor; but she soon regained her courage, and is, 
 in a measure, resigned to her new position. For my
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 139 
 
 part, I firmly believe she will become happier and 
 more tranquil. 
 
 We received several visits this morning. Every one 
 is speaking, so they tell us, in Paris of our courage and 
 the Empress's resignation. They would be fools who 
 believed for one moment that I regretted any favour or 
 elevation. I hope, by the manner in which I bowed to 
 circumstances, I shall convince even the most incredu- 
 lous that I am above all that. I will not hide from 
 you that, during all these miserable days, I have had 
 but one worry, and that was that this event would cause 
 you sorrow. You should have seen a full account of 
 this affair in the Moniteur of this morning ; I hope to 
 be in Milan soon, and then you will tell me frankly 
 what you think of the whole matter. 
 
 A week passed, and Josephine's grief, though 
 still great, was not so poignant. A visit from 
 Napoleon seemed to have solaced her a little; 
 and Eugene appeared sensible of the kindness 
 shown his mother by the Emperor: — 
 
 Malmaison, December 26, 1809. 
 My dear Augusta, — The Emperor came to see 
 the Empress day before yesterday. Yesterday she 
 went to Trianon to see him, and he kept her to dinner. 
 The Emperor was very kind and affectionate to her, 
 and she seems better in consequence. Everything leads 
 me to think the Empress will be much happier in her 
 new position, and we also. You may believe me, as I 
 view the matter impartially. I hope your health has not
 
 140 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 suffered in consequence of these new circumstances, and 
 I beg of you to compose yourself. There is nothing 
 to regret, and we shall always be happy because we 
 shall always love each other. 
 
 Augusta's letters to her husband were for the 
 latter a source of consolation in this crisis in which 
 the future of the Beauharnais was threatened 
 with disaster. Each of the Vice-Queen's letters 
 testified more strongly to her strength of charac- 
 ter, her indifference to the greatness now for ever 
 lost, and her boundless love for the chivalrous 
 husband of whom she was so proud. Their mutual 
 affection was fostered in these cruel trials ; and in 
 all truth Eugene could write December 28 : — 
 
 My dear Augusta, — You are very good and very 
 loving to write me the charming letters which I have 
 received. I am very happy in knowing you approve 
 of my conduct in this affair. For me, I am proud to 
 be your husband, and I love you a hundred times more 
 than I ever imagined I possibly could do. 
 
 VI. 
 
 The world has shown itself curious as to the 
 relations between Napoleon and the dethroned 
 Empress during the first days following the 
 divorce. Constant enlightens us fully on this 
 subject when he tells us that each time he re-
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 14 1 
 
 turned to Paris with the Emperor, he no sooner 
 arrived than he was sent to Malmaison. He 
 rarely carried a letter from the Emperor, who 
 only wrote to Josephine on very special occa- 
 sions. " Say to the Empress that I am well, and 
 that I desire her to be happy." That is what His 
 Majesty generally said to him as he saw him set- 
 ting out. 
 
 As soon as he arrived, the Empress left every 
 one to talk to him. He often remained an hour, 
 and sometimes even two hours, during these 
 times. The sole subject of conversation was the 
 Emperor. Constant must tell her all Napoleon 
 had suffered while travelling, and if he had been 
 sad or gay, ill or well. She wept over the de- 
 tails given her, making a thousand suggestions 
 for the Emperor's health and the care she wished 
 given him. 
 
 Prince Eugene prolonged his visit to his 
 mother until she was somewhat reconciled to her 
 sad fate. Not only the new year 18 10 found him 
 beside Josephine, but the month of January and 
 part of February passed before he found it pos- 
 sible to leave her. 
 
 On the 7th of February, the Princess, whose 
 tender impatience to clasp her beloved husband
 
 I42 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 in her arms became stronger day by day, wrote 
 a letter which is so charming, and which so ex- 
 actly depicts the strength of the tie which united 
 these loving hearts, that I give it in full. I only 
 wish to explain that the allusion made to the fate 
 reserved by Napoleon for the Viceroy concerned 
 the Grand Duchy of Frankfort, in connection 
 with which Eugene's name had been already 
 mentioned : — 
 
 Milan, February 7, 1810. 
 The King of Naples availed himself of another 
 route, notwithstanding it had been announced that he 
 intended to pass through Milan. I hope he will learn 
 that everything was prepared to give him a reception 
 befitting his rank as King. I flatter myself, my dear 
 friend, that you will not follow his example, but will 
 take the shortest route possible to come here. You 
 ought to know the pleasure your arrival will give me 
 and all the kingdom, whose uneasiness grows in measure 
 as your absence is prolonged. I have been very careful 
 not to speak of the Grand Duchy. Any indiscretion 
 on my part would have given rise to a general alarm. 
 Our people have proved how much they love us in 
 this last matter. The Emperor could not possibly be 
 angry with us, for we have not intrigued for that ; and 
 our way of thinking has always been, and always will 
 be, the same. I do not believe, to tell you the truth, 
 in the fate in store for us ; but our confidence should 
 indemnify us for a forgetfulness which without that
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 143 
 
 would be painful, and which you only inflict upon your- 
 self on my account. But do you not know me, my 
 dear husband, and do you not know that with you and 
 my dear children I should always be happy? I am 
 young, but recent events have taught me to appreciate 
 the real value of greatness. Thus, do not worry your- 
 self on my account, and only think of the happiness 
 which will be mine when I can tell you that I love 
 nothing in this world as I do my Eugene, and that this 
 sentiment will last as long as I live. 
 
 At last Eugene set out for Milan. He entered 
 the city after an absence of two months and a 
 half, February 18, 18 10. The elevation of his 
 sentiments, the nobility of his heart, of which he 
 gave proof in all the painful details of the divorce, 
 are beyond all praise ; and few men of his age 
 would have been capable of them. I have already 
 said that, since his marriage with the Princess of 
 Bavaria, Napoleon's promises had given him the 
 right to consider himself heir presumptive to the 
 Crown of Italy, and even the eventual heir to 
 the imperial throne. 
 
 This last opinion is confirmed by Baron Sarcey, 
 who was in a position to judge of the strained 
 relations of Napoleon with several members of 
 his family. 
 
 Eugene's eventual right was to succeed the
 
 E. 
 
 144 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGEN. 
 
 Emperor, in default of " a direct heir, and after 
 those of Napoleon's brothers. Joseph, the oldest, 
 was but thirteen years older than Josephine's son. 
 Louis was very sickly and ill adapted for a ruler. 
 Lucien, on account of his marriage with the 
 widow Jouberthon, besides other complications, 
 had become estranged from Napoleon. Besides, 
 the Emperor often had occasion to complain of 
 his brothers. Nobody was ignorant of the fact 
 that he often went so far as to threaten them 
 with disgrace in order to prevent them from car- 
 rying out some totally unfit policy. Joseph was 
 on such bad terms with him, and carried it to 
 such an extent, that the King of Spain absented 
 himself from the ceremonies of the divorce, and 
 shortly afterwards refused to be present at the 
 marriage with Marie Louise, — a hostile attitude 
 which greatly aroused Napoleon's anger. 
 
 These dissensions in the bosom of the imperial 
 family greatly augmented the chances which 
 seemed to promise a brilliant future to Eugene. 
 Madame Bonaparte was herself of this opinion, 
 as Baron Sarcey, in his admirable book, the 
 Mother of Napoleon, tells us : — 
 
 " Madame Mere, who held the Empress's son in high 
 esteem, saw in him a direct successor to Napoleon, in 
 default of one of his brothers, to his imperial throne."
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 145 
 
 One can easily see what an immense sacrifice 
 was imposed on the young Viceroy by the divorce 
 and second marriage. It was the double throne 
 which Eugene saw vanishing into thin air. And 
 what a throne ! But this resplendent prospect, 
 which would have dazzled any other than this 
 Prince, had glided by without leaving any im- 
 pression on the unshaken modesty which was one 
 of the most beautiful traits of his character. 
 
 On his return to Milan, Eugene, far from dis- 
 playing any animosity towards the Emperor for 
 the loss of such brilliant prospects, consecrated 
 himself with more zeal than ever to the cares of 
 his kingdom, which had been enlarged by the 
 annexation of a portion of the Tyrol, and now 
 numbered 6,500,000 inhabitants. 
 
 A week had hardly elapsed since his return 
 and his taking up of the reins of government, 
 when Napoleon made a formal announcement to 
 him of his coming marriage with the Arch- 
 duchess Louise. To complete the irony of a 
 cruel fate, three days later a second letter reached 
 him in which he received orders to repair to Paris 
 to assist at the betrothal of his adopted father 
 with the woman who was so soon to occupy the 
 
 place of a tenderly loved mother. 
 vol. 1. — IO
 
 146 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 Paris, February 26, 18 10. 
 My Son, — The Emperor of Austria having acceded 
 to my demands for the hand of the Archduchess Marie 
 Louise, of whose merits and brilliant qualities I am fully 
 cognisant, I have resolved to fix the date of our mar- 
 riage in Paris for the 29th of March. I have sent the 
 Prince de Neuchatel to assist as my witness at the 
 marriage ceremony, which will take place, March 6, 
 at Vienna, by proxy, to enable the Empress to reach 
 Compiegne the 23d, where I expect to meet her. 
 At this important event I have determined to gather 
 around me all the princes and princesses of my family, 
 and I now advise you by this letter to allow no impedi- 
 ment to prevent you from being in Paris by the 20th 
 of March. 
 
 Thus Eugene, after having seen his mother, 
 not two months before, descend from the greatest 
 throne in the world, was obliged to assist with a 
 still bleeding heart at the elevation of the woman 
 who was to succeed her.
 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Prince Eugene refuses the Throne of Sweden. — Family Life. 
 
 — Birth of the King of Rome. — Eugene is summoned by 
 Napoleon. — Rupture with the Czar. — The Crown of Poland. 
 
 — Eugene resolves to refuse it, if it be offered to him. — Pros- 
 pects of Peace. — War is declared. 
 
 I. 
 
 FAITHFUL to the promise which he had 
 made officially in a message addressed to 
 the Senate at the time of the divorce, assuring 
 Eugene's future, Napoleon named him heir to 
 the Grand Duchy of Frankfort. This nomination 
 was accompanied by the most flattering eulogies 
 of the Prince. The following is an extract 
 from the message, published in the Moniteur of 
 March 4, 18 10: — 
 
 " It is with loving eagerness that our heart prompts 
 us on this occasion to give a new proof of our esteem 
 and great affection for a young Prince whose first steps 
 in governing and in the army were taken under our 
 direction ; and who, in the midst of varied circumstances, 
 has never given us the slightest cause for discontent, but
 
 148 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 who, on the contrary, has seconded our efforts with a 
 prudence far above what could be expected from his 
 age, and in this last campaign has displayed at the head 
 of our armies as much bravery as knowledge of the art 
 of war. It pleases us to establish him firmly in the 
 high rank in which we have placed him." 
 
 But what solace were these praises and the 
 expression of this satisfaction to Eugene, who 
 found himself obliged to assist at the ceremony 
 which was a death-blow to his filial love ? Napo- 
 leon's marriage to Marie Louise was set for 
 March 29. On the 12th, the Viceroy and his wife 
 set out for Paris, where they arrived on the 20th. 
 At that time the journey from Milan to Paris 
 occupied eight days. At first they took up their 
 residence in the Palace of the Elysee, from which, 
 forty years later, one of their nephews was to set 
 out to assume again the imperial purple. 
 
 The Princess had hardly reached Paris when 
 her tender heart urged her to hasten to Mal- 
 maison to embrace Josephine. She intuitively 
 divined how consoling and soothing her presence 
 would be to the Empress. The Vice-Queen, 
 during her protracted sojourn, occupied an adjoin- 
 ing apartment to those devoted to Josephine's 
 use ; and these two women, so different in their
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 49 
 
 characters, yet both sweet-tempered, good, sensi- 
 tive, and united by a common tie, their love for 
 Eugene, spent long, delicious hours together, — 
 hours precious to bleeding hearts. Augusta's 
 presence was a consolation which Josephine ap- 
 preciated more fully for the reason that she was 
 soon to exile herself to her chateau at Navarre 
 near Evreux, so as not to be a drawback to the 
 festivities inaugurated to celebrate the Emperor's 
 second marriage. 
 
 During the Empress's sojourn at Navarre, 
 Eugene paid her several visits ; regarding these 
 visits, I have found some very interesting notes, 
 which contain a faithful portrait of Eugene at 
 that time : — 
 
 " It was impossible to imagine more amiability and 
 good-fellowship than belonged to the Viceroy ; to cap- 
 tivate his associates, he put himself out to be as amiable 
 and agreeable as an humble individual of no special 
 rank. A declared enemy to etiquette, he tried to avoid 
 it here as much as possible ; he forbade the hussars to 
 announce him, in order to spare us the trouble of rising 
 each time he entered. ' It is bad enough,' he said, ' to 
 be forced to submit to these tiresome consequences of 
 etiquette when I am in Milan; at least permit me to 
 amuse myself a little here. It is a hard trade to be a 
 king, when one has not been brought up to it ! ' I have
 
 150 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 seen him at Malmaison, crossing the garden in a pour- 
 ing rain, to avoid the ceremonious announcement which 
 his appearance in the gallery would entail. 
 
 " His fine, delicate face lighted up in an extraordinary- 
 manner when speaking of his campaigns. His carriage 
 was noble and elegant, and he never came without be- 
 stowing numerous gifts ; and, as Josephine remarked 
 with all a mother's pride, every one's face lighted up 
 with happiness on seeing him. No son could show 
 such a filial love and at the same time such fatherly 
 protection towards an unhappy mother. He could 
 never speak of the period of his mother's divorce 
 without tears in his eyes." 
 
 During the Viceroy's stay in Paris, Napoleon, 
 desirous of compensating him in every possible 
 manner for the overthrow of the hopes his second 
 marriage had ruined, conceived a step of twofold 
 importance, in an historical point of view and as 
 showing the disinterestedness of my hero's char- 
 acter. He sent Duroc, Marshal of the Palace, to 
 offer him the Crown of Sweden. The Swedes, 
 who, on one side, wanted to assure the succession 
 to their childless King, Charles XII., and, on the 
 other, felt the necessity of placing over their gov- 
 ernment, in those troubled times, a man who had 
 been tried and found worthy, had with this end 
 in view made overtures to Napoleon's Court.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 151 
 
 They justly argued that among these princes 
 and French marshals they would find an heir 
 worthy of sustaining the splendour of the throne 
 of Gustavus Adolphus and Charles XII. 
 
 Baron Darnay, in his Memoirs, thus describes 
 this curious incident : — 
 
 " In the midst of the bustle of the wedding fetes, the 
 Emperor sent the Marshal of the Palace, Duroc, to the 
 Viceroy, then living at the Palace of the Elysee, to offer 
 him, in his name, the throne of Sweden. The Mar- 
 shal, an old friend of Eugene's, employed all his per- 
 suasive powers, strengthened by his attachment to the 
 Prince, to induce Eugene to concede to the Emperor's 
 wish. The Viceroy asserted that he was perfectly con- 
 tented with his present destiny in Italy; and that he 
 feared he would not be able to gain the esteem of a 
 people for whom he had done nothing. The Prince 
 ended by begging Marshal Duroc to return his thanks 
 and his respectful regrets to the Emperor. 
 
 " The next day, the Marshal reappeared on the part 
 of the Emperor, and insisted, in His Majesty's name, 
 upon Eugene's reconsidering the proposition of the pre- 
 vious day; he remarked to the Prince that the kingdom 
 of Italy, in the event of two imperial sons, would pass 
 to the second ; that the Prince, by his fame as a warrior, 
 could hardly fail to please a brave, warlike nation ; and 
 that the virtues of the Princess Augusta would be ap- 
 preciated and would gladden all hearts. 
 
 " The Viceroy, having had all that day and the day
 
 152 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 before to confer with the Vice-Queen, who shared her 
 husband's opinion, persisted in his resolutions to take 
 all the chances of his position ; and he renewed his thanks 
 to the Emperor, praying Marshal Duroc to carry him 
 his most respectful excuses. 
 
 " The Emperor remarked to the Viceroy that same 
 day that he might perhaps be right, and that he had no 
 ill-will towards him, dropping the subject from that day 
 forth." 
 
 It was so evidently to Napoleon's interest to 
 throw the weight of his influence in favour of one 
 of the princes of his family, or of a man whom 
 he knew to be entirely devoted to him, that his 
 most natural choice fell on Eugene, and for a 
 moment the latter's refusal caused him great 
 annoyance. This throne finally fell in 18 18 to 
 Marshal Bernadotte, who ascended it under the 
 name of Charles XIV. (Charles Jean). 
 
 What influenced Eugene most, perhaps, was 
 the fact that he would be obliged to change his 
 religion before mounting the steps of this throne. 
 In regard to this refusal of Eugene's, Metter- 
 nich cites these significant words of Napoleon 
 in the course of a conversation on this delicate 
 subject : — 
 
 " ' The choice of the Prince de Ponte-Corvo (Berna- 
 dotte) presents points of view which are very disagree-
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 153 
 
 able to me,' the Emperor remarked : ' it compromises 
 my relations with Russia, and places another man out of 
 private life on a throne, which is an injury to royalty. 
 The question of a change of religion is not an indif- 
 ferent one either, if we can judge by the effect of this 
 news on the Empress Marie Louise. She cried out 
 on hearing it, " What ! this coward gives up his God 
 for a crown?" Thank God none of mine were guilty 
 of that ! I offered the crown to the Viceroy of Italy, 
 who refused it point-blank.' " 
 
 This definitely settles the fact that the Crown 
 of Sweden was offered to Eugene, — a fact testi- 
 fied to by a witness worthy of all confidence. 
 Here are the words of a more recent authority : 
 
 " Napoleon placed so little confidence in Bernadotte 
 that he pondered over a more suitable French can- 
 didate, and proposed Prince Eugene to the Swedes, 
 who were asking for Bernadotte. Eugene was ap- 
 proached, but not being willing to change his religion, 
 which was an indispensable condition for reigning at 
 Stockholm, he was forced to return to Prince de Ponte- 
 Corvo, who was not troubled in the slightest degree by 
 the same scruples." 
 
 It is certain that Eugene's election, as Napo- 
 leon's adopted son, a ruler whose wisdom and 
 worth had been proven by Italy, would have been 
 easier than that of Bernadotte, who was far from 
 possessing the same prestige and presenting the
 
 154 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 same guarantees. One word from the Emperor 
 would have been sufficient to have made the 
 Swedes declare in Eugene's favour, while they, on 
 the other hand, in choosing the Prince de Ponte- 
 Corvo, imagined they were pleasing Napoleon. 
 As we have seen, this choice displeased the lat- 
 ter, especially as it compromised his relations 
 with the Czar. 
 
 As this is more a romance of Prince Eugene's 
 life than his political history, no further impor- 
 tance need be attached to this fact than the new 
 light it throws upon the character of one whom 
 Thiers, that great national historian in his chap- 
 ter on Napoleon's divorce, calls, " the excellent 
 Prince." An ambitious man, anxious to grasp a 
 sceptre, would he not have hastened to accept 
 the offer made him? Would he not have in- 
 trigued and moved heaven and earth to make 
 himself the choice of the Swedes ? Does not 
 this short, decisive refusal, at the very first over- 
 tures, prove the sincerity of Eugene's modesty, 
 and show that he only regretted Italy's crown 
 for the sake of his wife and children ? This 
 kingdom of Italy, whose reorganisation had 
 been his pride, was made for his pleasure. He 
 would have preferred to reign under its bright
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 155 
 
 blue sky, over a people who had learned to love 
 him, rather than, putting the question of re- 
 ligion to one side, to bury himself in an in- 
 hospitable climate, so far from his own land and 
 that of his wife. But I think that neither the 
 throne of France of which his wife had dreamed, 
 nor the Crown of Italy to which he had legal 
 rights, nor the sceptre of Sweden which Napoleon 
 had offered him, nor the purple of Poland which 
 was in question, dazzled him for one moment. 
 Eugene had enough experience of life to know 
 that happiness is not a privilege of the great, 
 and that a destiny in a lower scale, the love of 
 a cherished wife and the sweet affection of his 
 children, added to the esteem and consideration 
 of the world, constituted enviable happiness on 
 this earth. 
 
 Besides, by a sort of providence, his children, 
 for whom alone he was ambitious, later mounted 
 the steps of a throne or were allied with royal 
 houses. This same Crown of Sweden, which 
 Eugene had disdained, was afterwards worn by 
 one of his daughters, the wife of Charles XV., 
 Bernadotte's son. 
 
 The Prince and Princess took part in all the 
 fetes attending the imperial marriage, and pro-
 
 156 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 longed their stay in France until the month of 
 May. They were present at the fete given by 
 the Prince de Schwarzenberg, which has gone 
 down to history famous for the frightful confla- 
 gration which engulfed so many illustrious victims. 
 Here, again, Eugene's star appeared to protect 
 him by its mysterious power. The Viceroy had 
 opened the ball with Princess Pauline de Schwarz- 
 enberg, wife of the ambassador's elder brother. 
 When the catastrophe broke forth, he found 
 himself, happily for him, a little to one side and 
 behind the crowd. A chandelier fell, and the 
 platform, blazing up, barred his passage. By a 
 providential chance he discovered a little door 
 leading to the private apartments of the hotel, 
 and was thus enabled to penetrate to where the 
 Princess was, and save her before she gained any 
 knowledge of her peril. He not only saved her 
 from harm, but also spared her any fright, be- 
 cause she knew nothing of the danger she had 
 escaped until she was clear of it. 
 
 II. 
 
 It was June before the royal couple returned 
 to Italy. The Empress Josephine, who was at 
 Aix, joined them later at Monza, where Eugene
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 57 
 
 at once plunged with renewed ardour into the 
 administrative labours of his kingdom. 
 
 Eugene and his wife passed several happy 
 months in their country home, enjoying a homely 
 family life. During these few months spent in 
 the company of his wife and children, he laboured 
 ceaselessly. He kept up a constant correspond- 
 ence with Napoleon. 
 
 It does not enter into the plan of this work 
 to give this political and administrative corre- 
 spondence. I think it sufficient to mention that 
 the Viceroy's indefatigable activity extended to 
 every branch of his government. He laboured 
 to enlarge the army and navy, in the develop- 
 ment of public works and commerce, in erecting 
 numerous hospitals, in perfecting his fortifica- 
 tions, in establishing a just system of taxation, 
 and in general in protecting all the interests of 
 the country which were necessary. His hard- 
 est task was his struggle against the inroads of 
 English commerce and the successful defence 
 of his kingdom against Napoleon's oftentimes 
 arbitrary demands. 
 
 December 9, 18 10, the happiness of the Viceroy 
 was completed by the birth of a son : Auguste 
 Charles Eugene Napoleon, who in 1834 wedded 
 Donna Maria da Gloria, Queen of Portugal.
 
 158 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 The birth of this child was a signal for univer- 
 sal rejoicings throughout the kingdom ; for the 
 people, bourgeoisie and nobility alike, were ani- 
 mated by a common affection for Eugene and 
 his wife. 
 
 Their joy would have been much more exuber- 
 ant if the fatal divorce had not modified Napo- 
 leon's plans with regard to Eugene, and if the 
 little Prince who had just been born could have 
 been looked upon as the future heir to the Crown 
 of Italy. 
 
 During the year 181 1, Europe enjoyed a pro- 
 found peace, which gave no warnings of the 
 disasters of the Russian campaign. This happy 
 but too short truce gave Eugene an opportunity 
 to put some of the numerous plans which he 
 had been nursing for the good of his people 
 into execution. He organised the Institute of 
 Sciences at Milan, with branches in Venice, 
 Bologna, Padua, and Verona; he endowed and 
 maintained several special academies, and at 
 Milan founded a college for young girls, with the 
 end in view of encouraging flax-raising, — one of 
 the most important industries in his kingdom ; 
 he offered a prize of a million francs for the 
 invention of the best machine for spinning flax.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 59 
 
 But all his happy and peaceful innovations came 
 to a standstill. 
 
 Napoleon had at first intended to undertake 
 his campaign against Russia in the spring of 
 181 1 ; and in order that Italy should be ready to 
 place at his disposal the great number of men 
 he demanded of her, he had ordered Eugene to 
 equip a powerful army before the month of May, 
 181 1. The organising of these troops claimed the 
 Viceroy's incessant attention. Thanks to the 
 postponement of this fatal campaign, which was 
 destined to engulf the largest number of men 
 ever collected, and prepare the insidious over- 
 throw of the imperial throne, Eugene was en- 
 abled, during the greater part of the year, to 
 enjoy the felicity of his fireside. 
 
 A command from Napoleon interrupted the 
 conjugal happiness of the young couple for sev- 
 eral weeks. He demanded the presence of the 
 Viceroy at Paris, when, to his great joy, Marie 
 Louise gave birth to the ardently longed for 
 child ; though instead of the promised crowns, 
 fate reserved exile and premature death for the 
 young orphan, crushed under the overwhelming 
 greatness of a name which, long after the down- 
 fall of the giant, still possessed the power to 
 make Europe tremble.
 
 l6o THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 Napoleon wished Eugene himself to announce 
 the birth of the little King of Rome to Josephine. 
 Painful as this delicate mission must have been, 
 Eugene obeyed with his usual noble simplicity. 
 
 " The Viceroy assured Josephine that the Emperor 
 had said to him as he took leave of him : ' You are 
 going to see your mother, Eugene ; tell her that I am 
 sure she will rejoice with me in my happiness more 
 than any one else. I should have written to her before, 
 if I had not been absorbed in the pleasure of gazing 
 at my son. I only tear myself away from him to 
 attend to the most indispensable duties. This evening 
 I will discharge the sweetest of them all, — I shall 
 write to Josephine.' " 
 
 During Eugene's stay in France, Napoleon 
 and he talked long and earnestly on the Italian 
 army, which in the following year was to carry the 
 tricolour into the depths of Russia. Thanks to 
 his constant and energetic efforts, Eugene stood 
 ready, at the end of 1811, to march at the head 
 of fifty thousand men and five thousand horses. 
 
 One of the principal causes of the disastrous 
 campaign which was about to commence was 
 this ill-omened Austrian marriage, upon which 
 Napoleon had counted to consolidate his great- 
 ness and which — as if Providence had wished 
 to avenge the repudiated wife — was the origin 
 of his downfall.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. l6l 
 
 Napoleon had decided, in order to strengthen 
 his dynasty, to contract a second marriage, and 
 hesitated a long time between an archduchess of 
 Austria, and the Grand-Duchess Anne of Russia, 
 a sister to the Emperor Alexander. His first 
 choice had fallen on the latter, but difficulties 
 arose at once. The Empress-Mother disapproved 
 of the marriage, urging the extreme youth of 
 her daughter as an excuse. Alexander, on his 
 side, owing to the reputed coldness springing up 
 between France and Russia, showed little haste 
 to reply to Napoleon's advances, and matters 
 dragged along. Was this slowness, in exhaust- 
 ing the patience of the master of France, the 
 true reason for the failure of this marriage pro- 
 ject ? This would be rather a foolhardy assertion 
 to make. On the other hand, Alexander, it 
 cannot be denied, was very jealous of the creation 
 of the Grand Duchy of Warsaw which Napoleon 
 bestowed on his ally, the King of Saxony ; accord- 
 ing to Thiers, the Czar, seeing in the formation of 
 this new State the menace of a reconstruction of 
 the old kingdom of Poland, exacted as the price 
 of his consent to a marriage with his sister the 
 secret and formal promise on the part of the 
 all-powerful Pretender never to reorganise the 
 
 VOL. I. — II
 
 1 62 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 obliterated kingdom. But M. Vandal, thanks to 
 recent researches, has been able to establish, in 
 an irrefutable manner, the fact that, though con- 
 senting to sign such a convention, Napoleon did 
 not obtain the hand of the Grand-Duchess, and 
 that Alexander's parleyings, agreeing with the 
 Empress-Mother's, were in reality but pretexts. 
 
 In the mean while, Austria, in the grasp of the 
 iron hand of the conqueror, declared herself 
 ready to " sacrifice " (this was the term employed 
 by the Emperor Francis himself) an archduchess. 
 Napoleon, annoyed by the repeated delays of 
 Russia, put an end to Alexander's parleys with 
 his accustomed brusqueness. 
 
 This violent rupture fermented the difficulties 
 pending between the courts of Paris and St. 
 Petersburg on the subject of Poland, the contin- 
 ual stumbling-block of the Duchy of Oldenburg, 
 and other questions of too complex a nature to 
 be mentioned here. If it cannot be said to be 
 the direct and determining cause of the war, it 
 can be safely looked upon as being at least the 
 secondary and indirect cause. 
 
 Beyond doubt, if Napoleon had not divorced 
 himself, the political difficulties, not being em- 
 bittered by the personal resentments between the
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 63 
 
 two Emperors, would have been capable of an 
 easier solution. Unhappily the self-love of both 
 was wounded, — Napoleon's by the subterfuges of 
 Alexander, who pretended to shelter himself be- 
 hind his mother's wishes ; that of Alexander by 
 the impolite manner in which Napoleon broke off 
 negotiations before the true meaning of his secret 
 decision was officially announced. 
 
 III. 
 
 At the beginning of 181 2, Eugene was placed in 
 command of the Fourth Army Corps, composed 
 of Italians, and the Sixth Corps (Bavarians), making 
 a total of eighty thousand soldiers, who set out 
 the 1 6th of February. In order to enable this 
 army to cross the Alps, it was necessary to clear 
 the gorges of Brenner of the enormous masses 
 of snow by which they were obstructed, and 
 which rendered the passage almost impracticable. 
 These difficult operations were organised and 
 executed with the greatest secrecy, as Napoleon 
 feared that Russia, divining the destination of this 
 army, would invade the Grand Duchy of Warsaw 
 and Old Prussia, which the great general wished 
 to keep free as a basis for his operations.
 
 164 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 A few days before leaving Milan, Eugene 
 informed his relative and intimate friend, the 
 Comte de la Valette, of his assuming command. 
 I cite this letter because it shows at once how 
 little ambition Eugene had for a throne. 
 
 The rumour had spread that the real cause of 
 the war was the desire which Napoleon nursed 
 to punish Russia by re-establishing the ancient 
 kingdom of Poland, in order to bestow it on 
 Eugene. This is the letter on that subject which 
 the latter wrote to the Comte de la Valette : — 
 
 Milan, February 22, 181 2. 
 
 At last my fate is decided : I have received a grand 
 command, and though it is not yet publicly given out, 
 I am at liberty to announce it to you. I command the 
 Fourth Corps of the Army and that of the Bavarians, 
 which they say Saint-Cyr commands. You can easily 
 see that this will give me from seventy thousand to eighty 
 thousand men and nearly two hundred pieces of cannon. 
 
 The generals, officers, and soldiers, who have just come 
 from Paris, assure me that it is said I shall be placed in 
 command of the cavalry. In any case I shall be well 
 placed, and any position which leaves me at liberty to 
 give the greatest number of proofs of absolute devotion 
 to His Majesty will be the post I shall always prefer. 
 
 One thing does not make me feel any too much 
 pleased. That is the rumour which calls my unworthy 
 self to Poland. This rumour has been spread here ; and
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 165 
 
 I assure you it has given me real sorrow. I could not 
 live so far from the Emperor ; my sole ambition is to 
 live and die as near to him as possible. You will tell 
 me that I am not hard to please, and you are right. 
 I am not devoid of ambition ; but I have not the ambi- 
 tion which aspires to thrones, that is certain, as it is also 
 certain that I have a lifelong friendship for you. 
 
 If the young Viceroy of Italy evinced little 
 desire for the Crown of Poland, such was far 
 from being the case with the Poles in regard 
 to (as he modestly says) " his unworthy self." 
 They ardently longed for him at Warsaw, where 
 they nursed the hope of seeing the armies of 
 France raise up Poland's fallen greatness. I 
 desire no greater proof of this than these lines, 
 addressed a few months later to Eugene, who 
 had just reached the shores of the Niemen, by 
 General Rosinkwi, one of the most illustrious 
 men of his country: — 
 
 " All the people of Poland, without one exception, are 
 expressing wishes which I can feel and share better with 
 the nation than I should know how to explain to Your 
 Imperial Highness. To-day you are the only person who 
 commands our suffrages, and on you alone our eyes are 
 cast. We dare not defy the Emperor's will ; but the Em- 
 peror himself cannot prevent our hearts from feeling for 
 Your Imperial Highness that of which reason would not
 
 1 66 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 disapprove. It may be possible I offend the nobility of 
 Your Imperial Highness by these words ; it is also pos- 
 sible I may be too bold in daring to broach this topic. 
 If such is the case, I will promise to be silent in the 
 future, or until occasion calls for it; but I cannot ac- 
 knowledge myself in fault because I manifest the feelings 
 with which my heart is filled, following the impression 
 which our deep esteem for your noble character adds 
 to all our hopes." 
 
 After an affecting farewell to his beloved wife 
 and children, Eugene set out the 18th of April, 
 in obedience to an urgent order from Napoleon 
 to join him in Paris. 
 
 He remained a week in the French capital 
 before joining his army. As though foreseeing the 
 length of the separation and the frightful perils 
 which he would be obliged to face, his heart dic- 
 tated each day a new letter to the Princess, 
 sometimes two in the same day. I shall not 
 resist the pleasure of citing a few of them, of 
 which the interest is great, whether it be from 
 the perfume of tenderness which they exhale, or 
 the bright light they throw upon the great events 
 which were soon to unroll themselves before our 
 eyes, — events in which Eugene was to take a 
 part, which, in default of so many other claims, 
 merits the admiration of posterity.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 167 
 
 The Prince made the journey in four days from 
 Milan to Paris, which was exceptionally rapid 
 for that period. He did not find the Emperor 
 at the Tuileries. The latter, in truth, annoyed 
 by the low rumble of popular discontent which 
 reached his ears, had retired with his Court to 
 Saint-Cloud, the end of the previous month. 
 This man, who, having arrived at the pinnacle of 
 his astounding greatness and had only one more 
 fortunate campaign to make to hold the whole 
 Continent in his all-powerful hand, was obliged, 
 so to speak, to fly from the complaints of a people 
 hostile to the new war and groaning under the 
 weight of military taxes imposed by the glory of 
 the master they had themselves created. 
 
 Eugene reached Paris the 2 2d of April, and 
 after going to see the Emperor at Saint-Cloud, 
 to embrace his mother at Malmaison, he returned 
 to Paris in the evening worn out with fatigue. 
 
 IV. 
 
 The touching letter that follows contains the 
 pacific indications which were welcomed with 
 such avidity, at the moment previous to the 
 bursting forth of the most murderous war of
 
 1 68 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 modern times. A word of explanation is here 
 appropriate. The Russians, in the fear which 
 Napoleon's overwhelming military genius in- 
 spired, had already mapped out their plan of the 
 campaign. This consisted in destroying every- 
 thing in advance of Napoleon, of leaving des- 
 olation in the path of his army in the hope of 
 weakening its strength by famine and misery. 
 In order to retard these devastations, at least 
 until his army could concentrate itself in close 
 proximity to the Slav frontiers, Napoleon not 
 only manoeuvred to keep the objective movements 
 of his troops as secret as possible, but, with a 
 most skilful duplicity, spread the rumour that 
 peace was in a fair way not to be broken. The 
 more imminent the war became, because his will 
 rendered it inevitable, the more pronounced be- 
 came his peaceful assurances. 
 
 The following letter from the Viceroy speaks 
 of this certainty : — 
 
 Paris, April 24, Midday. 
 Yesterday I received your first two letters, my good 
 and loving Augusta, and they brought loving tears to 
 my eyes. I never doubted your tenderness for me, but the 
 assurances you give me in so touching a manner is very 
 dear to me. Every member of the family whom I have 
 seen up to the present moment has anxiously asked after
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 169 
 
 you ; and it gives me great pleasure to see that you are 
 loved and appreciated as you deserve to be. I will no 
 doubt astonish you in telling you that no one speaks 
 of war here. A great many people, well informed, tell 
 me that things may be arranged even yet 
 
 A Russian officer, who passed day before yesterday 
 througn Metz, is awaited here to-day. Be tranquil, per- 
 fectly tranquil; do not alarm yourself. I advise you to 
 this, and you should believe what I tell you. Do not 
 doubt the loving tenderness which I have sworn for you 
 for life. I embrace you and my little ones also. The 
 Empress Marie is charmed with their portraits. I had 
 the honour of making a hand at her game of whist yes- 
 terday, and she chatted most amicably about you and 
 the details of our little household. I think it would be 
 well for you to write to her. 
 
 Another letter, written two days afterwards, 
 shows how sincere was his indifference in regard 
 to royal dignities. His joy burst forth on learn- 
 ing that there was a question of King Jerome 
 for Poland's throne : — 
 
 " I do not speak of the rumours of Paris, for it is in 
 this city that they abound. For example, it is almost 
 certain that the King of Westphalia will become the 
 King of Poland. I give you this news especially, because 
 you know how enchanted I shall be that there is noth- 
 ing in it which concerns us; and I pray Heaven, which 
 has cared for us so well, to leave us thus for the rest 
 of our lives."
 
 170 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 This short stay of the Viceroy's in Paris 
 coincides with the most brilliant period of Napo- 
 leon's reign. With the campaign of Russia was 
 really to commence the decadence of the most 
 unique power in the world. 
 
 During these days, there were nothing but 
 fetes at the Court, in which Eugene took part 
 with as happy a heart as his separation from his 
 family permitted. 
 
 How many times, in after years, in his peaceful 
 Bavarian retreat, living quietly in the bosom of 
 his family, while Napoleon expiated so many 
 triumphs on a rock lost in the middle of a far dis- 
 tant ocean, — how many times must his thoughts 
 have gone back to those last dazzling days of 
 this marvellous epoch, to which succeeded the 
 shipwreck of the Empire ! 
 
 In the midst of spectacles, hunting-parties, and 
 amusements of all kinds, the rumours of peace 
 were persistently reported by every mouth as the 
 Emperor had willed, in order to mislead Russia 
 completely. But Eugene's mind was too clair- 
 voyant, his sagacity too keen, for him to be long 
 carried away by this mirage. 
 
 " You must know that everything is wrapped 
 in mystery here," he wrote, two days later, to the
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. I 71 
 
 Princess, " especially for those who, like me, seek 
 to know only what they are told." 
 
 On the 30th, Napoleon took him to Trianon 
 and Versailles, in his carriage : — 
 
 " I am waiting for my orders," he writes ; " I 
 am more than ever like the bird on the branch." 
 And, terminating his letter in the loving language 
 habitual to him, he adds : " I embrace my little 
 angels ; and, for their sake and mine, take good 
 care of your precious health." 
 
 V. 
 
 At last the hour sounded. Eugene received 
 his orders to join the army. This news could 
 not but greatly alarm an adored wife. Although 
 of a remarkable firmness of character, the Vice- 
 Queen was a sweet and loving woman. Why 
 should she not tremble at the announcement of 
 the war in which her beloved husband might 
 meet his death, as Lannes did, and so many of the 
 brave commanders of the army? 
 
 Notwithstanding all, Eugene could not dis- 
 simulate his joy at having, as he put it in his 
 own words, " a very fine command," — a soldier's 
 joy, who could only see in the horrors of war the 
 laurels to be gathered.
 
 I 72 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 Paris, May 1, 1812. 
 I announce the news to you, my dear Augusta, that 
 the Emperor has ordered me to the front. I leave 
 to-morrow morning. I have a very fine command under 
 me, and am delighted to have the Bavarians with me. 
 Do not worry over this news. Matters may still be 
 arranged. Officers are coming and going between 
 Paris and St Petersburg ; and it is stated there will be 
 an interview between the two Emperors in which an 
 understanding may be reached. But, above all things, 
 do not worry. Count on my happiness; my lucky 
 star will not abandon me, and everything is for the 
 best. Embrace my children for me; I clasp you to 
 my heart. 
 
 That same day Eugene wrote again to his 
 wife. He feared she would suspect that he had 
 deluded her with false hopes of peace, when he 
 knew that war had been decided upon ; and this 
 sincere and loyal character could not endure the 
 idea that, even in the smallest matters, the Prin- 
 cess should doubt his frankness : — 
 
 Paris, May 1, 1812. 
 You must have been very much surprised at hearing 
 of my hurried departure for the army ; but I assure you 
 it was very fortunate for me. One thing worried me 
 greatly, and that is, that you might for a moment think 
 I had misled you, and that I knew in advance I should 
 join the army. You would do me a great injustice, my
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. I 73 
 
 dear wife, for, I swear before God, I told you all I 
 knew and the exact truth. I am anxious to know that 
 you believe in my sincerity and also in my good fortune, 
 which has doubled since we became united ; and Heaven 
 is too just not to continue its favours towards us. 
 Adieu, my dearest Augusta. I shall be eight whole 
 days in the carriage, without being able to write to you ; 
 but I shall write from Munich, and on every occasion 
 which offers itself. Adieu, once more adieu. 
 
 He profited by a stop of two hours at Mayence 
 
 to beg his wife not to worry and to take good 
 
 care of herself. Brave heart, who, in the moment 
 
 of facing the most formidable dangers, forgets 
 
 himself to think of the tranquillity of the being 
 
 whose happiness is more precious to him than 
 
 his own life ! 
 
 Mayence, May 5, 181 2, 6 a.m. 
 
 I was obliged to make a halt at Mayence. My dear 
 Augusta, I will profit by this delay to write you. I 
 hope your health remains good, and that you will always 
 be very careful of yourself for your children's sake and for 
 love of me. This is the greatest proof of attachment 
 you can give me. Adieu ; I embrace you tenderly, and 
 send many kisses to my little angels. 
 
 Still give me your love ; it is the happiness of my life. 
 
 Six days' journey transported him from Paris 
 to Dresden, where but a short while later the 
 Emperor and Empress of Austria, the King of
 
 I 74 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 Prussia, the King and Queen of Saxony, and 
 so many German princes ran, like vassals at 
 their sovereign's call, to offer Napoleon the in- 
 cense of their homages, the supreme radiance 
 of a dazzling greatness blazing up with greater 
 brilliancy as it was about to be extinguished for 
 ever. From Pilnitz, near Dresden, Eugene ac- 
 quainted his wife with the charming reception 
 accorded him by the royal family : — 
 
 Pilnitz, May 8, 1812, 11.30 p. m. 
 The King was very kind to me, the Queen charming. 
 The Princess Augusta (the King's daughter) is very 
 well; we talked of you a great deal, and I was made 
 doubly happy as I listened to the justice which they 
 rendered you. I shall not write to you again until I 
 reach my headquarters ; that is to say, amid the lands 
 of Poland. Adieu, my good and very dear Augusta; 
 my sentiments towards you will never change. 
 
 Each letter marked a new step, which carried 
 him farther and farther from his loved ones, and 
 nearer and nearer the theatre of war. Alas ! each 
 step also augmented the difficulty of receiving 
 letters, the greatest suffering to those waiting 
 and longing for them. 
 
 Glogau, May II, 181 2. 
 I hasten to announce my arrival at Glogau. I have 
 had enough of being cooped up in a carriage for nine
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 75 
 
 whole days. I have been on horseback all the morning, 
 and have reviewed a good part of my troops. There 
 will be many days that I shall be without news of you, 
 my dear wife; and that saddens me, because I have 
 contracted the pleasing habit of receiving your letters 
 regularly. I shall have them more and more rarely 
 now, but the safest way is to send your letters by the 
 way of Paris. Adieu, my dear one ; in a few days more 
 I shall reach my destination, and I will then take up my 
 pleasant task of giving you news of me often. Adieu ; 
 I embrace you as I love you, and my three little angels. 
 Be careful of yourself, because you are necessary to all 
 our happiness. 
 
 At last Eugene reached his headquarters on 
 the Vistula. The sight of his Bavarian troops 
 suggested a pretty compliment to the Princess, 
 who, loyal Frenchwoman as she had become, still 
 preserved a tender remembrance of her country 
 in her heart: — 
 
 Headquarters at Plock, May 15, 181 2. 
 
 I am surrounded by Bavarians; but I do not need 
 them to call to my mind that I possess what is most 
 precious to them. I will pass them in review these 
 dreary days, and shall hunt a little in the surrounding 
 country. 
 
 Mon Dieii I How far I am from you ! Do you know, 
 that since the day I left you, a month has not passed, 
 and yet it seems a century to me! I have travelled 
 nearly six hundred leagues.
 
 I 76 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 The next day, the Viceroy, having finally re- 
 ceived a letter from the Princess, wrote her, " I 
 am feeling very well, and much lighter in heart 
 and happier in mind since I have received news 
 of you." 
 
 Two days afterwards he mentioned the Em- 
 peror's departure ; and, in his desire to hasten 
 the conquest of a glorious peace, he cried out, in 
 the tones of a young general intoxicated with the 
 roar of the cannons, " So much the better : the 
 sooner it commences, the sooner it will be fin- 
 ished, and the sooner I shall find myself again in 
 your arms." 
 
 In another letter, he mentions the cleverness 
 with which Napoleon had kept Alexander in 
 doubt as to his warlike intentions, and exclaimed 
 gaily, " Do you know, there are many people 
 who still do not believe in the war ? " 
 
 The nearer Eugene approached the battle-fields 
 of the future, the more he endeavoured to inspire 
 the Princess with confidence and to make her a 
 sharer of the hopefulness of his own heart. " I 
 have told you, and I repeat," he writes, " that 
 nothing could have made me happier than being 
 sent to the front; I am very happy to be ( here. 
 Do not worry about me, for I rely on my good 
 star."
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 77 
 
 Though on the point of engaging in battle 
 on the Russian steppes, nothing could turn his 
 thoughts from Italy and the loving companion 
 he had left behind him. Although the Princess's 
 birthday was still far away, he had thought of it : 
 "As I fear my despatches may be detained en 
 route, I have this day sent you a little birthday 
 present by way of Paris ; I am anxious that it 
 should reach you in time. There are still twenty- 
 two days." 
 
 Could anything be more touching than these 
 simple words ; and how could the Princess help 
 being touched to the bottom of her heart? 
 Eugene returns to the subject again in the follow- 
 ing note : — 
 
 Soldau, June 6, 1812. 
 
 Here I am at Soldau, my dear Augusta; the guard 
 arrived here this morning. The army is so grand and 
 so enthusiastic that it leads me to hope the war will 
 not last over the winter. It will be so sweet to feel 
 your dear arms around me again, before the bitter cold 
 reaches us. Your birthday falls in this month ; it will 
 not be the first I have passed away from you, but 
 my heart is near you at present, and I assure you it is 
 impossible to love you more than I do now. 
 
 Unhappily this correspondence, after becoming 
 more and more rare as the distance lengthened, 
 vol. 1. — 12
 
 178 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 became day by day more uncertain. "Beg of 
 the Due de Lodi and Darnay," wrote Eugene 
 from Sensburg, "to direct the despatch-couriers' 
 route carefully, so that they may not fall into the 
 hands of the Cossacks." 
 
 Provisions ran short not long afterwards, and 
 long before hostilities commenced, the army suf- 
 fered greatly. 
 
 " We are suffering for the necessities of life," 
 the young general wrote from Rastenburg, under 
 the date of June 14; "and this fact causes me 
 many sleepless nights, when I think that I have 
 eighty thousand men to feed every day, and often- 
 times we cannot find ten bags of corn. But my 
 consolation is that we are marching in advance 
 of the harvest. I am very well, and want noth- 
 ing but to hear from you oftener." 
 
 In the following letter, we find a new allusion 
 to the desire of the Poles to have Eugene for 
 their King, and a proof that the Princess shared 
 her husband's aversion to the plan. Italy or 
 nothing, — this was their common thought. 
 
 Rastenburg, June 17, 181 2. 
 My DEAR AND GOOD AUGUSTA, — You may rest easy 
 on the score of Poland ; it is probable that the matter 
 will be arranged without any reference to me. The Poles
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. I 79 
 
 have made the most inconceivable overtures, but I have 
 held to my first decision, and have not disguised the 
 fact that they have pained me. It is certainly evident 
 they are very anxious for me, and in proof of this I 
 send you two letters which I have received from two 
 of them ; you need not show these to any one. They 
 do not disguise the fact that they hope to have me for 
 their King. At present I am almost positive it will 
 arrange itself differently. We shall certainly pass our 
 winter together, my dear Augusta, and this thought 
 supports me through these dreary days. I am deeply 
 sensible of my happiness, and I love you for it. 
 
 The 21st is the Vice-Queen's anniversary : — 
 
 "To-day is the 21st," the Prince writes; " and this is 
 to say to you that I regret not being near you to-day 
 more than other days, but my heart and my thoughts 
 are never far from you." 
 
 At last the fatal moment arrives. Napoleon 
 is about to cross the Niemen. June 24, Eugene 
 writes : — 
 
 Kalwarya, June 24, 1812, Midday. 
 
 Bonjour, my dear, darling Augusta. I have just 
 reached this place after marching all night. The guard 
 arrived with me. To-morrow my entire corps will join 
 me. To-day the Emperor is to cross the Niemen at 
 several points. 
 
 The heat is something frightful, notwithstanding which 
 I am very well. I love you, and shall love you all 
 my life.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Campaign of Russia. — The Passage of the Niemen. — Suffer- 
 ings of the Army from the Commencement of the Cam- 
 paign. — Russian Tactics. — The Uneasiness of Absence. — 
 Napoleon as the Father of a Family. — The Battle of Mos- 
 cow. — Prince Eugene's Glorious Rdle in this Battle. — 
 Entry into Moscow. — Incendiarism. — Uncertainty as to 
 the Future. — Overtures towards Peace. — The Order to 
 Retreat. 
 
 I. 
 
 HAVE now arrived at the most painful as also 
 the most glorious epoch of Eugene's career. 
 
 Napoleon, in crossing the Niemen, had finally 
 thrown down the gauntlet to the Colossus of 
 the North. 
 
 The most sanguinary campaign in the annals 
 of history was about to commence. In the bat- 
 tle of Moscow alone, forty-seven generals were 
 lost. Eugene himself, intrepid soldier as he was 
 by nature, exposed his life to the chance of pay- 
 ing the forfeit from some flying bullet or ball, 
 and truly earned his reputation for bravery. On 
 those lugubrious fields of snow, white witnesses
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. l8l 
 
 of privations which no pen can paint, reddened 
 with the blood of hundreds of thousands of brave 
 men, he won a glorious reputation, ratified 
 by the judgment of Napoleon himself. 
 
 Before putting his foot on Russian soil, Eugene 
 had been obliged to undergo experiences spared 
 to the majority of the other generals. Instead 
 of crossing, as they did, Old Prussia, with its 
 cultivated fields and abundance of provisions, he 
 was obliged to open a route, at the price of in- 
 numerable privations, across the sterile wastes of 
 Poland. So long was he detained that when the 
 Grand Army entered Wilna, — Napoleon's first 
 halt in Russia, — Eugene had only just reached 
 the Niemen, which he crossed six days after the 
 Emperor. 
 
 His corps of the army had suffered terribly 
 during this astounding march of six hundred 
 leagues from the joyous plains of Italy to the 
 Muscovite frontiers. From the cruel effects of 
 a change of climate, unwholesome nourishment, 
 drought, lack of bread, of salt, and of wine, dysen- 
 tery had made such cruel ravages among the men 
 that, on reaching the Niemen, his main corps 
 of eighty thousand men was reduced to forty- 
 five thousand.
 
 182 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 To superstitious minds, — and they were not 
 lacking among the Italian troops, — the crossing 
 of the river by the army was signalled by gloomy 
 warnings. The crossing was set for the 29th 
 of June; and on the evening of the 28th the sky, 
 which until then had been clear and cloudless, 
 became suddenly overcast, and a most frightful 
 storm burst over Poland. A torrent of rain trans- 
 formed the ground into liquid mud, in which 
 were bivouacked the poor Italian soldiers. 
 
 As to the horses, they fell by hundreds, espe- 
 cially those driven in teams, being for the most 
 part too young to stand the rough service de- 
 manded of them, and weakened by insufficient 
 nourishment. By reason of the immense number 
 of horses (one hundred and fifty thousand), which 
 were hastily placed in requisition for the needs of 
 the Grand Army, their recruitment, particularly 
 of those whose fate it was to drag heavy loads, 
 had left much to be desired as regarded quality. 
 
 In the course of the marches of concentration, 
 men and beasts had been subjected to frightful 
 torments ; but in his letter to the Princess, whose 
 condition of health called for the greatest care 
 for several months yet, Eugene drew a veil over 
 all these sufferings.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 183 
 
 The day the Niemen was crossed, he was care- 
 ful in writing to his wife to make no allusion 
 to the awful tempest which was raging at that 
 moment and devastating everything before it : 
 
 Niemen, June 29, 1812. 
 My DEAR AUGUSTA, — I am writing you from the 
 shores of the Niemen in my tent. The troops are cross- 
 ing the bridges which I had thrown across the river, and 
 here we are at last in Russia. I am well, and have very- 
 few other worries besides those of lack of provisions. 
 Embrace our dear mother for me. 
 
 The evening of the 29th and the next day 
 the crossing continued, being rendered very diffi- 
 cult by the storm which prevailed with unabated 
 violence. Wind, hail, rain, and thunder were 
 jumbled together in this tempest ; and the bridges 
 thrown across the river were in danger of being 
 carried away. 
 
 The frightened troops were almost paralysed. 
 The cavalrymen were obliged to walk beside their 
 horses, guiding them by the bridle, while the 
 infantry pressed close against each other for 
 support. 
 
 The waters had risen so high on both shores 
 that the poor soldiers could not find a dry foot 
 of earth, and the horses were dying by thousands.
 
 184 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 Panic spread among the Bavarians, and the Ital- 
 ians were worn out by the fatigue of their ex- 
 traordinary marches. The Prince's energy was 
 powerless to establish discipline ; and the lag- 
 gards, ready to desert their flags, had already com- 
 menced to pillage the waggons, which they had 
 been forced to abandon on account of the im- 
 practicability of the roads. What a disastrous be- 
 ginning for a still more disastrous campaign ! In 
 his letter of July 4, written from Nowo-Troky, 
 the Prince outlines in very reserved language a 
 feeble sketch of this sombre tableau of a strange 
 war utterly without precedent: — 
 
 " Every one believes there will be a battle soon. Three 
 days from now is the anniversary of Wagram ; but the 
 Russians are retreating, and are contenting themselves 
 with burning and devastating the country." 
 
 Then, as the Empress Josephine had hastened 
 to her daughter-in-law's side to comfort and care 
 for her, he adds these few simple words, which 
 show what a sincere affection existed between 
 these two women who were both so dear to him : 
 
 "I need not recommend you to my dear mother's 
 care : she knows how dearly I love you ; she will care 
 for you by her attachment to me and to you."
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 85 
 
 II. 
 
 Eugene finally joined the Emperor at Wilna, 
 where, to his joy, he found four letters from the 
 Princess. He replied to them the sixth of July 
 at eight o'clock in the morning. 
 
 " I found your letters of the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th 
 of June awaiting me at Wilna. You can imagine what 
 pleasure they gave me. Would you believe it, that on 
 the 1st of July, after a terrible storm, we were obliged to 
 light fires? There is hardly any night here, for at ten 
 o'clock in the evening you can see to read a letter 
 plainly, and before two o'clock in the morning it is 
 daylight. The Emperor asked me all about you yester- 
 day, and I begged him to permit me to give his name to 
 the coming little one if it is a boy. He answered, ' Yes, 
 willingly.' " 
 
 The march continued to the front, without 
 any truce, and almost without provisions. It was 
 over most frightful roads. 
 
 Eugene, whose natural frankness made it re- 
 pugnant to him to dissimulate the truth, yet who 
 could not bring himself to distress the Princess 
 with the story of the sufferings the whole army 
 endured, preferred to let her believe he lacked 
 time to write, and made his letters further apart.
 
 1 86 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 It was not until after he had left Wilna three 
 days — that is to say, July 9 — that he wrote from 
 Soleczniky : — 
 
 " I could not write to you, my dear Augusta, since 
 leaving Wilna, because for the last three days I have not 
 had a moment's rest. We are running after Bagration's 
 army, and we are having great trouble in joining it. I 
 am well, though all my luggage is behind me, and I 
 only have a portmanteau with me. I think we shall get 
 a rest in a few days, as we have marched all day and 
 every day since leaving Plock." 
 
 And quickly as usual the general disappeared 
 to give place to the passionately devoted husband 
 and loving father : — 
 
 " I think this letter will reach you near your accouche- 
 ment. It will carry my regrets at being so far away 
 from you, and my hopes for your speedy recovery, and 
 ten big kisses for the little one who shall have come 
 into the world." 
 
 The Prince, seeing his splendid troops cut 
 down, so to speak, before his eyes, as well as the 
 entire Grand Army, by illness, fatigue, and deser- 
 tion, shared Napoleon's feverish haste to reach 
 the enemy and force him into battle. 
 
 His particular object was to bring about a 
 meeting with the redoubtable Hetman of the
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 87 
 
 Cossacks, Platow. Notwithstanding his forced 
 marches, oftentimes extended until midnight, by 
 roads which were almost impracticable, in which 
 he lost a number of horses, and with his ex- 
 hausted, starving men falling at every step, he did 
 not succeed in reaching him. 
 
 After five days of incessant marches, across a 
 devastated and uncultivated country, he finally 
 succeeded in obtaining, at Smorghoni, a stock of 
 bread and beer which had escaped the destruc- 
 tion of the Cossacks, and upon which the unfor- 
 tunate soldiers threw themselves with avidity. 
 
 The following day, July 13, he wrote to his 
 wife — that sweet wife, whose image never left 
 his thoughts in the midst of these cruel vicissi- 
 tudes — these lines which he strove to render 
 
 light-hearted : — 
 
 Smorghoni, July 13, 181 2, Evening. 
 I will despatch Fortis the courier to-morrow, my 
 very dear Augusta, and hope he will arrive in time for 
 your fete ; he has promised me to be in Milan by 
 August 1. I am sending you but a small remembrance, 
 but it is all I have by me at the present moment. I 
 add the assurance of my eternal love, which you so well 
 merit. Embrace our dear little ones for me. I send 
 you a thousand kisses, which will be very cold when 
 they reach you, though they come from the bottom of 
 my heart. We have been in front of the enemy for
 
 1 88 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 twenty days, and they have not fired twenty balls. As 
 for myself, I have seen only one Cossack, and he was a 
 prisoner. It would not surprise me if this campaign 
 (to be more extraordinary than all the others) should 
 end without a battle. 
 
 Eugene's heart, bleeding for the sufferings of 
 his soldiers, beat with joy when they were fortu- 
 nate enough to come across provisions which 
 the Russians had not had time to destroy. But 
 this good fortune happened very seldom, and 
 his corps of the army suffered the most. 
 
 On July 24, reaching the Dwina, the light 
 infantry of the Italian army at last and for the 
 first time came in sight of the Russians on the 
 opposite bank. The brave pontoniers dashed 
 hastily into the water to construct their bridges, 
 which advanced only too slowly to suit the 
 anxious army. A ford was discovered ; and Eu- 
 gene, in his impatience, dashed across at the head 
 of his Bavarian cavalry, reached the other shore, 
 and galloped on the enemy, who, faithful to their 
 tactics, disappeared quickly from view. 
 
 In the afternoon, when the Emperor crossed 
 the bridge on horseback, he was greeted with 
 wild enthusiasm by the Italian soldiers, who then 
 saw him for the first time. At his appearance
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 189 
 
 an indescribable frenzy spread among them ; and 
 they forgot the fatigues and the hunger under- 
 gone, and thought only of the glory to which his 
 genius could not fail to conduct them. 
 
 From the camp before the Witepsk, Eugene 
 wrote a short note to the Princess, to announce 
 to her that he had been skirmishing with his 
 corps for four days. 
 
 The Prince, who commanded the infantry of 
 the advance-guard, was constantly exposed to 
 great danger. He had made marked efforts to 
 force the Russians into decisive action ; but when 
 in the daytime they were seen ranged in battle- 
 array they were nearly always sure to disperse 
 during the night. They had a sanguinary com- 
 bat at Ostrowno, however, in which the army 
 corps commanded by the Russian general, Oster- 
 man, was completely destroyed. Barclay de 
 Tolly manoeuvred the Russian rear-guard into a 
 strong position, but they were unable to hold it 
 before the impetuous charge of the Italian Guard 
 and of Murat's cavalry. 
 
 The Russians lost, besides ten cannons, four 
 thousand men in these successive combats, three 
 thousand of whom were killed or taken pris- 
 oners, — grand results, due for the most part to the
 
 190 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 ardour which the Viceroy had aroused in his sol- 
 diers' hearts. 
 
 But these valiant troops were thoroughly ex- 
 hausted by the fatigue of these ceaseless marches. 
 They were badly in need of sleep, which Napo- 
 leon, in the impossibility of bringing the two 
 hostile armies into action, granted them. To 
 give the corps time to be reconstructed and 
 rested, and to rally the numerous stragglers, the 
 Emperor resolved to remain six days in Witepsk. 
 
 III. 
 
 In the midst of the excessive fatigues of this 
 war, of these marches and battles in a country so 
 far away that the couriers spent twenty-five days 
 on the road between Witepsk and Milan, Eugene 
 never for a moment ceased to be in heart and 
 thought with his little family. At the end of the 
 month then commencing was his wife's fete- 
 day. Could he forget so dear a date? So that 
 his best wishes should arrive by the 28th, he 
 wrote August 3, from his headquarters before 
 Witepsk : — 
 
 " To-day is your fete, my very dear Augusta, and I 
 try to gladden myself in thinking of the happiness of
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 19 1 
 
 those who are near enough to you to wish you joy 
 personally, and to tell you how much they love you. 
 I, who am the first among them, without doubt, — I am 
 not so happy, and my regrets mingle with the joy of 
 this day." 
 
 Then, after modestly mentioning that the 
 " Emperor was satisfied with his army corps," 
 he speaks of the constant difficulty of the ques- 
 tion of subsistence, a cause of so much worry to 
 the commander. 
 
 " Our supplies are assured for eight days, and will be, 
 I hope, for fifteen. How grand this will be ! " 
 
 Foreseeing the painful thoughts of the Princess, 
 he cries out, as he ends his letter : — 
 
 " Adieu, my cherished wife ! when you look at the 
 maps and see how far away we are from each other, it 
 must make you tremble; but be of good cheer, and 
 keep a brave heart." 
 
 In the mean time the Grand Army under 
 Napoleon was approaching Smolensk. The day 
 after the victory of Krasnoi, which was won 
 on Napoleon's birthday, they were in marching 
 order. 
 
 What a difference there was between this 
 Russian 15th of August and the other fetes 
 celebrated with such pomp and joy ! Neverthe-
 
 192 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 less, in spite of the sinister omens of this 
 war, so little like all that had gone before, in 
 which, instead of pursuing an unapproachable 
 enemy, the army passed from success to triumphs, 
 the Emperor's fete must not pass unnoticed. 
 
 From daybreak the deepening roar of the 
 cannon, so sweet to the ears of a soldier, was heard 
 in honour of the still unconquered Napoleon ! 
 All day noisy salutes of artillery resounded joy- 
 ously on the distant shores of the Dnieper. 
 Napoleon was deeply touched by this fresh proof 
 of the enthusiasm of his army, — an army, alas ! 
 already diminished one-half by the constant 
 attacks of an evil against which the great general 
 had never before been obliged to struggle, — 
 desertion ! 
 
 The Emperor's headquarters were naturally 
 the centre of communication with the Empire. 
 It was from his lips that Eugene learned with 
 emotion the expected news very dear to his heart : 
 the birth of a new child, who had been six weeks 
 in the world before her father could be informed. 
 
 With what haste the latter wrote to the 
 Princess ! — 
 
 In Camp, August 17, 18 12, Midday. 
 The Emperor has just announced to me, my dear 
 Augusta, your happy accouchement of a little girl on
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 93 
 
 July 3. He received the tidings by telegraph from 
 Milan to Paris, and he imparted this good news to me 
 this morning. I thank Heaven with all my heart ! I 
 have marched all night. I preceded the troops in 
 order to join the Emperor here and congratulate him on 
 h\sfete. Take great care of yourself." 
 
 Two days later, amid the roar of cannon, 
 Eugene resumed his familiar chat, — for these 
 letters are really less of a correspondence than a 
 familiar and almost uninterrupted chat. From 
 the camp at Smolensk, he writes to his wife, 
 August 19, 181 2: — 
 
 My dear Augusta, — I have not been able to write to 
 you for three days, as we have been in the presence of 
 the enemy all of the time. The Emperor had decided 
 to attack the city of Smolensk; and it was captured 
 with much loss of life on the part of the enemy. My 
 corps of the army was not actively engaged. Yester- 
 day we saw the whole Russian army ranged in battle. 
 We were to have opened fire on them this morning, but 
 the army disappeared during the night, leaving only a 
 rear-guard in sight. I can hear the cannons roar as I 
 write you. My troops have just crossed the river. 
 
 Eugene, as can be seen, passes over in silence 
 
 all that could frighten the Princess too much in 
 
 the particularly horrible aspects of this campaign. 
 
 For instance, when he writes of the capture of 
 
 vol. 1. — 13
 
 194 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 Smolensk, he takes good care not to speak of 
 the incendiaries of the Russians, who, fully un- 
 derstanding the uselessness of all resistance, 
 and wishing, according to their infernal tactics, 
 to spread ruin in the path of the French army, 
 set fire to the city during the night. Smolensk 
 in flames seen from the French camp was so 
 frightfully grand in its aspect that Napoleon, in 
 his bulletin, compares it to " an eruption of 
 Vesuvius on a beautiful summer's night " ! 
 
 Following Eugene's example, I will also gloss 
 over the horrors of this barbarous war, and keep 
 myself as much as possible within the delicate 
 frame of these charming letters, which it is diffi- 
 cult to conceive of as being written in the midst 
 of this campaign. 
 
 What Eugene could not hide from the Prin- 
 cess, notwithstanding the fears with which this 
 fact could not help inspiring her on the subject 
 of the interminable length of his absence, was 
 the persistence with which the Russians always 
 avoided a battle. 
 
 " We have surrounded this city for the last three days ; 
 but the Emperor has ordered all his generals to the 
 front. At nightfall, the enemy was seen to be occupy- 
 ing a splendid position, but they disappeared during
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 195 
 
 the night. In consequence, there was no appearance 
 of a battle, though we were all prepared for it. This 
 delay enrages me. The days are intensely hot, and the 
 nights equally cold. They tell us the cold weather will 
 be upon us in less than a month. Adieu. 
 
 " Your faithful husband and lifelong friend." 
 
 Four days later he writes from Dorogoboge : 
 
 " Since I left Smolensk, we have been constantly on 
 the march, and we have reached Dorogoboge quickly, 
 where the enemy is said to be ready for battle, awaiting 
 us. Not one word of truth in the rumour, as I learned 
 when our troops arrived, at midday." 
 
 And he adds, using a little indirect flattery 
 to the Princess, by praising her countrymen, — 
 
 " I think I told you that the Bavarian troops had 
 quite an affair near Polozk. They covered themselves 
 with glory." 
 
 Two days later, Eugene is unwillingly obliged 
 to admit to his wife that nearly all his generals 
 and aides-de-camp are ill, and unfit for active 
 service ; but he only refers lightly to this painful 
 subject, and dwells, on the contrary, on an inter- 
 view he had had with Napoleon, and in which 
 the latter dwelt lovingly on the dear absentees. 
 
 August 27, 1 81 2, Evening. 
 Yesterday my corps of the army marched towards 
 Dorogoboge, where the Emperor is at present. I went
 
 196 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 to see him ; he was very kind to me, and asked after 
 you most anxiously. He knows nothing gives me more 
 pleasure than that. Adieu, my dear Augusta. In a 
 few days I may write to you from Moscow. 
 
 At length the moment so ardently longed for 
 approached. The great battle was imminent. 
 The Russians, notwithstanding their intention 
 to destroy the French army by fatigue, by cold, 
 and by famine, rather than by bullets, were obliged 
 to make at least a semblance of defending the 
 Holy City, Moscow. 
 
 General Kutusoff, an astute old man who had 
 just been placed at the head of the Russian army, 
 excelled in this mode of warfare, so approved of 
 by public opinion ; but the military element in- 
 nate in every soldier excited feelings of shame at 
 the idea of never facing the enemy. Kutusoff 
 experienced great difficulties in satisfying the 
 general wish, which agreed so well with his 
 particular views, without running counter to the 
 ideas of the Russian fanatics who were so anxious 
 to fight. 
 
 This discontent had assumed such proportions 
 that when rumour gave out that they were not 
 going to defend the Holy City, Kutusoff could 
 see no alternative but to declare his intention
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 1 97 
 
 of barring the road to Moscow against the French 
 army. 
 
 On the other side, the march upon Moscow 
 had not been decided at the French headquarters 
 without a great deal of discussion. Napoleon, 
 who had been detained at Ghat by the bad con- 
 dition of the roads, reduced to bogs by the con- 
 tinuous rains, found himself solicited by Berthier, 
 Ney, Murat, and nearly all the marshals not to 
 continue this foolhardy march, which threatened 
 to annihilate what remained of the Grand Army. 
 They asked him to retrace his steps and spend 
 the winter in Poland, and from there in the spring 
 march upon St Petersburg with three hundred 
 thousand rested men. 
 
 For one moment Napoleon was on the point of 
 yielding to these prayers, the weight of which he 
 understood only too well ; but having until then 
 astonished the world by the exploits of the over- 
 whelming grandeurs of his operations, he feared 
 that drawing back at this period would throw 
 a shadow over his military prestige, and that his 
 power, which rested with him entirely, would be 
 overthrown. 
 
 Fine weather setting in just at this juncture, 
 and the roads in this vicinity becoming once
 
 198 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 more practicable, Napoleon ceased to hesitate. 
 He ordered the Grand Army forward, crying 
 out, " The die is cast ; we must meet the 
 Russians ! " 
 
 " On the eve of this celebrated battle," as Con- 
 stant tells us, " there arrived from Paris to Napo- 
 leon the portrait of the King of Rome. This 
 loving attention, which had come as a diversion 
 to him in the midst of his grave anxieties, caused 
 him great happiness. He held the portrait on 
 his knee for a long time, gazing at it in ecstasy, 
 and said ' it was the most agreeable surprise 
 which had ever been given him.' He repeated 
 several times in a low voice, ' My dear Louise ! 
 this is a loving attention ! ' The Emperor's 
 face was overspread with an expression of intense 
 happiness difficult to describe. His first emo- 
 tions were calm and tinged with melancholy ; 
 ' The dear child ! ' this was all he said." 
 
 But his paternal love and pride beamed forth 
 as the officers and even the men of the Old Guard 
 came, according to his orders, to gaze upon the 
 features of the King of Rome. The portrait was 
 exposed before the Emperor's tent. Nothing 
 could be more touching and at the same time 
 more majestic than the spectacle of these old
 
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE, 1 99 
 
 soldiers, uncovering respectfully before the pic- 
 ture in which they searched for some resemblance 
 to Napoleon. The Emperor at that moment was 
 filled with the excessive joy of a father, who knew 
 that after him his son had no better friends than 
 the old companions of his fatigues and glory. 
 
 IV. 
 
 Eugene's role on this famous day of Moscow 
 was one of the most important, and one which 
 showed the absolute confidence Napoleon had in 
 his military talents. 
 
 The Russians had thrown up some very strong 
 earthworks. It was the strongest of these which 
 the Prince received orders to attack and capture 
 at any price. 
 
 Eugene made his first move, at six o'clock in 
 the morning, by a vigorous attack on the village 
 of Borodino, a very important position, which he 
 captured and kept all day. Eugene sent Mo- 
 rand's brave division to take possession of the 
 main fort, which, after a desperate struggle against 
 superior numbers, found itself on the point of 
 being driven back from the summit of the works. 
 Just at this critical moment the Prince arrived
 
 200 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 on the scene at the head of his other troops, re- 
 established confidence, and victoriously planted 
 the French flag on the plateau under the death- 
 dealing fire of the enemy. As far back as we may 
 go in history, no other battle cost what the battle 
 of Moscow did in renowned generals and officers 
 with brilliant futures. 
 
 How the poor Vice-Queen would have trem- 
 bled could she have seen death at every moment 
 of this murderous struggle pass so close to her 
 beloved husband ! 
 
 The battle Was to all appearances won. Sud- 
 denly the left flank of the French army, which 
 the Russians were endeavouring to overthrow, re- 
 coiled under an attack and were put to flight. 
 Eugene perceived the position at a glance, saw 
 the imminent peril, dashed towards Borodino 
 under a shower of balls, finding his regiments 
 drawn up in squares to repulse the massed charges 
 of the innumerable Russian cavalry, and soon led 
 the tricolour back to victory. 
 
 The principal fort in the mean time having 
 been retaken by the Russians, Napoleon ordered 
 Eugene to capture this position from the enemy, 
 it being the last point of resistance remaining 
 to them. He placed himself at the head of one
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 201 
 
 of the picked regiments, the Ninth of the Line, 
 spoke a few energetic words which made a lion 
 of every French soldier, bounded to the summit 
 of the redoubt amid a rain of bullets, captured the 
 earthwork, and held it victoriously. This manoeu- 
 vre definitely assured the victory to the French 
 army. 
 
 Eugene was one of the few generals who passed 
 through the infernal fire, which lasted from day- 
 break until sunset, unwounded and safely. Con- 
 stant gives us some idea of the awful carnage 
 of this battle, whose killed numbered ninety 
 thousand men in both camps : — 
 
 " The Emperor," he says, " haunted the battle-field. 
 It was a horrible sight, nearly all the dead bodies being 
 covered with wounds, which proved with what fury they 
 had fought. It had commenced to rain ; a high wind 
 was blowing. The wounded, who had not yet been 
 carried away in ambulances, half raised themselves from 
 the ground to attract attention and not be overlooked. 
 There were some among them who cried out as Napo- 
 leon passed, in spite of their sufferings and exhaustion, 
 1 Long live the Emperor ! ' Those of our soldiers who 
 had been struck by Russian balls, displayed wounds as 
 large as big holes, for their balls were much bigger 
 than ours. We saw a standard-bearer enveloped in his 
 flag as in a shroud. He seemed to give signs of life, 
 but expired as they lifted him from the ground."
 
 202 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 In terms of most admirable simplicity the 
 Prince announces to his Vice-Queen this most 
 sanguinary of victories, qualifying by the words 
 " devoir accompli " the heroic part he had taken : 
 
 On the Battle-field, September 8, 8 a. m. 
 I have only time to write you two words, my very 
 dear Augusta, to tell you that I am very well. We 
 fought a grand battle yesterday, hotly contested and 
 redounding greatly to the Emperor's glory. I com- 
 manded the left wing, and we did our duty ! Picture 
 my happiness if you can ! Yesterday before midnight 
 I was sleeping, bivouacked with the soldiers. Fortis 
 awoke me, bringing me your dear letter and charming 
 present . . . Adieu. Rest tranquil. We are marching 
 on Moscow, and after so cruel a battle every one needs 
 repose. 
 
 The present so appreciated by Eugene was a 
 miniature portrait of his three children, a ver- 
 itable "group of angels." He writes thus to 
 Darnay : — 
 
 " You must know by this time, my dear Darnay, of 
 our great battle. Imagine a more sanguinary and terri- 
 ble affray than Wagram, at which you assisted. Those 
 who came out safe and sound can thank Heaven ! 
 Fortis, the courier, reached here precisely at midnight 
 after the great battle. He did well not to come until 
 afterwards. The portrait of my little family touched me 
 greatly."
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 203 
 
 The day after this dearly bought victory, the 
 Grand Army set out on its march on Moscow. 
 The idea of at last occupying a great city, where 
 every one hoped to find abundance of food and 
 rest, had made all hearts light and gay. 
 
 Here are a few lines from Eugene, who had 
 caught the contagion of the light-heartedness of 
 the sorely tried army : — 
 
 In a Chateau, six leagues and a half from Moscow, 
 September 13, 181 2. 
 
 My dear Augusta, — You can see by the date of 
 my letter that we are very near Moscow ; and if we do 
 not enter to-morrow, our entrance cannot be long de- 
 layed. It has been rumoured that the Russians will 
 fight us again before Moscow; but I cannot believe it 
 after the lesson they have received, and the panic which 
 reigns among them, and the disordered condition of 
 their army. It is commencing to be very cold here ; and 
 we indeed need to reach a great city to provide our- 
 selves with the necessaries we so sadly need. Good- 
 night ; I am going to take supper now and go to bed. 
 It is eight o'clock, and I have been on horseback all day 
 facing Messieurs les Cosaques. 
 
 V. 
 
 On September 14, the French army, from the 
 summit of the surrounding hills, at last saw lying 
 before them Moscow's gilded domes. What pride
 
 204 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 filled the hearts of these soldiers who, following 
 the footsteps of the grand conqueror, had tri- 
 umphantly entered every European capital ! 
 Moscow, the Holy City of the Russian Empire, 
 had alone been sacred from them ; and there she 
 lay at their mercy at the present moment, colossal, 
 magnificent, with her vast palaces and superb 
 churches, dominated by the Kremlin, ancient for- 
 tress and palace of the Czar! 
 
 On September 15, Napoleon, deeply affected 
 at seeing Moscow at his mercy, the last favour 
 of a fortune up to that moment fabulous, made 
 his entry into the city, — a city which had been 
 vibrating with life the day before, but which was 
 like a city of the dead to-day ! 
 
 The Russian Governor, Count Rostopchin, a 
 fanatical patriot, had, in fact, ordered nearly all 
 the population to vacate the city. In his hatred 
 of the conqueror, and in order to deprive him of 
 the benefits of his conquest, he conceived the 
 awful revenge of delivering Moscow to the flames. 
 Before leaving the city he had opened the doors 
 of the prison and put incendiary torches into the 
 hands of the criminals. In his revengeful pre- 
 cautions he had given the barbarous order to 
 carry away all the pumps, with the fiendish idea
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 205 
 
 of rendering the enemy powerless to extinguish 
 the conflagration. 
 
 In the mean time, the Emperor, in the flush of 
 his triumph, had installed himself in the Kremlin. 
 How did he learn of this disaster which was to 
 suddenly change his whole destiny? We will 
 give Constant's version of it: — 
 
 " It was two o'clock in the morning when the news 
 was announced to the Emperor that the city was on 
 fire. Frenchmen living in the country and an officer of 
 the Russian police confirmed the news and entered into 
 details too precise in their nature to leave any doubt 
 in the Emperor's mind as to the truth of their asser- 
 tion. However, he still persisted in not believing it. 
 
 " ' But it is not possible ! Can you believe such a 
 thing, Constant ? Go and see if it is true.' 
 
 " Then he threw himself back on his bed, trying to 
 get a little rest. In a few moments he called me again 
 to ask the same questions. . . . 
 
 " The Emperor passed the night in violent agitation. 
 When day broke, he knew the worst. . . . 
 
 " Soon the most incredible reports commenced to 
 pour in. Russians had been caught feeding the flames 
 and throwing inflammable materials into the portions of 
 the houses still standing intact The Russians who were 
 taking no active part in the incendiary work stood with 
 crossed arms, contemplating the disaster with an impas- 
 sibility of which you could conceive no idea. . . . 
 
 " The Russian soldiers and police had been seen stir-
 
 206 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 ring up the flames with their iron lances. Shells placed 
 in the stoves of several houses had burst and wounded 
 many of our soldiers. In the streets filthy, hideous 
 women and drunken men ran to the burning houses, 
 and, snatching burning fagots, were about to carry them 
 elsewhere to spread the conflagration. Our soldiers 
 were obliged many times to beat them out of their 
 hands with their swords. . . . 
 
 " Napoleon, who had gone out to satisfy himself as to 
 the true condition of affairs, had his gray coat burned 
 in several places, and his hair singed. A moment later 
 we were walking over firebrands." 
 
 The fire spread so rapidly that even the distant 
 Kremlin, where Napoleon lodged, was at one time 
 in danger. Great sparks driven by the high 
 winds fell in the large park where the ammu- 
 nition was stored, and threatened to blow up the 
 Kremlin with its illustrious inmate and the Impe- 
 rial Guard. In consequence of this fierce con- 
 flagration, the Emperor and his army were forced 
 to evacuate Moscow for a few days. 
 
 Eugene, with his ever-present thought not to 
 frighten the Princess, contents himself with saying 
 on the subject of this irreparable catastrophe: 
 
 Moscow, September 15, 1812. 
 My DEAR Augusta, — I write to you from the sub- 
 urbs of Moscow, where I am quartered with my corps 
 of the army. The Russians evacuated the city yesterday,
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 207 
 
 but, before going, set fire to it in twenty different places, 
 especially in the merchants' quarters, where all the stores 
 are located, consequently all the provisions. Nothing 
 could have been more barbarous. The army will get a 
 good rest, I hope ; and this rest will be a good time to 
 repair our luggage and utensils. The cold is very severe, 
 and will be worse before another month comes around. 
 
 This city is grand. It contains magnificent palaces 
 side by side with wretched huts. On the whole, though, 
 it is a beautiful city ; but as the nobility and rich have 
 fled, there remains only the populace. 
 
 Two days later, while the great fire continued 
 its ravages, — a fire which lasted four days and de- 
 stroyed four-fifths of Moscow, — he writes again : 
 
 Moscow, September 17, 18 12, Evening. 
 My DEAR AUGUSTA, — Allari, the courier, will hand 
 you this letter. He will give you the details of the grand 
 battle, which he witnessed from afar. He can also tell 
 you how far the Russians carried their barbarism. They 
 set fire to the immense city of Moscow, and you can 
 conceive no idea of the horrible spectacle we have had 
 before our eyes for the last three days. The city is still 
 burning. My health continues good, and would be 
 better if I only had the hope of seeing you soon to 
 cheer me up. 
 
 The courier being delayed the next day, Eugene, 
 on second thought, preferring that the Princess 
 should learn all the details of the catastrophe,
 
 208 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 which entirely changed the situation, traced the 
 following touching picture: — 
 
 Moscow, September 18, 1812, Evening. 
 I could not send Allari off yesterday, as I had thought 
 to, as I was obliged to be with the Emperor all day, 
 my very dear Augusta. I cannot get him off before 
 to-morrow at daybreak ; and he will be all of twenty- 
 eight or thirty days on the road. The city is almost 
 entirely reduced to ashes, and it was one of the handsom- 
 est in Europe. It contains some magnificent palaces, 
 in a great number of which the barbaric gorgeousness of 
 the Russian taste was displayed in all its lavishness. In 
 setting fire to this city, they ruined three hundred thou- 
 sand inhabitants and six hundred of the most powerful 
 nobles in Russia, for the sake of depriving us of some 
 provisions in flour, wine, clothes, and shoes. We have 
 succeeded in arresting about thirty of these miserable 
 bandits just in time to prevent them from starting fresh 
 fires. Many were massacred on the spot by our furious 
 soldiers. Enough remained for us to judge of them, 
 and among them is an officer wearing a Russian deco- 
 ration. All these wretches have confessed that they 
 were paid to do this, and that they only acted under 
 the Governor of Moscow's orders. You cannot imagine 
 anything to equal the horrible spectacle we have had 
 under our eyes during this fire. There still remain 
 eighty or one hundred thousand inhabitants in the city. 
 They are at present without food, without clothing, with- 
 out a shelter for their heads, at the approach of a season 
 which is severe indeed. It is horrible to contemplate.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 209 
 
 It can easily be imagined that in the days follow- 
 ing these scenes of desolation before Moscow in 
 ashes, life was deplorably sad for the army. While 
 awaiting an order to march forward, the officers 
 and soldiers amused themselves as they could: 
 
 In Camp near Moscow, September 21, 181 2. 
 
 A terrible storm has been raging since day before 
 yesterday, my very dear Augusta. It only ceased rain- 
 ing this morning, and we were glad indeed to see signs 
 of approaching clear weather. I am holding myself in 
 readiness for marching orders. There is a question of 
 sending some troops forward toward St Petersburg, and 
 it will probably be my corps of the army. The loca- 
 tion of winter-quarters is being discussed ; and it is 
 almost certain there will be no more fighting this year. 
 It is even thought the Russians will consent to peace 
 when they see we are determined to maintain our 
 footing in the country. 
 
 I imagine that you follow all our movements on 
 the map, and I am sure you can obtain a good one of 
 Russia. I passed yesterday evening with the Emperor. 
 We play vingt-et-un to while away the time. I foresee 
 we are going to find the evenings very long: there is 
 not the slightest distraction for us, not even billiards. 
 Adieu, my dear Augusta ; without distractions, as with 
 all the amusements in the world at my disposal, I 
 desire you just as ardently, and the companionship of 
 my little ones. 
 vol. 1. — 14
 
 2IO THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 On September 24, when three months must 
 still elapse before the New Year, Eugene sent 
 some presents to Milan, — a delicate attention 
 most natural on the part of a husband filled with 
 tender solicitude as was Eugene, who, at this 
 early date, was oppressed with uncertainties for 
 the future. 
 
 Moscow, September 24, 181 2, Evening. 
 As I cannot tell how much longer our communica- 
 tions will be open, I take advantage of the departure 
 of the courier to send you these New Year's gifts. The 
 furs are the handsomest I could buy in all this disorder. 
 It is a long time ahead for New Year's gifts ; but it is 
 still possible that everything is over for the present, 
 and in that case I shall go to you myself. I will en- 
 deavour to find something for the little ones, but this 
 is very difficult: they are all bears here. 
 
 The following letter was positive proof of these 
 precautions, and shows that his haste to profit by the 
 departure of a courier was foresight on his part : 
 
 Moscow, September 26, 181 2. 
 
 My very dear Augusta, — I wrote to you twice the 
 day before yesterday, — by the express in the morning, 
 the courier in the evening ; but the latter has been un- 
 able to set out, on account of a party of Cossacks who 
 are harassing our rear. I am afraid that some of my 
 letters will serve as amusement for them instead of 
 tranquillising you.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 211 
 
 To calm his wife is the constant thought of 
 the Prince, who, after each letter received from 
 her, never failed to despatch a courier, or, if need 
 be, an officer, with a letter. 
 
 On September 27 snow commenced to fall, an 
 early herald of the rigours of this winter, which 
 was destined to annihilate this hitherto victori- 
 ous French army. As though he wished, by 
 evoking agreeable remembrances, to take his 
 thoughts from the sad reality which surrounded 
 him, Eugene worried over the least and most 
 minute details of the life the Princess led so far 
 
 away from him. 
 
 Moscow, September 28, 1812. 
 
 The courier has at last set out with the furs and a 
 small provision of tea. He will arrive, I hope, in time 
 for the first of your evenings, when this tea will replace 
 the ices. Here we shall have more ice than tea, and 
 every one is wrapping himself up in consequence. For 
 my part, I shall be in furs from head to foot. It snowed 
 a little yesterday. To-day the air is dry and cold. 
 This is better than the heavy rains we have been hav- 
 ing. I received your letters of the 4th, 5th, and 6th 
 of September, and am glad to learn that you are feel- 
 ing well. I share the sorrow you express at my mother's 
 departure. You will feel very lonely and sad now 
 that she has left you. I suppose you are comfortably 
 established at Monza. Did you find it much improved? 
 Do the hares still eat the young trees? Are there
 
 212 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 many pheasants? Did you see about the villa? These 
 few little details it would please me greatly to know 
 about. 
 
 The army having ceased to march and fight, 
 Eugene was only too happy to be able by this 
 short respite to take up the sweet habit of chat- 
 ting each day, and oftener twice than once, with 
 his wife. The courier carrying the preceding 
 letter had not accomplished the first day of his 
 journey when Eugene wrote again, while under 
 the influence of the intense pleasure he had felt 
 upon receiving the little souvenirs sent by the 
 Vice-Queen and the Empress Josephine. 
 
 Moscow, September 29, 181 2. 
 You can picture my joy on receiving such good news 
 of my little family. I thank you a thousand times for 
 the watch-chain. Every one at the Emperor's head- 
 quarters complimented me on it this evening. I shall 
 attach the key and seal sent by the Empress. I had a 
 few of my generals and marshals to dinner to-day ; and 
 the habitual dessert of showing the portraits of the five 
 beings dearest to my heart passed off with great iclat. 
 
 VI. 
 
 Napoleon, though victorious, recognised the 
 urgent desire felt by the army, exhausted by long 
 marches rather than by battles, for a treaty of
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 2 1 3 
 
 peace before the season of intense cold, and be- 
 fore he could decide upon his winter headquar- 
 ters. He made several overtures to Alexander 
 on the subject, but his advances were fruitless. 
 What was he to do ? Napoleon had mapped 
 out a most brilliant manoeuvre, — an oblique 
 march towards the north, which would have 
 brought him close to the magazines of Poland, 
 and at the same time made possible a siege of St. 
 Petersburg. But his marshals declared unani- 
 mously that the army was not in a condition to 
 risk long tramps over unknown routes. 
 
 The question of wintering in Moscow was 
 mooted. Daru, Secretary of State, who had ac- 
 companied Napoleon as Adjutant-General of the 
 army, and was consequently the best judge of 
 the matter, had recommended this plan, judging 
 it easier to feed the army at Moscow, where there 
 was a stock of provisions sufficient for several 
 months, than to lead it to Poland across icy 
 roads. The idea of passing the winter among the 
 ashes of Moscow, which prevailed for a moment, 
 gave rise doubtless to the unexpected demand 
 made by Napoleon to Eugene to import some 
 Italian singers to enliven the monotony of their 
 sad winter residence.
 
 214 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 Moscow, October i, 1812. 
 The question of remaining here for the winter is 
 being discussed, but every one hopes the enemy will 
 think twice before dooming us to remain here, instead of 
 making terms of peace ; but all and each of us try to 
 bear our part bravely, and you know how much it will 
 cost me to be still further away from you and my 
 little ones. The Emperor is thinking of having some 
 actors sent from Paris and some singers from Milan ; 
 and yet, in spite of all this, you may imagine we shall 
 pass our winter coldly and sadly. 
 
 Reading over the following letter, which makes 
 an allusion to the project of having actors and 
 singers sent to Moscow, one asks oneself if it 
 were not a pretence destined to inspire the enemy 
 with more peaceful reflections: — 
 
 Moscow, October 9, 18 12. 
 
 It is to be hoped that matters will arrange them- 
 selves soon for the winter. The more preparations we 
 make for remaining here, the more urgent the Russians 
 will be to see us evacuate one way or another. Do 
 not get frightened when you hear we intend sending 
 for actors ; that we shall give dramas, etc. All this will 
 only tend to satisfy the Russians that we are not going 
 to leave them as soon as they thought we should, and 
 they will act more quickly. The weather has been very 
 fine for the past few days. The sick men are recover- 
 ing, and we are now laying in a stock of provisions for 
 the winter, and clothing and furs. We are expecting
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 2 1 5 
 
 windmills from France, with which to grind our corn. 
 We shall have made, by our vanquished difficulties and 
 the rapidity of our marches, the most astonishing cam- 
 paign and the shortest we have ever experienced up to 
 the present time. 
 
 In spite of the mournful sadness of his present 
 existence, Eugene, true French soldier as he was, 
 did not lose his sense of humour. He joked as 
 he depicted the Russian cold : — 
 
 Moscow, October 18, 181 2. 
 It seems we are not to leave either to-day or to- 
 morrow. There is some parley at headquarters, but I 
 think of little consequence. I think you had better 
 remain at Monza until the middle of November, espe- 
 cially if the fine weather continues. Do not expect to 
 see us return as we set out, for they tell me the noses 
 and ears of strangers freeze very easily in winter here. 
 We shall all be very homely if they leave us here. 
 
 A sharp and sudden frost forced Napoleon to 
 put an end to his indecision. On October 19, 
 the army left the Holy City ; and under a clear 
 sky Eugene and his companions saw for the last 
 time the few gilded domes which the fire fiends 
 had spared. The never-to-be-forgotten retreat 
 from Russia had commenced.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Retreat from Russia. — Misery and Sanguinary Combats. — 
 Smolensk. — The Beresina. — The Emperor leaves the Army. 
 
 — The Twenty-ninth Bulletin. — Last Proofs. — Defections. 
 
 — Adieux to the Cossacks. 
 
 I. 
 
 LEAVING Moscow, Napoleon imagined he 
 was pursuing the Russians, momentarily at 
 least, and not entering upon the most disastrous 
 of retreats. The first encounter took place at 
 Malo-Jaroslawetz, where the Russians endeav- 
 oured to bar his passage. 
 
 Malo-Jaroslawetz is a village situated on a hill. 
 The French were obliged to cross the Lougea, 
 — a river running at the foot of this village, — 
 and to climb the hill under a murderous fire, to 
 wrench this important position from the Rus- 
 sians. The enemy was not only in a position to 
 bar the way, but also to throw the French back 
 into the Lougea. General Delzous, who, under 
 Eugene's orders, had gained the heights, and 
 taken the village at the point of the bayonet,
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 2 1 7 
 
 fell, mortally wounded. His brother, who had 
 stood beside him, and who had tried to save his 
 body from the enemy, was also killed. 
 
 The French were on the point of being re- 
 pulsed, when Eugene dashed forward, and under 
 the terrible artillery fire of the Russians, climbed 
 the hill, strewn with the dead and dying. Six 
 times the village was taken and retaken by furious 
 charges in the midst of the flames of the neigh- 
 bouring houses, which enveloped the combatants ; 
 but nothing could make this intrepid Prince, ready 
 to die or to sacrifice his last man rather than 
 leave the Russians master of a position upon 
 which depended the welfare of the army, aban- 
 don his enterprise. He called the Pino Division 
 and the Royal Italian Guard to his assistance ; 
 and after a furious hand-to-hand struggle, he 
 succeeded in capturing Malo-Jaroslawetz for the 
 seventh time, and held it victoriously in the midst 
 of the smoking ruins. 
 
 He announced this grand feat of arms in the 
 following simple words to the Princess: — 
 
 Malo-Jaroslawetz, October 25, 1812. 
 I have only time to write a few words, my dear 
 Augusta. I am very well. Yesterday was a grand day 
 for my corps of the army. We fought from morning
 
 2l8 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 until night with eight divisions of the enemy ; but I kept 
 my position. French and Italians covered themselves 
 with glory. 
 
 The Journal de t Empire describes in a much 
 more detailed manner the heroic part taken by 
 Eugene in this sanguinary battle : — 
 
 " The latest news from the Emperor is under date of 
 November 3d. His Majesty is in the best of health. 
 The weather continues fine, and the army are moving 
 forward in the most perfect order since the vigorous 
 lesson the enemy received at Malo-Jaroslawetz. 
 
 " This brilliant affair reflects the greatest honour on 
 the corps under command of the Viceroy of Italy. In 
 this engagement the Prince proved himself the worthy 
 pupil of the great captain under whom he learned the art 
 of war ; and he displayed in his tactics the bravery of 
 a young warrior, joined to the experience of an old 
 general. The Russians, superior in number, returned 
 ten times to the charge, and ten times were they re- 
 pulsed from the battle-field, strewing it with their dead 
 and wounded. The Prince, rallying his soldiers by his 
 presence, planned his attacks calmly, and executed them 
 vigorously. When, after the enemy's retreat, His Impe- 
 rial Highness passed the division in review, the troops 
 greeted him with the wildest enthusiasm, and unanimous 
 acclamations were heard all along the line." 
 
 In writing the details of this battle for the 
 Emperor, Eugene, with his usual modesty, gener-
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 219 
 
 ously forgot himself, to cover the generals and 
 officers who had fought under him with the 
 warmest praises. 
 
 His description written for the Emperor gives 
 several very interesting details of the different 
 phases of this furious fight : — 
 
 " Three times the Russians succeeded in driving us 
 back to the river, and three times our troops rallied 
 before the bridge, and, aided by the reserves in the 
 advance-guard, dashed up the hill in a mad, impet- 
 uous charge on the first Russian batteries, shouting, 
 1 Vive l'Empereur ! ' The position of their army was 
 protected by an embankment whose summit was forti- 
 fied by three redoubts, and over which fresh columns of 
 attacking men climbed every minute. Their generals 
 led them to the attack against us eight times, but the 
 French and Italian troops rivalled them in intrepidity. 
 We repulsed all their attacks at the bayonet-point, and 
 the Russians left the ground covered with their dead. 
 
 " I must draw Your Majesty's attention to the fact 
 that all the regiments of my corps of the army cov- 
 ered themselves with glory. French and Italian vied 
 with each other in giving testimony to Your Majesty of 
 their devotion and love." 
 
 Eugene, after giving the names of several of 
 the generals and colonels, concluded by this touch- 
 ing appeal to Napoleon in favour of the family of 
 General Delzous : —
 
 220 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 "The Fourth Army Corps are deeply grieved over 
 General Delzous's death. To tell Your Majesty that he 
 leaves a wife, four children, and twelve brothers without 
 means of any kind, is to assure their comfort for the 
 future." 
 
 I have dwelt at length on this battle, which was 
 so glorious for Eugene, for the reason that, with 
 twenty thousand men under his command, he 
 battled against and overcame an opposing force 
 of eighty thousand, and has handed down to his- 
 tory one of the finest feats of arms in the as- 
 tonishing campaigns which Napoleon's military 
 genius offers to the admiration of posterity ! 
 
 After such a terrible struggle, and a whole day 
 spent on horseback, in the midst of the fatigues 
 and constant anxiety of the hasty march which 
 followed, the loving, thoughtful husband found 
 time to write and reassure the fearful wife so far 
 away from him, and trembling for his life. If he 
 must renounce the hope, which until then had sus- 
 tained him, of a speedy return home, he rejoiced 
 that his army was to take up its winter-quarters 
 and find a shelter against the intense cold which 
 was making itself already felt : — 
 
 Tunechewo, October 26, 181 2. 
 I repeat to you again that I am feeling well, and that 
 the engagement just fought reflected glory on my corps
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 221 
 
 and on myself. We have been marching since midday. 
 It seems we are drawing near our winter-quarters. 
 We must go as far as Siberia to pursue these cursed 
 Russians. You and I must give up the hope of being 
 together as soon as we anticipated; but when we do 
 meet, it is to be hoped that we shall never be separated 
 again. Your letters of the 28th, 29th, and 30th of Sep- 
 tember have not reached me. It is to be hoped those 
 dear Cossacks are not enjoying them. Adieu. I did 
 not get much sleep last night, and I have been on 
 horseback all day. 
 
 In the letter which follows, he speaks for the 
 first time of the intense sufferings caused by the 
 cold, and gives a glimpse of the difficulties of 
 the army's situation, but with what proud confi- 
 dence in the invincibility of the French arms ! 
 
 In Camp at Mojaisk, October 29, 1812. 
 I am writing to you, dear Augusta, from the same 
 little chateau where I was lodged after the battle of 
 Moscow. To all appearances we are drawing near 
 Smolensk, — first, to find rest ; second, to find provisions 
 for the winter. We are commencing to suffer from the 
 cold. It freezes very hard at night, but the weather 
 is very fortunate for us, for the mud does not bother us 
 now that the ground is frozen over. It is rumoured 
 that the enemy has become more courageous since we left 
 Moscow, and that it is his intention to cut off our route 
 to Smolensk. If this happens, we shall get even with 
 him for the loss of two or three of our couriers, and 
 the enemy will be exterminated.
 
 222 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 II. 
 
 The Russians, though avoiding a great battle, 
 pursued the French army with unremitting as- 
 siduity, enveloping it with a cloud of Cossacks, 
 and trying to cut off the straggling columns in 
 order to destroy them. At Tsarewo-Zai'mitche 
 the Viceroy's corps, crossing over a narrow, dan- 
 gerous gorge, suddenly found themselves under 
 the fire of a formidable body of Russian artil- 
 lery aided by many Cossacks. To crown their 
 misfortune, a bridge which was indispensable 
 for the passage of the troops had broken down 
 under the enormous weight of horses and lug- 
 gage. The peril was extreme. Eugene, putting 
 a brave face on the matter, and exercising his 
 military talent, opened a way through the enemy's 
 ranks; although he had passed the entire night 
 on horseback, he never thought of taking a 
 moment's repose until the last of his men were 
 out of danger. 
 
 His march was retarded by thousands of lag- 
 gards and a number of helpless wounded. On 
 reaching Wiazma, he again found his route barred 
 by a strong force of the enemy's cavalry, and 
 it was only after a rough battle that he was 
 enabled to pierce this living wall. These con-
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 223 
 
 tinuous and hopeless struggles he called bonnes 
 occupations. 
 
 Semlowo, November 4, 181 2, 5 p. m. 
 I do not know how many days have elapsed since I 
 wrote to you, my very dear Augusta. It has been 
 impossible for me to write to you before. Since my 
 engagement at Malo-Jaroslawetz, I have constantly been 
 engaged with bonnes occupations. I wrote to you from 
 a little chateau near Moja'isk that we were marching for- 
 ward to find a suitable place for a winter-encampment, 
 and one more accessible to provisions for the army. 
 Since that time, the enemy has amused himself by sting- 
 ing our rear-guard ; and every day we have been at- 
 tacked by some of their numerous cavalry. At last 
 they opened fire on Marshal Davout yesterday, who 
 was in charge of the rear-guard, and at the same time 
 attacked my flank. For an instant one of my divisions 
 was cut off from me ; but Marshal Davout repulsed 
 them, and together we continued our march on Wiazma. 
 Our two corps were separated from the rest of the 
 troops, and the whole of the enemy's army seemed upon 
 us. We executed some fine retrograde movements. 
 Hunger and fatigue bothered us a little ; but I think 
 when we reach Smolensk, we shall find more abundance. 
 We need only a few more days of patience to have 
 plenty around us. Adieu, my very dear friend. I 
 leave you now to throw myself on a bearskin and sleep, 
 and God knows I need the latter. 
 
 The retreat continued over this desolate route, 
 — a mute witness of the opening battles, when
 
 224 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 hope in the glory and faith in the future filled 
 their hearts. What a striking contrast ! The 
 army once more looked upon the bloody theatres 
 of its vain successes, still covered with the un- 
 buried dead, twisted guns, and demolished gun- 
 carriages. Now they were marching forward, 
 shivering, hungry, and despairing, in a march 
 which already commenced to take upon itself 
 the ugly aspect of a retreat. 
 
 Eugene was careful not to write all the details 
 of this sombre picture to his wife, but he dwelt 
 upon little personal discomforts which he thought 
 would bring a smile to her lips rather than 
 afflict her soul, as he knew the avowal of the too 
 lamentable truth would. 
 
 He spoke of his privations and perils with a 
 smiling stoicism worthy of the heroic legend 
 which has grown up around those terrible events. 
 
 Boldin, November 6, 1812, 8 A. M. 
 . . . The Emperor was very well satisfied with my 
 corps of the army in the last engagement. The enemy 
 has not annoyed us these past few days, and I think we 
 are at the end of our campaign for the present. We 
 have suffered some privations for several days. We 
 are marching over the route the army followed on 
 its march to Moscow, and it is in just such strange 
 circumstances men are tried; it is a good school.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 225 
 
 Adieu, my dear Augusta. My health is good. Yester- 
 day I made a toilette of which I stood badly in need. 
 It was — would you believe it ? — ten days since I 
 had been shaved. I looked like a Capuchin. . . . 
 
 Three days later, Eugene's corps underwent one 
 of those disasters with which the history of this 
 memorable retreat is sown. To enable the army 
 to cross the Wop, swollen and turbulent, filled 
 with great cakes of ice, the Prince had sent his 
 pontoon-builders ahead. Before the bridge was 
 finished, the cattle, crowded forward by the women 
 and children who burdened the army, but whom 
 for humanity's sake it was a duty to protect, 
 precipitated themselves in the darkness over the 
 arches of the unfinished bridge ; and the head 
 of this sad column was pitilessly submerged in 
 the swift, angry waters, which closed over them, 
 cutting off a supply of provisions in a manner 
 appalling in its awfulness. The cries of the 
 victims frightened the crowd behind, who rushed 
 ahead in wild confusion. The infantry and cav- 
 alry were obliged to cross the Wop on foot, at 
 the price of great sufferings. 
 
 The cannons blocked up the ford, rendering it 
 impassable. Added to these horrors, the Cossacks 
 on an opposite hill fired into the crowd of strug- 
 
 VOL. I. — 15
 
 226 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 gling human beings and dumb beasts, from the 
 midst of whom arose cries of despair and women's 
 heart-rending sobs. The Prince crossed the Wop 
 at the head of his troops, dispersed the Cossacks, 
 and worked until nightfall trying to save these 
 unhappy creatures, finally succeeding in placing 
 them in safety on the opposite bank. But the 
 greater part of the luggage, seven or eight pieces 
 of cannon, — that is to say, nearly all of the Vice- 
 roy's artillery, — remained buried in the river and 
 had to be abandoned to the enemy. 
 
 Eugene in this disaster worked with a super- 
 human energy without a thought of himself. For 
 the first time he was obliged to admit that he 
 suffered. But if his bodily strength was limited, 
 his brave heart remained the same ; his con- 
 stancy and ardour were incapable of discourage- 
 ment or weakness. These few following lines are 
 a striking proof of what I have just said : — 
 
 Duchowschtschina, November n, 1812. 
 I hasten to give you some news of myself, my dear 
 Augusta. This I have been unable to do for the past 
 four days. My health is fairly good. I say fairly, for 
 I am suffering with one of my limbs, which is very much 
 swollen. I think this is due to fatigue. I have been 
 very much inconvenienced these last few days, for the 
 weather and the season are so bad that to continue
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 2 2J 
 
 my march I have been obliged to abandon part of my 
 artillery and nearly all my luggage. We are greatly in 
 need of rest, and I hope it will not be denied us long. 
 Our misfortunes are great; but when one's courage 
 remains, that is the essential point! 
 
 The troops having rested on the nth and 
 1 2th, the advance-guard began its march on Smo- 
 lensk. To light up the route for the army, they 
 set fire to the miserable wooden huts which lined 
 the wayside, and which had been deserted by 
 their inhabitants. This doleful light indicated 
 the right road to the corps, which followed in 
 their footsteps. The cold was becoming intense. 
 It was decided that it was impossible to take the 
 women any further, these latter having followed 
 the army since leaving Moscow. 
 
 Napoleon, on setting out from Smolensk, had 
 committed one of the rare errors of his military 
 career. Persuaded that the Russians would not 
 dare to make any serious attack upon him, he 
 had, instead of keeping the army together, or- 
 dered the departure of the different corps on 
 different days. If the Russians did not dare 
 molest Napoleon, surrounded as he was by his 
 Old Guard, they did not experience the same 
 fear with regard to his lieutenants. After allow-
 
 2 28 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 ing the Emperor to pass, they barred Eugene's 
 passage at Krasnoi. 
 
 Just before reaching Krasnoi is a very steep 
 ravine. Eugene, who had no suspicion of the 
 Russians' intentions, reached the ravine without 
 any warning, to find it bristling with cannon 
 and filled with the enemy's infantry. He had 
 only six thousand men with him, — all that re- 
 mained to him of the superb army of eighty 
 thousand men, with which he had entered Russia. 
 
 With one quick glance, the young general had 
 taken in the situation. He must cut his way, 
 sword in hand, through this compact mass. 
 
 Without losing an instant, he ordered Brous- 
 sier's heroic division to charge at the bayonet's 
 point on the enemy's batteries. The three thou- 
 sand brave fellows dashed forward only to meet 
 with so murderous a fire that in less than an hour 
 two thousand men lay dead and wounded on the 
 frozen earth. The rest retired without disturbing 
 the enemy's position, bringing back to the Vice- 
 roy proofs that it was impossible to overthrow 
 that frightful living wall. 
 
 The Russian General Kutusoff, whose entire 
 army stood ready to repulse the four thousand 
 men remaining to the brilliant Italian army, sent
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 229 
 
 an officer to Eugene, requesting him to give 
 himself up. 
 
 "Say to your general," replied the Prince, 
 proudly, " that it is better for him to prepare 
 for battle, and not to send for prisoners." 
 
 It was near nightfall ; and the Russians, judg- 
 ing it useless longer to sacrifice men and ammu- 
 nition, and thinking that in the morning these 
 intractable Frenchmen would fall an easy prey, 
 ceased hostilities. In this critical circumstance, 
 Josephine's son showed that he could be as 
 adroit a strategist as he was an intrepid and 
 audacious foe. He sacrificed the remnants of 
 Broussier's brave division to the common good 
 (the handful of survivors joined them the next day), 
 and retreated during the night in silence towards 
 the Dnieper, the unevenness of the ground serving 
 as a shelter to the troops, while Broussier's fire 
 kept the enemy's attention distracted. 
 
 His stratagem promised success, notwithstand- 
 ing the moonlight, when suddenly a Russian corps 
 in marching order barred the way. One of the 
 Polish officers on his staff went before the Rus- 
 sian commander, and, with rare presence of mind, 
 convinced him that he had a detachment of 
 Russian soldiers executing a secret movement;
 
 23O THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 and the fleeing corps, thanks to his trick, escaped 
 to safety after a most hazardous night's march. 
 
 Eugene's task did not diminish in difficulty or 
 hardship. Marshal Ney, setting out two days 
 after him from Smolensk, according to Napoleon's 
 mistaken order, being attacked in his turn by 
 fifty thousand Russians, and escaping from them, 
 thanks to prodigies of valour and skill, called 
 promptly for help. Eugene, without taking time 
 to rest after his own fatigues, promptly extended 
 a helping hand to the brave Marshal. 
 
 The meeting of the two heroes under these 
 tragic circumstances presented a picture of sim- 
 ple and touching grandeur. This is Constant's 
 version of the subject: — 
 
 " To Prince Eugene was given the honour of going 
 to meet Marshal Ney with a corps of four thousand brave 
 men. Marshal Mortier had disputed this favour with 
 him, for among these illustrious men there were never 
 any but noble rivalries. The danger was great. The 
 Prince's cannon was a signal understood by the Mar- 
 shal, who was to reply by firing twice by platoons. 
 The two corps met. The Prince and the Marshal 
 no sooner met than they fell into each other's arms; 
 the former, it is said, wept for joy ! "
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 23 1 
 
 III. 
 
 At last this demoralised army reached the 
 shores of the Beresina, to find that the Russians 
 had cut away all the bridges. General Elbe's 
 soldiers repaired the damage ; and Napoleon, ac- 
 companied by Prince Eugene and Marshal Ney, 
 each with a following of two thousand men and 
 their different staffs, with the remnants of the other 
 regiments, were enabled to leave the accursed 
 river behind them, across whose turbulent waters 
 captivity had lain in wait for them. This army, 
 more than sixty thousand strong when it had 
 crossed the Niemen in June, had fallen in five 
 months to such a degree of misery that they 
 congratulated themselves on having been able 
 to cross the Beresina without falling into the 
 hands of the enemy. 
 
 On the following day, the 28th, they were again 
 forced into a bloody but victorious battle, al- 
 though less than thirty thousand French found 
 themselves confronted by seventy-five thousand 
 Russians. 
 
 During this desperate combat, the unarmed 
 rabble which had followed the army's footsteps
 
 232 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 precipitated themselves with such frenzy on the 
 bridge destined for foot-passengers that a large 
 number of them fell into the water, clinging to 
 the cakes of floating ice, trying to escape the 
 awful death threatening them, and adding a scene 
 of horror to that of the desolation all around 
 them. 
 
 To cut off pursuit by the Russians, they burned 
 the bridges behind them on the next day, the 
 29th, as soon as the army had passed over. It 
 was necessary to abandon a number of wounded 
 and of women and stragglers, as prey for the 
 Cossacks, who in their cruelty did not hesitate 
 to plunge their lances into these defenceless 
 victims. As though this spectacle of itself was 
 not pitiful enough, they saw many of these un- 
 fortunate creatures throw themselves into the icy 
 waters of the Beresina to escape the flames. 
 
 During the horrors of this retreat from Russia, 
 all communications were intercepted. Eugene 
 was unable to acquaint the Vice-Queen with his 
 movements. Not until December 1st, was he for- 
 tunate enough to start a courier to Paris carry- 
 ing the following letter, — a letter silent on the 
 subject of so many bloody struggles, so many 
 irreparable disasters : —
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 233 
 
 Illija, December I, 1812, Evening. 
 At last communications are all opened, for which 
 God be thanked ! It is too cruel to be obliged to 
 remain so long without sending any news or receiving 
 any from one's loved ones. We are all very much 
 fatigued with our long marches, and the cold, which 
 reddens the end of our noses in a terrible manner. 
 My health has not suffered, fortunately, but I have my 
 whole household on the sick-list. The Emperor is well, 
 and he is very good to me. He was so extremely 
 kind as to write to the Empress Marie Louise to send 
 her news of me at a time when it was impossible for 
 me to do it myself. 
 
 What agonies the poor Princess suffered during 
 
 the fortnight of her husband's enforced silence ! — 
 
 two weeks which anxiety transformed into years. 
 
 She received, it is true, indirect news of Eugene 
 
 by the Due de Bassano, who had been stationed 
 
 at Wilna to watch over the communications of 
 
 the Grand Army; but was not such news more 
 
 distressing for the loving wife's heart than silence 
 
 itself? 
 
 Wilna, December, 1812. 
 
 Madame, — The Viceroy has doubtless not written to 
 Your Royal Highness for several days. Parties of 
 Cossacks momentarily intercepted all communications. 
 An officer who left the headquarters at Zanishg near 
 Zembrii, on November 29, has assured me that the
 
 234 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 Viceroy continues in excellent health; and all my 
 letters tell me that he is often with the Emperor, and 
 that this campaign will have added, if such a thing 
 be possible, to the attachment His Majesty has for 
 him. I am, with respect, Madame, etc. 
 
 The debris of the Grand Army arrived at 
 Smorghoni on December 5. Napoleon, who for 
 some days had been cherishing the secret idea 
 of leaving the army, called his generals and staff 
 officers together. Overcome by the most pro- 
 found emotion, he announced his immediate de- 
 parture for Paris. This resolution of Napoleon's 
 has been much criticised, with more blame than 
 approval. The truth is, that the conspiracy of 
 Malet, of which he had just received word, showed 
 him with what facility an audacious general had 
 been able almost to overthrow his empire, by 
 spreading the rumour of his death. He could 
 thus gauge the danger to his crown if, his present 
 disaster being known, Europe should rise up 
 en masse and shut him out of his domains. 
 
 His anxiety was very great, and it must be 
 acknowledged justifiable. Having Poland and 
 Germany to cross, it was necessary for him to set 
 out without delay, and in the greatest secrecy, 
 before a suspicion of the entire destruction of
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 235 
 
 the immense army upon which his power alone 
 rested, had reached his enemies. Napoleon a 
 prisoner of the Allies, was in truth the Empire 
 and France destroyed ! 
 
 To return to Paris in great haste ; to re-establish 
 himself firmly on his throne ; to prepare new re- 
 sources, and reorganise an army to hold his own 
 against Europe, which his disastrous defeats in 
 Russia could not fail to call to arms against 
 him, — such was and such should have been his 
 sole preoccupation. 
 
 He therefore determined to abandon this army 
 incapable of defending his prestige ; but, before 
 leaving it to its fate, he drew up his famous 
 Twenty-ninth Bulletin, so celebrated for the frank- 
 ness with which he pictures the condition of the 
 army in Russia. The passages of the bulletin 
 which I am about to quote throw light in a start- 
 ling manner upon the terrible trials to which 
 Eugene and the marshals, so much more than 
 Napoleon himself, had been subjected, — trials 
 which were about to be so painfully prolonged for 
 the Viceroy, obliged later on to assume almost the 
 entire responsibility of this ghostly army, so far 
 from France, and in a hostile country. 
 
 Speaking of the terrible cold and its awful
 
 236 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 effects upon the cavalry, Napoleon traces this 
 picture : — 
 
 " The cold weather came upon us on the 7th, and 
 suddenly grew in intensity, until on the 16th the ther- 
 mometer marked sixteen and eighteen degrees below 
 zero. The roads were sheets of ice ; the cavalry horses 
 and the teams of the artillery waggons perished every 
 night, not by hundreds, but by thousands, especially the 
 French and German horses. More than thirty thousand 
 horses died in a few days ; our cavalry found themselves 
 on foot, our artillery and transports without teams. We 
 were obliged to abandon and destroy a good part of 
 our guns, ammunition, and even provisions." 
 
 On the subject of the condition of the army 
 itself, the Emperor adds : — 
 
 " This army, in such good condition on the 6th, was 
 very different after the 14th, and almost without cavalry, 
 artillery, or transports. Without cavalry we could not 
 clear the road a quarter of a league away. Without 
 artillery we did not dare risk an encounter, and stand 
 firm in our places. We were obliged to march in such 
 a manner as not to be forced into a battle which our 
 lack of ammunition hindered us from desiring. 
 
 " These difficulties, joined to the sudden and excessive 
 cold, rendered our situation a sorry one. Men whom 
 nature had not sufficiently steeled to put them above 
 the goads of fate and fortune, were dazed, lost their 
 spirits, their good-nature, and could dream of nothing
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 237 
 
 but miseries and catastrophes. Those who had been 
 created in a superior mould preserved their gaiety and 
 their ordinary manners, and could see a new glory in the 
 difficulties they were called upon to overcome." 
 
 Further on, he gives Eugene credit for his 
 wonderful military services: — 
 
 " The enemy, seeing on the roadside the traces of 
 this awful calamity which had struck the French army, 
 endeavoured to profit by it. They surrounded the 
 columns by their Cossacks, who, like the Arabs in the 
 deserts, carried away all the trains and carriages which 
 they could lay hands upon. This miserable cavalry, 
 which makes no noise, and which is not capable of rid- 
 ing down a company of mountebanks, was redoubtable 
 from force of circumstances. Nevertheless, the enemy 
 was made to repent of all the serious attempts he had 
 undertaken. He was overthrown by the Viceroy, before 
 whom he had planted himself, and lost a number of 
 men." 
 
 IV. 
 
 Napoleon transferred the command of the 
 armies to Murat, who so soon after abandoned 
 it, — the first defection towards one to whom he 
 owed a crown. 
 
 Eugene, with the clairvoyance of an honest 
 heart, had realised Murat 's fickle character. The 
 latter but half dissimulated his sentiments towards
 
 238 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 the Viceroy, — sentiments which were anything 
 but cordial. Eugene, on his part, very frankly 
 asked Napoleon to relieve him of his command. 
 
 The letter which he wrote to the Emperor 
 on this subject is a model of military abnegation. 
 The hand which writes it is easily seen to be 
 that of a soldier without fear and without re- 
 proach, in whose heart the sentiment of duty 
 overtops all personal considerations : — 
 
 December 5, 181 2. 
 Sire, — It is not for me to endeavour to penetrate Your 
 Majesty's will ; but as it is probable that Your Majesty- 
 will not delay in returning to your duty as Emperor 
 of the French nation, and as your intention has been to 
 leave me with the army under the King of Naples, I 
 take the liberty of claiming a new proof of your kind- 
 ness towards me. May I make bold enough to ask you 
 for an order returning me to Italy at a time most con- 
 venient to yourself? In case Your Majesty should wish 
 to leave me with the army, I will remain as long as it 
 suits you, and I will continue to serve you with the 
 same zeal and the same devotion ! 
 
 Napoleon, knowing how indispensable Eugene's 
 firmness and his organising genius were to the 
 army, replied simply : — 
 
 My dear Son, — I received your letter. Do your 
 duty, and rely on me. I am always the same for you. 
 Never doubt my paternal sentiments.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 239 
 
 When the Emperor wrote in these terms, how 
 well he showed his knowledge of his stepson's 
 character ! 
 
 The latter, notwithstanding his repugnance 
 to serving under Murat, immediately submitted. 
 The supreme commander so willed it ; he would 
 remain at no matter what cost! This decision 
 he announced to his wife in the following terms : 
 
 Bivouac near Ochmiana, December 6, 181 2. 
 Good-evening, my dear Augusta. I am well, in spite 
 of the excessive cold weather we are having. I think 
 the thermometer stands at 18 degrees below zero. You 
 no doubt know by this time that the Emperor has left 
 the army to go to Paris. He is impressed with the fact 
 that his presence is necessary there. The rest of us 
 remain at our posts. I hope, however, if we do no 
 active work this winter, I may return to Milan for a 
 time. I am anxious to do so for more than one reason ; 
 but as to leaving here at present, that will be very ill 
 advised of me. Our duty is at our post, whether that 
 duty be hard or easy. Adieu, my very dear Augusta. 
 I shall be at Wilna day after to-morrow, from which 
 place I shall send Allemagne (the Prince's aide-de-camp) 
 with letters and despatches. The poor devil is nearly 
 worn out. I thought he was really frozen to-day. 
 
 The army, still harassed by the Cossacks, finally 
 reached Wilna. But could one give the name of 
 army to the miserable and disbanded troops of
 
 240 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 men, or rather wandering phantoms, whose only 
 thoughts were to pile up a few logs of wood and 
 set fire to them in order to warm their frozen 
 limbs, to swallow a little bread and whiskey to 
 sustain their emaciated bodies, and to crouch in 
 some sheltered spot against the cold until chased 
 from it by the lances of their enemies ? 
 
 Eugene turned his thoughts from so much 
 misery to dream of his far-distant happiness at 
 the side of his loved companion, whose every 
 heartbeat was for him. The hope of a peaceful 
 future beside his own hearthstone, of which he 
 spoke in such glowing terms, aided him, joined 
 to his energetic sentiments of duty, to brave his 
 misery and present sufferings. 
 
 From Rankoni, near Wilna, he writes on De- 
 cember 8th : — 
 
 " My health is good ; but, like all the rest of us, I am 
 very much in need of repose. I sent Allemagne to you 
 night before last. The poor fellow needed a change. 
 He could not stand much more. I could give him no 
 presents for you nor for the children, for I have lost 
 all our waggons and all our horses. I left at least 
 twenty domestics behind us, who were too exhausted to 
 follow. All our fatigues and sorrows will be forgotten 
 as soon as we are once more with our families. Every 
 day teaches us more clearly that true happiness exists 
 only there. Embrace my four little angels for me. I
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 2 4 I 
 
 do this daily in spirit as at every moment of my life I 
 think of the happiness which Heaven bestowed upon 
 me in uniting our destinies. Let us hope to be soon 
 reunited, nevermore to part ! " 
 
 Wilna, towards which every eye had been 
 turned as a haven of rest, was to be the theatre 
 of a new disaster, added to so many others in the 
 condition of general demoralisation caused by this 
 interminable retreat and by Napoleon's absence. 
 There was, so to speak, no one in command. 
 Throwing themselves against the city gates, the 
 soldiers, crazed by suffering, rushed to the stores, 
 where they stole provisions, clothing, and liquors. 
 On the 9th, at nightfall, Platow's Cossacks sud- 
 denly appeared. Ney, old General Lefebvre, 
 Eugene, and some of the other generals, fighting 
 as common soldiers, succeeded in rallying a few 
 hundred men around them, who repulsed the 
 Cossacks and assured a short respite, during 
 which the French evacuated Wilna ! 
 
 Alas! nearly twenty thousand men, wounded 
 
 and sick, or worn out with fatigue, were left 
 
 behind, the men preferring to fall into the hands 
 
 of the Russians, rather than continue this deadly 
 
 march without shelter or food. They retreated 
 
 from Wilna to Kowno, where six months before 
 vol. 1. — 16
 
 242 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 Napoleon had first set foot on Russian soil, at 
 the head of six hundred and twenty-five thousand 
 soldiers. 
 
 What a heart-rending contrast! The army 
 which entered Kowno was nothing more than 
 a band of thirty-five hundred men marching in 
 such disorder that the Marshals, gathered in a 
 war council, were forced to confess that the army 
 had definitely ceased to exist. 
 
 The following few lines show to what a condition 
 of desolation our soldiers had been reduced. Do 
 they not give us the impression of a ship in dis- 
 tress, wrecked amid icebergs, and lost to the rest 
 of the world? 
 
 Kowno, December 12, 1812. 
 These past few days the thermometer has stood at 
 twenty-one and even twenty-five degrees. This has been 
 very disastrous for us. I am in a condition of indescrib- 
 able anger against Allemagne, who started out four days 
 ago. I found him yesterday on the highways, having lost 
 his horses, his servants, and his despatches. That means 
 my correspondence for Milan for the past month. 
 
 That same day Eugene made the attempt to 
 send his news by the way of Paris. The pictures 
 he traces of the ravages wrought by the fatigue 
 undergone, and the cold suffered in his own imme- 
 diate military household, are heart-rending.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 243 
 
 Kowno, December 12, 1812. 
 My dearest Augusta, — I can easily understand 
 all that you are suffering. It is to be hoped, how- 
 ever, that Heaven will grow weary of keeping us much 
 longer separated, and that we can be reunited. The 
 cold is terrible to-day, and every day we lose some of 
 our friends and companions. Lacroix was obliged to 
 remain at Wilna ; his condition was such we could not 
 transport him. Bataille and Petrus are in the hospital, 
 very ill. Leroy and Brochier are suffering intensely. 
 If this lasts much longer, I shall certainly be left en- 
 tirely alone without any staff. 
 
 Eugene concentrated all his efforts in endeav- 
 ouring to rally his organised soldiers, so com- 
 pletely crushed by this frightful temperature, and 
 planning an attack on the Cossacks, who pursued 
 them relentlessly. 
 
 It was a herculean task to try to re-establish a 
 little order in the broken ranks of these miser- 
 able creatures, a great number of whom were 
 unarmed or invalids. 
 
 At last they reached the borders of Poland, 
 but at the price of nameless fatigues and suffer- 
 ings, the sight of which moved Eugene deeply. 
 
 Obliged to leave his Mameluke Petrus behind 
 him, among many others, he sadly expatiated on 
 this brave fellow's sad fate. Though witnessing
 
 244 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 so many scenes of carnage and death, the sen- 
 sibilities of this noble heart were so little blunted 
 that the abandonment of a poor sick attendant 
 touched him deeply : — 
 
 Wirballen, December 15, 1812. 
 We are on the frontiers of Poland and Russia. It 
 seems it will be in this latter country, and near the Vis- 
 tula, that we shall halt and take up our winter-quarters, 
 and, indeed, there is great necessity for us to get some 
 rest. The enemy pursued us with a large number of men 
 as far as Wilna. From Wilna to Kowno, we were only 
 slightly molested by a few cavalry and artillery. I hope 
 they themselves will be too much fatigued to follow us 
 farther, and will not attempt to cross the Niemen after 
 us. I was obliged to leave poor Petrus (the Mameluke) 
 behind at Kowno. He was beyond transportation. I 
 very much fear I shall lose him. I recommended him 
 to the people who lodged me, and left him plenty of 
 money. I am feeling well amid all our fatigues. . . . 
 
 V. 
 
 Poland crossed, and Germany at last reached ! 
 From his first stopping-place in Prussia, the Vice- 
 roy wrote to the Princess to reassure her on his 
 account, and to make her the sharer of his hope 
 of soon enjoying near her his well-earned repose. 
 He announces to her that she must no longer 
 tremble at the recital of his combats, his marches,
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 245 
 
 and his fatigues, and ends with a burst of French 
 humour which finds something to laugh about 
 even in the midst of the greatest trouble: — 
 
 Gumbinnem, December 17, 1812. 
 
 At last we are in Prussia, my very dear Augusta, and 
 I will despatch Fortis with my letters. He will make 
 good time. We have been in retreat since leaving 
 Wilna, and the enemy has only followed us with his 
 cavalry and artillery. I do not think any length of 
 time will pass without some important military move 
 being made. It is probable that the Emperor will 
 order me back to Italy, and that is all I desire in this 
 world. Fortis will tell you of all who are in good 
 health here, and of those who are ill; and there are 
 many of the latter. I have been fortunate enough so 
 far to find myself among the former. It will please you 
 to know this, in spite of all the battles we have fought, 
 all the fatigues we have undergone. Adieu. 
 
 P. S. To amuse your ladies-in-waiting, tell them 
 that very probably half their friends will return without 
 noses or ears. Everything freezes here. We have 
 already had it at 24 below. 
 
 Writing the same day to his private secretary, 
 Baron Darnay, towards whom he had not the 
 same motives for hiding the gloomy truth, in a 
 few lines he gives a simple and truthful picture 
 of the greatest military disaster of modern times. 
 The cry which escapes him at the end of his
 
 246 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 letter is worthy of this generous, heroic, tender 
 soul, so far above human ambitions : — 
 
 " I am sending Fortis to Milan. Question him well, 
 my dear Darnay ; and if he is frank in his replies, you 
 will know all we have suffered during the past few 
 months. The climate has destroyed us. Of that grand 
 and beautiful army a mere handful of men remain. Our 
 losses are immense. The sights we have under our eyes 
 every day are heart-rending. Our friends and our com- 
 rades are dying along the roadside from misery, fatigue, 
 and cold. The Commissary Joubert died three days ago. 
 The Italians are dropping down like flies. The Royal 
 Guard numbers only two hundred men. Happy will be 
 those who once more see their firesides ! This is my 
 only aim in life now! I desire no more glory; it is 
 obtained at too great a cost. Adieu ! Yours for ever." 
 
 Marching towards Marienwerder to reach his 
 winter-quarters, the Viceroy visited the battle- 
 fields of Eylau and Friedland, — those two great 
 victories of the campaign of 1807, which he had 
 so deeply regretted not participating in. 
 
 From Eylau, December 22, he sent the Prin- 
 cess a modest and late New Year's gift, — a little 
 spoon " which had been found at the bottom of a 
 box he had thought to be lost." 
 
 " We are going," he writes to his wife, " to commence 
 a New Year. I ardently hope that it will be happier than
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 247 
 
 this one ; that is to say, that we may be reunited, never 
 to be separated again." 
 
 He adds this doleful refrain : — 
 
 " Here we have cold and snow ; the inhabitants try to 
 console us for our sufferings by telling us that it is the 
 most rigorous winter they have had in thirty years. We 
 made a good choice, did we not?" 
 
 Then he winds up with this joke, a little mili- 
 tary in its character, but to which the surrounding 
 circumstances give a singular flavour of Gallic 
 gallantry : — 
 
 " These past few days eight officers of my staff have 
 had their feet and noses frozen. You cannot say 
 much in favour of men who have come out of an affair 
 like this with one foot and no nose. The longest were 
 the first to fall." 
 
 At Marienwerder, Eugene was enabled to enjoy 
 a little repose, as the Russians, exhausted them- 
 selves, did not dare continue their pursuit on 
 German soil. A number of stragglers and those 
 left behind joined the army by degrees, and soon 
 brought the numbers up to two thousand, and this 
 was the corps that was noted for being in such 
 fine condition when they first crossed the Niemen. 
 In the midst of this calm, the Prince was seized 
 
 B
 
 248 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 with a sentiment of regret evoked by the thoughts 
 of the sweetness of his family life, which finally 
 became the constant object of his dreams. 
 
 Marienwerder, December 28, 181 2. 
 I reached here the evening of the day before yester- 
 day, my dear Augusta ; and it is now my pleasant duty 
 to concern myself as to your health. At last we have 
 reached the end of our journey. It seems we are to 
 take up our winter-quarters here. It will be very weari- 
 some, I am afraid ; but we must have courage, and, above 
 all, patience. I received your dear letter and the warm 
 clothing. I distributed them as you desired, among my 
 officers. I was very happy on learning that our little 
 family were in good health, for I think of them con- 
 stantly these days. I am of the opinion that the Em- 
 peror will not leave me here in inactivity all winter, with 
 so few men. Would you believe it, my dear, that out of 
 my Grand Army corps, there only remain to me two 
 thousand men, one-half of whom are wounded. This is 
 for you alone. Adieu, my very dear Augusta. Let us 
 hope that one day we will forget all our troubles in 
 each other's arms. 
 
 Eugene remained a fortnight at Marienwerder. 
 He employed the time which he could spare from 
 the cares of his little band in attending to the 
 affairs of Italy, as he had indeed done to the best 
 of his ability during this unfortunate campaign. 
 He was an indefatigable worker ; and he was able
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 249 
 
 by the 3d of January, 18 13, to send the Emperor 
 a long and detailed account of the actual condi- 
 tion of his kingdom. 
 
 But it was not the moment to expatiate merely 
 on the affairs of the kingdom. The situation 
 was more dangerous than ever. Desertions were 
 numerous. The Prussians declared themselves 
 on the side of the enemy, and threatened the 
 debris of the Grand Army. Eugene's situation, 
 surrounded by open and secret enemies, was very 
 critical. In his retreat from Grandenz, the Prus- 
 sian garrison had evinced signs of a hostility they 
 were at no pains to conceal ; but the heroic Vice- 
 roy had great faith in his star. No matter how 
 great was the peril in which he found himself, 
 nothing could daunt his confidence in the future. 
 At the sound of the battle, the soldier in him 
 awoke, proud, ironical, and calm ; and he wrote as 
 though he attached little importance to this 
 recommencement of hostilities. 
 
 Schwetz, January 13, 1813. 
 
 Just two words, my well-beloved Augusta. I re- 
 ceived Provari, and he handed me your welcome letter 
 of the 1st of this year. You are right to trust in Provi- 
 dence, and to believe that God watches over me. I was 
 born lucky, and I never appreciated my happiness since
 
 250 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 uniting my destiny to yours, more than I do at this 
 present time. 
 
 We left our quarters at Marienwerder yesterday. I 
 have received orders from the King to repair to Posen. 
 We had a skirmish with the Cossacks yesterday. In 
 the evening, as we were getting into position before 
 Nenenberg, they had the impertinence to try to worry 
 us again ; but I attacked them at once, and a single bat- 
 talion was all that was needed to send them back to the 
 Vistula. It was very comical to see five hundred of those 
 strapping fellows pursued over the ice by our small sol- 
 diers. We killed several and captured a dozen horses. 
 To-day we have been very quiet. I am well, except for 
 a slight inflammation, which has almost passed away. 
 
 At that moment the Prince was on the verge of 
 one of the most critical epochs of his life.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Departure of King Murat — Eugene as Commander-in-Chief 
 of the Grand Army. — Difficulties of the Situation. — The 
 Retreat on the Oder. — Discouragement of the Army. — 
 Efforts of the Prince to Reorganise it. — The Retreat on the 
 Elbe. — Return of the Emperor. — Eugene at Ltitzen. — 
 Departure for Italy. * 
 
 I. 
 
 I HAVE now reached one of the most remark- 
 able events of the Prince's career, — an epoch 
 in which he fully merited Napoleon and France's 
 recognition. Charged with an extremely difficult 
 mission, and one bringing no glory to him, he ac- 
 complished it in such a manner as to force men to 
 honour him, even personal enemies such as Mar- 
 shal Marmont. It was Eugene who, in a country 
 openly unfriendly, in the midst of an over-excited 
 and hostile population, had proudly led the debris 
 of the Grand Army across Germany. 
 
 As we have seen, Napoleon, fearing for the 
 stability of the dynasty created by him, had, on 
 setting out so suddenly for Paris, transmitted the
 
 252 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 supreme command to his brother-in-law, Murat, 
 King of Naples. 
 
 But Murat was too fond of his crown, too much 
 occupied by his personal interests in Italy, to 
 devote himself long to the ungrateful task of rally- 
 ing the disbanded soldiers, rearming and reor- 
 ganising them. On January 1 7th, Murat suddenly 
 announced to Eugene his intention of setting out 
 for Naples ; and he transferred the command of 
 the army to him, — a command which Eugene 
 justly considered he had no right to accept from 
 any hand but Napoleon's. 
 
 But rather than leave the army without a head, 
 the Prince provisionally accepted this command, 
 which Murat abandoned. 
 
 Posen, January 17, 18 13. 
 My DEAR AUGUSTA, — I have most unlooked-for 
 news to announce to you. After my departure for 
 Marienwerder, King Murat wrote me to join him at Posen. 
 I had hardly reached here before he informed me he 
 intended to resign his command of the army, and set 
 out without waiting for the Emperor's decision. He is 
 ill, and no longer desires the responsibility. He wished 
 to transfer the command to me, but I was not willing to 
 receive it from him ; but as he insisted upon going, I 
 was obliged to accept the command provisionally. It 
 is a delicate position for me ; but I offer it as a last 
 proof of my devotion to the Emperor. Everything here
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 253 
 
 is in great confusion ; and I assure you, my good Augusta, 
 that I have a terrible task before me. I dare not hope 
 to come out covered with glory; but at least I shall be 
 said to have had the courage to accept it, and I hope to 
 get credit for not having abandoned it. 
 
 Adieu, my dear Augusta ; what troubles me most is 
 that I cannot write to you oftener, as I lack time. 
 
 To Napoleon on the same day he wrote : — 
 
 Sire, — I have the honour to announce to Your 
 Majesty that the King really set out this morning at 
 three o'clock. Yesterday evening the Prince de Neu- 
 chatel [Berthier] and myself exhausted all possible rea- 
 sons for persuading him to remain. There being no 
 Marshal of the Empire here, and I being the only lieu- 
 tenant in Your Majesty's service present, I have provi- 
 sionally assumed command until Your Majesty can send 
 some general-in-chief to relieve me. I am going to try 
 and gather together a few thousand men to at least 
 open communication by way of the Oder with Warsaw. 
 I deeply regret not having twenty thousand men at my 
 disposal ; for I am convinced that by reinforcing our 
 right and surrounding Warsaw, the enemy will abandon 
 his idea of attempting any serious move in that direc- 
 tion in the next campaign. At the present moment I 
 unfortunately have not a single well-organised division. 
 
 Napoleon, who understood men, and who had 
 just had in his Russian experience ample occa- 
 sion to appreciate Eugene, replied at once : —
 
 254 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 Fontainebleau, January 22, 1813. 
 
 My Son, — Take the command of the Grand Army. 
 I regret not leaving it with you on my departure. I 
 flatter myself you would have retreated more quietly, 
 and I should not have experienced such immense losses. 
 The harm done is past remedy. 
 
 You will write me in detail every day. 
 
 The next day Napoleon reiterates his satisfac- 
 tion that the command is in Eugene's hands. 
 The greatest captain of modern times thus shows 
 in what high esteem he holds the military capa- 
 bilities of the young Viceroy, to whom he has con- 
 fided the heavy responsibilities of a Commander- 
 in-Chief, in exceptionally difficult circumstances. 
 
 Fontainebleau, January 23, 18 13. 
 My Son, — I received your letter of the 16th. I 
 have already written to you that I am pleased to know 
 the command of the army is in your hands. I find the 
 King's conduct very extraordinary. He is a brave man 
 on the battle-field, but he lacks tact and moral courage. 
 
 King Louis of Holland expresses himself thus 
 on this subject. He was a most impartial judge, 
 from the fact that his quarrel with his brother, 
 since the Emperor had taken his crown from him, 
 had kept him aloof from the intrigues of the 
 Court and the jealousies of the staff officers.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 255 
 
 " The Emperor left the army and gave the command 
 to the King of Naples, who a short time afterwards 
 resigned it into the hands of the Viceroy of Italy, so 
 that he could return to Naples. By this act he par- 
 tially sacrificed to his own whims the interest of his 
 own kingdom, the general interests of the allies of 
 France, and, above all, the glory and preservation of 
 the precious debris of this illustrious army. The rem- 
 nants of the Grand Army have performed wonderful 
 deeds of valour under the order of the Viceroy, who 
 can flatter himself upon having had the grandest and 
 most difficult commission to fulfil, and upon having 
 performed his duty with as much prudence and glory 
 as success." 
 
 II. 
 
 Napoleon's confidence was justified, as will be 
 seen from the following letter. I do not really 
 know if, in all the Prince's correspondence, there 
 is a more beautiful letter than the one I am 
 about to have the pleasure of transcribing for the 
 reader. It is charming in its delicacy, devotion, 
 and unutterable tenderness. 
 
 Posen, January 18, 18 13. 
 My dear and GOOD Augusta, — I am up to my neck 
 in work, and I can assure you that I must work. I re- 
 ceived your letter of January 8th, at reveille this morn- 
 ing. I am not angry at you for the request you made to
 
 256 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 the Emperor; but it is not the moment to speak of my 
 return, or our happiness in seeing each other again. 
 You must understand how much His Majesty is afflicted 
 in his heart by all that has passed ; and so many are 
 abandoning him now that it is just in such painful and 
 difficult situations that one should show the most devo- 
 tion, courage, and resignation. You, who have so much 
 of all three, must not lose any now. Yet one more 
 effort, and I predict we shall at last enjoy the happiness 
 of being reunited and tranquil. Adieu, my very dear 
 Augusta. I could not for a moment permit myself to 
 think of such a thing as a journey here for you. Be- 
 sides, we are not settled; and then the season, and, still 
 again, the children. Patience ; let us love each other 
 more, if such a thing is in our power. 
 
 The Princess, whose lofty soul was in such 
 perfect communion of sentiments with those of 
 her husband, had implored the Emperor to give 
 her back her husband, whose continued absence 
 caused her such anxiety ; but she had made this 
 request before she knew the King of Naples had 
 abandoned the command of the army. 
 
 As soon as she learned of Murat's departure, 
 she restrained her hopes in face of the perilous 
 greatness of the duty to be accomplished. 
 
 Eugene himself, on the 20th of January, 18 13, 
 writes openly of the difficulties of the heavy task 
 which he had assumed from pure devotion to
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 257 
 
 the Emperor. He could not refrain from a 
 slight touch of irony on the subject of the pre- 
 text put forward by Murat of " sickness " as an 
 excuse for the strange abandonment of his com- 
 mand. 
 
 " I found everything here in the greatest disorder, 
 every one thinking of nothing but saving himself. No 
 one seems to know where the troops are, even. I think 
 I shall have accomplished a great deal if I succeed in 
 quieting the minds of, and in putting a little order into, 
 the regiments. I hope it will not be said that it is 
 the desire of glory which made me assume the com- 
 mand of the army ; for it is from pure devotion to the 
 Emperor, and it would be impossible to accept a more 
 difficult task. I have not heard from His Majesty the 
 Emperor yet. Let me know if it is true that the King 
 passed you by on his road to Naples, for he told us 
 he would rest some time with the King of Westphalia 
 [Jerome] ; and for a sick man it is doing pretty well 
 to go in one journey straight to Naples. It must be 
 confessed that the Emperor is but shabbily treated by 
 his own family. I hope this last act will open his 
 eyes. ..." 
 
 One of the most amiable phases of Eugene's 
 character was his solicitude towards the humblest 
 of those who approached him. The high and 
 charitable simplicity of his heart did not admit, 
 
 VOL. I. — 17
 
 258 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 in the expression of his sentiments, the egotisti- 
 cal, worldly conventions of caste. 
 
 I cited one example in the forced abandonment 
 of Petrus, the Mameluke. I am pleased to be able 
 to recall another incident in the postscript of the 
 following letter : — 
 
 " I have a great deal of work, but I do it with pleas- 
 ure, especially if by doing so I can make the Emperor 
 know his true friends. We have made no movements 
 of any kind yet; but I dare not flatter myself too much, 
 and I am afraid the enemy will oblige us to retreat 
 behind the Oder, in which case this poor Poland will 
 be occupied by the Russians. 
 
 " P. S. Michel's son died day before yesterday. It 
 has made me very sad, for he was a good valet-de-piedy 
 
 Napoleon's marks of confidence had greatly 
 encouraged Eugene in the accomplishment of his 
 painful duties. The detailed instructions from 
 the Emperor relative to the reorganisation and 
 revictualling of the army, proved a precious help 
 to him. 
 
 Even at this period the vacillation of the Prince 
 von Schwarzenberg inspired Eugene's prudent 
 sagacity with doubts of the fidelity of the Aus- 
 trians. At the same time he conceived the same 
 suspicions with regard to the Saxons, who amply
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 259 
 
 justified them in the bloody battle of Leipzig. 
 However, in the midst of these heavy cares, his 
 greatest uneasiness perhaps came to him from 
 Italy. The Princess's failing health caused him 
 inexpressible anxiety. 
 
 Posen, January 25, 181 3. 
 
 . . . Your letter of the 15th proves to me that your 
 health is not as good as you say it is, and I am worried. 
 Be careful of yourself, my good Augusta. Make your- 
 self easy as to my position, and hope that our lucky 
 star will soon reunite us. I am working a great deal ; 
 but it is a pleasure to me, as I can already see the 
 good results of my work. Order has been re-established, 
 and the men who ran the fastest are commencing to 
 blush at their conduct, and I can predict a great change 
 soon. . . . 
 
 However, the situation still remained grave, on 
 account of the general discouragement. Eugene 
 was not sanguine. 
 
 " Sire," he writes to Napoleon from Posen, February 
 2, 1813, "I received your orders relative to the 
 command of the Due d'Elchingen [Ney]. I have 
 already had the honour of notifying you that the Mar- 
 shal had left Elbing for Magdeburg, from which place 
 he had demanded permission to return to France. This 
 permission being granted him, he must by this time be 
 in Paris. Marshal Ney quitted the army, fatigued, dis- 
 contented with King Murat, and loudly declaring that it
 
 260 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 was oftener than necessary his turn to lead the advance 
 or rear guard. I cannot explain to Your Majesty to 
 what an extent the general discouragement in the army 
 has spread since we left Wilna. Very few generals re- 
 main at their posts. Would Your Majesty believe, for 
 instance, that General X., . . . who is a brave soldier, 
 did not think himself safe at Custrin, and has retired to 
 Berlin? He has not come to see me yet, notwithstand- 
 ing the three orders I have sent him to do so. I have 
 written to him for the last time, and if he does not 
 report in forty-eight hours, I shall court-martial him. 
 I hope not to be obliged to resort to these extreme 
 measures ; but I feel it my duty to do this, as I must 
 make a severe example of some one for the purpose 
 of re-establishing a little order." 
 
 The most delicate part of his heavy task was 
 to elevate the morale of the troops, who had 
 deteriorated so sadly amid all the hardships en- 
 dured. He succeeded in this, thanks to his 
 energetic and constant efforts. With the rein- 
 forcements he gradually gathered together, he 
 performed the miracle of turning over to the 
 Emperor, when the latter resumed command of 
 the forces in the spring, a good army, solid, 
 and animated with true military ardour. But for 
 the present he was obliged to retreat, always to 
 retreat, — he, the enthusiastic young chief, accus- 
 tomed to pursue the enemy and conquer him.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 26 1 
 
 He foresaw the coming impossibility of holding 
 Poland, and the painful obligation of seeking a 
 refuge beyond the Oder, — a harsh necessity 
 which deeply wounded his soldier's vanity. 
 
 Posen, February 2, 1813. 
 
 ... I am obliged to be very severe if I wish to suc- 
 ceed in establishing any kind of discipline. You cannot 
 imagine how disorganised the whole army is. The 
 Russians, who had apparently ceased hostilities, have 
 commenced to move on us ; and if this movement con- 
 tinues, I shall be forced to retreat beyond the Oder, 
 which will annoy me very much, for I have not made a 
 retrograde step for the last eighteen days. Well, in a 
 very few days I shall know just where I stand. I hope 
 soon to be either in Paris or Munich ; but I cannot know 
 anything positive in this respect, and it will be at least a 
 month before there is any degree of certainty as to my 
 future movements. I will make no more plans ; they 
 all turn out badly. I only want to love you all my 
 life, for in that consists my whole happiness. 
 
 The principal division of the Russian army, for 
 a while stationary on the borders of Poland, had 
 been steadily advancing for several days, the 
 second corps following in its footsteps, whilst 
 Prince von Schwarzenberg with his Austrians 
 retreated in a manner which was anything but 
 reassuring to Eugene, and rendered his posi-
 
 *' 
 
 p 
 
 262 77^ ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 tion still more critical. But well he seemed to 
 forget the agonies of his command when, in 
 terms breathing so much noble simplicity, he said 
 to his wife : — 
 
 Posen, February 4, 1813. 
 
 The courier arrived this morning with your letters, 
 and they afforded me great pleasure. Rest easy on my 
 account. I am gladly recompensed for all my troubles 
 by your tenderness, by my family happiness, and the 
 good opinion which you have of me. 
 
 Eugene, with the meagre resources at his dis- 
 posal, was enabled to hold his own at Posen for a 
 month ; but that was the maximum effort of resist- 
 ance which was permitted him. At last he was 
 obliged to abandon this last rallying-point, and 
 retreat. 
 
 Each backward step, it is true, brought him a 
 little nearer to that beautiful Italy, where such 
 tender ties bound him; but the proud soldier 
 silenced the loving husband, and the only feeling 
 he experienced was one of chagrin at being 
 obliged to retreat before the enemy. 
 
 Posen, February 10, 1813. 
 
 It is probable that I shall leave this city to-morrow or 
 
 the day after. The Russians are advancing on us in 
 
 great numbers, and all we can do is to retreat beyond 
 
 the Oder. I hope, however, that this will be our last
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 263 
 
 halt. I know nothing definite as yet in our grand 
 schemes of being together in the spring; only one thing 
 is certain, and that is the ardent longing I constantly 
 experience for their realisation. 
 
 The decimated troops who had recrossed the 
 Niemen under Eugene's command were, without 
 doubt, already in a measure reorganised and aug- 
 mented in numbers ; but how miserable were they 
 still, in comparison with the immense numbers of 
 Russians and their allies, pressing forward against 
 them ! And yet the Prince, with the miserable 
 remnants of this once glorious army under his 
 hand, held his head up proudly in face of his 
 enemies. 
 
 February 13, 181 3. 
 
 As I predicted, I was obliged to leave Posen to ap- 
 proach nearer to my reinforcements. I have twenty 
 thousand men and one thousand horses two days' march 
 behind me, and with these I fear nothing. I only left 
 Posen at the last moment, and not until several thou- 
 sand Cossacks had cut off my communications. Poor 
 little Janois (a domestic of Eugene's) was taken prisoner 
 yesterday evening by them. I had sent him ahead to 
 prepare my lodgings. 
 
 The minutely detailed reports which the Vice- 
 roy sent constantly to the Emperor, on the mili- 
 tary situation, showed not only his indefatigable
 
 264 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 energy, but also the perfect confidence which 
 Napoleon reposed in the young general only 
 thirty-two years old, whom he had placed in au- 
 thority over old and illustrious marshals like 
 Davout, Prince d'Eckmuhl, Victor, the Due de 
 Bellum, Augereau, and the Due de Castiglione. 
 
 III. 
 
 The defence and provisioning of the fortresses 
 of Custrin, Glogau, and Spandau, which the 
 French held in Germany, and which Napoleon 
 desired to retain, added to the difficulties and 
 responsibilities of the Viceroy, who was obliged 
 to attend to them, and at the same time to main- 
 tain a calm and well-managed retreat before an 
 enemy of crushing superiority. 
 
 Meseritz, February 17, 18 13. 
 
 I have rested here for the past two days, my dear 
 Augusta, notwithstanding the reports which have been 
 brought to me that the enemy would reach the Oder 
 before me ; and I was wise in not believing them, for I 
 have positive news this morning that all this gossip was 
 false. The enemy is still advancing but slowly, and we 
 are retiring in the same manner. I hope he will be pru- 
 dent enough not to attack us this side of the Oder. 
 If, by chance, Prussia fail us, I think we shall be obliged
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 265 
 
 to gain the shores of the Elbe as promptly as possible. 
 You can see by this that my position is not a brilliant 
 one. I do not dissimulate all that is painful and diffi- 
 cult. You may be sure that I shall not lose courage, 
 and that I shall always do my duty. 
 
 He had only two good reasons to dread a de- 
 fection on the part of Prussia, whose king more 
 and more readily lent his ear to the warlike coun- 
 sels which were constantly offered him. I select 
 the following passage from a voluminous report, 
 dated February 18: — 
 
 11 The ill feeling which dominates Prussia at this mo- 
 ment is only too apparent. The authorities refuse to 
 distribute provisions to our troops. The peasants leave 
 their houses as our columns approach, so as not to be 
 obliged to feed our soldiers. And when the enemy 
 appears, the burgomasters point out the movements of 
 our troops, and the gendarmes go so far as to guard our 
 prisoners taken by the Cossacks." 
 
 The enemy marched forward even to. the walls 
 of Berlin, and Eugene was obliged to hasten 
 towards this capital to lend a helping hand to the 
 French garrison, which had occupied it since the 
 commencement of the Russian campaign. This 
 garrison, with Augereau at its head, though seri- 
 ously menaced, had put on so brave a front that 
 it had deceived the Allies as to its strength.
 
 266 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 " The enemy," Eugene says in a report to Napoleon, 
 dated Berlin, February 22d, " has advanced as far as 
 Berlin, and day before yesterday some eighty Cossacks 
 entered the city and threw the inhabitants into a condi- 
 tion of terror. The stand taken by the Due de Cas- 
 tiglione [Augereau], who had assembled his garrison 
 and placed his artillery and batteries in the principal 
 streets, caused the enemy to promptly retire. They 
 retreated to Charlottenburg, and sent out small parties 
 of from twenty-five to forty horses skirmishing over the 
 open country. On this occasion the burgher's guard 
 of Berlin behaved admirably, and in the most efficient 
 manner helped to re-establish order. The populace 
 were very ugly. Officers and single soldiers were mal- 
 treated by them. Learning this news at Fiirstenwald, 
 and knowing that Marshal Augereau had no cavalry at 
 his command to chase the Cossacks away, I set out this 
 morning with the cavalry of the Guard, and, by making 
 extra quick time, I reached here before four o'clock. 
 The enemy was warned of our arrival, and has not 
 shown around the city except for a few Cossacks. . . . 
 
 " To-morrow before daybreak, I shall send my cav- 
 alry out into the open country, to chase them from the 
 vicinity of the city. " 
 
 From the Berlin Suburb of Kopenick, where 
 he had established his headquarters, Eugene has- 
 tened the reorganisation of his army and incorpo- 
 rated the reinforcements received, and the troops 
 of the Berlin garrison. He thus found himself
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 267 
 
 at the head of more than twenty-six thousand 
 men. ' 
 
 Between the threats of insurrection by the pop- 
 ulace and the announcement of the commence- 
 ment of hostilities by the whole Russian army, 
 the Prince's position in Berlin became daily more 
 and more critical. Thousands of Cossacks 
 scoured the country, cutting off communication, 
 intercepting convoys of provisions, and even 
 succeeding in destroying several isolated detach- 
 ments. But notwithstanding his constant efforts 
 to augment his defences, Eugene, deprived of his 
 cavalry, could make no headway against the con- 
 tinual insults heaped upon him by these barbarous 
 horsemen, who had so often fled before that grand 
 French cavalry now buried under Russia's frozen 
 
 fields : — f 
 
 Schoneberg, near Berlin, February 28, 1813. 
 The enemy appears to desire a renewal of hostilities, 
 as the first columns have passed the Oder to-day. I am 
 not speaking of the parties of the Cossacks, who have 
 already thrown themselves upon us. They do not 
 count. I am beginning to reinforce my army. I have 
 thirty thousand bayonets and eighty pieces of artillery 
 under me ; but unhappily I need cavalry, which is the 
 most essential of all. Lauriston has just reached the 
 Elbe with forty thousand men, but he has no cavalry 
 either. The King of Prussia has not yet declared him-
 
 268 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 self against us, and I am anxiously awaiting news from 
 Breslau [the provisional residence of the Prussian 
 Court]. You can judge from this, my beloved, how 
 busy I am, and how difficult my position is. 
 
 The fatal Russian campaign had not only pro- 
 duced irreparable losses in men and horses, in 
 materiel and prestige, but the sufferings under- 
 gone and the disorder of the retreat had also 
 overthrown the strongest wills. A great many 
 officers were far from fulfilling their duties with 
 the devotion and untiring energy displayed by 
 Eugene. 
 
 He, in fact, exposed the conduct of a chief of 
 battalion named Cicerow to Napoleon. This 
 officer, given the charge of defending a very im- 
 portant position commanding the passage of the 
 communications with Dresden and Leipzig, had 
 allowed himself to be so intimidated by the 
 approach of the enemy as to evacuate his post 
 without sufficient military reasons. To make an 
 example of this officer, the Prince asked Napo- 
 leon to " punish his pusillanimity by sending 
 him to the guard-house and returning him to 
 the ranks." 
 
 But Napoleon looked upon these acts in a 
 much more rigorous manner, as the following 
 shows : —
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 269 
 
 " My Son," — he writes from Paris to the Viceroy, 
 March 2, 1813, — "I received your letter of February 
 25. I am astonished that you did not have this officer 
 who left his post, notwithstanding his obvious duty, ar- 
 rested, tried by a military commission, and shot on the 
 spot. See that this is done immediately." 
 
 Before the overwhelming forces which Prince 
 Repinn was manoeuvring towards the central 
 part of Prussia, and the openly hostile attitude of 
 the Berliners in offering their hand to the Rus- 
 sians, Eugene found himself constrained to retreat 
 from Berlin and put the Elbe between him and 
 his innumerable adversaries. Disdaining personal 
 success, he was not willing, at any price, to risk 
 compromising, unless by the Emperor's orders, 
 the last army in front of the enemy. But, deeply 
 affected in his pride by this incessant retreat 
 (happily this was the last step), he could not 
 prevent a feeling, not of discouragement, but of 
 sadness, overcoming him : — 
 
 Schoneberg, March 2, 18 13. 
 Again another retrograde movement, my dear Au- 
 gusta. I have decided to retreat to the Elbe, and I hope 
 when I reach there to be more tranquil. I now have 
 eight or ten thousand cavalry under arms. Of my own 
 corps I have but eight or nine hundred. My infantry 
 are also under arms constantly. All this maddens me ;
 
 270 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 but there is no other way of doing. To-day is Mardi- 
 gras, so they tell me. It has never passed so sadly be- 
 fore for us. 
 
 The Emperor, who from Paris was anxiously 
 following the Viceroy's movements, reproached 
 him with some bitterness for abandoning Berlin. 
 Great as he was, Napoleon was not exempt from 
 that weakness shown in the case of Massena and 
 Davout, of throwing upon the shoulders of his 
 lieutenants the responsibilities of badly managed 
 situations, for whose miscarriage he himself was 
 first responsible. In reply to his criticisms, 
 Eugene respectfully defended his manoeuvres, im- 
 posed by the exigencies of the moment and the 
 impossibility of struggling with nine hundred 
 horses against an enemy's cavalry consisting of 
 nine thousand horses. This defence he urges with 
 all the marks of the deepest devotion and the 
 greatest self-abnegation, emotions so honest in 
 their expression that they could not fail to touch 
 Napoleon's heart, — a heart weighed down with 
 anguish at the critical position in which he stood. 
 
 March 15, 181 3. 
 Sire, — I can see by the last letters received from 
 Your Majesty that you do not approve of any of the 
 military dispositions which I took for the march to the
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 27 1 
 
 Elbe ; and I also think you do not approve of the posi- 
 tion which I thought it my duty to take upon the borders 
 of the river. Obliged to regulate my conduct by the 
 events around me, whilst I had great need of Your 
 Majesty's directions, I did what I thought best for your 
 service. I thought to follow the lessons of prudence, 
 and not to go far out of the right path, in obeying the 
 inspirations of my heart. The great interests inadvert- 
 ently fallen into my hands demanded more talent than 
 zeal, and were, perhaps, superior to all the efforts of my 
 devotion. If, therefore, Your Majesty thinks, as your 
 letters lead me to believe, that I have not fulfilled your 
 views, I pray you not to leave me any longer in a posi- 
 tion in which I can displease you, and I conjure you to 
 replace me by some one more worthy as Commander- 
 in-Chief of the army ; and, as it is far from being my 
 desire not to serve you actively at this hour, I desire 
 that Your Majesty give me a command in which I can 
 still give proofs of my zeal and eternal attachment to 
 Your Majesty. 
 
 Napoleon's character was of too high an order 
 not to enable him to recognise his error in mak- 
 ing unjust reproaches. Does not his laconic reply 
 indicate his regret for his hasty judgment? 
 
 My Son, — I received your letter of March 15. 
 The observations which I made on the different move- 
 ments are for the good of the service, and you were 
 wrong to give them any other interpretation.
 
 272 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 In the mean while the Russians advanced in 
 solid columns, slowly, it is true, for they awaited 
 the moment — and but a few days separated them 
 from it — when all the Prussian forces, exalted 
 by the excitement of love of Fatherland, would 
 march with them. 
 
 Eugene, after having concentrated all his rein- 
 forcements, found himself at the head of fifty 
 thousand men, confronted by an enemy four times 
 as strong. Such a disproportionate number, it can 
 be easily understood, was a grave subject of un- 
 easiness for him. His anxiety can be imagined 
 when he received from Milan alarming news of his 
 beloved wife's health. Traces of this anguish can 
 be found in this letter : — 
 
 Wittenberg, March 8, 1813, Morning. 
 On reaching here I was very much worried to learn, 
 by the couriers of the 24th, that you had been taken 
 ill so suddenly. Since then I know by your letter of 
 the 25th that you are slightly better; but, in God's 
 name, take good care of your precious health. I am in 
 trouble enough, in being so far away from you, not to 
 have the extra sorrow of knowing you are ill. In that 
 case, I do not know if I should have the courage to 
 remain here.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 273 
 
 IV. 
 
 Events crowded fast upon one another. Na- 
 poleon, having hastily reorganised an army, an- 
 nounced his return. He had given the Prince 
 orders to concentrate his forces at Magdeburg. 
 On March 17th, Prussia cast aside her mask and 
 declared war, as Eugene had foreseen for some 
 time, and as Napoleon had expected, giving this 
 expectation of his as a pretext of justification for 
 the military preparations he had made on so grand 
 a scale. Soon the French cannon thundered 
 anew, no longer to retard the advancing enemy, 
 but to oblige him to retreat in his turn. 
 
 The offensive once taken, all Eugene's confi- 
 dence burst forth anew. His only thought was 
 to prevent the Princess from worrying too much 
 
 on his account. 
 
 Magdeburg, March 24, 181 3. 
 
 I crossed the Elbe yesterday. With two divisions 
 
 of infantry and one corps of cavalry we repulsed all the 
 
 enemy's advance posts. To-morrow I hope to send 
 
 them five or six leagues farther on. In this manner we 
 
 shall draw near Berlin, and give the enemy a fair amount 
 
 of annoyance. During this time the division forming 
 
 the Army of the Rhine will arrive, and during the first 
 
 fortnight in April we shall be in a fair way to begin hos- 
 
 vol. 1. — 18
 
 274 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 tilities. I hope you will be sensible enough not to worry 
 yourself. If some threatening danger easily alarms your 
 tenderness, you will find a consolation in knowing that I 
 am doing my duty, and that I am happy in being able to 
 prove useful to the Emperor, especially at a time and 
 under circumstances when so many men have lost cour- 
 age. I like to think that did I act otherwise you could 
 no longer love or esteem me. A few more difficulties 
 to combat, a little more patience, and, above all, confi- 
 dence in my star. 
 
 In the following, by Darnay, we find one of 
 those beautiful traits of devotion and personal 
 valour with which this intrepid soldier-life is 
 filled : — 
 
 " The day after this skirmish, the Viceroy with a large 
 escort was reconnoitring the ground where he had 
 fought the day before, when he was assailed by a body 
 of Cossacks who had been in ambush. Several chas- 
 seurs of his escort were killed by sabre-strokes, among 
 them the one who carried the Viceroy's portfolio. In 
 the mil/e, Colonel Kliski, a Pole, who accompanied the 
 Prince as ordnance officer, found himself surrounded 
 by several Cossacks. The Viceroy, seeing the danger 
 and embarrassment of the Colonel, ran to his succour, 
 and dispersed his assailants by a few pistol-shots, putting 
 them to flight. The dragoons of the Viceroy's escort 
 recaptured the portfolio, slashed with sabre-strokes. 
 
 " I thought it my duty to give this particular incident
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 275 
 
 in detail, as it reflected so much honour on Prince 
 Eugene. The Viceroy, at the first appearance of danger 
 to one of his men, forgetting his title of Commander-in- 
 Chief, listened but to the promptings of his courageous 
 and generous heart. This noble trait was noised about 
 and repeated throughout the army, who, in their admi- 
 ration for this noble devotion of the General to the sol- 
 dier, cried out, ' There is a brave man, a friend to the 
 soldier ! ' Colonel Kliski every year, on the anniver- 
 sary of the event, addressed a letter of thanks to his 
 Viceroy." 
 
 On April 5th, Eugene was attacked near Moe- 
 ckern by sixty thousand Russians and Prussians. 
 He held his own against them with his accustomed 
 bravery and vigour ; but did not judge it prudent to 
 risk a general battle with them at that time, espe- 
 cially as the Emperor was to come in person and 
 direct the manoeuvres. He retreated in the night 
 to Magdeburg, and remained on the defensive. 
 Work, as Eugene puts it, did not diminish for his 
 army. The alliance of the Prussians with the 
 Russians brought the difficulties of his defensive 
 task to a climax, added to the fatigues of the 
 troops, and, above all, of their Commander-in-Chief, 
 who for so many months — since he left Italy, in 
 fact — had not enjoyed one day of real rest. 
 
 Learning that it was a question of appointing 
 
 w
 
 276 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 his successor, he rejoiced at the idea of once 
 more embracing the beings so unutterably dear 
 to him, and from whom he had been so long 
 separated ; but he would not listen to the idea of 
 giving up his command until after making the 
 enemy feel at least once more the weight of his 
 victorious arms. This compensation was due 
 him after the awful retreat he had so worthily 
 conducted. 
 
 In telling the Princess of these noble senti- 
 ments, he adds a few lines which are a new proof 
 of his keen insight. They are about Fouche, 
 whom Napoleon, before setting out for the Grand 
 Army, had nominated a member of the Council 
 of the Regency, and of whose future treason he 
 seemed to feel a presentiment. 
 
 This view, in a way prophetic, appears still 
 more remarkable when we know that Eugene 
 had also expressed, in one of his letters to the 
 Princess, a strong distrust of Marmont, when the 
 latter was named a Marshal of the Empire after 
 the battle of Wagram, — a mistrust which was 
 about to be fulfilled the next year by the defec- 
 tion of the Commander of the Sixth Corps at 
 Essonnes. These presentiments of the treason of 
 two men elevated to the highest rank and over-
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 277 
 
 whelmed with benefits by Napoleon, to whose 
 downfall they contributed more than any one else, 
 are they not convincing proofs of the honesty of 
 his mind and the soundness of his judgment ? 
 
 The Prince had passed through the fatigues of 
 this long and hazardous campaign with remark- 
 able endurance. It was time, however, for him 
 to take some rest ; but with what coolness and 
 good-humour he speaks of the great fatigue which 
 obliged him to keep his bed all day ! 
 
 ASCHERLEBEN, April 14, 1813. 
 
 I hasten to assure you, my dear Augusta, I have 
 tired myself out a good deal these last few days, and 
 yesterday on dismounting I found I could not stand. 
 I am in bed to-day, growling against my enforced rest, 
 and with a very weak voice ; but all this is not danger- 
 ous, and I shall be entirely well in two days. 
 
 At last Eugene is on the eve of joining the 
 great army, marching under Napoleon's orders. 
 Again war is about to commence; but Eugene 
 only sees the peace which will follow, and his 
 return to the family fireside. 
 
 ASCHERLEBEN, April 2$, 1813. 
 
 The moment has arrived for the reunion of the 
 armies. Then we shall be very strong, and I shall be 
 very happy to be rid of my heavy responsibility. I
 
 278 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 hope that the moment of our meeting is nearer than we 
 think, for I am of the opinion that peace will be declared 
 after the first victory. My health will be better when I 
 am near you. This is the only wish left on this earth 
 for me. 
 
 Napoleon had ordered Eugene to repair to 
 Leipzig by the way of Magdeburg, whilst he 
 advanced towards the same point by way of 
 Liitzen. As he entered Mersebourg, he heard a 
 quick cannonade, and marching unhesitatingly to 
 the spot from whence the salute came, he at last 
 joined the Emperor near Gustavus Adolphus' 
 monument. It was a happy augury. 
 
 In camp near Lutzen, May 2, 18 13, 5 a. m. 
 I have been with the Emperor since yesterday even- 
 ing at four o'clock. We had a little affray yesterday 
 which would have been of no consequence to us, had 
 not a bullet settled poor Marshal Bessieres. I did not 
 have one man wounded among my troops, and we 
 captured a few prisoners. A remarkable thing hap- 
 pened. My reunion with the Grand Army was made 
 precisely in front of the Gustavus Adolphus monument, 
 on the anniversary of one of his battles. Adieu, my 
 good Augusta. The Emperor received me with a great 
 deal of kindness.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 279 
 
 V. 
 
 Eugene took a prominent part in the battle of 
 Lutzen, and contributed largely to the victory, as 
 much by his bravery as by his military genius. 
 The day before, during his march towards Leipzig, 
 he had manoeuvred his columns in such a manner 
 as to be able, according to circumstances, to direct 
 them towards that city, or to bring them to 
 Lutzen, — tactics in which the pupil showed him- 
 self worthy of the master, and the lessons he 
 had received in Napoleon's school. 
 
 On May 2d, the Viceroy had reached Leipzig 
 when he received the order to return to Lutzen. 
 He retraced his steps rapidly, and by suddenly 
 attacking the right flank of the enemy, menaced 
 their only retreating bridges, and contributed in 
 a large measure to their overthrow. Then he 
 recaptured from the Allies several villages which 
 they had succeeded in taking by concentrating all 
 their forces, and the possession of which deter- 
 mined the fate of the day. Throwing himself 
 upon the Prussians' right wing with as much 
 good luck as rapidity and skill, he placed the 
 enemy in so perilous a situation that notwith-
 
 280 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 standing old BlUcher's impetuous passion and his 
 desperate charges, the Allies were obliged to 
 retreat. 
 
 As usual, it is with a charming modesty that he 
 speaks or, better still, evades speaking of the part 
 rightfully belonging to him in this victory, — 
 the forerunner of the campaign of 1813. 
 
 Bivouac near Forgan, May 3, 1813, Evening. 
 
 Yesterday we fought a splendid battle, my dear 
 Augusta ; and, just as I said, it was all in our favour. 
 The Russian and Prussian armies attacked us on our right 
 whilst I was marching on Leipzig. We turned on them 
 at once, and, notwithstanding their superiority in cav- 
 alry, we defeated them. The Emperor Alexander and 
 the King of Prussia were present. A number were 
 killed and wounded. 
 
 This battle of Liitzen, which followed soon 
 after that of Bautzen, might have given to Napo- 
 leon an advantageous peace, with the same fair 
 conditions as that of Prague, assuring to France 
 the frontiers of the Alps and the Rhine. It 
 marked an important date in Eugene's life. It 
 was, in fact, the last grand battle in which he 
 took part under Napoleon's eyes, under whom he 
 had never ceased to fight since his sixteenth year. 
 But the Emperor needed him in Italy, where, 
 before the end of this long campaign, the Prince 
 was to render conspicuous services.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 28 1 
 
 Before his departure he had the fortune to dis- 
 tinguish himself by pursuing the enemy, and inflict- 
 ing considerable loss among their soldiers, during 
 the following days. On May 5th, he had a lively 
 engagement with the Russians, whom he defeated 
 at Waldheim, after killing two thousand of their 
 men. The next day, as they were again trying 
 to hold their own before him, he treated them 
 more rudely still. Eugene gives but a few words 
 to the description of these different combats. 
 
 Before Waldheim, May 6, 1813, 10 a. m. 
 
 My dear Augusta, — I am sitting in a little cabin 
 on my way to Dresden. Yesterday I had three differ- 
 ent fights, — with the Eleventh Corps, with three Prus- 
 sian divisions who tried to prevent me from crossing the 
 Mulda at Kolz, and, in the evening, with two divisions 
 of Russian grenadiers who were defending a superb 
 position. This was taken from them by our troops 
 with much daring. I think the Emperor will be satis- 
 fied, for the enemy's rout was complete. 
 
 Adieu, my dear friend ; I am very well, and, at the 
 rate the Emperor is taking us, I hope to see you soon. 
 
 Always defeating the Russians, nearly always 
 on horseback at the head of his troops, and the 
 foremost in danger, the Viceroy found no time 
 during several days to correspond with the one 
 who awaited news of him with so much anxiety.
 
 282 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 
 
 In ten days he was engaged in no fewer than 
 five battles, from which he came out with as 
 much honour as success. At last, on May 8, 
 near midday, he reached Dresden. At daybreak 
 the next day he left the city with the artillery 
 of the Guard to reconstruct a pontoon bridge 
 to which the Prussians had set fire ; and he 
 aided brilliantly in the manoeuvres which forced 
 the Allies finally to abandon the capital of Saxony, 
 into which Napoleon desired to make a trium- 
 phant entry. This was a happy but fleeting 
 success, which cast a transient splendour over 
 the last days of this campaign. 
 
 Dresden, May 10, 1813. 
 We reached here the day before yesterday, my dear 
 Augusta. I was at the head of the first troops. I 
 made a tour of the city to post the sentries and maintain 
 order. Afterwards I pursued the enemy, and forced 
 him to burn the bridges which he had built near the 
 city. I did not take formal possession of it until in the 
 afternoon. I made my entry with the Emperor. I 
 had only written you a few days since the battle of the 
 2d, as I have been almost constantly on horseback. 
 I had five victorious battles with the enemy, and each 
 time we maintained our position. Yesterday we worked 
 at rebuilding a bridge under a lively fusillade ; but we 
 finished it this morning, notwithstanding our enemy's 
 cannons.
 
 THE ROMANCE OF PRINCE EUGENE. 283 
 
 At last Eugene received the order to return to 
 Italy ! What joy filled his heart when Napoleon 
 announced these good tidings to him, — tidings 
 so long and anxiously looked for. Fate rewarded 
 the longings of the soldier and the husband. 
 He had not wished to leave the army without 
 one victory which should revenge at one and the 
 same time all the bitterness of the disastrous 
 defeat. Heaven had granted him Leipzig. He 
 could leave contentedly, and proud also of the 
 great services which for more than a year he had 
 rendered the Emperor and France. Those last 
 £ve months of retreat, above all, merited the 
 recognition of his country. Having received from 
 Murat's hands but a few thousand men, weakened, 
 disbanded, and completely demoralised, he had 
 succeeded, harassed by forces of crushing superi- 
 ority, and across a hostile country, in conducting 
 tone of the finest retreats in the annals of military 
 history, and which necessitated on his part an 
 energy and a prudence almost superhuman. 
 Better still, reorganising as he retreated, he 
 performed the miracle of transforming a handful 
 of disbanded soldiers, abandoned to him by the 
 King of Naples, into a well-organised corps of 
 eighty thousand men, whom he turned over to
 
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 Ulyrian troops. 
 
 Napoleon announced by courier Eugene's de 
 parture to the Princess. She, in communicat 
 ing the news to Baron Darn ay, cried out in th 
 intoxication of happiness overflowing her heart 
 " I am at the very summit of my happiness ! "
 
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