As for his early attempts at authorship, he tried his hand with indifferent success at fiction, essays, and history, but it is said that he destroyed all this work, with the exception of a fragment, "Letters on the History of Corsica," which was to have told the story of his beloved island.
He returned home on a visit not long after, to help his mother settle up the family estate. Her means were very meagre, and her family unusually large. In addition, his father"s affairs had become involved. He had been advanced some money by the French Government to plant mulberry trees, in connection with the silk-worm industry, and a part of this advance was as yet unpaid.
On the score of ill health Napoleon prolonged his stay at Ajaccio for some months, and did not rejoin his regiment until the spring of 1788.
He stayed on the island to aid the family from his own pay, and to get a further advance on the mulberry grove; and also as a means of getting away from other people. He was a p.r.o.nounced recluse, indulging in long rambles over the island, and finding his sole pleasure in authorship.
Upon the very threshold of his public career, he still appeared as the most unlikely object upon which Fortune would bestow her favor.
And as if there were not barriers enough to his success, he was still an alien in heart, from France. He wore her uniform and served under her flag, but he was Corsican through and through--still resenting with a Southern impetuosity the means by which the French had conquered Corsica.
But unknown to him and many a wiser head, the hour of destiny was at hand. The dark days of the French Revolution were rapidly approaching, when it seemed as if the whole world would be engulfed in disaster.
With the fateful year of 1789, the hour struck--and Napoleon was then just twenty years of age.
On the first echoes of Revolution which reached Corsica, Napoleon was on the alert. He thought he saw a golden opportunity to throw off the shackles of the conqueror. But one of the first acts of the National a.s.sembly was to recognize the full rights of the island as a part of the State of France; and Napoleon, who had already made an attempt to organize a sort of Home Guard, felt himself disarmed.
"France has opened her bosom to us," he said. "Henceforth we have the same interests and the same solicitudes. It is the sea alone which separates us."
With but one lapse, he became a loyal son of France henceforth. The a.s.sembly, builded stronger than it knew, when it recognized Corsica!
After the first mutterings of revolt France became comparatively quiet for nearly two years. Napoleon joined his regiment in 1791, and was promoted to first lieutenant, in the Fourth Artillery, stationed at Valence. It was at this time that the ill-starred king, Louis XVI, tried to flee from the country, but was seized and held a prisoner.
The National a.s.sembly was in complete control, and Bonaparte with other officers of the army subscribed to a new oath of allegiance.
It was by no means a compulsory act on his part, but in tune with his own active, impetuous spirit. He became secretary of a club called the "Friends of the Const.i.tution," and composed an Address to the National a.s.sembly.
At the same time occurred an episode which reveals the duplicity of his nature--for Napoleon could be unscrupulous when he had his own ends to serve. Taking advantage of the general state of turmoil he obtained another leave of absence, and returned to Corsica. There, although wearing the French uniform, he again fomented trouble against the authorities. He organized a company of Corsican Volunteers, with which he was to make a bold stroke for liberty. But the movement failed ingloriously, and ended only by getting him into disrepute with both his Government and his neighbors. He saw that his future safety and career lay with the army, so he deserted the popular cause. The Corsicans were so incensed that they declared him an outlaw and his family infamous. In June, 1793, the Bonapartes removed from the island; and only a few short years found him its conqueror in the name of France. The last spark of his Corsican spirit was extinguished.
Only the outbreak of a war with Austria prevented the court-martial which the recreant officer deserved. Instead, such was France"s need of trained men, that after a brief interval he was actually promoted to a captaincy. As he himself said: "The beginning of a revolution was a fine time for an enterprising young man!"
His first actual taste of warfare occurred at Toulon, where his regiment was now stationed. Many of the inhabitants of this Southern port were royalists, and they sought to hold the city for the King.
The republican troops were ordered to capture the town, which they did after a lively siege and a.s.sault. The commander of artillery having been wounded, Napoleon was ordered to take his place. His skill, coolness, and bravery during this engagement are well attested. A soldier serving a gun near him was killed. At once Napoleon took his place at the gun, and served until relieved.
Aiding the royalists in the harbor was a fleet of ships under the English and Spanish; and here it was that Napoleon was to strike his first blow at his life-long antagonist, England. He submitted a plan for the bombardment of the fleet, and the capture of a fort which they had heavily fortified on sh.o.r.e, called, from its strength, "the little Gibraltar." As a result of a spirited attack at dawn, the sh.o.r.e batteries capitulated, and a few hours later the foreign ships sailed away in haste.
Napoleon"s superior officer, Dugommier complimented him highly for his share in the attack, and mentioned him in the official dispatches to this effect: "Among those who distinguished themselves most, and who most aided me to rally the troops and push them forward, are citizens Buonaparte, commanding the artillery, Arena and Cerconi, Adjutants-General."
As a direct result of this first taste of battle, he became, in February, 1794, a General of Brigade, with charge of the artillery and stores of the "Army of Italy," as the southern expeditionary forces were called. But his feet were by no means firmly fixed on the ladder of fortune. These were the days of the Reign of Terror when no man"s life or liberty was a.s.sured. At one time, Napoleon was deprived of his command, and was in imminent danger of losing his head. He had incurred the suspicion of the Tribunal, as had many another unfortunate; but he was finally pardoned, not because of any sentiment or justice, but because of the "advantages which might be derived from his military information and knowledge of localities, for the service of the Republic."
In the swift turn of events, it was not many months before this pardon of convenience was actually turned to the advantage of the Tribunal--and of Napoleon himself. A rival government called the Central Committee was set up, and the streets of Paris were in uproar.
Something had to be done, and done quickly. Revolutions rise or fall overnight. The command of Republican troops was entrusted to Paul Barras, and one of his staff officers was Napoleon Bonaparte. Barras had the foresight to bring up as much artillery as possible, as his men were few. Napoleon saw that these guns were placed so as to enfilade the princ.i.p.al streets. His experience at Toulon, as well as his natural genius for strategy, stood him in good stead. The "whiff of grape-shot" which he fired on that October day, in 1795, cleared the streets of the opposition--and likewise cleared the pathway for him leading eventually to a throne.
The whole world knows of the later deeds of this slim figure who thus steps masterfully forward to the center of the most troubled stage in Europe. Days of conflict and turmoil were yet to follow for Napoleon, but never days of uncertainty. He had found himself. In six short years the brooding misanthrope, the gawky young man who shunned his fellows, became the self-possessed leader of men, wielding a power of personal magnetism that was almost uncanny.
At twenty-six his larger career may be said to have begun. This slight boyish figure takes command of the Army of Italy and leads that memorable campaign to the conquest of Italy before he was thirty.
Promptly nicknamed "The Little Corporal" by his army, the term was speedily turned from one of derision to positive affection. Napoleon himself accepted it as a compliment. He learned to understand his men, to fraternize with them, to bring out the best that was in them.
This was one of the chief secrets of his marvellous career. He was an able strategist, a skilled diplomatist, a man of vision and cunning.
But despite all these and other high qualities, he would have fallen short of success if he had not possessed his ability to read and to sway the hearts of men. Whence came this power to one who had been a lonely and derided boy? It was as though a magician"s wand had touched him overnight.
We have s.p.a.ce to give only one picture from the crowded panorama of this world-conqueror, emperor, and exile. It will serve to show the powerful magnetism of his personality--perhaps serve to explain in some slight degree the magic of the mere name of Napoleon, throughout the ranks of his armies.
Napoleon the mighty had fallen. He had been sent into exile on the Isle of Elba, but had escaped, and now with a little army of a thousand men was marching boldly north to reconquer France. The news spread rapidly, and the King now on the throne sent Marshal Ney, a former General under Napoleon, to capture him. Ney promised his King to bring the fallen leader bound into his presence, and, determined to make his promise good, set forth on the road to Ma.r.s.eilles.
It was a gray day in early Spring. The sky looked forbidding, and a chill of winter was in the air. As the King"s army moved forward they descried in the distance a smaller band approaching. At its head rode a familiar figure, the Little Corporal, with shoulders stooped, as though bending toward his horse"s mane. He gave no orders to his men who marched forward uncertainly. As the distance narrowed down to a matter of yards, Napoleon seemed for the first time to note the presence of the opposing troops. He saw at a glance that many of the men now confronting him had formerly followed him.
Dismounting, he walked rapidly toward them, tore open his great coat, and offered his breast to their rifles.
"Who among you would fire upon his Emperor?" he cried.
Instantly the army, officers and men, lowered their weapons and tossed their caps high in air.
"Vive l"Empereur!" they shouted; and placing him at their head, they turned and marched back upon Paris.
IMPORTANT DATES IN NAPOLEON"S LIFE
1769. August 15. Napoleon Bonaparte born.
1779. Entered school at Brienne.
1784. Entered military school at Paris.
1786. Became junior lieutenant.
1791. Made lieutenant.
1792. Made captain.
1794. Made general of brigade for services against English at Toulon.
1795. Cleared the streets of Paris with his artillery, and was appointed to command of Army of Italy.
1796. Married Josephine de Beauharnais.
1797. Completed conquest of Italy.
1798. Egyptian campaign.
1799. Made First Consul of France.
1804. Crowned Emperor.
1807. Won Battle of Austerlitz.
1813. Russian campaign.
1814. Abdicated the throne, and was sent to Elba.
1815. Returned to France.
1815. Defeated at Waterloo, and sent to St. Helena.
1821. May 5. Died at St. Helena.
WELLINGTON
THE IRON DUKE
Of all the curious parallels of history, none is stranger than that of Napoleon and Wellington, who were to meet as rivals on the fatal field of Waterloo.
They were born in the same year, 1769, and in each case the exact date is somewhat uncertain. Wellington in later life always celebrated the first of May, but was not sure that it was his rightful birthday. Both were born upon islands--the one in Corsica, the other in Ireland--which islands, by the way, were constantly striving to achieve their independence.
Both were born into large families. Napoleon was a fourth child and Wellington a fourth son. The father of each is described as an easy-going, indulgent man, without force of character, while the mother was the moving genius of the family. But between Napoleon and his mother existed a lively affection; while Wellington"s mother never seemed to care for this child, and constantly spoke of him in terms of reproach.
Both boys attended military schools in France, far away from their own home and friends, and consequently drew apart from their comrades, lived their own lives, and carved out their own destinies. These are but a few of the early parallels of two famous soldiers who were afterward to decide the fate of Europe at the points of their swords.