The Emperor, meanwhile, marched with the advance guard, and wished to reach Laon on the evening of the 8th; but in order to gain this town it was necessary to pass on a narrow causeway through marshy land.  The enemy was in possession of this road, and opposed our passage.  After a few cannon-shots were exchanged his Majesty deferred till next day the attempt to force a passage, and returned, not to sleep (for at this critical time he rarely slept), but to pass the night in the village of Chavignon.

In the middle of this night General Flahaut

[Count Auguste Charles Joseph Flahaut de la Billarderie, born in Paris, 1785; colonel in 1809; aide-de-camp to the Emperor, 1812; and made a general of division for conduct at Leipzig; was at Waterloo.  Ambassador to Vienna, 1841-1848, and senator, 1853; died 1870.  He was one of the lovers of Queen Hortense, and father by her of the late Duc de Morny.—­TRANS.]

came to announce to the Emperor that the commissioners of the allied powers had broken the conferences at Lusigny.  The army was not informed of this, although the news would probably have surprised no one.  Before daylight General Gourgaud set out at the head of a detachment selected from the bravest soldiers of the army, and following a cross road which turned to the left through the marshes, fell unexpectedly on the enemy, slew many of them in the darkness, and drew the attention and efforts of the allied generals upon himself, while Marshal Ney, still at the head of the advance guard, profited by this bold maneuver to force a passage of the causeway.  The whole army hastened to follow this movement, and on the evening of the 9th was in sight of Laon, and ranged in line of battle before the enemy who occupied the town and its heights.  The army corps of the Duke of Ragusa had arrived by another road, and also formed in line of battle before the Russian and Prussian armies.  His Majesty passed the night expediting his orders, and preparing everything for the grand attack which was to take place next morning at daylight.

The appointed hour having arrived, I had just finished in haste the toilet of the Emperor, which was very short, and he had already put his foot in the stirrup, when we saw running towards us on foot, with the utmost speed and all out of breath, some cavalrymen belonging to the army corps of the Duke of Ragusa.  His Majesty had them brought before him, and inquired angrily the meaning of this disorder.  They replied that their bivouacs had been attacked unexpectedly by the enemy; that they and their comrades had resisted to the utmost these overwhelming forces, although they had barely time to seize their arms; that they had at last been compelled to yield to numbers, and it was only by a miracle they had escaped the massacre.  “Yes,” said the Emperor knitting his brow, “by a miracle of agility, as we have just seen.  What has become of the marshal?” One of the soldiers replied that he saw the Duke of Ragusa fall