from Austria to London, who was returning from England.
The Emperor ordered that he should follow him to Doulevent,
where his Majesty gave him a verbal message to the
Emperor of Austria, while Colonel Galbois was charged
with a letter which the Emperor had the Duke of Vicenza
write. But after a movement by the French army
towards Chaumont, by the road of Langres, the Emperor
of Austria, finding himself separated from the Emperor
Alexander, was forced to fall back as far as Dijon.
I remember that on his arrival at Doulevent his Majesty
received secret information from his faithful director-general
of the post, M. de Lavalette. This information,
the purport of which I did not know, appeared to produce
the deepest impression on the Emperor; but he soon
resumed before the eyes of those around his accustomed
serenity, though for some time past I had seen that
this was only assumed. I have learned since that
M. de Lavalette informed the Emperor that there was
not a moment to lose if he would save the capital.
Such an opinion from such a man could only be an expression
of the real truth, and it was this conviction which
contributed to increase the Emperor’s anxiety.
Until then the news from Paris had been favorable;
and much had been said of the zeal and devotion of
the National Guard, which nothing could dismay.
At the various theaters patriotic pieces had been
played, and notably the ‘Oriflamme’ at
the Opera, a very trivial circumstance apparently,
but which nevertheless acted very powerfully on the
minds of enthusiasts, and for this reason was not
to be disdained. Indeed, the small amount of news
that we had received represented Paris as entirely
devoted to his Majesty, and ready to defend itself
against any attacks. And in fact, this news was
not untrue; and the handsome conduct of the National
Guard under the orders, of Marshal Moncey, the enthusiasm
of the different schools, and the bravery of the pupils
of the polytechnic schools, soon furnished proof of
this. But events were stronger than men.
Meanwhile, time passed on, and we were approaching
the fatal conclusion; each day, each moment, saw those
immense masses collecting from the extremities of Europe,
inclosing Paris, and pressing it with a thousand arms,
and during these last days it might well be said that
the battle raged incessantly. On the 26th the
Emperor, led by the noise of a fierce cannonade, again
repaired to Saint-Dizier, where his rear-guard was
attacked by very superior forces, and compelled to
evacuate the town; but General Milhaud and General
Sebastiani repulsed the enemy on the Marne at the ford
of Valcourt; the presence of the Emperor produced
its accustomed effect, and we re-entered Saint-Dizier,
while the enemy fled in the greatest disorder over
the road to Vitry-le-Francais and that of Bar-sur-Ornain.
The Emperor moved towards the latter town, thinking
that he now had the Prince of Schwarzenberg in his
power; but just as he arrived there learned that it
was not the Austrian general-in-chief whom he had fought,
but only one of his lieutenants, Count Witzingerode.
Schwarzenberg had deceived him; on the 23d he had
made a junction with General Blucher, and these two
generals at the head of the coalition had rushed with
their masses of soldiers upon the capital.