The air was thick with the smoke from cannon fire and rang with the cries of wounded men and the screams of warhorses.  With a mighty roar yet another cannon fired, shaking the ground with its thunder.

In spite of the onslaught of cannon, the enemy was not giving way and the French cavalry, at the forefront of the battle, were losing ground. The captain had been slain and, with no one to lead them, all that the soldiers of the cavalry could do was try to defend themselves.

Among these desperate men was a young officer who sat astride his horse, struggling to keep the animal calm while trying to suppress his own rising fear. Jean’s left arm throbbed with pain where it had been stabbed by an enemy bayonet. He knew he could not keep fighting much longer. His throat was dry and his vision was blurred with smoke and exhaustion. “Steady!” he murmured to his horse but the animal tossed its head and strained on the bit. Gritting his teeth the soldier gripped the reigns as tightly as he could with his wounded arm.

Suddenly, like a whirlwind, a horse and rider galloped past Jean and pushed their way to the head of the cavalry. “Forward men!” the rider called above the clamour of the battle. “For the Revolution!” It was the voice of Napoleon Bonaparte. The Brigadier General’s magnificent white warhorse pranced and reared under the firm touch of his master’s gloved hand. Napoleon’s red cloak billowed in the rising wind and his sword flashed as he brandished it above his head. For an instant he caught and held Jean’s gaze.

New energy surged through Jean’s exhausted body and he straightened up in his saddle. Napoleon’s deep-set eyes turned to meet those of the other soldiers. All this happened in an instant and with a shout, “For liberty!” Napoleon wheeled his horse around, and dashed forward into the enemy ranks. With an answering shout, his men, full of new courage, followed him. Jean spurred his horse on, hardly noticing the enemy swords and bayonets. “Liberty! Equality!” he cried and drawing his musket, shot an enemy soldier from his horse.

A sudden, terrible pain tore through Jean’s chest. At the same moment his horse shuddered and with a blood-chilling scream collapsed underneath his master. Lying across his fallen horse and gasping for breath Jean looked up. Another soldier of the French cavalry had fallen and through the gap that was left the dying man caught one last glimpse of his leader. Perspiration glowed on Napoleon’s brow but he was fighting as though the battle had only just begun. His jaw was set, and fire, unquenchable fire, burned in his eyes. Jean closed his eyes. Of all the men in Europe no man was more worth dying for than Napoleon Bonaparte.

***

Napoleon was born in 1769 on the little island of Corsica. A genius in calculating and strategizing, he used his skills, coupled with manipulation and propaganda, to realize his dreams of being a powerful ruler like Julius Caesar. Beginning his conquests in the name of the French Revolution, Napoleon won the love and loyalty of the French people and rose in power until, in 1804, contrary to the fundamental values of the Revolution which had aimed to do away with monarchy, he crowned himself emperor. He was a man who was never at home for long, preferring to be at war. In warfare he used spies and trickery and developed new methods of fighting that have changed the way warfare is conducted even up to the present day.

Although he was such a good strategist, Napoleon is known for being irresponsible with the lives of his men and horses. In fact, so many horses were killed in the Napoleonic wars that for a time there was a shortage of them in France! On one occasion Napoleon actually abandoned his defeated and diseased army and went home to France leaving the men to survive as best they could. However, the few surviving soldiers still loved him and he continued to gain and hold the love and admiration of his men through his powerful charisma and his knowledge of how best to satisfy their expectations.

In spite of some defeats, including his defeat by Tsar Alexander of Russia, the brilliant, ambitious conqueror seemed unstoppable until the famous  battle of Waterloo in 1815. There he was finally defeated by the English and the Prussians. The noble leader of the English, the Duke of Wellington, respected Napoleon too highly to have him killed and so had Napoleon exiled to the island of Saint Helena where he died in 1821.

Sources:

Some information in this post is from Dave Raymond’s Modernity course. ( https://www.compassclassroom.com/modhist)

http://www.documentarytube.com/articles/the-one-mistake-that-cost-napoleon-bonaparte-the-battle-of-waterloo-and-the-war

https://www.biography.com/people/napoleon-9420291

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