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On all sides the ominous roll of the charge and the victorious Marseillaise were heard above the din. Marmont's battery belched fire; Kellermann dashed forward with his cuirassiers and cut his way through both lines of the enemy. Desaix jumped ditches, leaped hedges, and, reaching a little eminence, turned to see if his division were still following him.
General Dessolles and I did not communicate to each other our correspondence, but when I afterwards saw the letter of Deasolles I could not help remarking the coincidence of our appeal to Marmont's patriotism. Prince Schwartzenberg also wrote to Marmont to induce him to espouse a clause which had now become the cause of France.
De Marmont's triumph too was hard to bear: his clumsy irony was terribly galling. "Would M. le Marquis de St. Genis care to continue his journey to Lyons now? would he prefer not to go to Grenoble?" St. Genis bit his tongue with the determination to remain silent. "M. de St. Genis is free to go whither he chooses." The permission was not even welcome.
Extensive harbor and defense works were undertaken at Boulogne and neighboring ports, and the 120 miles from the Scheldt to the Somme was soon bristling with artillery, in General Marmont's phrase, "a coast of iron and bronze." The impression was spread abroad that the crossing was to be effected by stealth, in calm, fog, or the darkness of a long winter night, without the protection of a fleet.
Even after Marmont's disaster, the allies forbore to attack the chief; and, just as a lion that has been beaten off by a herd of buffaloes stalks away, mangled but full of fight and unmolested, so the Emperor drew off in peace towards Soissons.
He had spoken with a good deal of earnestness, but now he added more lightly, as if in answer to de Marmont's glowering look: "At the same time," he said, "I doubt if there is a single English gentleman living at the present moment let alone the army who would refuse ungrudging admiration to Napoleon himself and to his genius. But as a nation England has her interests to safeguard.
The picture pleased de Marmont's fancy: he dwelt on it with delight, he knew that no one requited a service more amply and more generously than Napoleon: he knew that after this service rendered there was nothing to which he de Marmont young as he was, could not aspire title, riches, honours, anything he wanted would speedily become his, and with these to his credit he could claim Crystal de Cambray once more.
At least, it is difficult to find any other reason for Napoleon's strange belief that Blücher would sit still while his allies were being beaten; unless, indeed, we accept Marmont's explanation that Napoleon's brain now rejected all unpleasing news and registered wishes as facts. Fortune seemed to smile on his enterprise. Though he failed to take Vitry from the allied garrison, yet near St.
His line was a long one, and it would have been impossible to withdraw, without running the risk of being attacked while in movement, and driven back upon the Tormes. Ignorant of Marmont's precise intentions for the main body of the French army was almost hidden in the woods Wellington could only wait until their plans were developed.
". . This is what I said to the King this morning, and I added that I would answer for everything if my advice were followed. I am now going to direct my aide de camp, Colonel Fabvier, to draw up the plan of defence." I did not concur in Marmont's opinion.
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