Oldalképek
PDF
ePub
[merged small][merged small][graphic][merged small]

In 1783, after the War of Independence, the western boundaries of the United States were agreed to be those of the British Colonies according to the Treaty of Paris, and navigation of the Mississippi River continued to be free to United States ships. The latter clause was modified in 1795 by Thomas Pinckney, who made a new treaty with Spain. As a result, that power agreed to designate "a right of disposal" by which American goods might be stored free of duty in Spanish territory while awaiting transshipment from river-going boats to ocean boats.

A part of Napoleon's schemes for French colonization had resulted in 1800 in the secret treaty of San Ildefonso with Spain, by which Louisiana was returned to France

ed over to France free of all encumbrances. This act aroused the settlers so much that they were eager for war. They believed that as long as Spain, a weak nation and growing weaker,-held Louisiana, the development of the United States in the west would be undisturbed, but with France in control, the situation would be different. President Jefferson wrote the American minister at Paris that rather than see France in possession of Louisiana, the United States would combine with Great Britain to destroy the French power at sea. At the same time he thought that the action of the Spanish Governor in withdrawing "the right of disposal" might be unauthorized, so he restrained popular opinion in America for five months until he was

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][graphic]

A view of the Boulogne camp in 1803. The picture illustrates the manner in which the harbor had been widened and how the boats were stored. Troops are seen drilling on the beach. The coast of England is visible at the extreme right.

Paris, Napoleon took up the question of the sale of Louisiana on his own account. The transaction was completed in April 1803, a month before the English embassy left France. Louisiana was sold to the United States for sixty million francs and Napoleon had a large sum of money to draw on.

Napoleon's plan for his English campaign was, in a general way, as follows: A large force of troops was to be trained and equipped at a French port having a harbor in which enough small fast ships could be stored to transport the army across the channel. The crossing was to be protected by the French fleet, which was to assemble

Boulogne was selected as the point of embarkation. The city was at the mouth of the narrow river Liane, which was of such configuration and formation that it could be widened and made into a large harbor capable of storing a great number of small boats. There were plateaux on either side of the mouth of the river, exposed to the weather but nevertheless suitable for large concentration camps. Secondary camps could be established at two nearby inlets: one at Étaples and Montreuil to the south, and another at Ambleteuse and Wimereux to the north. Finally, the port lay close to England and the prevailing channel current and wind would tend to

help send the fleet to a point on England's coast fairly opposite so that the time spent in transshipment would be short. For these reasons Napoleon chose Boulogne as a starting point of the invasion of England. He hoped that his army could safely row or sail across the channel when the sea was quiet, possibly in a fog or after a storm when the British fleet would be rendered useless by weather conditions.

Napoleon visited Boulogne for the first time in June 1803 to supervise the beginning of his undertaking which he hoped to start early in the next winter. A camp, called the Camp of Saint Omer, was established on either side of the mouth of the Liane large enough to hold 36,000 men. A second camp for 24,000 was made at Étaples and Montreuil. A third camp was set up at Wimereux and Ambleteuse to be used for the troops sent down from Lille, Douai and Arras.

Boulogne City was also taken over by the army. Offices, storehouses, and hospitals were made from the larger houses and farms. The men were put in barracks or tents as they first came in, and the horses were stabled in rapidly constructed sheds. Food supplies and wood for buildings were requisitioned from Boulogne and its environs to a large extent, though such staples as flour, rice, salt meat, cheese, wine and brandy were sent from Russia, Sweden and Holland.

Five to six thousand professional wood and metal workers were conscripted to begin immediate shipbuilding; 20,000 sailors and 10,000 men were required at once for various labor details. The different units were hurried to Boulogne, and as they arrived were made to dig in the harbor or to construct barracks, ships, and roads. They were clothed like workmen, shod in sabots to keep their feet dry, and from the outset were well lodged, well fed, and well paid. As soon as enough ships were built, the soldiers were drilled at loading, rowing, sail

ing, and landing, so that each man knew his position in his boat and exactly how to act. Drills were held by night as well as by day, and in storms or smooth water in order to be prepared for all weather conditions.

The English fleet was able to move up and down the coast in front of Boulogne so various forms of protection were constructed. Forts were built on either side of the entrance to the harbor, big guns were mounted along the coast, and a wooden fort was set up in the water at the mouth of the river. Thus in a few months, the little fishing city was transformed into a large and active military centre.

Napoleon returned to the city in September 1803. By this time the shipbuilding, camp construction, and concentration of troops had advanced materially. The British offered difficulties by shelling the town from the channel frequently, and by sending in small landing parties which were able to do considerable damage. Since a large part of the construction work and boat drill was done on the beach when the tide was low, Napoleon devised two new methods to keep the British at longer range. One was the use of explosive bullets which did far more damage than a simple penetrating bullet. The other was the use of "submarine batteries" which were ranged along the beach at different levels, covered by water at high tide, but effective at low tide.

At this visit in September 1803, Napoleon gave up the idea of trying to start the expedition at once, and decided to wait until the following summer. By June, 1804, after the camp had been occupied for a year, the harbor was completed, nearly 2000 boats were built, and an army of 150,000 was assembled. The men were so well trained that all could get into the boats with their entire equipment in three or four hours, and they had become practised rowers and sailors. Napoleon's chief naval advisers, Admirals Decrés and Bruix,

however, asserted that the navy was not strong enough to offer the necessary protection to the army even under most favorable conditions. Therefore the start of the expedition was postponed for a second time.

Napoleon's Column at Boulogne. The review was held near this spot. The foundation stone was laid in 1804, by the Grand Army as a mark of devotion to the Emperor. The monument was completed in 1845.

Napoleon moved his headquarters from Boulogne to Pont à Briques and returned for a tour of inspection on July 20, 1804. He decided to hold a review on his birthday, August 16th, using the occasion to distribute the Cross of the Legion of Honor to certain of his veteran soldiers who were in camp, and at the same time to infect all his troops with his own enthusiasm and to celebrate the proclamation of the Empire, which had occurred on the 18th of May.

Various generals, dignitaries and ladies from the neighboring country sat in a gaily decorated grandstand close by. The troops were massed about this centre in tiers extending almost as far as the eye could see; platoons of infantry were nearest, and on the outskirts mounted soldiers. Napoleon

himself faced inland and was surrounded by 100,000 of his men. He stood up and explained what the Legion of Honor meant. The artillery fired salutes from their emplacements all around, drums beat, and trumpets sounded. The new members of the Legion of Honor marched past Napoleon's throne to receive their crosses, officers and men together, each swearing to shed his blood in England if necessary, and to make his country and commander supreme in the world. The British fleet helped to add to the excitement of the day when some raiders came over and met the French in front of the harbor. A sharp cannonade took place, which the spectators of the review watched through glasses with great interest.

After this activity in the camp there was another year of monotony only interrupted by daily marches and drills. It became increasingly obvious that the expedition would fail unless the French navy did its share. In the early spring of 1805 its main body was in two squadrons, one under Admiral Villeneuve cruising in the Mediterranean, and the other under Admiral Ganteaume blockaded in the harbor of Brest. Napoleon directed Villeneuve to cruise to the West Indies where Ganteaume was to meet him. By such an extraordinary manoeuvre the true purpose of the fleet would be hidden from Admiral Nelson, and such a combined fleet would be strong enough to take control of the channel from the British ships guarding it.

Villeneuve left Toulon on March 30th according to schedule. He arrived at Martinique on the 14th of May, where he was to wait forty days (until June 23d) for the other squadron. His men developed sickness, possibly yellow fever, and a large number deserted. So he started for a short cruise to the Barbadoes where the English had an important base, to kill time and prevent further desertions. He captured a convoy of vessels on the way, and was in

[merged small][merged small][graphic]

The Boulogne camp in 1805. The fortifications at the mouth of the harbor are complete. The port is full of ships. The wooden fort is seen at the left of the picture.

much discouraged and depressed that he changed his mind and decided to sail for Ferrol to get reinforcements and news. He met a part of the British fleet under Admiral Calder on the way, and fought an indecisive battle owing to adverse wind, untimely fog, and partly owing to his own lack of aggression. However, he made the port on the second of August without serious casualties.

In the meantime, Ganteaume had not succeeded in escaping from Brest. When Napoleon heard that Villeneuve had returned to Ferrol, he ordered him to proceed to Brest at once and engage the British fleet at any cost. A battle there would

He felt convinced that his army was as well trained and equipped as possible, that the journey across the channel was nothing more than a movement of troops across a wide ditch, and that if the navy made him master of the channel for only three days he could put an end to England. When he heard of Villeneuve's desertion on August 22d, he was almost out of his mind with rage and disappointment. His burst of temper was short lived, though, for he wrote Talleyrand on the next day that if the French fleet came into the channel he would still cut the knot of all coalitions in London. On the other hand, if his admirals failed him, he would enter Germany, march

« ElőzőTovább »