No attempt is here made to give a history of France from the time Bonaparte first made his entrance into the drama of which he was so soon to be the leading actor. The successive periods of the Revolution, the Directory, the Consulate and the Empire are only introduced when found necessary to explain the rapidly advancing steps of this wonderful character in history, the worshiped idol of an entire nation, that his military career may be the better understood; hence it has been thought advisable to refer briefly, at times, to the relations of France with other countries, and the cause of his spending, during the ten years of his reign as Emperor, exactly fifty-four days less in camp, and under the enemy's fire, so to speak, than he did in his royal residences! This, then, is the story of the man who personally commanded in 600 skirmishes, and 85 pitched battles, resigning at last his leadership on the field of Waterloo, a victim of treachery and incompetency exceeding even his own well-grounded fears; but even after these years of constant warfare and conquest, after maintaining huge armies in almost all parts of the world, he left France the richest nation in the universe, and in possession of a larger amount of specie than the rest of Europe; and notwithstanding the fact that in 1796, when he was given command of the Army of Italy, he found his government not only incapable of paying its ragged and weary troops, but unable, even, to feed them! M. B. G. _Chicago, Ill. December 31, 1894._ Contents CHAPTER I. Page BOYHOOD DAYS AND EARLY CAREER 9 CHAPTER II. BONAPARTE'S CAMPAIGN IN ITALY, 1796-7 45 CHAPTER III. EXPEDITION TO EGYPT 107 CHAPTER IV. PASSAGE OF THE ALPS AND BATTLE OF MARENGO 141 CHAPTER V. ULM AND AUSTERLITZ 175 CHAPTER VI. THE BATTLE OF JENA 211 CHAPTER VII. THE BATTLE OF EYLAU 230 CHAPTER VIII. FRIEDLAND AND PEACE OF TILSIT 241 CHAPTER IX. WAR WITH SPAIN 253 CHAPTER X. WAR WITH AUSTRIA. 1809 274 CHAPTER XI. THE BATTLE OF WAGRAM 288 CHAPTER XII. CAMPAIGN OF RUSSIA 305 CHAPTER XIII. THE CAMPAIGN OF 1813 347 CHAPTER XIV. THE INVASION OF FRANCE 373 CHAPTER XV. EXILE TO ELBA 409 CHAPTER XVI. THE HUNDRED DAYS. WATERLOO 435 CHAPTER XVII.