The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. II., No. 9, August, 1836Various
History
The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. II., No. 9, August, 1836
Various
American literature -- 19th century -- Periodicals
[Footnote 5: This account of the French cavalry at Lodi is confirmed
by the words of Napoleon's report—“the ford being found very bad, the
cavalry was greatly retarded, and could not charge.” It corresponds
with the observation respecting them in his memoires (Montholon, t. 1,
p. 4.) Yet Lockhart insists, that at the battle of Lodi and during the
charge of the French grenadiers, “Beaumont pressed gallantly with his
horse upon the Austrian flank.” The same critical historian, who
appears to have written for the sole purpose of repeating or inventing
misrepresentations, copies devoutly Sir Walter's errors; one importing
that the vanguard of grenadiers who first passed the Po, was commanded
by Andreossi, and the other that the Adda falls into the Po _at
Pizzighitone_.]
[Footnote 6: In the report, neither of Napoleon nor of Salicetti, is
it stated that they were personally engaged in this charge. But at St.
Helena, “some one having read an account of the battle of Lodi, in
which it was said that Bonaparte displayed great courage in crossing
the bridge; and that Lannes passed it after him—‘Before me,’ said
Bonaparte, with much warmth; ‘Lannes passed first and I only followed
him. It is necessary to correct that on the spot’—and the correction
was accordingly made in the margin of the book.” (Haylitt, vol. i. p.
449. See also Lockhart, t. 1, p. 47.) Here _first_ must mean _before
me_; for in his despatch to the Directory of the 22d July, (Moniteur
of the 1st of August,) in reporting a successful assault on the
outworks of Mantua, and extolling the conduct of the officers engaged
in it, Napoleon says—“The chief of battalion Dupat, who commands the
brave fifth battalion of grenadiers, is the same officer who passed
the first the bridge of Lodi.” In his despatch, Bonaparte tells the
Directors that Salicetti was constantly at his side, a fact which
shows the latter was in the charge, and which otherwise would probably
not have been mentioned. He also says—“the army is under real
obligations to him,” referring no doubt by the word _real_, to the
_false_ pretensions set up, by Salicetti and his colleagues, or for
them, in regard to the storming of Little Gibraltar at Toulon, which
are noticed in the first volume (p. 365) of this work.]
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