Their Last Suppers: Legends of History and Their Final Meals Read Online Free Page A

Austrians at the battle of Austerlitz (1805) and then Prussia at Jena (1806), finally threatening France’s old enemy, Britain, with invasion and blockade.
    He briefly formed a treaty with the Russians in 1807 at Tilsit, but this was a pact he had no intention of honoring. His boundless energy and military victories soon became the talk of Europe. He showed continued brilliance at the head of his armies, which eventually led him to a feeling of invincibility and greed. This arrogance culminated in a failed campaign in Spain and then a disastrous march into Russia, which led to his army’s infamous retreat from Moscow in 1812, leaving tens of thousands of his troops frozen to death in the grip of the savage Russian winter.
    The end finally came at the battle of Leipzig, when he was confronted by several nations united and intent on his destruction and the subjugation of France. They finally forced his abdication, and he was exiled to the island of Elba with only 1,000 of his loyal guardsmen to accompany him, in 1814. Europe celebrated, but not for long.
    Within only a few months, desperate to regain his throne, he escaped from the island and returned to France. The army dispatched to arrest him refused to confront him, and once again they flocked behind his banner. Knowing this was his last chance and that he must produce a decisive victory over the Allied armies arraigned against him throughout Europe, he made a sudden thrust against the forces of Prussia and Britain on June 16. This quick move split the Allied armies under General Blücher and the famous British leader, the Duke of Wellington, a general he had no real regard for because of his aristocratic background.
    Blücher’s army was hammered back, and Napoleon, sensing the kill, dispatched General Groucher to follow the Prussians with some 30,000 of his precious troops. He gave the general specific instructions to prevent the Prussians from reuniting with the Britishat any cost. Napoleon intended to finally destroy Wellington in one decisive battle the next day.
    Given the news of Napoleon’s sudden move at a regimental dinner that night, Wellington moved with equal surety, directing his army to form up in a defensive position astride the road to Brussels, outside the Soignes Forest and just outside the little-known village of Waterloo.
    Torrential rain throughout the night of June 17 did not stop Napoleon’s eager army from marching into position, and the morning of June 18 found both forces confronting each other across a sea of mud. Napoleon’s generals were very wary of the English lord, but Napoleon was totally dismissive of Wellington, regarding the outcome of the battle as a foregone conclusion. With superior numbers of men and artillery Napoleon intended to brush Wellington aside and then march on to Brussels, some 11 miles away, eventually forcing Europe to sue for peace.
    However, the Duke of Wellington was a very able and proven general. He had been undefeated in battle and was always extremely meticulous and resolute. He had previously visited the fields of Waterloo some years before and had studied the layout as if anticipating that one day he would fight his last, greatest battle there.
    Napoleon and his staff set up headquarters in a large farmhouse called Le Caillou, and though trying to rest, he was constantly disturbed by the arrival of messengers. So at 1 a.m. in driving rain, he mounted his famous horse, La Désirée, and went to reconnoiter the outposts with General Bertrand.
    Returning to the farmhouse at 4 a.m., he was greeted by the news that the Prussians had been split into two columns, one supposedly heading toward Liege and the other retreating in disorder. Seeing everything going as planned, he retired to bed, leaving orders that the troops were to be ready to advance at 9 a.m. He was completely unaware that Groucher was not harassing the Prussian retreat, as he had been instructed, and that the Prussians were marching back toward him