ciiAi>. XXIV. J CAVALRY UNDER NAPOLEON. 



885 



Murat stands out as the most brilliant and striking 

 figure of the galaxy of famed soldiers who surrounded the 

 great Napoleon. His daring intrepidity was unequalled, 

 his energy unsurpassed, while his ehivalrous demeanour, 

 his hantlsome faee, and noble carriage, made him a 

 universal favourite among the horsemen he commanded. 

 His showy uniform, his great stature, tlie incomparable 

 seat with which he bestrode his magnificent and brilliantly 

 equipped chargers, attracted universal attention. His 

 indefatigable energy and his marked bravery were the 

 two qualities that gave him his high reputatioi' and so 

 many successes, but his judgment was not so good. No 

 one knew this better than Napoh^on, who said of him : 

 " He was a paladin in the field, but in the cabinet 

 destitute of either decision or judgment ; he loved, I 

 may rather say, adored me ; he was my right arm, but 

 without me he was nothing. In battle he was perhaps 

 the bravest man in the world : left to himself he was an 

 imbecile without judgment," ' 



One incident in Murat's career shows more powerfully 

 than any other the extraordinary energy and impetuosity 

 of his character. On the invasion of Russia in 1812, 

 Murat commanded the cavalry of the advance. From 

 the 24th June, when the French army crossed the 

 Niemen, until the 14th Septeml)er, the invading host 

 had toiled on day after day, continually skirmishing with 

 the Russian rear-guard. Murat with his horsemen 

 headed the pursuit. From morning till night, under a 

 burning sun and enveloped in clouds of dust, their 

 horses continually dropping from fatigue, the French 

 squadrons steadily and perseveringly moved onwards. 

 Every hour Moscow was in the minds of the soldiers. 

 It was the object of the journey, the resting-place from 

 their toil, the prize of all their labour. After fighting 

 sixty battles and combats, and after three months of 

 incessant marching, Murat at last arrived at Moscow, 

 which the Russians had evacuated. He entered the 

 city with his horsemen, and found it deserted. In the 

 true spirit of an impetuous cavalry officer, he never 



' Alison, iv. 101. 



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