Meissonier, his life and his art . smelt powder ! Only a few years ago I might have secured a good manypicturesque details from eye-witnesses. There are passages that are astonishingly lifelike, scenes that musibe true, in Captain Coignets book. Some details are most vivid andnatural. Such, for instance, as that of the riflemen bringing in faggotsto make a fire for the First Consul on the eve of Marengo. And thereare three or four magnificent pages about the first siege of Mayence,at which the French showed real heroism. Gouvion de St. Cyr tells wonderful things about it, too. Thetr
Meissonier, his life and his art . smelt powder ! Only a few years ago I might have secured a good manypicturesque details from eye-witnesses. There are passages that are astonishingly lifelike, scenes that musibe true, in Captain Coignets book. Some details are most vivid andnatural. Such, for instance, as that of the riflemen bringing in faggotsto make a fire for the First Consul on the eve of Marengo. And thereare three or four magnificent pages about the first siege of Mayence,at which the French showed real heroism. Gouvion de St. Cyr tells wonderful things about it, too. Thetroops were reduced to scratching up roots. They had to plunder tosupport life. They were splendid looking, bold fellows. Marshal Regnault de St. Jean dAngely told me one day when I wassitting with him, and looking at the riding whip with a worn tipwhich always hung behind him, that it was the Emperors had worn it out against his boot in his moments of impatience. S/u(/y for the Evangelists, (KED chalk. MLSEE DU LlXEMBOUKG.). Pr-nlcd bj Croo(;ei & Lesicur. Paris MEMORIES 287 Old Caraffa, the musician, told me that once, in a battle, he wasriding with Murat, and snatched off the marshals plume, stuffingit into his pocket, to prevent his being made a regular target. He died during the siege of 1870. A dreadful thing happened tohim. His wife died before his eyes, close to him, in his room, withouthis being able to call for help. He was paralysed ! When Popotte, the old horse he was so fond of broke down, hehad shoes made for him like the Invalides shoes. Pillardeau was a strange creature. Although by no means intelli-gent, and utterly uneducated, certain things about him interested medeeply. He knew a great deal about Napoleon the First. He wasvery fond of talking about him. And he was no braggart. He wouldsay honestly, I dont know anything about that. I wasnt there. Ididnt see it. He had been brought up in the household of theEmperors brother Joseph, at Mortefontaine. He wa
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