DESTINY chapter VIII "little corporal"

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With Piedmont defeated they pursue the Austrians who retreated to the east, bewildered by the 26 years old general and his new way of making war. He attacks everyday, he attack when its snows, he attack at night. its not the way the game is played. He looks for the enemy, fights it and when they assumed he stops he continued, the next they he fights again, it surprises them.

As the Austrian fled, their rare guards hope's to slow Bonaparte down by making a stand at the little Italian town of Lodi. They fortified a narrow wooden bridge with fourteen canons and three battalions and dared Bonaparte to cross it. The general ordered a simple frontal assault on the bridge everything will depend on the courage of his men. He earned their admiration with his rapid string of victories. Now he would find out their faith. Napoleon is a master in motivation his soldiers. His troops are chasing the Austrian now by weeks. There are no strategy at all, the troops are coming so enthusiastically quick, it surprises the enemy. The question of enthusiasm is they drove them selves into it, with the risk of death. With his men facing withering enemy fire Bonaparte was unthinkable this is the man with absolute courage, he's there wherever his needed if he is needed in the very front to encourage people he is there, he takes physical risks. Even the cannon balls fell close to him (this happen in several occasions) his not afraid.

The French faded halfway across the bridge and fall back under a vicious hell of fire. Then one last charge and they've acrossed. The Austrian gun fell silent, they think that they are safe across the bridge but when the French able to crossed it they fled throughout. But it was not a great victory, the Austrian army had in fact escaped but Bonaparte had won the respect and devotion of his men. He came dummy and covered with gun smoke, the troops liked that and they start calling him little corporal. This is the moment when he becomes convinced that he has a lucky star and his destiny had chosen him to accomplish great things. They have not seen anything yet (Bonaparte told his generals) in our time no one had a slightest conception of what is great, it is up to me to give them an example. The battle on Lodi convinced Bonaparte he is the man of destiny. From that moment (he said) I fore saw of what I might be already I felt earth flee from beneath me as if I were being carried into the sky.....the end