Mineral Point Tribune

The Moment of Fear.

Bonaparte lost four aides-de-camp during the short time he was in Egypt. One of them, Croisier, appearing to Napoleon to lack the proper degree of boldness at the proper moment, he burst out against him in one of his violent and humiliating attacks of abuse and contempt. The word coward escaped him: Croisier determined not to survive it; he sought death on several occasions, but did not succeed till the siege of Arc. He was in attendance on Napoleon in the trenches here, when such a sharp lookout was kept by the garrison that if an elbow or feather showed itself above or beside them it was immediately grazed by a bullet. Croisier watched his opportunity and jumped upon the platform. "Come down, I command you!" cried Napoleon, in a voice of thunder; but it was too late; the victim of his severity fell at his feet, Murat, the chivalrous braver of all danger, had also his moment of fear, which lost him the countenance of his general until displeasure could no longer resist the brilliancy of his achievements. It was at the siege of Mantua, in the first Italian campaign, that Murat was ordered to charge a body of troops that were making a sortie from the garrison. He hesitated, and in his confusion declared himself wounded; he was removed from the presence of the general, and in every way discountenanced. In Egypt he was sent out on the most distant and dangerous services; in short, he more than recovered his character before the battle of Aboukir, on which occasion Napoleon himself was obliged to declare he was superb. The brave Marshal Lannes one day severely reprimanded a colonel who had punished a young officer for a moment of fear. "That man," said he, "is worse than a poltroon who pretends he never knows fear."