NAPOLEON THE FOURTH

Hokitika Guardian, 31 October 1928, Page 7

NAPOLEON THE FOURTH

STORY OF HUS DEATH

AN AMBUSH IN ZULULAND,

ill-natured attacks upon a neigh bom usually carry their own condemnation. 'l'liat has been the fate of M. Maunrieo Rostand’s attempt to show in bis play Napoleon the Fourth, that the grand nephew of the first Napoleon, was killed as the result of English treachery. 'The play fell flat, and its author’was roundly condemned for his wilful mis treating of a tragedy, the facts of which are beyond dispute. Maurice Rostand is a son of the famous Ed inund, author of “ Cyrane do Bergerac,” but he has not the qualities of his great father. The Prince Imperial was a boy of 15 when,his father, Napoleon 111, surrendered to the King of Prussia at Sedan in 1870, and after the revolt in Paris which resulted in the establishment of the Commune, and subsequently of the third Republic, he escaped with his mother, the Empress Eugenie, to England. Napoleon 111 was a nephew of the First Emperor Napoleon, being the son of the 'Emperor’s younger brother Louis, who married Hortense, the daughter of the Empress Josephine by her first marriage to Viscount de Beauharnais. After the conclusion of the FrancoPrussian war the deposed Napoleon 111 was released by the Prussians, and joined his wife and son in exile in England. He died less than two years later, on January 9th, 1873. The Prince Imperial went through a course of military training at Woolwich as an artillery cadet. He was regarded by the Bonapartists in France as their leader, and as the legitimate heir to the French throne, but it was realised that his prospects of regaining the throne would be enhanced if lie won a reputation as a soldier. Therefore when the Zulu war broke out in 1878 he begged to he allowed to accompany the British military expedition. His mother, who idolised him, resisted his entreaties for a time, but eventually consented. By siwcial arrangement with the War Office lie went to South Africa attached to the staff of Lord Chelmsford, who was in command of the British forces, hut was given no official rank. Ho was to be regarded as a spectator, and not as a British officer. ON OUTPOST DUTY.

The story of the death of the Prince Imperial was retold in tho “ Nineteenth Century ” of June last by Lieut.-Colonel F. E. Whitton. Lord Chelmsford, yielding to the importunities of the young Prince, who was then 23 years old, allowed him to take part in some hazardous reconnaissances, in which the Prince displayed considerable recklessness, as 1 " well as bravery. In order to restrain his empetuosity Lord Chelmsford attached him to the Quartermaster-General’s branch and gave instructions that he was not to be permitted to take part in any distant reconnaissance, and that when employed on survey work near a camp his party was always to he provided with an escort, and to he accompanied by an officer. Colonel Harrison, of the Royal Engineers, who held the position of assistant adjutant and Quartermaster-General, was told to act as hear leader to the Prince. But he did not adhere to his instructions, and allowed tho Prince to take part in the work of selecting a camping ground to be occupied by the main British column under General Newdigate. The proposed camp was eight miles ahead of the nearest British reinforcements on Ttelez Hill.

An escort of six white troops and six mounted Basutos was ordered for the Prince ,and he was accompanied by Lieut. J. B. Carey, of the 98th Foot, who was attached to the Quart-ermaster-General’s staff. For some reason that lias never been explained Carey regarded the Prince as his senior in military rank, and therefore in charge of the party sent out to select a camping ground. The Prince and Carey set out accompanied by a friendly Zulu guide and six white troopers. Word was left that the six mounted Basutos, who were to complete the escort, should follow rapidly, and overtake tho party; but this they failed to do.

OVERRULED BY THE PRINCE. i The Prince and his party reached Itelezi Hill and there met some of the British cavalry who had cone ahead of the main column. They then rode on in advance along a ridge, for seven or eight miles. Half an hour after no op they reached the summit of a flattopped hill, where they dismounted, while the Prince made a rough sketch of the surrounding country. They stayed for an hour, and tho Prince, who regarded himself as in command of the party, told Lieutenant Carey that they would descend the hill to some huts near a river, where the men would be able to get, wood and water and cook something. Carey demurred to this (proposal, hut, regarding the prince as his senior officer, allowed himself to be overruled.

“ Xot a sign of a Zulu had so far boon soon,” writes Liout.-Colonel Whit.ton, “ but as a matter of fact the little party had boon under observation bv Zulu scouts. They reached the kraal about 3 o'clock. The huts wore empty, but on the ground there wore fresh remains of Zulu food. But this fact did not awaken the Prince or Carey to the need for caution. The tPrinop c;avo orders f o” the escort to off-saddle and to knee-halter the horses nod allow them to graze. The Zulu guide went down to the river for water. Xo precautions were taken against a surprise ettcpi-- the ground round the kraal was not patrolled.

About 3.36 p.m. the native guide reported that lie had seen a Zulu come over the (brow of the bill, and an order to saddle up was immediately given. As some of the horses had strayed, it was about ten minutes before they were collected and saddled. Carey mounted bis horse, and halted, facing the long grass. The men stood to their horses, and the Prince gave in succession the routine commands, “Prepare to mount!” and “Mount!” At the first command each man, with the exception of Trooper Rogers, who had not caught his horse, placed his foot in the near stirrup. As they swung themselves into the saddle at the word “Mount!” a volley was fired from the long grass l , and with loud yells thirty of forty Zulus rushed the kraal.

DISCIPLINE WENT BY BOARD. Every horse bolted, and discipline and command went by the board. The Vrien had not been safely seated in the saddle when their mounts stampeded, and they had difficulty in clinging on. According to the “Official History of the Zulu War” the Prince failed to mount, and then attempted to vault into the saddle, hut a strap or holster gave way and his horse escaped, leaving the Prince to fight on foot inside the kraal. Trooper Rogers, after firing a. shot from his carlbine, was killed before he could mo’unt his horse. This was the only shot fired by the escort. 'For the others it 'was a case of sauve qui pent. Carey did not turn bis flirad until he was out of danger. The Zulus had no horses, and therefore, did. not pursue the riders far. The last Carey saw of the Prince was when the latter was preparing to mount. He knew the Prince was an excellent horseman, and thought Tie had got safely away from the kraal. But when some, of the others overtook him beyond the donga he learned the truth.

Le Tock, who had dropped his carbine inside the kraal, and had hurriedly dismounted to recover it, saw the Prince struggling to mount, and called out to him to he quick about it. Corporal Grubb, on being overtaken (by Le Took before they reached the donga, was told by the latter “The Prince is down,” and glancing back he saw the Prince ‘(‘hanging on to something, hut below his horse, the stirrup leather or the wallet,” and the horse seemed to trample on him.” Carey, who from first to last displayed an entire lack of military qualities, has been condemned by military critics for not rallying his little force and fighting his way back to the Prince. But the strength of the escort had been reduced to four men, and two of them would have had to stay behind and hold the horses. It is said that on his wav hack to headquarters, which he reached about 7.30 p.m., he was met by General Wood, in command of one of the British Columns, and General Buller, to whom he told the story of the attack; and that General Buller, after closely questioning him, said, “You deserve to be shot, and I hope you will be. I could shoot you myself.”

Next day the body of The Prince Imperial was found about 250 yards from the kraal by a large escort dispatched for the purpose. The body lay on its hack in the donga stripped naked except for one sock. Round the -Prince’s neck was a. fine gold chain, from which were suspended a medallion and a lock of his mother. Eighteen assegai wounds were on the body, and death had been caused hy a wound through the right eyeball. Lieutenant Carey was subsequently tried by court-martial on a charge of misbehaviour before the enemy. He was found guilty, with a strong recommendation to mercy, primarily on the ground of the smallness of the escort, and the fact that it was insufficiently armed. He was sent to England under arrest to learn his fate. •He was sentenced to be shot, hut the Prince’s mother, the Empress Eugenie, went personally to Queen Victoria, with whom she was on very friendly terms, and pleaded for the life of the young officer. He was pardoned and rejoined his regiment, hut he was a broken man, and he died a few years later in India from fever. I