I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving. Second Corinthians 4:15 says, "All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God." Well, I am still thankful for Liberty's season despite not making the USA Conference championship and losing to Sam Houston University last week. They are still bowl-eligible, but I am unsure if they will get a bowl game scheduled. The Chiefs still look in good shape, but it is hard to tell what the future holds. I am disappointed to see College Gameday end, but that only means college basketball is picking up.
Years ago, when I was sitting in a graduate-level course on the Napoleonic Wars, my professor, Dr. Leggiere, mentioned that after Napoleon's Italian Campaign, the future emperor of the French lived like a prince. He created a court and lived in an extravagant palace, reeling from the great success he just gained from an unbelievable victory against the Austrians. The Italian Campaign, a series of battles fought in Italy during the Napoleonic Wars, was a significant turning point in Napoleon's career. Similarly, Grant's Vicksburg Campaign, a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, was a crucial moment in his military career. Napoleon's princely affairs were accurately described by Sir Walter Scott,
Negotiations proceeded amid gaiety and pleasure. The various ministers and envoys of Austria, of the Pope, of the Kings of Naples and Sardinia, of the Duke of Parma, of the Swiss Cantons, of several of the Princes of Germany—the throng of generals, of persons in authority, of deputies of towns,—with the daily arrival and despatch of numerous couriers, the bustle of important business, mingled with fêtes and entertainments, with balls and with hunting parties,—gave the picture of a splendid court. The assemblage was called the Court of Montebello, according to the Italians.
Largely forgotten are the spoils Napoleon took from the Italian city-states. Millions of pounds of precious metals were extracted along with the great wealth of these Italian cities. Napoleon also took hundreds of paintings and exported them back to France. Indiscriminate looting was commonplace for the French Revolutionary soldiers. Napoleon certainly felt entitled to it, given his glorious victories across Italy and the defeat of the Austrian Empire. Napoleon also began solidifying his power by supporting a coup back in Paris to overturn the results of an election of the National Assembly, a legislative body that played a significant role in the French Revolution and subsequent events.
The United States never had room for such authoritarian regimes or "heroes." Vicksburg did not possess any jewels or precious metals, let alone great pieces of artwork. Its only jewel was its natural terrain that budded up against the great Mississippi River. After Grant's successful Vicksburg Campaign, which took half the time of the Italian Campaign with fewer casualties, Grant took what was considered the Gibraltar of the Confederacy with limited supply lines and lines of communication. Grant could have demanded more from Lincoln and his administration, such as George McClellan and Joseph Hooker dreamed about. However, Grant, in the image of a "hardscrabble" midwesterner, opted to help out other theaters of war. Grant's first order of business was to drive out the rest of Joe Johnston's forces from Jackson, Mississippi, which he had prepared to do before Vicksburg fell to Union hands. He sent reinforcements to Nathaniel Banks, who was still attempting to occupy Port Hudson to the south of his position. He began working with Banks on an excellent plan to move into Texas. Grant's actions were not just about military strategy; they had significant diplomatic implications. Napoleon III had established a puppet government under Emperor Maximillian in Mexico, and Grant was concerned with Europeans getting involved in American affairs. His plan to take Texas would force Napoleon and Maximillian to reconsider their position, demonstrating the far-reaching impact of Grant's decisions.
France suffered more from instability, and Napoleon was the only one to save it. Well, Napoleon's solution was to replace an oligarchy with a dictator. Grant continued fighting for a republic. He followed Lincoln's political agenda, never trying to overrule him. Even when there were calls for Grant to run for president in 1864, he lost his temper upon hearing such news. Grant had temptations similar to Napoleon's, such as the opportunity to seize power and become a dictator, but Grant did not succumb to them. Instead, he remained loyal to the principles of the republic and his commitment to the Union.
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