Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Napoleon's sword

The report that Napoleon's legendary sword, which he carried during the famed battle of Marengo, fetched a fortune at an auction (June 12) was engrossing and fascinating. Amongst the numerous battles won by him, Marengo and Austerlitz (December 1805) are significant. Napoleon almost lost in Marengo but his strategy turned the tide in his favour. And in Austerlitz, called the `Battle of Three Emperors' because Napoleon, Francis I of Austria, and Alexander I of Russia were present on the field, Napoleon won against the united might of Russia and Austria.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, an ardent admirer of Napoleon and creator of Sherlock Holmes, refers to Marengo in his Adventure of Abbey Grange. He tells Dr. Watson: "We have not yet met our Waterloo, Watson, but this is our Marengo, for it begins in defeat and ends in victory."

M.D. Gopalrathnam,
Chennai

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Globalisation at work
To pardon or not
Financial accountability at the U.N.
Asean looks to India, China to free Suu Kyi
The unseen literary world
Management firms have data but are starved of knowledge
Fooled by visions of the future
Corrections and Clarifications
Distressing episode
Farmers' woes
High Court ruling
Napoleon's sword
Don't resist rule

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu