so much to say

so much to say

fiction
edward w pritchard


There's so much to say about Napoleon Bonaparte spending the last half dozen years of his life there on the tiny obscure island of St Helena. Napoleon lived in a crumbling damp old house until his death in 1821 at age 52 probably from stomach cancer. So much to say but no substantial information comes forward from History to satisfy how the great Man Napoleon endured the last insignificant half dozen years of his life.

Napoleon was very lucky in his rise to power in France from bullied boy who misused words in his second language French to Great and successful military genius who crammed the museums of France with stolen art treasures from all over Europe. A cultured man Napoleon liked the good things in life. Winning battle after battle Napoleon spent his life as a soldier and leader of Men.

Napoleon's great victory over Russia at Moscow escaped him as Alexander 1 of Russia refused to discuss surrender terms. Tired of waiting in Moscow as Russian winter approached Napoleon and armies started off home to France only to be decimated by Fate in the hands of bad weather, Cossack's harassment and the desinigration of the grand army.

Only at St Helena was the charmed career of Napoleon really over. Napoleon died a man  but lived as a god small g. Like Alexander the Great of Macedonia before him and Hitler after him he didn't know when to stop.