The National Register. — London, England, 1812-09-13 00:00:00

r 6 4 J 'tb brisk fire of musketry began , and at five, the divisions of Morand and Guilin carried the entrenched enemy's suburbs, with a cool and rare intrepidity, and pursued theta tc the covered-way, winch was covered with Russian dead. Upon our left, the Duke of Lichingen attacked the position which the enemy bad without the town, seized upon it, and pursued the enemy to the Glacis. At five o'clock, the communication of the town with the right bank became difficult, and could only be accomplished by isi‘lated men. Three batteries of breaching 12-poundeis were placed against the walls at six in the evening ; one by Friant's division, and the two others by Moraed and Gadin's divisions. We drove the enemy from all the' towers by howitzers, which played upon them. The General of artillery, Count Sorbier, rendered the occupation of the covered way by the enemy impossible, by two of it daed on, batteer - ries. Nevertheless the enem y , who, from two in the afteino p ceived we had serious !Mentions against the town, sent two divisions, and two regiments of infantry of the guards, to reinforce the four divi sions which were in the town. These united forces composed half of the Russian army. The. battle continued the whole night ; three breach ing batteries played with the utmost activity ; two companies of miners were cttached to the ramparts. The town was now on fire in the middle of a fine August night. Smolensko offered the French a spectacle similar to that winch an in up tion of Nrestivius presents to the inhabitants of Naples. An hoar after midnight, the enemy abandoned the town, and re tired across the river. At two o'clock, the grenadiers who first led to the attack no longer found resistance, the place was evacuated, pieces of cannon, and one of the first towns in Russia - were in our power, and that too in sight of the whole Russian army. The comma of Smolensk° , whic h we might just term a battle, an hundred thotriand men having been engaged on the different sides, caused the Ru•sians a loss Of 4,700 men, left dead on the field of battle ; of 2,000 prisoners, the greater part of whom are wounded; mid r 4 7to 8,000 wounded. Amongst the dead were found five 11.issian lienerals. Our loss amounts to 700 killed, and 3,100 or reeoo wounded. Tile General of Brigade, Grabouski, was killed, and the Generals of Brie.ade Grandeau and Dalton, wounded. All the troops have rivalled each other iN intrepidity. The field of battle has of fered to the view of 200,000 persons, who can attest it, the sight of one French corps laying upon the dead bodies of seven or eight Russians : meanwhile the lcussians were protected by the musketry fire from their trenches during a part of the days of the 16th and 17th. On the 11;th, we established the bridges over the Borysthenes, which the enemy had burnt, but did not succeed in quenching the fire which consumed the town, until the day of the 13th, the French sappers having worked with great activity. The Louses in the city were filled with Russians dead and dying. Of 12 divisions, which composed the Grand Russian army, two di• visions have been broken and defeated in the combats of Ostrovno, two have met with the same fate in the battle of Mohilow, and six in the battle of Smolensk°. They have onl y two divi,ions of the guards which remain eetite. The deeds of bravery which tedound honour on the army, and which have distingui s hed such numbers of soldiers ir. the battle of Sm-lerrsko, shall be the subject of a particular report. Never has the French army shewn greater iter epidity than in this campaign (31imiteur, Sept. 5.) FOURTEENTH BULLETIN OF THE GRAND ARMY. Smolenko, Aug. 2:3. Somlensito may he considered as one of the finest Clues of Russia. Had it not been h.r the circumstances of the war, which his carried thither the, and consumed ionnense magazines of coloni.d mercliandiz end goods of all kind', this city would have been a grand resource for the aria,. Even in it• present state, it may be of the greatest utility in a military point of view. Tlwre are still large houses reinaintn, which offer fine places roc the establishment of hospitals ; the province of Smotensko is, very fine and fen . ' e. and furnished with great re-ources for subsistence and forage. The Russians intended, aecortring to the . e vents eat the wAr, to raise a militia of pe .sant slaves, whom the y have armed with ba. - 1 pites. They had already united about 5000 of thew at this place ; it was an obket of raillery and deri:ion even to the Rus . 'tan army itself. They had already stated, as the order of the day, that Smolensko was to he the grave of the French and that althoisuli • • it had been deemed coniwilieot to e•ticttate !'"laud. yet it wa•s oeces sary to give battle at Sawleosko, to prevent this hairier ut Russia from falling intr. our hands. The cathedral ►if Smotenslto is one of tire most celebratrci Grecism churches in all Itussia ; the episcopal palace forms a Lind ut town by rit9elt. The best is exces4ve, the thermometer having rigor t to 26 degrees; , the weather is n►uch hotter here that isly. THE NATIONAL REGISTER, SEPT. 19. BATTLE OP POLOTSK. After the hnttle tif Drissa,. the Duke ot Reggio, knowing tbpi th e en emy's General NN ittgensteni had been reintorced by twelve thi rd battalions front th e g arris. 0 ot Dumioure, and wallet : , te draw him t o ail engagement near the de file below Polotsk, caused t-e 2ci and ( e h corps to he' ranged in order of battle below Polot,k. Generel Wot gee . Ic in fail .wed hint, attacked him on the i6tlt and 171 h, and taus rous ly replied. The navorian division of 1)e Wrede, of I. e title cops, has distitignished itself. At the moieent when the Mike of ; . .eg , io was making his dispositions to profit by the victory, and to close the eueitty in the defile, be was struck on the shoulder by Ks- M raven. s wound. which is of a vrions nature, obliged hire to cease . himself to he transpo r t e d to but it die not appear that he en de h i mself in anywise unqui. t concerning the consequences. Tier General (i-uvioe St Cyr has taken the command of the 2d 411 d. 6'l calve On the 17th, in the evening, the • nemy retired through th e defile. Generel Verdier W. wounded. Genera! Macs. n has been re. cogeized as General of Divisien, and has succeeded him in the corn maid of his division. Our I ssis es:imated at Woo men killed End wounded. The loss of the Russians is triple ours ;we have taken 500 prisoners Irene them. On the 18th. at four o'clock in the ofterneon, General Gouviun St. Cyr, commanding the 2fi and 6th co:ps, opened on the enemy, by causing his right wing to he attacked by the Bavarian divisions of the Count de Wrede. The bettle extended the whole length of the line, and the enemy were thrown inte complete rout. and pursued for two leagues, as long as day-light permitted ;20 p,eces of cannon, and 1000 prisoners, have remained in the power of the French army. The Bavarian General, Deroy, was wounded. BATTLE OF VALENTINA. On the 19th, at breakeil-day, the bridge brine, finished, the Marshal Duke of Elchineen crossed over to the right bank of the Borysthenes, arid pursued the enemy. At one leagne from the town he encoun tered the lest column of the enemy's rear-guard. ft was a division of sor 6,000 men, stationed on line heights. lie caused them te be at tacked with the bayonet Ly the 4th regiment of infantry, of the line, and by the 72d ditto. The position was careied, and oar ba3 - ont ts li n e, and the held of battle with dead : three or four hundred prisoners tell into our hands The flying enemy retired on the 2tl column, which was posted on the heights of Valentina. The first r sft:on was car:icd by the loth of the line, and towards hair o'clock in the aftemooo, the musketry lire was kept up against the w hole of the enemy's rear guard, which presented about 15,0110 men. The Duke of Abrantes bad passed the Borystbenes at two o'clock, to the right ofSmolensko, and lee found himself el se up o n the tear of the enemy ;he might, thereftne, by marchin,; with divisions, intercept the great road to Moscow, and render the retreat of the rear-guard difficult ; but meantime the othe:' columns of the enemy's army which remained to be forced, being iii formed of the success, and of the rapidity of the first attack, teteecel back the way they came. Four divisions then advanced to support their rear-guard, and, anionic others, the divisions of grenadiers, welch until now had out come forward ; 5 or 601,0 men, cavalry, formed thee right, whilst their left was covered by woods filled with tireilleurs. It was of the greatest clnsequenee to the enemy to keep this position as long as itossible, it being aver v floe one, and apparently it.expagnabic on our part we attached no less importance to it, in or& r to accele d • rate his retrcaf, and caused all t h e carria g es filled with wounded an other articles to be ebrildow d, which was erotected by tbe rear g uard. This was wheat gave rise to the battle or Veletaina, one ottlie tinest el arses he our military hist e a y. At six o'cloch iu the eveeing, de vi s i o n of G ui l in , w hi c h h a il been s e nt forward to support the 3d c orps, trout the moment when we perceived the great succours Ilea the of had sent to his rear-guard, pushed forward a column on the c entre the enemy's pie , ition, was supported by the division of General and after an hour's combat, toned the position. General Count Oudot arriving with his divisions, was at the coin:net:cement of the action struck by a hullet, whirl, carried Of his thigh, lee died tiortooly. Hits loss was sensilify felt. General Guilin was one of the most de• tinguished otheers in die a-my ;he was estimable for his moral (poli ties, as ranch as for his bravery and intrepidity. General Gilled taken the command of the division. We reckon that the eneu.y had eight (ienerals killed or wounded one of their (,metals is trete ()ii the billowing day, the Emperor distributed rceowl:(Tco; on the ticld of battle, to all the regiments which had dimii:gu i themseives ; awl as tl e 127111, which Is a IleVf legi Mel •t, heed bell' i!.elfwell, leis Majesty granted this regiment the reihr earr mg ell eagle, a privilege it had not before enjoy eel, never having, wen lit° lime, beret preseht in sore battle. These recoil)! roues, given mi field of t able, ill the midst of the dead, thee dvieg, the wouuded, and the trophies of victory. offered a spectacle truly military and imptesa:g. Teen enemy, Hier this baltle, has precipitated his retreat in suf..)',''' ma nner, that tea the day of the 2 0 th our Mope ma rched slolca9 ---- ..111111 T. n Fa I,d