Martinsburgh gazette — Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.], 1810-11-30 00:00:00, page 2

with all those riches, he chanced to be
near a stranger, he would take delight in
showing him every decoration, one after
the«thir, telling him: “ At such an action,
I obtained this order ; at such another,
this, &c ” This enumeration, doubtless
very excusable, was the only gratification
of which his mind was susceptible, at the
sight of all these treasures.
The author quotes many instances of
Souworow’s disinterestedness, highly cred
itable to his principles, and to his loyalty.
We shall notice only the following :
“An olhcer oi his stall lost, hv gambling,
eixtv thousand roubles, belonging to the
military chest [about ten thousand guineas]
1 Souworow immediately sent for the officer,
| punished him, and wrote to the empress :
“An officer has taken sixty thousand roubles
from the treasury ot the armv ; but before
your majesty shall receive this letter, the
money will have been refunded into the
military chest* out of mv own property.
11 is but fair that I should be answerable
for the officers which I employ.”
Souworow always dtlighed in retaining
soldier-like maimers. When saluting any
one, he would stop, turn his tots out,
stand erect, put back his shoulders, as on
parade, and carry his right hand opened to
the right side of his little helmet, as sol
diers do, when saluting one of their com
manders. When he wanted to show a
higher degree of consideration, he would
stoop very low, with a tolerably ill grace,
without altering the position of his arms,
or feet.
His simplicity was not remarkable in his
d'ess only ; it was equally conspicuous in
hn food, in his lodgings, and generally, in
all his habits.
“ The simplest apartment,” says the au
tour, wh always the one he preferred.
Care was taken, c nsequently. to remove
ever) costlv urn ! t t furniture from the
1';''“ v bit. He rarely slept-in
■“ o i army was encamped.’
‘ - rent v •.-? (h .• ,( d at head quarters, in a
v : -ii ii. p n. I here he would stay
b- nig t md the greater part of the
< 1 ha iy ever did he enter the
■ - nere hu staff was, but at the hour
< i ■ i uitr. His t< nt was that of a subaltern
< ffi - r Never, during the whole or his
inihtai v career, did he spend a whole night
in a bed. A few bundles < f hay, neatly
spread on the ground, was his most sump
tuous couch. Such was his usual bed,
wherever he was lodged, even in the em
pirics palace.
. "" '*e h#d neither equipage nor horses,
* i^,er fnr draught or saddle ; in short he
h id no retinue. A single servant was em
eel on his personal attendance ; for the
momentary service of his house, he used
to eng ign as many soldiers or cossatks, as
were wanting. His coach, which was a
pl.iin kibilk, was drawn by post (or im
pressed) horses. When going to com
mand his troops, either in manoeuvres, or
in battle, he wou’J ride the first horse he
could find ; sometimes that of a cossack,
but, g. ner dlv, 1 ichinka, his aid-de-camp,
would .end him one.”
Among marshal Souworow’s qualities,
tic i.c was uftener conspicuous than his uni
form and real good ratine. He never met
with children without kissing them, and
giving them his blessing. He was, all his
life, an affectionate relative ; a true friend ;
ana a good hither. He, however, consul
cval it as the duty of a wan iour, to indulge
toe uflections of tnc soul, onlv in those
moments, which could not be employed in
pursuit of glory. J hese principles .were
thr invaiiab!j rule of his conduct; the fol
lowing anecdote proves it :
“ He was going to join the army, not
knowing when lie should return ; but he
»'dently wisher! to embrace his children.
I o satisfy at once hia love of glory and af
fections of his heat t, he went out of hia
road, and without stopping. Jay or night,
he arrived post hsstc at the Hour of his re
sidence in Moscow. The whole house
hold was in bed. He precipitately alight
ed from his curlings, give a gentle rap;
was admitted, and made his way, without
iv>i:.e, to b.s children’s chamber. With a
l ght in his hand. He gently opened their
cu. t tins ; c« of • niplated with emotion those
<>bj~cts oi his'iff.-ctions ; bestowed on them
his blessing*, and his kisses ; then ch.sed
ag.iu 'he curtains, went down, vaulted in
t his coach, and departed without having
k djeturbed their rtpost.”
Sotnvor >w remained alwavs proof against
the Reduction, of lore. He considered
connexions with the st x as highly prejudi
W^" c al to military men ; and as impairing their
T courage, their morals, and their health.
W iU*n in vunc companies he was placed,
in spite <-t h’.naseii near ladies, heavoided,
in a verv commal way, casting his eyes on
them, and, above all, touching them.
When married, he felt only friendship for
his wife. His notions of modesty, which
he consider* I as roe of the first virtues,
bore, above all o>her things, the stamp of
his oddity of mind. After passing put oi
the night with hi" wife, which, by the bv,
happened Lmt-itiuvm, he v*ouid suddenly
V
withdraw, to receive the usual afTu«ion of
sundry pails of water ou his naked body, as
already related.
The marshal was remarkable, above all
other things, by his unreserved frankness
of speech. From his feelings on this sub
ject, he could not, without being shocked,
listen to those equivoval phrases, those
ambiguous answers dictated by flattery,
fear, or baseness. Accordingly, any offi
cer who unluckily answered him in that
manner, was forever lost in his opinion,
lie called those kind of people Niesnaiou,
a Russian word, meaning I dan't know;
possibly ; perhaps.
w nen ne wanted to know whether any
individual possessed firmness of mind, he
would take a delight in often putting to him,
suddenly, and before every one, the most
out of the way questions. He thought but
little of those, who, through reserve or
timidity, could not answer him ; and, on
ihe contrary, he conceived a high esteem
for those whose repartees were sprightly,
concise and witty. ‘‘ He,” would he say,
“ who is put out of countenance by mere
words, is likely to be much more perplexed
by an unexpected attack from the onemv.”
Frequently, too, he would intrust to his
officers the duty of writing his official ac
counts. His esteem and his friendship
were the rewards of the sagacity and acti
vity manifested in the execution of that task.
These two qualities he imparted to all a
round him : ail felt the electrical shock.
J he words I don't know; J cannot; itnpois
sible ; were blotted out of his diettonars.
I hey were replaced by these : Learn ; do ;
try.
Alter perusing the foregoinr, do one
will be surprised to lerftn, that Souworow
hi d a great antipathy to courtiers. He not
• nly culled them all niesttaiou, but he be
sides chose them as the constant butts of
his sarcasms, which were the more bitter,
i as ho stopped at nothing, named every one,
and had a very satirical turn of mmd, and
of expression. He was often heard to
speak openly, truths, which neither the
presence of the sovereign, nor that of the
parties interested, nor, in short, any con
sideration, could induce him to repress.
I his conduct, as might be expected, made
him a great number of enemies at court,
wh re he was detested. Intrigue and ca
bal followed him into the very midst of
catr ps, struggling to deface Iris fame.
Souworow always showed himself very
strict on the score of subordination. The
most trifling fault of disobedience, was
punished by a severe chastisement; mark
ed with the usual oddity of his temper.
He had conceived the idea of setting him
sr If up as a pattern of subordination to his
army, and he thus proceeded to effect it.
“ He told Tichinka, to order him to
leave the table, whenever he should per
ceive that through a sense of mind, he con
tinued eating beyond his usual appetite.
Hr would then turn towards him with a
grave, anti, at the same time a comical look,
and ask him : ‘ By u/hut authority ?* ‘ by
order from marshal Souworow.’ ‘ He
must ke obeyed' would he say, laughing ;
and instantly leave the table. '1 he same
farce was acted, when his occupations kept
him too long confined. Tichinka then or
dered him to go out. lie made the same
question : his aide-de-camp made the same
answer : and the marshal went immediate
iy 10 taice a wane.
This old warriour was very pious. His
first care after rising, either at night or at
daybreak, was to sa> his prayers. He also
prayed for a long time in the evening be
fore going to bed. In common with all
Russians, he had a great reliance on St.
Nicholas. He attended divine service with
much composure ; singing the office along
with the priest, and accompani ing his sing
ing with many jnlcs and contortions. Dur
ing his exile at Novorogod, in his 70th
year. Souworow, by a superstitious oddity,
wonld ivreuk the indfatigable activity of his
temper on the bells of his village, of which
he got himself elected parish clerk. He
uloue, night and day, rang the peals for
the different offices; which he afterwards
sang with the priest amidst the peasants.
Every minister of worship, he deemed to
be entitled to his respects. Often he would
stop before a simple priest, or a pope, and
alway s before a bishop, to ask their blessing.
After having received that of the officiating
priests, he would in general, turn towards
tiis officers, and impart it to them. Not
withstanding h’n regard for clergymen, he
; very well knew, however, when necessary,
how to make a distinction between the
priest and the individual. In one of his
campaigns, arriving at a village, he per
I reived the clergyman of the place. He
| immediately alighted from his horse, to
i ask his blessing; and a few moments after
wards, on complaints made to him against
that ecdesiastick, he ordered for him a
bastinado of fiity stripes.
Souworow was deeply learned in ancient
! and modem history ; and knew intimately
the details of the private life rfthe celebra
ted generals w ho had preceded him. lie
spoke eight languages; and expressed him
self in French with as much facility as if
he had been horn in France. He waff*an
utter strang-r to all refinement in st\le.
His mode of writing and of speaking, was
short, concise enetgetick, original, and
dnconnf. ted.
Translation* from Lisbon papers for the
New- York Evening Po~>t.
Lisbon, Octobers.
The Enemy having taken warning by the
reception which the combined army gave
them on the memorable 2Tth of September,
on which day they Itft more than 2000 dead
upon the field of battle, with an immense
number of wounded whom they barbarous
ly abandoned, endeavored to go round our
positions bv crossing by Mortagoa towards
Sardao, and then turning to the South
ward. The wise movements of Lord
Wellington frustrated this daring project ;
and our army continues to concentrate it
self, gaining every moment greater superi
ority, not only by the great reinforcements
which it is successively receiving, but be
cause Massr-na is continually involved in
new dtffi ulties, having his communica
tion with litira cut off, losing men tvery
dav by the fatigues of the campaign, and
suffering a thousand inconveniences fiOU\
the want of supplies. The tried valour of
the allied troops and the bad condition of
the enemy, which becomes worse every
day, makes us hope for the most happy're
sults. French audacity will pay dear for
naving penetrated the temtory ol Portu
gal.
Oct. 6.
According to the last news from our ar
my, Lord Wellington's Head Quarters
continued at Leira ; and it did not appear 1
that the enemy had as yet advanced from
Coimora. .
By intelligence from Tladajoz of the 3d
inst. it appea< s that Ballesteros lelc Oliven*
ca yesterday with his division for Xeres de
los Caballeros, to which place it is said I
that 2000 French, who had marched from
I £dra, had proceeded.
1 he Fiench at present occupy the plains
situate between the iMonilego and the
Vouga ; they have not left any corps in
Beira Alta ; their communication with
Spain is now cut olT, as well by the peasan
try ah eady freed from the enemy, as by
I the corps of militia commanded by Gene
’ rals Racellar and Silvcira. 1 heir supplies,
not only of provisions, but also of ammu
nition, are interrupted, w;d they must
fght with what they have brought with
them. It is not yet known with accuracy
what was their effective force; some ac
counts make it 50, Others 55,000 men ;
but that which appears roost authentic states
that the force, with which the French en
tered Portugal, was exactly 60,000 men.
It is certain that they lost in the battle of
Bussaco more than 2000 killed, and sup
posing the number of their wounded to be
only lour limes as great, which in truth is
! very low calculation, for as well in the Bri
! tish as in the Portuguese army, the num>
her of the wounded was five times that of
the killed, they must have had 8000 wound
ed so that their total loss certainty exceeds
10.000; we know nothing of the number
l of their sick ; that is usualiv in an arrov on
a march t-7 or 1-9 of the whole number,
and the particular circumstances, in which
the French army has been, must have aug
merited that proportion—Whatever was
I tne original number of those who entered,
| there cun he no doubt but that the French
; have now in the short period of 15 days,
16 or 18,000 combatants Ie**i.
Let it not be supposed that the enemy
find much provisions in the country which
they occupy : Aveiro, Figueira and Coim
bra were evacuated in the most complete
manner. The cavalry indeed finds much
green com, but everv one knows that it is
bad food for beasts, as it occasions the
glanders and other disorders. There is
neither wheat nor rye in those parts ; and
the indian corn of Ccimbra, which is in great
abundance, is all yet to be gathered, still
in the ground half ripe. They arc there
fore obliged to eat the corn roa3ted or
boiled. The condition of the French as
respects subsistence will not improve ; and
their situation is more critical at present
than it was in Beiia Alta : a single battle
may decide their fate ; ours would not be
determined bv two nor three. The French
Cavalry is in quality much inferior to ours:
their infantry cannot resist the formidable
attacks of our bayonets : the battle of the
27th is the pledge of our future victories ;
the Portuguese troops have proved to a
demonstration that perfect confidence may
be placed in them, and that they may rank
with the victorious veteran British troops ;
they long for the combat, as for a festival ;
such troops are invincible, especially when
fighting for the crown of their sovereign,
lor the salvation of their country, for the
glory of the nation. People of Btira Alta,
be not cast down by the invasion of a few
Tategt foreign HAka
Vanda!.?, circa !v di f r.ted ;— Divide r<-,!ir,
selves into patties, :ir ! attack th<-ir cl,*,
t'achments—Vcm will lint' them an easy
j conquest.
In a dispatch from his Excellency Lord
j Wellington to his Excellency Don Miguel
Pereira Forjaz, dated-t l.eiria on the 51
inat. is enclose J an original dispatch from
General Massena, directed to Bcrthier,
which was intercepted ; we publish it, not
because it is necessary to shew to the pub.
lie the scandalous calumny which it con
tains, pretending that the inhabitants de
sert their houses in consequence of the
threats, or of the punishment which they
sav the Marshal General would cause to he
inflicted on such as might remain in thtir
habitations ; lor the inhabitants abandon
their dwelling, because the cruelties and
outrages committed by the French-arms o- •
blige them to make those sacriii es of their
own accord—By the said dispatch of Mas
sena we see how much the enemy suffer,
and the inconveniencies which they expe
rience mall their oj erations, in coaacquet»c<
of the measures w hich his Excellency the
Marshal General recommended in hia
Proclamation of the 4th of A ugust. We
regret the inconveniencies, which the :n
habitants of the country suffer, by quitting
their habitations, but they must remem
ber that those inconveniencies arc insepa
rable from a slate of war, and that the
Portuguese bad much better have submit
ted to the tyisnt, if they cannot support
those privations which are temporary oniv
which deliver them trum the violence aud
outrages of the edemy', arid are in the high
est degree injurious to the invaders.
Dispatch of Mas sen a to Berthirr.
Monsigneur, The army left Almeida on
the 16th, as I have had the honor to in
form your Highness—The three divisions
of the army arrived on the 19th at Viseu,
after having traversed horrible roads ; the
enemy retreated in every direction on our
approach, and have formed a junction near
Coimbra. I caused the 2d and 6th corps
to be posted on the bridge of Criz.
The English who occupied that bridge
were dislodged ; tire 8vh corps is jet at
Viseu. The grand park of artillerv, aud
the heavy baggage still remain behind, and
will only arrive to-morrow. The baggage
was attacked by 2000 Portuguese, whom
300 men sufficed to repel t\ ith loss. ( This
was the Corps of Militia commanded by
Colonel '/'rant, which took tOO prisoners,
and retired on the cntrtvf s receiving tein
forccments.J It is impossible to hoi
woise roads ; they are covered with rocks;
our artillery and baggage have suffer* d
considerably, and now I am obliged to
wait for them. I must let them rern iin
two daj s at Viseu alter their arrival, to be
repaired, and shall continue my march to
| Coimbra, where I am told that I snail find
the English and Portuguese united. My
Lord : we are marching over deserts ;
not a single person do we meet ; every
place is abandoned: the English have ihe
barbarity to order the unfortunate persons
who remain in thtir houses to be shot;
women, children, the aged, all flee ; in
short no where can a guide be found. (It
is not the English who oblige the inhabitants
to fee: it is the love which they bear to
their Country, and the unheard of horrors
I which the french commit; in Canas de
I S'enhorim they killed an unfortunate man,
’’nfiom then found there ; and having found
some families in Herr a, they violated the
women publicly, &c. The deeds that
' they perpetrated in Spain are known to all
j Europe ) Our soldiers found potatoes
and some vegetables ; they are contented,
, and long m encounter the enemy. (And
< -hey gamed much by the first encounter. J
Ihe march has caused us a few sick.—
CBecause it lasted only six days.)
I am, «c.
(Signed) IVIASSENA.
October 4.
Dispatch from his Excellency the Mar
shal Commander in Chief to his Excellen
cy Don Miguel Pereira Forjax : — Most
illustrious and Excellent Sir; I have the
greatest satisfaction in announcing to your
Excellency, for the information ot his Kov
al Highness, that the combined army tin
der the orders of his Excellency the Mar
shal General Lord Viscount Wellington
has defeated the enemy’s army, command
ed by marshal Massena, in the attempt
which the latter made upon our position on
the heights of Bossaco. As his Excellen
cy the Marshal general will give, to be laid
before his Royal Highness, all the dttails
relative to the movements and dispositions,
which led to this brilliant victory, I shall
confine myself to what respects the particu
lar conduct of the troops ot his Royal High
ness, who covered themselves with glory,
and shewed themselves worthy emulators
of their companions in arms the English
army, and worthy heirs of the glcry of their
ancestors.
The enemy’s advanced posts having on
the 25th art ived at the foot of the mountain
upon which we were posted, they toolc *
position on the same dnv, and during the
2Gth the whole force efthe three divisions