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

TILE NATIONAL REGISTER.

FOREIGN IIVTELLIG CE.

FRENCII PAI CRS.

563

TIIIRCEENTH BULLETIN OF THE GRAND ARVY.
Smote! sko Aug t'l.

On the Bth, 12,000 of the enemy's cavalry marched upoi fr,kovo,
and iittneted General Count Sebastiani's division, which for half a
lengue was obliged to fight, retreating ali the day, sulf-ring and
causing rq..l loss to the enemy. A company of solticeurs, of the v.'4t
regiment ut light infantry, forming a part of a battalion of that reo-
- which had been confidcd the civalry, to maintain a positi ta
in a wood, was tiken. We hail about-200 killed and wounded; the
enemy may have lost the same number of men.
011 the t'.!th. the enemy's army having united at Sny.lensko, marched
by different points, with equal slowness and hesitation, upon Boreitch
and Nadra. .

On the 11,11, at brealoof-day, (.;eneral itoi.ehy marched urn
Leuebri, chased two regiments of Cossacks lions it, qthi there found the
corps of General Count Nanseuty. The totem gay the King of Na•
p!es, suppnr•ed by the Duke of Elchiugen. arrived at Krasitoi. The
'7th enemy's division, centisting of 5000 iefintry, suppo.ted by 2000
cavalry, a d 12 pieces of cannon, was in a po•ition I.efore that town :
it teas attacked and forced in an instant. by the Duke of Elchinktee.
The '24th iegirnent of light infantry nttacked the small t wn of Kr.'snoi
with the Imyunet, with great intrepidiiy ; the cavalry executed some
admirable charges. Baron Hordesoult, General of Division, and the
ad regiment of chasseuri, distinguished them-elves. 'Die taking of 8
pieces of cannon, 14 caissons, 1500 prisoners, with a field covered with
more than Woo Russian corpses, were the advantages of the battle of
Krasnoi, in which the Russian division, consisting of 5000 men, sulk
•
bred a loss of half its nuinher.
Isis Majegy, on the 15th, bad his h••ail quarters nt Koviontoia.
On the 16th, in the morning, the heights of Smoblk° were commentated.
The town presented to our view an enclosure of wails of 4000 toises,
ten feet thick, and twenty-five feet high, intersected with towers, se- ,
veral of which were armed with cmin-es rf a hea y calibre Upon
the right of the Borysthenes we rerceived, and knew that the euctuy
faced about, and hastily retraced their steps to defend Serolensko.
We knew that the enemy's Generals had received reiterated orders to
give battle, and save Smolensk°. The Emperor reconnoitred the town,
and placed his army in its position on the day of the 16th. Marshal
the Duke of Elchingen had the left leaning on the Bory•sthenes, the
Prince of Eck muhl centre, Prince Poniatowski the right ; the gnat d_
was placed in reserve in the centre, the Viceroy in reserve on the right,
and the cavalry under the orders of the King of Naples, at the extre •
ntity of the tight; the Duke of Abrantes, with the Bth corps, lost their
way, and made a f lie movement.
The 16th, and half of the 17th, was passed in observation. A fire
of musketry was kept up along tke line. The Cite Illy occupied Sito-
len.ko with 30,000 men, and the remainder of their a! my was Mimed
upon the fine positions upon the right bank of that niter, opposite to
the town. and communicating by three bridges. Smolensk(' is consi-
dered as a strong town by the Ittissines, and the bulwark of Moscow.
On the 17th, at two in the alternoon, seeing that the enemy bad
not debauched, that they were fortifying themselves in stoolensho,
and that they refused battle, notwithstanding the orders they had it-
ceived, and the fine positions they might have oecupiyd, their tight
upon Smolen.ko, and their left upon the banks of the Eorysther-es,-...
the enemy's General wanting resolution,—the Emperor marched upon
the right, and ordered Prince Poniatowski to change his (font, the
right in advance, and to place his right to the Borysthenes. occupying
one of the suburbs by posts and batteries, to destroy the bridge, and
intercept the communication of the town with the right bank.
During this time the Prince of Eekniuld received orders to attack
two of the.suburbs which the enemy had intrenehed. 200 tones distant
from the town ; and which were each defended by 7 a a 15000 men, and
heavy cannen. General Count Fl hint had orders to complete in.
vestment, in leaning his right towards Prince Poniiito•s, t 's corps,
hs left to the right of the rtttack made hy the Prin. e tit Ecknautd. At
two in the afternoon, Count lquyeres' division oi cavalry, after having
driven away the Co,saeks ama enemy's cavalry, approached the
brige hibhest up the river, a battery of ten pieces of artillery 'was esta.
bliAted upon this ground, and fired with grape-sly t upon that part of
the enemy's army which was upon the right by k the and
quickly obliged the Russian masses of intaetry t • ••acuate that po-
, salon.
The enemy then plaCed two batteries of twenty pia es of cantle ► in
a convent, to annoy the battery .which played up.. ne. bridge The
Prince of Eckmula intrusted the attack of.-the tiLto -uiiutbs to Count
Momnd, and that of the left to Psncrel Count Lsodii,
At three, the cannonade aoaneiced. At half, log a very