The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-09-09 00:00:00

• of Naples, at the extremity` o„ tl,e right; tie. 1: kept
Ablentes, with theSth corps, lost their e ay , and kad
made a fake movement.
'the 16th, and al( of•the VAN wits Os' tied lit ob•
serration. A fire of musketry *Ai kept up alnt4
the line. The enemy oecupited 'Stitisfensito witli
30,000 men, and the rentaitsdir49.Of their array wal ,
formed upon the fine positiOdsiti it fite right baek of
that river, opposite to' tbeiestq, add eentruunicniing
-by three bridges.
Smolensk° is considered el a "eV 1)1d. town by the
•Rusllans, and tin, bul wart'of iiiiiiscete.
On the 17th, at two its the ifiernoon, sappdstaig
tthill the enemy had not debrincheds that they wit'.
foitifying themselves in Vitadleoslo, and that.
.:refused battle, not with:n*o;4g the order* they
reeeivied, and the lute position they misfit • hilre•bto
reified, their right upon Smcdensko and their hit .
upon the banks of the florysihente, that the-ifoirii" iii
7Getkerat.wanted restitution, `tine &sperm' inarch4d
'open the'right, and ordered Prints Pmiatowskl to .
change his frdat, 'clie right i*tidsanee, and to pfici "
ihii right to the Bbrystbeite, ne,Copying One of lifb
kultarbs by posts and batteries, to 'destroy the beidga
• and intercept fr.he coinranuicatios of die town with tM
right hank. . . .
Daring this time Pirinee :of Eclimuld rkeieetr;
orders to attack two of thg suburbs, *kid) the eliemf '
had intrenched 200 foists dibtautelkom the torrnil!
: and whi'cli were each tielVistied by 't or SOW dui
andbeary cannon. Generitl•C'uhnt Piiant had or:
dois to complete the investment in %actin, hii right
towards Prince Pottiatowski‘s corps,, aiti his tat ti '
1. the tight of the attack made.by eho riitice of ikitia
multi. At two in the 2 ftetindiAil. Cibitif 'ftruiere's
division of cavatry,tfter having diiten away the Cob.
sacks and enemy's cavalry, •i'pprottehed the bridge
highest up the river. A battery of 10 pieces of ar.
aititlery was established upon 'this ground, and fired
with grape-shot upon that part of the eitemy'r army
Which was on the right bank of the aver, mid quickly
obliged the Russian Missies of hifantry Ito etracuati"
that position.
'The enemy then placed tiro batteries of twehtf ;
pierces of cannon in a convent, to atineithe battery
which played upon the bridge. Prinie Ecltmuhl tete •
ttrusted the attack of the tight suburbs to Coma 11110
rand, and that of the left, to General Count Gan:
;At three, the cannonade commenced : at half.ped
(oar, a very brisk tire of musketry began, an vt
tiv, the divisions of Morand and Guditi carried de
intretiched enemy's suburbs with a cool and rare In.
treoldity„ and pursued them to. the covered way,
which was strewed with Russian dead. Upon one
I left, the Duke of I.:lettingen attacked the positiort .
which the enemy had without the town, leithd upon
I it, and pursued them to the glacis.
At five o'clock, the communication of the town
with the right bank became difficull, and could only
be accomplished by isolated men.
Tliree batteries df breaching 12-pounders were
plated against the wailset six in the evening; one
byFriant's division; rand the two others by Morand
end Gudiu's divisione. We drove the enemy from all
the towers by howitzers, which played upon them. '
The General of Artiltery, Count Sorbier, rendered
the occupation of•thecovered way by the enemy im-
possible, by two' entiriaded batteries. Nevertheless
the enemy, who, ftotn two in the afternoon, per.
cared we had serious intentions against the town,
sent twoalivitions an& two-regiments of infantry of
the guard to reinforce the four divisions which were
iii the town. These united farces composed half 'of
the Russian army. The battle continued the whole
night ; three breaching batteries played with the: ut-
most activity ; tit o companies of miners were at-
tached- to the ramparts.
The town was now on fire in the middle of a fiat
August night. Smolensko offered the French a spec-
tacle similar to that which lin eruption of Nowlin-
presents to the inhalitants of Naples. An hour afterit
midnight the enemy abandoned the town, and retired •
across the river. At two o'cick the grenadiers, whir.
first led to the attack, no longer found resistance.-a•'
the place• was evacuated; 900 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.
'flurcomhat of Smolensk°, which we might justly
term a battle, a hundred thousand men having been
engaged on the different sides, caused the Russians a
loss of 4700 men, left dead on the•-field of battle; of
2000 prisoners, the greater part of which are wound.'
ed; and of 7to 8000 wounded. Aanoogst the dead
were found•five Russian Generals. Our loss amounts
to 700 killed, and 3100 or 3200 wounded. The
General of Brigade, Grebouski, was killed; and the
Generals of Brigade, Graticijeatt and Dilton, wound.
ed. ..All. the troops have rivalled each other in intre-
pidity. The field of battle has offered to the view of.
'00,600 pehons, who can attest it, the sight ofetais
French corps laying upon the dead bodies of selevii'••
or eight Roesians, meanwhile the Russians were rob'
teeted by the musketry fire from their trenches durst
ing a part of the days of the 15th and .
On the 18th, we established the bridges over thee
Boryothene, which the enemy had burnt, but did
not slimmed in quenChing the dre, •whichtconsuniedt
the tow niatitil 'the dare( the 13th, the French 'sappers'.
having.viorkod with great activity. ' The bootee hi
the city were tilled with the Residue, -dead iind ft.
inv.'. . • .- .I.t ..: . ,
Or 14dirishant whfeh 'comps:bed the' Grand • Rohn'
situ AnnyOriew *widens have been broken and de.‘
fasted in the Combats of Ostioviny, timber.* beet .witli`
the IMMO fate biotite battle of Mohilow, and sia iw Ns
beetle of .Smeitesske. They bare
,dely twee &Meow
of the Guards which remain entire. .1
The &ids df tetertry, which Tell"at howooVet
tint anity,wwstvildcle.leasatdisdagobitsd sischainabett,
of sliklers: in the ,isattieteffifsraniensisdi,ihail be Ow
sw4cot.ef * pa ttissiacripate: dieter kis the thasit