Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1813-02-04
TWENTY. NINTH BULLETIN OF THr.
GRAND ARMY
MoLopErscHvo. I'd DEE n

L
with the greatest success The cold Weather
| commenced the 9TH from that time. we have
! lost every night many hundreds ofhorscs :. which
oied white mounted on guard. Since our ar
rival at Smoensk, We have lost many horses
belonging TO the cavalry and artillery. The
Russian army OF Volhynie was opposed 70 our
right. Our right quilted the line of operat ions
on Mnsk and took ;or il that of Warsaw. The
Emperor was surprised az Smolens ON The
9Th ofths change in the line OF oner,, ;o,,s
and PRESUMED how the encmy would act How
ever difficult it appeared TO hfn to p,t hin, elf
in motion in this sevcre JASON, asn"w s,a,. Of
arrive at ain,f, or orr. IN s on ,1 nonsd to
before the er'eny-4sJs leit smolen4 on the
| lo'h, the 10Th ne arrived ut Hrasnoi. rhc cold
weather which commeIiSed the 7,h Increased
daily, and from the l4tlNo thfAylHnd 10Th.
the thermometer was at l6NsnN8 Acres he
low freezing, { ReaUptur) Thgroads were
covered with ice, the Horses ef~t,ie cavalry. ar
tile'Y ana baggage, persisted every night. NOT
ny hundreds bt by thousands, part;cularI,,
| those ot France Z Germany More than thirty
thousand horses persisted in few days our
| cavalry were dism9unted, orr artillery and our
baggage Wagons were without horses 7; be
| came necessary to destroy n great part of our
! artuiery, provisions, and munitions of war.
inns army in So fine condition on the 9th. was
very different on the 18th, almost without ca
| Vary' without artillery, and without Wagons
we could not guard without cava nv more than
4 quarter OF Observation-Disclosures with
out artillery we could not risk battle or main
tam position, we must march, not to be fore
ed tn battle, which the want If ar, illerv and
cavalry prevented us from wishing-we must
occupy Certain space not to be turned. and
tnat without cavalry which protects and uni,es
the columns. These difficulties. toe-ether with
excessive cold, rendered our situation distress
ing Men whom nature had not gifted with
that iortitrse whisiss PLACES them above the
'rowns OF fortune, dpTearedNarmcd, lost their
saiety' their good Wmor, AMI saw nothing be-
hose whom she had oSeatedIsnperior TO ever,
thing, preserved theirg.tistyh and ordinary man
ners, and saw a new glory N the various diff
culties they hadtQ suyInollnt
ne enemy who saw on the roads the traces
OF this awful calalnity which attended the
french army, sought to profit by it. They fl.
led up all tleir columns with Cossacks. who
carried of, Ike the Arabs in the desarts, the
| carriages and train tina were lost This con.
temptbe cavalry, who make nothing but noise
and is not capable of breaking one company OF
o. NoltiGeurs, render themselves formidable by
favor OF circumstances. Notwithstanding the
ereny had reason to repent Of all the serious en-.
terPrIzes which they Undertook They were
) Beaten by the Vice King and lost many men
Inc duke OF Elchirgcn, who with three thous
and men, composed the rear guard and scaled
the ramparts of smoenslS,rfisAyyas surrounded
and found himself ip1secriJicaiAs ituation-lc
extricated himself With uhat intrebdity which
distinguishes him. Aftet havingfepi the on.
envy at a disIancethe wi pie of the 18th, and
constantly r. pulsed them, be made 1 movement;
at night, by the right ftnA passed. the Borvs
tenes, an disappointed alNthe calculations o.
The enemy The '19tS e'es epemy passed the
tigaed after having Alost many VEN, gave over ,a
f this enterprise. -
The army of Volhvnte had march ed s;,ce
the sixteenth upon Minsk, and was going aeains
B"risow. General Domhrowski defended the
head OF the bridge ofBorisow with three tbou
sand men. The twent, third they were attack
cd and forced to evacuate that position The
enemy then passed the Beresna marching up
on Boil, the division ofL1mbert COMPOSING the
van guard the second corps commanded by
the duke Of Reggie, who was at Tchsre;n. had
received orders to-salxance to Borisow. to in
sure the'Passage Of the BefeSina. The twenty
fourth the dfFe. of RqsETo encountered the di.
vision of LambeIi, 4 lNlgues from Borisow, at.
tackled and atthem, Ipatle two thousand nri.
soners, took pieces Of 1850 Wagons
OF the baSSgaSeNet v olhyAies army, and drove
the enemy tome right bApk q the Beresina
GeneraN!t;erther, with the f5uSt N curiassiers,
|
The enemy sayed.themselyesS by burning the
bridge which was more than three hundred
toIses long.
Nevertheless the enemy occupied all the
passages Of the Beresna, this river is 10 toiscs
broad, he ics ggas Such thar Carriages 7,,igk,
pass oTer, but its borders are covered will
marshes 800 tcises long anoNxh;ch renders it q
difficult obstacle 20 ofercomeAN Ehe enemy ;
general had placed hisNegr diviSeas in differ
ent passes when he supIS6sed theNFrenoh ar
my would attempt a paysage TheA6th at day
break the emperor aftehhaying- s&ceived the
enemy by divers movements usst1e a, the 25th
marched against the village of~s. yfdzianca and
catsed likewise two br5ases to.Je thrown over
the river, Notwithstanding a division of the
enemy were oPDeted. The duke OF Reggie
passed, ATTACHED the enemy and kept them en-
gagged tw2fhours. The enemy retired to the
head OF " bridge Of Borisow, Gen. Legrand an
officer of the first merit was Severcly but not
ngerouslywounded, the army passed on the
25ti and 9th. The duke Bellune command
ms the 9Th corps had received orders to follow
the movement ofthe duke of Reggie, to com
pose the rear guard, and to detain the Russian
army OF the Dwina which followed him. The
division OF Par onaux composed tie rear Puard
ri this corps. The 9th at noon the duke Of
Bellune arrived withtwo Divisions at the bridge
OF studzianca. The div sidh OF Part0naux left
Borisow at night one brigads,ef this division
Which formed the rear guard, and which was
ordered to- burn the bridges, set off at in the
evening, it arrived between 10 and IL O'Clock,
lendeayored 10 find It's first brigade, and the
general OF division, who had set out two hours
before. The search was fruit!ess--they then
became uneasy. All that we have been able to
hear eincc ~ fftat ttie fret tr;arsI, ,,,s