The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1825-10-10

between Barclay de FOLLY N Bagra
ton. had succeed TO the command oil
the Russian army prior tothe battle oi
the Moskwa, avoided general acti
on.but hung upon tho perlshing rem
nahts Of the French columns. OPP
posed them ut pcrilous passes, con
tronted them when compelled 10
cross the water courses. ~ Constraln-
ed them to proceed. halfnakcd,near-
ly without food. exposed 10 degree
Of cold too severe Cor the human CON
stitution. Arrived nj the Rcresina,
the situation ofNapolcou became cri-
teal and frightful Enyironed by
the enemy, it was thought that he
would have been taken. His good
fortune saved him. Kutusnti,, confor-
mably to his plan cooperation, which
nothing could induce him To relin-
quish, yielded the ground. and the
French began opass but n sharp
seton ensucd on their flank the
bridges, crowded To excess, by non
combatanls ~ we'll as Combatants,6y
carts, wagons, artillery. aud plum
der from Moscow, gave way, and
hundreds were crushed to death or
drowned IN the stream. Ihere was
an agony of suffering, a heart-ren-
ding scene Of 0yer-powerlng calam.
it5. Yet, in the depth Of distress,
those who survived marched on.
fighting and retreating Generals
without divisions colonels without
regiments /; and captains without
companies; almost all the horses
dead fragments oil cavalry dismonnt.
ed, and superior officers falling into
the remaining ranks with mu7kets,
In the use Of which they displayed
an unavatling valor.-Ihe cold be-
anne still more intense the mols-
tuIe IN the atmosphere was CONCEAL
ed, and iioated micy particles the
enemy tripped Napoleon, got IN
The rear, sct2ed bis magazines, and
acpri, cd hun Of his last hope ol snp-
plies in Poland. The central por-
ton ofthe grand army, reduced from
two hundred thousand men to four
or five thousand, gave itself up to de-
spair, was entirely dlsorgani2ed,
FASTENED ON in small bands, holly
pursued by the Cossacks and Rassi-
ans, and hardly found repose in the
territory of Prussia. where dlsaitec-
ton to Napoleon already began to
show itself. The emperor ot The
French, on reaching Poland, left his
Marshals, the scanty remains OF his
guards, and the skeleton OF the ar
my and its train of followers from
Moscow, and. giving them IN charge
tc Murat, to whom he assigned the
principal command, departed for
Paris, taking with him only Caalln-
court, Uuroo, Leblanc, aud his faith
ful MamcinGe.
The pages Of Count Segur's his
tory exhibit To US, in the person of
Napoleon. a man Of uncommon &C.
MUS, of brilliant taIents,o fertile in
yention, of gigantic designs; but
self wilIed and absolute IN bis own
view Of things. He is shown to us
in the pIentitudc ofpower aud IN the
gloom Of danger and misfortune !,
his proud banners now Heating IN
glory over PROSTATE nations, and
then scarcely visible amidst Russian
fogs, SHOWS, and morasses and the
hopes aud fears, the mental elevate
on and dependency, and anguish, Of
the Emperor, are sklllully delinea-
ted. The Count censures him IN
several instances for want of Nigour
AMI promptness, and particularly at
Tie battle Of the Moslswa. Through
out his work, however, he manitests
profound respect for his extraordi-
nary capacity, u attributes his iail
ings to bodily disease, and to that III
telectual collapse occasioned by the
uncertainty of events in an underia-
king of sach magnitude and the loss
cs and reycrses to Which he had not
been accustomed. But tojudge Ma
polcan correctly, it would be mdls-
rensa5le for critic to occupy his
place. There we're riyalrles and
lealousies among his Marshals and
Generals to control, his allies to con-
ciIiate or intimidate by appearances,
the Emperor Of Russia to contend
with. immense masses Of soldiers to
direct, the administration OF various
affairs to superintend; q he could not
1921 n..n..u ,yhern MistnI,cs