The Wilmingtonian, and Delaware register., 1825-06-09
sEcUR,s HISTORY
of Nap0leon's Expedition to Moscow

we in thesfollowing passage concerning the
state of thilfASafter the battle of Borodino,
in which hsAloSt kQrty thousand men, and
forty three N'rAch generals were either kill
led or wounde9 sA D. Il
"The Empe M ssFessrd Ne field of A<t-
tie the dy alter n Sssr uaa nc beheld one
Of a md hideous assf xvsry thing con
tribut 10 agsyay4 ,prrpfE-a lowering
dark sky; a coialt giolent wind; dwell
hngs reduced 60 a5hsss piain strewed with
ruips and carcassts,at the herizon the mel
aneholy and soubre verdars of the north
erri trees; soldiers on esery side wandering
among dead and wounded and proving for
food even in the knapsacks of their prostrate
comrades; dreadful gashes produced by the
large balls Of the Russians, silent tents, in
which no songs nor recitals were any longer
heard -nothing but gloomy taciturnity.
Around our standards were the remainder
of the officers and subalterns and some SOL
diers, hardly enough to protect them; ana
thesc with their clothes torn, blackened with
pewIer and reekinc with blood. The are
doubts were blocked up with our fallen, aIfl
in following Napoleon, our horses teet'
wouN strike a wounded man, and bring from
him his last groan. The emperor, nntli
then as mute rs his victory, and oppressed
by the view Of so many victims, could con-
tain himself no longer; he found reliet y eNa
pressing aloud his Indignation, and causing
kind Offices to be layshed uDon the uniortl-
nate reatures.-Numbers lay in the bottom
ofthe ravines, into which the greater part
had been precipitaicd, and many had crept
T. be more safe from the enemy and the
storm Some, the youngest, were grooming
forth the names of their mothers or their
country.-thc elder were awaiting death
with mein either impasslve or sardonic,
dlsdaining entreaty or complaint; others
called upon us to dispatch them a once;
but these miserable beings were quickly
left, without the exercise towards them ot a
useless compassion, on OF cruel pity. Ghc
of them, however, who had lost both legs
and an arm, appeared so full u hope, that
we undertook to save him; II was observed
that as he yas Carried of he complained q
pain in ihe limbs he had lost, no uncommon
occurrence i'll such cases.
Such was the aspect OF pttarY; and i
was under the impressions recenel from
such scenes and the most accute physlcaf
sufferngs rhat Napoleon drew nsart7 -'l9S-
co4g,-the fatalyision which ddzzled his t4si-
cy at Paris. The arrival Of the graldarni!
IN the neiphborhood ofthat capital is aamira-
bly sketched BY Segur. 1t had dwinlled in
ali respects by more than moicty; but il
sim consisted Of pcarly one hundred thaus-
and men with SX hundred and seven can
non two Thousand FIVE hundred artillery car
rages, and five thoussnd baggage wagons,
As tile French approached, the eNtraordn-
ary plan on the other side, of deserving inc
city, and then setting it on fire, was in pro-
gress Of execution. Then was COMPLETED
the strongest exemplihcation Of the celtors.-
ed lines
"Aml2ement in his van, with Fligh; combnl,
And sorrows faded form and solltu s-hehnd" !"
There was indeed, more than the mere
form Of sorrow--for the historian apty re
marks that the means which issued from
Smolensko. which was new one vast hospital,
seemed TO drown the cries q Gi5r9.
a few of the anecdotes which he relates Of
the Russians may be introduced here With
propriety. The priests. he says, taught the
peasantry to believe that the invaders were
actually lcgiohs Of devils, commanded IS
Antichrst; Internal spirits, the sisht ot
whom should produce horror; and waoSe
touch was contamination. Their French
prisoners disco,e cred that they would Hot
employ an! Of the utensils which the reh5
had once used, but kept them Tor the g.
nestie animals Of the dirtiest kind
PidtoF, the commander OF the CossaGks,
confessed that when, in an engagement be.
tween Gitaz and Borodino, an officer vas
EAled near him, he was net surprised II i
himself out nevertheless caused the Sorce-
yor who accompanied HIM TO Be whipped f9r
having been so lazy as not to turn aside the
balls bv his conjuration, as hehG9 eIhreSS!g
charged Alm 10 do Not far from
Moscow, and BY order of Alexander, ba!-
loon was constructing under the superin.
tendance of a German artist. The first de,-
tination ofthe aeronaut was 10 hover over
the French army, single out its chief, and
"crush him with q discharge Of fire and IRON
Several attempts were made to raise die
oalloon, but they failed, the springs Of its
wings being found too weak Some of
the Cossack chiefs asked the French officers.
with honest sincerlty.-"Have YOU not at
home, enough ot gram, air, and tom5s--
space enough TO live and be burieda If So.
why do YOU come SO far TO lavish Your LIKES
and tertilize foreign soil with your blood!''
OF like purport was the address Of the Scy-
shians to Alexander. The French coull on-
" answer-"We come because our F.mpe-
ror Wills it and wants more ''g!orp." Ptect.n.
sar .4chipi =. At Wilma, French geu-
eral inconsderately asked Russian Office
who appeared at the French head-qnarters
As hag Of truce, what they would find be-
tween Nzma and Moscow. "PultQsya. !"
kercely replied the Russian. We do not
recollect a more pertinent or spirited reto,s
than this. The fate OF the Swedish '.con-
qaeror'' haunted the imagination Of NSp6-
leon. When, OIL his final retreat, lie found
Sis