Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1826-03-25

etbicks. What picture OF the situa-
ton OF Napoleon and the detestable ma
ture of war, have we in the following
passage concerning the state of things
after the battle OF Borodino, in which he
lost forty thousand men, and iorty-three
/ French Generals were either killed or
wounded:
The Emperor traversed the field of
battle the day after. Never had he be-
held one OF more hideous aspect
Every thing contributed to aggrayate Its
horrors-a lowering, dark sky; cold
rain; a violent wind; dwellings reduced
to ashes plain strewed with ruins and
carcases at the horizon The melancholy
and sombre verdure of the northern
trees; soldiers on every side wandering
among the dead and wounded, and Prov
ling for food even in the knapsacks OF
their PROSTATE comrades dreadful CASH
cs produced by the large balls OF the
Russians silent tents, in which no songs
or reci,as were any longer heard--no-
thing but gloomy taciturnity. Around
our standards were the remainder OF our
officers and suballerns and some soldiers,
hardly enough to protect them; and
these with their clothes torn, and blackcn-
ed with powder, and reeking with blood.
The redoubts were blocked up with our
fallen, and in following Napoleon our
horses feet would strike wounded mae,
and bring from him his last groan.--
The Emperor, until then as mute as his
victory, and oppressed by the view OF SO
many victims, could contain himself no
longer; he felt relief in expressing loud
his indignation, and causing kind Offices
to be lavished upon the unfortunate crea-
lures. Numbers lay in the bottom oil Tho
ravines, into which the greater part had
been precipitated, and many had creps
to be more safe from the enemy and the
storm.-Some,t the youngest, were groan-
ing forth the names OF their mothers or
their country :--the eldest were await
ing death with mien either impassive
OF sardonic, disdaining cntreaty or COM
plant; others called upon us to des-
patch them at once; but these misera-
Bile beings were quickly left, wI,hou, the
exercise towards them OF useless com.
passion or OF a cruel pity, One OF them,
however, who had lost both legs and an
arm, appeared so lively, and so full Of
hope, that we undertook 10 save him;
and il was observed, that as he was car
RED off he complained OF pain in the
limbs he had lost--no uncommon occur
renee i'll such cases"
f Such was the aspect Of Vietory, and
it was under the impressions received
! from such scenes, and the most acute
physical suffering, that Napoleon drew
near to Moscow--,he fatal vision which
dazzled his fancy at Paris. The arrival
of that grand army in the neighborhood
of the capital is admirably sketched by
Segur. 1t had dwlndled in all respects
by more than a moiety; but it still con-
sisted OF nearly one hundred thousand
men, with six hundred aud seven cannon,
Two thousand FIVE hundred artillery car
rlages, and five thousand baggage wa
gons.-As the French approached, the
extraordinary plan on the other side, of
deserving the city and then setting it on
FIRE, was in progress of execution Then
was completed the strongest exemplih-
cation of the celebrated lines
Amusement IN his van, with Flight combined
And Sorrows fadedform and Solitude behind
There was indeed more than the mere
form OF Sorrow--ior the historian aptly
remarks tbat the means which issued
from Smolensko, become one vast hos
pital, seemed to drown the cry OF Glory.
A few Of the anecdotes which he re-
laies OF the Russians, may be introduced
here With propriety. The priests, he
says, taught the peasanlry to believe that
the invaders were actually Iesions OF de-
wills commanded by Anlichrist; Internal
spirits, the sight of whom should produce
horror; and whose touch was con,ami.
nation. Their French prisoners dis
covered that they would not employ any
Of the utensils which the French had ever
used, but kept them for domestic AMI.
mails OF the dir,iest kind.
Pla,of, the command
err of the Cossacks, confessed, that when,
in an engagement between Gjatz and
Borodino, an officer was killed near him,
he was not surprizcd at it himself; but
nevertheless caused the 8orcerer who
accompanied him 10 be whipped for hav-
ing been SO lazy as not to turn aside the
balls by his conjurations, as he erhressiy
charged him SO TO do. Not far
from Moscow, and by order of Alexan-
der, a balloon was constructing under
the supcrintendance OF German artist.
The first destination Of the aeronaut was
TO hover over the French army, single
out its chief, sand crush him with dis
,ho oC Ero C.uar,1