The native American., 1838-03-31

pie, sinking at once from enthusiasm, through the
whole scale, to suspicion, began to ask whether
the restoration of Poland could nationally be ex-
pected from the hand which had paralyzed the
| liberties of France?
| The war with Russia was begun. Alexander.
till now an auxiliary, was become principal: and
| for the first time in the history of modern Eu-
rope, the grand trial was to be made between
the strength of the West and the North. The
conflict had almost the interest of great dramatic
Representations; the dashing inrepidity, fierce en-
terprise, and splendid discipline of the armies of
France, was on one side; on the other, the stern
fortitude, iron perseverance, and desperate deter
minaton of the army Of Russia. The leaders IN
both sides, exhibited an equal and an extraordi-
nary contrast. Napoleon, the very genius Of
war, subtle, profound, rapid, with an instructive
love of battle; magnificent in his conceptions.
merciless in their execution, seeing nothing too
lofty or too deep to deter him, consumed with
passion for universal empire, and already crowned
with the laurels of unrivailed victories. Alexan
der brave, calm, and patriotic, compensating for
his inexperience in war by the sincerity of his
Intentions; for the narrowness of his military re-
sources, by the vastness of his territory; and pos
sessing against all the casualties of fortune that
noblest OF all courage which is to be found in the
righteous cause. Yet it is remarkable instance
councils of man, that this great empire, on the
very point of the most desperate of all struggles,
could muster but seventy-fve thousand men to
meet Napoleon, who, at the distance of six
hundred miles from France, with all Germany to
keep at bay, and with multitude of corps en-
ploycd III guarding the communications of this
immense line. was yet able to bring hundred
thousand veterans to the Vstula.
The first great action by which the contendng
forces were tried, the battle of Pultusk
Among Mr.. Alison's qualities for an historian,
one of the most admirable is the spirit of his mi
litary descriptions. Of this we now give slight
example,
g The position of Pultusk is the only one in
that country where the ground is so far cleared of
wood as to permit of any considerable armies
combating each other in proper field of battle.
An open and cultivated plain on this side of the
river Narew, there stretches out to the south and
east Of that town, which lies on the banks of it's
meandering stream-a succession of thickets sur
round this open space in all directions, excepting
that on which the town lies; and on the inside Of
them the ground rises to semicircular ridge,
from whence it gradually slopes down towards
the town one side, and the forest on the other;
SO that it is impossible, till this barrier is sur
mounted, to get glimpse even of the build
ings. There, the Russians were drawn up in adj
mirable order in two lines; their left resting on
the town of Pultusk, their right on the wood Of
Mozyn, which skirted the little plain, the artil-
lery in advance; but cloud Of Cossacks swarmed
in front of the array, and prevented either the
force composition of the enemy from being
seen by the French as they advanced to the at
tack. Sacken had the command of the left;
Count Osterman Tolstoy of the right; Barclay de
Tolly, with twelve battalions and ten squadrons,
od IN, IF fho Re,
ningsen was stationed in the centre-names des-
tined to immortal celebrity in future wars, and
which, even at this distant period, the historian
can hardly enumerate without feeling of exulta-
ton and the thrilling interest of former days.
In this campaign, we are not to forget that it
was fought in the depth of winter-December,
lS06-that too Of northern winter; and if any
conceivable addition coud be made to the severity
of the elements that it was winter in Poland, a
vast northern tabe-land swept by the wind direct
from the pole almost wholly wilderness, naked
of human habitation, and divided between marsh
impracticable forest, and plains as barren the
wilds of Scythia-that it to these hideous
soitudes that Napoleon brought the gay and gilt
terng battaions of the south, to struggle against
the inclement sky, the frozen ground, and the
Russian steel. Dearly did France pay for her
trumphs, but such are the prices which ambition
must pay for supremacy.
On the 26th of December, Marshal Lannes, at
the head Of fve-and-thirty thousand men, advanc-
ed to the attack. s'The woods which skirted the
little plain occupied by the Russian light troops in
front Of their position, were forced by the French
voltigeurs, after an obstinate resistance, and a
battery which CALLED their advance, and which
could not be Withdrawn, carried by assaults but
mo sooner had Lannes, encouraged by this sue
cess, surmounted the crest of the ridge, and adj
vanced into the open plain, than the cloud of Cos
sacks dispersed to the right and left, and exposed
to view the Russian army in two lines in admira-
BILE order, with hundred and twenty guns dis
posed along its front. Astonished but not panic
struck, by so formidable an opposition, Lannes
still continued to press forwards and as his divi-
sions successively cleared the thickets, and adj
vanced to the crest of the hill, they depoyed into
line. This operation, performed under the fire
of all the Russian cannon, to which the French
had as yet none of equal number to oppose, was
executed with admirable discipline, but attended
with very heavy loss and the ground was area-
dy strewed with dead bodies, when the line was
so far formed as to enable general charge to take
place. II was attended, however, with very little
success; the soil, cut upby the passage of SO many
,,,J W. IN kppp-