Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1838-12-28

the grca! Forest OF Elders, conspicuous
from where stood, was placed the reserve.
commanded oy the Grand Duke Constan.
tine. Against this vast army the Poles
opposed less than fifty thousand men, and a
hundred pieces Of cannon, under The com.
mand of General Skuizyneck!
AT break Vt day the whole force Of the
Russian righ wing, with terrible fire Of
fifty pieces Of artillery, and columns OF
infantry, cha'ged the Polish left with the
de,erminn'io, of carrying it with a single
and overpowcring effort. The Poles with
six thousand five hundred men. and twelve
pieces Of artillery, not yielding a foot Of
ground, ,rd knowing they could hope for
no succ0. sisted this attack for several
hours NTH the Russians slackened their
FIRE. AIou, ten o'clock the plain was sud
denly covered with the Russian forces,
issuing from the cover of the forest, seem
ing one undivided mass of troops. Two
hundred pieces Of cannon posted in single |
line. commeiced a fire which made the
earth iremble and was more terrible than
the Oldest officers, many Of whom had
tough, at Mare,go and Austerlitz, had ever
beheld. The Russians now made an attack
upon the right wing. but failed in this as
upon the left. Dlebisch directed the
strength OF his army against the Forest Of
Elders, hoping to avlde the Poles into two
parts. One hundr,d and twenty pieces OF
cannon were brought TO bear on this one
point, and fifty batiaions necessarily pushed
to the attack, kept W scene Of massacre
unhcard Of in The annals of war. a Polish
officer who was in the battle, told me that
the small stream which intersected the
forest was so choked with dead that The
infantry marched directly over their bodies.
The heroic Poles, with twelve battalions,
for four hours, defended the forest against
the tremendous attack. Nine times they
were driven out, and nine times, by series
Of admirably executed manOuvers, they
repulscd the Russians with immense loss.
Batteries, now concentrated in one point.
were in moment hurried TO another, and
the artillery advanced to the charge like
cavalry. sometimes within a hundred feet
of the enemys columns, and there opened
a murderous fire of grape.
AT three O'Clock the Generals, many oil
whom were wounded. the most Of whom
had their horses shot under them, uut
fought on foot OF the head Of their divisions
resolved upon retrogade movement, so a:
|
, The Russian troops then debouched frou
the forest, cloud of Russian cavalry, will
| several regiments Of heavy cuiruss'crs q
their head, 10 The attack. Col. Plen'ka
who had kept up an unremiting fire from hi
uutteIy tor uvc nuurs, eu,,us W.T." ~. 9. Z.
sang froid, upon a disabled piece Of cannon
remained 10 give another effective fire
then left at full gallop post which he ha
so long occupied under the terrible fire O
, the enemy's artillery. This rapid move
ment Of his battery animated tho Russia
2 forces. The cavalry advanced on lro
e upon the line of battery Of rockets.
terrible discharge was poured into ,hei
g ranks, and The horses, CALLED to madnes
, by the fakes OF fire, became wholly IN
, governaole. and broke away, spreadin
n disorder in every direction; the Who'll
3 body swept helpessly along the FIRE of tn
Polish infantry, and in few minutes wa
j so completely annlhilated that of req
# ment OF curassers who bore inscribed o
their helmets the "lnvincbles" not a ma
Il escaped. The wreck of fhe routed cavalry
pursued by the lancers, carried along in II
flight the columns of infantry. genera
retreat commenced, aud the cry of "Po'an
1 forever!" reached the wa lis OF Warsaw
cheer the hearts of its anxious 'nhabltanl'
So terrible was the fire of that day, that
, the Polish army there was not a slngl
y general or staff officer who had not b
: horse killed or wounded under him; tw
thirds of the officers, and. perhaps, of tn
=; soldiers, had their clolhes pierced wit
balls, and more than tenth part OF tn
e army were wounded. Thirty thousan
u Russians and ten thousand Poles, wer
!. left on The field Of battles rank upon ran
II lay PROSTATE on the ground, aud the Fore'
of Elders was so strewed with bodies thu
d it received from that day the name Of II
o "forest of the dead" The Car hear
r. with dlsmay and all Europe with as'onlsi
!. ment, that the crosser of the Balkan hs
d been foied under the walls of Warsaw.
!. All day, my companion said. the cannon
v -I'"e - -. ~ O. l. 9 -''i-,'','
/ both sexes and all ages, were assembled {
| he spot where we stood, earnestly watcl
N ing the progress Of the battle, sharing
N all its vlcissltudes, in The highest state
r excitement as the clearing up of the CO
" umns of smoke showed when the RUSSIA
q or Poles, had fed; and he described Il
ID entry of the remnant of the Polish arm
,. into Warsaw as sublime and terrible the
hair and faces were begrimed with powd
and blood; their armor shattered and br
ken, and all. even dying men, were single
patriotic songs; and when the fourth reg
ment, among whom was brother of n
in companion, and who had particularly di
h, tingushed themselves in the battle, cross
10 the bridge and filed slowly through I
Of streets, their lances shivered against 1
~ cuirasses of the guards, their helmets br
~ ken, their faces black and spotted wi
W. blood, some erect, some lottering, and sol
~ barely able 10 sustain themselves in I
81 saddles above the din Of the chorus
Datriotc SONGS rose the distracted cries