Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1845-09-11

cended the Pragel and Vas fighting
desperately al Naefels, the rear guard,
encountered with the wounded, were
struggling in the Muo.,a Thai with
Massena and his baltaions. Then
these savage soliludes shook TO The
thunder of The cannon. and the roar Of
the muske,ry The startled avalanche
came leaping from the heights. ming.
ling its suIlen thunder with The roar Of
battle. The frightened channels paus-
ed on the high precipice to Catch the
strange uproar that filled the hills
The simple hearted peasantry saw
their green pasiurages covered with
battling armies. and the snow capped
height crimson with the blood of men.
Whole companies fell like snow
wrea,hs from the rocks, while the ar.
tillery plowed through the dense mass
of human flesh that darkened the
gorge below. For ten successive days
had these armies marched and combat
ted; and yet here, on the eleventh.
they struggled with undated resolu
ton. Unable TO force the passage TO
Naefels, Suwarrow took the desperate
and awful resolution of leading his
weary and wounded army over the
mountains into the Grisons.
Imagine, if you can. an awful soil.
,nde Of mountains. and precipices,
glaciers piled one above another in
savage grandeur. Cast your eye up
one Of these mountains 500 feet above
the level of the sea, along whose bo-
som, in zig gag line. goes narrow
path, winding over the precipices and
snow fields ill finally lost on the dis.
tan. summit. Up tina, difficult path.
and into The very hear, of those fearful
snow peaks. was the bold Russian re
solved TO lead his 400 men.
TO increase the difficulties that be
Sc, him. and render his destruction
apparently inevitable. the snow fell on
the morning he Sc. out. two feet deep.
obluera,ing all traces of the path, and
forming as i, were winding sheet for
his army. In single file and with
heavy hearts. that mighty host. one at
ter another. entered the snow drifts and
began the ascent. Only few miles
could be made the frs, day, and a.
night, without even a tree 10 kindle for
Ugh, around their silen, bivonacs, the
army lay down in the snow, the Al
pine crAgs around them for their sent.
nels. The mex. day the head of the
column reached the SUNNI. OF The
ridge, and 10! what scene was spread
out before them No one who has
not stood on an Alpine summit can
have any conception of the utter drear
mess of this region. The mighty
mountains. as far as the eve can reach
lean along the solemn sky, while the
deep silence around is broken by the
sound Of no living thing Only now
and then the voice Of the avalanche IS
heard speaking in its low thunder tone
from the depth Of an awful abyss,
or the scream Of solitary eagle cir
cling round some lofty crag. The bold
Russian stood and gazed long and anx
iously on his scene. and then turned TO
look on his struggling army. that. far
as the eye could reach, wound like
huge anaconda over the white surface
of the snow No column of smoke
arose in the desert wild to cheer the
sight. but all was silent, monrnful and
prophetic. The winding shee. of the
army seemed enrolled before them
No path guided their footsteps. and
ever and anon bayonet and feather
disappeared together as some poor sold
Ter slipped off the dye Of a preclplce
and fell into the abyss below. Hun.
dreds, overcome and dishearlenet, or
exhausted with their previous wounds,
laid down to die, while the cold wind.
as j. swept by, soon wrough. snow
shroud for their forms.
The descent on the southern side was
worse Than the ascent, freezing
wind had hardened the snow into a
crust, SO that i. frequently bore the
soldiers. Their bayonels were thrus.
into it, to keep them from slipping. and
the weary and WON creatures we're
compelled TO struggle every step 10
prevent being borne away over the
precipces tina, alnos, momen.arilv
stopped their passage. Ye. even this
precau,ion was often vain. Whole
companies would begin to slide toge,Il.
err, and despite Of every offor, would
sweep with shrek over the edge Of
the preclpice, and disappear in the UNI
rodden CULTS below. Wen saw their
comrades, by whose side they Tough.
in many battle, shoot one after anolh.
er over the dizzy verge, striking with
their bayonets as they went, 10 stay
their progress. The beasts Of burden
slipped from above and rolling down
ON the ranks below, shot away in wild
confusion. men and all. into the chasm
that yawned a, their feet
As they gradualty advanced, the enc.
my appeared around on the precipices.
pouring scattering yet destructive fire
on the struggling multitude Such
sight these Alpine snlitudes never saw
such march no army ever made
before. In looking at this pass the ,rav
eler cannot believe an army Of $4,000
men were marched over il through the
fresh fallen snow two feet deep. For
FIVE days they struggled amid these
gorges. and over these ridges. and final
l.. -..obaJ ,La phira a., H.. r.