Mississippi Democrat. (Carrollton, Miss.) 1844-18??, 1845-08-27

and blood. 10 sword-cut, bayonet- thrust,
and the blaze Of artillery, the strong AL
pine storm was alike inyulnerable. On
the serried column and struggling line ii
Numbered with the same reckless power,
while over all the sited snow lay like one
vast winding sheet. No one who has not
seen an Alpine storm, can imagine the
fearful energy with which It RACES through
tho mountains. The light snow borne
aoft on its bosom, is whirled and scattered
like an ocean of mist over all things
Such storm now piled around them the
drifts which seemed TO form insantane-
ousIy, as by the touch of magician's
wand. All was mystery and darkness,
gloom and terror. The storm had sound.
ed its trumpet for the charge, but no note
Of defiance replied. The heroes Of SO
many battle fields stood in still terror
before this new and mightier foe. Crowd
ing together as though proximity added
TO their safety, the disordered column
crouched and shivered in the blast that
seemed to pierce their very bones with
chilling cold. But the piercing cold, and
drifting snow, and raging storm, and con-
cealed pitfalls, we're not enough to COM
plele this scene of terror. Ayalanches
fell in rapid succession from the top Of the
Splugen. Scaling the breast of the noun
tain with a single leap, they came with
crash on the shivering column, bearing il
away 10 the destruction that waited be-
meath. The extreme density of the at
mosphere, filled as it was with snow, i'm
parted infinite terror 10 these mysterious
messengers OF death, as they came down
the mountain declivity. A low rumbling
sound would be heard amid the pauses Of
the storm, and as the next shrek Of the
blast swept by, a rushing as of counter
blast smote the ear, and before the thought
had time 10 change, rolling, leaplng,
broken mass of snow burst through the
thick atmosphere, and the neXt moment
rushed with the sound Of thunder, far, far
below, bearing away whole company Of
soldiers 10 It's deep dark resting place.
On the evening of the 9Th of Deccm-
Der, the greater part of the army had pass
ed the mountains, aud the van had pushed
on as far as lake Como From the 26lh
Of November to the 9Th of December, or
nearly two weeks, had Macdonald been
engaged in this perilous pass. Nearly
two hundred men had persisted in the I'M
derlaking. and as many more mules and
horses We do not believe there was ano
Their general, except Ncy, that could have
succeeded in the face of such obstacles
as Macdonald was compelled to struggle
against. And we never in Imagination
see that long struggling line, winding it,
self like huge anaconda ouer the lofty
snowpeak of the Splngen, with the indomi-
table Macdonald feeling his way in front
covered with snow, while ever and anon
huge avalanches sweep by him, and the
binding storm covers his men and the
path from his sight, and hear his stern,
calm, clear voice directing the way, with
out feelings Of supreme wonder. There
is nothing like il in modern history, unless
it be Suwarrow's passage Of the Garus.
in the midst of a superior enemy. Bona
parties passage over the ST. Bernard-so
world.renowned was mere child's play
compared to it. That pass was made in
pleasant weather, with nothing but the
ruggcdness of the ascent 10 obsrnct the
progress. Suwarrow on the contrary,
led his mighty army over the Scachenthal,
breast deep in snow, with the enemy on
every side Of him, moving down his ranks
without resistance! Macdonald had no
enemy to contend with but nature but il
was nature alive and wild. The path by
which he led his army over the Splugen,
was nearly as bad in summer as The ST.
Bernard al the time Napoleon crossed il.
But in mid-winter 10 make path, and lead
an army Of fifteen thousand men through
hurricanes and avalanches, where the foot
Of the Channels scarce dared 10 tread, was
an undertaking from which even BonaparIe
himself would have shrunk. And Napo-
leon never perpeirated a greater false
hood, or one more unworthy Of him, than
when be said, "The passage Of The Splugen
presented without doubt some difficulties.
but Winter is by no means the season Of
the year in which such operations are con
Quoted with most difficulty; the snow is
then firm, the weather settled, and there
is nothing 10 fear from the avalanches,
which constitute the true and only danger
10 be apprehonded in the Alps.' Bona
parte would have Us 70 suppose that no
avalanches fall in December, and that The |
passage Of The Splugen in The midst OF hur
ricanes Of snow, was executed in "seitIed
weather" What then must we think Of
his passage Of the San Bernard, in summer
time, without foe TO modest him, Or an
avalanche to frighscn himf
But Macdonald's difficulties did not end
with the passage Of the Splugcn. To full
I'll the orders ofNapoleon 10 penetrate in
70 the valley Of The Adige, Ne had no soon-
nr arrived M Lake Como Than hc hsnan