Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1846-10-22

ndu lufueu 10 INC duput ldNc, auh Ncic neiS"
ing back down the mountain, declaring the pas
sage to be closed.
fastening forward, he cheered up the men, aud
walking himself at the head of the column with
long pole in his hand, to sound the depth Of the
treacherous mass he treading upon, he revived
the dropping spirits OF the soldiers "Soldiers,
said he, your desiinies call you into Italy advance
and conquer-hrst the mountains and the snow,
then the plains aud the armies. Ashamed TO see
their leader hazarding his life al every step where
they refused to 90 the soldiers returned cheeruiy
to their toll aud cut their way through the solid
hill of ice But they had scarcely surmOunted this
obstacle when the voice Of the hurricane on It's
march was again heard aud the next moment
cloud Of driving snow obliieraied every thing from
their view The path was filed up, and all traces
Of 1t swept utterly away Amid the screams OF the
guides, the confused commands Of the officers, and
the bowling OF the hurricane, was heard the rapid
thnnder-crash Of aValanches they leaped away,
at the bidding Of the tempest down the precipices
Then commenced again the awful struggle OF the
army for life. The foe they had TO contend with
was am outward one though not OF flesh aud blood
To sword.eut, bayone;.thrus, and the blaze OF ar
iillery the strong Alpine storm was alike nvulnera-
bic On the serried column aud the struggling
line, it Numbered with the same reckless power
Over the long black line Of soldiers, the snow lay
like a wind. ng-sheei. and the drge seemed already
chanied for the dead army. No one who has not
seen an Alpine storm can imagine the reckless en-
ergy with which RACES through the mountains
The light snow, borne aloft on It's bosom, was
whired and scattered like an ocean Of mist over all
things The drifts were piled like second noun
tains in every direction, and seemed TO form in-
simultaneously, as if by the touch Of magician's
wand The binding fury of the tempest bafied all
efforts TO pierce the mystery aud darkness that en-
yeoped the host elinglng in despair TO the breast
OF the mountain. The storm had sounded its trum-
pet Cor the charge. but no answering note OF de-
I fanee replied The heroes of so many battle fields
stood in still terror before this and mightier
/ foe Crowdng together as If proximity added TO
( their security, the mighty column crouched and
shivered 10 the blast that pierced their very boues
! with its chilling power. But this not ail-the
I piercing cold and the drifting snow, and ravng
tempest, and concealed pitfalls leading to untrod-
den abysses, not enough TO complete the scene
/ of terror Suddenly, from the summit Of the
Spugen avaianehes began to fall, whose path eros
sed that Of the army. Sealing the breast of the
mountain with single leap, they came with crash
on the shvering column. and bore IT away to the
I destruction that waited beneath Still, with un-
/ daunted front aud uuyieding will, the bold Mac
donald struggled on in front, inspiring by his ex-
I ample as be never could have done BY his com
mands the officers and men under him Prodgies
were wrought where effort seemed useless The
first avalanche, as 1t smoie through the column
paralyzed for moment every heart with fear; bui
they soon began to be viewed like so many dis
charges Of artillery, and the gaps they made like
the gaps discharge Of grape-shoi frequently made
in the lines on field Of battle L hose behind
closed up the rent with uniaering courage. Hes
itaiion was DEATH The only hope was in advane
ing and the long and Struggling line Aondered on
IN the snow, like huge anaconda winding nsel
over the mountain. Once, as an avalanche cu
through the ranks, bearing them away to the abyss
I young man seen 10 wave an adeu TO hI:
young comrade left behind, as he disappeared oyeI
4 the crag The surviving companion slept into the
path where it had swept, aud before he had crossed
it, laggard block Of ice came laundering down
and bore him away TO Join his comrade 10 the gul
where his crushed form still lay throbbing. The
extreme density Of the atmosphere, filled it wa.
with snow gave ten-fold horror these mysteriou.
messengers Of death, as they came down the noun
tain declivities. A low rumbling would be heart
amid the panses Of the storm. and the next Shrek
of the bias, swept by, rushing, as if counter
blast, smoie the ear; and before the thought hat
time to change, a rolling, leaping, broken mass o
snow burst through the thick atmosphere, and thu
next moment, crashed with the sound Of thunder
far, far below. bearing along part Of the column
70 its deep, dark restug.place.
On the evening of the 9Th OF December, tn
greater part OF the army had passed the mountain
and the van had pushed even TO Lake Como From
! the Goth Of November TO the 9th Of December, o
, nearly two weeks had Macdonald been engaged il
this perilous pass less energetic, indomitabl
man would have failed aud he himself had escap
, ed utter destruction, almost by miracle. As
was, he left between one and two hundred men il
the abysses OF the Splugen, who had slipped from
the precipices had been carried away by ava
lanches during the ioilsome march. More than
hundred horses and mules had also been hurle'
/ into those untrodden abysses TO furnish food 70
the eagle and raven and beasts Of prey.
This passage of the Spugen, by an army of 81
. teen thousand men, in the dead Of winter, ant
amid hurricanes Of snow and falling avalanches
stands unrvalled in the history Of The world, unles
the passage ofthe Pragel by Suwarrow be It's couH
4 terpart Ii is lIue, Bonspare spoke disparagingl
e Off, because he wished his passage over the S
, Bernard in summer time, to sandi alone besid
= Hannlbals famous march over the same mountain
+ With all his greatness, Bonaparle had some mlser'
bly, mean traits Of character. He could not bea
to have one ofhis generals perform a greater fe'
d than himself and so he deliberately lied about Til
u achievement Of Macdonalds. In his dispatches
II the French government, he made it out a sma
d affair, while he had the impudence to declare tbi
4 this "march OF Macdonald produced no good effect
e Now one Of three things is true Bonsparie eiiht
r, was ignorant Of his true situation, and commando
the passage ofthe Splugen 10 be made under falls
Al alarm or else it was mere whim, in which b
Al reckessness OF the lives and comfort Of his con
d ,rymen is deserving of greater condemnation thl
h his ignorance else he has uttered falsehood
ID gross il is mean. The truth is, Bonarar
$ thought posterty could be cheated as easily as b
is contemporaries. In the dazzling MONDAY of
in fame, he could make catering press say what
re liked, and the world would believe Il but the
ID multi and false splendOr Of his life have passed
= and men begin to serutinize this demi,god liz!