The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-09-28
ROSTOPCHIN'S PAMPHLET.
TcoYTfsuEp.l


street occupied by wheelwrights and carriage
stores. When the army Of Napoleon arrived,
several generals and other officers went to this
quarter, and after visiting the various establish
ments, they chose carriages for themselves
and wrote their names on the pannels. The
owners, with one accord, determined not to
furnish the enemy with carriages, and, there
FORE, during the night, set fire to the stores.
A merchant, flying with his family TO Jaros.
law, left his nephew TO take care of his house.
This last, after the return Of the police to Mos.
COW, presented himself before it, and declared
that there were seventeen dead bodies in his
uncle's cellar, and he accounted for it as fol.
lows: The day after the enemy entered the
city, four soldiers came to his house and exam,
ined Thoroughly. Finding nothing worth car
rying of, they went down into the cellar, which
was in the basement, and there found an hun
dred bottles of wine. After having made the
nephew of the merchant understand by signs,
hat he must take care Of it, they departed,
and returned in the evening. accompanied by
thirteen other soldiers. They had candles lit,
went down into the cellar, and fell to drinking,
singing. and finally, to snoring. The young
Russian merchant, seeing them buried in
drunkenness, conceived the idea of destroying
them all. He shut the cellar, barred it by
placing stones against the door, and fled into
the street. A few hours afterwards, having re-
fected that those seventeen men might escape.
meet him, and put him to death, he determined
to set fire to the house, and effected it by
means of straw.
1t is probable those seventeen men were sti-
fed by the smoke. Two men, one the porter
of NJ. Mauravieve, and the other a merchant
fire to their houses. and shot.
There is another cons liberation. Moscow
having been the goal of Napoleon's expedition
in Russia, the pillage of that city had been
promised to the army. After the battle of Smo-
lensk, the French army became scarce of pro-
visions, and lived sometimes upon rice, and at
others upon horse flesh. 1t was but natural
that those troops, arriving in an immense city,
abandoned by the inhabitants, should scatter
about in the houses to find something to eat
and to pillage. On the very first nigh of the
occupation of Moscow, the long row of shops
opposite the Kremlin were on fire. Immediately
after, and almost without interruption, one after
another, there were fires in several other quar-.
tiers. Blu, on the fifth day, violent wind spread
the fame every where, and in three days it de-
stroyed seven thousand six hundred and thirty.
two houses. No great care could have been
expected of the soldiers, who visiting the
houses in the night, found their way by means
of ends of candles, torches and fagots. Some
even built up fires in the court yards to keep
them warm. The order of the day, which al-
lowed each regiment bivouacked near the city
to send specified number of soldiers to pill
lage the houses already burnt, was. in point OF
fact, an invitation, or at least, permission to
increase the number of houses in that cond-
ton. But what most confirms the Russians
in the belief that Moscow was burnt by the
enemy, is the very useless blowing up of the
Kremlin.
This is what have to say with regard to
this great event, which appears the more SUBJ
lime because there is no parallel to it in histo~
~.
Napoleon left the Kremlin for three DAYS.
and returned to it TO await peace, in the midst
Of the ashes of the smoking city. But his des-
tiny had been accomplished, and the finger of
Providence pointed out Moscow as the com.
mencement of bis fall, as it did ST. Helena as
the termination of his career.
will now make some observations upon 4
work lately published by NJ. M***, under the
title Of "The Expedition to Russia In that
work there is much truth and impartiality,
though that portion of it which relates to the
occupation of Moscow, forms an exception TO
this general character. l will say nothing
more about the burning of Moscow, but will
correct certain mistakes of M. Mss with re.
gard 10 several facts which he states, following
in the train of other writers who care little
about the truth of their narrative. This ia not
applicable TO the military operations of which
the author was an eye witness, and which he
describes like an experienced officer. His cr-
ticism is sagacious. He does not convert his
tory into romance, and bears no resemblance
to that class of authors who take pleasure in
speaking nonsense, not only with regard to
individuals. but with respect to whole nations;
as for instance, the author of the annals of
France, who calls the Russian natiou Cattle
with human faces" or the Mirror" which
asserts that the Russian braves death in battle
under terror of the knout; or the newspapers
which take pleasure in representing the Rus
sian army as composed of savages, of Cossacs;
and other stale calumnies and tissues of lies:
as for instance, I" Russia and Slavery" " the
Disaster OF Moscow, &c." For my own part,
1t were to begin to tell all the falsehoods that
have been told with respect to me, l should
never be able 10 get through them. am some
times said to be of humble origin; then again
OF low birth, employed in the vlest Offices Of
the court; buffoon on the Emperor Paul
says one; others say that was destined for
the priesthood punit of tto Ar.hh;.L D,