The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-01-07

the campaign, acknowledges the loss Of AZ 900.
We suspect that even Napoleon was under the
mark, when, afterwards, at ST. Helena, he said
the Russian loss was 10000.
LIST. Col. Boutourlin, who wrote under the
eye of Alexander, says that at Tarontinc,
Kutusof was employed in recognising such
OF his corps as had escaped the massacre Of
BorodtRo;" an unguarded expression, betray-
ing more than he would have wished the world
to know, and clearly indicating what, in his
heart, he thought OF that affair.
I'd. Important as was the preservation OF
Moscow, in political point of view, kutusoff
made no further attempt to defend it. Had his
losses been less, or not greater than the French
he would not have resigned it to its fate, that
is, as the event proved, to utter destruction.
Sd. The Emperor Alexander had, after hear
ing the issue Of the battle, embarked the ar
chives of the State, the crown jewels, his :rea-
sures, &C.. ready to sail for England as soon
as the French should advance upon 81. Pc
| tersburg.
But the strongest proof of all is behind, and as
it weighs heavily upon the assertion that the
Russians are the best troops in the world, we
hasten TO put it forth. At the battle OF Malo-
Jaroslavetz, 10000 French under the Vlceroy,
Eugene Beauharnais,) routed |U,eou Rus
slams, with Kutusofi at their head. 1t was enas
bled to do so. for the very simple reason, that
the flower of the Russian troops had been de-
stroyed at Borodno. At Viasma, Eugene and
Dayout. with about 5000 men, beat of, and
even routed, IS 900 Russians. At Krashoi,
Kutusoff, with 100 600 men, was afraid to at
tack the French, who had not fifth of his
numbers. Throughout the retreat, indeed, the
French proved themselves infinitely superior
to their enemies in every fight, until they had
become dsorganised by the severity Of the
winter; after which, according TO Napoleon
himself, whole companies laid down their
arms, or fed at the sound Of Russian mus
ker. 1t was then that the Cossacs became
formidable, in cutting eff stragg lers, numbering
the wounded, intercepting provision, etc. In
the field, as long as the French army deserved
the name, they held them in perfect contempt.
A single company was sufficient TO disperse
thousand of them. While they were hanging
about the rear Of Marshal Ney, for the pur-
pose of cutting off stragglers, and numbering
| such as could not keep up, he frequently inter
| rupted their march by leaving in the road
| caisson of powder, with a slow match to it,
from which, when they saw the smoke begin
to rise, they galloped eff and kept at
distance until it exploded. If the cuirassiers
IL Ea- 81
had disabled them if they brandished their
swords over Paris, it was in company with
1000, 900 English, Russians, Austrians, Plus
slams, Bavarians, Dutch, Saxons, &c. BY
themselves they are fit for nothing but the
ghtest kind of service. We hardly think the
battle Of Borodino sustains the position that
the Russians are the best soldiers in the world.
If il had done SO, however, the campaign
against Poland, in 1881, would have destroyed
that character for them. In February of that
year, 200, 600 Russians, under the command of
the famous Balkan Passer Diebitsch, invaded
Poland, boasiing everywhere that they meant
to spend the next winter in Paris, SO light
matter did they esteem il to crush the little
nation Of 00o souls that had but &c, 600
men under arms, and had yet ventured to set
the Gear, with his innunerable legions, at de.
6ance. In three weeks, after fighting and
losing eigh. pitched battles, that host, leaving
$4,000 Of their number dead or in captivity ,ied
towards their own frontier, before the genins
and valor Of the immortal Skrznecki. Power.
fully reinforced, they returned, and met the
nj in full vfo ,f Oh
plains of Grochow. They numbered $50 GOO
men, of whom $4,000 were cavalry, and had
with them 400 pieces Of artillery. To oppose
them Skrznecki had only $4,000 men, OF whom
1000 were cavalry, and 81 pieces of cannon
The fight took place on the 25th of February,
on level plain, where the Poles could derive
no advantage from position, but were com
PEELED to depend alone upon their valor, and
the skill Of their chief. They had not had
time, even, 10 raise q redoubt, or to fortify
themselves in any, even the rudest Manner
For ten hours, upon that terrible day, did they
resist all the efforts of the Balkan Passer and
his enormous host, backed by the Russian In
perial Guard, 10000 strong, which had not
drawn trigger from ST. Petersburg to the Wis.
tula. At last the Russians turned and fed, leav-
ing 10000 men dead or wounded behind them.
From sheer exhaustion, the Poles were unable
TO pursue, for every man in their army had
been engaged. Had it been otherwise, the
Russian forces would never have been able
to rally. They would all have been DESTROYED
or captured, 10 a man. Far beyond their
reach, they rallied, and again reinforced, re-
turned to renew the contest. But the taste
they had had of Polish valor, left them no in.
clination to try it rashly second time. They
wasted away the campaign, until June, when,
with loo,eeO men, Diebitsch again attacked
Skrznecki at Ostrolenka. On this occasion
the Poles, only $4,000 strong, were obliged to
retire, but they did so in good order, leaving
2o,oo0 OF the enemy dead or wounded on the
field. AS long as Prussia preserved her neu.
srality, the efforts of the Gear were in yaio.-
He copld force the Vistula no where. The
treachery of Prussia gave him MASSAGE
through her territory, and the dissepsions If
Poland brought on the fall of Warsaw nm, :.
did not fall until September. No more wss
SAID about wintering on the Seine. Six
months had elapsed and ell the power of rho
Gar had been found NOT ,,oro Il