The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1853-03-25

angry mass below, looked like the foam of
sea wave as it crests on the deep. The rat
tling Of their armor and the muffled thunde
Of their tread drowned oil the roar of battle
as with firm set array and swift, steady mo
tion, they bore down with their terrible from
on the foe. The shock of that immense hos
was like falling mosntain, and the front line
of the Russian army went down like fros
work before it, Then commenced protrac
ted fight Of hand to hand and sword to sword
as in cavalry action at Eckmuh. The crash
ing of steel was like the ringing Of countless
hammers, and horses and riders were blended
in wild confusion together. The Russian re.
serve were ordered up, and on these Murat
fell with his fierce horsemen, crushing and
trampling them down by the thousands. But
the obstinate Russians disdancd to fly, and
rallied again and again, SO that it was no lon
ger cavalry charging on infantry, but squad
rons of horse gallopng through broken host,
that gathering into knots, still disputed with
unparalleled bravery the red and rent field.
! 1t was during this strange fight that Murat
was seen to perform one of those desperate
deeds for which he was renowned. Excited
to the highest pitch of passion by the obsta-
cles which opposed him, he seemed endowed
with ten-lold strength and looked more like
superhuman being treadng down helpless
mortals than an ordinary man. Amid the
roar Of artillery and rattle of musketry, and
falling of sabre-strokcs like lightning about
him, that lofty white plume never once went
down, while ever and anon it was seen glanc-
ing through the smoke OF battle the star of
hope TO Napolean. and showing that his fright
arm" was still upl(ted and striking for victo-
ry. He ragged like an unloosed lion amid the
foe; and his eye, always terrible in battle,
burned with increased lustre, while his clear
and steady voice, heard above the ,umult of
the strife, was worth more than a thousand
trumpets to cheer On his followers. Atlength,
seeing II knot OF Russian soldiers that for a
long time had kept up devourng fire on his
men, he wheeled his horse and drove in full
gallop upon their levelled muskets. A few
OF his guard, that never allowed that white
plume to leave their sight, charged after.
Without waiting TO count his foes, he seized
the bride in his teeth and with pistol in one
hand and his drawn sword in the other, burst
in headlong fury upon them, and scattered
them as if hurricane had swept by.
Though the cavalry were at length com
PEELED to retire, the Russians had received
check that alone saved the day. Previously,
without bringing up their reserve, they were
advancing over the field, but now they were
glad to cease the combat and wait for further
reinforcements under Lestocq, before they re-
newed the battle. have spoken Of the pro-
# ho Enb hn luu in ,bnr
place. Prodigies of vaor were performed on
all sides, and men slain by tens of thousands,
till night at length closed the awful scene,
and the Russians began to retire from the
field.
Such was the battle of Ely lau, fought in the
midst of piercing snow storm. Murat was
a thunderbolt on that day, and the deeds that
were wrought by him will ever furnish themes
for the poet and painter. But let the enthu-
siastc go over the scene on the morning af-
ter the battle, if he would find cure for his
love of glory. Fifty-two thousand men lay
piled across each other in the short space of
six miles; while the snow, giving back the
stain of blood, made the field look like a great
slaughter-house. The frosts of wintry morn
ing were all pnheeded in the burning fever
of ghastly wounds, and the air was loaded
with cries for help, and groans, and blasphe-
mics and cursngs. Six thousand horses lay
amid the slain, some stiff and cold in death,
others rendering the scene still more appall-
ing in their vast winding sheet of snow. Foe
men had fallen across each other as they
fought, and lay like brothers clasped in the
last embrace; while dismembered limbs and
disenbowled corpses were scattered thick as
autumn leaves over the field. Every form of
wound, and every notifications of woe, were
here visible. No modern war had hitherto
exhibited such carnage, and where Murat's
cavalry had charged, there the slain lay thick
est. Two days after the battle 5000 wound
ed Russians lay on the frozen field, where
they had dragged out the weary nights and
days in pain. The dead were still unburried,
and lay amid wrecks of cannons, and muni-
ton wagons, and bullets, and howitzers-
whole lines had sunk where they stood, while
epaulettes and neglected sabres, and muskets
without owners, were strewed on every side,
and thrown into still more terrible relief by
the white ground of snow over which they
lay. Said Napoleon, in his bulletin home,
after describing the dreadful appearance the
field presented-"The spectacle is sufficient
to inspire princes with the love of peace and
hnrror of war -