Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1853-01-20

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mtted to its care. Nothing could be more
imposing than its movement to the assault.
Ii had never recoiled before human foe.
ard the allied forces beheld with awe its
finn and steady advance to the final
Charge. For moment the batteries stop
ped playing, and the firing ceased along
the British lines, as without the beating
Of a drum, or bugle note to cheer their
steady courage, they moved in deed ST.
lence over the field. Their tread was like
nufied thunder, while the dazzling he'll
NETS of the cuirassiers flashed long
streams of light behind the dark and ter
rible mass that swept in one strong wave
along. The stern Drouet was there amid
his guns, and Oh every brow was written
the unalterable resolution to conquer or
die. The next moment the artillery O.
pened, and the head of that gallant COL
umn seemed to sink in the earth. Rank
after rank went down, yet they niether
stopped nor faltered. Dissolying squad
rons and whole battalions disappearing
one after another in the destructive fire
affected not their steady courage. The
ranks closed up as before, and each
treading over his fallen comrade, pressed
unfinchingly on.
The horse which Ney rode fell under
him, and scarcely had he mounted an
other before it also sank to the earth, and
so another and another, till FIVE in sue
cession had been shot under him. Then,
with his drawn sabre, he marched sternly
at the head of his column. In vain did
the artillery hurl its storm of iron into
that living mass. Up to the very muz-
zles they pressed, and driving the artil-
lerymen from their pieces, pushed on
through the English lines. But just as
the victory seemed won, file of soldiers,
who had laid fat on the ground behind
a low ridge of earth, suddenly rose and
poured a volley into their very faces
Another followed, til one broad sheet Of
fame rolled on their bosoms, and in such
a fierce and unexpected flow that they
staggered back before it. Before the
Guard had time to rally again and ad-
vance, a heavy column Of infantry fell
on its left flank in close and deadly vol
leys, causing it, in its unsettled state, to
swerve to the right. At that instant a
whole brigade of cavalry thundered on
the right flank, and penetrated where
cavalry had never gone before.
That intrepid Guard could have borne
up against the unexpected fire from sold
iers they did not see, and would also have
rolled back the infantry that had boldly
charged its flank; but the cavalry finish
ed the disorder into which they had been
momentarily thrown, and broke the shak-
en- ranks before they had time to reform,
and the eagles of that hitherto inyincible
Guard were pushed backward down the
slope. 1t was then that the army, seized
with despair, shricked out. "The Guard
reciols! The Guard recoiIs!" and turned
and fed in wild dismay. To see the
Guard in confusion was sight they had
dever before beheld, and it froze every
heart with terror. Still those veterans
refused to fly; rallying from their disor-
der, they formed into two immense
squares of eight battalions and turned
fercely on the enemy, and nObly strove
to stem the reversed tide of battle.
For long time they stood and let the
cannon balls plow through their ranks,
disdaining to turn their backs on the foe.
Michael, at the head of those battalions,
fought like lion. To every command
of the enemy to surrender he replied
'The Guard dies it never surrenders,' and
with his last breath bequeathing this glo-
rious motto to the Guard, lie fell wit
ness to its truth. Death trayersed those
eight battalions with such rapid foot
step that they soon dwindled away to two,
which turned in hopeless daring on the
overwhelming numbers that pressed their
retiring footsteps.
Last of all but single battalion, the
debris of the "column of granite" at Ma
rengo, was left Into this Napoleon flung
himself. Cambronue, its brave comman-
der, saw with terror the Emperor in its
frail keeping. He was not struggling for
victory, he was intent only on showing
how the Guard should die. Approaching
the Emperor, he cried out, "Retire! Do
you not see that death has no need YOU!
and closing mournfully yet sternly round
their expiring eagles, those, brave hearts
bade Napoleon an eternal adieu, and fin
ging themselves Oh the enemy, were soon
piled with the dead at their feet.
Many of the officers were seen to destroy
themselves rather than survive defeat
Thus, greater in It's own defeat than any
other corps of men in gaining a victory
the Old Guard passed from the stage and
the curtain dropped upon its strange ca
reer. 1t had fought its last battle.
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