New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1858-10-25

got out Of the campaign fn better plight. Even now
nls deSp9nideney was perhaps bis greatest danger
reminded him Of bis wife and child (he had been
married little more than year and The news M tI
birth OF daughter had reached him On our forward
march) Of his happy home mis- Old r1othar-- NJ ali
the ties, IN short that bound him to ife Whilst
speaking severed the sinews that stl retained III
shattered arm, and bound 1t up as best might Ne
still despaiFed and moaned, bot suffered me 10 e "a
] would, He was like an infant in nv haud4-fFat
man who, in the hour Of battle was very lion foT
courage But long suffering, and the sudden shock
occurring, too, when we seemed on the verge q
overcome his fortitude With pangs
help got him upon my horse. The poor brute was
in no case to carry double. 90 walked and led it,
although at that time Tcoud hardly hobble
" 1t is all useless my dear Doctor PrevilIe said.
" This is my last day feel that. Far better shoot
me, Or leave me BY the roadside, than risk your life
for my sake"
" took no heed, but tried to cheer him. Those
unclean beasts the Cossacks, were lowering around
us, usual and at times the bullets fell pretty thick.
Not quarter of an hoHr had elapsed since set Pre-
VILE on my horse, when shot struck his right eye
not entering his head but ganeng across the globe
and completely destroying the sight Well, sir then
there occurred q physiological phenomenon which
have never been able satisfactorily to account for
!hls man, whom the loss Of an arm bad reduced to
despair seemed to derive fresh courage from the loss
o. an eye At any rate, from that moment he com
planned no more OF his fate, resume9 his usual manly
tone, and bore up like hero. Paul was lucky
enough to catch riderless horse, which mounted
Without troubling you with details and incredible
though it may seem TO you, my Door friend eseaped
with life, although With q limb aud an eye the less'
There must nave been many extraordinary es-
capes from that campaign remarked
InnumeraDle. There was sergeant Of drapoons
former cOmrade Of my servants Who for MANY
days, marched beside me and Paul He received
severe wound There were some vehicles still with
at that time, and we got him place in one Of
them, and made him as comfortable as we could.
The following night we stopped az town. In the
morning, as we were about to march, the C0ssacks
came down. There great confusion several
baggage were captured in the street, and some
of the wounded were abandoned in the houses where
they had passed the night. Among these was Ser
geant Fritz. Not many houses in the town were
still in good condition = most Of them had been
burned aud knocked to pieces by the soldiers. The
house in which Fritz lay had still its doors and
windows, and was one Of the most comfortable in
the place, which account it had been converted
into a hospital. Well, the Russians came, brought
their wounded and turned out our poor fellows to
make room for them. Some, who could not move
quickly enough, were brutaly pitched through a
low window into garden behind the house, there
to perish miseraby. Fritz was one Of these. Only
just able to crawl, he made his way around the
garden, seeking egFess. He reached a gate com
munieating with another garden. It was locked,
and pain al weakness forbade him climbing over.
He sat close to the gate, pr0pped against it, and
looking Wistfully through the bars at the windows
of louise amidst the cheerful glow OF a FIRE, when
he was perceived by young girl. She came out
and opened the gate and helped him into the house.
Her father was German cloekmaker long settled
in Russia, and Flitz Swiss, spoke German we'll.
The kind people put him to bed hid his uniform and
tended him like son. When in the following spring.
his health restored, and he would have left them,
the German proposed to him to remain and assist
him in his trade. He accepted the offer, married the
Germans daughter and remained in Russia until his
iatherinlaw's DEATH when he was taken with long
ing to revisit his native mountains, aud returned to
Switzerland with his vile and family. met him
11Fr N01A T1nFNHz
his escape was narrow and romantic enough there
must have been others much more remarkable. Most
of the prisoners made by the Russians and who sur.
viyed cold and harsh treatment sent to Moscow
to labor at rebuilding the city When the fine season
came some of them managed to escape, and to make
their way in various DISCUSSES and through countless
adventures, back to their own country
have set down the most striking portions of our
conyersat0n-or rather. of the doctors narrative
since did little but listen; aud occasionally by
question or remark, direct his commandments
into the channel wished it to take. We were now
near Orleans.
1.-The letter was reading when we started p said
my companion, land which has brought back to my
memory all that have told you-at risk, perhaps
of wearying you" he added with a slight bow and
smile, land host OF other circumstances to me Of
thrilling and everlasting interest, is from General
Preville, who lives in the south of France but has
come unexpectedly to Orleans to pass a month with
me. That is his way. He lives happily with married
daughter but now and then the desire to see an old
| CO0EaQe,
so strongly over him. that be has his vase packed at
an hours notice, and takes me by surprise He
knows well that The Generals Room and an affec-
| Tomato reception always await him. received his
etteT-ull of references to old tmesyesterday eve.
ming, and am now hurrying back to Orleans to see
him. He may very likely be waiting for me at the
station and you will see that for man who gave
himself up for dead forty years ago in the SHOWS Of
Russia, and begged, favor, bullet through his
brain, he looks toleraby hearty and satisfied to
| live.'
"There is one thing, Monsieur lie Docteur,n said.
(which you have not explained to me, and which l
do not understand Did you mean literally what you
sad that since the Russian campaign you have never
had your feet warm z?
Literally and truly, sir When we got to 0rcha,
where J0Hmi was in command, and where the heroic
Ney who had been separated from the army rejoined
us with the skeleton of his Corps-havng cut his way
by sheer Yalor and sOldershp through the clouds Of
Platoffs Cossacks-.we took days rest. It was the
goth November, the last day of anything approaching
to comfort which we were to enjoy before crossing
| the Russian frontier. True made one more halt
at Molodotschino whence Napoleon dated his bulletin
of terrible disasters but then only portion of us
| could find lodging. We were sick, half frozen, and
numbers died in the streets, At 0rGha we found
| shelter and tranquility the governor had provided
provisions against our passage, the enemy left us
| quiet and we enjoyed day of complete rep0se. NV
baggage had long since been lost, and my only pair
! Of boots were worn to shreds | had been riding
with fragments of a soldiers Jacket tied round NV
feet, which | usually kept out of the stirrups the
contact Of the iron increasing the cold At Oreha,
the invaluable Paul brought me jew (the Jews
were chief pnrVeyors on this Tetrea) with boots
for sale. | selected pair and threw away nv old
ones which for many days ! had not taken of Nv
feet were already in bad state, sore and liyid
| bathed them, put on fresh stockings and my new
boots, and contriEed with pair of old trousers, a
sort OF eggngs OVeras, closed at the bottom and
to be worn the boots From that day till we
| got beyond the Niemen distance of one hundred
and ten leagues, which we took three weeks to per