The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1858-11-06
A Russian Reminisoenoo.


The weather was extremely sever the truz
ril snow lay thick in the streets, the asphalt
~ tho bpuleyards wuh slippery 90 glush
sledses scpuIed the Champs Elysees aul
bois de boulogne, An les wilma Whiatlel
ioand the lIain as We quilted the shelter oi
. the station, and / regretted, 40 | buttuped
mlheh 10 the chin, and sbrink into my oor
nef' that the carriage Was Hot full, Instead Of
hhylpg nut one occupant besides self
Opposite 20 me- sat hale man of about
siAly-h'e with quick, bright eye, ON iulplli
gent, goOl-humprud eountenange ge-snmrwhal
athrrbrateu--ant the red rOsgttc OF thp
legion Of honor in his huttou-hole, During
the hrsi huff hour he poured over q letter
whose contents, judging from The animated
rHprrsupu OF his phyaognuml, Interested
nm strongly lie seemed scarcely aware ol
my presence, Az last he put up the loIterr
ana then, for the frat time, loukcd me in thu
lace ] had been but few days out Of 10
sick bed, aud was sensitive 90 the cold, and
doubtless my appearance was chilly and woe
brgone enough, Tor / detected q slight up
| protch 20 u slile ut the corners Of the slrtu-
/ gers mouth, 10 one or nIo commonplace
remarks he replied cOuIte0u-ly bat lucpu.-
/ caily, like man who Is neither uuf1clbr
] nor a'elNr 10 conversation, bat Who prrluth
/ his own thoughts to that bald talk With winch
/ travellers sometimes weary each other, rather
D
] ped, The cold increased, ms iput were be-
humbed, and stamped them ON tine huor Of
the carriage a. revive The circulation. Ms
companion observed my proceeding, With q
c"mich look, 40 II he thought me very ten
der traveller.
"luis carriage mus, b., badly closed, ." re-.
marked, "lt ~ bitter cold To lhc icrl"
For that discomfort have littg pity" re-
Piled the lrenchmau. "a ride on the rail-.
Nay 1, Noon over and good lire ora busk
Maik Is q quick aud easy remedy Mine Is q
Inherent case. For forty ye'us have never
known warm feet"
For forty ycacs 20 Irepeated, thinking
had misunderstood him,
~ es, s'r, forty years since the winter Of
lel2-thc winter ui the Russian campaign.
" Gu were IN that terrible campaign 90 ]
inquired IN a tone of interest aud curiusitN
Wv companion, previously hclturn, saddrrly
became communicative
\ u through il, sir, ho rcpldiy "fJ5m
the NIcmcn 10 the krcmlin aud hlck again.
IL was my first campaign, aud was near be-
lfg my last, was iu others afterwards, in
Germany IN 1913, whon th, combined Ger
mans and Russians drove us before thrm. Tor
Want of tGe brave fellows we had lglt in Mus
cows snowSi in France in iSli, when the
Emperor made las gallant struggle ug ,lnsl
oNtrW hrlmiug forces and at tur closing
scene lu Flanders but not all those thrr,
chmlrisns put together, nor gs bcHgNe,. .all
that thN century has Witnessed, can match
the horrors ui lhat dreadful winter iu Russia"
lie paused, aud, leaning back Ia his cIruGi
seemed To reNOltc IN his mind events OF pow
criuI iutere,, long gone by. waited awhile
ln hopes he wonid resume the subject A.
he dill not du 10, ! asked him 70 what army
nc belonged when in Russia.
81 was assistant surgeon in "a regiment of
husslrs,' he answered, and la my medical
capacity had ahuudmt opportunity 10 maAe
acquaintance with the horrors at war. Ou
the llh of September. lur instance, at tAv
Muskwa-llea,cHs' what shanTS!r, that
was, All, il was tine to see such Nalur on
both siles-ior the Russian, fought we'll
-llLMlNi sir, or whore would have been the
glury ut heating lhem7 But NV Ny
Ga. he was spiundId that ddyi Ills whole
count, nance cleaned, 10 he again aud uguit
led the bloody charge, Exposing himself urv-
~ as any corporal Ia The ruuks. Aud ltI-
gene, the NIccruy, with what ,igor he hurled
nis musSeN against that terrible rcdoubt'-
When al last II was his, what sight Wis
there l he ground WAS not strcwn with
deadi it WAS heaped-p,lrd with thcm.--
They had been Shot down by whole ranks,
aud there they lay. PROSTATE in line US they
had stood"
The surgeon paused. thought Of Byron's
beautiful lines, brSlunug, "E,rG uS they
tcll in lilies they lay !" bat | said nothing 10.
| saw that my companion was now fairly
started. aud needed no spurriug
'.H1Hyirur' nc presently resumed, ''aii
those thlIgS have been brought strongly To.
Ny mIHd 10y the letter you saw me just nov
reading. 1t is from an old friend, "a 'aptdiu
IN lo12-a general now-who went through
the ertt,pri;;t', attti ~hur r,ts SO iurttitt-
ate as 10 save from grave In those Internal
PLAINS where most of our poor comrades per.
shcd. | viii tell YOU how it happened We
were talking OF the brttie oi~iurudiuu. Srv-
enty thousand men, it is said, we're Nil cd
and wounded in that murderuus fight. We
surgeons as YOU may well think. had our
hands ml, and still could not suffice Tor
tithe of the sufferers. 1t VAS rough break
ng-in for young hand. ~ | then VAS
Such trighttul Wounds rs we're there, of eve
~ kind aud dvscrlption-trum shot, shell,
aud bullet, pike aud saher. Well, sir all the
misery and suffering then saw, all that vast
AmuuUt OF human agony aud buudshed,
whose steam, ascending to Heaven, might
we'll have brought down Gods maleuiction on
Ills creatures, who could thus destroy and
deiacr euch other, was nothing compared with
the hordblc misery We witnessed on our re-
treat | nave read everything that has ap.
peared in France concerning that campaign
-Scgur Labaume, and other writer's. Their
narratives are shocking enough. but nothing
to the reality. They would have sickencL
their readers had they told all they saw. Ii
amy body who went through THE csmpnign,
could remember aud sci down all he wucss-
ed. he would make the most hedrt-rrnding
book that ever yet was printed, aud would lie
accused Of gross cxageratiun. EXagcrdtion
indeed theIe was no need to highten the
horrors of the winter OF 1872 All tlfTt frost
and famine, lead and steel, could iutlict, was
then endured all the crimes that reckless
despair and ruthless cruelty could prompt
were the perpetruted.'
Aud how" asked, did you escnpe, when
so many doubtless strong and courageous,
and moie Injured TO hardship, miscrahly per-
ished p
"Under Providence, | owed my pteserva--