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

/ cOuluhiont several baggage carts we're cap
p tured in the street, and some oi the wounded
D were abandoned in the hnuses where they had
! passed iha "a fhf, Amongst thrso was Ser
gelnt Fritl Not many houses in the town
w6re still In good onndhon-mosg of them
had been burned aud KnOcked ~ pieces by
the soldiop, The h0use in which fnz las
had sill 10 doors and windows, and WAS one
NJ the most comfortable IN The place on which
account IL had bre1 cnnyerted into o tempo
raD hospital Well the ltussians oame in,
brought their wounded, and turned out our
poor fellows 10 made room Tor them, Some,
Who 90 | not move quickly enough, we're
brutally pitched through low Wlnduw into
garden behind IT, -hOuse, there 10 perish
misrmhly, Fritz MSS one ~ these. Only
just utit o. crawl. hr made his way round tho
garden, srckiug egTeas. lie reached gate
communicating with arO,hrr garden, IL was
locked, and pain and Seaknuss forbade him
climbing over, lie sAt close 10 the gate,
proped against il, and looking wislmli
through the bars ~ the windows of house,
and al tho cheerful glow OF tire, when hr
was perceived by a Young glrl. She came
out and opened the gate and helped him into
the house, Her father vas German clock
maker, long settled in Russia, and Fritz,
swiss hppkc German well, The kind people
put him "a bed, hid his uniform, and tended
him like q son, When, in the following
spring, his health Wps restored, and he would
have eh them the German proposed % him
? 70 remain and assist him In his trade, lie
accepted thu uGcr, married the Germans
D. daughter and remained in Russia uutil his.
ialhrr-iu-luW's death, when be- Waa taken with
q louging 20 revisit his native mountains, aud
returned a. SwilIcflind with his wife aud
family, ! met him since at Paris, and be- told
ne his story But although his escape was
narrow aud romantic enough, there must
have been others much more remarkable. !
Most of the prisoners made hy the Russians,
and who survived severe cold and harsh treat
mcut, we're sent 20 Moscow 10 labor at rc.
building the city. When the fine season
ctmc some of them managed a. escape, aud
Jo make their way in various disguhcs, and
through countless adventures, back 10 their
own country.
have s,i down but the incst striking por.
ii1us Of our cunNcrsatiuu-pr rather. Of the
DOCTOR, narrative, since did little but lisicni
aud occasionally, by question OF rcmurk,
lipcCs hi. commuuicsti,cness into the channel
wished It % take, We we're nov near Or
lrius,
Tho letter was reading when we started" /
said ms companipu, "nnd which has brought
iark to my mcmury all that ha,u told you
at risk perhaps, of weaping YOU he added .
With slight bow and smile, "and host OF
other circumstances a. me- of thrilling aud
everlasting interest, is from General Preyiilr,
who lives ia the south of France, but has
come unexpectedly to Orleans to pass month .
oith me. That !, his way, lie lives happily
with "a mnr,ied dughtcr but nov and then
the drsni 90 c an old cOmrldo, aul tn iigh, Z
od battles over again, canes No strongly up
on hun, that bee has his ,alise paclrd az half 4
an hours notice, and takes mc by surprise .
lie knows well that "Ihr Gcncrtls Room" I
,pd an adtctirnntc reception always await .
hin. | rccri,rd his lrtlrr--iull of references /
10 old timus--ycstrrday evening, ard am nov
hurryiug back TO Orleans 10 see him. lie
may very likely be- Waiting for me at the
stations and you will see that Gr a man who |
gave himself up for dead fniN years ngo In |
the SHOWS Of Russia, aud begged. ~ a favor,
a bullet through his brain, hc looks tolcribly .
-lpsvt,7-ru,l rrtf-iirti- ~ iiyr.''
There IN one thing. NpRsicHr ie Doctor" .
| said, (Which you have nat explained To- me
and which | do not undc}stnnd. Did YOU
,Snuan literally when you said. that since the
Russian campaign YOU have never had your
feet warm ?'
Literally and truly sir. When We got tu
Orleans where Jomini vas in cnmnand. und .
where the hcr,i3 Nvy, who had been srpera-
ted from the army, rvuinrd US with the skrlc.
ton of his corps-hdving cut his way, hv |
sheer valor and soldicr,hip, through clouds .
IT PIatuits CpSSacks-Wc took ditN's rest /
IL was the 10th uf November. the last day of .
anything approaching to comfort, which We
we're To enjoy before crossing the Russian
frontier. True, Ne madc one more halt at
MulodetSchino, whence Napoleon dated his I
hullelin of our terrihlr- -diSasters.- -tltelA
onN portion of us could find lodgings We.
were sick, half-irozcn, aud numbers died in
the streets. AT Orcha We found shelter and
tranquility the governor had provided pro4
visions against our passage, the enemy lett
us quiet, and We enjoyed day Of complete
reposc. My baggage had long since becn
lost and my only pair or toots were torn 10
shreds. ] had heen riding with fragments
OF II suldiers Jacket tied round my feet, which
usually kept out Of the stirrups, the contact
I the iron increasing the cold AT Orchd, .
the invaluable Paul brought me Jew Uhe .
jews were our chief puryeyors on tlnl retreat)
with boots for sale. | selected pair and !
threw away my old ones, which for many
days | had NOT taken Off My feet were already
in bad state, sore and livid. bathSd them,
put on fresh stockings and my new boots, !
aud contrlvcd, with pair of old trousers, 4
sort of leggings overalls, closed at
the bottom, and 10 be worn over the boots .
From that day till We got beyond the Me
man, u distance Of one hundred and ten
leagues, which we took three weeks TO per- [
firm, | never took OF any part of my dress .
During rhpt time suffered greatly from my
feet they sweled till my boots were too
tight for me, and at times | was in agony
When we at last were comparatively in safe
~, aud found myself fer the first time since .
| left Orchn, in warm room, with n bed to /
lie upon and water To wash. called Paul to /
pull otf my boots. SIR, with them came off .
my stockings, aud the entire skin of both 1
feet A huyer's knife could hardly have done |
the thing more completely. For "A moment |
gave myself up.as lost had seen enough !
of this kind of thing to know thot my feet !
we're on the verge of modification There I
was scarcely tune to amputate, had any been /
at hand 10 do it, and had been willing to sus- (
tain life at such a price. Only one thing
could save me, and l resolved TO try il. / /
ordered Paul to bring me bottle of brandy !
! put piece of silver between my teeth, and .