Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-08-31
THE GAZETTE.
MORNING, AUGUST 81, 1859
BARON L.ARREI.

Society, by Dr. John Bell, on the occasion of
his retiring from the Office Of President OF the
Society,"
while French medicine was thus repre-
scented in Egypt by the calm and self-Posc
sessed Desgenettes, who was at the mead OF
the medical staff, French surgery shone with,
perhaps. still greater lustre in the person OF
the eminent Larrey, who. by his invention of
the light ambulance for carrying off the
wounded from the field of battle, won the
affection of the soldier, and by this act alone
becomes entitled to honorable mention in the
annals of philanthropy. From the burning
sands of Egypt, to the ice-bound rivers and
snow covered plains of Russia, in Poland, in
Saxony in Austria, in Italy, in Spain, and
in France itself, Larray not only encounter
ed all the vicissitudes of climate and season,
and the hardships incident to camp-llie, but
he was constantly engaged in the discharge
of his arduous duties Of field and hospital
surgeon, fearless of personal risk and intent
only on affording the prompteSt relief to
those placed under his care. He did not
wait at q safe distance from the field of battle
for the wounded to be brought to him; he was
found in the midst of the wounded, the dying
and the dead, ready and resolute. and always
selfpossessed; operating with equal prompt
tude and skill on those whom he could first
reach or who were most in need Tins services,
and not caring for the rank of the PROSTATE
man before him. Instances are recorded IN
which Larrey and his assistants, carried
away by their professional. and. shall 1t be
said in part, also, their national enthusiasm,
were seen giving their attentions to the
wounded near the imminent and deadly
breach itself, amid a shower of destructive
missiles which were carrying wounds and
death to those around them. Larrey was
exposed to the same fire under which
Caffarelli, Lannes, Alright, Beauharnais, and
many others fell, either wounded, or never to
rise again. After the long-contested and
bloody battle of Eylau, in Polish Prussia, be-
tween the French and Russians. the Emperor
Napoleon found Larrey standing in the snow.
under slight canopy of branches OF trees. en-
gagged in dressing the wounded, and ON his
passing by the same place, at the same hour,
on the following day, he saw the indefatiga-
BILE surgeon still occupied as before. In this
way did Larrey spend twenty four hours un-
interruptedly, except in the few minutes
snatched for q hurried repast. We have
all heard or read of displays Of zeal-reli-
gious, ianatical, patriotic, and amorous-but
seldom has there been recorded a finer exam
pie of benevolent zeal spent on SO good and
useful a purpose.
'.Larrey was with the Grand army, which.
under Napoleon, invaded Russia, and occu-
pied Moscow. 1t has been said that the
burning of that capital brought with 1t the
extinction of the French empire as such.-
From that epoch the star of Napoleon began
to be dimmed, and continued to give flick
erine light, until, in short tme it set for
ever behind the rock of St. Helena. Larrey
participated in the sufferings of the terrific
retreat from Moscow, in which all discipline
was forgotten, and soldiers, losing even the
semblance of men, were changed into hvid
spectres, or trembling shadows. decked IN
fantastic rags, following gaunt famine as
their leader But even at such time as
this, when the better sentiments of human
nature seemed, like all the objects of exter-
nal nature, to be frozen up, the soldiers did
not forget their friend. their oft-tried bene-
factor. A river had to be crossed by detach-
ment of the army, for which two bridges were
constructed. But not the troops alone were
hurryiny over. With the soldiers, and hor-
ses, and artillery, crowded on unhappy fugl-
tives from Moscow with their wives. and
children, and baggage. In the advancing
multitude Larrey was recognized; and I'M
mediately thousand voices exclaimed
Let US save him who has saved us. Let
him come forward" All stop at once in
their wild rush. Larrey is allowed to reach
the bridge, and he is suddenly raised in the
arms of the nearest soldiers and passed from
hand to hand, until he is, in this manner,
carried entirely across the river. lie Is saw
ed Just at the moment when the bridge gives
wav, and crowd of human beings OF both
sexes and all ages, together with horses, and
cannon and military wagons, are precipltatedi
into the half-frozen stream beneath; most OF
them never to reach its banks, never to
breathe again. Among these last was
Young mother, who held up her infant above
her head, as a mute but touching appeal TO
some one to save it. A soldier took 1t when
she was about to sink, and her last struggles
were soothed by the consciousness that her
child was saved.
"Larrey, ever faithful to Napoleon. for
whom he cherished afeeling of strong per-
sonal attachment, followed him to Waterloo,
where he was wounded and made prisoner
by the Prussians, and was on the point Of
being shot by his exasperated enemies. lie
was, however, happily recognized by the Prus-
sian surgeon major, who was about to put
the fatal baud over his eyes, and he was then
conducted to General Bulow, and afterwards
to Marshal Butcher, whose son he had for
merly saved from almost inevitable death
Larrey was soon set at liberty, and was sent
at first to Louvain, whence he repaired to
Brussels, and made the first use OF his retur-
ming strength in visiting the hospitals, crowd,
ed with the wounded Of both the victors and
the vanquished, to whom he gave equally
his services. At the solicitation of the conn
manders of the allied armies in Paris, he is
recalled to that capital, and is once more
restored to his family, which for many days
had believed him to be dead. Under the
Restoration he was deprived of his pension
and the decoration of the Legion of Honor,
but still preserved his post of surgeon-in.chiet
at eros Gallon. the hospital of the Royal
Guard. On the last ofthe three DAYS OF July,
1880, in which the troops of the line had sui
feredi so terribly from the fires behind the
barricades and from the houses, bis hospital
was surrounded by an exasperated crowd, ut
tering all kinds ofthreats. Larrey! made his
appearance. and addressed them in the the fol-
lowing terms: "What do you meant Whom
do you dare to threaten? Know that these
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