Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1859-07-21
Written for the MARSHALL Co. Republican ]
I g I =
RETREAT FROM MOSCOW.
CHAPTER XXI.
or, THE

snow and the stars, that there are many thousands
drawing near in irregular bands. No sooner do
these behold armed fellow soldiers before them,
from whom they hope to receive shelter and pro,
lection, t,an they rush in their midst in wild com
motion and haste, as if the enemy were already at
their heels. With uplited hands and sunken
cheeks, pale, rccling from coi, terror AMI exlaus-
ton, the savage glare ofrayenous, pinching hunger
in their looks, these unhappy creatures, in hoarse,
moaning accents, scg for food and shelter. Touch
ed with connisseration, no one at first is willing
TO repuse them; but they press in ever increasing
numbers so violently onward as to break the order
y ranks of the soldiers, and carry confusion before
them they rush in delirous haste to this plank of
safety, and thus threaten repetition of yesterdays
tragedy. At this moment, fresh intelligence Of the
approach of the Russians comes in, and it is al
so reported that the wagon bridge is again in SER
vicablc order, the Emperor orders the Guards to
pass on both bridges. He mouats his horse, and
places himself at their head, in order to gain the
opposite shore; and m,rch to Br;lowa-for even
there, alas. the encmy's presence is expected
This order to march setS everything in MOTION
securing his own safety has arrived, and consequent
10 they push and worry including the late eomers,
half insane from fear, to gain access into the
row avenues leading to the bridges. No argu-
ments or opposition can stop them; the well knit
ranks of the Old Guard are broken asundcr; strange
wagons crowd in among their train Of artillery; all
order again disappears--and the most incxtricable
confusion threatens the destruction of all. The
Emperor authority even fails to open him pas
sage. The approach to the first bridgeis encuni-
bcred and clicked up by straggcrs and wounded.
baggage wagons, women and childrcn--and the
living surge press on so furously and pcrseyering
Iy that no passage can be effected without resort
ins to violence.
Stern necessity gives birth to the most terrible
resolves. Troops OF cavalry must charge on the
mad, unhappy multitude, aud rcpel them with the
edge of the sword. With shnddcring reluctance
they execute the order which compels them to shed
the blood ofhclplcss comrades. and to mangc their
falling bodies with the horscss hoofs. Piercing
cries OF anguisi, which drown even the shrickns
norlherly blast, rcnd the weikin. anda if to push
horror to extremity, the thunder Of the enemy's
guns are heard once more. The path is open
A det chmcnt ofcivalry rides forward; then fol
lows the Emperor surrounded By his officers, the
guards closing up behind, bu' the nearer and louder
the hostile cannon on the leights rear, the more We
hemently crowds of fugitivcs press upon the troops
Nothing but their compact and well directed front
ofresistancc can keep them at bay--and hundreds
are destined to fall in the sckcning and unnatural
contest.
( With first dawn of morn, the sable curtain o
night IS gradually withdrawn from the picture, re
vcang to the eyes OF d,y the secrets il. has help
cd to conceal. Mangled and mutilated bodies
broken pieces ofgun carriages and wagons, deas
horses, who in their last agony had rolled over still
bleeding human remains, were strewed everywhere
covering the deep decviics which descend to tn,
stream in TIC vicinity ofthe bridge. Halfimmcrs
ell wretces are seen jammed in between pieces o
ice driftcd and stationary along the rock, shore
| when the sickened eye turned away from these oh
ects oshorror. il rccoilcd yet more appalled, from
beholding the living covering the shore; for j
could discover nothing but an immense congrega
ton of spectrcs from whose sunken and. half-ex
t;nguishcd eyes cleaned the plrcnzs of despair
running against each other weeping, and vonlitin,
forth lowls and curscs--writhing under their Owl
suffcrings but utimpregnable to those of their broth
ers. Every step and movement among them j
dictated solely by an ulbridied animal instinct Q
selfpreservaton. Many are. however. anon
them who can no longer summon up strength 9
body will to attempt this, bat sit like corpses mo
tionless on the ice bound earth, staring ixedly DC
fore them on the spot which Is to be thci
grave The outcrics of woe and pain procec;lin
from crushed and dismcmbcrcd wrctches, or fror
those who had been plunged into the river and en-
red AWAY by its crashing icebcrs, the biaspheni;s
and wells of the most hardened, who scramblin
o.cr the rem ,ins of their fallen brethren, cleare
an outlet for themselves, were the only sounds
be heard in this great slaughter house, and the OF
ly attendants on the last wild ami asonizing tlro
Of vitality.
But the scene was to assume yet more terrif
character. All of sudden, pcals Of thunder lik
those Of the last Judgment. burst over the devote
heads Of these victims. Those even who had sun
into the very depths OF hopelessncss, were startic
out Of their apathy. They saw the hills aroun
them rceking with black columns Of smoke; ii
battle ragged. over their heads. AS il a demon /,
blindness and panic terror had burst upon then
and chased them into indiscrimi1atc flight. the
now rolled in dense m ,sscs towards the river an
the bridges, void Of all forcthonght or caIcuIatio
about the possibility or likelihood Of escape. An
ASH the cavcrns Of the earth had opened. the az
vancing. torrent was multiplied by floods Of fus
tiscs, who, worsted by the murlerous conflict, cam
pouring down from the heights around Studiank
and Borisof.
ssCan those be Russians7" asked Boles. I'll
words hltcring on his lips, as he pointed to a hi
: which comm .nded the valley, and on which ba
tory ofhying artillery just then dlcw up. He Il:
barely uttered these words when fash was sec
from the first gun. and in fsc seconds the du
sound ofthe report reverberated among the snow
hills all around. Immediately the ball struck wi
destructive fury right among the thickest part
the crowd before the bridgc-whcn they scattert
terrified. on every side. They had no time lie
them to collect their senses and form an estima
Of their now terror, for second shot followed !
rectly, and then a whole savo, which tore open Il
: most frishtfui gaps. All at once occurred cras
ing and peaing like the shock of an earthquake
: A round shot had struck the foreuart of a vapt