The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-10-26
The lnynsion of Russin.

and the retreat of the French army, 15l2," by
Gen Sir ROBERT WILSON, is universally re-
rarGed in England as the most accurate and
conclusive history of that formidable enter
prise which has ever been given 10 the world.
Gen. WILSON enjoyed peculiar advantages 10
he the historian of the invasion. A veteran
soldier and diplomatist, he was ordered TO
proceed as British Commissioner TO the En-
peror OF Russia, At St. Petersburg. lie was
present 1T the battle Of SmoleEsk, and accom-
,a,fed the allied armies, after the passage OF
1he Beresina, through Poland and Germany.
For tbirty-six wears, he withheld from the
,,ubIie these reliable facts CLEANED from his
own actual experience or carefully tested In
formation, which this volume contains, lest II
might any way compromise the contemporary
persouages in whose labors and counsels he
participated. The work, rs it now appears, is
given 10 the public BY his relative and editor,
the Rev. HEkBEgT RANDOLPH, the whole OF
the materials having been by Sir ROBERT him
self revised, arranged aud cast in their pre-
sent form fer pos thumous publication, in the
year ISIS
lnSIr ROBERT WILSON'S opinion, the inya-
sion OF Russia derived It's origin from the war
and peace Of lsy6 and 1907. When the rupture
between France and Russia took place. the
military power Of France was at height
which might Well have caused the whole
world TO tremble. The entire force at BONA
PARTE's disposal was Que million one hun
dred and eighty-niue thousand men. The
arI.y OF Russia numbered five hundred and
eighteen thousand. The Invading army which
NAPOLEON led in 10 Russia consisted OF 10000
men, having at their head one Of the greatest
masters of war that the world has ever seen,
and ofticered by such generals as DAyoUsT,
OuDINor. NKY, EUGENE &c. In regard to the
burning OF Moscow, il is stated that OF forty
thousand houses in stone only TWO hundred
escaued OF eight thousand in wood, but five
hundred eight hundred churches were con-
sumed. and more than twenty thousand per-
SONS burnt alive. Sir ROBERT WILSON con-
firms the suspicion which st that time pre-
vailed in the Russian camp, that kUTUsoN,
the Russian General, CID not wish TO push
NAPOLEON 10 extremity. RoToPsCBlN, the
Governor of Moscow, by whom it was burned,
had been promised by KUTUsoM 10 give him
three full days notice II any change in his
resolution TO defend the city should occur
This promise he broke and retracted, and the
Governor who had intended to "arrange a
general and municipality regulated eon1iagra-
tion," was compelled 10 make clandestine
preparations 10 accomplish his noble and pa
triotic purpose, which, however, were, as we
have SEEM so efec tually carried out that when
NkPoLEoE plan ted his eagles on tie towers of
the kremlin the city was III ruins.
Sir ROBERT gives other instances showing
That KUTUsoFF was disposed TO temporiZe,
such As an agreement to accept "pacifc propo-
sitions' from NAPOLEON, which was prevent
ed by Sir ROBERT Wilson'S interview, con-
formally to instructions from the Russian
Emperor; the yasciilation which enabled Ma
PoLRoN TO recall SMOLENsK after the surprise
ami defeat OF MURAT; the diiatory and discur
siNe marches which NAPOLEON was enabled to
evaie without difficulty, aud the positive re-
fuSal TO make a movement when suggested TO
him, the infallible result of which would have
teen the capture or determination OF he
French Emperor and his whole army The
secret of this is now given by Sir ROBERT, we
believe for the first time, 10 the world, and
was avowed by KUTUsOFF himself 10 the
EHplish Commissioner. II was simply fear
Of the predominance of British power. The
horrors of the winter retreat Of NAPOLEON
have never been more simply and powerfully
described than by Sir ROBERT WILSON. He
. leaks OF the retalialive cruelties of the Rus
ans, who buried their prisoners alive, or,
stripping them Of all their clothing forced
them to march, sometimes in columns of seven
or eight hundred, over the hard diamond-like
snow and through the cutting wind, whilst
the savage peasant women, on one occasion,
beat sixty naked victims over the head with
sticks, in accompaniment to a national air.
whilst the sufferers necessarily cried for
Death, Death Death" He describes as with
a painters pencil, "the frozen circles of dead
men found sitting every morning round the
biyouac fires, the dogs crouching over the
dead bodies OF their mas ters and bowling pit
eously-the young, beautiful French mother
writhing In the snow, red with her blood
clothed only with her long, black, shining
hair, and frantically crying, "Give me my
child" lit was nearly born) Amidst all
this, not one complaint was heard against the
Emperor. OF the army of invasion, about
10000 returned lbs 900 persisted in combat
10000 were captured 100 900 destroyed by
cold, hunger and disea.e-while a. Generals
and 5000 officers remained prisoners.
PoLITICAL-At barbecue in Princess