The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-06-04
The Charge of MuratatE yIan.

Its at Eylan that Murat always appears in
bis most terrible aspect. This battle, foughi
IN mid winter, in 1907, was the IN ost impor-
tant and bloody one that had then occurred.
France and Russia had never before opposed
such strength 10 each other, and n compile tie
victory on either side would have settled the
fate OF Europe. BOnap4Tte remained in pos
session OF the field and that was all; no vic
tory was ever so like defeat
The field OF Eylau covered with snow
and the little ponds that lay scattered over i /
were frozen sufficiently hard to bear the ar
tiiiery. Seventy one thousand men on one
side and eighty I've thousand on the other
arose from the frozen field On which they
had slept the night of February without
tent or covering, To battle for con tinent.-
Augurea, on the left, was utterly routed in
the morning. Advancing through snow
storm so thick he could not see the enemy, the
Russian cannon moved down his ranks with
their destructive fire, while the COssack
cavalry, which were ordered to charge came
laundering on, almost hitting the French in
Iantry with their long lances before they
were visible through the storm.
Hemmed in and overthrown, the whole di-
vision, composed of 10000 men, with the eX-
caption of 1900 were captured or slain. Just
then, the snow storm clearing up, revealed TO
Napoleon the peril 10 which lie was brought,
and he immediately ordered grand charge
by the Imperial Guard and the whole cavalry
Nothtng was further from Bonapar ties wishes
or expectation, than the bringing of his re-
serve into the engagement at this early stage
OF the battle, but there was no other resource
left him.
Murat'sus tanned his high reputation ON this
occasion, and proved himself, for the hun
dredth time, worthy of the great confidence
Napoleon placed in him. Nothing could be
more i'm posing than the battle field at this
moment. Bonaparte and the Emp trembled
IN the balance, while Murat prepared 10 lead
down his cavalry to save them. Seventy
squidrons, making in all II 900 well mounted
men, began TO move over the slope, with the
old iuaTd marching sternly behind
ljOuAD3ftp. il is said aUitu OF
inns crisis than when, moment before
ne Was so near being captured by the Rus
slams. But as he saw those seventy squad
rons come down on a plunging trot, pressing
hard after the white plume of Murat thai
streamed through the snow storm far in front
Al smile passed over his countenance
The earth groaned and trembled as they
passed, and the sabres, above the dark and
angry mass below, looked like the foam of a
sea wave as ii crests on the deep. The rat
tilng OF their arnor, and the untitled thunder
OF their tread, drowned all the roar of battle,
as with 1irm, set array, and swift, steady
motion, they bore down with their terrible
front on the foe.
The shock of that immense host was like a
railing mountain, and the front line of the
Russian army went down like frost work be-
lore IT. Then commenced protrac ted fight
OF hand 10 hand, and sword TO sword as in
the cavalry action at Eckmuhl. The clash
ing OF steel was like the ringing of countless
hammers, and horses and riders were blended
an Wild confusion together; the Russian
serve were ordered up, and on these Murat
Tell with his fierce horsemen, crushing and
trampling them down by thousands. But
the obs tinate Russians dsdained to fly and
rallied again and again, so that it was no
longer cavalry charging on infantry, but
squadrOhs OF horse galloping through broken
hosts that, gathering into knots, still dis
puted, with unparalleled bravery, the red
and rent field.
1t was during this strange fight that Murat
was seen 10 perform one of those desperate
deeds Tor which he was so renowned. Excl
ted 10 the highest pitch of passion by the OBJ.
stacles that opposed him, he seemed endo wed
with ten fold strength, and looked more like
asnperhuman being treading down helpless
nortals than an ordinary man. Amid the
roar of artillery, and rafting of mushetry and
falling OF sabre strokes like lightning about
him, that lofty white plume never once went
down, while ever and anon il was seen glaring
through the smoke OF battle, the star OF hone
10 Napoleon, and showing that his fright
arm was still upiifted and striking for vic
tory.
he ragged like an unloosed lion amid The foe.
ana ms eyes, always terrible in battle burned
with Increased lustre, while his clear and
steady voice, heard above the turmoil of strife
was worth more than a thousand trumpets to
cheer on his followers. AT length seeing a
knot of Russian soldiers that for a long time
had kept up devouring fire upon his men, he
wheeled his horse and drove in full allop upon
their leyelled muskets. A few of his guards
that never allowed that white plume 10 leave
their sight, charged after him. Without wait
ing TO count his foes, he seized his bride in his
teeth, and with his pistol in one hand and his
drawn sword in the other, burst in headlong
fury upon them, and scattered them as if a
hurricane had swept by. Murat was thun-
derbolt on that day, and the deeds that were
wrought by him will furnish themes for the
poet and the painter"