Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1861-11-30
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The Charge OF Murat at Eylau.

0"'''0 "aS iouSnI III ulu winter, In lSUI
was the most important and bloody ont
that mad then occurred. France and Rus
sia had never before opposed such strength
to each other, and complete victory oil
either side would have settled the fate o.
Europl Bonaparte remained in possess
ion of the field, and that was all; no vic.
tory was ever so like defeat, The field
of Eylau was covered with snow, and the
little ponds hat lay scattered over it were
frozen sufficiently hard to bear the artillo-
ry. Seventy.one thousand men on one
side and eighty. one thousand on the other
arose from the frozen Geld on which thev
had slept the night of February, without
tent or covering, to battle for continent
Angereau, on the left, WIS utterly routed
in the morning Advancing through a
snow storm so thick he could see the enc
my, the Russian cannon moved down his
ranks, with their destructive FIRE, while the
Cossack cavalry who we're ordered to
charge, came laundering on, almost hitting
the French infantry with their long lances
before they were visible through the storm.
Hemmed in and overthrown, the whole
division, composed Of 1G, 1000 men with the
exception of 1900, were captured or slain.
Just then the snow storm clearing up,
revealed to Napoleon the peril to which
he was brought, and he Immediately or.
orderd grand charge by the Imperial
Guard and the whole cavalry. Nothing
was farther from Bonapartc's wishes or
expectations than the bringing cf this re
serve into the engagement at this early
stage Of the battle, but there was no other
resource left Kim. Murat sustained his
high reputation on this occasion ,and PROV.
ed himself for the hundredth time, worthy
of the great confidence Napoleon placed in
him.
Nothing corld be more imposing than
the battle field at this moment. Banapartc
and the empire trembed in the balance,
while Murat prepared to lead down his
cavalry to save them. Seventy squadrons
making in all Ii ,0O0 well mounted men,
began to move oyer the slope, with the
Old Guard march sternly on behind.
Bonaparte, it is said, was more agitated
at this crisis, than when moment before.
ne was SO near being captured by the
Russians.
But as lie saw thos seventy squadrons
come down on plunging trot pressing
hard after the white plume cf Murat, that
streamed through the snow storm far in
from, smile passed over his countenance
The earth groaned and trembled as
hey passed, and the sabres, above the
dark and angry mass below, looked like
The scam of sea wave as it crests on the
leep, The rafting Of their armor, and
he mutled thunder of their tread, drown,
I'd all the roar of battle, as with the firm
let array, and swift, steady motion they
ocre down with terrible front on the fee.-
rhe shock of that immense host was like a
alling mountain, and the front line of the
Russian army went down like frost work
before it. Then commenced a protracted d
ight Of hand to hand, and sword to sword,
IS in the cavalry action at Eckmuhl.-
] he clashing of steel was like the ringing
# countless hammers, and horses and ri
.ers were blended in wild confusion togeth.
r; the Russian reserves were ordered up,
nd on these Murat fell with his fierce
orscmen, crushing and tramplipg them
own by thousands. But the obstinate
russians disdainod to fy, and rallied
gain, so that it was no longer cavalry
harging on infantry, but squadrons of
orses galloping through broken hosts that
altering into knots, still disputed with
bravery, the red and rent i
cid.
1t was during this strange fight that '
lurat was seen to perform one of those
esperate deeds for which he was so re. /
owned. Excited to the highest pich of t
lssion, by the obstacles that opposed him a
seemed endowed with tenfold strength, S
Id looked more like a superhuman being |.
eading down helpless mortals, than an {
dinary man. Amid the roar Of artillery r
I'd the rattle of muskatry, and falling of L
.bre strokes like lightning about him that !,
fly white plume never once went down, Q
hile ever and anon it was seen glaring c
rough the smoke Of battle, and the star s
hope to Napoleon, and showing that his e
light arm" was still uplifted and striking u
r victory. a
He ragged like an uploOssd lion amid The u