The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1863-11-26

sleur hrautZer snail report you TO Marshal
Mortier"
Il know what you want" said Krautzer,
sullenly, looking up. Don't swagger. You
want your share-well, then, here, take it ;"
and so saying, he threw off the lid of the NAL
achits cabinet with hideous grin of tri-
umph
1t was empty, its veIvet-lined recesses still
bore the impress of tiaras, carcanets, chains
and bracelets.
E'You see we were too late; other men had
the fruit, and left the shell for us. AS for the
shot, we took you for stray Russian, and
being here alone, feared violence. For that
shot, thousand pardons, my dear doctor +;
but pray, keep this casket as a small remem-
brance of Moscow"
left the room with curse, dashing the
malachite box to pieces with kick Of my
foot, and saw no more of Krautzer and his
Jew for many day, although | heard a ru-
NOR that he had undertaken, for several thous-
and rubles to convey back to France Rus
sian lady of rank, whose husband had been
taken prisoner at Wilma, and sent to the Tenn
| pie. | never knew man SO transformed by
lust for wealth as that Krautzer-fame, sci
ence, honor, had all been sacrificed to that
moloch.
That night our ruin began. The Russians
fired Moscow-the flames first bursting out
in the coachmakers warehouses. From that
moment, the Emperor knew it was all over
with him. The thrice fatal retreat soon after
began.
| Every day matters grew worse and worse.
| When one morning, on the 9th of November,
at Dorogobui, the first snow fakes fell large
as half crowns the Russian prisoners smiled
! bitterly for they knew well what was coming.
From that day, it grew worse and worse
thicker and thicker; and the Cossacks skim
med round us like Arabs round plague struck
caravan. AS Segur says grandly i'll his great
work
''In this vast wreck, the army like great
ship tossed by tremendous tempest, threw
into that vast weltering sea OF ice and snow
all that could impede their progress"
! First, plumber, guns, arms, powder, shot ;
then the wounded, the women, the sick, suit
lers, prisoners, standards At the convent of
kolotskoi, it went to my heart to find thOus
ands of my poor wounded dead, and the rest
| whom we could not move, crowded to the
! door, lame and bandaged, stretching out their
arms and praying US to take them with u.s.
| There was no ford but some wagons or guns
were abandoned at it--no storm of Cossacks
| but swept off some miserable stragglers-no
bivouac fire lit but in the morning some of our
wretched soldiers were found dead, with their
feet half burned off, and their hair frozen to
the ground
Pounded corn and horse-hesh had gradual
ly been superseded by birch-bark and saw-dust
loaves. The Emperor gave orders to destroy
one half the wagons, so as to use the horse
and draught oxen to help forward the artil-
lery Many Of the cavalry, by the time we
reached Studzianka-and many even of the
Sacred Squadron, the five hundred officers who
formed the body guard Of the Emperor-were
dismounted. Some of our men had their bleed
ing feet bandaged with rags, to replace their
worn ont shoes. There wUrv Generals wrap
ped in womens pelisses All discipline was
rapidly going.
During the retreat, had frequent glimpscs
Of krautzer, who was always followed by that
carrion crow of a Jew. The day we left Mos
COW, had seen him riding beside the stump
tuous carriage that contained the Russian la
dy Of rank whom he had undertaken to con-
vey to Paris A day or two later, when we
halted at the lake of Semen, to throw into it
the ancient armor, cannon, the great cross Of
lvan and other trophies Of Moscow, the car
rage had disappeared and Krautzer and his
charge were both mounted on horses. There
was no sun visible, and the thick fog had
suddenly changed into heavy snow, that
blew round us, and almost blinded the soldiers
Enacated dirty and unshaven, our men al
ready had begun to look more like brigands
than grenadiers of the Grand Army. 1t was
on this day that the Emperor himself dis
mounted, sliced musket, and marched at
the head fthe Old Guard, to encourage them.
When | shut my eyes can see him now, with
+l,. ID tbo1
forehead, over which one black tress of ham
fell. l was riding quietly along with the van
guard wrapped in thought, when one of my
assistant surgeons tapped me on the shoulder,
and pointed at krautzer.
"Iook at that man, Monsieur Trochet," he
said; ''observe how his holsters are stuffed
out. The soldiers tell me they are full of jew
els that he stole from palace in Moscow
PardJeu ! would give hatful of diamonds
now myself to be safe back in the Boulevards
of Paris
''And look at that poor woman, c0naurad8;"
said grenadier from the ranks-''how fright
ened she is of him; they say he beats her
if she lags behind he is so afraid Of the Cos
sacks Brute! | should like to put bullet
through him !"
''And here comes that Jew that never los
es sight Of him." cried a third fellow, with a
red rag round his forehead follows him like
a weasel does a wounded rabbit. I'd shoot
that Jew if he followed me so. Ugh how
this snow blows in ones eyes ~
Worse and worse; you could trace our march
by long lines of -hillocks, the graves of
our unhappy soldiers. -Four days from Smo
lensko, where we hoped to get food, | saw
the poor Russian lady riding in a suffers wag-
on, the next day on gun carriage. The day
after that, | met her walking with almost
bare feet, clinging to an old soldier who had
taken compassion on her; her hair was dis
sheveIIed, her rich dress had turned to rags
A day before we reached Sm9lensko | came
upon her body among heap of camp-follow
ers who had been speared by the CossaCks.-
The snow already had partly covered her. |
stopped for a moment, and, even IN the cruel
seltishness of that terrible retreat, covered her
face with some snow. Poor woman, at last
her sufferings were over she was beyond the
reach of pain, sorrow and hunger. AS for
that wretch Krautzer, he intent on saving his
plumber, was riding hotly on to Smolensko
hoping to be first to reach the ovens, where
the Jews were baking bread for the army.
a the sight of Smolensko, with it's half-burn-
ed walls and dsmantled towers, hope once more
revisit ed our hearts-we waved our flags and
bayonets, and hurried headlong to the ov-
ems.
found an Infatuated mob of of soldiers be-
sieging the doors of the bake-house where ra-
tons were to be distributed Alarmed at their
menaces, the frightened Jews were handing
out Jumps Of unbaked dough. Hundreds of
bayonets were tossing in the air, muskets were
dischargng, and here and there men were
actually fainting with hunger on door-steps
within arms length of the crowd. All order and
discipline were gone; and, amid group Of
Infatuated men screaming for more bread, Of
fcers were seen clamoring loudly as the mean
est camp-follower.
Foremost among these-more cowardly and
more importunate than any saw Krautzer;
he was mounted on a strong artillery-horse,
and the well-stuffed holsters were still con-
spieuous objects on his saddle. He was breast