Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1870-05-04

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10 the centre of the company, which
soon after continued its march.
In the meantime, the retreat of the
main body Of the army, commenced at
= first in good order, soon presented, from
. the intensity of the cold, a frightful as
= pect Of diSOrganiZatiOn, selfShness and
misery. The cOmpanyO grenadiers slow
/, ly pursued their course, and were soon
Isolated amid the immense plains COW
cred with the wrecks of the army. Some
times in a square with the litter Of Kob-
: Inski in the center, they repulsed with
the bayOHet the drag3 ms Of AIilOradO-
. witch, or returned the unexpected attack
, Of PlatOw with q whitening tire-eveI
acting on the defensive, but always
calm, silent and steady. By these means
their numbeT- had gradually diminisL ed
and when, on the 30th of October, they
reached the Wanna, out Of the entire
cOmpay of grenadiers, not more than
thirty survived. Still these brave men,
abandoned and left to themselves, pre-
served amid the general discomfort, that
moral force which cOnquers even events.
1t was their honor and not their lives
that they sought to defend. 1t was suf-
ficient for them that one Of the most IL
Iustrious NTarshals Of the Emperor had
said to them. TO your honor and bra
very I cOnfide my Aid-de-camp you
are to restore him to me- These words
had acted as talisman, which had not
lost its force under the pressure Of misery,
Iprivation and even death. ~,
After three weeks Of continual hard
I ship, the few men who remained of the
heroic and devoted company, secuted
with disdain, and looked upon as an af-
front, the repeated prayers and sOlicita-
tiOns of the Pole, who, seeing himself
4 the cause of so many sacrifices and suff-
erings, had besOUght them to relieve
themselves by at once putting an end to
his misery.
Thou art but coward said he to Tri-
/ gaud, who will not dare to do what 7
( ask-tO shoot me through the head.h
Colonel said TTigaud with stOical
/ Indifference, you may charge me with
such, if you please, but I laugh at it
Dead or live, we shall carry you to
SmoIensk. It is the order of the Mar
shall, and he ever requires that his order
should be Obeyed.'
If you had buried me yesterday in
the snow, when attacked by the Co.'S
sacks, L should ere to-day have suffered
/ 10 mOre.N r..
'The Cossaclzs would have disinterred
and burned you alive replied Trigaud,
who during the previous night had made
/ his own body a protection to the wound
! ed man. These caters Of candles would
| rejoice to have your skin; but they must
! take mine first-it is ready for them
! Oh the savages.'
( you are but a coward, repeated the
+ Pole in a feyerish transport which shook
he litter on which he lay.
BE calm, be calm, my Colonel you
/ know that the carbines- of the Marshal
! have ere now taught the necessity Of
o JGdience.- Why then do you wrong US
by speaking these disagreeable things?
/ However, it is all equal to me, I shall
not reply to YOU q
He who had spoken thus nearly per-
isned, with all his companions, in the
E5dssage of the NOss, while endeavOring
To protect the sacred deposit oonfided to
them. The waters Of the torrent were
,giLlin tWenty-fOur hours changed into
sharp and bristling masses of ice; ow-
ing to that circumstance but a few of
the ETenddiers reached the opposite bank
Some days subsequently, Wht Il Trigaud
awOke after a few hours repOse he found
that but four of his companions survived, :
the others having peTished from the stu
2ifying effects OF the frOst-a miniature
If what the great army was at that mo-
melt suffering and which has lett in
the military annals of Napoleon such !
horrible "reminiscences. Before the dlv:
closed, they distinguished, on the edge i
of the gloomy horizon a line of houses, 3,
he route of which was marked by the.
dead boz lies LEFT blythe immense army
which had preceded them. 1t was
SmoIen-k, lhc land Of p ON e-Wher
.4Jyke, for rd to as ...H
luXuries mi-ist e q cureL-.. fire, e
ter and q little bread. A cry of i5y ies-
capped the five brave men who still sup
ported the litter of KObIinski, Three,
However, fell to rise no more when Win
in sight of the tow q fourth soon after
shared the same fate; and hut one greIla-
dieT-TTigaud-was left to bFave-the ele-
ments with the now inanimate body of
the Pole. Not being able to carry him,
he slowly dragged him along, and at
length perceived> some men at a distance
whom he called to his assistance. They
soon came to his aid, and he reached
SmOlensk III a few hours, after twenty
two days of fighting, fatigue and misery,
He entered, it is true tue only survivor
Of his company; but ne cared not since
he had redeemed the promise made to
the Prince d'Eckmuhl. sF
The next day Trigagd harmed that
the Marshal had 9rriNed hut a few days
previously, and was then in town,
fAh'CAA II toSL4gtA~ VIC VI OllC
vast hospital, protected by sentries, and i'1
to the very suburbs. The
skeletons of horses which had been con-
Verted into food We're scattered i'll every
street, and the doors and windows of the
houses had long since been consumed as
by the frozen and furnishing
sOldiery. 1t was in one of the outskirts :
Of the town that Prince d'Echmuhl had :
established his quarters, and thither d,
assisted by some soldiers, bore
the insensible body Of KOblinslzi, and
laid it on some straw in the doorway
[ n entering the house, he perceived an
1i1icer ON guard at an outer room, enveI-
Dped i'll the ragged remains of q cuiras-
iier's cloak, of WHOM he demanded to,
.lealt With the Marshal, 49,
What bet seek you of him@ asked the !
officer without changing his posture, -
q come To render and account of a +
mission with which he charged me at $
and to deliver up the a
deposit confided to me- +
THE l'rince is at this moment in couu- /
m; you can remain and rest tY0uYselfmi- +
ill it is concluded In
,Certamly,l said Trigaud, who spoke l.
4 tone Of sadness but mayhap, i'm !
he meantime, you would make known Id
. him that the grenadiers Of the second 4
of the forty-eight regiment of n
he line, Fryauts Division, First Corps,
q whom he'intIusted the care of his aid 5
3d-camp, COlO-el lEOblinski, have fulfill n
I'd his orders, and that the company are / tl
waiting the honor of passing Under his
n
At the name of IIoblinski, DavOust / O
Who had entered and heard the latter ii
part Of the conversation, but who had g
lot recognized in the worn and enact o
ID being before him, the uuOehOble look {
ng grenadier, advanced, and demanded k
If him. 'Wher. is my aid-de-camp@ d
He is here, at the door, 10
And thy company said Davoust, d
hastily. 81
Atthese words Trlgdud took the pos h
ufe Of a soldier without arms, placed "
lis heels in a line, and slowly raising his n
lead, replied In a grave voice 'All pres tl
mt, my Marshal = n
4 have demanded where are the COM Q
lany of the FOrty-Eighth,' repeated tho 3