Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-06-14
The MOSCOW CAMPAIGN.
NAPoLEoNs GREAT MISTAKE.
'efernn's "Reminiscences or Bsnaparte's |
D's'sirous Invasion or RHssia-Ifi, Good
Genius Deserts Him.


Genius Deserts Him.
Az that moment, writes ST. Peters
burg correspondent to the New York
Times, i espied in corner an old man
IN the uniform Of Russian maior-gen-
eral, from whom Tourgueneif had Just
turned away after exchanging a few
words with him. He was evidently
verging upon extreme age, and his thin,
dark face, framed in snow-whte hair,
looked like some old Italian painting, but
bowed and feeble though he now was,
there was a nameless something in his
look and bearing which suggested that he
must have been a gallant soldier in his
prime, long years ago. | was still
watching him when Nine. Aiilutine
came up and said: " Go and talk to that
old gentleman he's one Of the last Of
our Borodino soldiers, and he can tell
you more about Napoleon and the re-
treat from Moscow than any man alive.
Pavel Yakovitch paul, son of James,,
here is gentleman from England who
would like to hear something of what
you saw in the year 1912"
''lf you will be so good, Pavcl va
koyitch," added 7, 81 you will oblige
me very much. Everything is interest
ing that has to do with the greatest year
Of Russian history, when
'BarhIai de TOLL Tutoozor
E'dNaNTadfznfOuI rOtu V1Oroxfff Eranf.
ZooZon.f'
barclay dc Tolly and Kutoozof in
the year 1912 froze the French
"Aha have you picked that up
already D." said the veteran, with thin,
piping laugh. ".Ycs, that was year
for Russia TO be proud of, and our chill
dren's children will talk Of it hundreds
Of years after we are dead and gone.
He came against us in all his power and
pride and fury, like an enemy of God.
as he was; but lac melted like snow in
the sunshine. and skunk away as wolf
sinks into the forest at dawn. felt
when saw him that he couldn't
last"
Have You really seen Napoleon
face to face. them" asked |, beginning
to be interested. AYE, that have.
upon the greatest fall his battle fields.
was only boy then, but | wasn't
going to hang back when the Russian
flag was flying against an invader, and
begged my father to let me serve with
his battery in the Grand redoubt, which
was the centre of our line at Borodino.
When the morning broke it was all one
great sea Of gray mist on every side OF
us, but through the gloom in our front
we could hear the voices Of the ene-
my and the neighing of their horses
and the rumble of their artillery
wheels. Then suddenly the cannon
on both sides began to roar, making
the very earth tremble under our feet.
Even when the fog rose the smoke was
so thick that couldn't see anything
except flash Of fire now and then like
lightning in a cloud, but from the sound
of the firing it seemed to me as il the
battle was hot along the line except
just where we were. | thought or
turn would never come, but when it did
it came with a vengeance. All the
fights that ] ever fought" land the old
warriors eyes flashed fire as he spoke
were as nothing to the battle of that
day. Three times all our gunncrs were
killed to the last man, and three
times others came forward to
take their places. All the air seemed
shaking with the whOop of cannon-balls
and the howl of shells. the crash of
bursting bombs, and the whiz Of bull
lets flying thick as hail. Men dropped
dead or mangled every moment, and no
one minded them. Our blood was on
fire, and all looked red before our eyes.
Every one was mad. AT last we heard
n strange sound far in the advance like
rain pattering on withered leaves,
which grew louder and louder till it
filled the air like the roar of a stormy
sea, and all at once a great wave of
bright swords and helmets and horses
heads came surgins up over the breast
work in front Of us. The cavalry of
the Imperial Guard were upon us, and
in a moment felt a shock like a fall
ing mountain, and down | went TO the
earth and lost consciousness.
when | came to myself again all
was still except few dropping shots
in the distance. The battle seemed to
be over, although there was a red glare
low down in the sky, showing where
Borodino village was on fire. Ny
father lay within three PAGES Of me
crushed and dead. and beside him.
shot through the heart. was Colonel
Caulaincourt. the Frenchman who had
led the charge. Suddenly heard
trampling Of hoofs and several voices
talking loudly in French. and had just
time to creep under agun-carriage whena
group of gaily-dressed horsemen came
past, whom | guessed at once to be
Napoleon's staff riding over the battle
field, for there were several of them
whom knew by sight already. Then
the group parted suddenly, and there
was the man himself in the midst of
them. with his face hard and immOya-
be as marble amid all that blood and
agony, and far-away kind of look
in those cold gray eyes of his, as if he
saw Moscow somewhere up in the sky
and could see nothing between.
a. glorious victory" cried Mu-
rat. waving his hand. What a stir
therell be among the good folks in
Paris when the bulletin arrives
~. We've lost half of our army in
doing it, though growled Ney.
Hadn't we better fall back little and
wait for relnforcements =
Then Napoleon turned his head
slowly. just as a statue might do, and
looked him full in the face. Thou adj
vising a retreat, Michael? That is
something new, indeed Mono fall
ing back now must date my bulletin
from Moscow. As for the army, you
can't make an omelette without break
ing few eggs
When heard him say that ! knew
that God had forsaken him, for no man
save one doomed to destruction could
have spoken so lightly Of the slaughter
of thousands of brave men. And sure