Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1889-08-09
BORODINO.

As long as military achievements viii /
thrill men. the story of the great French /
invasion of the Russian empire at the open
ing of this century will have a peculiarly |
absorbing interest for readers.
The French army under the Emperor |
Napoleon, on it march to Moscow, arrived |
on the evening of the 4th of September, |
1912, near the village of Borodino on the |
banks of the Moskwa. The Russian army, !
40, 900 strong, was here strongly intrcneh
ed. General Kutusoff. the hero of many |
desperate battles with the Turks, in com
mand, having resolved upon the most des
perate resistance, had ranged in command
ing positions, and behind well constructed
redoubts, 600 pieces of heavy artillery.
The French army, numbering 10000
approached in three great columns. Ma
poleon ascended an eminence, and care
fully scrutinizing the position of the enemy,
with his characteristic promptness, instant
ly decided upon his plan of attack.
The night was cold and dark and a driz
zling rain fell upon the French army.
weary with their long march. The bivouac
fires of the Russians swept around the
French encampment in a belt Of flame
many miles in extent. The morning was
to usher in a battle which would certainly
be sanguinary in the highest degree, and
which might be decisive of the results of
the campaign.
Until midnight Napoleon was debating
dispatches and sending accommodating
parties in all directions He then retired
to the inner part of his tent, where he
slept. Soon, however, he sent for Marshal
Besseres, commander of the Imperial
Guard, and inquired of him with great mi
nuteness respecting the wants and supplies
of the soldiers. Still, not satisfied, he
rose and went out to inquire himself of the
soldiers if they had all they needed He
appeared unusually detected. Soon after
he had returned again to his inner tent, an
! officer, who had occasion to speak to him.
found him sitting upon his couch support
ing his head with both of his hands. The
emperor looked up and said, sadly:
"What is war; 1t is a trade of bar
strongest at given point A great day is
at hand The battle will be a terrible one.
| shall lose twenty thousand men,
As sook as dawn appeared the emperor
was on horseback The storm of the night
had passed. and the sun arose in unclouded
brilliance. Remembering the splendor of
the sun which had risen on December
day when he had signally routed the com
bined strength of Russia and Austria in
single battle nearly seven years before,
Napoleon smiled and said
"Behold the sun of Austerltz.'
As he stood upon an eminence, surround.
ed by but few attendants to escape OBJ
servation, a Russian battery opened fire
upon him. 1t was the signal for the onset. A
terrific peal of thunder burst from all the
embattled host. Three hundred thousand
men, with all of the most formidable ma
chinery of war, fell upon each other
From five o'clock in the morning until
the middle of the afternoon the tempest of
battle swept the field without moments
intermission. Davoust, one of the ablest
of the French marshals and the command
er who defeated Blucher and the King of
Prussia at Auerstadt, was struck from his
horse by "A cannon ball, which tore the
steed to pieces As he was plunged head
long and stunned upon the plain, word was
carried to the emperor that the marshal
was dead. He heard the tidings in silence.
Soon, however, intelligence was brought
him that the marshal was again at the head
of his troops. God be praised!' exclaim-
ed the emperor, feryently.
Count Caulaincourt was young officer
of rare accomplishments. The night be-
fore the battle, wrapped i'll his cloak, he
had fixed his eyes, in a sleepless hour, up
on the miniature of his young bride,
whom he had left but few days after their
marriage. In the heat of the battle he
stood by the side of the emperor, awaiting
his orders Word was brought that Gen
eral Montbrun, the dashing cavalry leader,
who had been ordered to attack a redoubt,
was killed Caulaincourt was ordered to
succeed him. Putting spurs to his horse,
he said: II will be Immediately at the
redoubt, dead or alive" He was the first
to mount the parapet. At that moment,
pierced by musket bullet, he fell dead
Thus all day long tidings of victory and
of death were reaching the ears of the en-
peror Sadly he listened to the recital as
courier after courier brought to him their !
reports, while he was still watching with
an eagle eye, and guiding with almost |
superhuman skill, all the tremendous en- |
ergies OF battle. Napoleon had formed |
such plans that, from the commencement |
of the engagement, he had entertained no |
doubt as to the result.
During the whole day, while the pillows !
of war rolled to and fro over the plain, he |
held in reserve the whole Imperial Guard, |
amounting to 90, 600 men, notwithstanding |
many opportunities that they might be |
permitted TO enter the hotly contested |
field At one time Marshal Berthier, the |
French chief of staff, in moment of ap-
parently fearful peril entreated him to
send them forward TO the aid of Il portion
of the army. apparently on the point of
being swept back by the impetuous foe.
NO" said Napoleon calmly, 'the hour of
this battle is not yet come. 1t will begin
in two hours more
The well ordered movements of the mas
sive columns of the French under Ney and
Eugene, the viccroy of Italy, pressed more
and more heavily upon the Russians.
Each hour some new battery opened its
destructive fire upon their bewildered and
crowded ranks Gradually the surges of
the battle rolled towards one great redoubt
where the Russians had concentrated their
utmost strength. Both armies gravitated
toward this central point, and all the fury
of the conflict seemed with magniiicd in
tensity to have gathered there.
Behind, around and upon these intrcnch-
ments one hundred thousand men were
struggling with the utmost conceivable