The Washington critic., 1890-05-16
1Asr OF ruE cRANDn AHMrE.
A Survivor of Napoleon's Troops
Reaches Home at Last.
.om Me courter des Eiats rais,

FroB, Ms Courler deS Etdts rHis.
The Italian papers report a recent ar
rival at the railway station at Baretto,
near Reggie, Central Italy, of strange
looking parsonage that was the object
of considerable curiosity. He was
tall and noble.looking old man, with
long white beard, who presented to the
Mayor a fe,ale de route, signed by
Baron Marocchetti, the Italian Ambas-
sador at st. Petersburg, inviting the
Italian authorities to take good care OF
the bearer, Michel Linovich Of Oren-
burg, Russia. =,
In reality this mysterious old man
was an Italian named Limo, born at
Barctio 10j years ago, and perhaps the
last living relic of the Grando Armee Of
1912. Belonging to a family OF farmers,
Limo formed part of the conscIiption of
the kingdom of Italy in 1905. and was
enrolled in the Imperial Guard. With
his regiment be went through the cam
paign Of 1S06.1 in Prussia and fought
at Jena and at Friedland. Later on he
was sent with his battalion to Dalmatia
and thence to Spain with the division
of General Lecchi, where he passed two
years of continual fighting. Wounded
in an assault, he returned to his native
country, where he remained for two
years working on his fathers farm.
On the outbreak of the terrible storm.
which was destined to carry off to Rus
sia the flower of the FrancoItalian
youth, Napoleon called under his vic
torious eagles his old soldiers. Limo
rejoined the service as a sergeant of the
Grenadier Guards, and with the rest of
the els Alpine army, under the com
mand of Eugene Beauharnais, formed
part of the Grande Armee. Limo
| fought against the Russians at Smolensk
| and at Moskova, where he lifted from
| the field of battle the mortally wounded
General Plangonne. After that he en-.
tered Moscow with Napoleon and finally
in the bloody battle Of the oath
of October while fighting under the
orders of General Pine, he was taken
prisoner after having been severely
wounded by the Cossacls of Platow.
Transported with large convoy of
| French prisoners to Orenburg, he was
sent with few of his comrades to a
distant village situated at the foot of the
Caucasus, where, although kindly
treated by the Russians, he had to suf-
fer cruel privations during ten years.
Tired at last Of such miserable exist
ence, he asked and obtained permission
TO Join the Russian army rs private
soldier. In this capacity he passed
through the campaign of the Caucasus
in 1920.
At the close of the war he obtained as
the reward for his services little piece
Of ground, which he cultivated When
he was 45 years old he married young
Polish girl named Nerawska, who dice
in 1866. The three sons that he had by
this woman also died, leaving the ole
soldier alone in the world. Then Limo
returned to Orenburg, where the people
RussianiZed his name into Liuovich
He lived there in comparative comfor
for many years. Gifted with an extra
ordinary energy of mind and body, h(
was still strong enough to catch nos
talgia
When more than a hundred year,
old, the old veteran at last becumt
homesick, after seventy eight years Of
exile. He resolved at all hazards TO re
turn TO his native land and there pas,
The remainder of his eventful career
Through the influence of the Italiar
Ambassador at st. Petersburg he wa
sent home TO Italy at the expense of tn,
Italian Government. Limo is now in al
asylum at Reggie, where he is cared
for with particular attention. AS h,
was born in 1885, he is now 105 year
old, the glorious survivor of hundred
battles and probably the last of tn
heroes who fought at Jena, Fredlant
and Borodino.