Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1892-02-04

a fourth OF the baggage wagons had ar
rived, and before the middle of July, or
in less than two weeks, though not
battle, not even n skirmish, had been
fought, hundreds of men and over TO-
600 horses had persisted from starvation
and exposure, and %, 1000 patients were
in the field hospitals. This was but the
beginning. The Russians were afraid to
meet Napoleon in the field. Kotusof's
experience at Austerlitz had made him
careful; so on the principle that no army
could exist in the midst or ruins, they
destroyed right and left everything that
could sustain life. The whole of Lithu-
ania was depopulated and its people
driven into exile. A tract of country
200 miles wide and $50 miles in extent
from east to west was barred Of inhabit-
ants and of means of supporting life.
The Cossacks, swarming everywhere,
depopulated and ruined the provinces OF
Wilma, Vitebsk, Mensk, Smolensk, and
Moscow. Nor did the savage system
cease with driving off the population of
the country districts and destroying
houses, barns, and crops. The towns
were no more spared than the rural dis
tricts. Between the Niemen and Mos
COW the flourishing towns of wilma,
Sventziani, Utchatch, Kamen, Vitebsk,
Smolensk, Valentino, Jarkovo, Jemlevo,
| Tertaki, Besovka, with over a hundred
villages, were ruthlessly depopulated and
set on fire.
Only twice did the Russians venture
to oppose Napoleon between the Niemen
and the capital Urged by the remon-
strances OF the inhabitants of Smolensk,
a city deemed by the Russians almost as
holy as Moscow, the Russian commander
made q stand almost before its gates,
and was defeated with terrible slaughter.
Then again, at the command of his i'm
pcrial master, who forbade him TO give
up Moscow without striking a blow in
its defense, Kotusoff made stand on the
Moskwa at the little village of Borodino,
where was fought one of the greatest
battles of history. Terrible was the loss
on both sides. The French admitted loss
of AZ, 900 in killed and wounded, the lat
ter dying, almost TO man, from neglect,
while the most authentic accounts make
the Russian loss nearly 60, 900 and in addi-
ton to this terrible slaughter they were
driven in headlong rout from the field
Kotusoff intended to fight another battle,
but the French coming upon him before
he could rally, drove him back, and with
furled colors and silent drums he march
ed through the capital, the rear-guard
following, and driving out the popula-
ton of over 100000. This evacuation
of the capital has been represented az
spontaneous, but In view Of the we'll
known methods pursued by the Russians
at other points during the campaign. II
seems altogether improbable that great
city would be abandoned by its entire
, population with such precipitation that
large quantities of the most valuable
property were left without the slightest
, apparent effort at preservation. AS the
commander OF the rear guard prepared
to evacuate the city, he released all the
, prisoners In the various jails and houses
of detention, and, bringing them before
J him, promised them freedom and large
/ rewards II they would set the city OF
4 fire during the French occupation. The
) day after the Russian evacuation thu
French moved in; Napoleon passed
: through the Holy Gate into the krem
: lin, took up his quarters in Alexander