Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1895-12-05
NapoIeon's Retreat From Moscow.

NapoIeon's Retreat From Moscow.
At length, however, on the l4th of
September, Napoleon stood upon the
heights overlooking Moscow. Hisarmy
now forgot all their past suferings,
their many months Of weary marching,
the ashes of Smolen SIX, and the blood
shed of Borodino. Beneath them lay
the wonderful city of palaces and
shrines, the capital Of Holy Russia, the
object of their struggles, the place
where their leader intended to dictate
peace to the world and load them all
with plunder.
Napoleon's face shone with satlstac-
ton as he surveyed the hundreds of
churches, with their multitude of
strange spires shining with polished
metals, which many believed to be gold
and silver. His soldiers danced for
Joy in the warm September sunshine.
The camp was filled with song as each
one donned his best uniform, prepara-
tory to making conquests amongst the
maidens of Moscow.
But the maidens of Moscow were not
like those of Berlin. They had all left
the town, along with their fathers and
brothers, their sisters and mothers.
The advance-guard of the French en-
tered at one gate while the citizens of
Moscow left at the other Napoleon
waited for the usual deputation of
smiling aldermen, but he waited long
and in vain. One hour succeeded the
other, but no aldermen Of Moscow
came to offer him homage; it was all
painfully like Smolensk. The hours
passed and darkness came, and in this
darkness there went up bright light
from amongst the thousand spires.
Napoleon remarked that Moscow was
a town particularly well adapted for
Examinations. Nor was Napoleon SIN
gle in this opinion. 1t had been
shared by the decamping Russian gov
ernor, who had provided such an illu-
mination as even Napoleon might re-
gard with interest. Light succeeded
light amongst the buildings of Moscow
and from the heights of the citadel Ma
poleon readily perceived that these
fires must be more than the result Of
accident. But for the moment no one
concerned himself with a burning
house more or less; all were too busy
selecting good quarters. Moscow was
famed at that time for its excellent
fire companies, and water was abund-
ant, so Napoleon went to sleep in the
palace of the Cars, confident that he
would be awakened by AleXander's 5
message pleading Tor peace.
But while he slept the wind blew
high and the flames reached out. The
men who were sent to order the fires
arrested came back with troubled faces.
All the local fremen had fled along
with the rest, and had taken with them
every fre-engine.
For full week Moscow kept her
gigantic blaze, in which some $4,000
houses were destroyed. Napoleon
hoped from day to day that Russia
would sue for peace as humbly as
Prussia had done six years before but
days passed, and weeks, and nothing
came but the signing of the wind IN
The lonesome forests round about. Five
precious weeks did Napoleon waste in
Moscow before he finally decided upon
his wretched retreat. On October 18th
he started, just one day later than the
anniversary of the Leipsig battle,
which in 1918 sent him once again on
backward march. Before leaving
Moscow, however, he left detailed or
ders for the burning down Of the re-
naming buildings, and particularly
for the destruction of the famous
Kremlin. Moscow was ablaze when
he entered it, and he left it blazing
afresh and more savagely still.
Napoleon S flames, however, there
perished some 10000 helpless, wound
ed Russian prisoners, whose avenglng
spirits hovered over the long line OF
retreating French and gave them no
peace. The French left behind them
a city full of foul stenches rising from
carcasses of charred horses and men.
Does it not seem like poetic justice
that ice and snow should be reserved
a4od nnf To these