Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1895-12-12

neaNy lor tne poor beasts of burden.
For the French army which left
Moscow was very badly supplied
with horses, thanks to the unanimity
with which the peasants everywhere
: secreted their property.
The first snow fell on November
4th, fifteen days after leaving Mos
COW. In two days more the Their
mometer sank to below the freezing
point, and the snow was driven by q
cruel, Northeast wind, which in Eu-
rope corresponds to the American
blizzard from the Northwest. But
the cold alone was a small matter.
for Napoleon had before won bat
ties in winter weather. His men
were retreating with empty bellies {;
his horses were dying for want of
forage; not only were his troopers
without horses, the roads became lit
tered with pieces of artillery and bag
gage-carts, whose horses died in the
traces. Men, too, died where thew
lay down to rest, and each encamp-
ment bore the next day the looks of
a battlefield. 1t was sad picture
or needless suffering, but the survi-
Vors bore it with comparative cheer
fulness, for Smolensk was not far off
and there they were promised com
Portable winter quarters, warm cloth
ing, and plenty of food.
Napoleon reached Smolensk on
the 9th of November, having been
three weeks doing the 300 interven-
ing miles, an average rate of speed
less than fifteen miles day. We
can readily assume that Napoleon
meant his army to march at the
highest rate of speed, for he was fly-
ing for his life, having good reason
to fear interception and capture be-
fore reaching friendly territory.
Already, then, we have evidence
of Napoleon's wretched condition
from want of horses, want of food
and want of clothing. The Russians
had as yet done him little damage
since leaving Moscow, and the still
greater enemy, Jack Frost, had
given him but sample of what he
could furnish at later day. How
was it possible, we ask, that a man
who had conducted campaigns with
success under every climatic condi-
tion between the Baltic and the Pyra-
mlds should have shown such bad
generalship in this year 1912, even
II we stop at Smolensk to discuss
the matter? What had become of
his half million? How is it he
could never get enough of his men
together to do the Russians serious
harm? Where was his former IA
nous commissariat system? And
why must his men crawl along so
slowly, when in past years they had
astonished Europe by their forced
marches?
Napoleon himself started the leg
end that he was conquered only by
the elements-by the unprecedented
winters cold. But that was mere
lie of expediency. Had there been
no worse weather after than before
Smolensk there is little reason to
suppose that the end of the cam
paign would have been much differ
ent.
The French army Of 1912 was no
longer that of 1899, and still less that
of Jena. The troops that crossed
into Russia were motley band, not
half Of whom spoke French. Lit
tie Portuguese from the banks of the
Tagus, broWn-skinned Italians from
the Campagna, br0ad-belted Bava-
rians, semi-civiliZed Dalmatians,
Prusslans, Austrians, Dutch Swiss,
Wurtemburgers, and SaXOns-these
all followed the fortunes of the con
querer, not for love of his name and
people, but because he was success
f'ul soldier and gave them plenty of
plumber and glory. In Moscow there
| hnnn
the palaces and temples, and every
man who started for home on that
tateful 18th of October, 1912, took
with him every precious ounce that
was possible. There was a time
when Napoleon could have forbidden
this dangerous luxury, and insisted
that nothing should cucumber his
march save indispensable military
stores. But here again we find that
Napoleon of 1872 was not the Napo-
leon of 1906.
Those who are familiar with the
movement of large troop masses can
alone appreciate the interminable
movement required to pass a single
army corps, of say 10000 men, past
a given point. In times Of parade,
on a broad plain, and without bag
gage, it goes rapidly enough; but
on single road when men can
march only four abreast, when long
trains of ammunition and provisions
have to be added to the equally te-
dious train of artillery, a COM
mander may consider himself for
tunate if single army corps can
pass given point on single
! road between sunrise and sunset of a
winters day. But the army of Ma
poleon was dragged out to nearly
double its needful length by vehicles
OF every kind, containing clocks,
ribbons, jewelry pictures-everything
which could tempt the taste Of a sol
dier, from the field marshal down to
! the weakest drummer-boy. Napo-
leon himself bore the chief plunder,
the cross from the top of the Krem-
lin-as though to prove that he had
conquered the country by desecrat-
ing it's capital. To do Napoleon ius-
tice, he had thought this famous
cross to be of gold, according to the
popular belief in Russia. But it
proved to be nothing but a base
metal, gaudily gilded, for the pur-
pose of deceiving those far away
Nevertheless, it was carried along in
the wretched procession as a part of
the booty that should, it was hoped,
make France believe that the cam
paign had ended in success. PouItaev
RjUpIo1g an No.o,,Io.. un.a..