Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1895-11-04
NAPOLEON'S INVASION OF RUSSIA

Alexander |. of Russia was thirty
five years old in 1912, younger than
Napoleon by seven years, but vastly
older in the Oriental capacity to de-
ceive. On the evening of June 25Ch,
while attending a brilliant ball at Will
ma, his chief of police suddenly
brought him news that the French
were marching down upon half mil
lion strong, their front reaching some
500 miles from the Baltic to the noun
tains of Austrian GaIicia. Alexander
continued at the ball for an hour or so
longer, as though nothing had hap
pened. He paid compliments to the
many handsome Polish ladies present;
held out vague hopes that Poland
would be restored to her freedom and
integrity; promised many promotions
and medals; charmed every one by
his good looks, and still more by his
flow of generous language.
He then withdrew to his study,
signed a passionate proclamation of
war against the French, and sent word
| to Napoleon that he should make no
terms so long as French soldier re-
NAMED on Russian soil.
He had scant time for more. His
carriage carried him away towards
Moscow just in time to escape capture
at the hands of Napoleon's advance
guards. The French, however, in no
way interfered with the merry
dance; and many were the Polish
ladies in wilma that night who con
tinued the joyful revels until late the
next day, finishing with Frenchmen
the dance they had commenced with
Russians.
Alexander's flight from Napoleon
after wilma suggests that of Frederick
William III. after Jena, 1906 Alex
ander flew to Moscow, stirred up the
enthusiasm of the people, secured the
support of the mobiles and priests, de
clared the war to be holy one, prom
ised to fight with his last drop, and
created such burst Of patriotism that
all in Moscow swore they would burn
than that it should shelter a French
man. From Wilney to Moscow and
from Moscow to St. Petersburg, Alex
ander came as the embo of an
outraged national dignity Priests
preached the holy war from every
pulpit, and mobiles set the peasants
free that they might fight for their
Gar, their country, and their threat
ened churches.
All this was the work of few words
in the mouth of popular young En-
peror.
Frederick William, six years before,
also fed before Napoleon. Instead of
hurrying to his capital and calling up
on his people to arm themselves and
resist the invader, his governors is
sued bulletins ordering all good people
to be quiet. In the long and humiliat-
ing flight of the Prussian King from
Jena to Tilsit we have so many evil
dences of his weakness, but so far not
a single token of such courage as even
| Alexander showed. From Queen Luise
indeed, there came many noble words;
but she, alas, was only queen.
While Alexander was stirring up his
people, the "Grand Army of France
was slowly dragging itself forward
under a clustering sun through clouds
of checking dust. Calamities COM
menced before they had even reached
Smolensk
On the 18th of August they made
their entry into that ancient fortress,
half of which had been burned to the
ground by it's own citizens, who had
deserted their homes in body.
No plant burgomeisters came forth
with golden keys on velvet cushions;
no white clad virgins sang songs of
welcome as the troops filed in; no OBJ
sequious officials were there to help IN
finding quarters for unwelcome
guests. All these things Napoleon
had been accustomed to in the land of
Frederick William III, and their
omission here should have made him
ponder. In Prussia fortresses sur
rendered to him before he even
reached their gates. At Smolensk
more than 10000 Frenchmen had to be
sacrificed in successive assaults before
he could call it his, and then it was
little more than heap of ashes.
He had come $50 miles already since
leaving Dresden on the 18th of May,
and all he had to show for it was vast