The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1896-05-20

Alrpady winter was et hand. snow was
falling. The SCldierof l'ortrsc has at last
found his destiny On the iOth Of Octo-
Der, he leaves Moscow and the retreat be-
gins To the Niemcn. On every side the
Cossacks arise and assail the fugitives.
The soldiers of the West and South drop
by thousands on the frozen roads. The
SHOWS cover them. The ice-darts in their
sides are sharper than bayonets. The col
umns staggcr and swing To right and left.
A hundred and twenty thousand men roll
away across the hostile world. At the
Beresina the bridges are broken down
under the retreating army. In the follow
ing spring, when the ice-gorges go down
the river, IL, 900 dead Frenchmen shall be
washed up from the floodsl
There is constant battle on flank and
rear. All stragglers perish. The army
dwindlcs. Ney brings up the rear guard
wasted to handful. At the passage of the
Niemen, soiled with dirt, blackened with
smoke, without insignia, with only drawn
sword and facing backwards towards the
hated region, the "Bravest of the Brave"
crosses the bridge. He is the last man to
save himself from the indescribable horrors
of the Campaign of Russia.
The remnants of the Grand Army find
refuge in Konigsberg. Napoleon, after
Moscow, had taken to a sledge, and had
sped across the snow covered wastes of Po
land on his way to Paris. He came there
unannounced. At four o'clock on the fol
lowing morning, some one found him in
his Office at the Tuileries with his war
map of Europe spread before him on the
floor
AS soon as 1t was known that the Grand
Army was under the SHOWS Of Russia,
there were signs of upheaval through all
the borders of the West. The Germanic
States were first to profit by the disasters
of the French. Frederick William gave his
hand to the Car. There was revolt in
Hamburg The Confederation of the Rhine
began to fall to pieces. Alexander sent an
army TO Berlin; Napoleon must guard his
eastern frontier, or perish.
The turmoil of 1913 began on the End OF
May with the battle Of Lutzen. With in
credible speed Napoleon had planted his
new armies on line extending from Lu-
bee to Venice. At Lutzen the French were
victorious. Frederick William, Alexan-
der and Napoleon were once more on the
same field On the 21st of May, the EN-
peror hurled 125, 900 men on the allies at
Bautzen, and won another victory Da-
vout retook Hamburg, and terribly pun
ished that place for its detection. Napo-
leon held Dresden in one hand and routed
the allies with the other until his antago-
nists were glad TO accept an armistice.
They agreed 70 convene at Prague for max
ing treaty of peace.
But secretly, in the interim, the Car
and Frederick William, aided by England,
constructed the Fifth Coalition. Austria
and SaXony We're won over TO the league.
The father of Maria Louisa perfidiously
entered the lists against her husband. On
the Goth of August, after the truce had
expired, the Emperor met the Prussians
and Russians at Dresden, and gained an
other victory. But his enemies were only
beaten-not overwhelmed.
The war in other parts of the field bore
hardly on the French. At Grossbeeren the
allies defeated Oudinot, and on the Goth of
August, the battle of Katsbach was won
by Butcher over Macdonald, who suffered
heavy losses in men and guns. Bernadotte,
who had renowned the Emperor, came
down against Ney at Dennewitz, and
there, on the 9th of September, disastrous
" defeated him. The allies concentrated in
great force on Leipsic, and on the 10th of
October were beaten there by Bonaparte.
Vainly he sought to open negotiations. The
second battle of Leipsic was fought on the
18th of the month"; terrible conflict in
which Napoleon was forced from the field.
The city was taken; the bridges blown up;
and Poniatowsky drowned in the Elster.
The French, hard-pressed, were Obliged
to fall back from the frontier of Germany
In November, Napoleon reached Paris. He
sought in all possible ways to conclude a
peace, but also exerted himself during the
winter TO prepare for the coming avalanche
Beyond the Rhine the French power was
broken up. Hanover was recovered by the
allies. Holland proclaimed William 1. of
Orange. Jerome had TO abdicate the
throne of Westphalia. The small princes
of Germany took back their ancient estates.
Norway went 20 Sweden. Denmark leagued
with Great Britain The Austrians over
ran the Illyrian provinces Murat, king
Of Naples, made treaty with Austria.
Only Eugene viceroy of Italy, remained
loyal in support of the Emperor.
In the beginning Of 1914 was begun the
so-called Campaign of France Napoleon
everywhere confronted his enemies All
the eastern borders were darkened with
the oncoming armies Of the Coalition.
Wellington, who in the preceding summer
had won the great battle of Vittoria, was
of Flanders. Napoleon gave the Pope his
liberty, and restored him to his States. All
the whales and monsters of the Middle
Ages came up from the sea; he threw to
this one a bait and to that one tub. The
Austrians under Schwartzenburg crossed
the Rhine. Butcher also crossed, at Co
blentz. Tho Russians came by way of Hol-
land. Bernadotte pressed southwark with
100, 900 men.
The struggle that ensued was without a
parallel in history. Napoleon, like King
John at Poitiers, warded right and warded
left. He fought one battle after another,
until both Butcher and Schwartzenburg
were crushed, and Austria sued for peace.
But the Germanic powers returned to the
battle with the powerful support of Russia
and Sweden and England; and the French
began to recede. 1t was now seen that the
allied generals had learned from the lion
many of his own arts of war
Napoleon, with his usual audacity,
plunged into Germany; the allies instead
OF following him, pressed on towards
Paris, and the Emperor was Obliged 60 re-
turn. Arriving at Fontainebleau, he found
that Alexander and Frederick William
were already in his capital. Europe was In
an uproar. The French Empire was sink
inc IN its knees Surh Loci ativ va "a, horitx