The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-03-24

however, contested every inch of ground
| with the energy of despair. His men rushed
with shouts to the charge, and threw them
selves in lmpetuouS valOr on the enemy
but the immense masses that met them
steadily advanced, and before their weight
and fire he was compelled to fall back,
step by step, down the slope.
Napoleon, who had from his eminence
seen the superior numbers against which
his Marshal was compelled to contend,
and alarmed at the success of the allies in
that quarter, ordered up Macdonald with
his corps to support him. The bold Scotch
man marched his columns rapidly up to
| Oudinot, and hurled them with such
strength and impetuosity on the enemy
that they were driven back up the hight.
In the meantime the heavy batteries Of
! Marmont and Bertrand were laundering
| on the center, and the battle ragged along
| the whole lines. At length the sound of
Ney's guns on the extreme left-the signal
for general attack-reached the ear of
Napoleon, and his orders were issued like
lightning.
The cavalry moved straight on the CEN
ter. while the Imperial Guard. in dark
array, marched behind to support it,
Eighty thousand men swept in one broad
wave against the nights, and Surging up
its sides, rolled in reSistleSS power over the
summit. Ney, in the meantime, had
turned the encmy's right, and settled the
fate of the day.
The allied army was forced to retreat
followed by the victorious and enhusi-
astic French The spectacle the field at
this moment presented to Napoleon as he
stood and looked off from a commanding
hight, was equally sublime and thrilling |
with that of the day before. He had or |
dcred the whole army to advance; and, |
To- a hundred and forty thousand men !
moved forward at his command.
There were the long black columns OF |
he oil nd
around their extremitieS clouds of cavalry |
lowering in protec ton; while on every |
side, over the immense plain, were spots of |
flame and wreathS of smoke, where the |
artillery blaZed necessarily on the advanc-
ing battaiiOES.
There, too were the victorious French
moving in beautiful order and stern mai
esty after the retreating masses; while a
hundred and twenty cannon i'm front clear
ing terrible path for the columns shook
the earth over which they trod, and 5000
cased in shining armOr and
sending back the beams of the setting sun
in dazzling splendor from their helmets.
swept with fierce shouts to the onset.
An interminable forest of bayonets gilt
tered over this host; while between were
long moving lines of light caused by the
flashing on steel armor, and
'abers, and helmets. Napoleon gazed
ong and triumphantly on the sublime
spectacle, till the lessening columns and
lie receding thunder of cannon FASTENED
lm forward.
In the meantime the sun had gone down. d,
md night, drawing her curtains over the
,arth, arrested the conflict, and the two !,
ired armies again lay down to rest But |
wo dead armies were sleeping there also
lore than thirty thousand had fallen in :
hese two days of carnage, and men lay in
leapS along the base of the nights and C
we're scattered thick as Autumn leaves h
Trough the valley. g
But as the stars came out in the sky n
,Omen were seen f1ocking over the field. n
nd coarse clad men treading amid the ii
lies of human bodies, but not. as at :,
,resden to plumber the dead, but to sue
or the dying. With hand carts, AMI
heel barrows, and littcrs, the kind
earted peasantry had issued forth, moved
y their own sympathies, and lifting I'D
ne wounded, carried then: to their houses OF
here they bound up their wounds and m
llayed their SutIerings.
The next morning at daylight Napoleon S;
snewed the pursuit, and pressed on the 81
wing traces OF the enemy with redoubled il
nergy. All day long the fight continued is
nd the roads were blocked with the dead. w
ut still the allies retained the firm order | S,
battle. n,
Enraged at their obstinacy, and still de- tn
rmlned to turn that retreat into n rout. tn
hurried to the front, in person, and til
ged ON the columns. He rode hither ard i'm
''iei, hasteHihS up ana concentrating ";
S forces with amazing rapidity, and fall Sc
& In terrible strength on the rear-gliard of NJ
e enemy. But all his efforts were y;in. HI
e disciplined bravery of the allied troops d.,
sisted every endeavor, and robbed him OF m
Ii his victory. -.
DEATH OF DUROC. ca
din
But his greatest misfortune that which a
unded him deepest, was the death of his
End DurOc. AS he made last effort TO
ak the enemy's ranks, and rode again til;
the advanced posts to direct the move
hts OF his army, one of his escort was | CHI
lck dead by his side. Turning to Duroc thi
said: he,
l'uroc, fate is determined to have one of it's
to-day" SEES