Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-03-03

still deformed the ground"
On the End of November the Rus
slams fell upon the rear guard OF the
French.
Many of the French were still COW
cred with bandages, or bore their
arms in sings, on account OF the
wounds received at Borodino. They
however, fought with desperation Tor
seven hours, repelling their foes, and,
leaving 1000 of their comrades dead
upon the ground, having slain an
equal number of the Russians, In
good order pressed on their way"
On the evening of the 5th Of Novem-
Der dense clouds commenc f, rming
in the sky; the wind rose and howled
through the forests and swept freez-
ing blasts over the exhausted host.
''At midnight a furious snowstorm
set in, extinguishing the fires of the
troops in cherries drifts. A dread
full morning dawned No sun could
be discovered through the dense at
mosphere, swept by the tempest
The troops, blinded and bewilder-
ed by the whirlwinds of sleet, stag
gered along, not knowing whittier
they were going The wind drove the
snow into the soldiers faces, and pen
etrated their thin and tattered cloth
ing. Their breath froze and hung in
icicles from their boards. Their
limbs were chilled and stiffened. The
men could no longer keep their ranks
but toiled on in disordered masses
1t was an awful day
Many, stumbling over a stone, OF
falling into concealed cavities by the
wayside, were unable to rise again
and were soon covered with a wind
ing sheet of snow; a small hilIocB
alone marked their cold graves. In
Vulnerable men and horses fell anG
persisted. The muskets dropped from
the benumbed hands of the soldiers
while many had their hands frozen tC
their weapons of war.
"Flocks of ravens emerging from
the forest mingled their shrieks
with the uproar of the elements. an(
with bloody fangs tore the flesh O.
the PROSTATE soldiers almost before
life was extinct. To add to the nor
rors OF the scene, clouds of Cossack:
lowered around the freezing host
making frequent attacks. These bar
barians stripped the wounded anC
the dying, cut them with their sabers
goaded them with their bayonets
and with shouts of laughter deride(
them as they reeled and staggered il
convulsive agonies, expiring naked il
the snow.
Night came on-a dreadful night
There was no shelter There was NJ
dry wood to kindle fire The storm
still ragged with a pitiless fury. One
wide eXpanse OF snow spread every
where.
THE wretched soldiers, exhausted
supperless and freezing, threw them
selves upon the drifts. from which
thousands never arose. During the
long hours of that night they moanet
and died. and assembled to the iude
ment seat of a righteous God.
THE horses persisted as rapidly as
the men. The soldiers stripped of
the reeldng skins of the horses al
they fell. and used them as cloaks
Tor protection against the storm
Many horses were killed that the per
ishing soldiers might obtain a little
nutriment by drinking their warm
blood
This awful night of sixteen hours
duration at last passed away. A cold
tieak morning dawned The scene
of horror presented to the eye ap
palled the stoutest hearts.
Circular ranges of the soldiers
stiff in death and covered with the
drlfted snow. marked the site of the
bivouacs. Thousands of snowy
mounds, scattered over the plain
showed where, during the night
horses and men had persisted. while
the storm had rudely wrapped around
them winding Sheet. Winter was
now enthroned with all it's majesty