The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1904-12-16
ARMIES IN RETREAT
SOME OF THE FAMOUS RETROGRADE
MOVEMENTS. IN WAR.
NapoIeon's Retreat From Moscow u
Fatal Blundcr-The Most Disastrous
Example In History Made by the
English General EIphinstonc.

Fatal Blundcr-The Most Disastrous
Example In History Made by the
English General EIphinstone.
The problem of eXtricating defeated
treat is one of the most difficult il not
the most difficult, that a general in the
field has to meet. Before every great
battle such contingency Is planned
for but when the test comes many
new things are constantly being
brought before the commander in chief
which must be decided on the instant
and the right move chosen if rout is
to be avoided. The general who has
been worsted must not only get his
troops away from the enemy, but his
guns and stores as well. The supplies
for the army must be sent to the rear
first, for without them the soldiers
would have to fight hungry and the
wounded go without proper attention.
The guns and army follow the supplies,
and the brunt Of the fighting and q
chance to win much glory fall on the
rear guard.
General Kuropatkin conducted q
mastery retreat from Liaoyang to
Mukden and destroyed what stores he
could not remove from the doomed city
He was following in the footsteps of
other Russian generals, for Russian
troops have made some wonderful re-
trograde movements which have ulti-
mately been crowned with success, but
it must be remembered that he was
aided by railroad, which was not the
case of many another in his predlca-
ment. Still, Kuropatkin's retreat from
Liaoyong will rank well with the
famous retreats of history.
Napoleon was the worlds master at
war, yet he lost more men in his fatal
retreat from Moscow than he did OH
the field Of Waterloo. With q vast ar
my Of 100000 men he crossed the Me
men in June and later fought at Boro-
dino, where his losses were heavy.
Then came the march to Moscow, the
Russians retreating before him and
destroying everything as they marched.
In the cold of the northern winter he
turned his back on the burning city,
into which the eagles had been borne in
triumph, and began the most disas-
trous retreat in history. Famine, cold
and the Russians on his TANKS and
rear cut down his soldiers as they
plodded, finally barefooted, through
the SNOW, and the army melted away
as it crawled over those 600 miles OF
dreary waste. All Napoleon could tell
the anxious people at Paris was, My
health is good" He succeeded in saw
ing practically nothing rs he fed.
Nearly q century before Napoleon in
vadcd Russia Charles MI. OF Sweden,
with $4,000 men at his back, marched
over much the same route and shared
much the same i'll fortune After
storming the Russian lines at GOlov-
tchin he plunged into the Vabis in pur
suit of the retreating russians and
lost many men ana guns in his haste.
But he kept MS face toward Moscow
and reached Smolensk at last, but
there changed his plans and marched
for the Ukraine, witch Car Peter lur
ing him on. Then the Russians con-
frontcd him with 10000 troops at Pol
tava, where Charles was wounded and
charged at the head OF his troops borne
in litter and was defeated, being
forced to retreat with his handful OF
men into Turkish territory in anything
but digniled manner.
One Of the most mastery retreats in
history was made by Sir John Moore
in Spain in 1S0S-09. lie marched his
force between Astorga and Coruna in
Il month and beat back Soults army at
the edge OF the sea before his troops
sailed away for home, leaving the body
of their dead commander behind, to be
buried without the walls, on the field
where he fell. Soult retreated from
Oporto, in Portugal, in the same war,
and Bercsford drove him across the
mountains into Spain after taking the
city. Wellington caught the French
again in the same war, driving the 49,:
my from Talavera, but the Frencl &C.
treat was good, and the Iron Duke ll,c
his advantage through Cuesta's b!1n-
der, and he in turn led q clever retreat
before the advancing French.
The most fatal retreat in all history
was that of the English army under
Lord Elphinstone from Kabul, in
Afghanistan, and it and its preceding
events will always be q dark blot in
England's military annals. In 1871 the
British authorities in Afghanistan lost
their light grip on tie natives, and Sir
Alexander Burnes, high official at
Kabul, was murdered in his home. The
10000 English troops were scattered
in forts outside the town under the
command of Elphinstone, who remain
ed inactive in the face Of such q crime
Akbar Khan was at the head of the
natives, and the English stopped to
double dealings with him in order to
get their army to Jelalabad in safety,
but were outtricked, although promis-
ed safe retreat. They started for
Jealabad Jan. 6, 1912, leaving all
their cannon and military stores at
Kabul. The natives followed on their
TANKS, and the conditions were so bad
that the English officers gave them
selves up to Akbar Khan as hostages
for the safety of their troops. The
army, without leaders, at last entered
the narrow pass of Jugdulluk, and
there the Afglans fell upon them and