The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1913-04-11
WINTER AND WAR.
Bitter Cold as a Factor In the
Campaigns In Europe.
ARMIES WRECKED BY FROST.

In Most Of the Great Conflicts For =
Century Past 10y Weather Has Play
ed "a Prominent Part-Napeleods
Disastrous Invasion of Russia.
War Is bad enough under the best OF
climatic conditions. but when war and
bitterly cold and Icy weather mix the
suffering is woefully intensified. And.
yet there has hardly ever beeb a Euro
.pean war on big scale in which Gen
eral Jack Frost has not taken hand.
Go back a century. Eighteen hum
dred and twelve was the year when
Napoleon made up his mind to invade
Russia. Before starting he was care
ful TO inquire of the experts at what
date winter usually set in in southern
Russia. They told him the middle of
December.
1t was on June "A that he invaded
Russia with 100000 men. and;he reach.
ed Moscow on Sept IA. THAT night
ERE broke out, and within Eve days the
city was burned to the ground. Even
then he remained until Oct. IS before
commencing his retreat
In the last week of October began
the worst frost which Europe had
known for three generations. The
Thames froze from its source to the
sea. The Seine, the Rhine. the Dan
ube, were all icebound. On the Adri-
ntic, off Venice. was seen the amazing
sight Of floating ice foes Tho Darda-
nelles and nearby waters were frozen.
Jack Frost's icy finger lay heavy even
upon North Africa. Drift ice appear
ed in the Nile. and there were snow
storms In Tripoll and Morocco.
As for Eapoleon's huge army, it. was.
almost wiped out. -Four hundred thou.
sand men persisted. They froze to
death in battallons as they blvouack.
ed. and when Mt last. on Dec 6, Ma
noleon reached German soil. out of his
whole vast host but 100000 men we're
left alive
During the winter of 1854 the
Turks were battling for dear life along
the Danube against iordes of Rus.
slams. IN the following September 25,-
COO British troops. n similar number
Of French and 5000 Turks were land
ed in the Crilnea.
Again. came terrible winter, and
from the west Of Ireland right across
into Asia frost fell heavy on land and
sen. In London it froze for six weeks
without break. From Jan. IA to Feb.
"a the thermometer was below freezing
every night In the Crlmea the cold
was fearful, and the English army. dis.
gracefully catered for. suffered horri-
bly,. In all the British forces lost 90.
056 men. and of these only IL per cent
fell in hattie. The rest were DESTROYED
by cold and disease. aggravated by
rotten commisSariat.
In 1870 came the biggest war of the
latter half of the nineteenth century,
the titanic conflict between France and
Germany. BY Oct. 20 there were $780,
0nn German troops in France, Paris
was beslesed. and there began the four
months investment. with furious fight.
Ing on both sides.
Again! Jack Frost came 10 the aid Of
the Germans. A long spell of intense
cold made life almost impossible for
the half starved French. while the
Germans. who had the whole country
to draw on. besides their own excellent
comnissariat, suffered very little. By
January the city was in such terrible
condition that it surrendered
The date Of the last great war before
that of 1912 in which Turkey was en-.
gaEed was tSTT. The Turks we're at.
tackled by an enormously superior force
of Russians, with the car himself In
command osman Pasha. with 10000
men. hurried inland to Plevna. vii.
lage which stood upon hill. and there
hastily entranched himself. The Rus.
Sims had 100000 men. but osnan and
his dauntless band defeated them in
four successive battles.
In November winter set In three
weeks earlier than usual. The Turks
had no winter clothing and little to
eat but maize porridge ana horseAesh.
They suffered fearfully. At last, ON
Dec. 0. they determined to break ont.
There were only 10000 left, but their
rush was 50 tremendous that they chr
ried three lines of Russian trenches be.
fore they were surrounded and forced
by enormously superior numbers to
surrender uhconditionally.-London An.
swers.