The Newport plain talk. (Newport, Tenn.) 1909-1939, 1913-02-27
WINTER And WAR
Bitter Cold as a Factor In the
Campaigns In Europe.
ARMIES WRECKED BY FROST.

In Most OF the Great Conflicts For q
Century Past Icy Weather Has Play.
ed a Prominent Part-Napoieon's
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 been Euro
pean war on Il big scale In which Gen.
eral Jack Frost has not taken hand.
Go back century. Eighteen hun-
dred and twelve was the year when
Napoleon made up his mind to invade
Russia. Before starting he was care.
full to inquire Of the experts ut 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 G00.O00 men, and he reach
ed Moscow on Sept. II. That night
fire broke out, aud within five days the
city was burned 10 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 genera tons. The
Thames froze from its source to the
sea. The Seine. the Rhine. the Dan
ube, were nil icebound. On the Adri-
attic, off Venice, was seen the amazing
sight Of floating Ice foes. The 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 Tripoli and Morocco.
AS for Napoleon's huge army, it was
almost wiped out. Four hundred thou
sand men persisted. They froze to
death in battalions as they bivouack
ed, and when at last, on Dec. 6, Ma
poleon reached German soil, out of his
whole vast host but 10000 men were
left alive
During the winter Of 1854 the
Turks were battling for dear life along
the Danube against hordes of Rus
SLAMS. In the following September o.
600 British troops. a similar number
Of French and 5000 Turks were land
ed in the Crimea.
Again came terrible winter. and
from the west Of Ireland right across
into Asia frost fell heavy on land and
sea. In London it froZe for six weeks
without break. From Jan. IA to Feb
"a the thermometer was below freezing
every night In the Crinca the coil
was fearful. and the English army. dis
gracefully catered for. suffered hopri-
bly,. In all the British forces lost 90,
0o6 men. and Of these only u per cent
fell in battle. The rest were DESTROYED
by cold and disease, aggravated by a
rotten comtnssariat.
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 S50,-
600 German troops IN France. Paris
was besieged, and there began the four
months investment, with furious fight
ing on both sides.
Again Jack Frost came to 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
commiSsariat, 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 Ell.
gagged WAS 1877. The Turks were at
tackled by an enormously superior force
of russians. with the cZar himself In
command. Osman Pasha. with 1900
men, hurried inland to Plevna. vii
lage which stood upon hin. and there
hastily entranched himself The Rus
slams had 100000 men, but Osman 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 and horsefiesh.'
They suffered fearfully. At last, on
Dec. .. they determined to break out.
There were only 10000 left. but their
rush was so tremendous that they car.
ried three lines Of Russian trenches be-
fore they We're surrounded and forced
by enormously superior numbers to
surrender Internationally London An
swers.