The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-06-07

town sounded his reveille from their 300 brazen threats, their shells suddenly crashing upon Eylau and setting the villagers shrieking Napoleon hastened to the church, climed to the belfry and traced out through the gray dawn the enemy's lines. The Russians, after all, had not stolen away again under cover of darkness, and the real battle of Eylau was on in full fury, with T5,000 men on either side.
 While the Russians were trying to pound their way around the French left, Napoleon attempted to turn their own left and getting in behind them, cut them off. But a fine snow blew in on icy blasts from the north and at times the soldiers could not see 20 feet ahead. while the melting snow so moistened the primings as to render many of their muslSets useless.
 At the height of the binding storm Napoleon ordered in Marshal Augu- reau's corps, with instructions to seize a hill out of the town, where in these days battle monument rises among the tall pines. The marshal, himself, although i'll with fever and tortured by rheumatism, had not been able to re- sist the sound of strife. He was borne on a sledge to the battle line, where he was lifted to the back of his horse and strapped in the saddle. He was dashing forward in furious snow squall, unable to see anything in front of him, when the snow suddenly ceased to fall, and his 5000 men found them selves so paces from Q great Russian battery, which swept them with dense sheets of case shot. At the same time Russian infantry were raking them on one side and yelling CossaclSs charging them on the other. Yet the 15,000 rushed upon the cannon and broke the artil- lery line, only to be overwhelmed at last by swarm of Cossacks who galloped from their hiding place behind the hill.
 In 20 minutes the corps of Augureau was gone from the list of the grand army It had been shot to pieces under the eyes of Napoleon, as he watched from the churchyard, and at evening rollcall only 5000 of the 15,0oo stood to be counted.
 The Cossacks raced over their fallen foes, galloped up the churchyard knoll and plunged among the graves. The cry rose. Save the Emperorw Marshal Berthier loudly called for the horses, but the Emperor silenced him with a glance and. without moving foot. ex- claimed, What auadcity!' The in- vaders of the imperial presence had exhausted themselves in their daring charge and were easily brushed back by the cavalry of the guard tl
 Now Murat's cavalry with their 12,UOO sabers flung themselves at the enemys center. while Davout pushed around the left to the Russians The French seemed to have retrieved their mishaps, and at I o'clock they were apparently the victors They were in the Russian rear and the battle was believed to be over. But as the sun was setting. the head of a Prus- sian column. which had been hurrying all day through the aeep snow. rushed into a grove of birch trees, where 1t fell upon the vanguard of the French flank ing force and drove 1t back foot by foot until the Russian rear was clear again and the army of the Czar was saved
 A Drawn Battle
 Napoleon for the first time in 10 years was obliged. to accept a drawn battle; 10000 men lay dead and 5000 more lay wounded among the thousands of desd horses in the trampled. blood-stained snow, fright6il sacrifice without gain. The Emperor event thought of retreating to the Vistula, but Marshall Soult pleaded
 Beware of doing, so. sir. Let us re- main the last on the field. and we shall have the honor of the day From what have seen suspect the enemy win re- treat during the night"
 --sXV