The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-08-23

The quarry. run to cover once more,
had escaped again, and the inhabitants
had ned after the soldiers Instead OF de-
| stroying the enemy and capturing a rich
| city, Napoleon, at the cost OF 1000 men,
had conquered another desolation as use
less as the wild of Lithuania. More
over. he had to fight the connasration to
complete even that empty conquest. When
that had been subdued he entered the
| smoldering, depopulated ruins and flung
| himself upon a bed.
He was now nearly 400 miles from the
| frontier and still without the decisive
battle that he had expected to deliver
as soon as he entered the dominions of
the Gar. As he had marched deeper and
deeper into the vast Russian wastes and
farther and farther into the short Rus
! sian summer, he had looked upon Smo-
\ lensk as the goal OF his campaign. Ar
rived there, he had thought to sit down
for the winter in that gateway OF old
| Russia while his army rested and re-
/ cuperated for great campaign in 1913.
But the warehouses OF Smolensk were
burned or empty, and the invader had to
bIvouac on the ashes Of the city There
| were no supplies for the men and the
animals. And a hungry army cannot
stand still in the presence of starvation.
To Go Back or Go On.
Hour after hour the Emperor faced
the hard choice presented to him, mUr-
muring as he paced his headquarters de-
| batting with himself. Should he stop or
1 Winter back az go D S9gld his army
and present himself beaten man before
| mutinous Europe? Must he advance
even at the risk OF the fate of Charles
| XII OF Sweden, the latest invader to
plunge into the overwhelming spaces Of
| Russia.
The problem really had passed beyond
his own decision. In supreme emergencies
| the will of an army always Overrules the
viii OF its commander. When the SOL
diers have had enough of fighting, the
battle is ended, regardless OF the wishes
| OF the general. And when they are starv-
| ing they can be successfully marched
only in the direction of food.
Napoleon knew that he no longer COM
manded. but only followed his troops, 1T
is dreadful he confessed. but from
Wilma half the army consisted of straE-
Elers; now they form two-thirds Of 1t.
With its composition and in its disorgani-
ration. motion alone keeps this army to-
gether. One may advance at the head of
| II. but not stop or go back
With n.rthing but starvation and dis
! ease behind him and the ruins of a
burned and deserted city about him, Ma
pOleon passed out Of the gate of Smo-
lensk in the middle of a night late In
August and took the road to Moscow on
the heels OF the overwhelming Russians.
military adviser, Sir Robert WILSON, Il
would sooner let my beard grow to my
waist and live on potatoes in Siberia
than permit any negotiation with Ma
poleon while an armed Frenchman re-
mains. on the soil of Russia"
The Gar was as helpless as Napoleon
in choosing his course, and only obeyed
the wishes of his army. While the in
vaders had advanced to SmoIensk across
Lithuania looking for something to eat,
the Russians, knowing they were divid-
ed and outnumbered. fell back. looking
for safety. They did not care to sacri-
nee themselves in the defense Of the
alien Lithuanians and had been perfect
ly willing to retreat But when they
found their forces united at Smolensk
and felt the soil of Russia proper under
their feet their spirit changed instantly,
for a fleeing dog will turn upon the pur-
suer at his own gate.
They rebelled against the strategists
who had abandoned Smolensk and they
Indignantly insisted upon defending their
homes and their affairs Their outcry
compelled the Gar to replace the retreat
ing commander Barclay de folly, a gen.
eral OF Scotch descent. with the veteran
Gen. Kutusof. Although Kutusof was
seventy-two and too fat to sit on a
horse, he was an old-fashioned Russian
who had Just returned from hard fighting
In the Turkish war to be hailed as the
national Hero. Besides he proclaimed his
desire to settle score with Napoleon
who had whipped him at Austerlitz seven
years before. ...
The BIoodIest battle.
But he really did not wish to give
battle again to the victor of Austeriitz.