New-York tribune., 1914-11-29

miserable wreckage Of a powerful army
He seemed 10 think that his dscourses
partook Of the nature Of magic and that BY bully
ing the officers and cracking the lowest JOKES
with the men he could inspire the former with
fear and the latter with courage. But the day
had passed when his slightest word worked mira
cles.
SUFFERING, BECOME AN EXCESS, BREEDS
STRANGE VICES.
what an appalling spectacle this multi
tude Of men, overwhelmed with every kind OF
misery, crowded together in icy swamp! Our
soldiers, pale detected, dying Of hunger and cold
having nothing to defend them from the rigors
of the season but tattered fragments Of peiisses
or half-burnt sheepskins despairingly wandered
along the banks Of this horrible river Germans
Poles Italians Spaniards, Croats Portuguese ano
French. all jumbled together each lamentng MS
hard fate in his own language; the officers and
even the generals wrapped in filthy and ragged
cloaks. mixing with the soldiers and cursng those
who iostled them or defed their authority-al
this produced a confusion and tumult which
is bevond the power of language 70 describe
"Tbose who from WEAKNESS and ignorance o.
their danger were Indifferent as to passing inc
river tried to light fires and seek repose IRON
their fatigue. These bivouacs showed 70 "ha' ue
gree brutality could be engendered by excess o.
suffering Men could be seen fighting eecn o'he'
for morsel of bread; it, perishing with cold,
shivering wretch approached one OF THESE hres 'n'
soldiers TO whom it belonged inhumahly drV''
him away; and if another dying Of thirst, i'm
plored drop of water from some one carrying
nailful the refusal was accompanied by torren:
~ oatbs It was the commonest thing to hear
educated men vino had hitherto been bosom
friends quarrellng over wsp Of straw or &
niece Of horseAesh which they were cutting up
This campaign was also horrifying in that 1t en-
tirely changed our natural characters, breeding
IN us vices 10 which previously We had bee; r
strangers.
ON THE BRIDGE-THE MAD STRUGGLE IL
ESCAPE.
although there we're two bridges, for the
vehicles and the other for the infantry, the Grove
was so great and the approaches so dangerou'
that on reaching the river the multitude go
wedged into a mass, unable TO move. In spite
of these difficulties, those on foot managed t.
save themselves. But toward o'clock IN thc
morning, the bridge reserved for the vehicles hav
ing broken down, the baggage train and artiller!
advanced toward the other and attempted to force
their way across. frightful struggle immedl-
atelv took place between the infantry and the
horsemen. Many pershed by mutual slaughter
a greater number still we're sufocated toward the
entrance Of the bridge, and the bodies OF men
and horses blocked the approaches 20 such an eX-
tent that in order 70 reach the river 1t was neces
sary to climb over the corpses Of those who had
been crushed. The Duke Of Belluno, who
was still on the left bank, took up a position on
the heights of Weselowo, 10 cover the passage
and protect it amidst this frightful confusion.
In spite Of the courage Of our soldiers
and the efforts Of our leaders, the union Of the
Russian armies pressed heavily. Already We
heard the thunder Of cannon, and II dismayed
every heart During the heat Of the combat sew
eral of the enemy's cannon balls passed over tho
heads Of the unfortunate crowd which for three
DAYS had been huddled around the bridges across
the Berezina; and some shells burst In their
midst Terror and despair then seized every
heart; the instinct of preservation became un-
controllable; those women and children who had
survived such incredible suferings seemed only
to have been reserved for more horrible death.
Many rushed from their carriages and screamed
to be taken TO the other side of the river.
THE STRONG TRAMPLE THE wEAK-DEATH
IN FROZEN WATERS
at last the Russians advanced en- masse. At
the sight of the enemy those who had not yet
passed rushed toward the bridge The artillery,
the baggage train, the cavalry the infantry each
struggled to get over first The stronger threw
the weaker into the water and trampled over the
bodies of the sick and wounded. Several hundred
were mangled out Of recognition under the wheels
Of the guns others, hoping 20 find safety by
swimming, we're frozen to death in the river,
perished BY trying 10 cross on floating ice. Thou
sands upon thousands Of victims, having lost all
hope threw themselves pell-mell into the Berezina,
where almost all pershed miserably.
"Girard's division, by sheer physical force clam
bered over the mountains Of bodies and reached
the other side where the Russians would have
followed them had they not set the bridge FIRE
The wretches left upon the bridge had now an
more horrible fate before them At length,
the Russians having possessed themselves Of the
battlefield, troops retired, the passage OF
the river ceased, and TO The frghtful din sue
ceeded silence as Of death
"The presence Of the Emperor had kept the
leaders of the army up to the mark. Immed ately
his flight known the majority. debauched by
his example. threw to the winds all honor and
sense of shame, and callously deserted the re-
mains Of the regiments confded to them. g.
Loison's division and the Neapolitans who had
come from wilma 20 secure a passage for Ma
poleon had been obliged 10 encamp in tempera-
ture Of % degrees Of frost, and were totally de-
stroyed Out Of six thousand men there were now
only to be seen through the thick fog few feeble
battalions, who ran about like madmen, stamping
the iron earth with their feet 20 ward OF the at
tacks Of cold so frightful that the unfortunate
sick lost the use Of their hands and fell stone