The Washington herald., 1914-09-06

IL
Nov. n IsI2-Ney rejoined the army.
Nov. 2. Isl2-NanoleOn crossed the BeresuA.
Dee. 6. Is3-Left the army.
Dee. 10. Isl2-At Warsaw.
Dec Is. Isl2-Ths army crossed the Niemsn.
Dec. Il, lsl2- Napoleon Al Dresden.
Dc Is IsI2-In Paris
Jan. Is. Is3-NIurat left the army.
APOLEON. having seen at last
M that he must abandon that pile
~ Of rubbish" marched his army out
of the still smoking ruins of Mos
COW on an October morning in 1872, and
began his long retreat from Russia;
to eTSt as mSen at aista6ee S
many leagues he heard the explosion OF
his mines under the kremlin, he pro-
claimed the boast that this ancient cita
The retreating mass had hardly crowd
wagons began to stall and its sumptuous
carriages which had been stolen from the
stable stables Of the m, nobility began to break <
and pushed his way through, II was al
ready a disorganized rsbble. He no long
er commanded a grand army, but was
swept along helplessly in the midst OF
the strangest horde that Europe had seen
since the Goths and Vandals.
stretched its length for miles and miles
as II wound its way over the illimitable
Russian stePpes; cursing and md t shouting ms
wounded who had been able TO struggle
to their feet were riding in earriages and
behind in the hospitals Of Moscow.
Plumber Poor.
II the men under arms numbered IOO-
oo0. and no one knows how many there
really were, they were followed by half
many more nOncombatants, who
chung to the legs of the toiling army
TGa nq some were 9ms seG on mSnS
were mere hangers on. Beside the
cantine women and other hardy mem
bers Of the love escort who had sur
vived the advance, there were French |
and other foreign women residents OF !
Moscow. who we're neeing from .,,, the !
captves of the everywhere irresistible |
WOoers of France there were even Rus
fered furs, gowns, jewels and carriages, !
disporting themselves gaily if out /
for an afternoon drive.
There were ZOO army wagons and so !
cannons TO be dragged over the long
weary road ahead and all manner OF (,
had piled their booty on wheelbarrows. |
and were starting to push it 1000 miles
across Europe.
No army ever was so heavily encum- |
bered with baggage. 1t was plumber |
poor at the outset Count Tolstoi has |
caught in the narrow neck of a jar
Of nuts but who refuses to open his |
fist and draw it out for fear Of dropping |
A sergeant's diary spreads before US
the contents of his knapsack on leaving |
Moscow: Several pounds Of sugar. some
rice. some crackers. bottle OF liquor; !
Chinese silk dress, several gold and |
silver ornaments, woman riding cloak. |
two silver pictures in relief. several lock !
cts and a Russian princes cuspidor set !
with briIliants, while he wore over his |
shoulders an ermine-ined cape and car |
ried a pouch containing a crucifX and |
vase.
Weighted down with gold and silver
with rich stores of rare wines and liq-
uors. with great stocks of beautiful gowns
and gold-la coats, the mob started on
a march of many hundreds of miles and
many weeks through a barren wilderness
in a Russian winter-with worn-out boots
and summer uniforms and food enough
for only ten days.
hacking Out of Russia.
Napoleon had hoped to throw the en-
envy on the scent But when Kutusof
overlook him, he was only five days
back out Of Russia. with his pursuer
pressing upon him at every step. Night
by COssack cavalry They had to night
not only for roads and bridges. but also
take turns in warding on the swarming
pests while their comrades slept or stop
ped to cook meal.
After passing by the field of Borodi-
no. on which 10000 of the battle-slain
lay unburied where they had fallen
seven weeks before. another enemy
more grim than any foe in arms closed
in upon the retreating band Hunger
now pitilessly assailed and swiftly
thnned its ranks. There was hardly
a grain of wheat within twenty miles of
rival armies while passing through the
country in August and September had
eaten II bare and burned the villages.
illustration of the expressive Russian say
their wool
In the presence of starvation the
gaudy and useless spoils OF Moscow were
cast aside in disgust The Russians, as
they followed along. found the highway
streWn with discarded treasures and
abandoned wagons and cannons. Com
rades and messmates began to hide their ! Z
other as something too precious to be !
shared Look here" the sergeant who
kept diary exclaimed in a burst Of
Candor. IF met any one in the woods
with a loaf of bread 1 should force him |
TO give me half" But he corrected him |
self NO should kill him and have it {
In the primal passion for seIf-preser- t
walton men Cancelled their obligations to S
the helpless were left behind with the | (
other membranes that were thrown off
traces, only to be seized upon as food |
Other pursuers, as greedy as the CossacEs a
were, now followed after the army A q
black cloud OF vultures lowered in the 4
rear like gulls in the wake Of a shin AZ Z
sea- while packs Of bowling wolves also :
took up the chase. .
Nearly half the army was lost in the
first two weeks of the retreat. on the firsf =
10 miles of the march And not uors =
than a fourth of them had fallen before | .
the human foe and met a soldiers death =.
All that havoc was wrought before tbe 3
end Of the first week in November when :
the weather was so unsea sonably mild | +
that II was remarked as a gift from ,
fortune to her longtime favorite Ma +
poleon's bulletin likened il to the sun +
and the beautiful days of a trip in Fon- .
tainebleau." There was not even a serio,Is N
frost the first week, and the Temperature +
did not fall below the freezing point until \
the army was twelve days out. At the q
end Of sixteen days the Emperor still de- :
scribed the weather as perfect" Yet :