Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1917-11-02

have been caused BY the saldlels
kindling their fires too near the
houses, which were chiefly of
wood. | was angry at this, and
issued very strict orders on the
subject to commanders of the
regiments and others. The next |
day it had advanced but not SO
as to give serious alarm. How |
ever. afraid that it might gain
upon us, l went out on horseback
and gave every direction to ex-
tinguish it. The next morning
a violent wind arose, and the fire
spread with the greatest rapid
ty. Some hundred miscreants,
hired for that purpose. dispatch
ed themselves in different parts
of the town, and with matches,
which they concealed under their
cloaks, set fire to as many houses
to windward as they could, which
was easily done, in consequence
OF the coNbustible materials of
which they were built. This,
together with the violence of the
wind, rendered everv effort to ex-
t1ngulsh the fire Intellectual. l
myself narrowly escaped with
my life. In order to show an
example, | entered into the midst
OF the flames, and had my hair
and eyebrows singed and had my
clothes burned off my back, but
it was in vain, as they had de-
stroyed most of the pumps, Of
which there were about a thous.
and. Out of all these, l believe
that we could only find one tina,
was serviceable. Besides the
wretclieS that had been hired BY
Rostopchin, ran about in every
quarter. disseminating fire will
( their matches, in which the,
7 were too much assisted by thu
wind. This terrible conflic
ruined everything. l was pre-
? lpared for everything but this. l
D was unforeseen, for who woult
ihaye thought that a nation
would have set its capital o,
FIRE !? The Inhabitants them
selves did all that they could t.
= extinguish it, and several o
:. them persisted in their endeav
ors. They also brought befor
81 us number of the incendiarie
with their matches, as amids
such population we never coul
j. have discovered them ourselves
d II caused about 200 of thes
!. Iwretches to be shot. Had it no
;, been for this fatal fire, I ha
i Everything my army wanted
: excellent winter quarters, store
a of all kinds were in plenty /; an
: the next year we would have de
: cided it. Alexander would hav
!. made peace, or l should hav
t been in ST. Petersburg"
ri Iasked if he thought he coul
d have subdued Russia. mo" re
d Iplied Napoleon, but l woul
o have caused Russia to make sue
a peace as suited the interest O
France. was five days to
v late in quitting Moscow. Severa
o of the Generals were burnt on
of their beds. l myself RENAME,
lin the Kremlin until surrounde,
with flames. The flames advanc
led, seized the Chinese and Indi;
warehouses and several stores O
oil and spirits, which burst fortl
in flames and overwhelmed ev
lerythiug. l then returned to :
country house of the Emperor
Alexander, distant about league
from Moscow, and you may fig.
lure to yourself the intensity OF
the fire, when / tell you, that
lyou could scarcely bear your
hand on the walls or the win.
ldows, on the side next to Mos.
lcow, in consequence of their
heated state. It was the Spec
tacle of a seas pillows of fire,
sky and clouds of fame noun
tains of red rolling flames, like
immense rolls of the sea alter
nately burst forth and elevated
themselves to skies of fire, and
then sinking in the ocean of
flames below. Oh, it was the
most grand, the most sublime
and the most terrific sight the
world ever beheld."