The Colorado statesman., 1924-05-24
CAPTAINS OF
ADVENTURE
BY ROGER POCOCK
By ROGER POCOCK
CopyrI tby herrinC nCompAn


could not move, and l began screaming
like madman-I tried to help myself
up by my arm, but found my hand on
face, and my thumb went into its
mouth. At that moment the moon
came out.
But change came over me now. 1
felt ashamed of my weakness, and a
wild sort of frenzy, instead Of terror,
took possession of me. / got up raw
ing and swearing, and trod on any
thing that came near me . and L
cursed the sky above me, defying it,
and taking my musket, l struck at the
cart-very likely 1 struck also at the
poor devils under my feet"
Such was the road, and here was
the passing of the army which Bur
gogne had overtaken.
"This was November twenty-five,
1872, perhaps about seven o'clock in
the morning, and as yet it was hardly
light. l was musing on all that l had
seen. when the head of the column
appeared. Those in advance seemed
to be generals, n few on horseback, but
the greater part on foot There were
also a great number of other officers,
the remnant of the doomed squadron
and battalion formed on the twenty
second and barely existing at the end
of three days. Those on foot dragged
themselves painfully along, almost all
of them having their feet frozen and
wrapped in rags, and all nearly dying
of hunger. Afterward came the small
remains of the cavalry of the guard.
ntr-x~-
ing a baton; Murat walked on foot at
his right, and on his left, the Prince
Eugene, viceroy of Italy. Next came
the marshals-Berthier, prince of Neu-
chatel, Ney, Mortier, Lefevre, with
other marshals and generals whose
corps were nearly annihilated. Seven
or eight hundred officers and non-com-
missioned officers followed, walking in
order, and perfect silence, and carry
ing the eagles of their different regi-
ments which had so often led them to
victory. This was all that remained of
sixty thousand men. After them came
the imperial guard. And men cried at
seeing the emperor on foot"
SO far the army had kept its dis
cipline, and at the passage of the
River Berezina the engineers contrived
to build bridge. But while the troops
We're crossing, the Russians began to
drive the rear guard, and the whole
herd broke into panic. 1.-THE confusion
and disorder went on increasing, and
reached their full height when Mar
shall Victor was attacked by the Rus
slams, and shells and bullets showered
thickly upon us. To complete our mis-
cry, snow began to fall, and cold
wind blew. This dreadful state of
things lasted all day and through the
next night, and all this time the Bere-
zina became gradually filed with ice,
dead bodies of men and horses, while
the bridge got blocked up with carts
full of wounded men, some of which
rolled over the edge into the water.
Between eight and nine o'clock that
evening, Marshal Victor began his re-
treat. He and his men had to cross
the bridge over a perfect mountain of
corpses."
Still thousands of stragglers had
stayed to burn abandoned wagons, and
make fires to warm them before they
attempted the bridge. On these the
Russians descended, but it was too
late for flight, and of the hundreds who
attempted to swim the river, not one
reached the farther bank. To prevent
the Russians from crossing, the bridge
was set on fire, and so horror was
piled on horror that it would be gross
offense to add another word.
OF half million men who had en-
tered Russia, there We're only twenty
FIVE thousand left after that crossing
of the Berezina. These were veterans
for the most part, skilled plunderers,
who foraged for themselves, cleaning
few potatoes from stripped fields,
shooting stray Cossacks for the food
they had in their wallets, trading with
the Jews who lurked In ruined towns,
or falling back at the worst on frozen
horsefesh.
Even to the last, remnants of lost
regiments rallied to the golden eagles
upon their standards, but these little
clusters of men no longer kept their
ranks, for as they marched the strong
tried to help the weak, and often COM
rades would die together rather than
part. All were frozen, suffering the
slow exhaustion of dysentery, the mis-
cries of vermin and starvation.
From Smorgony, Napoleon went
ahead, travelling rapidly to send the re-
lief of sleighs and food which met the
survivors on the German border.
Thence he went on to Paris to raise
a new army; for now there was con-
spiracy in France for the overthrow OF
the despot, and Europe rose to destroy
him. So on the field Of Leipsic, in the
battle of the nations, Napoleon was
overwhelmed.
Once again he challenged fate, es-
capped from his island prison of Elba,
and with third army marched
against armed Europe. And so came