Evening star., 1941-09-15
Moscow 129 Years AGO

! September IA, 1872. He had Deen
eighty-one days on the road and
during the whole of that time had
been uniformly successful in his
military operations. How did it hap
pen, then that the achievement OF
his objective was a crushing defeat
rather than a magnificent victory?
The explanation Of the Corsican's
disaster is to be found in his am
bition to dominate the continent OF
Europe and to triumph over the
maritime power OF England. Alex
ander I had declined to increase the
rigors of the blockade to which
Russia had agreed with France. 1t
had been suggested in Paris that the
Car was "eager to recover his liberty
and be freed from the conditions OF
the treaty Of Tilsit." A certain ad-
vantage, Bonaparte believed, would
accrue to whichever of the two bel
ligerents could enter first upon the
inevitable campaign. He pretended
to want peace, but hastened ar
rangements for the most difncult
military expedition in the history OF
modern times"
Many were the signs which should
have warned Napoleon of the dan
gers of his Unsuitable greed for war"
Paris was smoldering with hatred OF
I. him. The small nations he had
conquered were developing projects
of revolt. His allies were faithless.
There was dissension among his gen.
erals. Hard service . had be-
come a slavery" and the troops,
especially the new regiments. COM
planned about their conscription.
The Emperor, however, defled the
symptoms of catastrophe. relying
with undiminished confidence upon
"a destiny which he justly considered
superhuman."
Meanwhile, the Prussian envoy
Knesebek suggested to the Car that
he would be well-advised to avoid
battle with the French. Draw them
into the interior of Russia" he said,
land let fatigue and hunger do the
rest" Ignorant OF such resistance"
Bonaparte crossed the Niemen at
Kovno on June 25. He entered wilma
three days later. The next stages OF
his progress were to be exhausting.
Days of frightful heat and nights OF
cold rain destroyed the health Of his
army. Ten thousand horses were
killed by the green rye which
was their only food, and new to
them" Starvation began to decimate
the "young guard" Epidemics broke
out, Poles and Germans deserted, the
territory through which the invaders
moved became increasingly hostile
the farther they advanced. I'm
every regiment the leaders
were struck with CONSERVATION at
the results ascertained by the roll
call" Says Guizot: Napoleon had
reached the center Of the Russian
Empire, = = without battle. The
prestige of his glory and his power
demanded a decisive blow; and the
Emperor prepared for it at Vitebsk."
But Russians everywhere retreated
before him" A Scottish general,
Barclay de Tolly, was in command
of the main body of the Cars forces,
and his philosophy was distinctly
fabian. Even when he was urged to
hold Smolensk, he chose to fall back.
Napoleon entered the town only to
find 1t in ruins. A like burnt earth"
doctrine was put into effect in the
Moscovite capital. The Emperor had
intended to dictate peace in the
"holy city" "On September IS, 1872,
Napoleon and his soldiers passed
through the streets Of Moscow, de-
serted, but still standing. They ex-
amined the concentric quarters, like
a series of ramparts round the
Kremlin; the old or Chinese town,
the center of Oriental commerce; the
white town with it's broad streets
and gilt palaces, the quarter of the
great mobiles and rich merchants,
and all round the privileged districts,
the land town. composed of villages
and gardens, interspersed with mag
nificent houses"
1t was this glorious scene that
burst suddenly into flames the fol-
lowing morning. Then, and then
only, did the French discover the
trick which their vanished foes had
played upon them. Count Rostop-
chin's last order had been to remove
all fire-fighting equipment. The
conflagration lasted four days.
When it subsidized, the hopes of
Napoleon were among it's ashes. He
never recovered from the ordeal.
His future held nothing but Waterloo
and st. Helena.