Year: 1861

1t was the sixth of September. 1872 great
day-the day of the battle OF Borodlno. l awoke
with start ; one of my comrades shaking me
rouphly bv the arm and the sharp roll of the
drnm ringing in my ear day was just breaking
a cold damp, auumnal day, with line ram
driving in our faces and almost eXtngulshing
our bivouac fires, which smoked and hzzed upon
the muddy ground.


staggered to nv feet and gazed around upon
the thousands of poor half-frozen wretehes who
rubbed and stretched their benumbed limbs, ana
shook the damp clothes which clung to their
shivering forms. For off towards the north,
stretched the dreary plain, very picture OF RUIN
and desolation, with sacked and burned villages,
ruined roads, broken hedges, and vast fields OF
rye trampied in the mire and still further the
hills and woods of Borodino and of Semenofskoe,
in front of which could be seen through the mist,
the smoke and the last glimmers OF the hussian
camp fires There they stretched as far as the
eve could reach, in a vast semi-circle, protected
by the river on the right, and by three redoubts
on the left and center.


But now there was another roll OF the drum
and our men began falling into their lines. Then
we saw stir towards the head quarters. and the
emperor himself, surrounded by his staff, dashed
along our line kndling the fame of enthusiasm
as he went, and causing the whole mass to culver
with electric impulse, and the vast plain to ring
with spontaneous shout which spread, and swell
ed, and rolled from hill TO hill, until the very
sky seemed to rend with the cry. And then
amid it all, four hundred pieces of artillery thun-
nered forth the first peal and General Compans
rushed at the head of our line calling out, " En-
0rant ~


On we went through the dense smoke which
obscured the plain, pressing eagerly forward on
the men before u.s. | was about the center of
the column and could see nothing but the quick
ly recedng forest of bayonets vanishing in the
smoke. All were silent with emotion and sus.
pense, except when stray shot came tearing
through our ranks, marking its bloody path with
groans and shrieks OF agony, or when the shouts
and cries of those who fought and fell in our van
rose even above the roar of the artillery, causing
our men to start, and some exclamation OF anXi-
Gus excitement TO escape from their painting
breasts.


On we rushed forced onwards by the resistless
crowd behind us, as the waves OF a raging sea
swept before the storm-the cries, the groans,
the deafening roar grew louder and approached ;
bullets and shells came crashing thicker and
thicker through our ranks, strewing the CORY
ground with mutilated forms who twisted, and
sbrieked, and clung in despair to the cruel feet
which trampled them to death-we closed our
eyes upon their imploring gaze, shouted to drown
their cries rushed on, on, blindly, madly on,
over the writhing mass. Then came pause-a
fearful shout-again a short advance-then the
whole mass recoiled pressing back upon US, and
amid the wild tumut caught the cry, "cavalry !
cavaryw and l saw the dragons of General
Bruyere sweeping past our column-on they
rushed each man bent eagerly forward upon the
neck of his maddened horse, each sword flashing
through the smoke and pointed, eager for car
mage, towards the hated foe. l felt the earth
trembe under the strokes of the thousands of
clattering hoofs heard the shock, the rending
shouts of victory and again our column pressed
forward-Bruyere had cleared the way. AT that
moment | saw man carried back to the rear
and heard his fainting voice, as they bore him
along urging us to stand firm. That man was
General Rapp-it was his twenty second wound!


Then an exploson-so terrible as to check my
very breath and to upset all power of thought,
broke upon me; the ground seemed to tremble
and rock l felt conscious of being swept rapid
1y forward as if by raging and resistless wave
l saw hundreds of men before and around me,
hurled, struggling to the ground and | was
forced over the quivering mass | saw a low
stockade and grenadiers in white uniforms bend
ing with lowered bayonets over the retrench
ment then came another conclusion which swept
me back as in sheet of flame, and with another
surging swell | swept over the crumbling wall,
and felt heavy mass struggling on the point of
my bayonet; then felt and knew no more until
] awoke week after in the hospital, and learned
that had stormed the great redoubt and
gained the battle of Borodino.