Year: 1861




1t is at Eylauahat Murat always appears
in his most terrible aspect. This battle,
fought in mil-winter, in 1907 was the most
Important and bloody one that had then oc-
Cured France and Russia had never be-
fore opposed such strength to each other,
and complete victory on either side would
have settled the fate of Europe Bonaparte
remained in possession of the field, and that
was all no victory was ever so like defeat.


The field of Eylau was covered with snow,
and the little ponds that lay scattered over
it were frozen sufficiently hard to bear the
artillery. Seventy -one thousand men on one
side, and eighty five thousand on the other,
arose from the frozen field on which they
had slept the night of February, without
tent or covering, to battle for a continent.
Augurea. on the left, was utter y routed IN
the morning. Advancing through snow
storm so thick he could not see the enemy,
the Russian cannon moved down his ranks
with their destructive fire, while the Cossack
cavalry, which were ordered to charge, came
laundering on, almost hitting the French
! infantry with their long lances before they
were visible through the storm.


! Hemmed in and overthrow, the whole
division, composed of 16, 600 men, with the
exception of 800, were captured or slain.
Just then the snow storm clearing up, re-
vealed to Napoleon the peril to which he
was brought, and he immediately ordered a
grand charge by the Imperial Guard and the
whole cavalry Nothing was further from
Bonapartes wishes or expectation, than the
bringing of his reserve into the engagement
at this early stage of the battle, but there
was no other resource left him.


/ Murat sustained his high reputation on
this occasion, and proved himself, for the
hundredth time, worthy of the great conf
dence Napoleon placed in him. Nothing
could be more imposing than the battlefield
at this moment. Bonaparte and the En-
pire trembled in the balance, while Murat
prepared to lead down his cavalry to save
them Seventy sauadrons, making in all
$4,000 well mounted men, began to move
over the slQne. Kith The Old Gaard .na1ch;
ing sternly behind.


Bonaparte, it is said, was more agitatcd
at this crisis than when, a moment before,
he was so near being captured by the Rus
slams. But as he saw those seventy squad
rons come down on a plunging trot, press
ing hard after the white plume of Murat,
that streamed through the snow storm far
in front, smile passed over his counten-
ance.


The earth groaned and trembled as they
passed, and the sabres, above the dark and
angry mass below, looked like the foam of
sea-wave as it crests on the deep. The
rattling of their armor, and the muff1ed
thunder of their tread, drowned all the roar
of battle, as with firm, set array, and swift,
steady motion, they bore down with their
terrible front on the foe.


The shock of that immense host like a fall
ing mountain, and the front line of the Rus
sian army went down like frost-work before
it. Then commenced protracted fight of
hand to hand, and sword to sword, as in the
cavalry action at Eckmuhl. The clashing
of steel was like the ringing Of countless
hammers, and horses and riders were blend
ed in wild confusion together the Russian
reserve were ordered up, and on these Murat
fell with his fierce horsemen, crushing and
trampling them down by thousands. But
the obstinate Russians disdained to fly, and
rallied again and again, so that it was no
longer cavalry charging on infantry, but
squadrons of horse galloping through bro
ken hosts that, gathering into knots, still
disputed, with unparalleled bravery, the red
and rent field


1t was during this strange fight that Mu-
rat was seen to perform one of those despe-
rate deeds for which he was so renowned.
Excited to the highest pitch of passion by
the obstacles that opposed him, he seemed
endowed with ten-fold strength and looked
more like superhuman being treading
down helpless mortals, than an ordinary
man. Amid the roar of artillery, and rat
Ting ofmusketry, and falling of sabre-s strokes
like lightning about him, that lofty white
plume never once went down, while ever
and anon it was seen glaring through the
smoke of battle, the star Of hope to Napo-
leon, and showing that his fright ARM was
still uplifted and striking for victory.


He ragged like an unloosed lion amid the
foe and his eyes, always terrible in battle,
burned with Increased lustre, while his clear
and steady voice, heard above the turmoil
of strife, was worth more than thousand
trumpets to cheer on his followers. AS
At length, seeing knot of Russian soldiers
that for long time had kept up devouring
fire upon his men, he wheeled his horse and
drove in full gallop upon their leveled mus
kets. A few Of his guards, that never al
lowed that white plume to leave their sight,
charged after him. Without waiting to
count his foes, he seized his bride in his
teeth. and with his pistol in one hand and
his drawn sword in the other, burst in head
long fury upon them, and scattered them as
hurricane had swept by. Murat was a
thunderbolt on that day, and the deeds that
were wrought by him will furnish themes
for the poet and the painter.


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