ered deliberately in the moment of their perplexity, by their Lithuanian hosts, the same Polish Jews who had already in-. flicted such irreparable injury on the whole army, by the nonobservance of their contracts. Shortly after, a waggon laden with coin was overturned on the road, and the soldiers, laying aside all attention to their officers, began to plunder the rich spoil. The Cossacks came up-but there was enough for all, and friend and foe pillaged the imperial treasure in company, for once without strife. It des ves to be recorded, that some soldiers of the Imperial Guard restored the money which fell to their share on this occasion, when the weary march at length reached its end.

They passed the Niemen at Kowno; and the Russians did not pursue them into the Prussian territory. At the time when they escaped finally from Poland, there were about 1000 in arms, and perhaps 20,000 more, utterly broken, dispersed, and demoralized. To the honor of the Prussian people, the wearied relics of Napoleon's grand army were received in their country; if not with friendship, at least with compassion. They took up their quarters, and remained for a time unmolested, in and near Konigsberg.

Thus ended the invasion of Russia. There had been slain in battle, on the side of Napoleon, 125,000 men. Fatigue, hunger and cold had caused the death of 132,000; and the Russians had taken of prisoners 193,000-including 48 generals, and 3000 regimental officers. The total loss was, therefore, 450,000 men. The eagles and standards left in the enemy's hands were seventy-five in number, and the pieces of cannon nearly one thousand. Exclusive of the Austrian and Prussian auxiliaries, there remained of all the enormous host which Napoleon set in motion in August, about 40,000 men; and of these not 10,000 were of the French nation.

12*

CHAP. XXI

Napoleon's reception at Paris. His military preparations. Prussia de clares war. Bernadotte lands in Germany. The Russians advance in to Silesia. Napoleon heads his army in Saxony. Battle of Lutzen.Battle of Bautzen. Congress of Prague. Austria declares war. Na poleon contends single-handed against Russia, Austria, Prussia, Swe den, England, Spain and Portugal. Battle of Dresden. Death of Moreau. Singular conflict at Culm.

THE wonderful energies of Napoleon's mind and the influence which he could exert over the minds of others, were never so striking as at this period of his reign. He had returned to his seat of empire, at a dreadful crisis, and in a most calamitous condition. The 29th bulletin had lifted the veil from the events of the campaign, and declared the dreadful catastrophe, the loss of nearly half a million of men, with all their arms, ammunition and artillery; the death of so many children of France as threw the whole country into mourning. Yet such was the influence that still clung to his name, that his safe arrival restored, for the moment, appearances.of composure. No sovereign ever presented himself before his people in a situation more precarious, or overclouded by such calamities. He had left behind him cold and involuntary allies changing fast into foes; and foes, encouraged by his losses, threatening to combine all Europe in one great crusade, having for its object the demolition of his power. Yet Napoleon came, and seemed but to stamp on the earth, and armed legions arose at his call. The doubts and discontents of the people disappeared like mists before the rising sun, and the same confidence which had attended his prosperous fortunes, revived in its full extent, notwithstanding his late reverses. Every department of the public service appeared to be animated with a spirit of tenfold activity. New conscriptions were called for and yielded. Regiments arrived from Spain and from Italy. Every arsenal resounded with the preparation of new artillery-thousands of horses were procured in every province. Ere many weeks had elapsed, Napoleon found himself once more in condition to take the field with not less than 350,000 soldiers. Such was the effect of his new appeal to the national feelings of this great and gallant people.

On the 1st of March, 1813, Prussia signed a treaty of al

liance, offensive and defensive with Russia, and on the 16th declared war against France. Napoleon received the declaration with calmness, and declared "it was better to have an open enemy than a doubtful ally." Six years had elapsed since the fatal day of Jena; and, in spite of the watchfulness of Napoleon, the Prussian nation had recovered in a great measure its energies. The people answered the call of their prince, as with the heart and voice of one man. Young men of all ranks, the highest and the lowest, flocked indiscriminately to the standard: the students of the universities formed themselves into battalions, at the head of which, in many instances, their teachers marched. The women flung their trinkets into the king's treasure-the gentlemen melted their plate-England poured in her gold with a lavish hand. The Emperor of Russia, having masked several French garrisons in Prussian Poland, and taken others, pushed on with his main army to support Frederick William. There was

some risk in leaving a number of hostile fortresses between him and his own frontier; but this he encountered rather than permit the Prussians to stand alone the first onset of Napoleon, of whose extensive preparations all Europe was well aware. The aged Kutusoff having died, the command of the Russian army was given to Witgenstein, while that of the Prussians was entrusted to the celebrated Blucher. Addicted to drinking, smoking and gambling, and little conversant with the higher branches of war as an art, he was at first despised by Napoleon. But he possessed such influence over the minds of his men in the day of action, and was sure to rally them so rapidly, and urge them on so keenly, that the Emperor was forced to confess that no one gave him so much trouble as that "debauched old dragoon."

The crown prince of Sweden landed with 35,000 at Stralsund, and advanced through Mecklenburg, while the sovereigns of Russia and Prussia were concentrating their armies in Silesia. It was announced and expected that German troops would join Bernadotte, so as to enable him to open the campaign on the lower Elbe with a separate army of 100,000. Lord Wellington was about to advance once more into Spain with his victorious veterans. Three great armies, two of which might easily communicate with each other, were thus taking the field against Napoleon at once; and yet, he would make no sacrifice whatever to secure the assistance of Austria. He still adhered to his resolution of entering into no general peace which should not recognize Joseph as king of

Spain; and refused absolutely to listen to any proposals which included the cession either of Illyria or the Tyrol.Ere he once more left Paris, he named Maria Louisa regent in his absence; but this was a circumstance not likely to have much weight with the wavering councils of the Austrian.

Napoleon quitted Paris in the middle of April, and on the 18th reached the banks of the Saale; where the troops he had been mustering and organizing in France had now been Joined by Eugene Beauharnois and the garrison of Magdeburg. The Czar and his Prussian ally were known to be at Dresden; and it soon appeared that, while they meditated a march westward on Leipsic, the French intended to move eastward with the view of securing the possession of that great city. Of the armies thus about to meet each other's shock in the heart of Saxony, there is no doubt that Buonaparte's was considerably the more numerous. His activity had been worthy of his ruputation; and a host nearly 200,000 strong was already concentrated for action, while reserves to nearly a similar extent were gradually forming behind him on the Rhine. The Russians had not as yet pushed forward more than half their disposable troops beyond the Vistula— wherever the blame lay, such was the fact; the Prussians, unanimous as their patriotism was, had only had three months to re-organize their establishments. Under such circumstances, the advance of the allies beyond the Elbe could only have proceeded from their ardent wish to stimulate the spirit of insurrection in the kingdom of Saxony, and the neighboring states. It was obviously Napoleon's interest to bring them to action while their numbers were thus unequal, and ere the sole object of their hazardous advance could be re alized.

The French army continued to advance on Leipsic on the south; the allies approached from the north to defend the place. The centre of the French army was stationed at a village called Kaya. It was under the command of Ney. He was sustained by the Imperial Guard, with its fine artillery drawn up before the well known town of Lutzen, which, having seen the last conflict of Gustavus Adolphus, was now to witness a more bloody tragedy. Marmont, who commanded the right, extended as far as the defile of Poserna, and rested with his left upon the centre. The left wing of the French reached from Kaya to the Elster. As they did not expect to be brought to action in that place, or upon that day, (May 2d,) Napoleon was pressing forward from his right,

Lauriston being at the head of the column, with the purpose of possessing himself of Leipsic, behind which he expected to see the army of the allies. But these, encouraged by the presence of the Emperor Alexander and King of Prussia, had formed the resolution of marching southward along the left bank of the Elster during the night, transporting themselves to the right bank in the morning, and assaulting with the choicest of their troops, under Blucher, the centre of the French, led by Ney. The fury of the attack was irresistible, and in spite of a most obstinate defence, the allies obtained possession of Kaya, the point on which the centre of the French army rested. This was a crisis worthy of Napoleon's genius, and he was not wanting to himself. Assailed on the flank when in the act of advancing in column, he yet contrived, by a masterly movement, to wheel up his two wings, so as in turn to outflank those of the enemy. He hurried in person to bring up his guard to support the centre, which was in fact nearly broken through. The combat was the more desperate and deplorable, that, on the one side, fought the flower of the Prussian youth, which had left their universities to support the cause of national freedom; and, on the other, the young men of Paris, many of them of the best rank, who bravely endeavored to sustain their country's long pre-eminent claim to victory. Both combatted under the eyes of their respective sovereigns, maintained the honor of their country, and paid an ample tribute to the carnage of the day.

The battle lasted for several hours, before it could be judged whether the allies could carry their point by breaking through the French centre, or whether the French, before sustaining that calamity, would be able to wheel their wings upon the flanks of the allies. At length the last event began to be anticipated as the most probable. The distant discharge of musketry was seen on right and left closing inwards on the central tumult, and recognized for the fire of Macdonald and Bertrand, who commanded the French wings. At the same time the Emperor made a successful struggle to recover the village of Kaya, and the allies, extricating themselves from the combat, led back their exhausted forces from between the forceps, as we may term it, formed by the closing wings of Napoleon, without further loss than the carnage sustained in the field of battle. But that was immense. The allies lost 20,000 men in killed and wounded. Blucher was wounded, but refusing to retire, had his wounds dressed upon .he field of battle. Seven or eight French general were also