INCREDIBLE SUFFERING OF THE ARMY. 239 had no power to defend themselves against the Cossacs. who contantly hovered around them-they had no inclination to do it; death to them would have been a blessing; at the sight of the Cossacs they hoped their misery would soon be terminated; but their enemies. were not so merciful as to put them to death: piercing them with wounds, stripping off the little covering they had, they left them in the snow bleeding and naked, to the rigours of a Russian winter. Whenever the French entered any village, where there was the least chance for repose or food, they exerted their little remaining strength, and crawled on their hands and feet to seek it. Frequently, just as they stretched out their hands to seize a little food, or reached the threshold of a wretched hut, under which they looked for shelter from the weather, perhaps for a few minutes' sleep, the remnant of their strength failed them and they expired." They could no longer be said to compose an army, but were a vast multitude of miserable and wretched fugitives, wandering about, ignorant of the roads, and alarmed at the approach of the Cassacs; death alone seemed capable of affording them relief, and of putting an end to their sufferings. Their numbers were constantly diminishing; the roads were lined with the dying and the dead. They sustained an immense loss at Krasnai, being attacked by Kutsuoff, and completely routed; the division of Davoust of 24,000 being nearly all killed wounded or made prisoners; a few days after Ney's division was surrounded and 12,000 laid down their arms. As they approached the Beresina, two bridges were thrown across the river; a part of the troops had passed, when the Russians coming up opened a tremendous cannonade upon them; they rushed in crowds towards the bridge, when, at the moment they expected to cross, it was blown up by the order of Bonaparte, who was driven to the dreadful necessity of saving a part of his army at the expence of the rest. A shout of despair followed the explosion; numbers plunged into the river and disappeared among the masses of ice. In this affair 5,000 were 140 THE REMAINS OF THE ARMY REACH WILNA. killed and 13,000 taken prisoners; and a large portion of the baggage and ammunition fell into the hands of the Russians. From this place, the scattered remains of the recently powerful invading army, drawn from almost every part of Europe, like a mass of stragglers proceeded for the Neimen, their misery and sufferings being unparalleled in the annals of the world. The scene of a night-watch frequently exhibited at day light a circle of the dying and the dead wrapped in matting, rags, old canvass, and even raw hides stripped from the perishing horses; the fugitives benumbed with cold, set fire to houses and villages to warm their frozen limbs, but the sudden transition from cold to heat, racked their joints with agony, and some becoming frantic threw themselves into the flames which relieved them from their misery. They reached Wilna on the 7th of December, when there was less than 100,000 remaining of this once powerful army of 400,000 men. Previous to this, Bonaparte, travelling incognito, accompanied by Coulincourt, in a sledge, left the army and proceeded for Paris, where he arrived on the 18th of September. The division of the army under Macdonald, which had marched in the direction of Petersburgh, not being permitted to retreat before the main army, had suffered nearly in the same degree both from the enemy and the climate. These complicated and unparalleled disasters produced the effects which were to have been expected. The yoke of a conqueror does not sit easy: defection became general among the allies of France; the Prussian troops revolted; the Austrians followed the example; but the king of Saxony still adhered to the cause of Bonaparte. The French continued to retreat until they reached Luneburg, where they made a stand. Here they were attacked by the Russians and Prussians, who had united their forces; the contest was long, obstinate and sanguinary; but the allies, being more numerous, were at length victorious. At this time 50,000 men were collected at Stralsund, and the crown prince of Swe ་ OPERATIONS ON THE SPREE. 241 den expected to take command of them. The tide of fortune was at last changed; it had long flown in Bonaparte's favour; but now, the tide ebbed with as strong a current as it had ever flown. But the extent of his disasters, and the magnitude of the danger did not daunt the unyielding and proud spirit of Bonaparte. His exertions were in proportion to the exigency of the occasion; he applied all his activity and vigour to call forth the resources of France, on a scale corresponding with the magnitude of the crisis. His exertions were seconded by the constituted authorities; a senatus consultum of the 11th of January 1813, placed 350,000 men at his disposal. The new levies having been ordered on towards the scene of action, on the 5th of April Bonaparte set out to put himself at the head of his armies, first appointing the Empress regent. After the battle of Lutzen, the French crossed the Elbe at Dresden, and Bonaparte fixed his head quarters at this place. The allies fell back upon the Spree, and took a position upon the heights, with the centre of their front line behind Boutzen. Here they were attacked by Bonaparte on the morning of the 20th of May, and after several hours hard fighting, he succeeded in driving them back to Hochkirchen, where they were attacked the next day. The conflict here was more obstinate than the first, but the allies were again obliged to retreat. Bonaparte having been successful since the commencement of the last campaign, the emperor of Austria offered his mediation, in consequence of which, a cessation of hostilities took place. This led to a congress at Prague, but no pacific results were produced, and the enemies of Bonaparte constantly increased. Austria, from a mediator became an enemy; the Crown Prince of Sweden, formerly one of Bonaparte's own generals, had landed in Germany, and joined the coalition. The long career of Bonaparte's success had rendered him obstinate and blindly infatuated; the dreadful disasters of his Russian campaign, it was to have been. 242 BLINDNESS AND INFATUATION OF NAPOLEON. supposed, would have convinced him, that he was not exempt from the vicissitudes of fortune, and of the uncertain issue of war. Had he made some sacrifices at this period, there is no doubt, he might have obtained peace. But that same destiny which had hurried him on, in his career of ambition and glory, seemed now to hurry him on blindfolded to his destruction. He might have obtained peace without any great sacrifice of interest or of honour, which would have afforded him time to have retrieved his affairs, broken up the present coalition, and divided his enemies. Peace, therefore, would have secured him every thing he wanted; whereas it was apparent that if he was unfortunate in the present campaign, it would be fatal to his power if not to his crown. But he was blind as to these obvious views, and determined to put every thing at stake upon the uncertain issue of the campaign. Destiny seems to have ordered that he should have been blind and infatuated; the repose of Europe required the overthrow of his power, and the cause of civil liberty, and the rights of mankind, both of which he had basely betrayed, demanded that such an example of successful usurpation should not exist; a usurpation, not of the rights of the Bourbons, but of those of the people of France, of Italy, and of the human race; as mankind have a common interest in maintaining the sacred principles of civil liberty. The armistice was continued to the 10th of August, when Austria formally declared war against France, and hostilities were soon after renewed. Bonaparte's army at this time consisted of about 300,000 men. An action was fought on the 26th near Lignitz, in which the French sustained a heavy loss. They fell back and entrenched themselves in a strong position, in the suburbs of Dresden. Here they were unsuccessfully attacked by the allies on the 27th, and the next day the French became assailants. The allies occupied the height around the city. The action continued with great warmth until evening, when the allies retired towards the Bohemian frontier. In this engagement Moreau, who had left the Uni BATTLE OF DRESDEN-BATTLE OF LEIPZIG. 243 ted States, to join in the war against France, was killed by a cannon ball whilst conversing with the Emperor Alexander. The ball shattered one of his legs, and passing through his horse carried off the other. It was truly an inglorious death, for so distinguished a general and patriot, to be killed fighting in the ranks of the enemies of his country. Although Bonaparte was successful in the main action, general Vandamme, who had been detached to seize the passes in the rear of the enemy, was taken, with 10,000 of his men. About this time, too, Blucher had defeated Macdonald, in Silesia, taken from him 15,000 prisoners, and pursued him to Dresden. The division of Ney was defeated by Bernadotte on the 6th of September at Dennevitz, and 5000 prisoners taken. Being weakened by these losses, Bonaparte remained at Dresden until the middle of October, waiting for reinforcements from France. The Bavarians at this time joined the allies, which threw 35,000 men into their scale. The hostile parties concentrated their forces at Leipzig, where a partial action was fought on the 16th of October, which was followed by a general engagement on the 18th. In the action of the 16th, the French had rather the advantage, but that of the 18th was peculiarly disastrous. The conest was one of the most obstinate and sanguinary that is upon record. During the heat of the action, a large body of Westphalian and Saxon troops deserted from Bonaparte and joined the allies; and this example was followed by seventeen German battalions. Victory at length declared for the allies. The loss of Bonaparte, in killed, wounded and prisoners, was estimated by the allies at 40,000. The king of Saxony sent a flag to Alexander, requesting him to spare the city; but an immediate assault was made, and at eleven o'clock it was taken, two hours after Bonaparte had left it. His rear-guard and all his sick were captured. The French retreated in great disor تم |