trated by this hole, a park of 12 pieces of At the same time, the enemy's regular cavalry, and two columns of infantry penetrated into the hole. They hoped to gain the wood, and the defile of Voronowo before us; but the King of Naples was there; he was on horseback. He marched, and penetrated the Russian line of cavalry in ten or twelve different charges. He perceived the division of six enemy's battalions, commanded by Lieutenant general Muller, charged and penetrated it. This division was massacred -Lieutenant-general Muller was killed; whilst this was passing, General Poniatowski successfully repulsed a Russian division. The Polish general, Fischer, was killed by a ball. The enemy not only suffered a loss superior to ours, but have the shame of having violated the truce concluded between the advanced guard, a thing hardly ever done. Our loss amounts to 800 men in killed, wounded, and taken-that of the enemy is double: several Russian officers were taken; two of their generals were killed; on this day the King of Naples has proved what presence of mind, valour, and a knowledge of war can effect. In general, throughout all this campaign, this Prince has shown himself worthy of the supreme rank in which he is placed. However, the Emperor, wishing to oblige the enemy to evacuate his intrenched camp, and drive them several marches back, in order to be able tranquilly to proceed to the countries chosen for his winter quarters, and actually necessary to be occupied for the execution of his ulterior projects, on the 17th ordered General Lauriston, with his advanced guard, to place himself behind the defile of Winkowo, in order that his movements might not be perceived. If we After Moscow had ceased to exist, the Emperor had determined either to abandon this heap of ruins, or only to occupy the Kremlin with 3000 men; but the Kremlin, after fifteen days' labour, was not judged sufficiently strong to be abandoned for twenty or thirty days to its own forces. It would have weakened and incommoded the army in its movements, without giving a great advantage. wished to protect Moscow from the beggars and plunderers, 20,000 men would have been necessary. Moscow is at present a truly unhealthy and impure sink. A population of 200,000 wandering in the neighbouring woods, dying with hunger, come to these ruins, to seek what remains, and vegetables in the gardens, to support life. useless to compromise any thing whatever for It appeared an object which was of no military importance, and which has now become of no political importance. All the magazines which mined, the others emptied, the Emperor were in the city having been carefully exacaused the Kremlin to be mined. The Duke of Istria caused it to be blown up at two racks, magazines, all were destroyed. This o'clock, a. m. on the 23d; the arsenal, barfoundation of the monarchy, this first palace ancient citadel, which takes its date from the of the Czars, has been destroyed. Vereja. The Emperor of Russia's Aide-deThe Duke of Treviso has marched for the camp, Baron Winzingerode, having, on the 22d, attempted to penetrate at the head of 500 Cossacks, was repulsed and taken prisoner, with a young Russian officer named Narisken. On the 19th, the head quarters were in the castle of Troitskoi; they remained there on the 20th. On the 21st they were at Ignatieu; the 22d at Pomenskoi, all the army having made two flank marches, and the 23d marching on the 24th to gain the Dwina, and at Borowsk. The Emperor reckons upon in 80 leagues of Petersburgh and Wilna, taking a position which will bring him with a double advantage; that is to say, twenty marches nearer his means and his object. Of 4000 stone houses which were in Moscow, not more than 200 remain. It has calculation 800 churches were comprehended, been said a fourth remained, because in that houses of wood, nearly 500 remain. a part of which are undamaged. Of 8000 Twenty-seventh Bulletin. Vereja, Oct. 27. On the 27th Prince Poniatowski marched upon Vereja. The 233 the army was about to follow this movement; but in the afternoon we learnt that the enemy had quitted his entrenched camp, and was on march to the little town of Malioardslavitz. It was found his intentions. necessary to march atter him, and obstruct to march. The Viceroy received orders in the evening, on the left bank, took possesDelzon's division arrived on the 23d, at six paired. In the night between the 23d and sion of the bridge, and caused it to be re24th the Russian division arrived in the town, right bank, which are extremely advanta and took possession of the heights on the -geous. On the 24th, at day-break, the battle army appeared quite entire, and took a posicommenced. During this time the enemy's tion behind the town. The divisions Delzon, Broussier, and Pino, and the Italian guards were successively engaged. This engagement does the greatest honour he was obliged to throw twenty pieces of can- non into the river. Towards night, Marshal Prince Eckmuhl debouched with his corps, and all the army was in battle with its artillery on the 25th, in the position which the enemy occupied the night before. The Emperor moved his head-quarters on the 24th, to the village of Ghorodnia. At seven in the morning six thousand Cossacks, who had stepped into the wood, made a general buzza in the rear of his position, and took six pieces of cannon which were parked. The Duke of Istria set off a gallop with all the horse guards: this horde was sabred, brought back, and thrown into the river; the artillery it had taken was recovered, and several of his waggons were captured; six hundred of these Cossacks were killed, wounded, or taken; thirty men of the guards were wounded, and three killed. The General of division Count Rapp, had a horse killed under him; the intrepidity of which this General has given so many proofs, is shown on every occasion. At the commencement of the charge, the Cossack officers called the Guard, which they remembered, Muscadins de Paris (Paris Dainties). The Major-general of Dragoons, Letort, distinguished himself. At eight o'clock, order was re-established. The Emperor marched to Maloiardslavitz, reconnoitred the position of the enemy, and ordered an attack for the next morning; but in the night, the enemy retreated. Prince Eckmuhl followed him for six hours. The Emperor then let him go, and directed the movement upon Vereja. On the 26th head-quarters were at Borowsk, and on the 27th at Vereja. Prince Eckmuhl is to-night at Borowsk; the Duke of Elchingen at Mojaisk. It is beautiful weather, the roads are excellent; it is the end of autumn; this weather will last eight days longer; and at that period we shall have arrived in our new position. In the battle of Maloiardslavitz, the Italian guard distinguished itself. It took the position, and maintained it. Our The General Baron Delzons, a distinguished officer, was killed with three balls. loss was 1500 men killed or wounded; that of the enemy's 6 of 7000. We found on the field of battle 1700 Russians, amongst whom were 1100 recruits, dressed in grey jackets, having hardly served two months. The old Russian infantry is destroyed; the Russian army would have no consistence but for the numerous reinforcements of Cossacks recently arrived from the Don. Well informed persons assure us, that in the Russian infantry the first rank only is composed of soldiers, and that the second and third ranks are filled with recruits and militia, and who, notwithstanding the promises made them, are incorporated. The Russians had three generals killed. General Count Pino was slightly wounded. Twenty-eighth Bulletin. The imperial head-quarters were, on the 1st of November, at Viasma, and on the 9th at Smolensk. The weather was very fine up to the 6th, but on the 7th winter began. The ground is covered with snow. The roads have become very slippery, and very difficult for carriage horses. We have lost many men by cold and fatigue; night bivouacking is very injurious to them. Since the battle of Maloiardslavitz, the advanced guard has seen no other enemy than the Cossacks, who, like the Arabs, pour upon the flanks, and fly about to annoy. On the 2d, at two in the afternoon, 12,000 Russian infantry, covered by a cloud of Cossacks, intercepted the communication, a league's distance from Vi sma, between the Prince of Eckmuhl and the Viceroy. The Prince of Eckmuhl and the Viceroy marched upon this column, drove it from the road, and overthrew it in the wood, took a Majorgeneral, with a good number of prisoners, and carried off six pieces of cannon; since that time we have not again seen the Russian infantry, but only Cossacks. Since the bad weather, from the 6th, we have lost more than 3000 carriage horses, and nearly 100 of our caissons have been de stroyed. General Wittgenstein having been reinforced by the Russian divisions from Finland, and by a great number of troops from the militia, attacked, on the 18th of October, Marshal Gouvion St. Cyr; he was repulsed by that Marshal and General Wrede, who took more than 3000 prisoners, and covered the field of battle with his dead. On the 20th, Marshal Gouvion St. Cyr having been informed that Marshal the Duke of Belluno, with the 9th corps, was marching to reinforce him, repassed the Dwina, and marched to meet him, in order, on having effected a junction with him, to fight Wittgenstein, and oblige him to repass the Dwina. Marshal Gouvion St. Cyr bestows the highest eulogiums upon his troops. The Swiss division distinguished itself by its sangfroid and bravery. Colonel Guehenew, of the 26th regiment of light infantry, was wounded. Marshal St. Cyr received, a ball in the foot; Marshal the Duke of Reggio has arrived to replace him, and retaken the command of the 20 corps. The Russian army from Volhynia was opposed to our right. Our right left the Minsk line of operations, and took for the pivot of its operations the Warsaw line. On the 9th, the emperor was informed, at Smolensko, of this change in the line of operations, and conceived what the enemy would do. However hard it appeared for him to put himself in movement during so cruel a season, the new state of things demanded it. He expected to arrive at Minsk, or at least upon the Beresina, before the enemy. On the 13th he quitted Smolensko; on the 16th he slept at Krasnoi. The cold, which began on the 7th, suddenly increased, and on the 14th, 15th, and 16th, the thermometer was 16 and 18 degrees below the freezing point. The roads were covered with ice, the cavalry, artillery, and baggage horses, perished every night, not only by hundreds, but by thousands, particularly the German and French horses. In a few days more than 30,000 horses perished; our cavalry were on foot; our artillery and our baggage were without conveyance. It was necessary to abandon and destroy a good part of our cannon, ammunition, and provisions. This army, so fine on the 6th, was very different on the 14th, almost without cavalry, without artillery, without transports. Without cavalry we could not reconnoitre a quarter of a league's distance; without artillery we could not risk a battle, and firmly await it; it was requisite to march, in order not to be constrained to a battle, which the want of ammunition prevented us from doing; it was requisite to occupy a certain space not to be turned, and that too without cavalry, which led and connected the columns. This difficulty, joined to a cold, which suddenly came on, rendered our situation miserable. Those men whom nature had not sufficiently fortified to be above all the chances of fate and fortune, appeared shook, lost their gaiety, their good humour, and dreamed but of misfortunes and catastrophes: those whom she has created superior to every thing, preserved their gaiety and their ordinary manners, and saw fresh glory in the different difficulties to be surmounted. The enemy, who saw upon the roads traces of that frightful calamity which had overtaken the French army, endeavoured to take advantage of it. He surrounded all the columns with his Cossacks, who carried off, like the Arabs in the deserts, the trains and carriages which separated. This contemptible cavalry, which only makes noise, and is not capable of penetrating through a company of voltigeurs, rendered themselves formidable by favour of certain circumstances. Never theless, the enemy had to repent of all the serious attempts which he wished to undertake; they were overthrown by the Vice roy, before whom they were placed, and lost many men. The Duke of Elchingen, with 3000 men, had blown up the ramparts at Smolensko. He was surrounded, and found himself in a critical position, but he extricated himself from it with that intrepidity for which he is distinguished. After having kept the enemy at a distance from him during the whole day of the 18th, and constantly repulsed him, at night he made a movemeat on the right, passed the Borysthenes, and deceived all the calculations of the enemy. On the 19th the army passed the Borysthenes at Orza, and the Russian army being fatigued, and having lost a great number of men, ceased from its attempts. The army of Volhynia had inclined, on the 10th, upon Minsk, and marched upon Borisow. General Dombrowski defended the bridge head of Borisow with 3000 men. On the 23d he was forced and obliged to evacuate this position. The enemy then passed the Beresina, marching upon Bobr; the division Lambert formed the advanced guard. The 2d corps, commanded by the Duke of Reggio, which was at Tocherin, had received orders to march upon Borisow, to secure to the army the pas sage of the Beresina. On the 24th the Duke of Reggio met the division Lambert four leagues from Borisow, attacked and defeated it, took 2000 prisoners, six pieces of cannon, 500 baggage waggons of the army of Volhy nia, and threw the enemy on the right bank of the Beresina. General Berkeim, with the 4th cuirassiers, distinguished himself by a fine charge. The enemy could only secure his safety by burning the bridge, which is more than 300 toises in length. Nevertheless the enemy occupied all the passages of the Beresina; this river is 40 toises wide; it had much floating ice on it, but its banks are covered with marshes, 300 toises long, which present obstacles in clearing it. The enemy's general had placed his four divisions at the different debouches, where be presumed the French army would attempt to pass. On the 26th, at break of day, the emperor, after having deceived the enemy by different movements made during the day of the 25th, marched upon the village of Studzeanca, and caused in spite of an enemy's division, and in its presence, two bridges to be thrown over the river. The Duke of Reggio passed, attacked the enemy, and led him fighting two hours; the enemy retired upon the téte-dupont of Borisow. General Legrand, an officer of the first-rate merit, was badly, but not dangerously, wounded. The Duke of Belluno, commanding the 9th corps, had received orders to follow the movemeat of the Duke of Reggio, to form the rear. guard, 2 guard, and keep in check the Russian army Portaunaux's division set out at night from All we have since been able to learn is, that this first brigade set out at five o'clock, missed its way at six, went to the right in place of proceeding to the left, and marched two or three leagues in this direction; that, during the night, and benumbed with cold, it rallied at seeing the enemy's fires, which it mistook for those of the French army. Thus surrounded it was taken. This cruel mistake must have caused us a loss of 2000 infantry, 300 cavalry, and three pieces of artillery. Reports state, that the General of Division was not with his column, and had marched alone. All the army having passed on the morning of the 28th, the Duke of Belluno guarded the tête-du-pont upon the left bank; the Duke of Reggio, and behind him all the army, was upon the right bank. Borisow having been evacuated, the armies of the Dwina and Volhynia communicated; they planned an attack on the 28th, at break of day. The Duke of Reggio caused the emperor to be informed that he was attacked. Half an hour afterwards the Duke of Belluno was so on the left bank. The Duke of Elchingen immediately fol lowed the Duke of Reggio, and the Duke of Treviso the Duke of Elchingen. The battle became warm. The enemy wishing to turn our right, Gen. Doumere, commanding the 5th division of Cuirassiers, which made part of the 2d corps that remained on the Dwina, ordered a charge of cavalry, by the 4th and 5th regiments of Cuirassiers, at the moment when the legion of the Vistula was engaged in the woods, to pierce the centre of the enemy, who was defeated and put to the rout, with the enemy's cavalry, which came to the assistance of its infantry. Six thousand prisoners, two standards, and six pieces of cannon, fell into our hands. On his side, the Duke of Belluno vigorous- In the battle of the Beresina, the army of The next day (the 29th) we remained on the field of battle. We had to make our choice between two routes, that to Minsk and that to Wilna. The road to Minsk led through the middle of a forest and of uncultivated marshes, where it was impossible for the army to subsist itself. On the contrary, the road to Wilna led through a very fine country. The army being without cavalry, deficient in ammunition, and horribly fatigued by fifty days' march, carrying in its train all the sick and wounded of so many battles, stood greatly in need of getting to its magazines. On the 30th the head-quarters were at Plechnitsi; on the 1st of December at Siaike; and on the 3d at Molodetschna, where the army received the first convoys from Wilna. All the wounded officers and soldiers, and whatever else could be of embarrassment, with the baggage, &c. were sent off to Wilna. To say that the army stands in need of reestablishing its discipline, of refreshing itself, of remounting its cavalry, completing its artillery, and its materials-this is the result of the Exposé which has just been made. Its repose is of the first necessity. The materials and the horses are coming in; Gen. Boureier has already more than 20,000 remount horses in different depots. The artillery has already repaired its losses. -The generals, officers, and soldiers, have suffered greatly from want. Numbers have lost their baggage by the loss of their horses, and several by the effect of the Cossacks' ambushes. The Cossacks have taken numbers of isolated persons, of geographical engineers, who were taking positions, and of unattended officers, who were marching without precaution, preferring running the risk to marching slowly, and going with the convoys. The reports of the general-officers commanding the different corps will make known what officers and soldiers have chiefly distinguished themselves, and the details of their memorable events. In all these movements the emperor has been continually marching in the middle of his guards. The cavalry commanded by Marshal Duke of Istria, and the infantry commanded by the Duke of Dantzic. His Majesty has been well satisfied with the fine spirit shewn by his guards. They have always been ready to shew themselves every where that their presence was needful; but circumstances have always been such that their appearances alone was sufficient, and that they never were in a case that required them to charge. The prince of Neufchatel, the grand marshal, the grand equerry, and all the aides-decamp and military officers of the household, have always accompanied his Majesty. Our cavalry was dismounted to such a degree, that it was necessary to collect the offcers, who had still a horse remaining, in order to form four companies of 150 men each. The generals there performed the functions of terns. of captains, and the colonels those of subalThis sacred squadron, commanded by General Grouchy, and under the orders of the King of Naples, did not lose sight of the emperor in all these movements.-The health of his Majesty was never better. three in the afternoon, the enemy advancing. The thickness of the fog prevented him from ascertaining his numbers, who kept marching forwards till they were close to our batteries.. The enemy attempting in vain to pierce through our lines, received, at the distance of On the 19th Napoleon arrived at Paris. two hundred and fifty paces, a general dis RUSSIAN BULLETINS. The Commander-in-Chief, General Field-Maral Prince Kutusoff, from the bead-quarters at the village of Dubrovo, submits to his Imperial Majesty the two following Reports: First Report, dated the 18th of November. After the battle near Viasma, on the 224 October, my army made every effort to turn, if not all the enemy's corps, at least its advanced guard, on the road from Jelna to Krasnoi, in which it completely succeeded on the 17th and 18th November. The 16th November, the army made a movement by advancing five wersts, as far as the town of Krasnoi. The advanced guard fell in with the enemy, who were completely defeated by Lieut.-general Ouverow. On this Occasion, we became masters of one standard, some cannon, and made a great number of prisoners, one of whom was a general. General Millarodovitch, commanding the advanced guard, with the 2d light corps of infantry, and the 2d of cavalry, perceiving the corps commanded by Marshal Davoust advance near Krasnoi, detached thither Lieutenant general Prince Galitzin. The enemy, conceiving himself turned on all sides, began to defend himself. Our artillery made a terrible carnage in the enemy's ranks. Napoleon himself was an eye-witness of the battle, and, not waiting for the issue, he fied with his whole suite to the village of Liadam, and abandoned the corps of Davoust. The battle lasted the whole day; the enemy were completely defeated and dispersed in the neighbouring wood, for a distance of five wersts along the banks of the Dnieper-thus the corps of General Davoust has been completely destroyed. The loss in killed and wounded is immense. We have made prisoners two generals, fifty-eight of ficers of different ranks, 9,170 men, seventy cannon, three standards, and taken the bâton of Marshal Davoust. On the 17th November, being informed that the corps of Marshal Ney, forming the rear-guard of the enemy, was moving in the road leading to Krasnoi, I made the following dispositions: Second Report. In order to obtain a certain victory over Marshal Ney, and to cut off entirely his communication with the rest of the army, I reinforced General Millaradovitch with the 8th corps, giving him orders to prevent the Marshal's advance, and to take a position near the villages Syroherenic and Tcherniska. Major-general Lourouski perceived, about 3 charge of musketry and of forty pieces of cannon: the effect of this fire upon the enemy was extremely fatal. Finding he had no hope of escaping, he at length sent a flag of truce to General Millaradovitch. At midnight the whole corps d'armée of the enemy, amounting to 12,000 men, were obliged to lay down their arms. All their artillery, in number twenty-seven pieces of cannon, all the baggage and military chests, were the fruits of our victory. In the number of prisoners are above one hundred officers of different ranks, Marshal Ney was wounded, but saved himself by flight, and was pursued by the Cos sacks beyond the Dnieper. The loss of the enemy is enormous: according to the report of the prisoners, four generals of division were wounded. We have not lost above 500 men in killed and wounded. The army is at present at Krasnoi, and the advanced guard at Dowbrowna, from whence we shall follow the movements of the enemy. General Platoff informs me, by a private letter annexed, that the enemy left behind him, seventeen wersts from Smolensko, a great quantity of artillery, amounting to 113 pieces. Letter of General Count Platoff to the General Field-Marshal, dated 17th Nov. After the signature of my report to your Highness, Captain Parkin arrived with the rations, and states, that, at the distance of seventeen wersts from Smolensko, in the great road, he had counted 112 cannon, besides a great number of tumbrils and carriages. I am not able to send your Highness a report in form, not having received it from the governor of Smolensko. I join the unanimous voice of the troops in pronouncing, Hurra! your most Serene Highness! POLAND. This country is again restored to the Map of Europe, and it is understood to be the fixed purpose of Napoleon to add to it all the Russian provinces which, lie on the Baltic, as an equivalent for the provinces in possession of his ally the Emperor of Austria. This latter empire is also to be further enlarged by the provinces of Moldavia, Wallachia, and Bes sarabia, so as to give to Austria some ports on the Black Sea, and make that empire, and regenerated Poland, powerful barriers against future encroachments of Russia on southern Europe. Such are the other projected results of this extraordinary war! SPAIN. |