nearer to the Prussians, thus enabling count Vitgenstein to disengage his corps of observation from the vicinity of Dunaburg and Jacobstadt.

The command at Riga was assumed early in October by the marquis of Pauluteki. He stationed a corps at Kirkgolm, on the right bank of the Dwina, opposite the left flank of Veliaminof, near Dalenkirk; preventing, by that disposition, the excursions of the enemy inte Livonia. The enemy gradually abandoned the parts approached by Steingel's right on the shores of the Dwiua; and, on the 3rd of October, Fredericstadt was entered almost without opposition by the Russians. The troops of general Lewis were liberated by the retreat of the enemy from their positions on the other side of the Dwina, and enabled to form a junction with Veliaminof.

Marshal Macdonald had detached à considerable reinforcement from Mishof to Fredericstadt, which, being on its way opposed by the detachment under major Jelistratof, attacked him; but, not being able to force their way past him, could not prevent the capture of the town, in which there were 800 Bavarians and three squad-, rons of Prussian cavalry.

The enemy having for some time past formed a plan for fortifying his right flank, for this purpose on the morning of the 15th, attacked the detachment of lieutenantgeneral Lewis, which covered Riga, and endeavored to force him to retreat into the fortifications of that city, in order to cover his right flank; and, by taking advantage of the Dwina being frozen, to carry on his operations in the rear of the city. The enemy, who had a greater number of troops, especially cavalry and artillery, drove back the advanced-guards posted at the customhouse and Plankenzeim, and forced them to fall back on their own corps.

Lieutenant-general Lewis left the position he had occupied near Dalei church, and took another more advantageous at the distance of three wersts from his former station.

The former position was advantageous to the Russians on account of the surFounding morasses; but this advantage

was now lost, as they were rendered by the frost passable for cavalry; and the corps of general Lewis being inferior to the enemy in cavalry, might have been turned; whereas, the new position being less extended, strong by means of a defile, and surrounded with coppices, did not permit the enemy's cavalry to act with effect. The attack of the French general was renewed on the 16th; but by twelve o'clock at noon he was compelled to retire, with the loss of 400 killed, and 18 prisoners. The Russian loss was about 100 killed and wounded.

General Steingel had in the mean time advanced so far as to arrive near Drissa, on the 10th of October, and to form a junction with a part of the army of count Vitgensteiu. That general now determined to attack Polotsk, to compel the enemy to retreat on the Vitepsk road; and, while he was precluded from any junction with Macdonald, expose him to the attacks of the main body, and of the Riga troops. General Steingel was therefore directed to drive the enemy from the village of Bononia, and advance to Po lotsk. He would thus prevent the pas sage of the Dwina at that place, by Go vion St. Cyr, and protect the ulteri operations.

At the same time lieutenant-general cou Yashvill proceeded to attack the ener near the village Guravitchne, drove advanced-guard within their lines, at after a bloody engagement, which las from morning till night, succeeded driving them within their entrenchme from which they commenced a he cannonade. Vitgenstein, however, har received intelligence of the succes general Steingel, on the evening of 19th, attacked the enemy, and drove from his entrenchments into the t which was now stormed in two divi one commanded by major-generals 1 and Dibsitch, and the other by c Ridinger. Notwithstanding the of the enemy, the obstinacy of fence, the heaviness of their fire strength of their works, the tov ried on the 20th of October

Gouvion St. Cyr, who was wounded in the leg, and had conveyed to the other side of the river on the preceding day his wounded and guns, made his escape with his troops across the bridges, which he destroyed as he passed, and took the road to Valeyka, in the hope of falling in with general Victor, who had promised to hasten to his support. The losses of the 18th amounted to a considerable number killed, and 45 officers and 2000 privates, prisoners. The killed The killed and wounded of the 19th, amounted to

3000.

Among the officers wounded on the part of the Russians, were the princes Sibisky and Gamen, the chamberlain Mordwinof and colonel Rott. Three hundred soldiers were killed and 1500 wounded.

The cavalry of general Steingel's division, commanded by colonel Bedriaga, pursued the flying enemy, and did considerable execution.. The St. Petersburgh road was no longer menaced or occupied by the enemy, and the terrors entertained of Macdonald were entirely dissipated.

Count Vitgenstein having thus accomplished the chief purpose of his command, moved forward with the intention of meeting the armies of Tormazof and the Danube, which formed a junction at Loutsk, on the 17th of September, and were pushing forward in the direction of Minsk. After defeating the enemy in August, Tormazof had taken up his position at Kobrin, intercepting the convoys from the duchy of Warsaw; he resolved to form a junction with the army of the Danube, commanded by admiral Tchichagof, and to secure a closer communication with the division of general Hertel, which was now assembling at Mazer. He therefore retired to a position in the vicinity of Loutsk, on the river Styr.

General Dombrofski taking advantage of this movement, of which he did not perceive the object, overrun Volhynia, without neglecting his communications

with Regnier and Schwartzenburgh. He intended to march to Dobrowisk, but lieutenant-general Hertel, with his corps of inexperienced troops, anticipated his designs. After several brilliant exploits, general Hertel took possession of Gloutsk. Another portion of his troops, under general Tapolski, defeated the Austrians at Piusk.

No sooner had Regnier and Schwartzenburg been informed of the position of the armies of the Danube and of Tormazof, than they commenced a precipitate retreat in the direction of Brest Litofski. They left behind them their baggage, horses, and many prisoners, and evacuated Volhynia without waiting for the troops that had been driven from Pinsk. Their loss before their arrival at Brest amounted to 2000 killed and 500 prisoners. From Brest they proceeded to Brest Litofski, and afterwards returning to the opposite bank from that town, placed themselves between the Mochovitza and the Lesna, the first a rivulet that is received by the Boug, and the latter falling into the same river at Ratonanif. They had been pursued by the troops of Tchichagof, who had followed them on a parallel line, Their front was, on the 11th of October, opposed by the body under his command; and despairing of successful resistance, they retreated during the darkness of the night in the direction of Vizokof-Litofski to the other side of the Lesna. They had scarcely, however, attempted to pass the river before they were assailed by the Russians in their rear. The pursuit of the latter was impeded by the play of artillery on the opposite bank, and the firing of a party of chasseurs stationed in a neighbouring wood. They gained Vizokof, and pursued their rout Bialistof.

to

The movements of general Doctorof and colonel Tchernichef on Bialo Lublin, and of a corps from the army of admiral Tchichagof, directed to observe the enemy in the neighbourhood of Bialistof, for the purpose of assisting his communication

P

RINCE marshal Kutusof, having received accurate intelligence of the extremity to which the French and their leader were reduced, lost no time and spared no expedient to render the subsequent operations decisive of the fate of Napoleon and his army. The headquarters of the Russian main army had been removed from Krasnoy Pacra to the village of Touratino, where it was entrenched on the 2nd of October; but on the 4th, it changed its position to the village of Letachevka, further on the Kalouga road. From these points the commanderin-chief despatched his orders, and dispersed his divisions into every avenue through which it was possible the enemy in his flight might endeavor to penetrate. Myriads of armed men covered the country from the vicinity of Branitza to the grand road of Mojaisk, and thence through Klim on the opposite side, to Dimitrof and Vladimir. The peasantry, believing the hour of retribution to be at hand, presented themselves every where in multitudes, on foot and on horseback, to assist the soldiers in the destruction of their enemies.

The task of reconnoitring the great high road leading to Viasma and Ghatz, was entrusted to the active zeal of majorgeneral Dorochof. Besides this duty, he was ordered to attack the city of Vereya, which the enemy had garrisoned, to take it by assault, and to destroy the fortifications VOL. II.

which they had recently constructed. By the accomplishment of this object on the 2nd of October, the Russian army was freed from every impediment to its movements, and the whole country cleared as far as Ghatz. Scarcely had the Russian assailants taken possession of Vereya before a reinforcement of four squadrons of cavalry, and three battalions of infantry, unacquainted with the fate of their comrades who had been killed, taken, or dispersed, appeared in front of the town. Before they perceived their mistake, a reserve of troops stationed by the Russian general without the walls, advanced and surprised them. Their resistance was short, but bloody; and, finding that perseverance would be unavailing, they fled to the covering lines of Mojaisk, pursued by the cossacks, who cut down hundreds. in their retreat.

From the movement of the several French divisions towards every point connected with the Nieper, it was easy to perceive that the objects of Napoleon were to retrace his march, to escape the vengeance of an incensed country, and to place himself once more in safety on the frontiers of his subject nations. Could he accomplish this retreat with a moderate loss, he would remain upon the extensive confines of the Russian empire till the return of spring. During the interval, his harassed troops would be recovered from their fatigues,

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of 2500 artisans; and an individual who had obtained the commands of Buonaparte to proceed from Wilna with as many workmen and mechanics as he could collect, was intercepted and taken by the Russiaus. The bulletins of the French emperor sufficiently demonstrated his indecision, and exhibit an interesting, but disgusting picture of falsehood and im. becility.

But at length his situation became too desperate for further hesitation, and he determined to effect, if possible, his march to the fertile provinces of southern Russia. Having laid his plans for the destruction of the Kremlin, and reduced the city to one melancholy scene of solitude, he addressed his troops, and informed them that he was about to conduct them to winter quarters. "If," he added, "I encounter the Russians in my way, I shall beat them. If not, so much the better for them!"

In conformity to these declarations of his intention to evacuate the city, he despatched on the 5th of October, general Delson, with about 5000 infantry, well supported by cavalry and artillery, with orders to take the road to Dimitrof. The general was opposed by a body of cossacks, but they were not of strength sufficient to impede his progress to Yarraslof, his approach to which city interrupted its cominunication with baron baron Vinzingerode. Alarmed at the idea of this detachment from the French army being followed up by still more numerous bodies, and pressing him on his left so as to approach the government of Twer, Vinzingerode communicated his apprehensions to the governor of that province; and, having concentrated his forces, unremittingly disturbed and annoyed the enemy. On the 10th of October, the latter entered Dimitrof, and then proceeded towards Klim. This was succeeded by another detachment from Moscow, which proceeded through Tchernigreze, about six miles from that place, on the road to Moscow.

1

Hitherto the Russians had regarded the demonstrations of the French as intended for the purposes of forage, but the inforination of several Westphalians and Ger

mans, who had deserted from the enemy made his intention to evacuate the city no longer doubtful, and rendered it probable that the body under general Delson and those by which it was succeeded, were merely intended as diversions. This supposition was soon confirmed by the evacua tion of Dimitrof, on the part of general Dalzel, after the commission of many atrocities, and his return on the road to Moscow with the plunder of the city. He was pursued by Vinzingerode, who entered the town as the French were quitting it. Night only terminated the pursuit, which ended in retaking 100 carts of plunder, which were returned the next morning to the inhabitants of Dimitrof.

The French still retained possession of Tchernigreze, and a detachment from general Dalzel at Vinagradoia, about 17 wersts from Moscow. A part of the 4th division unler Mortier, which had fallen back from their advance on the Mojaisk road, were pursued by a detachment under general Illoviaskoy, of which the light troops were compelled to retreat by a column of French infantry, and would have been put to flight had not the rest of the body arrived to their assistance, and driven the French into the city with considerable loss. Vinzingerode was now enabled to approach closer to the town, and to form his arrangements with the other commanders. The cossacks continued to harass the enemy in every direction; and colonel Tchernisolof advanced from Zwenigorod, and, after an obstinate conflict, reached the high road between Viasma and Ghatz. In the direction of St. Petersburgh; many prisoners were taken by the Russians with inconsiderable loss. Vinzingerode now determined to pass the barriers of the city; and, collecting the troops under Illoviaskoy, after several conflicts in the streets, approached the Kremlin. In his eagerness to prevent 'the effusion of blood, he rushed forward, accompanied by his aid-de-camp Nareshkin, waving his white handkerchief as a signal of his pacific intentions; and the French, either not understanding or not regarding the