THE FIRE AT MOSCOW.
At one o'clock in the afternoon of September 14th, after passing
through a great forest, we saw a hill some way off, and half an hour
afterwards part of the army reached the highest point, signalling to
us who were behind, and shouting 'Moscow! Moscow!' It was indeed the
great city; there we should rest after all our labours, for we of the
Imperial Guard had marched more than twelve hundred leagues without
resting.
It was a beautiful summer's day; the sun was reflected on all the
domes, spires, and gilded palaces. Many capitals I have seen--such
as Paris, Berlin, Warsaw, Vienna, and Madrid--had only produced an
ordinary impression on me. But this was quite different; the effect was
to me--in fact, to everyone--magical.
At that sight troubles, dangers, fatigues, privations were all
forgotten, and the pleasure of entering Moscow absorbed all our minds.
To take up good quarters for the winter, and to make conquests of
another nature--such is the French soldier's character: from war to
love, and from love to war! While we were gazing at the city, the order
was given to appear in full uniform.
On that day I was in the advance-guard with fifteen men, and I had
under my charge several officers taken prisoner in the great battle
of the Moskowa, some of whom spoke French. Amongst them was a pope (a
priest of the Greek Church), probably chaplain of a regiment. He, too,
spoke French very well, but he seemed much sadder and more preoccupied
than his companions in misfortune. I noticed that, when they arrived at
the hill where we were stationed, all the prisoners bowed and crossed
themselves several times. I went to the priest and asked him the reason.
'Monsieur,' he said, 'this hill is called the Mont du Salut, and every
good Muscovite on seeing the holy city must bow and cross himself.'
Soon afterwards we descended the Mont du Salut, and after a quarter of
an hour's march we found ourselves at the gate of the town.
The Emperor was there already with his staff. We halted, and I noticed
to our left an immense cemetery. After waiting a moment, Marshal Duroc
came out of the town, which he had just entered, and, addressing the
Emperor, presented to him several of the inhabitants who could speak
French. The Emperor questioned them; then the Marshal told His Majesty
that in the Kremlin there were a great number of persons under arms,
the greater part of whom were criminals released from the prisons; they
had been firing at Murat's cavalry, who formed the advance-guard. In
spite of several orders, they persisted in keeping their doors closed.
'These wretches,' said the Marshal, 'are all drunk, and cannot listen
to reason.'
'Open the doors with cannon,' replied the Emperor, 'and drive out all
you find behind them.'
The thing was done already--Murat had undertaken it himself: two
cannon-shots, and all the riff-raff was dispersed through the town.
Then Murat continued his progress, pressing hard on the Russian
rear-guard.
The order 'Garde-à-vous!' was now given, preceded by a rolling of drums
from the Guard, the signal for entering the town. It was three o'clock
in the afternoon, and we made our entrance marching in close columns,
the bands playing in front. I was in the advance guard of thirty men,
commanded by M. Césarisse, the Lieutenant of our company.
We had hardly entered the outskirts of the town, when we met several
of the miserable creatures expelled from the Kremlin; they had all
horrible faces, and were armed with muskets, staves, and pitchforks.
In passing over the bridge leading from the suburbs to the town
itself, a man crept from underneath the bridge, and placed himself in
front of the regiment. He was muffled up in a sheepskin cape, long
gray hair fell on his shoulders, and a thick white beard came down to
his waist. He carried a three-pronged fork, and looked like Neptune
rising from the sea. In these accoutrements he walked proudly up to
the drum-major, moving as if to strike him, no doubt taking him for
the General with his smart uniform and gold lace. He aimed a blow at
him with his pitchfork, which luckily the drum-major managed to avoid,
and, snatching the miserable creature's weapon from him, he seized
him by the shoulders; then, kicking him behind, he launched him over
the bridge and into the water he had just left. He did not get out
again, however; swept away by the current, we only saw him come up at
intervals. Finally he disappeared altogether.
We met several others of the same kind, who fired at us with loaded
arms. There were even some of them who had nothing but wooden
flint-locks to their muskets; as they wounded no one, we contented
ourselves with taking their arms from them and breaking them, and if
the creatures returned we got rid of them by blows in the back with
the butt-end of our muskets. Some of these weapons had been taken from
the arsenal at the Kremlin; the muskets with the wooden flint-locks
certainly came from that place.
We knew that these wretches had tried to stab an officer of Murat's
staff.
After passing over the bridge, we marched along a large and beautiful
street. We were astonished not to see anyone come out--not even a
lady--to listen to our band playing 'La victoire est à nous.' We
could not understand this total silence, and we imagined that the
inhabitants, not daring to show themselves, were peeping at us from
behind their shutters. Here and there we saw a few servants in livery,
and some Russian soldiers.
After marching for about an hour, we got to the first enclosure of
the Kremlin. Turning sharp to the left, we entered a larger and finer
street than the one we had left, leading to the Place du Gouvernement.
Just as we stopped, we saw three ladies at a ground-floor window. I
happened to be on the pavement, and near one of the ladies, who gave me
a piece of bread as black as a coal, and full of long pieces of straw.
I thanked her, and in return gave her a bit of white bread, which I had
just got from Mother Dubois, our _cantinière_. The lady blushed, and I
laughed; then she touched my arm--I cannot tell why--and I went on my
way.
At last we arrived on the Place du Gouvernement. We massed ourselves
together opposite the palace of Rostopchin, the Governor of the town,
who ordered it to be fired. We were told that the regiment was to camp,
and that no one on any pretence whatever was to absent himself. An
hour afterwards, however, the whole place was filled with everything
we could want--wines of all kinds, liqueurs, preserved fruits, and an
enormous quantity of sweet cakes and flour, but no bread. We went into
the houses on the Place asking for food and drink, but as we found no
one in them we helped ourselves.
We had placed one guard under the principal entrance to the palace. On
the right was a room large enough to hold all the men of the guard, and
a few Russian officers--prisoners who had been found in the town. We
had left the others by order at the gates of the town.
The Governor's palace is large, and its construction quite European.
Opposite the entrance are two beautiful staircases, which unite on
the first floor. On this story is a large drawing-room, containing an
oval table and a very large painting of Alexander, Emperor of Russia,
on horseback. Behind the palace is a large courtyard surrounded by
servants' offices.
The fire began an hour after our arrival. On our right we saw a thick
smoke, then a whirl of flames, not knowing from whence it came. We were
told the fire was in the bazaar, the merchants' quarter.
'They are probably freebooters,' we were told, 'who have carelessly set
fire to the shops in searching for provisions.'
Many people who were not in the campaign have said that it was the
fire at Moscow that ruined the army. I, and many others with me, think
just the contrary. The Russians need not have set fire to the town;
they might have thrown all the provisions into the Moskowa, and wasted
the country for ten leagues round--an easy thing to do, as part of the
country is a desert already. Had this been done, we should have had to
leave in a fortnight. After the fire there were still houses enough
left to shelter the army, and, even supposing all the houses had been
burnt, there were the cellars remaining. At seven o'clock the fire
reached the back of the Governor's palace. The Colonel gave orders that
a patrol of fifteen men should leave at once. I was among them. M.
Césarisse came with us, and took command. We went in the direction of
the fire, but we had hardly gone three hundred steps before we heard
some firing on our right. We did not pay much attention, thinking it
was only a few drunken soldiers; but fifty steps further we heard it
again. It came from a sort of blind alley, and was directed at us. At
the same moment I heard the cry of a wounded man close to me. He had
a ball in the leg; but the wound was not dangerous, as he could still
walk. We had orders to go back at once to our regiment; but we had
hardly turned round, when more firing from the same quarter changed our
direction again. We advanced to the house where the firing came from;
we beat in the door, and came face to face with nine great rogues,
armed with lances and muskets to prevent an entrance.
Then we fought in the yard, the numbers unequal. We were nineteen
against nine; but, believing there were more of them, we had started
by knocking down the three first. A corporal was wounded between his
shoulder-belts and his coat; feeling nothing, he seized his adversary's
lance, which placed him at a disadvantage, as he had only one hand
free, having to hold his musket with the other. He was thrown violently
back against the cellar door, still holding the lance fast. At that
moment the Russian fell wounded by a bayonet. The officer had just
wounded another in the wrist with his sword to make him drop his lance;
but, as he still held firm, he was struck by a ball in the side,
sending him to the shades. While this was going on, I with five men
held the remaining four (for three had run away) so closely against
a wall that they could not use their lances. At the first movement
they made, we could run them through with our bayonets held against
their breasts. They kept striking their weapons with their fists out of
bravado. These unfortunate fellows were drunk with the brandy they had
found in quantities, so that they were like madmen. We were obliged at
last to finish them off.
We hurried into the house, and in one room we found two or three of the
men who had made off. They were so frightened when they saw us that
they had no time to seize their firearms, upon which we fell at once;
while we were doing so, they jumped from the balcony.
As we had only found two men, and there were three muskets, we searched
for the third, who was under the bed, and came out without being told,
crying, 'Bojo! Bojo!' which means, 'My God! my God!' We did nothing to
him, but kept him by us as a guide. Like the others, he was frightful
and loathsome--like them, a convict clothed in a sheepskin, with a
leather belt round his middle. We left the house, and found in the
street the two convicts who had jumped from the window--one was dead,
his head being smashed on the pavement; the other had both his legs
broken.
We left them as we found them, and set out to return to the Place du
Gouvernement; but what was our surprise to find this impossible, the
fire having spread to such an enormous extent! To right and left was
one wreath of flames, the wind was blowing hard, and the roofs were
falling in. We were forced to take another course. Unfortunately, we
could not make our prisoner understand us; he seemed more like a bear
than a man.
After walking two hundred paces, we found a street on our right; but
before entering it, we wished out of curiosity to see the house from
which they had fired on us. We made our prisoner go in, following
close behind; but we had scarcely taken the precaution, when we heard
a cry of alarm, and saw several men flying off with lighted torches in
their hands. After crossing a large courtyard, we saw that the house we
had taken for an ordinary one was a magnificent palace. We left two men
as sentinels at the first entrance to warn us, should we be surprised.
As we had candles with us, we lit several and entered. Never in my life
have I seen such costly and beautiful furniture as met our eyes, and,
above all, such a collection of paintings of the Flemish and Italian
schools. Amongst all these grandeurs, a chest filled with firearms of
great beauty attracted our attention first. I took possession of a
brace of horse-pistols, inlaid with pearls and precious stones. I also
took a small machine for gauging the force of powder.
We had been wandering about in these vast and beautiful rooms for more
than an hour, when we heard a terrible explosion overhead. The shock
was so great that we felt certain of being crushed under the ruins of
the palace. We ran downstairs cautiously, but were horror-struck on
discovering that the two men we had placed below as sentries were gone.
We looked a long while for them, and at last found them in the street.
They told us that on hearing the explosion they had taken to their
heels as fast as possible, thinking that the whole palace was falling
on them. Before leaving we tried to discover the cause of our terror.
In the great dining-hall the ceiling had fallen, and a large glass
chandelier was broken in a thousand pieces. A bomb had been concealed
in an earthenware stove. The Russians evidently considered that any
means were good enough to destroy us.
While we were still in the palace we heard the cry 'Fire!' from our
two sentinels, who saw that the palace was burning. The smoke was now
bursting out in several places thick and black, then it became red, and
finally the whole building was in flames. At the end of a quarter of
an hour the roof, made of coloured and varnished iron, fell in with a
frightful noise, bringing with it three-quarters of the entire building.
After a great many windings in and out, we entered a wide, long street
with splendid palaces on each side, which ought to have led us in the
direction from which we had come, but our convict guide could tell us
nothing. He was only useful in occasionally carrying our wounded man,
who walked with great difficulty. We met several men with long beards
and sinister faces looking still more terrible by the lurid light of
the torches they carried; we let them pass us quietly.
We then met a number of Chasseurs of the Guard, who told us that the
Russians themselves had set fire to the town, and that the men we had
just met did the business. Soon afterwards we surprised three of these
wretches setting fire to a Greek church. On seeing us, two of them
threw away their torches and fled. We went up to the third, who kept
his torch, and in spite of us tried to go on with his work; a stroke
with the butt-end of a musket on the head soon punished him for his
obstinacy.
Just then we met a patrol of Fusilier-Chasseurs, who like us had lost
their way. The sergeant in command told me that he had met convicts
setting fire to a great many houses, that he had found one whose wrist
he had to cut with his sword to force him to drop the torch, but that
he had picked up the torch with his left hand to continue his piece of
work, and they were obliged to kill him.
Further on we heard cries from some women calling in French for help;
we went into the house from whence the cries came, believing that the
women must be _cantinières_ taken by the Russians. But on entering we
saw spread about here and there several costumes of different kinds,
all very costly, and two ladies of very dishevelled appearance came
running up to us. They had with them a boy of twelve or fifteen. They
begged our protection against the soldiers of the Russian police, who
were going to burn their house without giving them time to take away
their possessions. Amongst their things were Cæsar's mantle, Brutus's
helmet, and Joan of Arc's cuirass: for the ladies told us that they
were actresses and Frenchwomen, but that their husbands had been forced
to serve in the Russian army. For the time we were able to stop the
burning of the house, and we took the Russian police (four of them) to
our regiment, which was still in the Place du Gouvernement. After all
these troubles we got there at two o'clock in the morning, from the
opposite side to that by which we had left. When the Colonel heard that
we had come back, he came to tell us how displeased he was with us, and
to ask us what we had been doing since seven o'clock yesterday evening.
But when he saw our prisoners and our wounded man, and we had told him
of all the dangers we had been through, he said he was pleased to see
us again, as he had been very uneasy about us.
On glancing at the Place where the men bivouacked, it seemed to be an
assembly from all parts of the world, for our soldiers were clothed as
Kalmucks, Chinese, Cossacks, Tartars, Persians, and Turks, and many of
them covered with splendid furs. There were even some dressed in French
Court dress, wearing swords with steel hilts shining like diamonds. Add
to this that the space was covered with all kinds of dainties to eat,
abundance of wines and liqueurs, a little fresh meat, a quantity of
hams and fish, a little flour, but no bread.
On that day (the 15th), the day after our arrival, the regiment left
the Place du Gouvernement at nine in the morning for the neighbourhood
of the Kremlin, where the Emperor had taken up his quarters. I was left
at the Governor's palace with fifteen men.
About ten o'clock I saw a General on horseback riding up, looking like
General Pernetty.[17] He was leading a young man dressed in a sheepskin
cape, fastened by a red woollen belt. The General asked me if I was in
charge of the guard, and on my saying 'Yes,' he continued:
'Very good. You will see that this man is put to death with the
bayonet. I have just caught him with a torch setting fire to the palace
where I am staying.'
I told off four men, therefore, to carry out the General's orders. But
French soldiers are not made for this kind of work--in cold blood. Our
blows did not pierce through his sheepskin, and we should have spared
his life on account of his youth (moreover, he had not the appearance
of a criminal), but that the General remained looking on till he saw
the poor wretch fall from a shot in the side. We left him lying where
he was.
Soon after another man came, an inhabitant of the place, but a
Frenchman and Parisian by origin. He said he was proprietor of the
baths, and asked me for a safe-conduct, as they were setting fire to
his establishment. I gave him four men, who came back almost directly,
however, saying that the place was in flames already.
A few hours after our dreadful execution, the men came to tell me that
a woman walking through the Place had thrown herself on the unfortunate
young man's body. I went to see her, and she tried to make us
understand that it was her husband, or at any rate a relation. She was
sitting on the ground, holding the dead man's head on her lap, stroking
his face, and from time to time kissing him, but without shedding a
tear. At last, not able to bear such a heart-rending scene, I brought
her into the guard-room and gave her a glass of liqueur, which she
eagerly drank, then a second, and a third, in fact, as much as she
could drink. She gave us to understand that she would stay for three
days where she was, waiting for the dead man to come to life again,
believing, like all the Russian peasants, that the dead revive in three
days. She fell asleep at last on the sofa.
At five o'clock our company came back, and was again put on picket
duty, so I was there for another twenty-four hours. The rest of the
regiment was busy trying to extinguish the fire round the Kremlin; they
were successful for the time, but the fire broke out again afterwards
more fiercely than ever.
After the company had returned, the Captain sent patrols in different
directions. One was sent to the baths, but came back directly, telling
us that the moment they arrived the whole place fell in with a terrible
noise, and that the sparks, carried far by a west wind, had caused
fires in many places.
During all that evening and for part of the night, our patrols were
bringing in Russian soldiers from all quarters of the town, driven out
by the fire from the houses where they were hidden. Amongst them were
two officers--one of the regular army, the other of the militia; the
first allowed himself to be disarmed of his sword, only asking that he
might keep a gold medal hanging at his side; but the other, a young
man, having a cartridge-belt besides a sword, objected to my taking
them, and, speaking in French, told us he was in the militia. However,
after he had given us his reasons, we made ours pretty clear to him.
At midnight the fire broke out again near the Kremlin; there were fresh
efforts made to extinguish it. But on the 16th, at three o'clock in the
morning, it recommenced more violently than ever; this time it spread.
During the night of the 15th and 16th, I and two of my friends,
non-commissioned officers like myself, decided to explore the city and
the Kremlin we had heard so much of--so we set out. There was no need
of a torch to light us; but, as we intended to pay visits to the houses
and cellars of the Muscovite gentlemen, we each took a man with us
armed with candles.
My comrades knew their way a little, but as at every instant fresh
houses fell in, the streets lost their character, and we were soon
hopelessly lost. After walking aimlessly for some time, we fortunately
met a Jew tearing his beard and hair at seeing the synagogue of which
he was rabbi burning away. As he spoke German, he told us his troubles,
saying that he and others of his religion had put everything valuable
they possessed into the synagogue for safety, but that now all was
lost. We tried to comfort this child of Israel, took him by the arm,
and asked him to lead us to the Kremlin. I can hardly help laughing now
when I remember that, in the midst of such a disaster, the Jew asked
us if we had anything to sell or exchange. I really think he asked the
question from force of habit, as just then no trading was possible.
After going through several districts of the town, the greater part of
them on fire, and admiring the fine streets still standing, we reached
a little open place on a slight hill not far from the Moskowa. Here the
Jew pointed out to us the towers of the Kremlin, as clear as day by
the light of the fires. We stayed here to visit a cellar which some
Lancers of the Guard were just leaving. We took some wine and sugar
and a quantity of preserved fruits, and gave them all to the Jew to
carry, under our protection. It was daylight when we reached the first
enclosure of the Kremlin. We passed under a door built of gray stone,
surmounted by a belfry and a bell in honour of St. Nicholas, whose
statue stood in a niche over the door. This saint, at least six feet
high, richly dressed, was worshipped by every Russian who passed by,
even the convicts. He is the patron saint of Russia.
When we had passed through the first enclosure we turned to the right,
and after crossing a street with much difficulty, on account of the
disorder caused by a fire which had just burst out in some houses where
the _cantinières_ of the Guard were lodged, we reached a high wall
topped by great towers with golden eagles on them. Passing through
a large gateway, we found ourselves in a courtyard and opposite the
palace. The Emperor had been there since the day before; the 14th and
15th he had slept in the suburbs.
As soon as we arrived we found some friends in the 1st Chasseurs
picketing there, who invited us to breakfast. We ate some good meat,
a treat we had not enjoyed for a long time, and we had also some
excellent wine to drink. The Jew, who was still with us, was forced to
eat with us, in spite of his repugnance to the ham. I ought to say,
however, that the Chasseurs, who had some silver bullion taken from
the Mint, had promised to do business with him. The ingots were of the
size and shape of a brick. It was getting on to mid-day while we sat
at breakfast with our friends, our backs against the enormous guns
which guard each side of the arsenal, when we heard the cry 'To arms!'
The fire had attacked the Kremlin, and firebrands began to fall into
the courtyard where the Artillery of the Guard were stationed with
all their _caissons_. There was besides a great quantity of tow, left
by the Russians, part of which was already in flames. The fear of an
explosion disordered everything, and the confusion was increased by the
presence of the Emperor, who was obliged to leave the Kremlin.
We parted from our friends while this was going on, and set out to
rejoin the regiment. We had explained to our guide where it was, and he
tried to take us there by a short-cut which we found to be impossible,
as the flames drove us back. We had to wait till the passage was free,
for now the fire had spread all round the Kremlin, and the violence
of the wind blew bits of red-hot wood against our legs, forcing us to
shelter in a cellar where several men had taken refuge already. We
stayed there for some time, and when we came out, we met the Guards
going to the Peterskoë Palace, whither the Emperor had now to betake
himself. Only the first battalion of the 2nd Chasseurs remained at
the Kremlin. It kept back the fire from the palace, for the Emperor
returned there on the 18th. I forgot to say that the Prince of
Neufchâtel, wishing to see the extent of the fire round the Kremlin,
had mounted with an officer on one of the battlements of the palace,
and had been nearly blown over by the fearful wind.
The fire and the wind continued to rage, but there was now a free
passage by which the Emperor had just gone out. We followed it, and
found ourselves almost directly on the banks of the Moskowa. We walked
along the quay, following it till we found a street free from flames,
or one altogether burnt out. By the road the Emperor had taken, several
houses had fallen in ruins, and passage that way was impossible.
We found ourselves at last in a district all burnt to cinders, and the
Jew tried with much difficulty to find a street leading to the Place
du Gouvernement. As we walked, the wind blew hot ashes into our eyes,
so that we could not see. We plunged through the streets with no worse
mishap than getting our feet scorched, for we had to walk over the iron
sheeting from the roofs and on the burning cinders which covered the
streets.
We had already gone a long distance, when suddenly we found a clear
empty space to our right. This was the Jews' quarter; the houses, being
all of wood, had been burnt to the ground. On seeing this, our guide
uttered a cry of despair, and fell down unconscious. We hastened to
take off the burdens he carried, and, unpacking a bottle of liqueur,
we made him swallow a few drops, then poured a little over his face.
He soon opened his eyes, and when we asked him why he had fainted, he
told us that his house had been burnt, and that probably his family had
perished. On saying this, he again fell unconscious, so that we were
obliged to leave him in spite of not knowing which way to turn without
a guide. In such a labyrinth we had to make a decision, however, and we
gave the package to one of the men to carry, and continued our way, but
we were stopped directly by obstacles across our road.
The distance round to the next street was about 300 yards, but we dared
not traverse it on account of the blinding hot ashes. While we were
deciding what to do, one of my friends proposed making an excursion
to reconnoitre. I advised him to wait, and the others agreed with me,
when, seeing our irresolution, he cried, 'Who loves me follows me!' and
set off. The other followed with two of our men, and I remained with
the man bearing the package, which consisted of three bottles of wine,
five of liqueurs, and some preserved fruits.
They had hardly gone thirty yards, however, when the leader
disappeared; he fell all his length, and the second picked him up. The
two last had to cover their faces with their hands, nearly blinded by
the ashes like the first, who could not see at all, enveloped as they
were by a whirling cloud of this dust. The first one, not being able to
see, cried and swore like the devil. The others were obliged to leave
him, as they could not bring him back to where I was. I was afraid to
join them, the path becoming more and more dangerous. We had to wait
for an hour before I could get to them, and we provisionally emptied
one of the bottles.
When at last we were reunited, we saw the impossibility of advancing
without danger. We decided to retrace our steps, and the idea struck
us of each taking a sheet of iron to cover our heads, holding it to
the windy and dusty side. After bending the iron into the shape of
shields, we set out, one of the men in front; then I came leading the
half-blinded man by the hand, the others following. We succeeded after
an infinite deal of trouble, stumbling time after time.
We now found ourselves in a new street, where several Jewish families
and some Chinese were huddled up in corners, keeping guard over the
few possessions they had saved or had taken from others. They seemed
surprised to see us; they had, perhaps, not seen any other Frenchmen
in that quarter. We went up to a Jew, and made him understand that he
was to lead us to the Place du Gouvernement. A father came with his
son, and as the streets were blocked by ruined houses, or by others in
flames, it was only after many windings and great difficulties, and
many halts for rest, that at eleven o'clock at night we at last reached
the place we had left the evening before. I had had no rest since we
came to Moscow, so I lay down on some beautiful furs our soldiers had
taken, and slept till seven the next morning.
The company was not yet off duty, as for thirty-six hours all the
regiments, the Fusiliers, and even the Young Guard, had been occupied
in suppressing the fire under the direction of Marshal Mortier, who had
been appointed Governor of the town. As soon as it was extinguished on
one side it broke out again on another. However, sufficient houses were
preserved for lodgings, but with infinite difficulty, as Rostopchin
had removed all the hand-pumps. A few were found, but they were quite
useless.
During the 16th orders had been given to shoot everyone found setting
fire to houses. This order was executed at once. A little open space
near the Place du Gouvernement was called by us the Place des Pendus,
as here a number of incendiaries were shot and hung on the trees.
The Emperor, on the day of our entry, had commanded, through Marshal
Mortier, that no pillage was to be allowed. The order had been given
in every regiment; but as soon as it was known that the Russians
themselves had fired the town, it was impossible to restrain the men.
Everyone took what he needed, and even things that were not needed.
On the night of the 17th the Captain allowed me to take ten men on
special duty and hunt for provisions. He sent twenty in a different
direction, as pillage[18] was to be allowed, but enjoining as much
order as possible. So I set out on my third night's expedition. We
crossed a wide street leading from our Place, which had been preserved
from the fire, and here many superior officers and a large number of
army employés had quartered themselves. We walked through several other
streets, where nothing was left but piles of sheet-iron off the roofs;
the wind of the day before had swept them clean of cinders.
The quarter of the town we reached was still standing, but we saw
nothing except a few hackney coaches without horses. Absolute silence
reigned. We looked at the carriages, and found nothing; but we had
hardly got away, when we heard a ferocious cry behind us. This was
twice repeated, and in two different directions. We listened for
some time, and heard nothing more; so we decided to enter two of the
houses--I into the first with five men, and a corporal into another
with five others. We lighted the lanterns we had with us, and, sword
in hand, we made ready to force our way wherever we could find what we
wanted.
The house I tried was shut up, and the door fastened by large plates of
iron. This was annoying, as we wanted to effect our entrance quietly;
but, noticing that the cellar door was open, two of our men went down,
and there they discovered a trap-door communicating with the house, and
in this way they opened the door for us. When we had entered, we saw
that we were in a grocer's shop. Everything was left in order, except
in a dining-room, where some cooked meat was left on the table, and
several bags of small change on a chest.
After exploring the house, we collected provisions. We found flour,
butter, quantities of sugar and coffee, and a large barrel full
of eggs arranged in layers and packed in hay. We made our choice
without disputing about price, for we considered we might as well
help ourselves, as the house had been deserted, and at any moment it
might take fire. While we were engaged this way, the corporal sent to
tell me that the house he had entered belonged to a coach-builder,
and contained more than thirty of the pretty little carriages the
Russians call _drouschkys_; and that he had found a lot of Russian
soldiers lying on rush beds, who, seeing the Frenchmen, had fallen on
their knees, their hands crossed on their breasts, their foreheads to
the ground, imploring mercy. Seeing, however, that they were wounded,
the corporal tried to relieve them, as they were in no state to help
themselves, nor could they hurt us.
I went immediately to the coach-builder's, and chose two pretty
convenient little carriages to transport all our provisions.
I also saw the wounded men; five of them were gunners with broken
legs. There were seventeen altogether amongst them, some Asiatics,
recognisable by their manner of saluting.
As I was going out with my carriages, I caught sight of three men, one
of whom had a lance, the second a sword, and the third a lighted torch,
setting the grocer's house on fire. The men I had left there were so
busy choosing and packing up all the good things that they were quite
unaware of what was going on. We shouted out to frighten the rascals,
but they never budged, and looked quietly at us. The man with the lance
even put himself in a position of defence, should we attack them. This
was difficult, as we had no swords. The corporal came up, however, with
two loaded pistols taken from the room where he found the wounded men;
he gave one to me, and made as if to fire with the other at the man
with the lance. I prevented him at the moment, fearing that the noise
might bring out a greater number upon us.
On seeing this, one of our men, a Breton, seized the pole of one of the
little carriages, and, using it as a quarter-staff, attacked the man,
who was not used to this sort of fighting, and broke both his legs. He
uttered a terrible cry as he fell; but the Breton, in his rage, gave
him no time to cry again, and struck him a violent blow on the head.
No cannon-ball could have done the work better. He would have served
the two others in the same way, had not we prevented him. The fellow
with the lighted torch ran into the grocer's house with two of our men
after him, and only after two blows with the sword would he listen to
reason. He then submitted with a good grace, and was harnessed to one
of the carriages, together with a man just seized in the street.
We now got ready for our departure. Our two carriages were packed with
everything in the shop--on the first, drawn by the two Russians, we
had placed the barrel of eggs, and had taken the precaution to tie the
men round the middle by a stout rope with a double knot; the second
carriage was drawn by four of our own men, until we could find a team
like the first.
But just as we were setting off, we saw fire coming from the
coachmaker's house. We could not leave the wounded men to perish in
agony, so we carried them into a stable separated from the house.
That was all we could do, and, after performing this action of common
humanity, we departed as quickly as possible to get out of reach of the
flames, which were bursting out in several directions. Hardly, however,
had we gone twenty-five yards, when we heard the poor wounded wretches
shrieking frightfully. We stopped again, and the corporal went back
with four men to find out the cause. The fire had caught some straw in
the yard, and was fast gaining on their place of shelter.
The corporal and his men did all in their power to save them, and then
rejoined us; but it is more than probable that the wounded men perished.
We went on our way, and for fear of being overtaken by the fire we
forced our first team to trot, urging them on by blows from our swords.
However, there were no means of avoiding the fire, for when we got
near the Place du Gouvernement we saw that the principal street where
many of our superior officers were quartered was in flames. This was
the third time it had been set on fire, but it was also the last.
We now saw that the fire was only burning here and there, and that by
running one could get through the clear spaces. When we reached the
first of the burning houses we stopped, considering whether it was
possible to get across them. Several had fallen already, and those
nearest to us threatened to crush us under the flames. However, we
could not remain where we were, for we saw that the houses behind us
had also caught fire.
Thus, not only were the flames in front of and behind us, but also
on each side, and we were compelled to pass through a great vault of
fire. We sent the carriage on first, but the Russians objected to be
in front, in spite of several blows from the flat of our swords. Our
own men, therefore, went first, and, encouraging each other, got over
the worst place triumphantly. We therefore redoubled our blows on the
Russians, who, fearing there was worse to follow, rushed forward crying
'Houra!'[19] in great danger from the different articles of furniture
which continually fell into the street. As soon as the last carriage
had got over, we followed them, running, and found ourselves in a place
where four streets met, all on fire, and although the rain was now
pouring down, the fire still raged, and at every moment houses, and
even entire streets, disappeared in the smoke and ruins.
It was necessary to rejoin the rest of the regiment as quickly as
possible, but we saw how impracticable this was, and that we should
have to wait till the whole street was reduced to ashes. So we decided
to turn back, and immediately acted on this. The Russians this
time went first without hesitation, but just as they had traversed
the dangerous passage, and we were about to follow, we heard a
terrible noise--the rending of beams, and the fall of burning wood
and iron roofs crashing on to our carriage. Instantly everything was
annihilated, even the Russians. We did not much regret them, but the
loss of our provisions distressed us very much, especially the eggs.
Our situation was now dreadful; we were blocked in by the fire without
any means of retreat. Happily for us, just where the four streets met,
there was a place where we could shelter from the flames, and wait
until the entire demolition of a street should afford us a passage.
While sheltering thus, we noticed that one of the houses was an Italian
confectioner's shop, and although it was on the point of burning, we
thought we had better try to save a few good things if we could. The
door was locked, but a window was open on the first floor, and chance
provided us with a ladder, which, placed on a barrel found against the
house, was long enough for the men to reach the window.
Although part of the house was already on fire, nothing stopped
them. They opened the door to us, and we discovered, greatly to our
satisfaction and delight, that everything was left in the house. We
found all kinds of preserved fruits and liqueurs and a quantity of
sugar, but what astonished us most of all was the finding of three
large sacks of flour. Our surprise was greater still on seeing some
pots of mustard from the street of St. André des Arts, Paris.
We hastily emptied the shop, and made a store of everything in the
middle of the street we occupied, until we could transport it all to
our company. As the rain still poured down, we made a shelter with the
doors of the houses, and bivouacking there, we stayed for more than
four hours, waiting for an opening through the fire.
To pass the time we made jam-fritters, and when we departed we took
away all we could possibly carry. The remaining carriage and our sacks
of flour we left under the care of five men, meaning to come back
with others to fetch them. It was quite impossible to make use of the
carriage, as the middle of the street was filled up with a quantity of
furniture, broken and half burnt up, pianos, glass chandeliers, and an
infinity of other very expensive things.
At last, after crossing the Place des Pendus, we reached the rest of
the company at ten in the morning; we had parted from them at ten the
preceding evening. We lost no time in sending back for what we had left
behind, and ten men set out at once. They returned an hour afterwards,
each carrying something, and, in spite of difficulties, bringing the
carriage also. They told us they had been obliged to clear out the
place where the Russians had been crushed, and that they had found the
bodies quite burnt and withered up.
On the same day (the 18th) we were taken off duty, and we took
possession of our quarters in a fine street hitherto preserved from
fire, not far from the first enclosure of the Kremlin. Our company
had a large café assigned to it; one of the rooms contained two
billiard-tables. The non-commissioned officers were quartered in
a boyar's house, which occupied the first floor. Our men took the
billiard-tables to pieces to make room, and some of them made capes for
themselves of the cloth.
We found a great quantity of wine in the cellars, and some Jamaica rum,
also a large cellar filled with barrels of excellent beer, packed in
ice to keep it fresh during the summer. We found at our boyar's house
fifteen large cases of wine and sparkling champagne. The same day our
men discovered a large sugar store, of which we took a quantity to make
punch with. This lasted all the time we were at Moscow, and we never
missed a day without drinking some. Every evening we made enough for
three or four times, in a large silver bowl which the Russian boyar had
forgotten to take away. This bowl held six bottles at the least. Add to
all this a fine collection of pipes and some excellent tobacco.
On the 19th the Emperor inspected us at the Kremlin opposite the
palace, and on the same day I had orders to join a detachment of
Fusilier-Chasseurs and Grenadiers and a squadron of Polish Lancers--200
men in all. Our object was to keep the Empress's summer palace, at the
farther end of Moscow, free from fire. This detachment was commanded by
a General whom I took to be General Kellerman.
We left at eight in the evening, and it was half-past nine before we
arrived at a spacious building looking about the size of the Tuileries,
built of wood, and covered with stucco to represent marble. Guards
were immediately posted outside, and patrols were sent out for greater
safety. I was sent with several men to inspect the interior, to see if
anyone were hidden there.
I was fortunate in having this opportunity of seeing this immense
building, furnished with all the combined splendour and brilliance of
Europe and Asia. It seemed as if everything had been lavished on its
decoration, and yet within an hour it was entirely consumed. A quarter
of an hour after we had used all the precautions possible against fire,
it broke out behind us, in front of us, to right, to left, and we were
unable to see who set it going. There it was in a dozen places at once,
and flaring from every attic window.
The General immediately called for the sappers to try to cut the fire
off, but it was impossible. We had no pumps, and not even any water.
Directly afterwards we saw several men, some of them with torches still
burning, come out from under the great staircase, by some subterranean
way, and try to go quietly off. We ran after them and stopped them;
there were twenty-one of them, and eleven others were arrested on the
other side. These were not seen coming out of the palace, and nothing
about them showed that they were incendiaries. More than half of them,
however, were evidently convicts.
The utmost we could do was to save some pictures and a few other
valuables, amongst which were Imperial ornaments, velvet mantles lined
with ermine, besides many other precious things which we afterwards
had to leave behind. About half an hour after the fire broke out, a
furious wind got up, and in less than ten minutes we were hemmed in by
the fire, and could neither advance nor retreat. Several men were hurt
by falling pieces of burning timber. It was two o'clock in the morning
before we could get out of this hell, and we then found that the fire
had spread for more than half a league all round--for the whole of this
quarter was built of wood, and was very beautiful.
We set out again to return towards the Kremlin, taking with us
our prisoners, thirty-two in number. I was put in command of the
rear-guard, and the escort of the prisoners, with orders to bayonet
those who tried to run away or refused to follow.
Two-thirds of these wretches were convicts, with sinister faces; the
others were middle-class citizens and Russian police, recognised by
their uniform.
As we went along, I noticed amongst the prisoners one who was muffled
up in a fairly clean green cloak, crying like a child, and saying
repeatedly in good French:
'Mon Dieu! I have lost my wife and my son in the fire!'
He seemed very unhappy, so I asked him who he was. He told me that he
was Swiss, and came from near Zurich, and that for seventeen years he
had been at Moscow teaching German and French. He then began again to
cry out in despair, always repeating:
'My dear son! my poor son!'
I was very sorry for the poor fellow. I tried to comfort him, telling
him that very likely he would find them; and, as I knew that he would
be condemned to die with the others, I determined to save him. Two men
walked near him arm-in-arm, one young, and the other middle-aged. I
asked the Swiss who they were; he told me they were tailors, a father
and son.
'But,' he said, 'the father is happier than I; he is not separated from
his son, and they can die together.'
He knew the fate that awaited him; he had heard the order given in
French. While he was speaking to me, he stopped suddenly, and gazed
wildly in front of him. I asked him what was the matter, but he did
not answer. Soon afterwards he sighed heavily and began to weep again,
saying that he was looking for the place where his house had stood, and
that it must be there, as he recognised the large stove still standing.
I must here say that we could see as plainly as in broad daylight, not
only the town itself, but far beyond.
Just then the head of the column, which was detached from the Polish
Lancers, stopped still, not knowing where to turn, as the narrow street
was completely blocked up. I took advantage of this delay to let the
unhappy man satisfy himself whether the bodies of his wife and son
were among the ashes of his house, and I offered to accompany him. We
went to the site of the house, and at first saw nothing to confirm
his suspicions. I was beginning to comfort him, saying that no doubt
they were saved, when, at the entrance to the cellar, I saw something
blackened and without form, all twisted up. I examined it, and found it
to be a dead body, but whether man or woman it was impossible to see.
I had hardly time, either, for the Swiss, who had come up behind me,
uttered a frightful cry and fell to the ground. I raised him with the
help of a man who stood near, but when he came to himself, he rushed in
despair all over the ruins of his house, and with another terrible cry
he called for his son, and flung himself into the cellar, where I heard
him fall heavily like an inert mass.
I did not wish to follow him; I hastened to rejoin the detachment,
reflecting sadly on what I had just seen. One of my friends asked me
what I had done with the man who spoke French, and I told him of the
tragic scene I had just witnessed. As we were still halted, I asked
him to come and see the place. We went to the cellar door, and heard
groaning. My comrade proposed to go down and help him, but, knowing
that to save him from the cellar was to lead him to certain death,
as all the prisoners were to be shot, I said that it would be very
foolhardy to descend into such a place without a light.
Luckily the order 'To arms!' was given at that moment. We waited while
the left column started, and as we were preparing to follow, we heard
steps behind us. I turned round, and was astounded to see the poor
Swiss, looking like a ghost, and with his arms laden with furs to
cover the bodies of his wife and son. He had found his son dead in the
cellar, but not burnt; the body at the door was his wife's. I advised
him to return to the cellar, and hide himself till we had left, when he
could perform his painful duty. I do not know if he understood me, but
we left him.
We reached the Kremlin at five o'clock in the morning, and put the
prisoners in a place of safety; but I took the precaution to keep back
the two tailors, father and son, on my own account. As will be seen,
they were very useful to us during our stay in Moscow.
On the 20th the fire had slackened a little. The Governor of the town,
Marshal Mortier, and General Milhaud, who was appointed Commandant of
the Place, were both very active in organizing a body of police. This
was formed from the Italians, Germans, and Frenchmen living in Moscow
who had escaped Rostopchin's rigorous orders to leave the city by
hiding themselves.
While I was looking out of the window of our quarters at mid-day, I saw
the shooting of a convict. He refused to kneel down, but met his death
bravely, and, striking his breast, he seemed to defy his executioners.
A few hours afterwards our prisoners met with the same fate.
I spent the day quietly enough, but at seven o'clock the
Adjutant-Major, Delaître, ordered me to surrender myself at a place
he named to me for having allowed three prisoners entrusted to me to
escape. I made what excuses I could, and went to the place indicated;
other non-commissioned officers were there already. I reflected that
my conscience was quite clear for having saved the lives of these men,
convinced as I was of their innocence.
The room I was in opened on to a long, narrow gallery connecting the
house with another wing of the building. A part of this wing had been
burnt, so that no one inhabited it, and I noticed that the portion
still standing had not been examined. I was naturally curious to
see it, and having nothing to do, I went to the end of the gallery.
I fancied I heard a noise coming from a room with a closed door. I
listened, and thought I distinguished the words of a language I did not
understand. I knocked at the door, but no one answered, and profound
silence followed. I then looked through the keyhole, and saw a man
lying on a sofa, and two women standing, who appeared to be keeping him
from talking. I knew a few words of Polish, which is much like Russian,
so I knocked again, and begged for some water. No answer came; but at
my second request, which I made more forcible by a kick on the door,
they came and opened it. When I entered the room, the two women rushed
out into another. I closed the door, but the man on the sofa never
moved. At once I recognised him for a criminal of the lowest type,
dirty all over from his beard to his boots. His clothes consisted of
a sheepskin cloak and a leather belt; near him were a lance and two
torches, besides two pistols at his belt. These last I took from him,
and seizing one of the torches, I hit him on the side with it, and made
him open his eyes. On seeing me, he jumped up as if to spring upon me,
but fell flat down again. I aimed one of his pistols at him, but he
only gazed at me stupidly, and, trying to rise, fell again. After some
time, he at last succeeded in keeping on his feet. Seeing how drunk he
was, I took hold of his arm, and leading him from the room, I took him
to the end of the gallery. When we reached the top of the staircase,
which descended straight down like a ladder, I gave him a push; he
rolled down like a barrel, and fell almost against the guard-room door
opposite the stairs. The men dragged him to a room where they locked
up all of his description, and I did not hear him speak again.
This expedition over, I returned to the room where I had found the man,
and shut myself in. I looked well round to see that there was no one
about, then opened the second door, and saw the two Dulcineas sitting
on a sofa. They did not seem surprised to see me, but both started
talking at once, I not understanding a word. I tried to ask them if
they had anything to eat; they understood me perfectly, and gave me
cucumber, onions, a large piece of salt fish, and a little beer, but
no bread. Afterwards the younger of the two brought me a bottle of
something she called _kosalki_; when I tasted it, I knew it was Dantzig
gin. In less than half an hour we had emptied the bottle, my two
Muscovites doing more service than I.
I stayed for some time with these two sisters, and then I returned to
my room. I found there a non-commissioned officer of my company, who
had been waiting for me a long time. When I related my adventures, he
seemed delighted, as he could find no one to wash clothes. He seemed to
think the two Muscovite ladies would be only too much honoured by being
asked to wash and mend for French soldiers. We waited till ten o'clock,
when everyone was asleep, as we wished to keep our secret; then the
non-commissioned officer returned with the sergeant-major, and we went
to look for our beauties. They made a lot of difficulties at first,
not quite knowing where we were taking them, but making me understand
I was to go with them. I went as far as our quarters, where they
followed us willingly, laughing as they went. We found a small room at
liberty, which we made over to them, furnishing it with whatever we
could find--all kinds of pretty things which the noble Muscovite ladies
had not been able to carry away. Although our friends had had the
appearance of common servants, they were thus transformed into elegant
ladies--ladies, however, who had to wash and mend for us.
On the next morning, the 21st, I heard a loud report of firearms, and
was told that several convicts and members of the police force had just
been shot; they had been caught setting fire to the Foundling Hospital,
and to the hospital containing our wounded men. The sergeant-major came
to tell me directly afterwards that I was free.
When I got back to our quarters, I saw that the two tailors I had
saved were already at work making some capes out of the cloth off the
billiard-tables we had taken to pieces. I went into the room where we
had left our women, and found them at the wash-tub, and making but poor
work of it. This was very natural, however, as they were wearing some
silk dresses belonging to a Baroness. But for want of anything better
one had to put up with it. During the remainder of the day I was busy
arranging our quarters and getting in provisions, as we were apparently
to stay here for some time. To last for the winter we had seven large
cases of sweet champagne, a large quantity of port wine, five hundred
bottles of Jamaica rum, and more than a hundred great packets of sugar.
And all this was for six non-commissioned officers, two women, and a
cook.
Meat was difficult to get, but on this evening we had a cow. I don't
know where she came from, but probably from some forbidden place; so
we had to kill her at night to escape observation. We had a large
number of hams, having found a shop full of them; add to all this a
quantity of salt fish, a few sacks of flour, two large barrels filled
with suet, which we had taken for butter, and as much beer as we
wanted. These constituted our provisions, in case we had to spend the
winter in Moscow. In the evening orders were given for a roll-call at
ten o'clock; eighteen men were missing. The remainder of the company
slept luxuriously in the billiard-room, lying on rich furs, sable,
lion, fox and bear's skins; many of them had their heads wrapped up
turban-fashion in fine cashmeres, looking, in fact, like Sultans
instead of Grenadier Guards; only the houris were wanting to complete
the picture.
I prolonged my roll-call to eleven o'clock, so that I should not have
to report the absent men, and they returned soon afterwards bending
beneath their burdens. Amongst other valuable things they brought were
several silver plaques in relief; also each had a silver ingot, the
size and form of a brick. For the rest there were furs, Indian shawls,
silk stuffs brocaded in silver and gold. They asked for leave to make
two other journeys to fetch some wine and preserved fruits left behind
in a cellar. I gave them permission, and a corporal went with them. We
non-commissioned officers had a right to 20 per cent. of all the things
saved from the fire.
On the 22nd we rested, added to our stock of provisions, sang, smoked,
laughed and drank, and amused ourselves. I paid a visit the same day
to an Italian print-seller, whose house had escaped the fire. On the
morning of the 23rd a convict was shot in the courtyard. That same
day we had orders to be ready the next morning for inspection by the
Emperor. At eight o'clock on the morning of the 24th we set out for the
Kremlin. Many other regiments were collected there for the same reason,
and that day many medals were given and many promotions made. Those who
were rewarded deserved well of their country, having shed their blood
many times on the field of battle.
I took advantage of this occasion to look at all the wonderful things
in the Kremlin, and while several other regiments were being inspected,
I went to see the Church of St. Michael, the tomb of the Russian
Emperors. Some soldiers of the Guard (the 1st Chasseurs) picketed at
the Kremlin had come here the first day of our arrival, hoping to find
the treasure said to be concealed. They searched through the enormous
crypt, but found instead of treasures nothing but tombs in stone,
covered over with velvet, having inscriptions on silver plates. They
found also several people from the town who had fled there for refuge,
thinking that the presence of the dead would protect them. Amongst them
was a pretty young woman, said to belong to one of the best Moscow
families, who had foolishly become infatuated with one of the superior
officers. She behaved more foolishly still by following him in the
retreat. Like so many others, she died of cold, hunger, and want.
After the crypt of St. Michael, I went to see the famous bell. It is
nineteen feet high, and a great part of it is embedded in the earth,
probably by its own weight, as it has lain on the ground ever since the
fire burned down the tower in which it hung. Near it, and opposite to
the palace, is the arsenal, with an enormous cannon on each side of the
door. On the right, farther off, is the cathedral, its nine bell-towers
covered with gilded copper. The cross of Ivan the Great is on the
highest tower, and dominates them all. It is made of wood, thirty feet
high, covered with silver-gilt plates, and is held in its place by
gilded chains.
Some days after this, the men on extra duty, carpenters and others,
were ordered to take down this cross, to be conveyed as a trophy to
Paris; but, on their attempting to remove it, it fell by its great
weight, nearly killing the men, who were dragged down by the chains
they held. The same thing happened with the great eagles on the towers
round the Kremlin walls.
It was mid-day by the time we had been inspected. We went out by the
arched gateway containing the great St. Nicholas. Several Russian
slaves were praying there, bowing and crossing themselves before the
saint; they were no doubt making intercession against us.
On the 25th I and several friends explored the ruins of the town.
We saw much that we had not seen before. Everywhere we met Russian
peasants--women dirty and repulsive, some of them Jews, mixing
helter-skelter with soldiers, and searching in cellars for things which
might have escaped the fire. Besides wine and sugar, they were loaded
with shawls, cashmeres, magnificent Siberian furs, stuffs brocaded with
silk, gold and silver, and several with silver plate and other precious
objects. There were Jews there, too, with their wives and daughters,
making all kinds of offers to our men for the possession of our things.
On the evening of the same day a Greek church opposite to us was set on
fire, close to the place where Marshal Mortier was quartered. We could
not extinguish the fire, in spite of all our efforts, and this church,
which was in beautiful preservation, was reduced in an incredibly short
time to ashes. Many unfortunate people had taken refuge there with the
few things remaining to them. This made the circumstance much worse.
On the 26th I was on guard over the Emperor's carriages in a
coach-house at the farther end of the town. Opposite were some large
barracks saved from the fire, where part of our army was quartered. To
get there I had to traverse more than a league of ruins on the left
bank of the Moskowa, only seeing here and there a few rafters of the
churches left. Everything else was reduced to ashes. On the right bank
a few pretty country-houses were still left, only partially burnt.
Close to where I placed my guard there was a house which had quite
escaped the flames, and out of curiosity I went to see it. I met by
chance there a man who spoke French very well, who told me he came
from Strasbourg, and had been led by fate to Moscow only a few days
before us. He also said that he was a wine-merchant dealing in Rhine
wines and sweet champagne, and that by strokes of bad luck he had lost
more than a million--partly on account of wine destroyed in shops by
the fire, and partly by all we had drunk and were still drinking. He
had not even a piece of bread to eat, so I asked him to come and share
my rice soup; he accepted gratefully.
The Emperor issued orders for a thorough organization in Moscow, in
preparation for remaining there for the winter while waiting for peace.
The first steps taken were for hospitals for the wounded, the Russians
being treated like ourselves. The stores of provisions scattered
through the town were concentrated as much as possible. Several
churches which had escaped the fire were reopened for worship. Near our
quarters was a Catholic church, where an emigrant French priest said
Mass. A theatre was even opened, where French and Italian actors played
comedies--at least, so I was told; but whether this was true or not, I
know they were paid in advance for six months, in order to convince the
Russians that we were going to remain for the winter.
On the 27th I was agreeably surprised to meet two of my fellow-townsmen
coming to see me. These were Flament, from Peruwelz, vélite in the
Dragoon Guards, and Mellé, a dragoon from the same regiment, from
Condé. They were very welcome, for that day we felt merry, so we
invited them to dine and spend the evening with us. In the men's
various foraging expeditions, they found a quantity of men's and
women's costumes of all nations, even French dresses of the time of
Louis XVI., all of most beautiful materials. So this evening, after
dinner, we decided to have a ball and wear all these dresses.
But I must not forget to say that Flament had told us a sad piece of
news--the loss of the brave Lieutenant-Colonel Martod, who commanded
the regiment. On reconnoitring in the outskirts of Moscow two days
before the 25th, they had fallen into an ambuscade, and were attacked
by 3,000 men, both cavalry and infantry. Colonel Martod was mortally
wounded; a Captain and the Adjutant-Major were made prisoners after
fighting desperately. Two days after we heard that the Colonel was dead.
Now I must return to our ball--a real carnival, as we were all
disguised. First of all we dressed up the Russian women as French
Marquises; as they knew nothing of the business, Flament and I
superintended their toilette. Our two Russian tailors were dressed as
Chinese, I as a Russian boyar, Flament as a Marquis--each of us in
different costume, even our _cantinière_, Mother Dubois, who wore a
beautiful Russian national dress. As we had no wigs for our Marquises,
the regimental perruquier dressed their hair. For grease he used suet,
and flour for powder. They looked splendid, and when everyone was ready
we began to dance. I forgot to say that during all this time we drank
a great deal of punch dealt out to us by Mellé, the old dragoon. Our
Marquises and the _cantinière_, although they could stand a good deal,
were beginning to feel their heads swim in consequence of the large
quantity they had swallowed.
For music, we had a flute played by a sergeant-major, accompanied by
the drum to keep time. We began with the air:
'On va leur percer les flancs
Ram, ram, ram, tam plan;
Tire-lire, ram plan.'
Just as the music struck up, however, and Mother Dubois advanced with
our Quarter-master, our Marquises, excited no doubt by the music,
began to jump like Tartars, flying from right to left, swinging their
arms and legs, falling backwards, getting up, only to fall again. They
seemed to be possessed by the devil. There would have been nothing so
very extraordinary had they worn their Russian clothes, but to see
two French Marquises jump about like lunatics made us nearly die with
laughing, and the flute-player was obliged to stop playing, the drum
filling up the pauses by sounding the attack. The Marquises began again
with redoubled energy, until, exhausted, they sank on the floor. We
lifted them up and applauded them, and then we went on drinking and
dancing until four o'clock in the morning.
[Illustration: THE FRENCH RECEIVING HOSPITALITY FROM RUSSIAN WOMEN.
_From a sketch made at the time by an officer of Napoleon's army._]
Mother Dubois, true to her trade, and knowing the full value of the
clothes she wore (silk brocade in gold and silver), went off without a
word. As she left, however, the sergeant of the guard on police duty,
seeing a strange lady in the street so early, and thinking he had found
a prize, went to her, and tried to take her by the arm and lead her
to his room. But Mother Dubois, who had a husband, and, moreover, had
drunk a good deal of punch, dealt the sergeant such a vigorous blow on
the face that she knocked him completely over. He shouted out, and, as
we had not gone to bed yet, we ran down to help him. The sergeant was
so furious that we had a great piece of work to din into his head that
he must not arrest a woman like Mother Dubois.
The 28th and 29th we spent in looking after our provisions. We went out
in reconnoitring-parties during the day, and at night we went back to
take the things away.
On the 30th we were inspected in the street opposite our quarters;
when it was over it occurred to the Colonel to show the inspector
how the troops were quartered. When the turn of our company came, the
Colonel took the Captain and the sergeant of the week with him; and the
Adjutant-Major, Roustan, who knew our quarters, walked in front and
opened all the doors. After seeing nearly everything, the Colonel said:
'And what about the non-commissioned officers?'
'Oh, they are very comfortable,' said the Adjutant-Major Roustan. And
he began to open the doors of our rooms.[20]
But, unfortunately, we had not removed the key from the door of our
Dulcineas' little room (which everyone had taken for a cupboard). This
the Adjutant-Major opened, and, surprised at seeing a space within, he
looked and saw our birds. He said nothing, locked the door, and put the
key in his pocket. When he was in the street, he held up the key on
seeing me, and coming up to me he laughed.
'Ah!' he said, 'you have some caged birds, and you keep them all
to yourselves. What in the devil's name do you do with those queer
customers, and where did you find them? There are not many about.'
I told him then how I had found them, and how we kept them to wash our
clothes.
'Well, then,' he said to the sergeant-major and me, 'you might lend
them to me for a few days to wash my shirts, as they are horribly
dirty. I hope you will be friendly, and not refuse me this.'
He took the women away the same evening, and no doubt they washed all
the officers' shirts, as they did not come back for seven days.
A strong detachment of the regiment was sent on October 1st to
plunder a large country-house some leagues from Moscow. We found very
little--only a cart loaded with hay. As we returned, we met some
Russian cavalry, who began caracoling round us without meaning to
attack us seriously. We marched, however, in such a way as to show them
that the advantage would not be theirs, for, although far fewer in
numbers than they were, we had disabled several of them. They followed
us to within a quarter of a league of Moscow.
On the 2nd we heard that the Emperor had given orders to arm the
Kremlin; thirty pieces of cannon and howitzers of various calibre were
to be placed on all the towers round the outside wall. The men on extra
duty of every regiment of the Guard were commanded on the 3rd to dig
and carry away all the materials coming from the old walls round the
Kremlin, which the sapper-engineers had demolished, and all foundations
which had been undermined.
On the 4th I went in my turn with the extra-duty men of our company;
the next day the Colonel of the Engineers was killed close to me, by a
brick from a mine just exploded. On the same day I saw near a church
several dead bodies with the legs or arms eaten away, probably by
wolves or dogs.
On the days off duty we drank, smoked, and laughed, talking of France
and the distance separating it from us, and the possibility of being
sent still farther off. When evening came, we invited our Muscovite
slaves to join us (or, rather, our two Marquises, as we called them
since the night of the ball), and we sat drinking Jamaica rum-punch.
The remainder of our stay in the town was passed in reviews and
parades, up to the day when a courier came to inform the Emperor, in
the middle of a review, that the Russians had broken the armistice,
and had taken Murat's cavalry by surprise. The order to leave was
therefore given, and the whole army was in instant movement; but our
regiment only knew in the evening that we had orders to leave the next
day. We gave the Muscovite women and the two tailors their share of
the booty which we could not carry away. They threw themselves on the
ground to kiss our feet twenty times--never had they imagined such
riches.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 17: I learned since that it was General Pernetty, commander
of the gunners of the Imperial Guard.--_Author's Note._]
[Footnote 18: Our soldiers called the pillage of the town the _foire de
Moscou_.--_Author's Note._]
[Footnote 19: _Houra!_ means 'En avant!'--_Author's Note._]
[Footnote 20: It is necessary here to say that we had opened a door of
communication between our quarters and those of the company.--_Author's
Note._]