The next day I went early to the Kremlin. Scarcely had I reached
the palace, when Napoleon came out of it to leave Moscow for ever;
he perceived me. “I hope that you will not follow me on horseback,
you are not in a fit state to do it; you can get into one of my
carriages.” I thanked him, and replied that I thought I should be in a
condition to accompany him. We quitted this capital, and we took the
road of Kaluga; when we were about three leagues distance, the Emperor
stopped to wait for news from Mortier, who had orders to destroy the
Kremlin on leaving the place. He was walking in a field with M. Daru;
this gentleman left him; I was called. “Well, Rapp, we are going to
retreat to the frontiers of Poland by the road of Kaluga: I shall take
up good winter-quarters. I hope that Alexander will make peace.”—“You
have waited a long time, Sire; the inhabitants foretel that it will
be a severe winter.”—“Poh! poh! with your inhabitants. It is the 19th
of October to-day, you see how fine it is. Do you not recognise my
star? Besides, I could not leave without sending on all the sick and
wounded. I was not to give them up to the rage of the Russians.”—“I
believe, Sire, that you would have done better to have left them at
Moscow; the Russians would not have hurt them; whilst they are exposed
for want of aid to die on the road.” Napoleon was not of that opinion;
but all that he said to me in the way of encouragement did not deceive
even himself; his countenance bore the marks of uneasiness.
At last an officer despatched from the Marshal arrived: it was my
aide-de-camp Turkheim, who informed us that Moscow was tranquil;
that some pulks of Cossacks had appeared in the environs, but they
took care not to approach the Kremlin, or any of the quarters still
occupied by the French troops. We proceeded on our march. In the
evening we arrived at Krasno Pachra. The look of the country was not
encouraging to Napoleon. The hideous aspect, the wild air of the
slaves, was revolting to eyes accustomed to other climates. “I would
not leave a man there; I would give all the treasures of Russia not
to leave a single wounded man behind. We must take horses, waggons,
carriages—every thing to carry them on. Send me a secretary.” The
secretary came; it was to write to Mortier what he had just been
telling me. It is of use to copy the despatch: these instructions are
not unworthy to be known. Those who have so often declaimed against
his indifference should study them.
“TO THE MAJOR-GENERAL.
“Acquaint the Duke de Treviso, that as soon as his business in
Moscow is finished, that is, on the 23d at three o'clock in
the morning, he is to begin to march, and that he must come on
the 24th to Kubinskoe; and from that place, instead of going
to Mojaisk, he is to proceed to Vereia, where he will arrive
on the 25th. He will serve as an intermediate force between
Mojaisk, where the Duke d'Abrantes is, and Borowsk, where the
army will be. It will be right for him to send officers to
Fominskoe to inform us of his march; he will take with him the
Adjutant-commandant Bourmont, the Bavarians, and the Spaniards
who are at the palace of Gallitzin. All the Westphalians of the
first and second posts, and all the Westphalians that he can
find, he must assemble and direct towards Mojaisk: if they are
not in sufficient number, he will protect their passage with the
cavalry. The Duke de Treviso will inform the Duke d'Abrantes of
every thing relative to the surrender of Moscow. It is necessary
that he write to us to-morrow the 22d, not by the road of Desma,
but by that of Karapowo and Fominskoe. On the 23d he will send us
a letter by the road of Mojaisk: his officer will leave the road
at Kubinskoe to come to Fominskoe, as the head-quarters on the
23d are likely to be at Borowsk or at Fominskoe. Whether the Duke
de Treviso perform his operation at three o'clock in the morning
of to-morrow the 22d, or on the 23d at the same hour, as I have
since ordered him, he is in either case to follow these same
directions; by these means the Duke de Treviso may be considered
as the rear-guard of the army. I cannot too strongly recommend
to place on the waggons belonging to the young guard, or those
belonging to the dismounted cavalry, in short, on all that can
be found, the men who remain still in the hospitals. The Romans
gave civic crowns to those who saved citizens; the Duke will
deserve as many as he may save soldiers. He must mount them on
his horses, and on those of all his people.
“This is what the Emperor did at the siege of Saint-Jean d'Acre.
He ought the rather to take this step, because as soon as the
convoy shall have joined the army, it will have waggons and
horses, which the consumption of provisions will have rendered
useless. The Emperor hopes that he shall have the pleasure of
thanking the Duke de Treviso, for having saved five hundred men.
He ought, as is but just, to begin with the officers, then the
sub-officers, and to give the French the preference. He must
assemble all the generals and officers, under his command, to
make them sensible of the importance of this measure, and how
much they will gain the Emperor's esteem, by saving for him five
hundred men.”
We marched on towards Borusk, where we arrived on the fourth day: the
town was completely abandoned. In the mean time, Kutusow was peaceably
engaged in issuing his proclamations: he was quite at ease in his camp
at Tarentino; he kept up no watch, either on his front or wings;
he had no idea at all of the movement we were making. He learned at
last, that we were marching towards Kaluga; he soon broke up his
cantonments, and appeared at Malojaroslawitz at the same time as our
columns. The action began: we heard from Borusk a distant cannonade. I
was suffering greatly from my wound, but I would not leave Napoleon:
we mounted horse. We arrived towards evening in sight of the field
of battle: they were still fighting; but the firing soon ceased.
Prince Eugène had forced a position, which must have been defended to
extremity. Our troops had covered themselves with glory. It is a day
that the army of Italy ought to inscribe in its calendar. Napoleon
bivouacked at a league and a half from the scene. The next day we took
horse at half-past seven in the morning, to visit the ground on which
the battle had been fought; the Emperor was placed between the Duke
de Vicenza, Prince de Neuchâtel, and myself. We had scarcely quitted
the huts where we had passed the night, when we perceived a cloud of
Cossacks; they proceeded from a wood in advance on our right. They
were drawn up in pretty regular files: we took them for French cavalry.
The Duke de Vicenza was the first who recognised them. “Sire,
these are Cossacks.”—“That is impossible,” replied Napoleon. They
rushed upon us shouting with all their might. I seized the Emperor's
horse by the bridle; I turned it round myself. “But these are our
troops?”—“They are the Cossacks; make speed.”—“They are Cossacks,
indeed,” said Berthier.—“Without doubt,” added Mouton. Napoleon gave
some orders and withdrew. I advanced at the head of the squadron on
duty: we were overthrown; my horse received a wound six inches deep,
from a lance, and fell, with me under him: we were trampled under
foot by these barbarians. Fortunately they perceived at some distance
a troop of artillery; they ran towards the spot. Marshal Bessières
had time to come up, with the horse grenadiers of the guard; he
charged them, and retook from them the covered waggons and the pieces
of cannon, which they were carrying away. I raised myself again on
my legs; I was replaced in my saddle, and proceeded as far as the
bivouac. When Napoleon saw my horse covered with blood, he feared that
I had again been wounded: he asked me whether I was. I replied that
I had got off with a few contusions. He then began to laugh at our
adventure, which, nevertheless, I did not find very amusing.
I was well repaid by the account which he published of this affair; he
loaded me with eulogiums: I never before experienced pleasure compared
to that which I felt on reading the flattering things which he said
of me. “General Rapp,” says the bulletin, “had one horse killed under
him in this charge. The intrepidity of which this general officer has
given so many proofs, is manifested on all occasions.” I repeat with
pride the praises of this great man: I shall never forget them.
We returned to the field of battle: Napoleon wished to visit the place
which had been the theatre of Prince Eugène's glory. He found that the
position of the Russians had been excellent; he was astonished that
they had allowed it to be forced. He perceived, from the appearance of
the dead bodies, that the militia had been confounded with the troops
of the line, and that if they had not fought with skill, they had gone
to it at least with courage. The enemy's army retired some leagues, on
the road to Kaluga, and encamped.
The retreat was intercepted: we threw ourselves to the right on
Vereia; we arrived there early the next day, and slept there: it was
in that town that Napoleon learned that the Kremlin had been blown up.
General Winzengerode had not sufficiently restrained his impatience;
he had ventured into this capital before our troops had evacuated it.
They cut up his retreat; he tried to make them believe that he came to
treat with them. He was born on the territory of the Confederation; he
had no inclination to be made a prisoner; he was taken nevertheless,
in spite of the white handkerchief that he was waving. Napoleon sent
for him, and fell into a violent passion, treated him with contempt,
branded him with the name of traitor, and threatened to punish him;
he even told me that a commission must be named to proceed with the
trial of the gentleman immediately; he had him escorted by chosen
gendarmes, and ordered him to be confined _au secret_. Winzengerode
sought several times to exculpate himself; but Napoleon would not
hear him. It has been pretended in the Russian army that this general
spoke with courage, and said very strong things to the Emperor. It
is not the fact:—anxiety was marked on his countenance, every thing
expressed the disorder of mind into which the Emperor's anger had
thrown him. Each of us endeavoured to appease the Emperor; the King
of Naples, the Duke de Vicenza particularly, suggested to him how
much, in the present situation of things, any violence towards a man
who hid his origin under the quality of a Russian general, would be
to be lamented: there was no council of war, and the affair rested
there. As for us, Winzengerode ought not to complain of our treatment:
his situation inspired us all with interest. His aide-de-camp was
treated with much kindness. Napoleon asked him his name. “Nareschkin,”
replied the young officer.—“Nareschkin! one of that name is not made
to be the aide-de-camp of a deserter.” We were hurt at this want of
consideration; we sought every means imaginable to make the general
forget it.