While this was going on, we had left Krasnoi. Napoleon marched on foot
at the head of his guard, and often talked of Ney; he called to mind
his _coup d'œil_, so accurate and true, his courage proof against
every thing, in short all the qualities which made him so brilliant on
the field of battle.—“He is lost. Well! I have three hundred millions
in the Tuileries, I would give them if he were restored to me.”—He
fixed his head-quarters at Dombrowna. He lodged with a Russian lady
who had the courage not to abandon her house. I was on duty that
day: the Emperor sent for me towards one o'clock in the morning; he
was very much dejected; it was difficult for him not to be so; the
scene was frightful. He observed to me, “My affairs are going on very
badly; these poor soldiers rend my heart; I cannot, however, relieve
them.”—There was a cry of “To arms!”—Firing was heard; every thing
was in an uproar. “Go, see what it is,” Napoleon said to me with
the greatest _sang froid_; “I am sure that they are some rogues of
Cossacks who want to hinder us from sleeping.” It was in reality a
false alarm. He was not satisfied with some personages whom I abstain
from naming.—“What a set of tragedy-kings, without energy, courage,
or moral force! Have I been able to deceive myself to such a degree?
To what men have I trusted myself? Poor Ney! with whom have I matched
thee?”
We set off for Orsza, and fixed our quarters at a Jesuits' convent.
Napoleon despaired of ever seeing the rear-guard. Neither did we see
any more the Russian infantry; it was probable that they had taken
some position: they ought to have let nothing escape. The next day we
pushed on two leagues farther; we halted in a wretched hamlet. It was
there that the Emperor learnt, towards the evening, of Ney's arrival,
and his having joined the fourth corps. It may be easily conceived
what joy he experienced, and in what manner he received the Marshal
on the next day. We reached Borisow; Oudinot had beaten Lambert; the
fugitives had joined Tchitschagoff, and covered the right bank of
the Beresina. Napoleon was uneasy: we had neither a bridge-train nor
subsistence. The main army was advancing, and the troops from Moldavia
blockaded the passage: we were surrounded on every side: the situation
was frightful, and unheard-of. Nothing less than the talents and the
great decision of the Emperor was necessary to extricate us from so
great a difficulty: no Frenchman, not even Napoleon, could expect to
escape.
This prince stopped a short time at Borisow, gave orders for the false
attack which saved us, and marched towards Oudinot's head-quarters a
few leagues distant. We slept a little on this side of the place, at
a country house which belonged to a Prince Radzivill. General Mouton
and myself passed the night there on a handful of straw; we thought on
the morrow, and our reflexions were not cheerful. We set off on our
journey at four o'clock: we were in one of the Emperor's calèches. We
perceived the fires of the Russians; they occupied the opposite bank;
the woods, the marshes, were full of them; they reached beyond our
range of sight. The river was deep, muddy, all covered with floating
pieces; it was here that we were to cross or surrender. We augured
badly of success. The General explained himself with frankness: he had
often done it before Napoleon, who treated him as a malcontent, but
nevertheless liked him much.
We arrived at Oudinot's head-quarters: day was just beginning to
dawn; the Emperor conversed a moment with the Marshal, took some
refreshment, and gave orders. Ney took me apart; we went out together;
he said to me, in German, “Our situation is unparalleled; if Napoleon
extricates himself to-day, he must have the devil in him.” We were
very uneasy, and there was sufficient cause. The King of Naples came
to us, and was not less solicitous. “I have proposed to Napoleon,” he
observed to us, “to save himself, and cross the river at a few leagues
distance from hence. I have some Poles who would answer for his
safety, and would conduct him to Wilna, but he rejects the proposal,
and will not even hear it mentioned. As for me, I do not think we
can escape.” We were all three of the same opinion. Murat replied,
“We will all get over; we can never think of surrendering.” While
conversing, we perceived the enemy were filing off; their masses had
disappeared, the fires were extinguished, nothing more than the ends
of the columns, which were lost in the wood, were seen, and from five
to six hundred Cossacks that were scattered on the plain. We examined
with the telescope; we were convinced that the camp was raised. I went
to Napoleon, who was conversing with Marshal Oudinot.—“Sire, the enemy
have left their position.”—“That is impossible.” The King of Naples
and Marshal Ney arrived, and confirmed what I had just announced. The
Emperor came out from his barrack, cast his eye on the other side
of the river. “I have outwitted the Admiral (he could not pronounce
the name Tchitschagoff); he believes me to be at the point where I
ordered the false attack; he is running to Borisow.” His eyes sparkled
with joy and impatience; he urged the erection of the bridges, and
mounted twenty pieces of cannon in battery. These were commanded by
a brave officer with a wooden leg, called Brechtel; a ball carried
it off during the action, and knocked him down. “Look,” he said, to
one of his gunners, “for another leg, in waggon No. 5.” He fitted it
on, and continued his firing. The Emperor made sixty men swim across,
under the command of Colonel Jacqueminot. They ventured imprudently
in pursuit of the Cossacks; one of them was taken and questioned,
and informed the Russians where Napoleon was. Tchitschagoff retraced
his steps, but it was too late; Napoleon, his guard, Ney, Oudinot,
and all the troops which these Marshals retained, had passed. The
Admiral, confused by having been duped, forgot the marshes of Lemblin.
The bridge, which extended a league and a quarter over this swampy
ground, was our only escape; if it had been destroyed, he would have
had our fate still in his hands: but Witgenstein commenced the firing
on the left bank; he occupied the right; his soldiers were wallowing
in plenty; a handful of men, sinking under the burthen of a wretched
life, might have been trampled under foot. He neglected the defile,
Eugène hastened to get possession of it; we were sure of our rear, we
waited for Tchitschagoff.
We were 8000, fainting from fatigue and hunger: he had the army of
Moldavia. The issue of the combat did not appear doubtful to him; he
advanced with the ardour of victory; the action commenced; the troops
were intermixed; the ground was heaped with the dead. Ney directs,
animates the charges; every where the Russians are surrounded.
They rally; they bring up fresh forces: but Berkeim comes up; the
cuirassiers rush on their columns—all are cut to pieces.
Napoleon was surrounded by his guard, which he had drawn up in order
of battle at the entrance of the forest; it was still fine, and of
an imposing appearance. Two thousand prisoners defiled before them;
we were intoxicated with so noble a result: our joy was but of short
duration, the account given by some Russians damped it. Partonneau had
been taken; all his division had laid down their arms; an aide-de-camp
of Marshal Victor came to confirm this sad news. Napoleon was deeply
affected with so unexpected a misfortune—“Must this loss come to spoil
all, after having escaped as by a miracle, and having completely
beaten the Russians.” The combat was still very warm on the left
bank: from four to five thousand men opposed to the enemy's army an
obstinate resistance. “Go and see what is the state of things; ascend
the right bank, examine what is passing on the left, come and give
me an account of it.” I went and saw brilliant charges of infantry
and cavalry; those which General Fournier conducted were particularly
conspicuous by their simultaneousness and impetuosity. But the
disproportion was immense; we were forced to give way; the horrors of
the bridge began: it is useless to recall this scene of desolation.
We left the dreary banks of the Beresina, where we had acquired so
much glory and experienced so many misfortunes: we marched on towards
Wilna. We discoursed of nothing, we were occupied with nothing, but
the arrival of the Austrians; the lowest soldier, dreamed of nothing
but Schwartzenberg. Where is he? What is he doing? Why does he not
appear? I will not permit myself any reflexion on the movement of this
prince, then our ally.
For a long time we had no news from France; we were ignorant of what
was going on in the Grand Duchy; we were informed of it at Malotechno.
Napoleon received nineteen despatches at once. It was there, I
believe, that he determined on the plan of quitting the army, but he
did not execute it till at Smorgoni, eighteen leagues from Wilna. We
reached that place. The Emperor sent for me towards two o'clock; he
carefully closed the doors of the apartment that he occupied, and said
to me: “Well, Rapp, I set out this night for Paris; my presence is
necessary there for the good of France, and even for the welfare of
this unfortunate army. I shall give the command of it to the King of
Naples.”—I was not prepared for this mark of confidence, for I frankly
avow that I was not in the secret of the journey.—“Sire,” I answered,
“your departure will cause a melancholy sensation among the troops;
they do not expect it.”—“My return is indispensable; it is necessary
to watch over Austria, and keep Prussia within bounds.”—“I am ignorant
of what the Austrians will do; their sovereign is your father-in-law:
but for the Prussians, you will not keep them: our disasters are too
great; they will profit by them.”—Napoleon walked up and down with
his hands behind his back; he kept silence for a moment, and replied:
“When they know that I am at Paris, and see me at the head of the
nation, and of 1,200,000 men which I shall organize, they will look
twice before they make war. Duroc, Caulincourt, and Mouton, will set
off with me, Lauriston will go to Warsaw, and you will return to
Dantzic; you will see Ney at Wilna, with whom you will stop at least
four days: Murat shall join you; you shall try to rally the army as
well as you are able. The magazines are full, you will find every
thing in abundance. You will stop the Russians; you shall strike a
blow with Ney, if it is necessary. He will have already the Loyson
division, composed of 18,000 fresh troops; Wrede also is bringing
up to him 10,000 Bavarians; other reinforcements are on the march.
You will go into cantonments.” Napoleon departed. I received orders
from the Major-general, who informed me in a letter what Napoleon had
already told me himself; he sent me at the same time a private letter
from the Emperor, in which he repeated, “Do all you can to rally the
army at Wilna, remain there four days at least; then you will go to
Dantzic.” The next day I set off. The cold was so intense, that when
I arrived at Wilna, I had my nose, one of my ears, and two fingers
frozen. I stopped at General Hogendorp's, and went straight to Marshal
Ney's quarters; I informed him of Napoleon's orders, and of the
conversation which I had with him at the moment of his departure. The
Marshal was greatly astonished at Napoleon's estimate of the number of
his troops. “Just now,” he said to me, “I beat the call to arms, and
I was not able to raise five hundred: every one is frozen, fatigued,
and discouraged; no one will make any further effort. You have the
appearance of being in pain; go and rest yourself; to-morrow we shall
see.”—The next day I went to him: the King of Naples had just arrived
with the guard. We conversed much about our situation. Ney wished for
a retreat, he thought it indispensable. “It is forced on us: there
are no means of stopping a day longer.” He had not ended before the
report of cannon was heard. The Russians arrived in force; they were
fighting at the distance of half a league from us. All at once we
saw the Bavarians returning in confusion: they were _pêle-mêle_ with
those of our troops that had been dragging behind: confusion was at
its height; as Ney had foretold, it was impossible to do any thing
with our troops. The King of Naples came to us: he still hoped to make
some resistance; but the reports which he received from the heights of
Wilna undeceived him. He immediately ordered a retrograde movement,
and went towards the Niemen. “I advise you,” said the Prince, “to
set off without delay for Dantzic, where your presence will soon
be wanted. The least delay may cause you to fall into the hands of
the Cossacks: that would be an untoward accident, which would be
profitable neither to the army nor to the Emperor.”
I followed this advice: I hired two Jews who conducted me to the
Niemen. My equipages, which had hitherto fortunately escaped all
disaster, were already on the road.
We soon arrived at the fatal heights where we were obliged to abandon
all the remainder of our _matériel_. It was impossible to ascend
it.—Our horses were worn out in unsuccessful attempts; we assisted
them, we urged them, but the ground was so slippery, so steep, that
we were obliged to give up the undertaking. I consulted with my
aide-de-camp on the steps which it was best to take. My Israelites
proposed that we should follow a cross road, which had, besides other
things, the advantage of being shorter: they begged me to trust to
them; they would answer for me. I believed them: we sat off; on the
next evening we were across the Niemen. I suffered horribly; my
fingers, my nose, my ear, were beginning to give me great uneasiness,
when a Polish barber pointed out a remedy, rather disagreeable, but
which succeeded. I arrived at last at Dantzic; the King of Naples
followed at some days march distance; Macdonald, whom the Prussians
had so unworthily betrayed, was coming after us. “It is only by a
miracle,” he informed me, “that myself, my staff, and the seventh
division, have not been destroyed: we were delivered up; our legs
saved us.” He sent me his troops, which were incorporated with those
that I had under my orders. The Russians appeared almost immediately.
General Bachelet had a very smart engagement with them. They spread
themselves around the place, and the blockade began.