Napoleon had left the ruins of Moscow, like a funeral pyre, smouldering,
behind him, and taken up the line of march for Kalouga. He had with him
a hundred thousand effective men—troops in whom he still could place the
deepest confidence. But the first snow had fallen! The ghostly terror of
a Russian winter hovered over the army, and vexed the dreams of the
Emperor. In a weaver’s hut, where he passed the night of the 24th of
October, he heard that Kutusoff had anticipated him, and had taken up a
position upon the road to Kalouga, which could not be assailed; that
Prince Eugene, with only eighteen thousand troops had fought a bloody
battle with fifty thousand Russians, and gained a dear but glorious
victory. In the early part of the night, when the faithful troops were
shivering round their fires, and the Emperor was seated in a comfortless
hovel, divided into two apartments by a tattered cloth, came the
intrepid Marshal Bessieres, with the terrible intelligence. The Emperor
looked pale and worn with anxiety.
“Did you see rightly?” he exclaimed. “Are you sure? Will you vouch for
what you say?”
“All that I have told you, sire, is truth,” replied the marshal, calmly.
Napoleon crossed his arms upon his breast, his head fell, and for a few
moments he seemed lost in thought. Bessieres respectfully retired. The
Emperor seemed greatly agitated, but nothing except restless actions
betrayed his feverish state of mind. He lay down and arose incessantly,
called for his attendants, and when they came, had nothing to say to
them. About four o’clock in the morning, while the camp-fires were still
burning, the Prince D’Aremberg came into the hovel, and informed him
that a horde of Cossacks, under cover of the night, and the woods, were
gliding between him and the advanced posts. The Emperor, however, seemed
to pay no attention to the intelligence, and as soon as the sun was
above the horizon, mounted his horse and proceeded towards
Malo-Yaroslavetz.
In crossing the plain, a confused clamor startled the imperial party,
and suddenly the Cossack Murat, Platoff, led his wild horsemen among the
baggage and fires of the army, and overturning every thing in their
course, they pressed onward with wild hourras. Rapp seized the Emperor’s
bridle, and exclaimed,—
“It is they! turn back!”
Napoleon’s pride would not stoop to a retreat. His hand moved to his
sword. Berthier and the grand equerry followed his example, and placing
themselves on the left of the wood, the little party awaited the
approach of the Cossacks. They came on rapidly, and were within forty
paces of the Emperor. Rapp was wounded by one of their spears. About
twenty horsemen and chasseurs then attacked the horde, and by their
desperate bravery saved the Emperor. The cavalry of the guard then came
up, and drove the Cossacks across the plain. The Emperor halted until
the plain was cleared, and then rode forward to Malo-Yaroslavetz, in the
neighborhood of which the main body of the army encamped. The Emperor
occupied the afternoon in reconnoitering the position of Kutusoff, and
as the shades of a sombre evening fell, returned to his head-quarters,
the wretched hovel of an artisan. There he was joined by Murat,
Berthier, Davoust, Bessieres, and the heroic Prince Eugene, who came to
give Napoleon an account of the action of the day before. A cheerful
fire was kindled on the hearth of the lowly hut, and an emperor, two
kings, and three marshals sat down to the rough table. Without, the
camp-fires of the soldiers were blazing; but the fierce wind was already
blowing the requiem of the army. The Emperor sat, with his head resting
in his hands, which concealed his features. Eugene was the first to
speak.
“It is to be hoped that we shall not have many such conflicts as that of
yesterday, sire, or however glorious the results, we shall only have a
miserable remnant of the grand army to lead back to France.”
“But it was a glorious battle, Prince; was it not? Tell me of it
yourself,” said the Emperor, without removing his hands from his face.
“Sire, it was briefly thus,” replied Eugene. “On the night of the 23d,
Delzons and his division were in possession of this place. At four in
the morning, his bivouacs were surprised by Kutusoff. I heard the firing
at three leagues distance, and hastened to his relief. As I drew near, a
vast amphitheatre rose before me. The river Lonja marked its foot; from
the opposite height, a cloud of Russian sharp-shooters and their
artillery poured down their fire on Delzons. On the plain beyond,
Kutusoff’s whole army advanced rapidly by the Lectazowo road. A severe
and desperate conflict ensued. Delzons and his brother were killed. We
were enabled to maintain our ground by the wise manœuvres of
Guilleminot, who threw a hundred grenadiers into a churchyard, in the
walls of which they made holes for their muskets. Five times the
Russians attempted to pass, and five times they were thrown into
disorder and repulsed by a well-directed and murderous fire. The whole
day the struggle wavered, and many times, I thought our troops could not
be kept to the ground. But the fourteenth and fifteenth divisions held
the Russians at bay, and maintained the bridge which was our road to
retreat, against all assault. At length, being reduced to my last
reserve, I came into battle myself, and by exerting myself to the
utmost, rallied the troops and once more carried them up the heights.
The Russians, wearied out, fell back, and concentrated themselves on the
Kalouga road, between the woods and this place. We gained the victory,
but we have lost many brave men, whom, in our present situation, we
cannot with safety spare.”
During this recital, Napoleon’s eyes kindled with enthusiasm, and when
Eugene had finished, he exclaimed,—
“Then you, Prince, with eighteen thousand men, huddled together in the
bottom of a ravine, defeated fifty thousand Russians, posted above your
heads, and seconded by every advantage which a town built on a steep
acclivity could present! I have been over the ground, and know your
difficulties, and appreciate the nature of your triumphs. Prince, the
glory of this victory belongs entirely to you.”