THE day after the battle of the Moskwa, I was with the Emperor in his
tent which was on the field of battle, and the most perfect calm reigned
around us. It was a fine spectacle which this army presented, calmly re-
forming its columns in which the Russian cannon had made such wide gaps,
and proceeding to the repose of the bivouac with the security which
conquerors ever feel. The Emperor seemed overcome with fatigue. From
time to time he clasped his hands over his crossed knees, and I heard him
each time repeat, with a kind of convulsive movement, "Moscow! Moscow!"
He sent me several times to see what was going on outside, then rose
himself, and coming up behind me looked out over my shoulder. The noise
made by the sentinel in presenting arms each time warned me of his
approach. After about a quarter of an hour of these silent marches to
and fro, the sentinel advanced and cried, "To arms!" and like a
lightning flash the battalion square was formed around the Emperor's
tent. He rushed out, and then re-entered to take his hat and sword. It
proved to be a false alarm, as a regiment of Saxons returning from a raid
had been mistaken for the enemy.
There was much laughter over this mistake, especially when the raiders
came in sight, some bearing quarters of meat spitted on the ends of their
bayonets, others with half-picked fowls or hams which made the mouth
water. I was standing outside the tent, and shall never forget the first
movement of the sentinel as he gave the cry of alarm. He lowered the
stock of his gun to see if the priming was in place, shook the barrel by
striking it with his fist, then replaced the gun on his arm, saying,
"Well, let them come; we are ready for them." I told the occurrence to
the Emperor, who in his turn related it to Prince Berthier; and in
consequence the Emperor made this brave soldier drink a glass of his best
Chambertin wine.
It was the Duke of Dantzic who first entered Moscow, and the Emperor came
only after him. This entry was made in the night, and never was there a
more depressing scene. There was something truly frightful in this
silent march of an army halted at intervals by messages from inside the
city, which seemed to be of a most ominous character. No Muscovite
figures could be distinguished except those of a few beggars covered with
rags, who watched with stupid astonishment the army file past; and as
some few of these appeared to be begging alms, our soldiers threw them
bread and a few pieces of money. I cannot prevent a sad reflection on
these unfortunate creatures, whose condition alone remains unchanged
through great political upheavals, and who are totally without affection
and without national sympathies.
As we advanced on the streets of the faubourgs, we looked through the
windows on each side, and were astonished to perceive no human being; and
if a solitary light appeared in the windows of a few houses, it was soon
extinguished, and these signs of life so suddenly effaced made a terrible
impression. The Emperor halted at the faubourg of Dorogomilow, and spent
the night there, not in an inn, as has been stated, but in a house so
filthy and wretched that next morning we found in the Emperor's bed, and
on his clothes, vermin which are by no means uncommon in Russia. We were
tormented by them also to our great disgust, and the Emperor did not
sleep during the whole night he passed there. According to custom, I
slept in his chamber; and notwithstanding the precaution I had taken to
burn vinegar and aloes wood, the odor was so disagreeable that every
moment the Emperor called me.
"Are you asleep, Constant?"--"No, Sire."--"My son, burn more vinegar, I
cannot endure this frightful odor; it is a torment; I cannot sleep."
I did my best; but a moment after, when the fumes of the vinegar were
evaporated, he again recommended me to burn sugar or aloes wood.
It was two o'clock in the morning when he was informed that a fire had
broken out in the city. The news was received through Frenchmen residing
in this country, and an officer of the Russian police confirmed the
report, and entered into details too precise for the Emperor to doubt the
fact. Nevertheless, he still persisted in not believing it. "That is
not possible. Do you believe that, Constant? Go, and find out if it is
true." And thereupon he threw himself again on his bed, trying to rest a
little; then he recalled me to make the same inquiries.
The Emperor passed the night in extreme agitation, and when daylight came
he knew all. He had Marshal Mortier called, and reprimanded both him and
the young guard. Mortier in reply showed him, houses covered with iron
the roofs of which were uninjured, but the Emperor pointed out to him the
black smoke which was issuing from them, pressed his hands together, and
stamped his heels on the rough planks of his sleeping-room.
At six o'clock in the morning we were at the palace of the Kremlin, where
Napoleon occupied the apartment of the Czars, which opened on a vast
esplanade reached by a broad stone staircase. On this same esplanade
could be seen the church in which were the tombs of the ancient
sovereigns, also the senatorial palace, the barracks, the arsenal, and a
splendid clock tower, the cross on which towers above the whole city.
This is the gilded cross of Ivan. The Emperor threw a satisfied glance
over the beautiful scene spread out before him; for no sign of fire was
yet seen in all the buildings which surrounded the Kremlin. This palace
is a mixture of Gothic and modern architecture, and this mingling of the
two styles gives it a most singular appearance.
Within these walls lived and died the old dynasties of the Romanoff and
Ruric; and this is the same palace which has been so often stained with
blood by the intrigues of a ferocious court, at a period when all
quarrels were settled with the poniard. His Majesty could not obtain
there even a few hours of quiet sleep.
In fact, the Emperor, somewhat reassured by the reports of Marshal
Mortier, was dictating to the Emperor Alexander words of peace, and a
Russian flag of truce was about to bear this letter, when the Emperor,
who was promenading the length and breadth of his apartment, perceived
from his windows a brilliant light some distance from the palace. It was
the fire, which had burst out again fiercer than ever; and as the wind
from the north was now driving the flames in the direction of the
Kremlin, the alarm was given by two officers who occupied the wing of the
building nearest the fire. Wooden houses of many various colors were
devoured in a few moments, and had already fallen in; magazines of oil,
brandy, and other combustible materials, threw out flames of a lurid hue,
which were communicated with the rapidity of lightning to other adjoining
buildings. A shower of sparks and coals fell on the roofs of the
Kremlin; and one shudders to think that one of these sparks alone falling
on a caisson might have produced a general explosion, and blown up the
Kremlin; for by an inconceivable negligence a whole park of artillery had
been placed under the Emperor's windows.
Soon most incredible reports reached the Emperor; some said that Russians
had been seen stirring the fire themselves, and throwing inflammable
material into the parts of houses still unburned, while those of the
Russians who did not mingle with the incendiaries, stood with folded
arms, contemplating the disaster with an imperturbability which cannot be
described. Except for the absence of cries of joy and clapping of hands
they might have been taken for men who witness a brilliant display of
fireworks. It was soon very evident to the Emperor that it was a
concerted plot laid by the enemy.
He descended from his apartment by the great northern staircase made
famous by the massacre of the Strelitz. The fire had already made such
enormous progress that on this side the outside doors were half burned
through, and the horses refused to pass, reared, and it was with much
difficulty they could be made to clear the gates. The Emperor had his
gray overcoat burned in several places, and even his hair; and a moment
later we were walking over burning firebrands.
We were not yet out of danger, and were obliged to steer clear of the
burning rubbish which encumbered our path. Several outlets were tried,
but unsuccessfully, as the hot breezes from the fire struck against our
faces, and drove us back in terrible confusion. At last a postern
opening on the Moskwa was discovered, and it was through this the Emperor
with his officers and guard succeeded in escaping from the Kremlin, but
only to re-enter narrow streets, where the fire, inclosed as in a
furnace, was increased in intensity, and uniting above our heads the
flames thus formed a burning dome, which overshadowed us, and hid from us
the heavens. It was time to leave this dangerous place from which one
means of egress alone was open to us,--a narrow, winding street
encumbered with debris of every kind, composed of flaming beams fallen
from the roofs, and burning posts. There was a moment of hesitation
among us, in which some proposed to the Emperor to cover him from head to
foot with their cloaks, and transport him thus in their arms through this
dangerous passage. This proposition the Emperor rejected, and settled
the question by throwing himself on foot into the midst of the blazing
debris, where two or three vigorous jumps put him in a place of safety.
Then ensued a touching scene between the Emperor and the Prince of
Eckmuhl, who, wounded at the Moskwa, had himself borne back in order to
attempt to save the Emperor, or to die with him. From a distance the
marshal perceived him calmly emerging from so great a peril; and this
good and tender friend by an immense effort hastened to throw himself
into the Emperor's arms, and his Majesty pressed him to his heart as if
to thank him for rousing such gentle emotions at a moment when danger
usually renders men selfish and egotistical.
At length the air itself, filled with all these flaming masses, became so
heated that it could no longer be breathed. The atmosphere itself was
burning, the glass of the windows cracked,' and apartments became
untenable. The Emperor stood for a moment immovable, his face crimson,
and great drops of perspiration rolling from his brow, while the King of
Naples, Prince Eugene, and the Prince de Neuchatel begged him to quit the
palace, whose entreaties he answered only by impatient gestures. At this
instant cries came from the wing of the palace situated farthest to the
north, announcing that the walls had fallen, and that the fire was
spreading with frightful rapidity; and seeing at last that his position
was no longer tenable, the Emperor admitted that it was time to leave,
and repaired to the imperial chateau of Petrovskoi.
On his arrival at Petrovskoi the Emperor ordered M. de Narbonne to
inspect a palace which I think had belonged to Catherine. This was a
beautiful building, and the apartments handsomely furnished. M. de
Narbonne returned with this information; but almost immediately flames
burst from every side, and it was soon consumed.
Such was the fury of these wretches who were hired to burn everything,
that the boats which covered the Moskwa laden with grain; oats, and other
provisions, were burned, and sunk beneath the waves with a horrible
crackling sound. Soldiers of the Russian police had been seen stirring
up the fire with tarred lances, and in the ovens of some houses shells
had been placed which wounded many of our soldiers in exploding.
In the streets filthy women and hideous, drunken men ran to the burning
houses and seized flaming brands, which they carried in every direction,
and which our soldiers were obliged repeatedly to knock out of their
hands with the hilts of their swords before they would relinquish them.
The Emperor ordered that these incendiaries when taken in the act should
be hung to posts in the public squares; and the populace prostrated
themselves around these gallows, kissing the feet of those executed,
praying, and signing themselves with the sign of the cross. Such
fanaticism is almost unparalleled.
One incident of which I was a witness proves that those hired to carry
out this vast plot acted, evidently, according to instructions given by
higher authorities. A man covered with a sheepskin, old and tattered,
with a miserable capon his head, boldly mounted the steps of the Kremlin.
Under this filthy disguise an elegant costume was concealed; and when a
stricter surveillance was instituted, this bold beggar himself was
suspected, arrested, and carried before the police, where he was
questioned by the officer of the post. As he made some resistance,
thinking this proceeding somewhat arbitrary, the sentinel put his hand
on his breast to force him to enter; and this somewhat abrupt movement
pushing aside the sheepskin which covered him, decorations were seen,
and when his disguise was removed he was recognized as a Russian officer.
He had on his person matches which he had been distributing to the men of
the people, and when questioned admitted that he was specially charged to
keep alive the fire of the Kremlin. Many questions were asked, each
eliciting new confessions, all of which were made in the most indifferent
manner, and he was put in prison, and was, I think, punished as an
incendiary; but of this I am not certain. When any of these wretches
were brought before the Emperor, he shrugged his shoulders, and with
gestures of scorn and anger ordered that they should be removed from his
sight, and the grenadiers sometimes executed justice on them with their
bayonets; but such exasperation can be well understood in soldiers thus
driven by these base and odious measures from a resting-place earned by
the sword.
In Petrovskoi, a pretty residence belonging to one of Alexander's
chamberlains, a man was found concealed in one of the apartments his
Majesty was to occupy; but not being armed he was released, as it was
concluded that fright alone had driven him into this dwelling. The
Emperor arrived during the night at his new residence, and waited there
in intense anxiety till the fire should be extinguished at the Kremlin,
intending to return thither, for the pleasure house of a chamberlain was
no suitable place for his Majesty. Thanks to the active and courageous
actions of a battalion of the guard, the Kremlin was preserved from the
flames, and the Emperor thereupon gave the signal for departure.
In order to re-enter Moscow it was necessary to cross the camp, or rather
the several camps, of the army; and we wended our way over cold and miry
ground, through fields where all was devastation and ruin. This camp
presented a most singular aspect; and I experienced feelings of bitter
melancholy as I saw our soldiers compelled to bivouac at the gates of a
large and beautiful city of which they were the conquerors, but the fire
still more than they. The Emperor, on appointing Marshal Mortier
governor of Moscow, had said to him, "Above all, no pillage; you will
answer for it with your head." The order was strictly enforced up to the
moment the fire began; but when it was evident that the fire would devour
everything, and that it was useless to abandon to the flames what would
be of much value to the soldiers, liberty was given them to draw largely
from this great storehouse of the north.
It was at once sad and amusing to see around poor plank sheds, the only
tents our soldiers had, the most magnificent furniture, silk canopies,
priceless Siberian furs, and cashmere shawls thrown pell-mell with silver
dishes; and then to see the food served on these princely dishes,--
miserable black gruel, and pieces of horseflesh still bleeding. Good
ammunition-bread was worth at this time treble all these riches, and
there came a time when they had not even horseflesh.
On re-entering Moscow the wind bore to us the insufferable odor of
burning houses, warm ashes filled our mouths and eyes, and frequently we
drew back just in time before great pillars which had been burned in two
by the fire, and fell noiselessly on this calcined soil. Moscow was not
so deserted as we had thought. As the first impression conquest produces
is one of fright, all the inhabitants who remained had concealed
themselves in cellars, or in the immense vaults which extend under the
Kremlin; and driven out by the fire like wolves from their lairs, when we
re-entered the city nearly twenty thousand inhabitants were wandering
through the midst of the debris, a dull stupor depicted on faces
blackened with smoke, and pale with hunger; for they could not comprehend
how having gone to sleep under human roofs, they had risen next morning
on a plain. They were in the last extremity of want; a few vegetables
only remained in the gardens, and these were devoured raw, while many of
these unfortunate creatures threw themselves at different times into the
Moskwa, endeavoring to recover some of the grain cast therein by
Rostopchin's orders;
[Count Feodor Rostopchin, born 1765; died 1826. He denied that
Moscow was burnt by his authority. He claimed that it was burnt
partly by the French, and partly by Russians without orders.]
and a large number perished in the water in these fruitless efforts.
Such was the scene of distress through which the Emperor was obliged to
pass in order to reach the Kremlin.
The apartments which he occupied were spacious and well lighted, but
almost devoid of furniture; but his iron bedstead was set up there, as in
all the chateaux he occupied in his campaigns. His windows opened on the
Moskwa, and from there the fire could still be plainly seen in various
quarters of the city, reappearing on one side as soon as extinguished on
the other. His Majesty said to me one evening with deep feeling, "These
wretches will not leave one stone upon another." I do not believe there
was ever in any country as many buzzards as at Moscow. The Emperor was
annoyed by their presence, and exclaimed, "Mon Dieu! will they follow us
everywhere?"
There were a few concerts during our stay at the Emperor's residence in
Moscow; but Napoleon seemed much dejected when he appeared at them, for
the music of the saloons made no impression on his harassed mind, and the
only kind that ever seemed to stir his soul was that of the camp before
and after a battle.
The day after the Emperor's arrival, Messieurs Ed---- and V---- repaired
to the Kremlin in order to interview his Majesty, and after waiting some
time without seeing him, were expressing their mutual regret at having
failed in this expectation, when they suddenly heard a shutter open above
their heads, and, raising their eyes, recognized the Emperor, who said,
"Messieurs, who are you?"--"Sire, we are Frenchmen!" He requested them
to mount the stairs to the room he occupied, and there continued his
questions. "What is the nature of the occupation which has detained you
in Moscow?"--"We are tutors in the families of two Russian noblemen,
whom the arrival of the French troops have driven from their homes. We
have submitted to the entreaties made by them not to abandon their
property, and we are at present alone in their palaces." The Emperor
inquired of them if there were still other Frenchmen at Moscow, and asked
that they should be brought to him; and then proposed that they should
charge themselves with maintaining order, appointing as chief, M. M----,
whom he decorated with a tri-colored scarf. He recommended them to
prevent the pillage of the French soldiers in the churches, and to have
the malefactors shot, and enjoined them to use great rigor towards the
galley-slaves, whom Rostopchin had pardoned on condition that they would
set fire to the city.
A part of these Frenchmen followed our army in its retreat, seeing that a
longer stay at Moscow would be most disagreeable to them; and those who
did not follow their example were condemned to work on the streets.
The Emperor Alexander, when informed of the measures of Rostopchin,
harshly rebuked the governor, and ordered him at once to restore to
liberty these unfortunate Frenchmen.