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army, quitted St. Petersburgh, and marched to Wilna. Bonaparte also left Paris, crossed the Rhine on May 13, the Elbe on the 29th, and the Vistula on June 16. The first division of the French army, commanded by the Prince of Eckmuhl, encamped at Konigsberg; the second, commanded by the Duke of Reggio, established its head-quarters at Wehlau; the third, commanded by the Duke of Elchingsen, encamped at Soldass. Eugene Beauharnois had his head-quarters at Rastenberg: the King of Westphalia, Jerome Bonaparte, at Warsaw; and Prince Poniatowski, at Pultusk. Bonaparte arrived at Konigsberg on June 12, and at Gumbumen on the 19th of the same month. Bonaparte, while at this place, dispatched Count Lauristen to ascertain whether the terms he had before offered to the Emperor would be accepted; but Lauristen failing in his mission, Napoleon issued a proclamation, addressed to his army, in which were the following words: " At Tilsit Russia swore eternal alliance with France, and war with England. She now violates her oaths; she refusing to give any explanation of her strange conduct, until the eagles of France shall have repassed the Rhine, leaving by such a movement, our allies at her mercy."

On June 23, Murat, with his cavalry, established his head-quarters within two leagues of the river Niemen ; and the Prince of Eckmuhl marched to the great forest of Pilwisky. Beauharnois led his troops on to Kalwarry; while Jerome Bonaparte proceeded to Novagrod. Prince Schwartzenberg, with the imperial troops, marched to Lublin. The Emperor Napoleon having arrived at Kowno, and inspected the army, hostilities commenced with an attack of the French upon the Russian General Bagansont, when several Cossack officers were captured. Napoleon put his army in motion for attacking the Russian army, on June 28; on the succeeding day Murat advanced, supported by the Prince of Eckmuhl; and the Russians retreated, crossing the Wilna in haste, burning the wooden bridge placed across the river, and set fire to a multitude of magazines. The same day Bonaparte crossed the Wilna. Count Bruyeres, with a division of the French army, fell in with the rear of the Russian army, and made many prisoners. The Russian commander, Prince Witgenstein, who was posted in Samogitia, abandoned that conntry, and retreated to

Wilkomery. On the 28th an action took place near Develtoro, in which the Russians lost three hundred men taken prisoners, and one hundred killed and wounded a triple line of magazines, of immense value, were set fire to by the Russians, to prevent their falling into the hands of the French. On June 30, the advanced guard of the sixth division of the Russian army, entered Solkeniocki, but was driven out of that village by the French; Doctoraw, the Russian General then there, marched to Achmiana, where he was defeated by General Pajol.

The Russian army was at the opening of the campaign very numerous. The first corps commanded by Prince Witgenstein, consisted of eighteen thousand men, including artillery and sappers; the second corps, commanded by General Bagawout, consisted of the same force; the third division, commanded by General Schomuloff, amounted to twenty-four thousand men; the fourth corps, commanded by General Tutschkoff, consisted of eighteen thousand; the fifth division, under the command of General Bagrathron, amounted to forty thousand. Notwithstanding this immense army of the Russians, which was well trained and disciplined, the French, by their rapid movements, were enabled to make astonishing progress, and to cause the Russians to retreat before them, who viewed it as expedient to destroy every thing in their way: a mode of conduct unquestionably political, as it precluded the enemy from the enjoyment of great and important advantages which otherwise they must have possessed. The destruction of the magazines was a great temporary loss to the Russians, but a still greater to the French, into whose hands they must have fallen. Prince Bagrathron marched his division towards the Dwina; and Jerome entered Grodno, where the brave Hetman Platoff, with his gallant band of Cossacks, were stationed; Prince Poniatowski attacked him, and the Cossacks finding the inequality of the contest, took to flight. In Grodno the enemy obtained materials for one hundred thousand ratios of bread.

On July 5, Sebastiani arrived at Viozorie, from which place the Emperor Alexander had departed but the evening preceding: the Russians also sustained a defeat by General Rousel, who crossed the river Dziana, and

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routed six squadrons of them; and General Nansouty, a Polish commander, took one hundred and thirty of the Russian cavalry prisoners. On the 8th of the same month, the Prince of Eckmuhl captured Minsk, where was a considerable quantity of clothing, hay, flour, &c. Jerome Bonaparte arrived at Norogrodek the day following. Napoleon was encamped on the right bank of the river Wilna, and he fortified his camp with strong redoubts, which surrounded it. Marshal Macdonald was quartered at Rossren, the capital of Samogitia, in Poland, upon quitting which, he ordered General Ricard, with a detachment of troops, to march against Ponuniez, in which place were magazines, with a considerable quantity of meal; he obtained possession of them, as also of one hundred and sixty prisoners.

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The Russians were now compelled to retreat from the banks of the river Niemen, which the French immediately crossed. Borisow, upon the Beresina, fell into the hands of the enemy, and with it a great quantity of ammunition and military stores. A severe engagement occurred on July 10, between the Polish General Rosnicki, with a division of the Poles, and the Russians, chiefly Cossacks, in which fifteen hundred Russians were either killed or wounded; the loss of the French was estimated at only six hundred: the Russian General Count Paplon, the General of the Cossacks, and two Russian Colonels were slain. Sebastiani, on July 14, made an attack upon the rear guard of the Emperor Alexander's army, and killed four hundred Cossacks. The Duke of Reggio was successful in his advance upon Dunaburg, where he burnt the magazines, and made one hundred and fifty men prisoners.

Fortune, however, did not totally forsake the brave Russians. From their entrenched camp at Drissa, five thousand cavalry, and five thousand infantry, were dispatched against Sebastiani, and defeated him with considerable loss; and General St. Genies was mortally wounded. On July 18, the Russians abandoned their camp at Drissa; and on the 20th, Murat passed the river Dwina, covering the right bank of that river with his cavalry on the same day the Prince of Eckmuhl advanced to Mohilow, which, although garrisoned with two thousand men, surrendered to the enemy. Diana, Orcha, and Politsk, were also captured by the French, who now

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