and have appealed to him for our defence. Our armies | desire to raise a regiment on her own estates; as will

"For the first formation of the before-mentioned forces, it is proposed to the nobility, in all the governments, to assemble the men they intend for the defence of the country, choosing officers from among themselves, and sending an account of their numbers to Moscow, where a commander-in-chief will be ap-flicted at Dinabourg and Mire; wherever, in short, it has pointed.

be "Russians! rely on your emperor, and the com- regretted his former neglect, and that he said, 'I have manders whom he has appointed. He knows the ar-lost a most brilliant opportunity," dent and indignant valour which burns in the bosoms. "Prince Bagration's army sustained the Russian left; of his soldiers, at the boast of the enemy. He knows but it was very much advanced in front of the centre that they are eager for battle, that they grieve at its and right. A battery of seven guns, on a hill, covered being deferred, and at the thought of retiring, This the advance of Prince Bagration's army, which may cruel necessity will not exist long. Even now the pe- be called the second army riod of its duration lessens. Already are our allies "The action was begun about two o'clock in the preparing to menace the rear of the invader; while he, afternoon of the 6th of September, and was furiously inveigled too far to retreat with impunity, will soon contested on both sides until nearly dark, when the have to combat with the inclemency of winter, with fa- enemy took possession of the hill and battery, and mine, and with innumerable armies of Russians. Sol- compelled the second army to retire, and take up its diers, when the period for offering battle arrives, your position in alignment with the first army, keeping some emperor will give the signal, and will personally wit-hills in its front, on which batteries were erected. ness your exploits, that he may reward your valour. "ALEXANDER."

(Signed)

On

the morning of the 7th, the French, with all their force, again fell upon Prince Bagration; after a desperate resistance, broke in upon him, obliged him to retreat in some disorder; and the reserves of the first army were At the commencement of the invasion of Russia, under the necessity of moving to the left and front, to Buonaparte seemed inclined to make a push at once for St. Petersburgh, probably supposing that the cap was effectually executed; and the second army being cover his works, and oppose the enemy, which service ture or imminent danger of that metropolis would ter- rallied again, advanced to battle, and, in its turn, supminate the war. But the plan pursued by the Russian ported the troops which had covered it. The Russian commanders, to draw the principal force of their anta-line, however, was obliged to throw back its left a gonist towards the Dnieper, necessarily changed that of their invader, who now directed his attention to the possession of Moscow, the ancient capital of the empire.

little, so as to form an angle with a part of the centre and right. At the salient point of this angle was a battery, which, if taken and kept by the enemy, would have commanded the whole Russian position, and obliged a retreat.

Of the battle of Borodino, which immediately preceded the capture of Moscow by the French, the fol"Buonaparte, finding that the Russians remained lowing correct account was circulated at St. Peters-steady, notwithstanding the constant and tremendous burgh: fire of artillery, resolved to have this work carried. Va"The Russian army retreated upon the village of Bo-rious attempts were made during the day by the cavalry rodino, between Mojaisk and Irisk, on the high road, to Moscow. It was here reinforced by thirteen thousand effective men, under General Miloradovitch, and twentyone thousand militia, chiefly armed with pikes, under General Markoff. The total number of the Russian army, exclusive of militia, amounted to one hundred and five thousand effective men: the French army amounted to thirty-one thousand, reinforcements having been drawn to it from the military posts occupied by

the enemy.

66

Buonaparte, contrary to all expectation, as he had omitted the favourable moment for attacking the Russians on their march from Smolensk to repass the Dnieper, presented his army in order of battle, on the 5th of September. It is possible, that the recent appointment of Pnce Kutusoff as commander-in-chief of the Russian armies, had baffled his hope of peace; and that he found himself now obliged to effect that by force, which he was in hopes to have obtained by the influence of fear on the Russian cabinet. Certain it is, that he

and infantry; but they were always repulsed. Towards nine o'clock in the morning, however, General Bonami had lodged himself in the battery, in front of the Russian. left; but General Gormouloff, seizing the command of a column, rushed upon the battery, re-carried it, and put every man in it to the bayonet, except General Bonami, who escaped with twenty wounds, one of which struck into his breast. Towards dusk the enemy's force retired, abandoning the battery, which he had again carried about four o'clock in the afternoon, and which had been taken and retaken three times during the day. He gradually withdrew upon some works in his rear, out of cannon-shot, and from thence fell back about two wersts and a half with his main body, giving orders for his heavy guns to retire upon Mojaisk. The Russian army remained upon the field until the next evening, whence Prince Kutusoff fell back three wersts with his main body, and left General Platoff with his cossacks to occupy the ground in front of Borodino.

"In its progress, however, it greatly differed from Eylau for Borodino was a battle on points; Eylau was a parade battle, general throughout the line, and covering every man in the field with its iron canopy. The Russians had more than six hundred guns in the field; but the fire was sustained by about two hundred and sixty-eight pieces.

"Thus terminated, in the field, the memorable battle "After the sanguinary, though victorious, battle of Borodino, and so far it resembled the battle of Ey-fought by your majesty's troops on the 7th of Septemlau-but not in its consequences; for Eylau preserved ber, I was obliged to leave my position near Borodino, Koningsberg, whereas Borodino accelerated the loss of for reasons which I have already stated to your majesty, Moscow. It may be said, however, Borodino, theore- After that battle, the armies were much weakened: tically, was in the field a more decisive victory than under such circumstances we approached Moscow, Eylau, as the Russians there quitted the ground during having daily much fighting with the enemy's advanced the same night, whereas, at Borodino, it was the enemy guard. The reinforcements which I hoped to meet who withdrew. with had not yet arrived. The enemy formed two new columns, one on the Borosk, and the other on the Zwenigorod roads, with a view of acting against my reserve near Moscow. In consequence of this, I could not risk another battle, the issue of which would not only have been destructive to the army, but would have reduced Moscow to ashes. In this lamentable situation, and after consulting my generals, amongst whom there were some of a different opinion, I was compelled to let the enemy enter Moscow; out of which all the valuables, the stores in the arsenals, and almost all other property, imperial or private, were previously conveyed; and scarcely a single inhabitant remained in the town. I take the liberty most humbly to represent to your majesty, that the entrance of the enemy into Moscow is not to be considered as the annihilation of the empire. I am making a movement with my army towards the Toula road. This will enable me to keep open my communications with the neighbouring goThe illustrious veteran Prince Kutusoff was now ap-vernments: any other measure would have prevented pointed field-marshal, with a grant of one hundred thousand rubles. The emperor also ordered five rubles to be given to every soldier who was engaged in this memorable battle.

"The loss at Borodino to the Russian army was certainly severe; as it now appears, that twenty-five thousand were killed or wounded, and above fifteen hundred officers, of whom three generals were killed and nine wounded.

"The loss of the enemy could not but be more considerable; calculation so far could not err: but it now appears, from their own correspondence, that they estimate their loss at twenty-six generals hors de combat, (of whom seven were killed,) and thirty-five thousand

men.

this, and also have separated me from the armies of Tormazoff and Tchichagoff. I must confess, that the abandonment of the capital is very painful; but, considering the advantages which may accrue to us from it, and particularly the preservation of our armies, it is no longer to be lamented: and I now proceed to occupy

The Russian general found it necessary to retire a short distance on the Moscow road, and designed to take up a position within two or three wersts of Mos-with my forces a line by which I shall command the cow; but, as this appeared unfavourable, he continued his retreat to the distance of twenty miles beyond Moscow, leaving the French to enter the city, which they did on the 14th of October.

Previous, however, to the abandonment of Moscow by the Russians, all the most valuable property was removed from the city; the magazines, stores, &c. were set on fire; and that the latter object might be successfully accomplished, every fire-engine was removed or destroyed. The governor, Rastapchin, had concerted these measures with the commander-in-chief, and induced about forty thousand of the inhabitants to follow him to the army. The others fled in all directions, and but very few remained to witness the entry of the

invaders.

The circumstances which compelled Prince Kutusoff to give up the ancient capital, are explained in the following report to the emperor'

roads leading to Toula and Kalouga, annoy the whole line of the enemy extending from Smolensk to Moscow, and be enabled to cut off all reinforcements marching to join him from the rear. By thus occupying the attention of the enemy, I hope to compel him to quit Moscow, and to change his whole line of operations.

"General Winzingerode has received orders from. me to post himself on the Twer road, and to detach a regiment of cossacks on that to Yaroslaff, to protect the inhabitants from being molested by small bodies of the enemy. I am at no great distance from Moscow; and, as soon as I have collected my troops, I shall with confidence await the approach of the enemy. As long as the army of your imperial majesty is entire, and animated with its known courage and zeal, the loss of Moscow is not yet the loss of the empire. For the rest, your majesty may be assured, that this event is the necessary consequence of the loss of Smolensk."

On the 18th of October, Prince Kutusoff defeated | line of his retreat be rendered memorable by your hothe French under Murat, who was advancing towards nest indignation; destroy every thing which can be of the south with forty-five thousand men; and, on the service to him, and our commanders have orders to renext day Buonaparte quitted Moscow, which was re- munerate you; render your bridges, your roads, imentered by the Russians. On this occasion, the follow-passable; in fine, adopt and execute the suggestions of ing proclamation was issued by Alexander:

a brave, wise, and patriotic heart, and shew yourselves deserving the thanks of your country and your sovereign.

"Should the remains of the enemy's force escape to our imperial frontiers, and attempt to winter there, they must prepare to encounter all the rigours of the climate, and the valorous attacks of our troops. Thus, harassed, exhausted, and defeated, they shall for ever be prevented from renewing their presumptuous attempt."

"Russians! at length the enemy of our country, the foe of its independence and freedom, has experienced a portion of that terrible vengeance which his ambitious and unprincipled aggression had aroused. From the period of his march from Wilna, his armies, great in number, assured in valour and discipline, and elated at the remembrance of victories gained in other regions, threatened nothing less than the entire subjugation of Russia. The system which we had thought fit to adopt strengthened that confidence. The sanguinary battles fought on his route, and which gave him a temporary possession of Smolensk, flattered him with all the illusions of victory. He reached Moscow, and he believed himself invincible and invulnerable. He now exulted in the idea of reaping the fruit of his toils; of obtaming for his soldiers comfortable winter-quarters; and of sending out from thence, in the ensuing spring, fresh forces to ravage and burn our cities, make cap"It is well known to the whole world in what mantives of our countrymen, overthrow our laws and holy ner the enemy has entered the boundaries of our emreligion, and subject every thing to his lawless will. pire. No means that have been resorted to, by the Vain presumptuous hope! Insolent degrading menace! punctual fulfilment of peaceable stipulations, nor our A population of forty millions, attached to their sove-steady endeavours by all possible means to avert the reign and country, and devoted to their religion and laws, cannot be conquered by a heterogeneous force, which he could muster, even were it treble its late

amount.

46

Scarcely had he reached Moscow, and attempted to repose amidst its burning ruins, when he found himself encircled by the bayonets of our troops. He then, too late, discovered, that the possession of Moscow was not the conquest of the empire; that his temerity had led him into a snare, and that he must choose between retreat or annihilation: he preferred the former, and the consequences are already visible.

"Russians! the Almighty has heard our wishes, and crowned our efforts with success. Every where the enemy is in motion: for disorderly movements betrayed his apprehensions: gladly would he compound for safety; but policy and justice alike demand the terrible infliction. The history of his daring invasion must not be related without the terrible catastrophe by which it was attended. An hundred thousand men sacrificed to bis frantic presumption, attest your valour and devotion to your country, and must deter him from a repetition of his impracticable design. Much, however, yet remains to be done and that is in your power. Let the

The daily losses which the French now sustained, and the distress they suffered in their retreat, drove them completely to despair; so that numbers surrendered without resistance; whilst others, incapable of further exertion, laid down on the side of the roads, and perished with hunger, fatigue, and intense cold. On the 15th of November, his imperial majesty issued the following proclamation;

effects of a sanguinary and destructive war, have been able to check his obstinate design, in which he has shewn himself entirely immoveable. With peaceful promises on his tongue, he never ceased to think on war. At length, having collected a large army, and strengthened it with Austrian, Prussian, Bavarian, Wirtemburg, Westphalian, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Polish regiments, who were constrained through disgrace and fear, he put himself in motion with this immense force, supplied with vast quantities of artillery, and penetrated into the interior of our country. Murder, fire, and destruction, were the attendants on his march. The plundered property-the burning towns and villages-the smoking ruins of Moscow-the kremlin blown up into the air-the temples and altars of God destroyed-in a word, all kinds of cruelty and barbarity hitherto unheard of, at length prove by his own actions that they have long been lying concealed in the depth of his mind. The mighty and happy Russian empire, which possesses every thing in abundance awakened in the heart of the enemy emotions of envy and dread. The possession of the whole world could not satisfy him, so long as the fertile fields of Russia still were happy. Full of this envy and internal hatred,

he revolved, and arranged in his mind, all manner of evil means by which he might give a dreadful blow to her power, and bring general destruction on her prosperity. He also thought, by cunning and flattery, to shake the fidelity of our subjects; by the defilement of the sanctuaries, and of God's temples, to make religion unsteady; and to strike the national sight with follies and extravagancies. On these hopes he built his destructive plans, and with them he forced himself, like a pestilential tempest, into the heart of Russia.

the same implements with which they only a few weeks before turned up the fields. In this manner, the troops of levies sent from St. Petersburgh and Novogorod, for the strengthening of the forces under Count Witgenstein, have behaved themselves, especially at Polotsk, and other places.

"We have, also, with heartfelt satisfaction, perceived, by the reports of the commander-in-chief of the armies, and from other generals, that, in several engagements, and particularly those in Moscow and Kalouga, the country people have armed themselves, chosen their own leaders, and not only resisted all attempts at reducing them, but also sustained all the calamities that have befallen them, with the perseverance of martyrs. Often have they united themselves with our detach

and attacks against the enemy. Many villagers have secreted their families and infants in the woods; and the inhabitants, with armed hands and inconceivable courage, (under engagements on the Holy Gospel not to leave each other in danger,) have defended themselves, and whenever the enemy shewed himself have fallen upon him: so that many thousands of them have been cut to pieces and dispersed by the peasants, and even by their women; and numbers taken prisoners, who were indebted for their lives to the humanity of those very people whom they came to plunder and destroy.

"So high a purpose, and such invincible perseverance in the whole nation, does it immortal honour,

"The whole world has fixed its attention on our suffering country, and, inwardly moved, thought they beheld, in the reflection of the flames of Moscow, the last day of the existence of our freedom and independence. But, great and mighty is the God of justice! the triumph of the enemy was of short duration.-ments, and assisted them in making their enterprises Pressed on all sides by our valiant armies and levies, he soon discovered that, by his temerity, he had ventured too far, and that he could not, either by his valiant army, his seducements, or his cruelties, inspire the loyal and valiant Russians with fear, nor save himself from destruction. After many fruitless endeavours, and now that he has seen his numerous troops every where beaten and destroyed, he now, with the small remains of them, seeks his personal safety in the rapidity of his flight. He flies from Moscow with as much fear and depression as he advanced against it with vride and insolence; he flies, leaving his cannon behind him, throwing away his baggage, and sacrificing every thing that can retard the rapidity of his flight. Thousands of fugitives daily fall to the earth, and ex-worthy of being preserved in the minds of posterity. pire. In such a manner does the just vengeance of God punish those who insult his temples. Whilst we, with paternal tenderness and joyful heart, observe the great and praiseworthy actions of our faithful subjects, we carry our most lively gratitude to the first cause of all good-the Almighty God; and, in the next place, we have to express our thanks in the name of our country, to all our loyal subjects, as the true sons of Russia. By their general energy and zeal, the force of the enemy is brought down to the lowest degree of decline; for the greater part has either been annihilated or made prisoners. All have unanimously joined in this work. Our valiant armies have every where defeated the enemy. The higher nobility have distinguished themselves by sacrifices of all kinds. The loyal people, burghers, and peasantry, have given such proofs of fidelity and love for their country, as can only be expected of the Russian nation. They have zealously and voluntarily entered into the hastily-raised levies, and have shewn a courage and resolution equal to veteran warriors. They have, with the same force and intrepidity, penetrated the enemy's regiments, with

With the courage of such a nation, we entertain the most well-founded hopes; whilst we, jointly with the true church and the holy synod and clergy, supplicate God's assistance, that if our inveterate enemy, and the mocker of God's temple and holiness, should not be totally destroyed in Russia, yet that his deep wounds, and the blood it has cost him, may bring him to acknowledge her might and strength.

"Meanwhile, we consider it to be our bounden duty, by this general publication before the whole world, to express our gratitude to the valiant, loyal, and religious Russian nation; and thereby render it the tribute of due justice."

On the French being pursued across the Prussian frontier, the following declaration was issued by the

Russian commander-in-chief:

"At the moment of my ordering the armies, under my command, to pass the Prussian frontier, the emperor, my master, directs me to declare, that this step is to be considered in no other light than as the inevitable consequence of the military operations.