Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub

one of these poor fellows lived for several days in the carcass of a horse, which had been gutted by a shell, and the inside of which he gnawed. Some were seen straightening a broken leg, by tying a branch of a tree tightly against it, then supporting themselves with another branch, and walking in this manner to the next village.'

The town of Mojaisk was next captured; but, like all the other towns, it contained neither inhabitants nor provisions, and being of wood, it was left in flames, amidst which hundreds of the wounded, and those too feeble to fly, were consumed. Mental torture, with bodily infirmity, now almost drove Napoleon to despair; and in this state of inquietude he took the road to Moscow with the collected wreck of his army.

As the French approached the capital of the Russian empire, the inhabitants in this part of the country, as elsewhere, fled before them, leaving nothing but a desert of scorched fields and smoking houses. The determined resolution with which this devastation continued to be effected greatly appalled Bonaparte; but he still consoled himself with the reflection that Moscow would offer a compensation for all privations. On reaching Moscow, as he believed, the whole object of the expedition would be accomplished: the Russian citizens would submit to the French emperor; he would dictate to them his laws, and offer them his protection; after the first shock of the entrance of the foreign army into the city, trade and commerce would assume their accustomed routine; the inhabitants would walk in the streets peacefully; the merchants would re-open their shops, and, except that Moscow would be in the possession of the French instead of the Russian emperor, all would be as it was. Such were the hopes of Napoleon; hopes doomed, however, to be miserably disappointed.

one of

It was two o'clock on the afternoon of the 14th of September when the advanced guards of the French army, reaching the top of the last eminence which lay between them and Moscow, caught their first glimpse of the famous city, termed by native poets 'Moscow with the golden cupolas.' The picture was enchantment. There, in the midst of a fertile plain, through which the waters of the Moskwa were seen meandering, rose a thousand towers and steeples crowned with golden balls-a thousand domes flashing and blazing in the light of the sun. Ravished by these glistening colours, the eye, on looking at the city more narrowly, discerned its myriads of houses of all materials-wood, brick, stone; of all styles of architecture-Gothic, modern, and nondescript; and of all proportions-from the mansion of the grandee to the hut of the artisan. It was the boasted capital of a barbarous empire; luxury and wretchedness, gold and filth, quaint magnificence and miry poverty, all huddled together, with the brilliant points exposed to the sun's rays. As the French soldiers gazed on the spectacle,

their hearts swelled proudly, and as the cry of 'Moscow Moscow !' rolled along the ranks, many were already anticipating the time when, in their old age, they would look back upon the present as the most honourable moment in their lives, and be able to say to a new generation: I was also in the army of Moscow.' Napoleon himself partook of the general enthusiasm. Surveying the scene beneath him, he exclaimed: "There at last is the famous city!' His next exclamation, however, betrayed the anxiety under which he had been labouring: 'It was high time!'

As is usual on such occasions, Napoleon expected the arrival of a deputation of the principal men of the city, to surrender it into his hands. He waited till evening, the whole of his forces in the meantime coming up, and the scouts of Murat advancing to the suburbs of the city, and even mingling with the Cossacks in the rear of the retreating Russian army. Still no deputation arrived, and Napoleon now became anxious. Was it that the inhabitants of Moscow were ignorant of the formality which it was necessary for a capital to go through when it surrendered? Or was it that the nobles were removing with their effects? Rumours began to reach him that the city was deserted. Some of the scouts had penetrated into the streets, and found all silent, as if the population were either gone or asleep. Several Frenchmen too, who had been resident in Moscow, came out of their hiding-places, and, joining their countrymen, made the same report. Napoleon could scarcely at first credit it: it was so contrary to all his experience of war or human nature, that an entire city should be abandoned by its population, because it was about to fall into the hands of an enemy. That a few of the most influential inhabitants should do so, was nothing wonderful; but that all-merchants, tradesmen, artificers, who had little to lose by the change of masters-should voluntarily incur ruin by leaving their habitations, and fleeing into the country beyond, was a circumstance utterly unprecedented. The disagreeable truth, however, soon became too plain to be longer disbelieved. The city had been deserted: none were left in it except a few thousands of prowling vagabonds, the refuse of the population, who remained behind to plunder, along with a few French and foreign residents, whom the retreating Russians could not carry away.

To understand how this had been brought about, it is necessary to look back a little. The Emperor Alexander, on being forced to retreat before the French, had retired into the heart of his empire, to superintend in person the preparations which it was necessary to make there, leaving, as we have seen, his generals to oppose the French on their march. He proceeded to Moscow, a city rarely visited by the Russian czars, and, in consequence of its wealth, and the number of nobles who resided in it, somewhat jealous of the consequences which might result from such visits of an autocratic master. The excess of the danger, however, removed every feeling

of mutual suspicion between the emperor and his subjects; and when Alexander reached the ancient city, he was received with bursts of enthusiasm, and with offers of money and other supplies, such as he could not have expected. One merchant alone put down his name for 50,000 roubles, which was equal to two-thirds of his fortune, and paid the sum next day. A fever of patriotism seized all ranks; and before Alexander left Moscow, he was convinced that its population would do their duty.

After the emperor's departure, the inhabitants of Moscow watched with intense interest the approach of the French. While Napoleon was yet at a great distance, and long before the battle of the Moskwa had been fought, many left the city; the rest were encouraged and stimulated by the proclamations of the governor-general, Count Rostopchine, who held out hopes that the French would be defeated ere they reached Moscow, and forced to retreat. At the same time he made preparations for evacuating the city and leaving it a desert, in case his predictions should fail.

Whether the still more desperate resolution to burn the city was originated or sanctioned by Rostopchine, remains doubtful. He himself, while afterwards living in Paris, published a refutation of the charge (La Vérité sur l'Incendie de Moscou; Paris, 1823), in which he affirms that the desperate deed was due in part to the fervid patriotism of a few of the inhabitants, and in part to the violence and negligence of the French. One thing is certain, that he had prepared the means of destruction for his own country palace near the city, and at the last moment applied the torch with his own hand. This example of devotion was perhaps sufficient for the frenzied inhabitants, without any formal order or preparation by the governor. Be that as it may, the dreadful sacrifice was made.

About a fortnight before the arrival of the French, the general emigration had commenced. The archives of the city and the public treasure were removed by the orders of Rostopchine; the merchants next began to shift their property; and at last the whole country for miles round was covered by crowds of fugitives, turning to take a last look of their beloved Moscow. The news of the battle of the Moskwa completed the evacuation of the city. The wretched citizens who had remained to the last in their houses, were now obliged to take to flight, urged equally by the stern measures of Rostopchine, and their fear of the French. A stream of fugitives-men, women, and children— poured out at the gate of Kolomna, carrying with them whatever they esteemed dearest. Men might be seen harnessed to carts, dragging their wives, their children, their aged parents, or the little remains of their property. None apparently remained in the city except the foreign residents, some soldiers and officers of police, and a few thousands of abandoned wretches, the dregs of the population, a great proportion of whom were released from the various prisons for the occasion. To this savage horde, rushing about the streets with

ferocious joy, and delighted with the universal turmoil, and the prospect of pillage which it afforded them, was intrusted, it is said, the task of setting fire to the city on the arrival of the French. Such was the condition of Moscow when the French entered it. The army, the nobles, and the merchants gone-Rostopchine and the whole population gone: none left to negotiate the surrender, nor to welcome the conqueror, but a few Frenchmen in hiding, and a squalid crew of criminals and bacchanals hallooing in the deserted streets. To Napoleon, the disappointment must have been no doubt severe. He concealed his feelings, however, and only shrugging his shoulders, exclaimed: 'Ah, the Russians little know as yet the effect which the taking of their capital will produce upon them!'

Napoleon entered the city after dark on the 14th of September; and stopping at one of the houses in the suburbs, took up his residence for the night, while the army quartered all around. Rumours of the intended conflagration reached him, and he could take no rest. Every moment he was sending out to learn the state of things in the city. At length, about two in the morning, he was informed that a fire had broken out. 'A fire-balloon,' says Segur, 'had settled in the palace of Prince Trubetskoi, and consumed it: this was the signal. Fire had immediately been set to the Exchange; Russian police-officers had been seen stirring it up with tarred lances. Here, howitzer shells, perfidiously placed, had discharged themselves in the stoves of several houses, and wounded the military who crowded round them. Retiring to other quarters, which were still standing, they sought fresh retreats; but when they were on the point of entering houses closely shut up and uninhabited, they heard faint explosions within; these were succeeded by a light smoke, which immediately became thick and black, then reddish, and lastly the colour of fire, and presently the whole edifice was involved in flames.' So it continued during the night; and at daybreak, when Napoleon hastened into the streets, black smoke was seen issuing from under the iron roofs of hundreds of houses in all quarters of the city. Giving instructions to the soldiers to use their exertions to suppress the fire, he entered the Kremlin, the central part of Moscow, and the site of the ancient palace of the czars. Here, after inspecting the various wonders of the place, he employed himself in writing proposals of peace to the Emperor Alexander; thus carrying into effect the proudest aim of a conqueror-that of dictating terms to a rival in his own capital. In this case, however, the honour was an empty one; the capital was deserted; and at the moment he was writing his letter, flames were blazing around.

During daylight of the 15th, the conflagration still continued; the houses which had been set on fire during the night were consumed to ashes. It appeared, however, that the efforts made by the French to subdue the fire were producing effect, and hopes were entertained that the progress of the destructive element might be arrested. The

approach of night put an end to these hopes. The incendiaries, who had concealed themselves during the day, rushed out of their hidingplaces, armed with torches, and recommenced their horrible work. Many of them were cut down by the French, reeling in a state of drunkenness through the streets, or in the act of setting fire to houses. Their numbers, however, increased, and defied the vigilance of the soldiery. Although masters of Moscow, the French troops could not find safe quarters in it. Fearful of being burned alive in the houses, if they remained within the city, they were obliged to bivouac without its gates. Meanwhile, Napoleon continued in the Kremlin, issuing his orders in quick succession. The palace had several times been threatened with the fate of others of the great buildings, the wind carrying the flames and showers of sparks in that direction. Fears began to be entertained that one of the burning brands which flew over the palace might alight on one of the powder-wagons which stood in the courtyard, or on some secret store of combustibles designedly concealed. One such brand, descending with true aim, might heave emperor and his army into the air in one murderous explosion. The noise, the heat, the glare of the flames awoke Napoleon from a short sleep. He paced the apartments hurriedly, ever and anon going to the windows to watch the progress of the conflagration. 'Short and incoherent exclamations,' says Segur, 'burst from his labouring bosom. "What a tremendous spectacle! It is their own work! So many palaces! What extraordinary resolution! What men! These are Scythians indeed!"'

At last the cry arose: "The Kremlin is on fire!' The intelligence was true. Twice the flames had reached the building, and twice they had been extinguished; but the third time, an incendiary had set fire to a tower, where the labours of the soldiers were unavailing. Napoleon was forced to flee. Leaving the Kremlin, he set out for Petersköe, a residence of the Russian czar, about three miles distant, on the road to St Petersburg. It was with great difficulty that he effected his escape. 'We were encircled,' says Segur, 'by a sea of fire, which blocked up all the gates of the citadel, and frustrated the first attempts that were made to depart. After some search we discovered a postern-gate leading between the rocks to the Moskwa. It was by this narrow passage that Napoleon, his officers, and guard, escaped from the Kremlin. But what had they gained by this movement? They had approached nearer to the fire, and could neither retreat nor remain where they were. And how were they to advance? How force a passage through the waves of this ocean of flame? There was no time to be lost. The roaring of the flames around us became every moment more violent. A single narrow winding street appeared to be the only outlet. The emperor rushed on foot, and without hesitation, into this narrow passage. He advanced amid the crackling of the flames, the crash of floors, and

« ForrigeFortsæt »