History of the Expedition to Russia Undertaken by the Emperor Napoleon, in the Year 1812, Volume 1H.L. Hunt and C.C. Clarke, 1826 - Napoleonic Wars, 1800-1815 |
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History of the Expedition to Russia: Undertaken by the Emperor Napoleon, in ... Philippe-Paul Ségur No preview available - 2022 |
Common terms and phrases
advanced guard Alexander appeared ardour arms arrived artillery attack Bagration bank Barclay became Belliard Bernadotte Berthier Bobruisk Boristhenes cannon cavalry centre circumstances columns commanded conquered considered continental system corps Cossacks Davoust defend divisions Dnieper duke Duna emperor endeavoured enemy enemy's Europe fact feelings felt field of battle fire flank France French front genius glory Grodno ground halted hastened high road honour hope horses hundred infantry instantly king Kowno Kutusof leagues length Lithuania Lobau marshal ment merely midst mind minister Minsk Mohilef Moscow Murat Napo Napoleon necessary Niemen night observed occasion officers Orcha Oudinot passed peace perceived Petersburgh Poland poleon Polotsk Poniatowski position possession present prince ravine received redoubt regiment replied retreat river Russian army Russian guard seemed side Smolensk soldiers soon sovereign success Sweden thing thousand tion troops victory Vilia Vistula Westphalia whole Wilna Witepsk Wittgenstein wounded
Popular passages
Page 314 - advanced in thick masses, in which our balls from the first made wide and deep openings; yet they constantly came on nearer and nearer, when the French batteries redoubling the rapidity of their fire absolutely mowed them down with grape-shot. Whole platoons fell at once. Their soldiers struggled to preserve their compactness under this terrible fire; and, divided every instant by death, they still closed their ranks over it, trampling it with defiance under their feet. At last they halted, not daring...
Page 86 - Narbonne on his return stated, that " he had found the Russians neither depressed nor boasting ; that the result of all the replies of the Emperor was that they preferred war to a disgraceful peace ; that they would take good care not to risk a battle with an adversary so formidable ; and finally, that they were determined to make every sacrifice to protract the war and drive back the invader.
Page 159 - ... spot of rising ground to the left of the road and behind the village of Kukowiacsi. On the 27th the Emperor appeared at the advanced posts before sun-rise. Its earliest rays discovered the Russian army encamped on an elevated plain, which commanded all the avenues of Witepsk. The river Luczissa, flowing in a channel of extraordinary depth, marked the foot of this position. In front of it, ten thousand cavalry and a body of infantry showed an apparent intention of defending its approaches : the...
Page 103 - Tilsit At Tilsit, Russia swore to an eternal alliance with France and war against England. She has violated her oath ; she refuses to give an explanation of her singular conduct till the French eagles shall have repassed the Rhine, and consequently left our allies at her discretion. Russia is driven onwards by fatality ; her destinies are about to be accomplished. Does she believe we have degenerated ? Should we be no longer the soldiers of Austerlitz ? She has placed us between disgrace and war...
Page 143 - ... Berezina, which constituted his only retreat He accordingly presented himself at the outlets, first at Lida and then at Minsk, but found Davoust there before him. On receiving this intelligence and finding Bagration with forty thousand Russians cut off from his communication with Alexander, and enclosed by two rivers and two armies, Napoleon exclaimed,
Page 103 - ... destinies are about to be accomplished. Does she believe we have degenerated ? Should we be no longer the soldiers of Austerlitz ? She has placed us between disgrace and war ; the choice cannot be for an instant doubtful ! Let us then march forward, cross the Niemen, and carry the war into her territories. The second Polish war will be glorious to the French arms like the first : but the peace which we shall conclude will carry its own guarantees with it, and will put an end to the fatal influence,...
Page 315 - ... possessing, like Napoleon, the art of moving such vast bodies at once, with unity, harmony, and order. In short, these heavy and stationary masses stood to be crushed and destroyed in detail for two entire hours, without any other movement than that of the falling of the men. It was in truth a deplorable and frightful massacre ; and the intelligent valor of the French artillerymen admired the firm, resigned, but infatuated courage of their enemies.
Page 272 - Berthier to write to Barclay; and the letter concluded with these words:—" The Emperor commands me to entreat you to present his compliments to the Emperor Alexander, and to say to him that neither the vicissitudes of war, nor any other circumstances, can ever impair the friendship which he feels for him." Napoleon's sincerity in this profession was probably of the same value as the previous good faith of Alexander. No answer was returned. On the very day the letter was sent, the advanced guard...
Page 192 - Srnolensko," he said, in one of his letters to Davoust, " as I am tempted to believe he will, we shall have a decisive engagement there, and we cannot have too large a force. Orcha will become the central point of the army. Every thing induces me to believe that there will be a great battle at Smolensko.
Page 300 - That same evening he issued the following proclamation, which was read to the army the next morning : " Soldiers ! you have now before you the battle which you have so long desired. From this moment the victory depends upon yourselves. It is necessary for us : it will bring us abundance, good winterquarters, and a speedy return to our country.