The life of Napoleon Buonaparte, emperor of the French. By Sir Walter Scott.

APPENDIX. 827
tures equitable at the same time for your empire and movement made by the viceroy about Sonraj, nr, the
Itbr the north. If an event, so unexpected, and so Dwina; and he countermanded the original plan of
universally wished for, could take place, with what operations, with a view to extend his right fank;
blessings would the nations of the Continent hail and for some days afterwards, the Russian army
your majesty! Then gratitude would be increased made various false movements, and was in a consiin proportion to the terror they now feel for the re- derable degree of confusion. Whether Napoleonl's
turn of a scourge which has already been so heavy plan was founded upon the march of the Russiatn
upon them, and the ravages of which have left such army from Smolensk, as supposed by S&gar, or upoal
cruel marks. their position at Smolensk in the first days of Au" Sire, one of the happiest moments which I have gust, he carried it into execution, notwithstanding
experienced since leaving France was that in which that march.
1 became assured that your majesty had not alto- "Accordingly, he broke up his cantonments upon
gether forgotten me. You have judged rightly as to the Dwina on the 10th of August, and marched his
my feelings. You have been aware how deeply army by different columlns by corps across the front
they must have been wounded by the painful pros- of the Russian army, from these cantoninents to
pect of either seeing the interests of Sweden on the Rasassina, upon the Dnieper. The false movements
eve of being separated from those of France, or of made by the Russian army firom the 7th to the 12th
beirng constrained to sacrifice the interests of a of August prevented their obtaining early knowcountry by which I have been adopted with bound- ledge of this march, and they were not in a situa- I
less confidence. tion to be able to take advantage of it. On the
"Sire, though a Swede by honour, by duty, and other hand, Napoleon could have had no knowledge
by religion, 1 still identify myself by my wishes, of the miscalculated movements made by the Rus- I
with that beautifuill France, in which I was born, sian army.
and which I have served faithfully ever since my "Being arrived at Rasassina, where he was joined
childhood. Every step I take in Sweden, the hom- by Davoust, with three divisions of the first corps,
age I receive, revives in my mind those bright re- he crossed the Dnieper on the 14th. The corps ofi
collections of glory which were the principal cause Poniatowski and Junot were at the same time nmov
of nay elevation; nor do I disguise from myself, that ing upon Smolensk direct from Mohiloff.
Sweden, in chusing me, wished to pay a tribute of "Napoleon moved forward upon Smolensk.
esteem to the French people." "The garrison of that place, a division of infantry
under General Newerowskoi, had come out as far
Napoleon blames all the world for his reverses. as Krasnoi, to observe the movements of the French
When lie has no longer any one to blame, he accuses troops on the left of the Dnieper, supposed to be
his destiny. But it is hinself only whom lie should advancing along the Dnieper from Orcsa. Murat
blame; and the more so, because the very deser- attacked this body of troops with all his cavalry;
tion on the part of his allies, which hastened his fall, but they made good their retreat to Smolensk, alcould have had no other cause but the deep wounds though repeatedly charged in their retreat. These
he had inflicted by his despotic pride, and his acts charges were of little avail, however; and this operof injustice. He was himself the original author of ation affords another instance of the security with
his nlisfortunes, by outraging those who had contri- which good infantry can stand the attack of cavalry.
buted to his elevation. It was his own hands that This division of about 6000 infantry had no artificial i
consummated his ruin; he was, in all the strictness defence, excepting two rows of trees on each side gof
of the term, a political suicide, and so muclh tile the road, of which they certainly availed themselves.
more guilty, that hlie did not dispose of himself alone, But the use made even of this defence shows how I
but of France at the same time. small an obstacle will impede and check the operations of the cavalry.
" It would probably have been more advisable
No. 7. if Murat, knowing of the mlovement of Poniatowski
and Junot directed from Mohiloff upon Smolenisk,
EXTRACT FROM MANUSCRIPT OBSERVATIONS ON
had not pushed this body of troops too hard. They
NAPOLEON'S RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN, BY AN ENGLISH
NAPOLEONS RUSSIAN, Y AN ENLISH must have been induced to delay on their retreat,
OFF1CER OF RANK.
in order effectually to reconnoitre their enemy.
Page 535. The fort would undoubtedly in that case have
fallen into the hands of Poniatowski.
IIAVN(; examined into the probabilities of S&gur's " On the 17th of A igust, Napoleon assembled
allegation, ithat Bonaparte entertained thoughts of the whole of the operating armIy before Smolensk,
takiiig up his winter quartersat Vitepsk, the military on the leit of the Dnieper. It consisted as folcomnnieitator proceeds as follows:- lows:"Trhe Russian army at Smolensk, seeing the nman- The cavalry, under Mlrat.......... 40,000
ner in which the French army was dispersed in Guards,........................ 4 00
canltonments between the rivers Dwina and Dneister, First Corps..... Davoust2,....0... 00
moved, on the 7th of August, towards Rudneia, in Third Corps..... Ney,............ 30,O(
order to beat tup their quarters. They succeeded Foutrh Corps,. the viceroy,. 4,000
in sulrprising those of Sebastiani, and (lid hini a good Fiflt Corps. Ponistowki.,000
deal of' mischief in an attack upon Inkowo. In the hth Crps,
meantime, Barciay de Toliy was alarmed by a 29W,000