o'clock; it sought its first brigade and its general, who had departed two hours before, and which it had not met with in its route. Its researches were in vain; some uneasiness was then conceived. All we have since been able to learn is, that this first brigade set out at five o'clock, missed its way at six, went to the right in place of the left, and marched two or three leagues in this direction; that during the night, and benumbed by cold, it rallied at seeing the enemy's fires, which it mistook for those of the French army. Thus surrounded, it was taken. This cruel mistake must have cost us a loss of 2000 infantry, 300 cavalry, and three pieces of artillery.

"Reports state, that the general of division was not with his column, and had marched alone. All the army having passed on the morning of the 28th, the Duke of Belluno guarded the tête-de-pont upon the left bank; the Duke of Reggio, and behind him all the army, was upon the right bank. Borisow having been evacuated, the armies of the Dwina and Volhynia communicated; they planned an attack on the 28th, at break of day. The Duke of Reggio caused the emperor to be informed that he was attacked. Half an hour afterwards, the Duke of Belluno was seen on the left bank; the Duke of Belluno immediately followed the Duke of Reggio, the Duke of Treviso, and the Duke of Elchingen. The battle became warm: the enemy wishing to turn our right, general Doumere, commanding the fifth division of cuirassiers, which made part of the second corps that remained on the Dwina, ordered a charge of cavalry by the 4th and 5th regiments of cuirassiers; the moment when the legion of the Vistula was engaged in the woods, to pierce the centre of the enemy, who was defeated and put to route, with the enemy's cavalry, which came to the assistance of its infantry. Six thousand

prisoners, two standards, and six pieces of cannon fell into our hands. On his side, the Duke of Belluno vigorously charged the enemy, defeated him, took from him 5 to 600 prisoners, and did not suffer him to advance within the reach of the cannon of the bridge. General Fournier made a fine charge of cavalry. In the battle of Beresina, the army of Volhynia suffered much. The Duke of Reggio was wounded, but his wound is not danger ous; he received a ball in his side. The next day, the 29th, we remained on the field of battle. We had to make our choice between two routes, that to Minsk, and that to Wilna. The road to Minsk led through the middle of a forest, and of uncultiva ted marshes, where it was impossible for the army to subsist itself. On the contrary, the road to Wilna leads through a very fine country. The army being without cavalry, deficient of ammuni tion, and horribly fatigued by fifty days march, carrying in its train all the sick and wounded of so many battles, stood greatly in need of getting to its magazines. On the 30th, the head-quarters were at Plecknitsi; on the 1st of December, at Slaiki, and on the 3d, at Molodetschno, where the army received the first convoys from Wilna. All the wounded officers, soldiers, and whatever else could be of embarrassment, with the baggage, &c. were sent off to Wilna. To say that the army stands in need of re-establishing its discipline, of refreshing itself, of re-mounting its cavalry, completing its artillery, and its materials-this is the result of the exposé which has just been made. Its repose is of the first neeessity. The materials and the horses are coming in. General Bourier has already more than 20,000 removed horses in different depôts. The artillery has already repaired its losses. The generals, officers, and soldiers, have suffered greatly from want. Numbers have lost their baggage by the

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loss of their horses, and several by the effects of the Cossack ambushes. The Cossacks have taken numbers of insulated persons, of geographical engineers who were taking positions, and of wounded officers who were marching without precaution, preferring running the risk to marching slowly, and going with the convoys. The reports of the general officers commanding the different corps will make known what officers and soldiers have chiefly distinguished themselves, and the details of these memorable events. In all these movements, the em. peror has continually marched in the middle of his guards; the cavalry commanded by marshal Duke of Istria, and the infantry commanded by the Duke of Dantzic. Though his majesty has been well satisfied with the fine spirit shewn by his guards, they have always been ready to shew themselves every where that their presence was needful; but drcumstances have always been such, that their appearance was alone sufficient, and that they never were in a case which required them to charge. The Prince of Neufchatel, the grand marshal, the grand equerry, and all the aids-de-camp and military officers of the household, have always accompanied his majesty. Our cavalry was dismounted to such a degree, that it was necessary to collect the officers who had still a horse remaining, in order to form four companies of 150 men each. The generals there performed the functions of captains, and the colonels those of subalterns. This sacred squadron, commanded by general Grouchy under the orders of the king of Naples, did not lose sight of the emperor in all these movements. The health of his majesty was never better!"

FCA

CHAP. VIII.

THE COSSACKS.

THE description of force, which in this war has rendered itself so famous for harassing the rear of the French army, and cutting off their foraging parties, inhabit the confines of Poland, Russia, Tartary, and Turkey, between the Jaik and the Dniester. They are divided into three branches, called Cossakki-sa-Provi, or Cossacks on the Boristhenes, which are all subject to Russia; and their country, formerly the Ukraine, is become a govern, ment under the name of Ekaterinoslav: the Cossacks of the Don, subject to Russia, inhabit a province called the Country of the Cossacks, on the sides of the Don: the Cossacks on the borders of the north coast of the Caspian Sea, are all likewise subjects of Russia.

The Cossack force is, in ordinary cases, composed of eight regiments of lancers, six of which contain 630 men each, and two 540. They are Cossacks regimented, to whom lands have been given, and they have defended them against the Turks, as a tyger defends his den. They are armed with a very short carabine, with two pistols, and a sabre, such as the hussars carry, and a lance, which has a shaft eight feet long. This body of cavalry, including the Kalmucs, barbarous nations who inhabit lands towards the Caspian Sea, originally Tartars, amounts to 37,000, to whom must be added, what in Russia is called their regular cavalry.

The Cossacks, who form among them several nations, all having nearly the same manners, are generally of a middle stature, wear very short whiskers, and shave the head, except the crown, on which they leave a little hair. Their dress is a fur cloak,

a long gown after the manner of the Asiatics, large pantaloons, boots, sometimes large, sometimes small, without spurs, on a win, which they always fasten round the right

tains their carts horses. Their

Abag on their left side connd food for themselves and are remarkably strong and mettlesome, but small. They use a kind of hussar saddle, a small cord instead of a bridle, which is tied to the saddle, and serves for a halter. They never ride their horses in a straight line; but when galloping, drive them in different directions, which makes their attack dangerous, especially when they are engaged with cavalry of the line; their march is like that of the hussars. When they are at rest, they hold the lance resting on their foot; in flight they present it to the enemy, holding it by the middle, and securing it below the arm. Continual exercise qualifies them for using it with dexterity. In their retreat, which is to them not a flight, but a kind of battle, they rest their lance on their shoulder with the point turned towards the enemy, whose stroke it serves to parry, and it sometimes becomes fatal to him, when he incautiously pursues a man, whose flight is a stratagem.

The aversion of the Cossacks for all kind of discipline, has not allowed them to be taught to manœuvre in a squadron; they do nothing but skirmish, but they excel in this way of fighting; they are let loose on the enemy when flying, and then they become terrible by the quickness and manner of assault. A corps with such men at their heels, is utterly incapable of rallying, however much inclined to it. They are excellent for scouring a country, and clearing a wood, and indeed in all kinds of patroles; their sagacity in this respect, is really astonishing. Examining the grounds, recently traversed by the enemy's troops in the greatest disorder, they can discover very accurately the Q