being perceived. The advanced guard of general Geismar, consisting of 8000 or 10,000 men, was first attacked, and almost wholly destroyed: the Poles took 4000 prisoners and 1600 pieces of cannon. Immediately afterwards, he attacked general Rosen, who was posted with 20,000 men at Dembe Wielski, and obliged him to retreat with the loss of 2000 prisoners and nine pieces of cannon. Another important victory was afterwards gained near Żelechow, where 12,000 Russians were killed, wounded or taken, with twelve pieces of cannon. During this action,the Lithuanians and Volhynians, who served in the Russian army, turned their arms against the Russians, and materially contributed to the success of the Poles. The peasants in various quarters of Poland now took an active part in the war, and hastened, with whatever weapons they could obtain, to the army. Insurrections broke out in Lithuania, Volhynia, Kowno, the Ukraine, Wilna, and even in ancient Poland, as far as Smolensk. On the other hand, general Dwernicki, who had been sent to make a demonstration in the rear of the Russians, and who had been victorious over them, was at last compelled to pass into the Austrian dominions, where he surrendered to the authorities of that country, April 27, with 5000 Poles. He is said to have been treated humanely. Skrzynecki, after having had several unsuccessful encounters with the Russians, and having avoided a decisive engagement with an enemy superior in strength, at last fought the battle of Ostrolenka, May 26. The Russian army is said to have amounted to 55,000, and the Polish to 20,000. The Russians were victorious. The same day the Polish general Chlapovski was victorious over the Russians, under Sacken, at Mariampol. The ardor of the people still continued, and hopes were entertained in every country that the manly resistance of the Poles would in duce the powerful cabinets to interfere; but, unfortunately, Prussia and Austria, being themselves in possession of a part of the spoils of Poland, did all in their power to prevent interference, whilst England and France were too much occupied at home to render essential aid. June 19, count Diebitsch suddenly died of the cholera morbus, which the Russian army had carried to Poland, at Klechewo, having been superseded, on the 16th of the same month, by general Paskewitsch, whose campaign in Asia has been already mentioned. The military operations were now prosecuted with new vigor, and the emperor, who, in a manifesto addressed to the Russians, had called them the legitimate masters of the Poles, was ready to make every sacrifice to regain the Polish throne. The Poles were success ful, July 14, under general Chrzanski, five miles from Warsaw, against the Russians; but, owing to causes which have not yet been satisfactorily explained, a change of government took place in Warsaw, and general Skrzynecki was superseded by Dembinski as commanderin-chief. The behavior of the former seems to have been throughout exemplary, and such was his deportment on his discharge from the supreme comman 1. The skill and valor of generals Roziski and Czartoryski were no longer of ar y avail. A conspiracy of the Russian prisoners in Warsaw was discovered and punished. Krukowiecki was appointed Polish dictator. Paskewitsch inade prep arations for the taking of the city, in which he succeeded September 7, at six o'clock, when the capital surrendered by capitolation, after a most sanguinary conflict of two days' duration, during which the Polish soldiers behaved heroically, whilst it is not yet sufficiently explained, whether the authorities did their duty. Polish army, followed by the diet and the members of government, retired through Praga, on the night of the 7th, and, eary on the 8th, the Russians entered Warsaw.* The Polish army remained for a short time at Modlin; but the country was soon obliged to submit entirely to the Russian forces, with which the grandprince Michael, brother to the empero Nicholas, had entered Warsaw. He or ganized a provisory government, of which, at first, he himself, and soon after, geners! Paskewitsch, was the head. This gener The ficial account of the taking of Warsaw, say that 1. * The St. Petersburg papers of October, in the rấ pieces of cannon, 2,000,000 of cartridges, a vis quantity of military stores of every descripti» and immense magazines of provisions, fell into the hands of the Russians; that 3000 prisoners we officers; that many more must have perished taken, among whom were 60 staff and suTH " ing the attack, by the burning of the buildings the destructive fire of the artillery, which, dur the two days, expended 29,000 cartridges; t besides the above-mentioned prisoners, above 4000 soldiers of the Polish army, 1300 gener and officers, had quitted the Polish service, a joined the Russians; that the whole loss of Russian army was 3000 killed, including 63 (7 cers, and 7500 wounded, including 445 office an The public will probably soon receive an acco in France. A work on this subject has been a ́ of the whole revolution, from the Polish refugees vertised in Boston, as preparing for the press, major Hordinsky, a Polish officer. was made prince Warszawski (the Warvian) as a reward for his services. A sort of amnesty was proclaimed; but the s of generals Romarino, Kamniski Rubinski were prohibited from reuing to Poland, because they continued arms after the capitulation of Warsaw, contempt of the orders of the Polish Commander-in-chief. Many distinguished Poles were sent into the interior of Russia to Siberia; many of all ranks emigratchiefly to France. They were every here, in Germany and France, enthusirally received by the people, and in flatter country were also aided by the government. General Skrzynecki is said to live in Austria, and to be honorably pated. Though the kingdom of Poland, seems, is not to be entirely incorporated with Russia, like those portions which were torn from it by the partitions, yet the Sention of the Russian government apars to be to deprive it entirely of a genal diet, and to establish provincial chamers. Thus that gigantic power, which, even under “an enlightened monarch, is, from the very form of its government, stile to the constitutional principle, developing itself so rapidly in the west of Surope, and which unites the force both barbarism and civilization, has come close upon western Europe, and exercises, at least for the present, a powerful influcace upon it; as is evinced-if an examde among so many were necessary-in Belgic question. However distant he time may be, Europe will not be safe il Poland is reestablished; without which, Austria and Prussia, particuarly the latter, must remain bound to Russia. Russian-German War, 1812-1815. Between France and Russia a coldness had zrisen since 1809, although the meeting of the monarchs of the two countries at Erfurt, in 1808 (especially when the geographical situation of their states was condered), seemed to give assurance of a Lasting peace. The slight share which the tardy army of Russian auxiliaries took the war against Austria, showed that is commander had received injunctions to be circumspect in his proceedings. At the same time, all the Russian harbors were opened to the English, provided they displayed the American flag, while French goods were strictly prohibited. This induced Napoleon, in order to enforce his commercial prohibitions against England, to make himself master of the Borthern sea-board of Germany, and incorporate the country of the duke of Oldenburg, a near relation of Alexander, with France. Against this proceeding, Russia made an energetic protest; and, as early as 1811, five Russian divisions assumed a position opposite Warsaw. On the other hand, Napoleon caused the fortresses on the Vistula and Oder to be declared in a state of siege, sent thither large masses of troops, and occupied Swedish Pomerania, because Charles XIII of Sweden declined a closer connexion with France. (The causes of the war between France and Russia are further treated of in the article Napoleon, Appendix of vol. x.) The Russians adopted the plan of offensive operations; and it had been resolved to treat the approach of the French to the Oder as a declaration of war, to let the Russian army enter Prussia, ascertain the sentiments of this state, and commence hostilities. But political considerations, especially the situation of Prussia, urged the abandonment of this plan. On the French side, the visit of so many princes and kings, and even of the Austrian emperor, to Dresden, gave intimations of some great project, although Napoleon's departure from Paris, according to the Moniteur, had no object but a review of the army of the Vistula Perhaps he might still hope to avert the gigantic struggle,without departing from his purposes; at least for this object the count de Narbonne proceeded to the camp of Alexander, at Wilna, and offers of peaceable arrangements were made. For the contest in the Peninsula, which daily became more obstinate, and consumed a large amount of men and money, might well appear to him an obstacle in the way of a struggle with Russia; but he calculated that his army, amounting nearly to one million, all of which he had rendered perfectly disposable by the institution of a new national guard of 80,000 men, would be sufficient for the conflict in both quarters; and he also relied upon a great mass of auxiliary forces, chiefly promised by the confederation of the Rhine (100,000 men), and, finally, on the alliance with Prussia and Austria, which covered him on both flanks, secured his retreat, and both together furnished 60,000 men. When, therefore, Napoleon's ambassador, the object of his mission unattained, returned to Dresden, half a million soldiers (French, Germans, Italians, Poles, Swiss, Spaniards, and Portuguese), with more than 1200 cannon, were put in motion, about the end of July, to attack the Russians on the other side of the Niemen and the Vistula. The Russians, in three divisions, occupied a line includ mg Kiev and Smolensk to Riga. The first western army (127,000 men), in Lithuania and Couriaud, was commanded by Barclay de Tolly, who had till then been minister of war, under whom was Wittgenstein; the other western army (48,000 strong,, between Smolensk and Kiev, was commanded by prince Bagration. Genera Doctoroff led a third body of forces, which served to keep up the communication between the other two. Goods and records had long before been generally conveyed into the interior. Riga, Smoleusk, &c., were fortified, and an entrenched camp established on the Dwina. Napoleon, already near the Russian fronter, made another diplomatic attempt, and sent count Lauriston, who had formery been ambassador at Petersburg, to the emperor Alexander; but their views were too much at variance, and Napoleon said, in bis usual tone, "The conquered Assume the style of the conqueror; fate overcomes them; let their destiny be fulfilled." June 24, his main forces passed the Niemen, while the rest crossed the Vistula farther down. As the passage took place near the influx of the Wilna, and this river, which flowed on their left flauk, was also crossed, the Russians were surrounded as far as the Dwina, entirely separated from the second westeru army, and compelled either to risk a *The first Russian western army was stationed along the Niemen as far as Grodno, and comprised six corps of infantry and two of cavalry. second western army was in the vicinity of Slonim, The consisting of four battalions of infantry and one of cavalry. The communication between them was kept up by the hetman Platoff, with 10,000 CosBarks, at Bialystock. The army of Volhynia, under Tormassoff, at Lutzk, was composed of two divisions of infantry, and one of cavalry, contaming together about 20,000 men. In Courland, Riga was protected by general Essen with about 10,000 men. One reserve was formed by general Mloradowitsch in Novgorod, another by general Ertel in Smolensk. There were, moreover, 16,000 men, under Steinheil, in Finland, which, subsequently, with the 25th division of infantry from Petersburg, reinforced the corps of Wittgenstein. In September, Kutusoff's ariny of 85,000 men, which had been till then employed against the Turks, first united itself with the forces of Torwwsoff Soon after the invasion commenced, militia companies were formed in Moscow, Petersburg, and other places, for supplying the Some of these companies fought at Borodino, anf several divisions of them accompanied the army in Germany, in 1813. The Russian plan of the campaign was, by retreating, to avoid a decieive battle, until the enemy should be remote from all his resources, and weakened by marches through a desolate region, and the Russian army should be so considerably strengthened by the accession of all the forces that might be, meanwhile, raised, as to have a decided superiority. The decisive battle with divided forces, ori make a speedy retreat. They chose latter, and sacrificed their great na zines, which were to have given su ence to their right wing. had been Alexander's head-quarters, a Wilna, wh became the head-quarters of Napo dary object of this war the restoration who here organized an important sett Poland. Napoleon made a consid stay in Wilna, partly for that pers partly for the sake of obtaining in tion of the operations of the right wa under Poniatowski, Schwartzenberg, # Regnier, over whom the king of Wa phalia was commander-in-chief. He ha received orders to keep the second we ern army still separate from the first, which it had been divided by the mat to Wilna, and to prevent any ju farther in the rear. These orders shal Davoust, who joined on the let flank of the king of Westphalia, exer:18 so fully, that the corps of general Doctor tion, as well as from the western army € was separated from the forces of Bag Barclay de Tolly, and almost surrour a when a rain of thirty-six hours made ʼn roads impassable, and the sudden eing to cold from intolerable heat, killed, 5 thousands, the horses of the French, es hausted by wants of all kinds, so that Does roff escaped with moderate loss. The cas bodies of troops detached on the two wings wer to prevent the enemy from spreading out a should be defeated. Calculation was also ... forces, and to cooperate in his destruction. 4 of the possible arrival of the Moldavian armya the conclusion of peace with the Porte. lar circumstances, however, gave rise to! errors in the execution of this plan. Nap scheme, on the contrary, was, to use every ei to compel the Russians to battle, to destroy after the defeat, and, pressing forward with ba were, meanwhile, to cover his line of comic. to the capital, to proffer peace. Collateral e tion with Germany, weaken the resources of enemy, and lead them to take false steps the French commander, long accustomed to cess, committed the mistake of attempting to c on the war in Russia, as ir Lombardy, w magazines he overlooked the fact that be t small extent, and must, therefore, leave the conquered country only in a comparats. mistook the character of his enemy. He, mes enemy in possession of his resources: be ent ~ theless, made good use of the chief error of Russians the wide interval between the western armies-by crossing the Niemen at Khereupon pursued the western army, which ret no, and advancing with rapidity to Wilna. M to the entrenched camp at Drissa. Mardos. Oudinot, Wittgenstein to Wilkomirz. Two divis drove general Essen back towards Mittaw under Kamensky were separated from the secs. western army, and joined the corps in Volhynia P i tion, boldness and courage of prince Bagration, with the want of military penetration on the part of the king of Westphalia, likewise frustrated the plans against him. He even succeeded in surprising, on his retreat, the Poles in Romanoff, and destroying a corps of 6000 men, and in stationing in Volhynia general Tormassoff, who not only perpetually confronted the extreme right wing of the 'French, but, by a bold attack on its flank, took prisoners a whole brigade of Saxons, in Kobryn, July 27. At Mohilew, he finally succeeded in throwing himself, with all his forces, on marshal Davoust, who defended himself with ability, but would not have escaped without the greatest loss, had not Bagration been every minute in fear of an attack from the king of Westphalia on his flank. When the news of these events had reached Wilna, Napoleon hastened to his troops, which already stood on the Dwina, where they were watching the Russians in their large entrenched camp, and had suffered considerable loss from their sallies. A bridge of boats gave the Russians the advantage of stationing their main forces on whichever bank of the Dwina they pleased. The camp was extremely strong, both by nature and art, since the eminences of the right bank commanded the left. Napoleon, however, ordered a detachment to go round the camp by the road to Poloczk; and, as the previous consequences of his judicious division of the Russian line had not yet been repaired, that is, the two Russian western armies had not yet formed a junction, the Russians had no alternative but to let half their forces be detroyed, or to leave their camp and hasten to the Dnieper, where Bagration hoped to join them. Prince Wittgenstein alone maintained his situation, in order to cover the road to Petersburg, and to prevent the investing of Riga. The main army of the French, with the exception of three corps der Reggio, Macdonald and St. Cyr, which blockaded Riga, and endeavored to take possession of the road to Petersburg which gave rise to a number of bloody ndecisive battles), now went, part across the Dwina, part along the river as far as the heights of Wolgonsk, in pursuit of the Russian army, whose rear-guard frequently fought considerable battles with the pursuers, and, from the 25th to the 27th July, contested every foot of ground at and behind Ostrowno. But marshal Davoust, pressing forward between the armies of Bagration and Barclay de Tolly, and thus keeping them apart, finally com VOL. XI. 12 pelled them to quit the field and retire to Smolensk. Heat, and want of all kinds, had, meanwhile, operated so detrimentally on the French army, that it was obliged to halt at this point for ten days, during which the two Russian armies finally formed a junction under the walls of Smolensk. They immediately began to act on the offensive.* With 12,000 cavalry they attacked general Sebastiani (August 8), and drove him back, with loss, a mile and a half. On the 17th, the main body put itself in motion to encounter the French army, which had advanced, on the 10th, to compel, if possible, a general battle. When Napoleon saw his attempts to surround the right wing of the Russians defeated, he ordered his right wing, under Poniatowski, to hasten, by way of Ortza, by rapid marches, to cut off the Russians from Moscow. On the other hand, Bagration hastened to defend this road, and Barclay de Tolly sought to retard the enemy as much as possible. Smolensk, an old place, formerly strongly fortified, and the whole position on the Dnieper, greatly favored his plan; and not till the midnight of the 17th, after a loss of many thousands, did the French succeed in taking this bulwark, reduced, for the inost part, to a ruin. The French army was now in possession of the road to Moscow, and formed a triangle, with the left angle before Riga, with the right on the Bug, and with the foremost at Smolensk, on the Dnieper. On the left, and in the rear, it was tolerably based, but very badly on the right flank, where the division of Tormassoff was continually making attacks. August 19, Napoleon left Smolensk, in pursuit of the Russians, whose rear encountered, at Volontina, the French van under marsha! Ney. The duke of Abrantes, who had superseded the king of Westphalia, had already come up in the rear of this body, when part of the main army of the Russians hastened to its succor; and by this means it succeeded in leaving, though with great loss, the narrow defile, 30 miles in length. The Russian army retired, in haste, burning all the towns through which it passed. With equal haste, the troops of Napoleon followed, suffering more and more from want and in Moscow, by famine, assassination, the the elimate. Meanwhile, Barclay de Tolly had to resign the chief command to Kutusoff, who had reaped new laurels in the Turkish war just ended. Reinforced by militia and reserves, he resolved to await the enemy seventy miles from Moscow, in a strong position, which was entrenched as well as time permitted. September 5, the French encamped opposite him, and, on the evening of the same day, one of the outworks of the Russian camp was taken, after the most dreadful slaughter; and at sunset of the 7th began the most bloody battle of this war, in which the one party fought to put an end to all their privations and sufferings, the other to defend their country and preserve its capital. (See Moskwa, Battle of the.) The Russians lost 25,000 men; the French themselves estimated their own loss at 10,000; the number of wounded cannot be ascertained. Although the Russians were broken in their centre by the perseverance of Ney and the viceroy, on the right and left they remained masters of the field of battle; and, without any great loss of artillery, and still less of prisoners, they were able to retire to Moscow, whither Napoleon's army, after two days' repose, followed in two divisions, of which this first was designed to attack the Russians in the flank. Kutusoff did not dare to risk a battle before the gates of Moscow, He marched through, and abandoned it to the flames and the French, who, September 14, entered the desolate city. Moscow (q. v.) was devoted to destruction, and all the hopes built on the possession of it disappointed. Kutusoff, by a lateral march to the south, stationed himself at Kaluga, and threatened every minute to interrupt the communication of the French with their base on the Vistula. His Cossacks pressed forward to Mmolensk. Werega, situated south of Moscow, constituting, as it were, a post for the protection of the French, was surprised by him, September 29. Nothing Could save the French army but a speedy retreat or peace. Of the latter Napoleon tack with deeded effect; for Wittgenstein, af• Here the two wings of the Russians could atentertained the more hope, as he was too ter being joued by the Finland corps, had defeatproud for the former. Every day height-ed, on the Dessa, the troops left at Poloczk by Naened the sufferings of his army, the provisions having been wasted, and foraging becoming continually more dangerous, from the conflux of Russian peasants and Cossacks After Kutusoff had been reinforced from all quarters, by Cossacks and by militia, the summoning of which Alexander had himself superintended in ummer, and the French army had been diminished in equal proportion (their loss poleon, with such loss, Oct. 18, that they had to retire across the Dwina. They, nevertheless, succeeded in uniting their forces at Czasnick. lag Wittgenstein's attack at Smoliani. But, inOct 30, with the ninth corps, and, Oct. 15. repel stead of pursuing his foe on the march to Rataliezi, Wittgenstein now turned against Baran, by doing which be abandoned the corps of Tschitschakoff, on the Beresina, to its fate. During this contest on Aug 12, by the combined Austrian and Saxon the Dessa, the army of Volhynia was defeated. force on the Poddobna, and driven back to Lutzk, |