With Napoleon's Guard in Russia by Jonathan North & Louis Joseph Vionnet

Author:Jonathan North & Louis Joseph Vionnet
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781783408986
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2013-05-31T16:00:00+00:00

Smolensk Again

On the 8th we camped close to a few barns which had escaped the fires. The emperor’s wagons were halted here, some eighteen miles from Smolensk. I now saw the impossibility of saving any kind of vehicle and so I determined to abandon my carriage and the vast majority of my possessions.73 I retained a portmanteau, in which I had a few shirts, a coat and a pair of boots. I had a few bags containing what sugar, coffee, wine, rum and bread I still had, and organised everything so that I would be able to withstand the cold and not succumb to starvation.

On the 9th we arrived at Smolensk. Initially we were placed in the same suburb we had been quartered in as we advanced into Russia.74 But, the following day, we were directed off towards the Vitepsk suburb, somewhere on the road to Elnya. There we were joined by a detachment which had been sent from France and they informed us that the Russian army in Moldavia now occupied Volhinia [Volhynia].75 Some of our officers thought that we would now take up a position here at Smolensk and would here attempt to stand and fight. However, quite besides the inconvenience occasioned by the extreme cold, no provision for feeding the men or horses had been made.76 The men were reduced to eating horse flesh as these animals had died in vast numbers. So, despite the desperate situation, no one was looking after the soldiers. Indeed, they were being asked to perform duties which were strenuous even in times of abundance. Every evening one battalion from each regiment was sent off to a hill to stand guard and this despite the fact that they had no straw, no shelter and were expressly forbidden to light a fire. Such precautions were useless and only went to demonstrate the complete lack of humanity of those giving such orders. In any case there was no firewood for miles around.

It grew colder and the north-easterly wind continued. A small quantity of rotten biscuit was issued, as were some swigs of a local vodka which was more likely to make men ill than do any good. Despite such relief, a large number of men fell sick here. There was a great deal of hostility towards the officers, accusing them of being the authors of all our woes whereas, in fact, the officers were often the main victims.

On the 14th of November, with the cold now unbearable, we left Smolensk and camped some eighteen miles from the city in some woods.77 The snow was six feet deep. The road was completely iced over, and the horses kept on slipping and falling. Many hundreds were then killed, and others simply died of misery. One of my servants, who was leading two of my horses, which were carrying some provisions, was murdered by some soldiers who stole everything they could and killed one of the horses. The other horse fell into the hands of the Cossacks.

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