DE FEZENSAC'S JOURNAL OF THE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN, TRANSLATED BY COLONEL

KNOLLYS.* THE author of this journal accompanied the French army to the battle of Borodino, as an aide-de-camp to Marshal Berthier, the chief of the Staff. After the battle, he was appointed Colonel of the Fourth Regiment, which formed part of the corps com- manded by Ney; he thus served in the rear-guard through the whole of the retreat from Moscow, and was a spectator or partaker of nearly all the actions or sufferings of that direful event. His narrative of what he saw or suffered has been ably translated by Colonel Knollys, of Prince Albert's Own Regiment. To render the volume more complete, the translator has prefixed to General De Fezensac's narrative a memoir on the earlier portion of the war, which the General passes over briefly.

Notwithstanding the previous number of original works upon the subject of this great event, Colonel Knollys's translation may be welcomed as a valuable contribution to both military and general literature. The narrative is pervaded by more of a personal character, and contains more individual detail, than the previous histories. In 1812-13, the open unaffected feelings of youth were strong in General De Fezensao, and he had not by long experience of war sunk the man in the hero. While engaged on Berthier's staff, he unconsciously recognizes the pleasure of a good berth, with its good quarters, the best that can be had, and not too much to do. When promoted to the command of a regiment, al- ways engaged in covering the retreat, and sometimes among the very last of the army, his energies rise with the occasion ; but he was not so inured to war as to look upon its miseries with the indifference of habit.

There is not much of historical criticism in the book. As Aide, the author rather reports the remarks of others than ventures his own. As Colonel, his account is confined to his own regiment or his own division, and only extends further when some explanation of a general movement is necessary to understand his narrative. It was not to be expected that the book should contain absolutely new information. But it brings out the details of military daily life very forcibly, and indicates the rash and reckless system of Na- poleon's warfare ; its indifference to everything but the end, and the fearful risk that was run in attaining that end ; since even at Witepsk, when the campaign had scarcely begun, the " effective force had diminished by nearly one-third," a large portion of the cavalry was dismounted, the artillery was moved with difficulty, while the commissariat and ._hospital were in kindred plight, "the result being that the sick lay without medical aid." By the time they had reached their object, Moscow, the troops were starving, and fighting with each other for the food they plundered. 'The di- vision to which Colonel De Fezensao belonged was stationed with- out Moscow.

"All entry into the town had been forbidden ; but as the pillage of it had commenced, and that was now our only resource, it was clear that those who came last would die of hunger. I agreed, then, with the Colonel of the Eighteenth Regiment, that we would tacitly allow our men to take their part m the plunder. After all, it was only with great difficulty that they suc- ceeded in procuring anything. In returning, they had to cross the camp of the first corps, which was pitched immediately in front of our own, and could only keep their booty by a fight with these, or with the Imperial Guard, who wanted to carry off everything. Perhaps no one profited less than our- selves by the plunder of the city."

After a while, they were moved into a suburb, with no substan- tial change.

"The greater part of the houses are separated from each other by gardens or cultivated enclosures ; a few palaces were distinguishable here, as in the other quarters : the rest of the houses were built of wood. As these had been nearly all burned, we were obliged to distribute the companies at con- siderable distances from each other, in spite of the inconvenience as well as the bad results to discipline and order which ensued. I was lodged in the centre of my regiment, and, with the superior officers, occupied a large stone mansion in tolerable preservation. Forty inhabitants of the neighbourhood had taken refuge in the great hall of this house. I issued orders that they should be protected, and their misery alleviated as far as depended on us. But how could we, who were in danger of wanting everything ourselves, effectually relieve these poor people ?

"It was with difficulty we could now procure black bread and beer ; and meat began to be very scarce. We sent out strong detachments to bring in cattle from the neighbouring woods, in which the peasants had sought an asylum ; these detachments often returned in the evening empty-handed. Such was the pretended abundance which the pillage of the city had procured us. Liqueurs, sugar, and sweetmeats were in plenty at the very time that we were without bread and meat. We clothed ourselves in furs, but had neither coats nor shoes ; and we were on the eve of dying of hunger, with diamonds, jewels, and other articles of luxury, around us.

" Finding a considerable number of Russian soldiers wandering about the streets of Moscow, I made fifty of them prisoners, and conducted them to head-quarters. The General to whom I reported the circumstance, said I ought to have shot them, and authorized me to do so for the future. I never, however, availed myself of this permission. The troubles and disor- ders which marked the period of our stay at Moscow may easily be imagined. Every officer and every soldier could relate some anecdote connected with it; not the least striking is that of a Russian, who was found by a French officer concealed in the ruins of a house. The officer gave him to under- stand by signs, that he would protect but being shortly afterwards or- dered elsewhere, he gave his prisoner in carge to another officer passing at the head of a detachment, saying hastily, at the same time, I recommend this gentleman to you.' The other, putting his own construction on the nature of the recommendation, and confirmed in his error by the tone in which it was pronounced, ordered his unfortunate prisoner immediately to be shot as an incendiary."

• A Journal of the Russian Campaign of 1812. Translated from the French of Lieut.-General De Fezensac, with an Introductory Notice of some Passages con- nected with the Campaign, by Colonel A. Knollys, Scots Fusilier Guards. Published by Parker, Furnivall, and Parker •

The following traits of Napoleon are examples of a mind so spoiled by prosperity as to be incapable of realizing anything opposed to its fancied omnipotence, or doggedly acting upon a i favourite system of demanding the impossible in order to get all that was possible.

" The different corps of partisans, ..dispersed round Moscow, became daily more enterprising. The town of Vdreya was surprised, and its garrison mas- sacred. The detachments and convoys on their march to join the army, the wounded and sick on their route to the rear, were cut off upon the road from Smolensk°. The Cossacks attacked our foragers at the very gates of Moscow, and the peasants despatched all marauders they. could find straggling. The King of Naples, whose horses had been nearly destroyed, and whose men had for some time past been reduced to eat horse-flesh, sent every day to the Em- peror, to beg either that he would make peace or give him orders for retiring. But Napoleon would see nothing, would hear nothing ; and his generals only received the most extraordinary orders in answer to their remonstrances. At one time it was to reestablish order in Moscow and protect the peasants, that they might be induced to bring provisions to the markets, at the very time that the neighbouring country was ravaged by these same peasants in arms against ourselves. Again, directions were given to purchase ten thousand horses, in a country where neither horses nor inhabitants any longer existed. Next,. we were told that we were to pass the winter in a sacked city, where even in the month of October we were dying from hunger. Then came the order for each regiment to provide itself with shoes and winter clothing; and when the commanding-officers remonstrated on the want of cloth and leather for materials, they were told they had only to look and they would find. As if to render the latter order still more impracticable, further pillage was severely prohibited, and the Imperial Guard was confined to the 1C mlin."

The retreat is a picture fearfully minute, but is best taken in large. There are several anecdotes of great men; of which we quote one or two. In the earlier part of the campaign, the Aide was despatched to Davoust with certain orders, and heard a Mar- shes interpretation of a text.

" On 'returning from mass, the Prince d'Eckmiihl gave audience to the Archimandrite, or head of the church, and recommended him to recognize the Emperor Napoleon as his sovereign, and to substitute his name in the public prayers for that of the Emperor Alexander. Ile called to his recollec- tion the words in the gospel, ' Render unto Omar the things which are Cresar's,'—meaning by Ctesar him who was the strongest. The Archiman- drite promised that he would conform to the recommendation; but his tone was that of unwilling obedience."

This story of a Marshal's philosophy occurs towards the end of the retreat.

" It was on this day that I learnt the death of M. Alfred de Noailles, aide-de-camp of the Prince de Neuchlttel. He had been killed the previous evening near the Duc de Reggio. Up to this moment I had lost none of my friends, and this was a source of real grief to me. The only consolation Mar- shal Ney offered me was, that my friend's turn had apparently come ; and that, after all, it was better that we should mourn his loss than he ours. On similar occasions he had evinced the same indifference. Once I heard him answer an unfortunate wounded soldier, who was entreating that he would order him to be carried off the field, What would yen. have me do ? how can I help your being a victim of war ?' And the Marshal passed on.. Yet he was neither a harsh nor a cruel man ; but the habits of war had hard- ened his heart. Possessed with the idea that every soldier ought to die on. the field of battle, it seemed a matter of course that he should fill his des- tiny ; and we have seen that he set no more value on his own life than on the lives of others."

The present translation was undertaken primarily with the view of giving it a place in the libraries of the non-commissioned offi- cers and privates of Prince Albert's regiment. To supply the neces- sary deficiencies of a personal narrative by a general account of the campaign, and thus furnish military instruction as well as en- tertainment, is the object of the Introductory Notice. It contains a criticism of the operations of the war, temperate, sound, and judicious; but addressed, we should say, to a kind of readers not generally to be found in regimental barrack-rooms.