Kelly W.K. The History of Russia: from the Earliest Period to the Present Time. Volume 2
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A.D.
1811]
WAR WITH
TURKEY. 255
had
time
enough
to
assemble
sufficient
forces.
They
met
at
Lofteh
on
the
Osma;
the
Turks
were
defeated,
and lost
3000
men. Achmet
Pasha,
however,
a violent
and
sturdy
soldier,
without
any
higher
military
education,
led
50,000
fresh
troops
to
Shumla,
and insisted
upon
their
taking
the
offensive.
The Russians
had received no
reinforcements,
hut Kutusof
had taken
the
command. "Without
any
con-
siderable
losses,
he concentrated
his small
army
at Silistria
and
Rustchuk,
and abandoned
Bulgaria
as
far
as the latter
place,
after
having
razed the
fortresses.
In the
battle before
Uustchuk,
on the
4th of
July,
the
Turks were driven
back,
but on the
7th,
they
forced the
20,000
Russians who stood
on
the
right
bank of the
Danube to
give
up
Rustckuk
also,
though,
not until its
works had been
razed.
Instead of
crossing
the
river from the
Dobrudsha,
and
ope-
rating
with
a
superior
force
upon
the Russian
lines of com-
munication,
the
grand
vizier
allowed himself to
be
induced,
by
the retreat
of
Kutusof,
to cross the
Danube at
Rustchuk,
without a
fortress in his
rear. Arrived
on the left bank
with
his main
army,
a
Russian
flotilla barred his
retreat,
while
Russian
corps
recrossed
the Danube
above
and below
Rustchuk,
and took
possession
of the
town
(no
longer
forti-
fied)
and of the
Turkish
camp
(Sept.
7).
The
grand
vizier
fled,
but his main
army
still
consisting
of
25,000
men and 56
pieces
of
artillery,
were
forced to surrender
in
the
vicinity
of
Giurgevo.
A few
days
afterwards,
count St. Priest
took
Shirtof,
with
the
whole of
the Turkish
flotilla on the Da-
nube.
Nicopoli
and
Widdia
next
surrendered,
so
that
by
the end of
the
campaign
the
Russians
were masters
of the
whole
right
bank
of
the
Danube. The
Servians,
also,
aided
a
body
of
Russians,
had
wrested
from the
Turks- the
last
fortresses
they
held
in
the
principality.
The
grand
vizier
asked for a
suspension
of
arms,
with a
view
to
negotiating
a
peace;
but
the terms now demanded
by
the victorious
Russians
were
such as
the
Porte would not
accede
y
to.
The
war
was
continued
in
1811,
but
always
to
the
disadvantage
of
the
Turks.
Resolved
on
a
last
desperate
effort,
they
assembled a
formidable
army
whilst
the con-
ference at
Bucharest
was
still
ponding.
At
last,
the
rupture
between
France
and
Russia
changed
the
aspect
of
affairs,
and
compelled
the
latter
power
to abandon the
long-coveted
256
HISTORY OF
RUSSIA.
[CH.
LX.
prey
when
it was
already
in its
grasp.
The
Russian mi-
nister,
Italinski,
contented himself
with
requiring
that
the
Pruth should
for the
future
form the
boundary
between
the
two
empires.
The sultan
regarded
even
this
concession
as
disgraceful
;
but
the Russians
carried their
point
by
bri-
bery,
and
the
treaty
of
Bucharest was
concluded. Its
chief
provisions
were
these :
Art.
4. The
Pruth,
from the
point
where
it enters
Mol-
davia
to its confluence
with
the
Danube,
and thence
the
left
bank
of the latter
to
its
embouchure on the Black
Sea
at
Kilia,
shall
be
the
boundary
between the
two
empires.
Thus the
Porte surrendered to Russia a third of
Moldavia,
with
the
fortresses
of Khoczim and
Bender,
and
all
Bessa-
rabia,
with
Ismail
and Kilia.
By
the
same
article,
the
navigation
of the
Danube is com-
mon to
the
subjects
of
Russia and
Turkey.
The islands
inclosed
between
the several
arms of the river below
Ismail
are to
remain
waste. The rest of Moldavia and Vallachia
are
to be restored to
the Turks in their
actual condition.
Art.
6.
The Asiatic frontier
remains
the same as it was
before
the war.
Art. 8 relates
to
the
Servians,
to whom
the Porte
grants
an
amnesty
and some
privileges,
the
interpretation
of which
offers
a wide field for
the
exercise of
diplomatic
subtlety.
Art. 13. Russia
accepts
the mediation of
the
Porte for the
conclusion
of a
peace
with
Persia,
where hostilities had
begun
anew,
at the
instigation
of the
English
ambassador.
CHAPTER
LX.
RELATIONS
WITH FRANCE TILL
JANUARY,
1812
—
NAPOLEON'S
RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN.
Notwithstanding all the demonstrations
to
the
contrary
made
since the
peace
of
Tilsit,
England,
Russia,
Prussia,
and
also
Austria
partially,
always
continued
to maintain
a certain
mutual
understanding,
which
was,
however,
kept
very
secret,
and somewhat
resembled
a
conspiracy.
The
most
distin-
guished
statesmen
both in
Russia
and Prussia
felt
how
unna-
RELATIONS
WITH
FRANCE
TILL
1812.
257
tural
was
an
alliance
between
Napoleon,
Alexander,
and
Frederick
William
III.,
and
directed
attention
to
the
subject.
This
was also
done
on
the
part
of
England,
and it
is certain
that
the
emperor
Alexander,
as
early
as
the
meeting
in
Erfurt
in
1808,
expressed
his
doubts
respecting
the
duration
of
his alliance
with
Erance.
The
conduct
of
Eussia
in
the
campaign
against
Austria,
in
1809,
first
shook
Napoleon's
confidence
in
his
ally.
Mutual
complaints
and recrimi-
nations
ensued
;
but
neither
party
thought
it advisable
to
give any
prominence
to
their
disunion,
and
Napoleon,
even
when he
had
entered, through
Thugut,
upon
the
subject
of
an Austrian
marriage,
still continued
to
carry
on
negotiations
for an alliance
with a
Eussian
princess.
The
enlargement
of
the
territory
of the
duchy
of
"Warsaw,
extorted
by Napoleon
at the
peace
of
Schonbrunn,
at
length
led to an
exchange
of
diplomatic
notes,
which
tended
strongly
to a
war.
The Poles
naturally
expected
from
Napoleon
and
his advisers
that
he would
in some
way give
new
life
and
currency
to
the name
of Poland
;
against
this
the
emperor
of Eussia
earnestly
protested.
The whole
of the
diplomatic
correspondence
between
Eussia
and
Erance
in
the
years
1810 and 1811
turns
upon
the
use of
the
words
Poles
and
Polish,
although
Eussia
had
again
obtained
by
the
peace
of
Schonbrunn
a
portion
of
Austrian
Eoland,
as
it had
pre-
viously
obtained
a
part
of
Prussian
Poland
by
the
peace
of
Tilsit.
Seeing
that the
whole
of
Western
Gallicia,
Zamoisk,
and Cracow
had been
united
to the
duchy
of
Warsaw
by
the
peace
of
Schonbrunn,
Eussia
called
upon
the
emperor
of
the
Erench
to
bind
himself
expressly by
treaty
not
to
revive
the
names of
Pole
and
kingdom
of
Poland. Before
the end
of
1809
many
notes
were
exchanged
concerning
this
point,
apparently
so
insignificant,
but
in
reality
so
important
for
the
peace
and
safety
of the
Eussian
empire. Napoleon
agreed
to
give
the assurance so
earnestly
desired
by
Alex-
ander,
and
Caulaincourt,
the French
ambassador
in Peters-
burg, signed
a
regular
concession of the
Russian
demand
in
January,
1810.
By
the first
two
articles of
this
agreement
it was laid down
that the
words
Poland,
or
Polish,
was
not
to
be used
when
any
reference was made
to
the
enlargement
of
the
duchy
of
Warsaw.
By
the third article
the
two
emperors
bound
themselves
not to
revive or
renew
any
of
the
VOL.
II.
s
258
H1SX0J1Y OF EUSSIA.
[CH.
LX.
old Polish orders.
In the
fifth,
the
emperor
of the
French
agreed
not further
to
enlarge
the
duchy
of "Warsaw
by
the
addition of
provinces
or
cities
belonging
to the
former state
of
Poland.
This
agreement,
signed by
Caulaincourt,
still
required
the
confirmation of
the
emperor
of
the French :
and
Napoleon
had
given
instructions
to
his ambassador
only
to
agree
to
such
an
arrangement
on
condition
that the
agreement
was
drawn
up
in the usual
diplomatic
manner:
that is
to
say,
in
employing
words
and
phrases
so chosen
as to be
capable
of
any
subsequent interpretation
which
may
best suit the
parties.
This was
not done.
The articles were
very
brief,
the
language
so clear
and definite as to be
incapable
of
mistake or
misrepresentation.
Without
directly refusing
his sanction to
the
treaty, Napoleon
required
that it
should
be couched
in
different
language,
and
caused
a
new draft of
it to be
presented
in
St.
Petersburg.
The Russians saw
at
once
through
his
purpose,
and Alexander
expressed
his
dis-
pleasure
in terms
which
plainly
indicated to
the French
am-
bassador
his
belief
that
Napoleon
was
really
meditating
some
hostile
measures
against
him,
and was
only
seeking
to
gain
time
by
the
treaty.
This
occurred
iu
February,
1810
;
in the
following
months
both
Romanzof and
Caulaincourt
took the
greatest possible
pains
to
bring
the
question
to a
favourable
issue,
and
nego-
tiations
continued
to be
carried on
respecting
this
subject
till
September.
They
could
not
agree
;
and after
September
there
was no
more
talk of
the
treaty,
much less
of its
altera-
tion.
The relation
between
the two
emperors
had
undergone
a
complete
change
in the course
of
the
year.
The
cupidity
of
Russia,
far from
being
glutted
by
the
possession
of
Finland,
great part
of Prussian
and
Austrian
Poland, Moldavia,
and
Bessarabia,
still craved
for
more.
Napoleon
was,
however,
little inclined to concede
Constan-
tinople
and the Mediterranean
to
his
Russian
ally
(to
whose
empire
he
assigned
the
Danube
as
a
boundary),
or
to
put
it
in
possession
of the
duchy
of Warsaw.
The
Austrian
marriage,
which
was
effected in
1809,
naturally
led
Russia
to
conclude
that
she
would
no
longer
be
permitted
to
aggrandise
herself
at
the
expense
of
Austria,
and
Alexander,
seeing
that
nothing
more
was to
be
gained
by
complaisance
to
France,
conse-
RELATIONS
WITH FRANCE
TILL
1812.
259
quently
assumed
a
threatening
posture,
and
condescended
to
listen
to the
complaints
of
his
agricultural
and
mercantile
subjects.
No
Russian vessel
durst venture out
to
sea,
and
a
Russian
fleet had
been seized
by
the
British in
the
harbours
of Lisbon.
At
Riga
lay
immense stores
of
grain
in
want
of
a
foreign
market.
On the 31st of
December,
1810,
Alexander
published
a fresh
tariff
permitting
the
importation
of
colonial
products
under a
neutral
flag
(several
hundred
English
ships
arrived
under the
American
flag),
and
prohibiting
the
impor-
tation
of French
manufactured
goods.
Not
many
weeks
previously,
on the
13th
of
December,
Napoleon
had
annexed
Oldenberg
to
France. The
duke,
Peter,
was
nearly
related
to the
emperor
of
Russia,
and
Napoleon,
notwithstanding
his
declared readiness
to
grant
a
compensation,
refused
to allow
it
to
consist of the
grand-duchy
of
"Warsaw,
and
proposed
a
duchy
of
Erfurt,
as
yet
uncreated,
which Russia
scornfully
rejected.
The
alliance
between
Russia, Sweden,
and
England
was
now
speedily
concluded.
Sweden,
which
had
vainly
demanded
from
Napoleon
the
possession
of
Norway
and a
large
supply
of
money,
assumed a
tone of
indignation,
threw
open
her
harbours
to
the
British
merchantmen,
and
so
openly
carried
on a
contraband
trade in
Pomerania,
that
Napoleon,
in
order
to maintain
the
continental
system,
was
constrained
to
gar-
rison
Swedish
Pomerania
and
Riigen
and
to disarm
the
Swedish
inhabitants.
Bernadotte,
upon
this,
ranged
himself
entirely
on
the
side of
his
opponents,
without,
however,
coming
to an
open rupture,
for
which
he
awaited a declaration
on the
part
of
Russia.
The
expressions
made
use
of
by Napo-
leon on
the
birth of the
king
of
Rome
at
length
filled
up
the
measure of
provocation.
1
utoxicated
with
success,
he
boasted,
in an
address to
the
mercantile
classes,
that
he
would,
in
despite
of
Russia,
maintain
the
continental
system,
for
he was
lord
over
the
whole
of
continental
Europe;
and
that if
Alex-
ander
had
not
concluded a
treaty
with
him at
Tilsit,
he
would
have
compelled
him
to
do
so
at
Petersburg.
—
The
pride
of
the
haughty
Russian
was
deeply wounded,
and
a
rupture
was
nigh
at
hand.
Russia
had,
meanwhile,
anticipated
Napoleon
in
making
preparations
for
war.
As
early
as
1811,
a
great
Russian
army
stood
ready
for the
invasion
of
Poland,
and
might,
as
s2
260
HISTOEY
OF
RUSSIA.
[CH.
LX.
there
-were
at
that time but few French
troops
in
Germany,
easily
have advanced
as
far as the Elbe. It
remained,
how-
ever,
in a state
of
inactivity.* Napoleon
instantly pre-
pared
for
war
and fortified
Dantzig.
His
continual
proposals
of
peace,
ever
unsatisfactory
to the ambition of
the
czar,
remaining
at
length
unanswered,
he declared
war.
The Rhe-
nish
confederation
followed
as usual in his
train,
and
so did
Austria from
an
interested
motive,
the
hope
of
regaining
in
the
East
by Napoleon's
assistance
all she had lost
by oppos-
ing
him in the
West,
or
that of
resuming
her
station as
the
third
European power
when
the resources of the
two
ruling
powers,
whose coalition
had
threatened her
existence,
had
been
exhausted
by
war. Prussia
also
followed
the
eagles
of
Napoleon.
In the
spring
of
1812,
Napoleon,
after
leaving
a
sufficient
force
to
prosecute
the war with
activity
in
Spain,
and
to
guard
Erance,
Italy,
and
Germany,
led
half
a million men to
the Russian
frontiers. His
army
was
principally
composed
of
German
troops,
who were so
skilfully
mixed
up
with the
Erench
as not
to be themselves aware of
their numerical
superiority.
Upwards
of
two
hundred
thousand
Germans,
at
the lowest
computation,
marched
against
Russia,
a number far
superior
to that of
the
Erench
in the
army,
the remainder
of
which
was made
up
by
several thousand
Italians,
Portuguese,
and
Spaniards,
who had been
pressed
into
the
service.f
A rich
compensation
was,
by
a
secret
compact,
secured
to
Austria
in case
the cession
of Gallicia
should be
necessitated
by
the
expected
restoration of
the
kingdom
of
Poland,
with
which
Napoleon
had
long
nattered the
Poles,
who,
misled
by
his
promises,
served
him
with the
greatest
enthusiasm.
But,
notwithstanding
the removal
of the
only
obstacle,
the
jealousy
of
Austria in
regard
to
Gallicia,
by
this
secret
compact,
his
promises
remained
unfulfilled,
and he took
possession
of
the
whole of
Poland
without
restoring
her ancient
independence.
The
petitions
addressed to
him
on
this
subject
by
the
Poles
*
From a letter of count
Miinster,
in
Hormayr's
"
Sketches
of
Life,"
it
appears
that
Russia
still
cherished the
hope
of
great
concessions
being
made
by
Napoleon
in
order
to
avoid
war,
and
was
therefore still
reserved
in her relations
with
England
and the
Prussian
patriots.
•)
Napoleon
said at that
time to a
Russian,
"
Si
vous
perdez
cinq
Russes,
je
ne
perds
qu'un
Francais
et
quatre
cochons."
A.D.
1812]
napoleon's
CAMPAIGN
OF MOSCOW.
261
received
dubious
replies,
and
he
pursued
towards
bis unfor-
tunate
dupes
bis ancient
system
of
dismembering
and inter-
mingling
nations,
and
tolerating
no
national
unity.
Napoleon's
principal
motive,
however,
was
bis
expectation
of
compelling
tbe
emperor
by
a well-aimed
blow
to
conclude
peace,
and of
forming
witb
him an
alliance
upon
still
more
favourable
terms
against
the
rest of
tbe
European powers.
The
friendship
of
Eussia
w
T
as of
far more
importance
to him
than all the enthu-
siasm
of the Poles.
The
deep
conviction
harboured
by
Napoleon,
of
his irre-
sistible
power,
led him
to
repay
every
service
and
regard
every
antagonist
with
contempt.
Confident
of
victory,
he deviated
from
the strict
military discipline
he had
at one time
enforced,
and
of which
he
had
given
an
example
in his own
person
;
he
dragged
in
his
train a
multitude
of useless
attendants
fitted
but
for
pomp
and
luxury,
permitted
his
marshals
and
generals
to do
tbe
same,
and
an incredible
number
of
private
carriages,
servants,
women,
&c.,
to follow
in
the rear
of
the
army,
to
hamper
its
movements,
create
confusion,
and
aid
in consum-
ing
the
army
stores,
which
being,
moreover,
merely provided
for
a short
campaign,
speedily
became
insufficient
for the
maintenance
of
tbe enormous
mass.
Even
in
Eastern
Prussia,
numbers
of
the
soldiery
were constrained
by
want
to
plunder
the
villages.
On
the 24th
of
June,
1812,
Napoleon
crossed
the
Niemen,
the
Eussian
frontier,
not far
from
Kowno.
The season
was
already
too
far
advanced.
It
may
be
that,
deceived
by
the
mildness
of
tbe
winter of 180G
to
1807,
he
imagined
it
pos-
sible
to
protract
tbe
campaign
without
peril
to himself
until
the winter
months.
No
enemy
appeared
to
oppose
his
pro-
gress.
Barclay
de
Tolly,
the Eussian
commander-in-chief,
pursued
the
system
followed
by
the
Scythians
against
Darius,
and
perpetually
retiring
before
tbe
enemy,
gradually
drew
him
deep
into
the
dreary
and
deserted
steppes.
This
plan
originated
with
Scharnhorst,
by
whom
general
Lieven
was
advised
not
to
hazard
an
engagement
until
the
winter,
and to
turn
a deaf
car
to
every proposal
of
peace.
General
Lieven,
on
reaching
Barclay's
head-quarters,
took
into
his
confi-
dence colonel
Toll,
a
German,
Barclay's
right
hand,
and
lieutenant
-
colonel
Clauscwitz,
also a
German,
afterwards
noted
for
his
strategical
works. General
Pfuel,
another
262
HISTORY OF
EUSSIA.
[CH.
LX.
German,
at
that time
high
in the
emperor's
confidence,
and
almost
all the Russian
generals, opposed
Scharnhorst's
plan,
and
continued to advance with a view of
giving
battle
:
but
on
Napoleon's
appearance
at
the
head
of
an
army greatly
their
superior
in number before the Russians had been
able
to concentrate
their
forces,
they
were
naturally compelled
to
retire before
him
; and,
on the
prevention,
for some
weeks,
of
the
junction
of a
newly-levied
Russian
army
under
prince
Bagration
with the forces
under
Rarclay,
owing
to the
rapi-
dity
of
Napoleon's
advance,
Scharnhorst's
plan
was
adopted
as
the
only
one feasible.
Whilst
the
French
were
advancing,
a
warm and tedious
discussion
was carried on
so
long
in the
imperial
Russian
council
of war
at
Wilna,
whether
to defend
that
city,
or
adopt
the
plan
of
Rarclay
de
Tolly,
the minister
of
war
and
commander-in-chief,
that
they
were at
length obliged
to
march
precipitately
to the
Dwina with
the sacrifice
of consi-
derable
stores,
and to
take
possession
of
a fortified
camp
which
had been
established at
Drissa.
As
late as the 27th
the
emperor
Alexander and
the whole of
his
splendid
staff
and
court were
assembled at a
ball,
at the castle
of
Zacrest,
near
Wilna,
belonging
to
general
Benningsen,
so
that the
French found
everything
on
the 28th
just
as
it
had been
prepared
for the
reception
of
the
emperor
of Russia.
They
plundered
the
castle,
and carried off the
furniture
as
booty
;
the
Russians
were even
obliged
to
leave
behind them consi-
derable
quantities
of ammunition and
provisions.
In
this
way
the line of
the Russian
defences was broken
through
;
and
even a
portion
of their
army
under
Platof
and
Bagra-
tion
would have
been cut
off,
had the
king
of
Westphalia
obeyed
the commands
of his
brother
with the
necessary
rapidity.
The
difficulties
of
carrying
on
war in such
an
inhospitable country
as Lithuania
and
Russia
became
apparent
even at Wilna
;
the
carriages
and
waggons
fell
behind,
the cannon were
obliged
to be
left, discipline
be-
came
relaxed,
above
10,000
horses had
already
fallen,
and
their
carcases
poisoned
the air. General
Balakof could
scarcely
be
considered
serious
in the
proposals
which he
then
made for
peace
in
the
name
of the
emperor
of
Russia,
because
the Russians
required
as
a
preliminary
to
all
nego-
tiation
that
the
French
army
should first
retire
behind
the
A.D.
1812]
NAPOLEON'S
CAMPAIGN
OF
MOSCOW.
263
Niemen.
The mission
of a
general,
who had been
minister
of
police,
and had
therefore
had
great experience
in
obtaining
information,
had
no
donbt
a
very
different
object
in
view
from
that
of
making
peace
at such
a moment.
Napoleon,
in the
hope
of
overtaking
the
Russians,
and
of
compelling
them to
give
battle,
pushed
onwards
by
forced
marches
;
the
supplies
were unable to
follow,
and numbers
of
the men and horses
sank
from
exhaustion,
owing
to
over-
fatigue,
heat,
and
hunger.*
On the arrival of
Napoleon
in
"Witepsk,
of
Schwartzenberg
in
Volhynia,
of
the Prussians
before
Riga,
the
army
might
have
halted,
reconquered
Poland,
have
been
organised,
the men
put
into
winter-quarters,
the
army
have
again
taken
the field
early
in the
spring,
and the
conquest
of Russia
have been
slowly
but
surely
completed.
But
Napoleon
had resolved
upon
terminating
the war
in one
rapid campaign,
upon
defeating
the
Russians,
seizing
their
metropolis,
and
dictating
terms
of
peace.
He
incessantly pur-
sued
his
retreating opponent,
whose
footsteps
were
marked
by
the flames of the cities
and
villages
and
by
the devastated
country
to
their rear.
The first serious
opposition
was
made at
Smolensk,
whence
the
Russians,
however,
speedily
retreated after
setting
the
city
on fire. On
the same
day,
the
Bavarians,
who
had
diverged
to
one side
during
their
advance,
had a
furious
encounter
at Poloczk
with a
body
of Russian
troops
under
Wittgenstein.
The Bavarians
remained sta-
tionary
in
this
part
of the
country
for
the
purpose
of watch-
ing
the
movements of that
general,
whilst
Napoleon,
careless
of the
peril
with which he was threatened
by
the
approach
of
winter and
by
the
multitude
of enemies
gathering
to his
rear,
advanced with the main
body
of the
grand
army
from
Smolensk across
the wasted
country
upon
Moscow,
the
an-
cient
metropolis
of
the Russian
empire.
Russia,
at that time
engaged
in a war with
Turkey,
whose
frontiers
were watched
by
an
immense
army
under
Kutusof,
used
her utmost
efforts,
in which
she was
aided
by
England,
to conciliate
the
Porte in order to turn
the
whole of
her
forces
against
Napoleon.
By
a
master-stroke
of
political
in-
*
At each
encampment
the men were
left in such
numhers in
"nastily
erecteil
hospitals,
that
of
38,000 Bavarians,
for
instance,
but
10.000,
of
1G,000 Wurteuibergers,
but 1300
reached
Smolensk.
264<
HISTOET OP
EUSSIA.
[CH.
IX,
trigue,*
the
Porte
was made to conclude a
disadvantageous
peace
at
Bucharest on the 28th of
May,
as
we have
already
related. A
Russian
army
under Tchitchakof
was
now enabled
to
drive
the
Austrians out of
Volhynia,
whilst
a
consider-
able force
under
Kutusof
joined
Barclay.
Buturlin,
the
Russian
historian of the
war,
states that the
national
troops
opposed
to the
invaders numbered
217,000
in the
first
line,
and
35,000
in the
second.
Chambray,
whose
details are
very
minute,
after
deducting
the men
in
hospital,
gives
the
number of those
present
under arms
as
235,000
of
the
regular
army,
without
reckoning
the
garrisons
of
Riga,
&c. This
computation
exceeds
that of
Buturlin,
under
the same
cir-
cumstances,
by
17,000.
M.
de Fezensac allows
230,000
for
the total of
the
two
armies of
Barclay
de
Tolly
and
Bagration,
but adds
the
army
of
Tormassof on their extreme
left,
68,000,
and that
defending
Courland,
on
their extreme
right,
34,000,
to make
up
the
Russian total of
330,000
men.
Had the
Russians at
this time hazarded an
engagement,
their
defeat
was certain.
Moscow could not
have
been
saved.
Barclay consequently
resolved not to come
to
an
en-
gagement,
but
to husband his
forces
and to
attack
the
French
during
the
winter. The
intended
surrender of Moscow
with-
out a
blow
was,
nevertheless,
deeply
resented
as a
national
disgrace
;
the
army
and the
peoplef
raised a
clamour. Ku-
tusof,
though
immeasurably
inferior to
Barclay,
was nomi-
nated
commander-in-chief,
took
up
a
position
on the
little
river
Moskwa near
Borodino,
about two
days' journey
from
Moscow. A
bloody engagement
took
place
there on the
7th
*
The Greek
prince,
Moruzi,
who
at
that time conducted
Turkish
diplomacy, accepted
a
bribe,
.and concluded
peace
in the
expectation
of
becoming
prince
of
Moldavia and Vallachia.
Sultan
Mahmoud
refusing
to
ratify
this
disgraceful
treaty,
gold
was showered
upon
the Turkish
army,
which
suddenly dispersed,
and
the deserted
sultan
was
compelled
to
yield.
Moruzi was
deprived
of
his
head,
but
the
Russians
had
gained
their
object.
It
must,
moreover,
be considered
that
Napoleon
was
re-
garded
with
distrust
by
the
Porte,
against
whom he
had
fought
in
Egypt,
whom
he had
afterwards
enticed
into
a war
with
Russia,
and
had
abandoned
by
the
alliance
formed at
Tilsit with
that
power.
f
Colonel
Toll was
insulted
during
the
discussion
by
prince Bagra-
tion
for
the
firmness
with
which he
upheld
Scharnhorst's
plan,
and
avoided
hazarding
a useless
engagement.
Prince
Bagration
was
killed
in
the
battle.