. A history of all nations from the earliest times; being a universal historical library . which Napoleon wasmarching. From this time onward there occurred an incessant fall ofsnow; roads and paths became undiscernible, and with a cold of 15-18°Reaumur there was never a warm encampment. Of all foes, however,the most fearful was hunger. The provisions in the small magazineswere reserved for the guards, the flesh of fallen horses constituted wel-come nourishment, and whoever to seek subsistence wandered from theroute of the army commonly found imprisonment or death. The Rus- THE FRENCH BACK AT S
. A history of all nations from the earliest times; being a universal historical library . which Napoleon wasmarching. From this time onward there occurred an incessant fall ofsnow; roads and paths became undiscernible, and with a cold of 15-18°Reaumur there was never a warm encampment. Of all foes, however,the most fearful was hunger. The provisions in the small magazineswere reserved for the guards, the flesh of fallen horses constituted wel-come nourishment, and whoever to seek subsistence wandered from theroute of the army commonly found imprisonment or death. The Rus- THE FRENCH BACK AT SMOLENSK. 201 sian prisoners, mostly stragglers seized in Moscow, as soon as they werealjle to go no farther, were systematically put to death. A line of deadmen and horses, that lengthened with every step, marked the path of theretreating army. The impulse of self-preservation was stronger thanany command, and it was only by means of their example that theofficers maintained anything of military order. When Napoleon withthe Guard reached Smolensk (Fig. 43) on November 9, of every bat-. FlG. ii. — Before Smolensk on August 18, 1812. Drawn from life by A. Adam. talion somewhat still remained, of a regiment two to three hundred menwere under arms, and only a total of nearly 40,000 armed men, including5000 cavalry, beside 30,000 stragglers; more than 350 cannon had beenlost. The hope of finding supplies and rest there had kept up many asfar as Smolensk, but tiie magazines did not suffice for so many famishedpeople, and in apportioning the food disorder prevailed; the herds ofcattle for the shambles that were at iiand when the army marched intothe country had fallen into the hands of the Russians, except 200 and the sick obtained nothing whatever. 202 THE FALL OF NAPOLEON. With the litter stubbornness of one spoiled by long-continued goodfortune, Napoleon constantly repelled the consciousness of the entiredread reality, and lulled liiinself into the delusion that
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