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THE WEEKLY MESSENGER
Boston, Friday, March 5, 1813
THE WAR IN RUSSIA
London, January 5.
The Russian official accounts of war operations, (which include the several events that have transpired since our last despatches from the pursuing army) state, that after the attack and defeat of Davout and Ney, Bonaparte left Orsha on the 20th, and took the road to Kokhanoff, or Kokhanovo, nearly half way between Orsha and Bobr, on the direct road to Borisow and Minsk. The line of his march sufficiently shows that he wishes and object were to get to Minsk. The army thus marching upon Kokhanoff, was followed by Platow, who seem to have been called off for that purpose from pursuing Beauharnais, Oudinot and Victor, who had been on the Northern road, near New Lepel and Senno, descended first upon Borisow, followed by Wittgenstein. The movements of the main army under the Prince of Smolensk, we shall for the present avoid touching upon, in order to render the account of the operations of the other Russian armies more clear and distinct.
While Wittgenstein was following Victor and Oudinot, and Platow was in the rear of Bonaparte, Tchitchagoff was advancing to Borisow. Dombrowski, with the French advanced guard, had, as we have already shown, got to Borisow, and defended the passage of the river in that quarter by a tete de pont – but Count Lambert, with the advanced guard of Tchitchagoff, drove Dombrowski on the 21st (not 23rd, as the French state) from the tete de pont, and pursued him on the Orsha road. Meanwhile, Tchitchagoff brought up the rest of his army, and was at Borisow, on the 24th November. Thus the three armies under Platow, Wittgenstein, and Tchitchagoff described an angle, Wittgenstein's forming the angular point – or as the Russian official account said, they enclosed the enemy on three sides – Wittgenstein being on their flank, Platow in the rear, and Tchitchagoff in the front.
Victor's corps, which at first took the same direction as Oudinot's and marched upon Borisow, changed its direction, and proceeded up the left bank of the Beresina. He was closely followed by Wittgenstein, who, on the 27th November, attacked him, and made about 4000 prisoners. He then surrounded Pantoureaux's division and forced it to surrender, to the amount of upwards of 8000 men. Bonaparte first endeavored to pass the Beresina at Borisow, and sent Oudinot and Dombrowski to attempt it, but the tete de pont, established by the Russians on the other bank, rendered all their efforts fruitless. He then tried it about 10 miles from Borisow, and effected it. Wittgenstein followed him to the Beresina, and Platow got to Borisow. Tchitchagoff was on the opposite side of the river. Being thus able to act in immediate concert, the three Russian Generals attacked the enemy at once on both banks of the Beresina, and defeated him, driving him back three versts, with great loss in killed and wounded, and 1500 made prisoners.
On the 29th (the day Bonaparte says he remained on the field of battle) the Russians took more than 12 pieces of cannon, and forced the enemy to throw a considerable number into the Beresina.
So great a loss also did Bonaparte sustain in baggage and wagons, that "the distance of half a verst was covered with them, so as not to allow persons to pass either on foot or on horseback."
Of Beauharnais' division, the last Russian accounts communicate as little information as the French.
They leave the rest of the F rench army, which was 70,000 strong before, not after the great battle of the 28th, retreating with all imaginable speed by Plechuechi towards Wilna. Perhaps it is not overrating the loss of the French in that battle, which lasted the whole day, at 15,000 in killed and prisoners. So that the French may be said to be retreating with about 45,000 men, pursued by Wittgenstein, Platow and Tchitchagoff.
We come now to the main Russian army, under the Prince of Smolensk: We have no detailed account of its movements. But Lord Cathcart's despatch of the 30th November stated that its advanced guard was to cross the Dnieper on the 23rd, at Kopyss, and that the remainder was to cross on the next day at the same time, marching by Starascle towards Bobr. His Lordship's next despatch, of the 6th December is not more detailed, with respect to its movements, that his previous one.
However, we know from it, that the advanced guard reached Borisow, and the rest was still advancing on a line parallel to, and southward of, the main road from Smolensk to Minsk, but considerably in the rear of the present operations. We suppose the object of the Prince of Smolensk will be to get to the Warsaw line, thus interposing between the enemy retiring by Wilna and their resources. Of that force, so retiring by Wilna, we think a small part only will ever reach the Vistula.
"It scarcely appears possible," adds Lord Cathcart, "that the remains of his army can get through these difficulties in presence of so many troops with artillery and cavalry, regular as well as irregulars."
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-Napoleon Bonaparte
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