THE WISCONSIN FARMER.                           
                  285

    and the little ponds that lay scattered over -it pased, and the sabres
above the dark and
    were frozen sufficiently hard to bear the artil- angry mass below, looked
like the foam of a
    lery. Seventy-one thousand men on one side, sea wave as it crests on
the deep. The rattling
    and eighty-five thousand on the other, arose of their armor, and the
muffled thunder of
    from the frozen field on which they had slept their tread, drowned all
the roar of battle, as
    the night of Feb. 9th, without tent or cover- with firm, set array and
swift, steady motion,
    ing, to battle for a continent. Augureau, on they bore down with their
terrible front on the
    the left, was utterly routed in the morning.- foe.
    Advancing through a snow storm so thick he  The shock of that immense
host was like a
    could not see the enemy, the Russian cannon falling mountain, and the
front line of the Rus-
    mowed down his ranks with their destructive sian army went down like
frost-work before it.
    fire, while the Cossack cavalry, whicn were Then commenced a protracted
fight of hand to
    ordered to charge, came thundering on, almost hand, and sword to sword,
as in the cavalry
    hitting the French infantry with their long action at Echmuhl. The clashuing
of steel was
  lances before they were visible through the like tle ringing of countless
hammers, and
  storm.                                        horses and riders were blended
in wild confu-
     Hemmed in and overthrown, the whole di- sion together; the Russian reserve
was ordered
  vision, composed of 16,000 men, with the ex- up, and on these Murat fell
with his fierce
  ception of 1,500, were captured or slain. Just horsemen, crushing and trampling
them down
  then the snow storm clearing up. revealed to by thousands. But the obstinate
Russians lis-
  Napoleon the peril to which he was broughtand dained to fly, and rallied
again and again, so
  he immediately ordered a grand charge by the that it was no longer cavalry
charging on in-
  Imperial Guard and the whole cavalry. Noth- fantry, but squadrons of lorse
galloping
  ing was further from Bonaparte's wishes or ex- through broken hosts that,
gathering into knots
  peclation, than the bringing of his reserve in. still disputed, with unparalleled
bravery, the
  to the engagement at this early -rage of the red and rent field.
  battle, but there was no other resource left  It was during this strange
fight that Murat
  him.                                          was seen to perform one of
those desperate
    Murat sustained his high reputation on this deeds for which he was so
renowned. Excited
 occasion, and proved himself, for the hun- to the highest pitch of passion
by the obstacles
 dredth time, worth of the great confidence that opposed him, he seemed endowed
with ten
 Napoleon placed in him. Nothing could be fold strength, and looked more
like a super-
 more impcsing than the battle field at this mo- human being treading down
helpless mortals,
 ment. Bonaparte and the Empire trembled in than an ordinary man. Amid the
roar of ar-
 the balance, whtile Murat prepared to lead tillery and the rattling of musketry
and falling
 down his cavalry to save them.   Seventy of sabre strokes like lightning
about him, that
 squadrons, making in all 14,000 well mounted lofty white plume never once
went down, while
 men, began to move over the slope, with the ever and anon it was seen glaring
through the
 Old Gthard mttrebing sternly behind,     smoke of battle, the star of hope
to Napoleon,
 Bonaparte, it is said, was more agitated at this and showing that his "
 right arm " was still
 criss than when, a moment before, he was so uplifted and striking for victory.
 near being captured by the Russians. But as  He raged like an unloosed lion
amid the foe;
 he saw those'seventy squadrons come down on and his eyes, always terrible
in battle, burned
 a plunging trot, pressing hard after the white with increased lustre, while
his clear and steady
 plase of ALurat, that streamed through the voice, heard above the turmoil
ol stifte, was
 snow storm far In front, a smile passed over worth moi titahn a thousand
trumpeto to cheer
his countenance.                              on his followers. At length,
idng' a lknot of
  The earth groaned and trembled as they Russian soldier* that for a long
time hod kept