e
within sight of the enemy and he wishes to profit by the opportunity to
fight a battle 'on his own hand' as the Germans say. He does so. This
is the battle of Pultusk, which is considered a great victory but in my
opinion was nothing of the kind. We civilians, as you know, have a very
bad way of deciding whether a battle was won or lost. Those who retreat
after a battle have lost it is what we say; and according to that it is
we who lost the battle of Pultusk. In short, we retreat after the battle
but send a courier to Petersburg with news of a victory, and General
Bennigsen, hoping to receive from Petersburg the post of commander in
chief as a reward for his victory, does not give up the command of
the army to General Buxhowden. During this interregnum we begin a very
original and interesting series of maneuvers. Our aim is no longer, as
it should be, to avoid or attack the enemy, but solely to avoid
General Buxhowden who by right of seniority should be our chief. So
energetically do we pursue this aim that after crossing an unfordable
river we burn the bridges to separate ourselves from our enemy, who at
the moment is not Bonaparte but Buxhowden. General Buxhowden was all but
attacked and captured by a superior enemy force as a result of one of
these maneuvers that enabled us to escape him. Buxhowden pursues us--we
scuttle. He hardly crosses the river to our side before we recross to
the other. At last our enemy. Buxhowden, catches us and attacks. Both
generals are angry, and the result is a challenge on Buxhowden's part
and an epileptic fit on Bennigsen's. But at the critical moment the
courier who carried the news of our victory at Pultusk to Petersburg
returns bringing our appointment as commander in chief, and our first
foe, Buxhowden, is vanquished; we can now turn our thoughts to the
second, Bonaparte. But as it turns out, just at that moment a third
enemy rises before us--namely the Orthodox Russian soldiers, loudly
demanding bread, meat, biscuits, fodder, and whatnot! The stores are
empty, the roads impassable. The Orthodox begin looting, and in a way
of which our last campaign can give you no idea. Half the regiments form
bands and scour the countryside and put everything to fire and sword.
The inhabitants are totally ruined, the hospitals overflow with
sick, and famine is everywhere. Twice the marauders even attack our
headquarters, and the commander in chief has to ask for a battalion to
disperse them. Dur