chakof, with his twenty-seven thousand Russians
of the army of the south, debouched from Stachowa against Oudinot, Ney,
and Dombrowski. These three could hardly reckon eight thousand men in
their ranks, which were supported by the sacred squadron, as well as by
the old and young guard, who then consisted of three thousand eight
hundred infantry and nine hundred cavalry.

The two Russian armies attempted to possess themselves at once of the
two outlets from the bridges, and of all who had been unable to push
forward beyond the marshes of Zembin. More than sixty thousand men, well
clothed, well fed, and completely armed, attacked eighteen thousand
half-naked, badly armed, dying of hunger, separated by a river,
surrounded by morasses, and additionally encumbered with more than fifty
thousand stragglers, sick or wounded, and by an enormous mass of
baggage. During the last two days, the cold and misery had been such
that the old guard had lost two-thirds, and the young guard one-half of
their effective men.

This fact, and the calamity which had fallen upon Partouneaux's
division, sufficiently explain the frightful diminution of Victor's
corps, and yet that marshal kept Wittgenstein in check during the whole
of that day, the 28th. As to Tchitchakof, he was beaten. Marshal Ney,
with his eight thousand French, Swiss, and Poles, was a match for
twenty-seven thousand Russians.

The admiral's attack was tardy and feeble. His cannon cleared the road,
but he durst not venture to follow his bullets, and penetrate by the
chasm which they made in our ranks. Opposite to his right, however, the
legion of the Vistula gave way to the attack of a strong column.
Oudinot, Albert, Dombrowski, Claparede, and Kosikowski were then
wounded; some uneasiness began to be felt. But Ney hastened forward; he
made Doumerc and his cavalry dash quite across the woods upon the flank
of that Russian column; they broke through it, took two thousand
prisoners, cut the rest to pieces, and by this vigorous charge decided
the fate of the battle, which was dragging on in uncertainty.
Tchitchakof, thus defeated, was driven back into Stachowa.

[Illustration: Passage of the Berezina]

On our side, most of the generals of the second corps were wounded; for
the less troops they had, the more they were obliged to expose their
persons. Many officers on this occasion took the muskets and the places
of their wounded men. Among the losses of the day, that of young
N