s prepared for a movement of any
description.

This city contained a large proportion of the baggage of the army, and
of its treasures, its provisions, a crowd of enormous waggons, loaded
with the Emperor's equipage, a large quantity of artillery, and a great
number of wounded men. Our retreat had come upon them like an unexpected
storm, almost like a thunderbolt. Some were terrified and thrown into
confusion, while consternation kept others motionless. Orders, men,
horses, and carriages, were running about in all directions, crossing
and overturning each other.

In the midst of this tumult, several of the commanders pushed forward
out of the city, towards Kowno, with every thing they could contrive to
carry with them; but at the distance of a league from the latter place
this heavy and frightened column had encountered the height and the
defile of Ponari.

During our conquering march, this woody hillock had only appeared to our
hussars a fortunate accident of the ground, from which they could
discover the whole plain of Wilna, and take a survey of their enemies.
Besides, its rough but short declination had scarcely been remarked.
During a regular retreat it would have presented an excellent position
for turning round and stopping the enemy: but in a disorderly flight,
where every thing that might be of service became injurious, where in
our precipitation and disorder, every thing was turned against
ourselves, this hill and its defile became an insurmountable obstacle, a
wall of ice, against which all our efforts were powerless. It detained
every thing, baggage, treasure, and wounded. The evil was sufficiently
great in this long series of disasters to form an epoch.

Here, in fact, it was, that money, honour, and every remains of
discipline and strength were completely lost. After fifteen hours of
fruitless efforts, when the drivers and the soldiers of the escort saw
the King of Naples and the whole column of fugitives passing them by the
sides of the hill, when turning their eyes at the noise of the cannon
and musquetry which was coming nearer them every instant they saw Ney
himself retreating with three thousand men (the remains of De Wrede's
corps and Loison's division); when at last turning their eyes back to
themselves, they saw the hill completely covered with cannon and
carriages, broken or overturned, men and horses fallen to the ground,
and expiring one upon the other,--then it was, that they gave up all
i