to the heights.

At the same time Colonel Peraldi and the Italian chasseurs overthrew
with their bayonets the Russians, who were already approaching the left
of the bridge, and inebriated by the smoke and the fire, through which
they had passed, by the havoc which they made, and by their victory,
they pushed forward without stopping on the elevated plain, and
endeavoured to make themselves masters of the enemy's cannon: but one of
those deep clefts, with which the soil of Russia is intersected, stopped
them in the midst of a destructive fire; their ranks opened, the enemy's
cavalry attacked them, and they were driven back to the very gardens of
the suburbs. There they paused and rallied: all, both French and
Italians, obstinately defended the upper avenues of the town, and the
Russians being at length repulsed, drew back and concentrated themselves
on the road to Kalouga, between the woods and Malo-Yaroslawetz.

In this manner eighteen thousand Italians and French crowded together at
the bottom of a ravine, defeated fifty thousand Russians, posted over
their heads, and seconded by all the obstacles that a town built on a
steep declivity is capable of presenting.

The army, however, surveyed with sorrow this field of battle, where
seven generals and four thousand Italians had been killed or wounded.
The sight of the enemy's loss afforded no consolation; it was not twice
the amount of ours, and their wounded would be saved. It was moreover
recollected that in a similar situation Peter I., in sacrificing ten
Russians for one Swede, thought that he was not sustaining merely an
equal loss, but even gaining by so terrible a bargain. But what caused
the greatest pain, was the idea that so sanguinary a conflict might have
been spared.

In fact, the fires which were discovered on our left, in the night
between the 23d and 24th, had apprised us of the movement of the
Russians towards Malo-Yaroslawetz; and yet the French army had marched
thither languidly; a single division, thrown to the distance of three
leagues from all succour, had been carelessly risked; the _corps
d'armee_ had remained out of reach of each other. Where were now the
rapid movements of Marengo, Ulm, and Eckmuehl? Why so slow and drawling a
march on such a critical occasion? Was it our artillery and baggage that
had caused this tardiness? Such was at least the most plausible
presumption.

CHAP. III.

When the Emperor heard the report of this comb