XVII.
AFTER MOSCOW.
There is a vivid description of some of the horrors of the Russian campaign, but the mention of Napoleon is not frequent, and there is no picture of him that stands out in bold relief. But here is a passage which throws a singular and clear light on France and her attitude to Napoleon after these disasters. It is a picture the more striking because it is drawn, not by a politician or a philanthropist, but by a soldier who revelled in war's perils and glories:
"The majority of the French nation still confided in Napoleon. No doubt well-informed persons blamed him for having forced his army on to Moscow, and especially for having waited there till winter; but the ass of the people, accustomed to regard the Emperor as infallible, and having, moreover, no idea of what had really happened, or of the losses of our army in Russia, saw only the renown which the capture of Moscow had shed on our arms; so they were eager to give the Emperor the means of bringing victory back to his eagles. Each department and town was patriotically ready to find horses; but the levies of conscripts and money soon chilled their enthusiasm. Still, on the whole, the nation sacrificed itself with a good grace, squadrons and
