Page:A General Sketch of Political History from the Earlist Times.djvu/378

 366 THE EUROPEAN CONVULSION numbered nearly 400,000 men in spite of the Peninsular War ; for he was able to draw upon the subject or dependent states for The Moscow contingents. The Russian generals retired before Campaign, him, enticing him into the heart of Russia, where 1812 • • the provision of supplies was an eternally increasing difficulty. When Napoleon reached Smolensk, he found it in flames. At Borodino, the Russians stopped to fight him ; he won the battle but at the cost of 30,000 men. He reached Moscow in September and found it deserted ; but the city was fired over the heads of his soldiers. The Russians would not give battle ; but whatever move he made they could hang on his flanks and cut off the supplies of the fast dwindling army. The road by which he had come was a desert. A re- treat began ; the grand army was already a wreck before, with terrific suddenness, a cruel winter set in and practically annihilated it. This huge disaster gave Europe its opportunity. The Prussian people forced the Prussian government to rise and Napoleon at fling off the yoke. Russia came to Prussia's aid ; bay, 1813. Austria hung back at first ; but in effect, Napoleon now had a more dangerous, because a whole-hearted, combina- tion against him than ever before. Yet in spite of his frightful losses he succeeded again in bringing huge armies into the field, though at last in doing so he weakened the forces in Spain so that Wellington was able to drive them out of the Peninsula altogether. When Austria joined the coalition, Napoleon was still able to win a great victory at Dresden, but at Leipzig he was overwhelmed, and driven back into France. But for his unconquerable self-confidence he could still have obtained from the allies terms which would have left him France bounded by the Rhine, the Alps and the Pyrenees ; but these he would not 1814 accept. The allies invaded France ; at length the Napoleon emperor found that his marshals were unanimous exiled. m declaring that further resistance was madness. He submitted, and abdicated. The allies deported him to the island of Elba in the Mediterranean ; and a European Congress proceeded to settle the affairs of Europe, and of France in particular.