Page:Ancient and modern history of the Russian Empire.pdf/23

23 BURNING OF MOSCOW.

The French gave the following account of the burning of that city: After the great battle of Moskwo, the French army pursued the Russian army upon Moscow, by three routes, Mojaisk, Svenigorod, and Kalouga. They had raised on the Sparrow Mountain, two wrests from the city, some redoubts, which they soon abandoned.

Moscow, before this, was a rich city, filled with palaces of all the nobles of the empire. The Russian Governor Rostopchin, wished to ruin this fine city. He had armed 3000 malefactors, whom he had taken from the dungeons; he also summoned together 6000 satellites, and distributed arms among them from the arsenal. Our advanced guard, arriving in the centre of the city, was received by a fire of musketry, which issued from the Kremlin; but a few pieces of cannon being opened upon them, dispersed the rabble and took possession of it. The most complete anarchy reigned in the city; some drunken madmen ran through its different quarters, and every where set fire to them.—The Governor had caused all the merchants and shopkeepers to be carried off, through whose instrumentality order might have been re-etablished. More than 4000 French and Germans were arrested by his orders; in fine, he had the precaution of carrying off the, with the fire-engines; so that by the  anarchy which every where prevailed,  great and fine city is now desolated, and