IX.] THE GREAT REV-OLUTION: 193 Kuiiisoff and Barclay de Tolly, ended in the French keeping possession of the ground and marching into Mos- cow. Three-quarters of Napoleon's army had, however, al- ready perished or disappeared. Not more than 100,000 out of 400,000 entered Moscow. They found the city deserted by the whole of the inhabitants, and they had scarcely ta-:en up their quarters before flames broke out every- where. The Russian governor, Rostopcliin, had set fire to the city, in order to leave the French no shelter. Through the flight of the inhabitants, the French army was left without the means of obtaining food. As soon as Napoleon convinced himself that the Czar would not make peace, there was no choice but to retreat, and that through a country which had been utterly devastated by the French advance. The weather however was favour- able ; it was not until the army had almost perished from famine and f-itigue that the cold weather, to which Napo- leon most falsely attributed his failure, set in. The Cossacks hung upon the rear of the army, cutting off and capturing those who were left behind, and two new Russian armies came up, one from Finland , the other from the Danube, to prevent the French frdm escaping from Russia. They met them at the river Beresina, and here there was a deadly slaughter, but the French cut their way through. They now lived on horse-flesh, and had to plod through deep snows, and spend night after night in the open air. Every morning found the watch- fires surrounded with circles of dead. Marshal Ney and Eugene Beauharnais showed great courage and firmness, but Napoleon, as soon as he saw that nothing but misery was left for his army, left it to its fate, and hurried on with his guard of honour under the excuse that his presence was needed at Paris. Ney, who was already called the Bravest of the Brave, earned the further title of the Rear-Guard of the Grand Army, for he fought to the very last to protect the broken remnant. When they made their way to the Niemen, the river which divided Russia from the Duchy of Warsaw, he was said to be the last Frenchman, not being a prisoner, who quitted Russian ground. 29. Alliance of Europe against Napoleon. — L&JJ. — Prussia and all Northern Germany were now ready to throw off the French yoke. All Prussia had been in training for arms ever since their overthrow at Jena. The king went to meet the Emperor Alexander at Breslau, O
