The enemy’s cavalry vigorously followed up their advantage; they surrounded Murat, who forgot himself in his endeavours to rally his troops; they were already stretching out their arms to lay hold of him, when he threw himself into the redoubt, and escaped from them.  But there he found only some unsteady soldiers whose courage had forsaken them, and running round the parapet in a state of the greatest panic.  They only wanted an outlet to run away.

The presence of the king and his cries first restored confidence to a few.  He himself seized a musket; with one hand he fought, with the other he elevated and waved his plume, calling to his men, and restoring them to their first valour by that authority which example gives.  At the same time Ney had again formed his divisions.  Their fire stopped the enemy’s cuirassiers, and threw their ranks into disorder.  They let go their hold, Murat was at last disengaged, and the heights were reconquered.

Scarcely had the king escaped this peril, when he ran into another; with the cavalry of Bruyere and Nansouty, he rushed upon the enemy, and by obstinate and repeated charges overthrew the Russian lines, pushed and drove them back on their centre, and, within an hour, completed the total defeat of their left wing.

But the heights of the ruined village of Semenowska, where the left of the enemy’s centre commenced, were still untouched; the reinforcements which Kutusof incessantly drew from his right, supported it.  Their commanding fire was poured down upon Ney and Murat’s troops, and stopped their victory; it was indispensable to acquire that position.  Maubourg with his cavalry first cleared the front; Friand, one of Davoust’s generals, followed him with his infantry.  Dufour and the 15th light were the first to climb the steep; they dislodged the Russians from the village, the ruins of which were badly entrenched.  Friand, although wounded, followed up and secured this advantage.

CHAP.  X.

This vigorous action opened up to us the road to victory; it was necessary to rush into it; but Murat and Ney were exhausted:  they halted, and while they were rallying their troops, they sent to Napoleon to ask for reinforcements.  Napoleon was then seized with a hesitation which he never before displayed; he deliberated long with himself, and at last, after repeated orders and counter-orders to his young guard, he expressed his belief that the appearance of Friand and Maubourg’s troops on the heights would be sufficient, the decisive moment not appearing to him to be yet arrived.

But Kutusof took advantage of the respite which he had no reason to expect; he summoned the whole of his reserve, even to the Russian guards, to the support of his uncovered left wing.  Bagration, with all these reinforcements, re-formed his line, his right resting on the great battery which Prince Eugene was attacking, his left on the wood which bounded the field of battle towards Psarewo.  His fire cut our ranks to pieces; his attack was violent, impetuous, and simultaneous; infantry, artillery, and cavalry, all made a grand effort.  Ney and Murat stood firm against this tempest; the question with them was no longer about following up the victory, but about retaining it.