At length, after several days of illusion, the charm was dispelled.  A Cossack completely dissolved it.  This barbarian fired at Murat, at the moment when that prince came as usual to show himself at the advanced posts.  Murat was exasperated; he declared to Miloradowitch that an armistice which was incessantly violated was at an end; and that thenceforward each ought to put confidence in himself alone.

At the same time he apprised the Emperor, that a woody country on his left might favour attempts against his flank and rear; that his first line, backed against a ravine, might be precipitated into it; that in short the position which he occupied, in advance of a defile, was dangerous, and rendered a retrograde movement absolutely necessary.  But Napoleon would not consent to this step, though he had at first pointed out Woronowo as a more secure position.  In this war, still in his view rather political than military, he dreaded above all the appearance of receding.  He preferred risking every thing.

At the same time, on the 13th of October, he sent back Lauriston to Murat, to examine the position of the vanguard.  As to the Emperor, either from a tenacious adherence to his first hope, or that any disposition which might be construed into a preparation for retreat, equally shocked his pride and his policy, a singular negligence was remarked in his preparations for departure.  He nevertheless thought of it, for that very day he traced his plan of retreat by Woloklamsk, Zubtzow, and Bieloe, on Witepsk.  A moment afterwards he dictated another on Smolensk.  Junot received orders to burn on the 21st, at Kolotskoi, all the muskets of the wounded, and to blow up the ammunition waggons.  D’Hilliers was to occupy Elnia, and to form magazines at that place.  It was not till the 17th, at Moscow, that Berthier thought of causing leather to be distributed for the first time among the troops.

This major-general was a wretched substitute for his principal on this critical occasion.  In a strange country and climate, he recommended no new precaution, and he expected the minutest details to be dictated by his Emperor.  They were forgotten.  This negligence or want of foresight was attended with fatal consequences.  In an army, each division of which was commanded by a marshal, a prince, or even a king, one relied perhaps too much on the other.  Besides, Berthier gave no orders of himself; he thought it enough to repeat exactly the very letter of Napoleon’s commands; for, as to their spirit, either from fatigue or habit, he was incessantly confounding the positive with the conjectural parts of those instructions.

Napoleon meanwhile rallied his corps d’armee.  The reviews which he held in the Kremlin were more frequent; he formed all the dismounted cavalry into battalions, and lavishly distributed rewards.  The division of Claparede, the trophies and all the wounded that could be removed, set out for Mojaisk; the rest were collected in the great foundling hospital; French surgeons were placed there; and the Russian wounded, intermixed with ours, were intended to serve them for a safeguard.