In this letter Napoleon particularly recommended to him “to put the men still remaining in the hospitals into the carriages belonging to the young guard, those of the dismounted cavalry, and any others that he might find.  The Romans,” added he, “awarded civic crowns to those who saved citizens:  so many soldiers as he should save, so many crowns would the Duke of Treviso deserve.  He must put them on his horses and those of any of his troops.  It was thus that he, Napoleon, acted at St. Jean d’Acre.  He ought so much the more to take this measure, since, as soon as the convoy should have rejoined the army, there would be plenty of horses and carriages, which the consumption would have rendered useless for its supply.  The Emperor hoped that he should have to testify his satisfaction to the Duke of Treviso for having saved him five hundred men.  He must begin with the officers and then with the subalterns, and give the preference to Frenchmen.  He would therefore assemble all the generals and officers under his command, to make them sensible of the importance of this measure, and how well they would deserve of the Emperor if they saved him five hundred men.”

Meanwhile, as the grand army was leaving Moscow, the Cossacks were penetrating into the suburbs, and Mortier had retired towards the Kremlin, as a remnant of life retires towards the heart, when death has begun to seize the extremities.  These Cossacks were the scouts to ten thousand Russians under the command of Winzingerode.

This foreigner, inflamed with hatred of Napoleon, and animated by the desire of retaking Moscow and naturalizing himself in Russia by this signal exploit, pushed on to a considerable distance from his men; he traversed, running, the Georgian colony, hastened towards the Chinese town and the Kremlin, met with advanced posts, mistook them, fell into an ambuscade, and finding himself a prisoner in a city which he had come to take, he suddenly changed his part, waving his handkerchief in the air, and declaring that he had brought a flag of truce.

He was conducted to the Duke of Treviso.  There he claimed, in a high tone, the protection of the law of nations, which, he said, was violated in his person.  Mortier replied, that “a general-in-chief, coming in this manner, might be taken for a rash soldier, but never for a flag of truce, and that he must immediately deliver his sword.”  The Russian general, having no longer any hope of imposing upon him, complied and admitted his imprudence.

At length, after four days’ resistance, the French bid an eternal adieu to that fatal city.  They carried with them four hundred wounded, and, on retiring, deposited, in a safe and secret place, a fire-work skilfully prepared, which a slow fire was already consuming; its progress was minutely calculated; so that it was known at what hour the fire would reach the immense heap of powder buried among the foundations of these condemned palaces.