""Twas after dread Pultowa's day, When fortune left the royal Swede, Around a slaughter'd-army lay, No more to combat and to bleed,Such was the hazard of the die; The wounded Charles was taught to fly By day and night, through field and flood, Stain'd with his own and subject's blood." If one circumstance, amidst a number which might be mentioned, rendered the memorable winter of 1709, more memorable than another, it was the daring design, conceived and partly executed by Charles XII. of Sweden, to penetrate, during the horrors of a more than ordinary rigorous season, into the heart of that region of frost and snowRussia. This design, in connection with the consequences which resulted from it, stamps the period as a new epocha in the history of Europe, and modern warVOL. III. fare. The fame which already stood associated with the Swede, and the celebrity of his distinguished rival the czar, fixed the attention of the whole of the potentates of the world upon them, while the issue of the important struggle which was on the eve of taking place, appeared to have a powerful bearing upon the destinies of surrounding nations. Resolute in the purpose which he had conceived, Charles determined to brave the inclemency of the season, as he had often done the prowess of his enemies, and accordingly commenced his design by long and forced marches; during one of which 2,000 men, benumbed by the excessive severity of the frost, fell dead, almost beneath his own eyes. 20 That which increased the sufferings | gagement: judging, as he did, wisely, they endured, from long marches and that the Swedish army must in the end intense cold, was the bad supply of be entirely ruined, as every possibility clothing with which the troops were fur- of its being recruited he had taken care nished. The dragoons had no boots, to cut off. and the infantry were without shoes and almost destitute of clothes. They were obliged to make coverings for their legs of the skins of wild beasts, in the best way their ingenuity enabled them; and not unfrequently, as an aggravation to their sufferings, they were without bread. Still the magnanimity of Charles remained unshaken; and in the spirit of genuine heroism, he shared with his men in all the inconveniences and privations they endured, One striking fact | will better illustrate the character of the noble warrior, than volumes of laudatory writing. During a period the meagre supply which the soldiers possessed was of the coarsest possible description, One of the men in the ranks, ventured, in the presence of the whole army, to present to the king, with an air of complaint, a portion of his rations, in the form of black and mouldy bread, made of barley and oats, of which harsh fare only a scanty supply could be procured, The king received the presented black provision, while not a muscle of his warlike countenance betrayed any internal emotion; and having observed it attentively for a moment, very deliberately eat the whole, and then, with a coolness which displayed the peculiarity of his character, observed to the soldier," It is not good; but it may be eaten !" This circumstance contributed, more than all others, to make the Swedish army support those hardships which would have been intolerable under any other general. Active as Charles was, Peter the Great was not a whit behind him. After he had sent fresh troops to the assistance of the confederates of Poland, who, under the command of General Sinianski, exerted their joint efforts against Stanislaus, he immediately advanced into the Ukraine, to make head against the king of Sweden. The czar was a politician of no mean character, and in uniformity with the political scheme which he had laid, he strove to weaken his enemies by petty encounters, rather than a general en After several slight shirmishes, and not a few losses, Charles found in the month of April, that out of an army of 43,000 men, which he had led, laden with gold and silver from Poland and Saxony, and which again had been strengthened by an army of 20,000 men, under Count Lewenhaupt, and another of 15,000 from Finland, making a total of 78,000 men, besides numerous recruits which flocked to him from Sweden, he could only muster about 18,000. Mazeppa, a celebrated prince of the Cossacks, supplied them with provisions, without which assistance the army must have perished with cold and hunger. Surrounded, as the king was, by want and distress, his determination remained unchanged; he neither abandoned the design or the hope of penetrating to Moscow, with his 18,000 troops; and, therefore, towards the end of May, he laid siege to Pultowa, upon the river Vorsaka, at the eastern extremity of the Ukraine, and more than 18,000 leagues from the Boristhenes. Through the intrigues of Mazeppa, the inhabitants of the country were brought to declare in favour of Charles, although the czar had before presented them with 60,000 florins, to keep them in his interest. The number of their troops, at the most, did not exceed 2,000. To these the king succeeded in adding several thousand Walachians, whom he hired from the Cham of Little Tartary. With this motley army, made up of Zaporavians, Cossacks, and Walachians, and his 18,000 Swedes, altogether about 30,000 men, but in the most wretched condition and in want of every thing, he laid siege to Pultowa. It was well known to the king, that the czar had formed an extensive magazine in Pultowa, and which, could he succeed in taking it, would open his way to Moscow: or supposing his design was not to the fullest extent accomplished, he would at least be so far strengthened, as to be enabled to await with some safety the arrival of the succours which he expected from Sweden, Livonia, Pomerania, and Po- | the consternation of the army became land. His only resource, therefore, being immense, until one of the surgeons, in the conquest of Pultowa, he pressed whose name was Newman, and whose the siege of it with redoubled energy. skill and courage exceeded all his brother disciples of Esculapius, affirmed that such a course needed not to be resorted to, but that by making deep incisions he was confident he could save his majesty's leg. In the mean time, Prince Mazeppa, who contrived to carry on a secret correspondence in the town, assured Charles that he would in a short time be master of it. This flattering communication gave renewed spirit to the whole of the soldiers, for they had calculated confidently, that the taking of Pultowa would terminate all the miseries they endured. From the commencement of the siege, the king perceived that he had taught his enemies the art of war: for notwithstanding all the precautions he could use, Prince Meuzikoff, continued to throw succours into the town; by which means the garrison was strengthened to the number of nearly 5,000 men. Several sallies were made, and many of them with considerable success, and mines were likewise sprung; but that which rendered the town impregnable, was the approach of the czar, who advanced with an army of 70,000 men to its assistance. On the 27th of May, which was the birth-day of the royal Swede, he went to reconnoitre the approaching relief, and beat one of their detachments. As he was returning to his camp, a shot from a carbine pierced his boot, and shattered the bone of his heel. Notwithstanding the pain he must have suffered, so great was the command which he maintained over his feelings, that no change in his countenance was perceivable, and hence no one suspected even that he was wounded; he continued to give his orders with the same composure, and, after the accident, remained on his horse nearly six hours. The first public notice which was given that the king was wounded, was by a servant, who, observing that the sole of Charles's boot was covered with blood, ran to call the surgeons. The pain now became excessive, and his attendants were obliged to assist him in dismounting, and to carry him into his tent. With all possible expedition the surgeons in attendance examined the wound, and the opinion they then formed was, that the leg must be amputated. The news spread with uncommon speed, and "Fall to work, then, instantly," exclaimed Charles, "cut boldly and fear nothing." The king himself held the maimed member with both his hands, during the whole of the painful operation, and witnessed the deep incisions which were made, with as much composure as if the knife had been cutting the flesh of another person. During the time that the dressings were being laid on, he continued to converse concerning the siege, and with perfect calmness gave orders that the assault should be made on the following day. Scarcely, however, had the order been issued, before he was informed that the whole army of the enemy was advancing against him, and it therefore became necessary to alter his measures. Wounded, and incapable of acting in person, the king beheld himself situated between the Boristhenes and the river that runs to Pultowa, in a desert country, without a single place of security, without ammunition, and in the face of an enemy, which at once cut off his retreat, and prevented all supplies being brought to him. In this extremity the greatness and daring of Charles's extraordinary mind shone forth he did not assemble a council of war; but on the night of the 7th of July, he sent for Velt Mareschal Renschild into his tent, and without any apparent deliberation, or the least discomposure, directed him to make the necessary dispositions for attacking the czar the next day. Without uttering a word of objection, Renschild departed, to carry the orders of his king into execution. At the door of Charles's tent, Renschild met with Count Piper, between whom, and himself, a misunderstanding had for some time existed. "Have you any news?" inquired. Piper of the general. "No!" was the brief reply; and he passed on. "Has Renschild told you nothing?" | remainder were left in the camp, with asked the king, as soon as Piper stood before him. "Nothing, sire," replied the count. "Well, then, I will tell you," said Charles. "To-morrow, we shall give battle." "Give battle, your majesty?" responded the minister, terrified at what he conceived a desperate attempt. "Ay, Count Piper, such is my determination," returned the king. Piper knew too well his master's mind to hope, by any reasoning he might adopt, to induce him to change his mind, and therefore expressed his surprised by his silence; and left the unmoved king to sleep calmly until the break of day. On the 8th of July, 1709, the decisive battle of Pultowa was fought between two of the most extraordinary monarchs that the world then knew. Charles the XII. was illustrious from nine years of splendid victories; while Peter Alexiowitz was no less so from nine years' labour, during which he strove to make his troops equal to those of Sweden. The former was glorious in the eye of the civilized world for having won and given away kingdoms, the other for having civilized his own. The royal Swede bore the title of "Invincible," of which, in a single moment, he might be deprived; while the neighbouring nations, who had marked the astonishing work accomplished by Peter Alexiowitz, had given to him the name of the "Great," which, as he did not owe it to his victories, he could not lose by a defeat. At the time of the battle, the king of Sweden was on the south of Pultowa, stretching a little towards the east, with his baggage about one mile in his rear, and the river of Pultowa, which was on the north of the town, running from east to west. The czar had already passed the river, about a league from Pultowa, towards the west, and was busily engaged in forming his camp. The dawn of day as yet only faintly illumined the eastern horizon, when the Swedes appeared before the trenches with four iron cannon, which slender supply consituted the whole of their artillery they had with them; the about 3,000 men, while 4,000 stayed by the baggage: so that the whole of Charles's army which advanced against the enemy, consisted of about 21,000 men, of which number there were about 16,000 Swedes. The Generals Renschild, Roos, Lewenhaupt, and several other distinguished individuals, the greater part of whom had been present at the battle of Narva, reminded the subaltern officers of that day, on which, 8,000 Swedes defeated an army of 80,000 Muscovites in their entrenchments. The inferior officers exhorted the soldiers by the same stirring motives, every one encouraging each other as they marched towards the conflict. That which gave novelty and importance to the whole inspiring scene, was the wounded king, being borne in a litter at the head of his infantry, and conducting the march. A party of the cavalry advanced by his order to attack that of the enemy; and the battle began with this engagement at half-past four in the morning. The cavalry of the enemy was posted towards the west, on the right side of the Russian camp. Prince Meuzikoff and Count Gallowin had placed them at certain distances between redoubts, lined with cannon. General Schlipenback, at the head of the Swedes, rushed upon this body of cavalry. The fury of their attack was overpowering: the Muscovite squadrons were broken and routed. The czar, who ran up to rally them in person, had his hat pierced with a musket-ball; Meuzikoff had three horses killed under him, while the Swedes, encouraged by the success of their first assault, shouted, "Victory." Charles, in the confidence which his former fortunes had inspired, allowed not a doubt to cloud his mind that the battle was completely gained. During the preceding night he had despatched General Creuts, with 5,000 horses, and orders to attack the enemy in the flank, while he led on the attack in their front; unfortunately, however, Creuts mistook his way, and did not appear. The czar, who concluded he was defeated, having time given him, in consequence of the Swedish general's mistake, rallied his cavalry, and imme of Charles, which, not being supported by the detachments of Creuts, were broken in their turn. In this engagement Schlipenback was taken prisoner. At the same time seventy-two pieces of cannon played from the camp upon the Swedish cavalry, and the Russian infantry, opening their lines, advanced to attack that of Charles. diately, in his turn, fell upon the forces | fatal, as it broke the litter in pieces, and overthrew the king; while of fourand-twenty drabants who relieved each other in carrying him, one-and-twenty were killed. The Swedes began to faint, being overwhelmed with consternation, while the cannon of the enemy continued to mow them down; the first line fell back upon the second, and the second began to fly. So greatly were affairs changed in this action, that one line of the Russian infantry routed the whole of the Swedish army. At this important crises the czar despatched Prince Meuzikoff to go and post himself between the besieged town and the besiegers. The prince executed the orders of his master with dexterity and expedition; succeeding, not only in cutting off the communication between the Swedish army and the camp before Pultowa, but, having met with a corps de reserve of 3,000 men, he surrounded and cut them to pieces. In the mean time the Russian infantry came out of their lines, and advanced to the open plain in order to battle; while, on the other hand, the Swedish cavalry rallied within a quarter of a league from the enemy; and the king, assisted by Velt Mareschal Renschild, made the necessary dispositions for a general engagement. The remainder of Charles's troops were ranged in two lines, his infantry occupying the centre, and his cavalry the two wings. The Prince of Wirtemberg, General Renschild, and several principal officers were already made prisoners; the camp before Pultowa was stormed, and all was thrown into irremediable confusion. Count Piper, with some officers of the chancery, had left the camp, and neither knew what to do, or what was become of the king, but ran in confusion from one part of the field of battle to the other. A major named Bere, offered to conduct them to the baggage; but the clouds of smoke and dust which covered the country, and the confusion of mind, the natural result of such disorder, brought them directly to the counterscarp of the town, where they were all made prisoners by the garrison. Desperate as circumstances were, still the king refused to fly, and yet he posThe czar disposed his army after the sessed no ability to defend himself. At same order with those of his opponent. this instant, General Poniatowsky hapHe, however, had the advantage consi-pened to be near him. The general was derably in point of numbers; he also possessed seventy-four pieces of cannon, while the Swedes had only four with which to opppose him; and at the same time felt considerably the want of powder. The emperor of Muscovy was in the centre of his army, having then only the title of major-general, and appeared to obey the orders of General Zeremetoff; notwithstanding which, he rode from rank to rank in the character of emperor, mounted on a Turkish horse, which was a present from the grand seignior, animating his people and promising rewards to all. At nine, A.M., the battle was renewed. One of the first discharges of the Russian cannon, carried off the two horses of Charles's litter; and he immediately ordered two others to be put to. A second discharge had nearly proved more a man who, in all the occurrences of life, and amidst those dangers in which others would at the most have displayed courage, always took his resolution with despatch, prudence, and success. He made a sign to two drabants, who took the king under their arms, and placed him on horseback, notwithstanding the extreme pain of his wounds. The gallant Poniatowsky, although he had no command in the army, became, on this occasion, a general through necessity, and rallied 500 horse near the king's person. Having succeeded in assembling this body, and they, being rendered desperate from the misfortunes of their sovereign, pushed their way through more than ten regiments of Russian soldiers, and for the space of a league conducted Charles, through the midst of the enemy, to the baggage of the Swedish army. |