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Nine days after the abandonment of Moscow, a messenger from
Kutuzov reached Petersburg with the official announcement of that
event. This messenger was Michaud, a Frenchman who did not know
Russian, but who was quoique etranger, russe de coeur et d'ame,*
as he said of himself.
*Though a foreigner, Russian in heart and soul.
The Emperor at once received this messenger in his study at
the palace on Stone Island. Michaud, who had never seen Moscow
before the campaign and who did not know Russian, yet felt deeply
moved (as he wrote) when he appeared before notre tres gracieux
souverain* with the news of the burning of Moscow, dont les flammes
eclairaient sa route.*[2]
*Our most gracious sovereign.
*[2] Whose flames illumined his route.
Though the source of M. Michaud's chagrin must have been different
from that which caused Russians to grieve, he had such a sad face
when shown into the Emperor's study that the latter at once asked:
"Have you brought me sad news, Colonel?"
"Very sad, sire," replied Michaud, lowering his
eyes with a sigh. "The abandonment of Moscow."
"Have they surrendered my ancient capital without a battle?"
asked the Emperor quickly, his face suddenly flushing.
Michaud respectfully delivered the message Kutuzov had entrusted
to him, which was that it had been impossible to fight before
Moscow, and that as the only remaining choice was between losing
the army as well as Moscow, or losing Moscow alone, the field
marshal had to choose the latter.
The Emperor listened in silence, not looking at Michaud.
"Has the enemy entered the city?" he asked.
"Yes, sire, and Moscow is now in ashes. I left it all
in flames," replied Michaud in a decided tone, but glancing
at the Emperor he was frightened by what he had done.
The Emperor began to breathe heavily and rapidly, his lower
lip trembled, and tears instantly appeared in his fine blue eyes.
But this lasted only a moment. He suddenly frowned, as if
blaming himself for his weakness, and raising his head addressed
Michaud in a firm voice:
"I see, Colonel, from all that is happening, that Providence
requires great sacrifices of us... I am ready to submit myself
in all things to His will; but tell me, Michaud, how did you leave
the army when it saw my ancient capital abandoned without a battle?
Did you not notice discouragement?..."
Seeing that his most gracious ruler was calm once more, Michaud
also grew calm, but was not immediately ready to reply to the
Emperor's direct and relevant question which required a direct
answer.
"Sire, will you allow me to speak frankly as befits a
loyal soldier?" he asked to gain time.
"Colonel, I always require it," replied the Emperor.
"Conceal nothing from me, I wish to know absolutely how things
are."
"Sire!" said Michaud with a subtle, scarcely perceptible
smile on his lips, having now prepared a well-phrased reply, "sire,
I left the whole army, from its chiefs to the lowest soldier,
without exception in desperate and agonized terror..."
"How is that?" the Emperor interrupted him, frowning
sternly. "Would misfortune make my Russians lose heart?...
Never!"
Michaud had only waited for this to bring out the phrase he
had prepared.
"Sire," he said, with respectful playfulness, "they
are only afraid lest Your Majesty, in the goodness of your heart,
should allow yourself to be persuaded to make peace. They are
burning for the combat," declared this representative of
the Russian nation, "and to prove to Your Majesty by the
sacrifice of their lives how devoted they are...."
"Ah!" said the Emperor reassured, and with a kindly
gleam in his eyes, he patted Michaud on the shoulder. "You
set me at ease, Colonel."
He bent his head and was silent for some time.
"Well, then, go back to the army," he said, drawing
himself up to his full height and addressing Michaud with a gracious
and majestic gesture, "and tell our brave men and all my
good subjects wherever you go that when I have not a soldier left
I shall put myself at the head of my beloved nobility and my good
peasants and so use the last resources of my empire. It still
offers me more than my enemies suppose," said the Emperor
growing more and more animated; "but should it ever be ordained
by Divine Providence," he continued, raising to heaven his
fine eyes shining with emotion, "that my dynasty should cease
to reign on the throne of my ancestors, then after exhausting
all the means at my command, I shall let my beard grow to here"
(he pointed halfway down his chest) "and go and eat potatoes
with the meanest of my peasants, rather than sign the disgrace
of my country and of my beloved people whose sacrifices I know
how to appreciate."
Having uttered these words in an agitated voice the Emperor
suddenly turned away as if to hide from Michaud the tears that
rose to his eyes, and went to the further end of his study. Having
stood there a few moments, he strode back to Michaud and pressed
his arm below the elbow with a vigorous movement. The Emperor's
mild and handsome face was flushed and his eyes gleamed with resolution
and anger.
"Colonel Michaud, do not forget what I say to you here,
perhaps we may recall it with pleasure someday... Napoleon or
I," said the Emperor, touching his breast. "We can no
longer both reign together. I have learned to know him, and he
will not deceive me any more...."
And the Emperor paused, with a frown.
When he heard these words and saw the expression of firm resolution
in the Emperor's eyes, Michaud- quoique etranger, russe de coeur
et d'ame- at that solemn moment felt himself enraptured by all
that he had heard (as he used afterwards to say), and gave expression
to his own feelings and those of the Russian people whose representative
he considered himself to be, in the following words:
"Sire!" said he, "Your Majesty is at this moment
signing the glory of the nation and the salvation of Europe!"
With an inclination of the head the Emperor dismissed him.
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