October 22nd.—Burgos captured by Wellington.
October 23rd.—Conspiracy of Malet at Paris; Cambacérès to the rescue. Evacuation of Moscow by Mortier after forty days' occupation. The French army now retreating has only half its original strength, and the best cavalry regiments boast only 100 horses.
October 24th.—Battle of Malo-Jaroslavitz. Eugène with 17,000
men defeats Kutusoff with 60,000; but Napoleon finds the enemy too strong and too tenacious to risk the fertile Kaluga route.
November 3rd.—Battle of Wiazma. Rearguard action, in which Ney and Eugène are distinguished.
November 9th.—Napoleon reaches Smolensk and hears of Malet conspiracy.
November 14th.—Evacuation of Smolensk.
November 16th.—Russian Army (of the Danube) takes Minsk, and cuts off the French from the Niemen.
November 16th-19th.—Combat of Krasnoi, twenty-five miles west of Smolensk. Kutusoff with 30,000 horse and 70,000 foot tries to stop the French, who have only 25,000 effective combatants. Magnificent fighting by Ney with his rearguard of 6000.
November 21st.—Russians seize at Borizow the bridges over the Beresina, which are