The Fire of Moscow in 1812.

1. This happened on the night of the 4^th of September, 1812, when the French emperor, Napoleon, settled down in the Kremlin, in splendid chambers of Russian tsars. The intolerably bright light awoke him. What he saw through the window shocked and terrified him: fire and smoke surrounded the Kremlin.

2. At dawn the wind began raging so fiercely that all isolated seats of fire in the streets flew together into one boundless fiery sea destroying everything on its way. Napoleon, his suite and guard became prisoners of a fiery element raging everywhere. The Kremlin was not already a reliable refuge but turned into a trap that seemed to be on the verge of slamming.

3. Petrovsky Palace situated out of town boundaries was chosen as General Heandquarters. A direct way to Petrovsky Palace was cut by the fire. After a long search they managed to find out underground passage being not bricked up. Through this narrow dark passage Napoleon and his escort got out of the Kremlin to the embankment of the Moskva River.

4. On leaving the Kremlin walls Napoleon and his suite entered the realm of fire and smoke. The streets were converted into fiery rivers. There was no way backwards. Napoleon and his companions got into fiery labyrinth. Burning air, hot ashes, fiery sparks – all these hampered respiration.

5. Soldiers marauders of the French army who were met by Napoleon and his suite quite by chance, knew the streets of the city and therefore could lead Napoleon through conflagration to Moskva River near Dorogomilovsky Bridge. Exhausted by terrible impressions of that day, they had reached the Petrovsky Palace only by the evening.

6. Moscow was burning all the day on the 5^thof September. The thousand inhabitants left Moscow. Great glow of fire above Moscow was seen at a distance of hundreds of versts. In the evening rainclouds covered the sky and at night it poured. The wind began to fall. The fire was diminishing gradually and ceased completely on the 8^th of September. So it lasted during six days. Only on the 12^th of September the French couraged to return to devastated Moscow. They went along the cold swampy mud. The city represented gigantic smouldering ruins.