skins of cats and dogs; Grenadiers were to be
seen in large sheepskins. Cuirassiers wearing women's dresses of
coloured baize, like Spanish mantles. Few had helmets or shakos; they
wore every kind of head-dress, coloured and white nightcaps like the
peasants, drawn low over their faces, a handkerchief or a bit of fur as
a protection to their ears, and handkerchiefs also over the lower part
of their face; and yet the ears and noses of most were frost-bitten or
fiery red, and their dark eyes were almost extinguished in their
cavities. Few had either shoe or boot; fortunate was he who could go
through that miserable march with felt socks or large fur shoes, and
the feet of many were enveloped in straw, rags, the covering of
knapsacks, or the felt of an old hat. All tottered, supported by
sticks, lame and limping. The Guards even were little different from
the rest; their mantles were scorched, only their bear-skin caps gave
them still a military aspect. Thus did officers and soldiers, one with
another, crawl along with bent heads, in a state of gloomy
stupefaction. All had become forms of horror from hunger, frost, and
indescribable misery.

Day after day they came along the high road, generally as soon as
twilight and the iron winter fog were spread over the houses.
Demoniacal was the effect of these noiseless apparitions of horrible
figures, terrible the sufferings they brought with them; the people
asserted that warmth could not be restored to their bodies, nor their
craving hunger allayed. If they were taken into a warm room, they
thrust themselves violently against the hot stove, as if they would get
into it, and in vain did the compassionate women endeavour to keep them
away from the dangerous heat. Greedily they devoured the dry bread, and
some would not leave off till they died. Till after the battle of
Leipzig, the people were under the belief that they had been smitten by
Heaven with eternal hunger. Even then it occurred that the prisoners,
when close to their hospital, roasted for themselves pieces of dead
horses, although they had already received the regular hospital
food; still, therefore, did the citizens maintain that it was a
hunger specially inflicted by God; once they had thrown beautiful
wheat-sheaves into their camp fire, and had scattered good bread on the
dirty floor, now they were condemned never to be satiated by any human
food.[49]

Everywhere in the cities, along the road of the army, hospital