growth of the trees. Ney
now pressed forward with such vigour that Touchkoff was driven from his
position in advance, upon the village itself, where he was again
reinforced by four infantry battalions, two regiments of cavalry, and
heavy guns. Murat with his cavalry endeavoured to turn the Russian left,
but the two Russian cavalry regiments, supported by their artillery,
maintained their ground. Soon after five o'clock the French had received
such large reinforcements that the Russians were forced to give way, and
were in full retreat when Barclay himself arrived upon the scene, and
rallied them. The battle was renewed, and the last effort of the French
was repulsed by a charge with the bayonet by the Russian grenadiers.

In the charge, however, General Touchkoff, by whose valour the Russian
army had been saved, was carried too far in advance of his men, and was
taken prisoner. It was not until midnight that the rear of Barclay's
column emerged from the cross road, in which it had been involved for
twenty-four hours. In this fight the French and Russians lost about
6000 men each. Had Junot joined Ney in the attack on Touchkoff's force
the greater part of the Russian army must have been destroyed or made
prisoners.

The Russian army now pursued its march towards Moscow unmolested save by
some attacks by Murat's cavalry. Ney's corps d'armee had borne the brunt
of the fighting at Loubino, and had been diminished in strength by
another 4000 men. In this battle, however, Julian's regiment, having
suffered so heavily in the attack at Smolensk, was one of those held in
reserve. Napoleon was greatly disappointed at the escape of the Russian
army from his grasp. Only 30,000 Russians had been engaged both in the
action in their rear and in that at Loubino, while the whole of the
French army round Smolensk, with the exception of the corps of Junot,
had in vain endeavoured to break through the defence and to fall upon
the main body of the army so helplessly struggling along the road.

In the attack on Smolensk 12,000 of Napoleon's best soldiers had fallen.
Loubino cost him 6000 more, and although these numbers were but small in
proportion to the total strength of his army, they were exclusively
those of French soldiers belonging to the divisions in which he placed
his main trust. It was now a question with him whether he should
establish himself for the winter in the country he occupied, accumulate
stores, make Smolensk a great