The irregulars destroyed the Grande Armee piecemeal. They swept uj the fallen leaves that were dropping of themselves from the withered tree and sometimes they shook the tree itself. By October, when the Frencl were fleeing to Smolensk, there were hundreds of these companies, dif fering widely from one another in number and in character. Some were detachments that followed all the usual routine of an army, with infantry artillery, staff-officers, and all the conveniences of life. Some consistec only of Cossacks, mounted men. Others were small bands of men, or foot and also mounted. Some consisted of peasants, or of landowners and their serfs, and remained unknown. There was a deacon at the head oi such a band, who took several hundred prisoners in a month. There was the village elder’s wife, Vassilisa, who killed hundreds of the French, The latter part of October was the time when this guerilla warfare reached its height. That period of this warfare, in which the irregulars were themselves amazed at their own audacity, were every moment in dread of being surrounded and captured by the French, and never unsaddling, hardly dismounting, hid in the woods, in momentary expectation of pursuit, was already over. The irregular warfare had by now taken definite shape; it had become clear to all the irregulars what they could, and what they could not, accomplish with the French. By now it was only the commanders of detachments marching with staff-officers according to the rules at a distance from the French who considered
uch impossible. The small bands of irregulars who had been at work a ng while, and were at close quarters with the French, found it possible t attempt what the leaders of larger companies did not dare to think of •Ding. The Cossacks and the peasants, who crept in among the French, lought everything possible now.
On the 22nd of October, Denisov, who was a leader of a band of regulars, was eagerly engaged in a typical operation of this irregular arfare. From early morning he had been with his men moving about ie woods that bordered the high road, watching a big convoy of cavalry iggage and Russian prisoners that had dropped behind the other French oops, and under strong escort—as he learned from his scouts and from •isoners—was making its way to Smolensk. Not only Denisov and •olohov (who was also a leader of a small band acting in the same dis- (ict) were aware of the presence of this convoy. Some generals in bmmand of some larger detachments, with staff-officers also, knew of lis convoy, and, as Denisov said, their mouths were watering for it. Two f these generals—one a Pole, the other a German—had almost at the ime time sent to Denisov, an invitation to join their respective detach- lents in attacking the convoy.
‘No, friend, I wasn’t born yesterday!’ said Denisov, on reading these ocuments; and he wrote to the German that in spite of his ardent desire ) serve under so brilliant and renowned a general, he must deprive him- :lf of that happiness because he was already under the command of the olish general. To the Pole he wrote the same thing, informing him that e was already serving under the command of the German.
Having thus disposed of that difficulty, Denisov, without communicat- ig on the subject to the higher authorities, intended with Dolohov to ttack and carry off this transport with his own small force. The transport ; as, on.the 22nd of October, going from the village of Mikulino to the illage of Shamshevo. On the left side of the road between Mikulino and hamshevo there were great woods, which in places bordered on the road, nd in places were a verst or more from the road. Denisov, with a small arty of followers, had been the whole day riding about in these woods, Dmetimes plunging into their centre, and sometimes coming out at the dge, but never losing sight of the moving French. In the morning, not ir from Mikulino, where the wood ran close to the road, the Cossacks f Denisov’s party had pounced on two French waggonloads of saddles, tuck in the mud, and had carried them off into the wood. From that time ight on to evening, they had been watching the movements of the French ■'ithout attacking them. They wanted to avoid frightening them, and to :t them go quietly on to Shamshevo, and then, joining Dolohov (who ras to come that evening to a trysting-place in the wood, a verst from hamshevo, to concert measures with them), from two sides to fall at awn like an avalanche of snow on their heads, and to overcome and apture all of them at a blow.
Six Cossacks had been left behind, two versts from Mikulino, where
the wood bordered the road. They were to bring word at once as soon , any fresh columns of French came into sight.
