The Russian infantry, fatigued and exhausted, retired very slowly, and the cavalry had a long time to support their post; at length, however, this famous dike, the only remaining retreat to the wreck of the first column of the allies, and which had justly been the subject of so much uneasiness, was happily passed; still, however, the French (who occupied the hill, before in possession of the cavalry, as soon as they quitted it) continued to fire on them, with their artillery, till they were completely out of reach. Having passed the dike, the two Austrian Generals, who protected General Dochtorow's retreat, halted on the heights in front of Neuhoff, and tried to restore order in the Russian Battalions, which yet formed a corps of at least 8,000 men. It was then about four o'clock, and already began to grow dark. The retreat was then continued by Boschowitz; the troops marched the whole night, under a heavy fall of rain, which completed the destruction of the roads; the remaining artillery sunk in the sloughs, and were abandoned. The Austrian cavalry formed the rear guard, without being pursued by the French, who halted on the dike. The regiment of O'Reilly brought off its artillery. The French army took up the position occupied by the allied army the preceding night; the latter, after the greatest exertion on the part of the two Emperors to remedy the general confusion on the field of battle, retired in the evening completely behind Austerlitz, into the position of Hodiegitz. But the very considerable loss it had sustained in killed and wounded, and the number of those who were prisoners, or missing; more especially of the first, second, third, and fourth columns, made this army, on its arrival in rear of Austerlitz, in a very feeble state; at least, as far as regards its disposeable force. The Austrian cavalry, commanded by General Prince Hohenlohe, (who was sent to replace Prince John de Liechtenstein that same night, on the latter being charged with a mission to the Emperor Napoleon:) this cavalry, alone, had some detachments in front of Austerlitz, and formed the rear guard of the army. Thus closed this ever-memorable day. Should any errors of detail have crept into the foregoing narrative, those military men who have been engaged in actual service will know how to make allowances for them; they will know, from experience, how difficult it is to procure exact information, as to the minute particulars of a great battle. Two persons rarely see the same object in a similar point of view. But, as to the general arrangement, the plans, and the principal movements, their execution, and their result, my pen has been strictly guided by the love of truth, an accurate knowledge of what was done, and the utmost impartiality.