_Murat's Armistice broken off--Napoleon leaves Moscow on 19th October--Bloody Skirmish at Malo-Yarowslavetz--Napoleon in great danger while reconnoitring--He retreats to Vereia, where he meets Mortier and the Young Guard--Winzengerode made Prisoner, and insulted by Buonaparte--The Kremlin is blown up by the French--Napoleon continues his Retreat towards Poland--Its Horrors--Conflict near Wiazma, on 3d November, where the French lose 4000 Men--Cross the River Wiazma during the Night--The Viceroy of Italy reaches Smolensk, in great distress--Buonaparte arrives at Smolensk, with the headmost division of the Grand Army--Calamitous Retreat of Ney's Division--The whole French Army now collected at Smolensk--Cautious conduct of Prince Schwartzenberg--Winzengerode freed on his road to Paris, by a body of Cossacks--Tchitchagoff occupies Minsk--Perilous situation of Napoleon._ [Sidenote: MURAT ATTACKED AND DEFEATED.] It was easy to make Murat himself the active person in breaking off the armistice, a step which the Russian general preferred, lest a formal intimation of rupture on his own side, might lead the King of Naples to suspect his further purpose. Accordingly, a Cossack having fired his carabine when Murat was examining the advanced guards, irritated, as it was designed to do, that fiery soldier, and induced him to announce to the Russian generals that the armistice was ended. The Russians were the first to commence hostilities. The camp, or position, which Murat occupied, Worodonow, was covered on the right, and on the centre, by a rivulet or brook, running in a deep ravine; but the stream taking another direction, left a good part of the left wing uncovered, which was at the same time exposed to surprise from a wood covering a little plain where his left rested. The sum of Murat's force, which consisted of the cavalry, and Poniatowski's division, was computed to be upwards of 30,000. It is singular that since the King of Naples expected an attack, as was intimated by his letter to his brother-in-law, he did not take the precaution of placing videttes and advanced guards in the woody plain. But the French, from their long train of success, were accustomed to despise their enemies, and to consider a surprise as a species of affront which they were never to be exposed to.