_Napoleon divides his Army into four Corps, which leave Smolensk on their retreat towards Poland--Cautious proceedings of Koutousoff--The Viceroy's division is attacked by Miloradowitch, and effects a junction with Napoleon at Krasnoi, after severe loss--Koutousoff attacks the French at Krasnoi, but only by a distant cannonade--The division under Davoust is reunited to Napoleon, but in a miserable state--Napoleon marches to Liady; and Mortier and Davoust are attacked, and suffer heavy loss--Details of the retreat of Ney--He crosses the Losmina, with great loss of men and baggage, and joins Napoleon at Orcsa, with his division reduced to 1500 men--The whole Grand Army is now reduced to 12,000 effective men, besides 30,000 stragglers--Dreadful distress and difficulties of Buonaparte and his Army--Singular scene betwixt Napoleon and Duroc and Daru--Napoleon moves towards Borizoff, and falls in with the corps of Victor and Oudinot--Koutousoff halts at Kopyn, without attacking Buonaparte--Napoleon crosses the Beresina at Studzianka--Partouneaux's division cut off by Witgenstein--Severe fighting on both sides of the river--Dreadful losses of the French in crossing it--According to the Russian official account, 36,000 bodies were found in the Beresina after the thaw._ [Sidenote: NAPOLEON LEAVES SMOLENSK.] Cooped up, as we have said, in the ruins of Smolensk, and the slender provision of food and supplies which that place offered to his army almost entirely exhausted, Napoleon had now seriously to consider in what direction he should make an effort to escape. As he had heard of the loss of Witepsk, by which town he had advanced, and understood that Witgenstein was in possession of the line of the Dwina, he naturally determined to take the road to Wilna, by Krasnoi, Borizoff, and Minsk. The two latter towns were stored with the provisions which he so much wanted; and, ignorant as yet of what had happened on the south of Lithuania, he might expect to find the banks of the Beresina in possession of the Austro-Saxon army under Schwartzenberg. For this effort he proceeded, as well as circumstances would admit, to re-organise his army. It was reduced to about 40,000 men, with a disproportioned train of baggage and of artillery, although much of the former, and three hundred and fifty cannon, had already been left behind. This force the Emperor divided into four corps, which were to leave Smolensk, placing a day's interval betwixt the march of each. He himself led the van, with 6000 of his Guard, and about as many soldiers, the relics of different corps, amalgamated into battalions as well as circumstances would permit. The Emperor's division left Smolensk on the evening of the 13th and morning of the 14th November.