l\C>] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



this step as the commencement of 

 a general defection on the part of 

 their allj', were loud in its con- 

 demnation as a piece of treachery. 

 D* Yorck, in acquainting Macdonald 

 with the convention, said, <' As to 

 the judgment which the world 

 may pass on my conduct, I am in- 

 different to it. Duty to my troops, 

 and the most mature deliberation, 

 dictated it ; and whatever be the 

 appearances, I was guided by the 

 purest motives." Macdonald, now 

 left alone with his corps, was close- 

 ly pursued by Witgenstein, whose 

 advanced guard took possession of 

 Koningsberg, the ancient capital 

 of Prussia, without resistance, on 

 the 6lh of January, the retreating 

 French passing by the town with- 

 out halting. There were taken in 

 it 1,300 prisoners, besides 8,000 

 sick, and 30 pieces of the batter- 

 ing cannon employed at Riga. The 

 French directed their flight to the 

 Vistula, pursued by Witgenstein. 

 On the 12th the Russians, under 

 Tchitschagoffand Piatoff, entered 

 Marienwerder, from which, the 

 Viceroy of Italy and Marshal Vic- 

 tor narrowly escaped. They af- 

 terwards occupied Marienburg and 

 Elbing ; and crossing the Vistula 

 and its branch, the Nogat, they 

 pursued the French in different 

 directions. Piatoff with his Cos- 

 sacks pushed on to the suburbs of 

 Dantzic, and cut off all communi- 

 cation between that city and the 

 surrounding country. Operations 

 in the meantime were carrying on 

 by the Russian commanders against 

 the Saxons and Austrians. Gene- 

 ral Sachen marched against Reg- 

 nier, who was at the head of the 

 Saxons, and proceeded along the 

 Bug to Grannym; and Wasillchi- 

 koff, reinforced by a body of Cos- 



sacks, obliged Sch wartzenburg witif ' 

 the Austrians to retreat along the 

 Narevv to Pultusk. 



The situation of Prussia was at 

 this period singular and critical. 

 Its capital was possessed by a 

 French garrison, while the inhabi- 

 tants, looking out for the arrival of 

 the Russians as their deliverers from 

 an odious yoke, displayed their ha- 

 tred of their oppressors by frequent 

 popular insurrections against the 

 French, who were at length con- 

 strained to keep within their bar- 

 racks. At Koningsberg a regency 

 was established in the name of the 

 king, which issued a proclamation 

 calling upon the loyal people of 

 Prussia to come forwards for the 

 rescue of their king and country 

 from French bondage ; and a 

 number of young men obeyed the 

 call, and joined the troops under 

 D'Yorck, who had been declared 

 commander-in-chief of the patrio- 

 tic army. The king himself, hav- 

 ing now probably made his deter- 

 mination as to the part he meant 

 to act, withdrew in the end of Ja- 

 nuary from Potsdam, where he 

 felt himself entirely in the power 

 of the French garrison of Berlin, 

 and suddenly removed to Breslau. 

 At that city he issued proclama- 

 tions, summoning his subjects to 

 take up arms in defence of their 

 king and country-, but without de- 

 claring against whom they were to 

 be employed. Eugene Beauhar- 

 nois, however, who was left com- 

 mander of the French armies, and 

 was now at Berlin, comprehending 

 the purpose of these levies, forbad 

 the recruiting in that capital. The 

 Russians continued to advance, the 

 emperor being at the head of the 

 main army. They spread over a 

 largeextent of country, and carried 



