THE GREAT WHITE ARMY

By

Max Pemberton

CASSELL AND COMPANY, LTD
London, New York, Toronto & Melbourne
1916

Works by the same Author

MILLIONAIRE'S ISLAND
THE IRON PIRATE
WHITE MOTLEY
THE VIRGIN FORTRESS
WAR AND THE WOMAN
CAPTAIN BLACK. A sequel to "The Iron Pirate"
THE GIRL WITH THE RED HAIR
THE SHOW GIRL
THE HOUSE UNDER THE SEA
THE SEA-WOLVES
THE IMPREGNABLE CITY
THE GIANT'S GATE
A PURITAN'S WIFE
THE GARDEN OF SWORDS
KRONSTADT. A Novel
THE LITTLE HUGUENOT
RED MORN
THE HUNDRED DAYS
THE DIAMOND SHIP
WHEELS OF ANARCHY
SIR RICHARD ESCOMBE

CASSELL AND CO., LTD.,
LONDON, NEW YORK, TORONTO AND MELBOURNE.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

The greatest military tragedy in history is the retreat of Napoleon'sGrand Army from Moscow. Napoleon set out to invade Russia in thespring of the year 1812. In the month of June 600,000 men crossed theRiver Niemen. Of this vast army, but 20,000 "famished, frost-bittenspectres" staggered across the Bridge of Kovno in the month ofDecember.

Many pens have described, with more or less fidelity, the details ofthis unsurpassable tragedy. The story which we are now about torepresent to our readers is that of Surgeon-Major Constant, a veteranwho accompanied Napoleon to Moscow, and was one of the survivors whoreturned ultimately to Paris. Constant had fled from Paris at thebeginning of the French Revolution in the year 1792. He lived for awhile at Leipsic, where he gave lessons in French and studied medicine.His nephew, Captain Léon de Courcelles, was one of the famous Vélitesof the Guard. It is with the exploits of this young and daring soldierthat the veteran's narrative is often concerned.

CONTENTS