Russian peasants attacking French stragglers About this painting

"Cossacks kept up perpetual raids along the road, which they constantly crossed between one division and another -- or even, when there was a gap, between one regiment and another...wherever there was no shooting to fear, wherever transport wagons were moving along in disorder, or unarmed stagglers were making their way as best they could, the Cossacks improvised sudden attacks, killing and wounding, robbing all those whose lives were spared, and looting wagons and carriages when they came upon them (p. 222-223)."

"My eyes never saw a sight so horrible as the march of our army... Every heart was closed to pity by the fear of starving, of losing the overladen vehicles, of seeing the horses die, already exhausted by toil and starvation. I still shudder when I say that I have seen men deliberately drive their horses at speed over rough ground, so as to get rid of the unfortunates with whom they were over-weighted; and although they knew the hoofs would mutilate them or the wheels crush them, they would smile triumphantly when a jolt freed them of one of those wretches. Every man thought of himself and of himself alone.. (p. 189)"