ick set within a deep ditch and contained the imperial palace, that of the ancient Greek patriarchs, the arsenal, the municipal building, many churches, the largest being that of the Annunciation, which had nine cupolas, of which the highest was Ivans Tower, topped by a very elegant gilded cupola. Napoleon rode around the walls then entered and installed himself in the quarters occupied by the Tsar when in Moscow. From a window in the Kremlin, Napoleon watched the spectacle in consternation, while fire - fighters on the roofs extinguished the flaming debris that kept raining on them. At 8 p.m. on the 15 September, a new fire broke out. The Emperor retired early, as did the staff. At 10:30 p.m. a servant awoke and saw that another fire had broken out. At 12:30 a.m. another fire. At 4 a.m. two more; this time the Emperor was awakened. The fire was spreading rapidly and not a single fire pump could be found. Near the Marshals bridge, the soldiers formed a chain of buckets and poured water on the roofs of threatened houses - it was useless. Moscow seemed to be engulfed by a sea of fire. On 16 September houses surrounding the Kremlin started to burn. Some burning fragments were carried on the wind and fell on the tiled roof of the arsenal, full of powder and ammunition. Men threw buckets of water and swept the burning fragments off the roofs. The fire passed north of the Kremlin, whose windows burst. Aides of Napoleon besought him to leave the palace, he declined. Nightfall lent an even more fantastic aspect to this apocalyptic scene. Groups of pillagers wandered blindly, eyes burning from hot ash, through districts where the topography changed almost hourly, thanks to collapsing houses and streets full of debris. Some groups were engulfed by the flames and were not seen again. Around these fires, on litters of damp straw, ill protected by a few boards, soldiers and their officers, mud - stained and smoke- blackened, were seated in splendid...
