two o'clock in the afternoon
Out of 200,000 inhabitants 180,000 left the city , with 65,000 vehicles of every kind . In addition to these were enormous quantities of fugitives from every town and village west of Smolensk , who had hitherto accompanied the army , moving through the fields and lanes , so as to leave the roads unencumbered for the passage of the guns and trains . Every Russian peasant possesses a roughly-made cart on two or four wheels , and as their belongings were very scanty , these , as a rule , sufficed to hold all their property . The greater portion of the fugitives had passed out of the city at two o'clock in the afternoon , and shortly afterwards Murat with his cavalry passed across the river by a ford and entered the town . A few desperate men left behind opened fire , but were speedily overpowered and killed , but a number of citizens , mad with fury , rushed so furiously upon Murat and his staff , that he was obliged to open fire upon them with a couple of light guns . At three o'clock Napoleon arrived with his guards , expecting to be met on his arrival by the authorities of the city with assurances of their submission and prayers for clemency for the population . He was astounded with the silence that reigned everywhere , and at hearing that Moscow had been evacuated by the population .