Sophie Rostopchine, Comtesse de Ségur

Born 1797; died 1874. Her father was General Rostopchine who ordered the city of Moscow to be set on fire after the battle of Borodine (1812) and thus compelled Napoleon to begin his disastrous retreat from Russia. She married Eugène Comte de Ségur, grandson of Louis Philippe de Ségur, and nephew of Philippe Paul de Ségur, one of the most brilliant officers in the imperial army and author of "Histoire de Napoléon et de la grande armée pendant l'année 1812" which had more than fifteen editions and was translated into most of the European languages. Mme. de Ségur was a woman of culture and uncommon literary talent. She contributed a number of stories to the "Bibliothèque Rose", a collection of short novels for young people; among them are "Pauvre Blaise" (Paris, 1862); "Le Général Dourakine" (Paris, 1864); "Un bon petit diable" (Paris, 1865); "Les vacances", (Paris, 1865); "Le mauvais génie" (Paris, 1867).