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one of the boldest resolutions record ed in the annals of war. Determined to astonish the Austrians, by an act of unprecedented daring, and in hopes of cutting off the division which was marching by Cassano, he resolved to pass the bridge of the Adda the same day, under the enemy's fire, and by this operation establish the incontestable superiority of his troops. Every soldier must be aware of the very opposite effects which the successful execution of such a project would produce on the morale of the contending armies. Accordingly, after a few hours rest at Lodi, and about five o'clock in the evening, General Beaumont, commanding the cavalry, was ordered to pass the Adda half a league above the town, where there was a practicable ford, and as soon as he reached the opposite side, to open a cannonade on the enemy's right flank with a battalion of light artillery. All the disposable artillery of the army was, at the same time, placed at the debouché of the bridge, on the right bank, and directed against the enemy's guns, which enfiladed the bridge; and the grenadiers were formed in close column, behind the rampart of the town, on the brink of the Adda, in which position they were nearer the enemy's batteries than the line of the Austrian infantry itself, which had retired to some distance from the river, to shelter itself, under a rising ground, from the shot of the French batteries. When Napoleon perceived the fire of the enemy's artillery slacken, he ordered the charge to be beaten. By merely wheeling to the left, the head of the column reached the bridge, which it crossed, in a few seconds, at a running pace, and instantly took the enemy's cannon.

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lumn was only exposed to the enemy's fire at the moment of wheeling to the left, to pass the bridge; it accordingly reached the opposite side wtihout any sensible loss, fell on

the enemy's line, broke it, and forced him to retreat on Crema in the greatest confusion, with the loss of all his artillery, several standards, and 2500 prisoners. "This vigorous operation," says Napoleon, "conducted under such a murderous fire, with all suitable prudence, has been regarded by military men as one of the most brilliant actions of the war. The French did not lose above 200 men; the enemy was destroyed. But Colli and Wukassowich had passed the Ada at Cassano, and were retreating by the Brescia road, which determined the French to march on Pizzighettone; they considered it important to drive the enemy instantly from that fortress, before he should have time to put it in a state of defence and victual it: it was scarcely invested when it surrendered; it contained 300 men, whom the enemy sacrificed, to facilitate his retreat .The French cavalry entered Cremona after a brilliant charge, and pursued the Austrian rear-guard as far as the Oglio."

*

These splendid successes were followed by the most important results. The states of Lombardy submitted to the youthful conqueror, who, on the 15th of May, made his entrance into the capital (Milan) in triumph, amidst an immense population, and the numerous National Guard, dressed in the three republican colours. The possession of these states afforded great resources, furnished the means of discharging the arrears of pay, and supplying all the wants of the troops, and enabled the General-inChief to improve the matériel of the army, and particularly to complete the trains of artillery. The Austrians, out-generalled in every manœuvre, and beaten in every encounter, were greatly disheartened, and so reduced in number, as to be no longer able, without powerful reinforcements, to make head effectively against the invaders. But what

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Napoleon, in his nightly rounds, fell in with a bivouac of prisoners, in which was an old garrulous Hungarian officer, whom he asked how matters went with them? The old captain could not deny that they went on badly enough; but,' added he, there is no understanding it at all; we have to do with a young General, who is this moment before us, the next behind us, then again on our flanks; one does not know where to place one's self. This manner of making war is insufferable, and against all usage and custom.'

was of more importance than all, public opinion in Italy was in favour of the French, to whom that long-enthralled country, apparently destined, as Filicaija has feelingly said, per servir sempre, o vincitrice o vinta, looked forward as their even tual deliverers from the hateful and galling yoke of Austria. By the successes of the French, republican principles had been extensively disseminated all over Italy, and embraced, not merely by the lower ranks, or speculative individuals, but by some of the leading men in the most influential classes of society. Hence the French were considered, by a powerful party,, as their patrons and allies; their contributions; and exactions were submitted to as the indispensable price of future emancipation; and although the hideous scenes, acted during the reign of terror, and other revolutionary excesses, had, in some degree, chilled the enthusiasm with which the dawn of French liberty had been greeted, the mass of the people was still allured by the attraction of equality. On the other hand, the Austrians, notwithstanding their protracted rule, had not, with the exception of a few noble families, inspired the people of Lombardy, with any feelings of attachment; they were equally detested, on account of their pride, their ignorance, the rudeness of their manners, and the galling oppression of their sway. The Viceroy, the Archduke Ferdinand, was neither beloved nor esteemed, and for the best possible reason, because he possessed no ami. able or estimable qualities. He was accused of being greedy of money, of influencing the Government in favour of depredations, of speculating in wheat, and other meannesses: of a similar description; and was hated accordingly. Thus the Austrians, who were greatly inferior to the French in every military quality, could reckon upon no moral support

in the country, which it was their business to defend against a young and enterprising soldier, possessed of splendid military talents, confident of fortune, acting rather from the impulse of his own genius, than from the established rules and principles of war, and, though compelled to support his army at the expense of the countries he invaded, gifted with the invaluable talent of securing, in his favour, the opinions and sentiments of the people.

The successive arrivals of the intelligence of the passage of the Po, the battle of Lodi, the occupation of Lombardy, the armistice concluded with the Duke of Parma, (of which we have already spoken,) and that with the Duke of Modena, (signed at Milan on the 20th of May, and to nearly the same effect as that with the Duke of Parma,) so intoxicated the Directory, that, in the exuberance of their military skill, they came to the resolution of dividing the Army of Italy into two armies. Napoleon, with 20,000 men, was to pass the Po, and march on Rome and Naples; while Kellerman, with the other 20,000, was to command on the left bank of the Po, and cover the siege of Mantua. Napoleon, indignant at this piece of ingratitude, sent in his resignation, refusing to be instrumental in the destruction of the Army of Italy, and his brethren in arms. He declared, that all the men who should penetrate deep into the Peninsula would be lost; that the principal army, intrusted to Kellerman, would be inadequate to maintain its ground, and would be com pelled to repass the Alps in a few weeks." One bad General, said he, is better than two good ones. Government became sensible of its error, and recalled its liberticidal decrees; and from that time interfered no farther with the Army of Italy, than merely to APPROVE whatever Napoleon did or projected *.”

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The French remained seven or

• At the conclusion of the chapter in Vol. III. of his "Memoirs," which contains the account of the Battle of Lodi, Napoleon gives a few interesting notices of Berthier, Massena, Angereau, and Serrurier. To preserve the continuity of the narrative unbroken, we shall give these in the present note:

"BERTHIER was at this time about forty-two years of age. His father, a geographical engineer, had had the honour of seeing Louis XV. and Louis XVI. occasionally, being employed to draw plans of the chases; and these Princes being fond of

eight days in Lombardy. Some military men have given it as their opinion that this was an error.

At

the opening of the campaign, Mantua had been disarmed. The Court of Vienna had never doubted but that

pointing out the errors they discovered in the plans, on their return from hunting. Berthier, in his youth, served in the American war as Lieutenant adjoint to Rochambeau's staff'; he was a Colonel at the period of the Revolution, and commanded the National Guard at Versailles, where he strongly opposed Lecointre's party. Being employed in La Vendée as Quarter-Master-General of the Revolutionary Armies, he was wounded there. After the 9th of Thermidor he was Quarter-Master-General to General Kellerman, in the Army of the Alps, and followed him to the Army of Italy. He it was who caused the army to take the line of the Borghetto, which stopped the enemy. When Kellerman returned to the Army of the Alps he took Berthier with him; but when Napoleon took the command of the Army of Italy, he solicited and obtained the place of Quarter-Master-General, in which capacity he constantly followed Napoleon in the campaigns of Italy and Egypt. He was afterwards Minister at War, Major-General of the Grand Army, and Prince of Neufchatel and Wagram. He mar. ried a Bavarian Princess, and was loaded with favours by Napoleon. His activity was extraordinary; he followed his General in all his reconnoitring parties, and all his excursions, without in the least neglecting his official duties. He was of an irresolute character, unfit for a principal command, but possessed of all the qualities of a good Quarter-Master-General. He was well acquainted with the map, understood the reconnoitring duty perfectly, attended personally to the dispatch of orders, and was thoroughly trained to presenting the most complicated movements of an army with perspicuity. There was an attempt made, at first, to disgrace him with his General, by describing him as Napoleon's Mentor, and asserting that it was he who directed operations; but this did not succeed. Berthier did all in his power to silence these reports, which rendered him ridiculous in the army. After the campaign of Italy, he had the command of the army ordered to take possession of Rome, where he proclaimed the Roman Republic.

"MASSENA was born at Nice, and entered the French service in the Royal Italian Regiment; he was an officer at the commencement of the Revolution. He advanced rapidly, and became a General of Division. In the Army of Italy he served under the Generals-in-Chiefs Dugommier, Dumorbion, Kellerman, and Scherer. He was of a hardy constitution, and indefatigable character-night and day on horseback among rocks and mountains, the warfare peculiar to which he was particularly ac quainted with. He was resolute, brave, intrepid, full of ambition and pride; his distinguishing characteristic was obstinacy; he was never discouraged. He neglected discipline, and took little care of the affairs of the army, for which reason he was not much beloved by the soldiers. He used to make very indifferent dispositions for attack. His conversation was uninteresting; but, on the report of the first cannon, amongst balls and dangers, his ideas gained strength and clearness. If defeated, he began again, as if he had been victorious. After the campaign of Italy, he was commissioned to carry the preliminaries of Leoben to the Directory. During the cam paign of Egypt he was Commander-in-Chief of the Army of Helvetia, and saved the Republic by winning the battle of Zurich. He was afterwards a Marshal, Duke of Rivoli, and Prince of Essling.

"AUGEREAU, who was born in the faubourg Saint-Marceau, (Paris,) was a Serjeant when the Revolution broke out. He must have been a distinguished sub-officer, as he was selected to go to Naples to instruct the Neapolitan troops. He, at first, served in La Vendée. He was made a General in the Army of the Eastern Pyrenees, where he commanded one of the principal divisions. On the peace with Spain, he led his division to the Army of Italy, and served in all the campaigns of that ariny under Napoleon, who sent him to Paris on the occasion of the 18th of Fructidor. The Directory afterwards gave him the chief command of the Army of the Rhine. He was incapable of conducting himself in this capacity, being uninformed, of a narrow intellect, and little education; but he maintained order and discipline among his soldiers, and was beloved by them. His attacks were regular, and made in an orderly manner; he divided his columns judiciously, placed his reserves with skill, and fought with intrepidity: but all this lasted but a day; victor or vanquished, he was gene. rally disheartened in the evening; whether it arose from the peculiarity of his temper, or from the deficiency of his mind in foresight and penetration. In politics, he was attached to Baboeuf's party, that of the most decided anarchists, and he was surrounded by a great number of them. He was nominated a deputy to the Legislative Body in

its army would assume and preserve the offensive; it had reckoned on victories, not on defeats; and it was not till the armistice of Cherasco had detached the King of Sardinia from the coalition, and so crippled him as to leave him at the mercy of the French Republic, that it had ordered Mantua, and the other fortresses of Lombardy, to be armed and victualed. If, therefore, as has been said, the French army, instead of taking up cantonments in the Milanese, had continued its march in order to drive Beaulieu beyond the Adige, Mantua would probably have been taken by a coup-de-main. To these arguments it is answered by Napoleon, that it would have been against all principle, to leave so many large towns, and a population of more than a million of souls behind, without taking possession of the former, and ascertaining the dispositions of the latter; and that during these few days the French dominion was secured by the National Guards formed in all the towns of Lombardy, the change of all the public authorities, and the new organization of the country. The necessity of this delay was demonstrated by the sudden insurrection which broke out in Pavia, and all the villages of that province, and which threatened to be productive of the most fatal consequences. A slight commotion had even taken place at Milan, which, however, was easily repressed. The revolt of Pavia assumed a more formidable character. That city contained 30,000 inhabitants, and from 8000 to 10,000 peasants had entered it and joined the

insurgents. To aggravate the evil, the army had raised its cantonments, and was in full march for the Oglio. With 1500 grenadiers, and six fieldpieces, Napoleon proceeded, in person, to Pavia, having previously pillaged and burnt Binasco, a town visible from the ramparts of the city; and by one of those acts of fortunate daring, of which his eventful life furnishes so many examples, succeeded in overpowering the insurgents, and in liberating the garrison of 300 men, who had been made prisoners by the armed peasants. The city was for several hours delivered up to pillage, which was, however, confined to some goldsmiths' shops; and light columns were sent into the country, to disarm the peasantry. This revolt, which was in a great measure to be ascribed to the necessity under which the French army lay of subsisting on the resources of the country, and particularly to an extraordinary contribution of twenty millions of francs, which had just been imposed, over and above the requisitions made by the army, proved the soundness of Napoleon's views, and showed, not merely the inexpediency, but the certain destruction that would have overtaken his army, had he pursued the course recommended by his military critics.

The army, meantime, continued its march on the Oglio, under the command of Berthier, and on the 28th entered Brescia, one of the largest towns of the Venetian Terra Firma, where the Commander-inChief rejoined it. Beaulieu had received great reinforcements, and had

1798, engaged in the intrigues of the Manége, and frequently made himself ridiculous. The members of that Society were not devoid of information. Nobody could be less adapted than Augereau for political discussions and civil affairs, with which, however, he was fond of meddling. Under the empire he became Duke of Castiglione, and Marshal of France.

“SERRURIER was a native of the department of Aisne; and, at the commencement of the Revolution, was a Major of Infantry: he retained all the formality and strictness of a Major, was very severe in point of discipline, and passed for an aristocrat, in consequence of which opinion he ran great risks in the midst of the camps, especially during the first few years. He gained the battle of Mondovi, and took Mantua, and had the honour of seeing Marshal Wurmser file off before him. He was a brave man, of great personal intrepidity, but not fortunate. He had less energy than the other two, but excelled them by the morality of his character, the soundness of his political opinions, and the strict integrity he observed in all his intercourse. He had the honourable commission to carry the colours, taken from Prince Charles, to the Directory. He was afterwards made a Marshal of France, Governor of the Invalides, and a Senator."

removed his head-quarters behind the Mincio, being desirous to defend that river, in order to prevent the investment of Mantua, the fortifications and supplies of which were daily increased. Peschiera, the gates of which, notwithstanding the protestations of the Venetians, he had forced, he made the point d'appui of his right, commanded by Liptay; his centre he supported on Valeggio and Borghetto, where Pittony's division was stationed; while Sebottendorff's took up a position at Pozzuolo, and Colli's at Goito; the reserve under Melas, 15,000 strong, encamped at Villa Franca, ready to advance to any point that might be attacked. Such being the situation of the Austrians, the French army, on the 29th, took up a position, having its left at Dezenzano, its centre at Montechiaro, and its right at Castiglione ; and on the 30th, at day-break, de bouched on Borghetto, having deceived the enemy by various movements, and drawn his reserve from Villa Franca to Peschiera, at which place he was induced to believe that it would attempt the passage of the Mincio.

On approaching the Borghetto, the French vanguard fell in with 3000 Austrian and Neapolitan cavalry in the plain, and 4000 infantry entrenched in the village of Borghetto, and on the heights of Valeggio. General Murat charged the enemy's cavalry; he obtained an important success in this action: it was the first time that the French cavalry, on account of its bad condition, had measured its strength to advantage with the Aus

trian cavalry: it took nine pieces of

cannon, two standards, and 2000 men, amongst whom was the Prince de Cuto,

who commanded the Neapolitan cavalry. From that time forth the French cavalry emulated the infantry. Colonel Gardane, who was marching at the head of the Grenadiers, charged into Borghetto; the

enemy burnt the bridge, which it was impossible to restore, under the fire from the height of Valeggio. Gardane threw himself into the water; the Austrians' imagined they saw the terrible column of Lodi, and beat a retreat; Valeggio was

carried. It was then ten in the morning; by noon the bridge was restored, and the French divisions passed the Mincio. Augereau went up the left bank, advancing Castel Nuovo; Serruvier followed the on Peschiera, and occupied the heights of troops which were evacuating Valeggio, and retiring on Villa Franca. The General-in-Chief marched with his division, as long as the enemy was in sight; but as they avoided an engagement, he returned to Valeggio, which place had been fixed on for head-quarters. Massena's division, appointed to cover Valeggio, was preparing dinner on the right bank of the Mincio, and had not yet passed the bridge. Sebottendorff's division, having heard the cannonade at Valeggio, had begun its march up the left bank of the river; their scouts approached Valeggio

without meeting any troops; they entered lodgings where the General-in-Chief was; the town, and penetrated as far as the his piquet guard had barely time enough to shut the carriage gateway, and cry to arms, which afforded him an opportunity of mounting his horse, and escaping through the gardens behind the house. Massena's soldiers overturned the kettles, drums put the Austrian hussars to flight. and passed the bridge. The sound of the Sebottendorff was closely and vigorously pursued during the whole evening, and lost a great number of men.

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• Bessières was a native of Languedoc, and served originally in the 22d Chasseurs, in the army of the Eastern Pyrenees." He possessed a cool species of bravery," says Napoleon; "was calm amidst the enemy's fire; his sight was excellent; he was much habituated to cavalry manoeuvres, and peculiarly adapted to command a reserve. In all the great battles, he will be seen to render the most important services. He and Murat were the first cavalry officers in the army, but of very opposite qualities. Murat was a good vanguard officer, adventurous and impetuous; Bessières was better adapted for a reserve, being full of vigour, but prudent and circumspect. From the period of the creation of the Guides, he was exclusively intrusted with the duty of guarding the General-in-Chief and the head-quarters. He was afterwards Duke of Istria, Marshal of the Empire, and one of the Marshals of the Guard."

VOL. XIV.

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