Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

3d August. He afterwards on the 5th attacked the army commanded by Marshal Wurmser, which he defeated, forcing him to retire into the Tyrol. "The French general," it is observed by the author of the History of the Campaign of 1796, "executed on this oc"casion the same manœuvre, to which he had "before owed, and has owed since, so much “success." In speaking of his subsequent actions, this manoeuvre is thus explained and described: "He exerted himself constantly to prevent the two corps of his enemy from forming a junction; advanced like lightning, sometimes against the one, sometimes against the other, always attacking their "weakest point, and pushing his successes as "far, and with as much vivacity as possible. "In this manner, although he had upon the "whole fewer men than the Austrian generals, " he found himself, when opposed to either of "them separately, equal, and sometimes even

[ocr errors]

46

[ocr errors]

66

superior, in number. The frequency of his "attacks, and the bravery of his troops, secured "the success of this manoeuvre, and gave him "the victory." Thus, notwithstanding the superiority of the Austrian forces, the king of the South did not stand; for Buonaparte, with the generals that acted under him, forecast devices against him.

The contest continued till the 16th of January, 1797; and during the course of the latter part of the campaign, the Austrians had two armies completely defeated, which successively attempted to advance, under the command of General D'Alvinzy, to the relief of the important fortress of Mantua; when finding themselves, after these reverses, wholly incapable of undertaking any thing further, or of preserving the places they held, they endeavoured to save the wrecks of the army, by retiring into the Tyrol; and Marshal Wurmser, who had thrown himself into Mantua, was obliged on the 2d February, 1797, to surrender the fortress, and with it every hope of making any successful opposition to the French forces in Italy.

It appears from official reports, that during the eight days between the 30th July, and the 8th August, the Austrian armies, commanded by Marshal Wurmser and General Quosdanovich, lost in killed, wounded, and prisoners, no less than 17,000 men: the loss of the armies commanded by Generals D'Alvinzy and Davidovich, in the actions of the 14th, 15th, and 16th of November, is estimated at between 12 and 13,000 men; and that of the armies commanded by Generals D'Alvinzy and Provera, on the 14th, 15th, and 16th of January, 1797,

at 17,000 men. The computation of the total loss of the Austrians, in the course of the campaign, in killed, wounded, and prisoners, is 75,000, and that of the French 60,000. Thus the Austrian armies were overflown*, or broken and dispersed, and many fell down slain.

66

66

Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him. Buonaparte was not in"debted for his success to his tactics alone. "He acknowledged himself, in his despatches, "and the dispositions which he made clearly " evinced, that he had been thoroughly in"structed as to the projects of General D'Alvinzy. It would be imprudent," it is observed, "to publish conjectures on the manner in which he received this most precious intelligence. But that what may be de"pended upon is, that he did not procure it through the means of a common spy, but "from some one whose situation afforded opportunities of being well acquainted with "the plans formed by the Austrians. If Buonaparte had not been so exactly informed, "it is reasonable to believe, that instead of

66

66

-66

66

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

being so completely victorious, he would "have been severely beaten at some point or

*"And his army shall overflow, or rather shall be overflown." Bishop Newton in loco.

66

66

other, and that the Austrians would at least "have been enabled to break up the blockade "of Mantua. That general admitted that he never incurred so great a danger," as upon the advance of General D'Alvinzy, "and that "his position hung as it were by a thread." Buonaparte," it is observed, "as if he had "possessed the power of divination, hastened "from one place to another on the very day "and at the very hour it was necessary for him "to be at each place, to frustrate the opera"tions of the Austrians. This excessive ex"ertion, the constant cause of Buonaparte's triumphs, might on this occasion have drawn "him on to utter ruin, had he not been in"formed with precision of the numbers, po

66

66

sitions, and designs, of his enemies. With"out this immense advantage, he would not "have dared to move his troops with almost

66

66

66

magical celerity, and to expose those points, " which he had left without sufficient means of defence, to be forced in his absence. However brave, able, and fortunate, he would "never have ventured to play so hazardous a 66 game *." It hence appears, that the main cause of the defeat of the armies of the Emperor was this, that he was shamefully betrayed,

History of the Campaign of 1796, p. 331, &c.

and that those who fed of the portion of his meat assisted to destroy him*.

66

"And both these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one "table: but it shall not prosper; for yet the

end shall be at the time appointed." It has already been observed, that in this prophecy the several subjects of it will be found to be treated of separately and distinctly from each other; by which plan a greater perspicuity and simplicity is given to it than it could otherwise possess t. The former verses describe the result of the latter period of the campaign, as it affected the Emperor of Germany and the Austrian forces; and I conceive that the verse

* Further information as to the means through which Buonaparte was made acquainted with the plans of the Austrian army, will be found in a work entitled "Letters from Italy, "between the years 1792 and 1798," by Mariana Starke. The authoress, who was at that time resident in Rome, when speaking of the advance of General D'Alvinzy's army, relates (see vol. 1, p. 130, 1st ed.) the following anecdote: "At this "critical moment (as I heard from what seemed good au"thority), while Buonaparte was sitting in his tent reckoning "a large sum of money, and waiting for day-break, when "his troops expected to be attacked," by the forces of General D'Alvinzy, "an Austrian officer entered, staid a short "time, and then disappeared. The money disappeared like"wise, while Buonaparte told his comrades, that Italy was vanquished, and Mantua theirs."

66

† See preceding page 347.

« ZurückWeiter »