Star. — London, England, 1809-07-12 00:00:00

Aspern on the-lift ia.eider itiliptirt the attack en( - pre latent dbpendat . • • on iise' penseisinsi the flask with the two batteries of cavalry, as well loge; . otir troops were obliged to abandetViCet the as t o facilitate ?lie. junction with the third ~column a isproach of night; and to await, under arms, the ar which was advancing by Breitenlee. At the same tidal Of ittornint„ • time the regiment of Rens Planen was ordered tot* ' ThV ReserVe CMS of Cavalry had Matthed in r ight side of Aspern, with a view to an attack on that ' two Coinmns, under the cOmmand if General Prince place, the rest of the corps was foamed Into 'date co- of Lichtenstein ; and -advanced upon the New Inn be lumps of battalions. nyeen Raschdoxf and Breitenlee. General Count Meanwhile the enemy formed his l e ft wi ng . Wartensleben with flankensteites *hussars, conducted which he reinforced, towards Aspern, end hit right. the advanced guard. upon Esslingen. Thus he advanced with calinuts d - NO skater did icheenemy perceive the _general ad rf infantry and cavalry upon the Main Piemy 4 vance of the arniy s than he placed the boa of his ce-: while an extremely brisk cannonade supported him.. valry, supported by some battalions of infantry, in or- A liae of twelve regiments of cuiraisler 'formed der of battle between • Esslingen and AAspern,and the centre of the second line of the enemy,, tionneenced a brisk 'cannonade upon the columns of the whole an imposing aspect. , Ansel:ln - tie/a* as they dpiltMdhed. Meanwhile the attack of a battalion of Reufs-Plauen 1 Prince Lichtenstein directed his columns to march on Avail was repulsed, and it gave way, being I forward in two lines, otrwhiehthe enemy detached - w t h r on into consternat ion ',by the loss of its comman- !four or five thonsanchcavalry from his position to the d , r , b u t it rallied immediately after. Count Belle- right byway of Esslingen, and excited some appre ordered General Bacmiant to renew the attack ihensionehit he would impede the progress of the. With the regiment of Yegellang, and to carry the vii. ifitirth'coltitim,Air even break througb it. The Prince at all hazards. The latterobeyed the order With therefore Ordered four regiments to the left, and kept • t : ; „ mos t brilliant success, and . Aspern, tho - tigh de- the second column formed in two lines, till he was fended by twelve thousand 'of the bkit of enenty's convinced -that the, fourth would not meet with any troops,.was carried by . storm ; Bactivant beingassist- impediment to it , mara, ea by the regiment ofteurs-Ptaiien, byihattalidn 'of During this movement the remainder of the ene- Archduke Rainer, and lirthettigatiti Of Miler of the my's cavalry also advanced with the greatest cnnfi third column. • dente, towards the right wing of the Austrians. They To frustrate this attack ? •the enemy advanced with were received with a firmness which they probably two colunMs of infantry, hEpprOrt:::d by - his heavy ea- did not expect. The intrepidity of the cavalry which vahl, upon the main army, repulsed the two rer,i- had marched up, particularly Maurice Lichtenstein's meats of Klenau and - Vincent's lightharse, and fell regiment and the Aechduke Francis's cuirassiers, the urn the infantry. former headed by its gallant Colonel, Roussel, frus The latter expecting him with their firelecks ready totted the repeated assaults of the enemy by counter. an d 'with cool intrepidity, fired at ten paces distanee attacks, by which they at length pet a suite twhis im so effectually, as totally to rtint the enemy,' upo n . petnous advance, and completely eeptilied him with *hich Cenral Veesey, at the head o f a divi s ion of considerable loss. In these conflicts, the Freneh . Ge. Velem, attacked the enemie s ' cuirassiers with such neral o f 3ivision, Darosnel,• equerry to the Einperer entrgv, that their retreat was followed by that of the Was taken prisencr a few paces from him, as was al s o infantry. • General Fouler, equerry to the Empress, after h tiievr t, the whole of its line was been slightly wounded. Notwithstanding the fire of lieteby the army along disengaged fromehe enemy, obtained communication the musketry which now ensued, the Prince ord• red on the left with the corps of Prince . Hollenenitt;rus and a general advance, by which the enemy was strait, ne became possessed of the important post of Asper 4.— in the o k o i ine w between . Eesiihgen and Aseern, bita The enemy being in full retreat attempted no further on account of the flanking tire from Eselingen..couin attack, and confined himself m ere ly t o a cennorrade. not be pursued any further. The fire of his guns was The corps remained during the n i g h t u nder arms.— answered with spirit by the horse artillery. Aboatt Tee enemy repeated, indeed, his attacks on Aspern, seven in the evening, three thousand horse - were again but they all proved unsuccessful. detached towards the point of union between the Ca. THIRD COLUNN. • yelry of the coree of reserve end the lot wing of This column, according to its destination, had Prince Hohenzollern, and tell en masse upon the bra legun its march from its position at Setetiug by the gades of Cuirassiers of General Ko•vher, Klary, and w ed of Sussenhrunn an:Vreitenlee. Some divisions Siegenthal ; but by the steady intrepidity of the Blim el O'Reilly's light horse and chaseeurs formed the kenstein's and Reisch's regiments, who with eie utmost aiivanced guard of elle - column, and at three o'clock gallantry made a sudden :Attack on the enemy's flanks, in the afternoon met near Hirsehstetten, the left wing his cavalry was again repulsed, and part of it, which or tine enemy, which consisted mostly of cavalry. I had fallen upon some of the regiments of the new le- As about this time the first and second columns vies, piaced . M the third line, wae cut off and these advanced intrepidly upon Aspern, and the enemy be- taken. Meanwhile night came on, and it was passed gut to fail back to his position between Esslingen and by the Prince in the best state of preparation on the esnern, Lieutenant General Hohenzollern ordered ground which he had gained from the enemy. t:p his batteries, and a very .brisk cannonade corn- For the first thne leepoleon had sustained a defeat menced on both sides. . in Germany. From this moment he was reduced to first line formed in close columns ef battalions, the rank of bold and successful Generals, who, like to' aevanced with the greatest resolution upon the hiMself, atter a long series of destructive atchieve eenly, when his cavalry suddenly rushed forward in ments, experienced the vicissitudes of fortune. The sorb e !: T ropertionate numbers, and with such rapi- charm of his Invincibility was dissolved. No longer ay, den. there, was scarcely time to save the area- the 41:Oiled Chitel of Fortune; by posterity he will be Ivry vi Inch had been biought up, and the battalions characterized as the Sport of the fickle goddess. New were left to defend themselves by their oan unsup- hopes begin to animate the oppressed netions. 'To the ear:ed exertions. This was the rernerkable moment Austrianarmy theelstofMay was agrandamiglorious is which the regiments ei 'Lath, Joseph Colloredo- epoch, that most inspire it with a consciousness of its 'eetwitz, Froom, a battalion of Stein's, and the se- , stzength, and a confidence in its energies. Over road battalion of the Archduke Charles's wheimed by our irresistible infantry, its proud oppo eeder the conduct of Isieuteneut General Brady, and-: nents were extended in the dust, and the presence of Generals Buresele Maier, and Koller, demonstrated their hitherto uncenwpiered Emperof sees no long er with unparalleled fertitude what the fixed determine- capable of snatching horn the heroes of Austria the tien to conquer or die is capable of effecting against • laurels which they tent acquired. the most impetuous attacks. . Napoleon's glory sot; ohvieusly at stake. New The enemy's cevalre turned these battalions on efforts were taste expected the following cla y ; but he both wines, penetrated between them, repulsed the ; tees also oblieted to fig's/ for- his existence. By means iquadrons of O'Reilly's light herse, who \\wt . : un.tbte of fire-ships sent down the Danube, the Archduke to withstand such a superior force, and in the emit"- ; had caused the enemy's bridge nn the Lobatt to be rlence of victory, surtimoned these cerps of heroes to broken :lawn, and it repairs would take up several lay down their a rinse . A well directed and destruc- j hours. Meanwhile Napoleon had already in the even tive iire was the answer to this degrading proposition, ins; been joined by the corps of General Oudinot ;• and the enemy's c a valry a bandoned the field, leav- and all the dispaseable troops followed from - Vienna ine behind them a considerable number of dead. I and the Upper Danube, and were transported across 'Las corps, as well as the others, passed the night the river in vessels as fast as they arrived, The Arch :: tic field of battle. I duke, on his part, ordered the grenadier corps which • PoTIRTII AND FIFTH COL WINS. I had not had any share in the first engagement, to ad -new were lesth composed of the corps of Lieu- verve from its position near Gerasdorf to Breitenlee ; tenant General Prince Rosenberg, on either hank of and the short eight 'was scarcely sufficient to cone ts itussbach, and directed their march from their po- plete the respective preparations ibr the commence -17, t,) the right and left of Dcatsch-Wagram. meat of a second tragedy. The fourth proceeded throegh Roschdorf straight BATTLE OF THE 220 Or MAY. to iessEngen. Colonel Hardegg of Schwarzenberg's Corps of Lieutenant-General Hiller. imlans conducted the advanced gueri. With the morning's dawn the enemy renewed his The fifth directed its march towards the left , in attacks, whiahfarsarpassed in impetuosity those of t'v order to go a circuit round the little town of Enzers- preceding day. It was a conflict of valour and nt (tort., and drive the enemy out of the place. It was foal exasperation. Scarcely road the French Guards reiriorced by Stipsic's hussars, under the command of compelled General Wacquent . to. abandon Aspern, Colonel' frolich- Lieaten.uit General Kieneu led the , when the rtgiment of kiebek again penetrated into, easanced guard of both columns. the burning village, drove. buck the cnoicest troops of As this circuit round Enzersdnrf obliged the fifth the enemy, and engaged in a new contest in the midst deicrihe a longer line, it wee necessary fur the 4:h of the conflagration, till, at she expiration of an hour, to ;iiivance rather more slowly. it was also obliged to give w.ty. The regiment • f Enzersdorl, however, was quickly taken possession Benjovsky now rushed in, and at the first onset gain el by a detachment of Stipsic's hussars, and of the ed possession of the church . ard, the walls of which 'Yeliaclealllyrian frontier regiment, as it was already Field-Marshal-Lieutermet 'Hiller immediately ordo.- die greatest pert evacuated by the enemy, from ed the first division of pioneers to pull down, and the' eem no more than 50 prisoners could be taken. church, together with the parsonage, to be set on fire. columns now received orders to advance Thus wets this regiment, supported by some bate:t -o . ;;..,s , onzen. • lions, commenieet by Generil Bianchi, at length 'rite fourth in close columns of battalions of Czar- enabled to maintain itself at the entrance of the vil toriskv's, Archduke Louis's, and Coburg's, who were loge, after overcoming; the resistance, bordering on oelee successively attacked by upwards of twa thou- despair, opposed by the flower of the French army. stud of the enemy's heavy cavalry ; but these were Neither could the enemy produce any farther effectl each time put to flight by our brave infantry with upon the bushy meadow, after Lieutenant-General' fonsidemble loss. Hiller had ordered the force there to be supported by Of the tifth column, two battalions of Chasteler's two battalions of Anton Miterewsky's and•a battery edvenced directly upon Esslingen, while two hatte- •on which the jagers, St. George's; and-two battalions lions of Bellegarde's were ordered to penetrate the olViennavolunteers, drove him from his adeantageous kit flank of 11, e village, and the small contiguous positions Which he 'never afterwards attempted to Two battalions of Hiller's and Sztarray's, cover. tesitles the Archduk e Ferdinand's and Stipsics's regi- As about this time the lekwing of the corps was nients of hussa r s and two divisions of Rocenberg's light likewise placed in security by. three. batteries sent by horse, were in the plain in readiness to support them: the Lieutenant-Gienerale - to sUpporttl4General of.Ca- Thoy! combated attacks were made twice succes- : valry,.Coundielbegaly.de, and thelatter maintained his With uncommon intrepidity, the enemy's troops ground-against tire most-desperate attacks of the elteel were repulsed at all points, and driven into the vil- my ;..the Lieutenant-General 114 0 erkept,histrxtitir A,re of Esslingen which had been set on fire. But • ton the left flank of the enemy, and the victory was,d . e . ii,e enemy's army was drawn up in several lines - tided ;in- this quartet', - The corps was therefore•ag ant tatween Esslingen and Aspern, and met each new fiermed lei tee* Weals and 6 4 - awaited Ule!an'-h -ettaek with fresh reimorcemente, because the , safety tog events. . , . , . • • C o * VA * opiroirtied i wely 800 Jetkril , 2930 etni advancing 6 the open coniattbettilett gib' Count &Ile gart i et 114:v41g received 4 message from ,- 1 Iced an:d die &drat area of the Danube. GeneralWi Ming teuant Plat the enemy was asSeming in farce before Xspern towards the Phe village Was already ained; and inittrilions baby mee d ows *l d , advancing on the left, obliged - the enemy, drawn up in several lines, to yield. 'llie most violent tan, was just going to throw a fresh battaliou of Argen. rouade was kept up incessantly on both sides, end it . apparently had in view a l l ass ault upon that point, seta's into Aspern, when the triers , he heavy columns vres sustained r by the troops with th e g rea t es t thrti. ' of infantry and cavalry, pup‘ ist, •. y a nu m e ro u s tude. Favoured by a fog, which suddenly cone ong • 4, artillery, begat to advance •e centre of ,the the enem y 's heavy cavalry . ventured to a:tack on. all corps in the plain. sides the corps fornied by Sztarray's and Hillerl .. . . . . ... . The troops stationed at Aspern, exhausted as they • regiments of infantry. These brave fellows received •.. were with the incessant ire kept up during the night, him with fixed bayonets, and at the last rrtoment . were unable to withstand the impetuosity of ;he at . .poured in their fire with such effect; that the enemy • rack: their ammunition both for artillery and mus-1 was compelled to take to flight with considerable loss, • quetry began to fail, and GenerelWacquant retreat-, Five times were these attacks on 41:array's anal Hil- ied in good order to the churchyard. This po s t, gained lei's regiments repeated , and each time were they re • at so dear a rate, was again taken from him, after Pelted with equal courage and tesobition. The cae several attacks sustained in.conjunction with Lieute- .valrh contributed all that lay in their power to the 1 nant-General Hiller ; the place was alternately ta k en pursuit of the enema and the support of theinfeirse. and lost, till at length the superiority of our fire Coburg's, the A'rchduhe Louis's, and Czatorisky's obliged the enemy to abandon the houses, and a last regiments, belonging to the division of Lieutenant • i' t assault ofHiller'etorps prevented all farther attempts. General Dedovich , sta , ioned on the . right, renewed . s From the moment of the retaking of Aspern, it the exertions . of threpreceding (ley with the same dis. became possible to oppose an offensive movement to tinctionand the same success. Afier this severe. con. . the enemy advancing upon the centre, and to operate flier, the enemy seemed to have no inclination to ex. s I upon his left flank and coinmunication. The defence of l P° s ci"rnscif to any fresh disaster, and confined him- I Aspire was therefore left entirely to Hiller's corps, and . self merely to the operation •of his superior arti;l Ty. while Count Belle: ark appuidbis right wing on As- •*ebout eleven A. M. Prince Rosenberg received pern, he formed his left and . the centre in the direr- orders fr om the Archduke, Commander in Chief, to 1 tionofEsslingen, in such a manner that, by degrees make a new attack upon Esslingen, and a message he gained the right flank of the enemy, compelled to the same'effect was sent to - Lieutenant. General *him to retreat, and, by the complete effect of the ar- Dedogich; who commanded the right division of this tillery, brought to bear upon the left .wine, which tothh i cenimanded the whole space from Aspern to Esslin- Prince Rosenberg immediately lormed two co gen, gave him st most severe defeat. lumps of attack under the conduct of Lieutenant- .. .. Generals Princes Hohenlohe and Rohan, white help of Lieut.Xeneral the Prince of Hohenzollern. Lieu tenant-General Dedovich advanc d against the ' iil .. cite- s The dawn of morning was with this corps also the Th ~ e of tine peace, and the magazine, surrounded with signal thr the renewal of the gigantic emiiiict. The walls and ditches. • enemy's infantry was drawn up iii large divisions, and Ti was Ta e attac k ma de with redoubled brivery, and between it the whole of the heavy cavalry was formed o u r . troops Still,rushed with irresistible impetuosity into the in masses. The General of cavalry, Prince Lich- village. however, they found it impossible t o tenstein, on observiue this order of battle, perceived maintain this post, into which the enemy kept con- , the necessity of keeping up a close communiceticn tinually throwing new reinforcements, which was of with the infantry placed near him ; he therefore the utmost importance for covering his retreat, which drew up his right wing en echivier, behind the corps he had already resolved upon, and which lie defended ef infantry, but kept his left wing together, with re- • with an immense sacrifice of lives. Prince Rosen. rves posted in the rear. berg therefore resolved to confine himself to the ob. . A prodigious quench) , of artillery covered the front hi :Ite n.m a intenance position, of his own to secure the , f the enemy, who seemed desirous to annihilate our left flank of the army, and to increase the embarrass surps, hve murderous fi re of cannon and howit- meet of the enemy by an incessant fi re from all the Am. yards of-tve, hundred pieces of cannon hat , eries. . were eng4ged on both sides, and the olaest soldiers ' - / n hle night bets;een the 93d and 23J, the enemy Bever tsecollect to have etitnessed so tremendous a accomplished his retreat to the Lobau, and at three • lire. Vain was every effort to shake the intrepi- • in t he mornin g his rear-guard also had evacuated •. lity of the Austrian troops. Napoleon rode through h r less ingen, and all the points which he had occupied his ranks, and, according to the report of the on the left bank of the Danube. Some divisions par. prisoners, made them acquainted - with the destruc- ' hi m s sued closely, and took ssession as near as pos. tion of his bridge, but added, that he had himself Bible of the necess ary ordered it to be broken down, becathe in this case .Thus terminated a conflict of two days, whith will there was no alternative, but victory or death.— be ever memorable in the annals of the world ) and in Soul) afterwards the whole of the enemy's line- put the history of war. It was the most obstinate and -; itself in motion, and the cavalry made its, principal bloody that has occurred since the commencement of attack on the point where the corps of cavalry of the French Revolution. Prince Lichtenstein communicated with the left wing I t was decist • ve for the glory of the Austrian arms, h ..f .Lieutenant-General the Prince of Hohenzollern. for the preservation of the Monarchy, and for the . J . The engagement now became general ; the regiments correction of public opinion, of Rolian, D'Aspre, Joseph Colloredo and Stain, The infantry has entered n a nets and b rilliant , repulsed all toe attacks of the enemy. The Generals • upo .. . . h career, and by the - firm con fi dence - it has 'Manifested 'h were every where at the head of their troops, and in-1 i n its 1 own energies, has paved the way to new victo. .' spired them with courage and pet severance. The 1 • nes. The enemy', cavalry has seen its acquired but . Archduke himself seized the coheirs of Zech's, and I hi t h erto untried - glory dissipated by the masses of our the hattelion, which had already begun to give 1 - battalions, w h ose cool •intrepidity it was unable to h way, f oil-weed with new enthusiasm liis heroic exam- ! end are. Cavalry and artillery have surpassed these. r 1 ple. Most of those who serroended him were wound- • i n r• selves valour, and in the space of two days have 1. •ed ; his Adjutant-General, Count CaPoredo, received re lee .ormed achievements sut fi cieth fer a whole cam. a ball in his head, the wound tom which was at first ; - paign. coasidered dangerous ; a squeeze of the hand signified i , In • iree pieces of cannon, seven ammunition wag. to him the concern of his sympathising Commander, i ''' eons, seventeen thousand French muskets, and about who, tilled with contempt of death, now fought for ' three t housand cuirasses tell into the kends of the cone t glory and for his country. querOr. The loss oh both sides was very great i this, i The attacks of our impenetrable corps, both with • • and the circamstance that very few prisoners were the sabre and the bayonet, so r ipidly repeated and so ; taken by either pat ty, proves the determination of the i mpetuous, as to be unpatelleled in military annals, I • combatants either to conquer or die. frustrated all the inteetious of the enemy. I The Asrerian army laments the death of eighty- , lie was beaten-at all points, and astonished at such ' shave superior officers , and four thousand one bun undaunted intrepidity, he was obliged to abandon the • cited and ninety-nine subalterns and privates. held of battle. ' . Lieutenant-Generais Prince Ruhen, Dedovich, ithlut this time Lieutenant-General the Prince of Weber, and French Generals. Winziegerode, Grill, f dohenzollera observed on his left wine near Esslin- -Neustadter, Siegenthel, Colloredo, May Hohenfeld, ~en, a chasm, which had been forted during the heat and Boresch, six hundred and sixty-tie ees officers, and 1 of the engagement, and afforded anadvantaehoes paint fif teen thousand six hundred and fifty-one subalterns of attack. French's regiment, commande d' by Col. and privates vrete wounded. Of these Field-Marshal h Meesery, evas ordered thither in threecorps, and re- Lieutenant Weber, eig ht officers and eight hundred .ptilied four regiments of hivalry, accompanied with wit( 29 . men were tak en prishners by the enemy. infentry and artillery. The corps remained ita the' Th e - le loss of the enemy was prodig sus, and exceeds position which they had taken, till the grenadiers of ' all expectation. It can only be ac:ounted •for by r the reserve, which the Archduke had ordered forward th .e e ff ect of our concur. r.c tire on an exceedingly r from Brietenlee, arrived to relieve the battalions ex- confined field of battle, weere all the batteries crossed k i la:tasted with the seeguinary conflict, and continued one another, and calculated by the following authen. i. the attack upon the centre of the enemy's position.— tic data. . .. Lieutenant... General D'Aspre petsetrated with the four ; Generals Lasnes, D'Espatene, St. Hilaire, and '• battalions of grenadiers of Przezinsky, Puteany, Sco- i , Albuquerque are dead ; Messene, Bestaeres, Molitor, ' veux, :aid Sell-glade withinit tiring a shot, to the i liottdet, Legrand, Lasalle, and the two br [hers enemy's cannon, where he was flanked by such a tie- 1 Legrange wounded; Durosnel and Fouler taken. strucuve tire from Esslingen, that nothing but the Upwards of seven thousand men, and an immense presence of the Archduke, who fiasteeed to the spot, • number of horses were buried on the field of battle ; .. could hive induced his grenadiers to maintain their five thousand and some hundreds wounded lie in our ground. Captain Count Dombasle had already I hospitals. In Vienna and the Suburbs there are at reached the enemy's battery, when he was wounded present twenty-nine thousand seven hundred and se by two bulls, and quitted the field. l ventry-three wounded ; many were carried to tit. About noon the Archduke ordered a new assault Patten, Enns, and as tar as Lintz ; two thousand upon Esslingen, which was immediately undertaken three hundred were taken. Several hundreds of corpses by Field-Marshal-Lieutenant D'Aspre with the floated down the Danube, and are still daily thrown grenadier battalions of Kirchenbetter and Scovaux uoou its shores ; many met their death in the Island on the left, and Scarlach aad Georgy in front. — et Lobau ; and since the water has fallen in the Five times did these gallant troops rush up to the smaller arms of the river, innumerable bodies, thus very walls of the houses, burning internally and placed cons i gne d by their comrades to everlasting oblivion, in a state of defence ; some Of the grenadiers thrust have become visible. The burying of the sufferers is their bayonets. into the enemy's loop-holes ; but all not yet over, and a pestilential air is wafted from the .. their efforts were fruitless, for their antagonists fought theatre of death. • t the fight of despair. The Archdu ke ordered the gre- Hi s I m p er i a l Hi g h ness t h e G enera li ss im o h as i n . unifiers to hike up their former position, and when they deed undertaken the duly so dear to his heart, of afterwards volunteered torenew the assault, he would acquainting she Monarch and the Country with the I nu permit them, as the enem y was then in full repeat. names of those who Wok the most active are in the Corp: of Fidd-Marsleal _Lemieux's Primp Reit#itta. achievements of these glorious days ; but be as • Both divisions of this carp:, which, in attempting knowledges with profound emotien, that, amidst the to the engag e ment, had - composed the fourth and rivalship of the Itighey military virtues, it is scarcely sith , wk .., were formed before bleak of day for a possible to distinguish the most valiant, and declares 1 new attack, for which the enemy likewise made pre- all the faun of ife i terx worthy of public gratitude. parationi on his side, but with_ a manifest superiority His Imperial Highness considers the intelligent dis- in numbers. . , positions of the. Chief of }us Staff,. General Baron Prince Rosenberg resolved to attack the . village. la Will3pffeil,nlitia incessant exertions, as thee founda- E ss uogers with the-Archduke Charles's regiment of do n of' the vi ct ory. infantry, to push-fist:card his other :troops tat batta. The officers commanding corps have rendered lions, and ill rino il°Z tO go aik.44.4410..the enemy; ihemselres deserving of the highest favou rs b y u q r . .... . .. . . _ . 1