The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1805-12-31 00:00:00

_ area? but, whether it shall be turned and taken ? had only done so much through the cowardice of 4 Austria's. We arc assured due. several old ustrian Generals, who had made campaigns • ?ainst the Emperor, warned the Council, that it •as not with that confidante that one ought to sarch sg•sinst odd Soldiers, and Officers of the first writ. They said, they had seen the Emperor, re nted to a leaactful of men, re-pocsess himsclf of Wharfs under the most difficult circumstances, by avid and unforeseen operations, end destroy the meet numerous aeries; that here no advantage had seer obtained; that, on the contrary. all the affairs eith the rear-guard of the first Russian army had aeon in favour of the French army ; but, to that the presumptuous young men opposed the bravery of the 80,000 Russians, the enthusiasm inspired by the presence of their Emperur, the pickfil corps of the Imperial Guard of Russia, and, what probably they dared not say, their talents, of which they sez astonished the Austrians would not acknowledge the power. On the Ist of December, the Emperor, from the heights, saw, with indescribable joy, the Army beginning, within twice the distance of cane non-shot irons his advanced posts, II flank movement. to turn his right He perceived then to what a pitch presumption and ignorance of the art of war had misled the Councils of that brave Army. lie said, several times, " Before to-morrow night, that Army shall be in my power." Yet the enemy's idea was • far different ; they appeared before our posts withie • P istol-shot; they defiled by a dank march upon a ' lino four leagues lohg. In passing the length of the Trench Army, which seemed not to dare to quit its position, tl.e, had but one fear, that the French Army should escape. Every thing was done to confirm the enemy in this idea. Prince Murat sent out a small corps on the plain; but all at once it seemed astonished at the immense force of the ene my, and returned in haste. Hence every thing tended to confirm the Russian Genet al in the mis salcalated operation which he had determined upon. The Emperor put the annexed Proclamation in the Order of the Day. At night, he wished to visit on foot, and 14cJirnit.t, all the posts; but he had not gone many steps wheu ha was recognized. It ould be impossible to depia the enthusiasm of the soldiers upon seeing him. Lighted straw was placed in an instant upon the tops of thousands of poles, and 80.000 mess appeared before the Emperor, saluting him with acclamations : some to celebrate the anni versary of hie coronation, others saying, that the Army would to-morrow offer its b9mgea to the Em peror. One of the oldest grenadiers went up to him, and said, " Sire, you ntcd not expose yourself—l promise you, in the name of the grenadiers of the Army, that you shall only have to fight with your eyes, and that we will briag you tomorrow the co lours and attiilet y of the Russian Jemmy to celebrate the anniversary of your coronation." The Emperor said, upon his recalls to his guard house, which consisted of a miserable straw cabin, without a rcof, which the grenadiers had made for him, " This is the finest evening of my life ; but I regret to think that I shall lose a good number of these brave fellows. I feel, by the pain it gives me, that they are indeed my children, and I otten re- I .! I preach •nyulf tor this sentiment, for I fear it will te►minate in rendering me unfit to carry on war." It the enemy had seen the sight, it would have ter rified them—but the unthinking enemy continued their movements, and hastened, with quick steps, to their ruin. ~~ The Emperor mad: his dispositions for battle im mediately. He sent off Marshal Davoust, in great haste, to the Convent of Raygern ; he was, with one ot his divisions, and a division of dragoons, to krep in check the enemy's left wing, in order that, upon a given signal, it might be quite surrounded. He gave to Marshal Lannes the command of the left wing ; to Marshal Soult the command ot the right I and to Marshal'Bernadotte the command of the centre. Prince Murat received the command of the Cavalry, with which he was posted on one point. The left of Marshal Lannes approached Simon, a tape' b position, which had been fortified and mounted wiz.: eighteen pieces of cannon. From the preceding ever dog. he had en:Tasted the keeping of that firm pisit•n :o the 17th Light Infantry, and certainly it could not be guarded by better troops. General Snelvt . > Division formed the left of Mar shal Lannes; the division of General Cafarelli formed his right, and was supported, at the same time. by Prince Murat's cavalry. The latter had before it the Hussars and Chasseurs under General Tbellemcn, mid the Dragoon divisions of Walther and Beaumont, and, in reserve, the Cuirassier di vision of Generals Nansnety and Hautpoult, with f/4 pieces of light artillery. Marshal Bernadotte, that is to say the centre, bad, on the left, tie division of General Rivals.), which also communicated with Prince Murat's right wing. and, on the right, the division of General I)rnuet. Marshal Soult, who eosnmapclesl the right wing - of the army, had, on his ler:, tilt di. ision of GenrrA Van Damme; is his eentte, the division of General St. Hilaire ; and. on his right, the division of Ge neral Legrand. Marsh.tl Davoust was detached to the right of General Legrand, to observe the road between the lakes, and the villages of Sok()!Mir and Celnita. He had with him General etiAnt's division, and the Dragoons of General Bouchiet's division. The division of General Gudin was direiled to march at day-break from Nicolsburg, to !top the corps ~ 1 the enemy which migist have outitiniced the right win*. he Emperor, with his faithf•il companion in . war, Alarishal Berthicr, his first aid-de-ramp, Coto nel Juttot, and ali his eutt-major, were in res-rve, with the ten battAlions of his guard, and the ten battalions of General Oudinot's grenadiers, part of sChorn were commanded by General 1 /tune. 'nit reserve, ranged in two lines, in columns by battalion, deployed at a distance, having in the in tervals 40 pieces of cannon, served by the can noniers af the guard. It was with this rani ve, that the enperor intended to push invward wherever it would have Leen necessary; we may say this reserve was worth an army. At one in the morning, the Emperor got on horseback to visit the posts, 'reconnoitre the files of the enemy, and get an scot:luta of wh.it the gourds bad learned •f the movements rt the Rtrsi.tis--he hard that they had pissed the alight in drunken- floss and noise; and that a corps of Russian. In fantry had appeared in the village of lokolnits, occupied by a regiment of the diri•iuus tonler Ge- neral. Legrand, who had orders to reinforce it. Day d.iwi,ed at length on the second—the sun rose bright; and the anniversary of the coronation of the E )eror, upon which one of the greatest feats in arms of the age was to be peifortned, was one of the finest days in autumn. . This battle, which the soldiers persist in calling the day of the Three Emperors, which others call the day of the Anniversary, and which the Emperor named the Battle of Austerlitz, will he ever memor able in the annals of the Great Nation. The Emperor, surrounded by all the Marshals, waited only for the horizon to clear up, to issue his" last orders. When the sun shot forth his first rays, the orders were issued, and tacit Marshal joined his corps, fell gallop. The Emperor said, in passing along the front of several regiments—' , Soldiers, we must finish this campaign by a thunderbolt, which shall confound the pride of our enemies ;" and instantly bats were placed at the point of bayonets, and cries of Par fEnetcreur were the signal for battle. A moment afterwards, the cannonade began at the extremity of the right, which the enemy's advanced guard had already outflanked, but the unexpeeled meeting with Marshal Davoust, stopped the enemy short, and the battle began. Marshal Soult put himself in motion at the same moment, proceeded to the heights of the village of Pratzen, with Generals Vandamme and St. Hi laire's division, and cot off the enemy's right, whose movements became uncertain. Surprised by a flank march, whilst it was flying, believing itself to be at tacking, and seeing itself attacked, it considered it self as half defeated. Prince Murat was in motion with his cavalry.— The left wing, under the command of Creneral Lannes, marched forward also, rn echelon, by regi ments, in the same manner as if they had been exercising by divisions. A tremendous cannonade took place along the whole line : '203 pieces of cann or, and nearly 200,000 men, made a dreadful noise. It was really a giant combat. Not an hour had elapsed, and the enemy's whole left was cut off ; their right h.td already reached Austerlitz, the Head-quarters of the two iimperors, who marched immediately to the Emperor of Russia's Guard, to endeavour to restore the communication of the centre with the left. A battalion of the 4th of the line was charged by the Imperial Russian Guard, on horseback, and routed ; but the Emperor was at hand ; he perce;7ed this movement ; ordered Marshal Bessieres to go to the succour of his right, with his Invincibles, and the two guards were soou engaged. Success could not be doubtful ; in a moment the Russian guard wee routed ; Colonel, artillery, stand ards, every thing was taken. The regiment of the Grand Duke Constantine was annihilated. Ile owed his safety only to the swiftness of his horse. From the heights of Austerlitz the two Emperors beheld the defeat of all the Russian guard. At the same moment, the centre of the army, commanded by Marshal Bernadotte, advanced ; three of his regi ments made a very fine charge of cavalry. the left, commanded by Marshal I.aanes, made several. All the charges were vietorious. General Caffarelli's division distinguished itself. The Cuirassier di vision took the enemy's batteries. At one, p. is. the viaory was decided ; it had not been doubtful for a moment ; not a man of the reserve was wanted, and had assisted so Whet! j II cannonade was kept up - if only en our ri A lit. The enemy's corps, w'lliell hal been surrounded and driven from all the heights, were on a gat, and near a lake. The Emperor hastened thither, with 4 , ) pieces of cannon. This 1 corps was driven from position to potation, and we 1 saw the horrid speaAcle, rich a, was seen at A blukir, of 20,000 men ti.rosving Ciems•lves into the skater, and drowning themseirrs in the lAke. Two coluilins of Ru.siani, 4-000 each, laid down ..their arms, and suiteakiered tire prisoners. Ail the enemy's park of artiilery is taken. The re sult of this day is 40 Russian standards, amongst which arc the standards of the Impetial guard; a considerable number of ; the etat-major ,les not yet know ltr,w mar,y--..c have already :to account of 20,0)0, 12 or I gl•nerals ; at lent 15,000:Iiiv5iaas killed on Ole field of battle.— Though wo have not ye: the tilort, we rn.iy„ at the first c',w-,e,Pli, estimate our liw; at : , ;.m.) and 15 or 1690 v.oitoLie This will n , ,t surpri►e milita r y m e n, who know th.tt it is only in 2 TOM that men Are lost ; and no other cnp, but the bat talion of the 4th, was penetrated. Amongst the wounded are, General St. Hilaire, who, wounded at the ()Tinning of the battle, remained the whole day on the field—he covered himself with glory ; Generals of division, Kellerman and Wal- ther ; Generals of brigade, Valfiabert, Thiebault, Sebastian', Compar, and Rapp, the Emperor's aid de-camp. It was tie latter who, in charging, at lusion : the head of the grenadiers Of the guard, took Prince Repnin, Captain of the chevaliers of the Imperial guard of Russia. With resped to the men who distinguished themsele s, it was the whole arrnv thai coves-id itself with glory—it coi.stantly charged to the cry of rEmpereur, and the idea of cele brating SO gloriously the anniversary of the coro nation, animated the soldier. The French army, though fine and numerous, was less numerous than the enemy's army, which was 105,000 strong; 80,000 Russians, and 0,000 Austrians ; the half of this army is destroyed ; the rest has beta completely routed, and the greater part threw away their arms. This day will cost tears of blood at St. Peters burgh. May it cause the gold of England to be rejeded with indignation! and may that young ?since, whom so many virtue; called to be the U ther of his subjects, tear himself from the influence of those 30 cozcomhs, whim England pays, and whose impertinence injures his intentions, makes him lose the love of his soldiers, and hurries I.im into the most ill judged operations. Nature, in endowing him with to many great qualities, had meant him to be the consoler of Europe. Perfi dious councils, by rendering him the auxiliary of England, will place him, in history, in the rank of men, who, perpetuating the war upon the Conti nent, will have cnnsolidatel the British tyranny upon the seas, and produced the misery of our generation. If France cannot arrive at peace, but upon the conditions proposed by the Aid-de-Camp, Dolgorueki, to the Emperor, and which M. Novo siltzoff was ordered to make, Russia should not ob tain them were her army encamped apon the heights of Montmartre. In a more detailed relation of this battle, the etat-major will make known what each corps, offi• eers and general, have done, to render the French name illustrious, and to afford proof of their love for the Emperor. On the 3d, at day-break, Prince John of I.ich tenstein, commanding the Austrian Army, came to the Emperor's head-quarters, in a barn—he had a long audience—yet we pus sue our succeeses—the enemy have retired by the road of Austerlitz to Godding. The French army is already on their rear, and follows them sword in hand. Never was there a more horrible field of battle. From the middle of the immense lakes, we hear still the cries of thousands of men who could not be as. sisted. Three days must elapse crc all the wounded enemy are carried to Bruin. Tae heart bleeds-- May so much bloodshed, may so many miseries fall, at length, upon the perfidious Islanders who are the cause of it May the cowardly Oligarchs of Landon bear the burthco ci sa many evils! ORULR OF 111£ DAY. Olt the Field, Dec 1 Soldiers, the !tipsier, army is iiefore you, 1.. avenge the &sus trian army at aim. They are the same b..tuisens you beat at !lo lebrun, and which yen have constanny-pursued. The positions we torcopy are fort—W..l)le; and whilst they Larch to me right, they .hall patent the Suldiots, I shall dived myself all yuur bsttaliwns; f shied keep at a distance hate Out / , ms. if, viii year accustomed bravery, you carry cuauston and clisurs!er into the enemy's rank.; but if victory th• for a nshmept doubtful, you slat' are your Etope,,r expose hiiisselt to the fir-t 'ICU/Ty cannot he irate, ea ti.i, day, in which the hupeur of the 'ranch in'antry, which ital. touch (importance 4 the whole matiun, IS CO YrefllCd. Let not Cie ranks be thinned undo , pretext of amine off the woundol, and let each be 'aril p srsoadrA, that we nowt thew h,twii‘ip 0( who are anima ^d with to deep a hatred to our This vteriry flails tifir Campaign, and we shall regime ear sinter gainer; saws*. steal; 4r j.iaNl by the neat a' neiefi forming iu Fra :ce ;tt e.. the acts, Co 0, ! will be worthy of nte people, of you, and of me. (Sigurd) NAPOI.ECN [lskst billows a Prod mat; in, issued after the Battle, which we gave on the 7.1 t instant.] CIRCUI.XR 1.1-41 TR Ti. THE HISIMPS AND PRE SIDENTS OF TIIK cossKrottY. .Ati•terlioz. Dec 3 The signal victlry whit!, has itteorleil ow arms over tl• bind Armies of Rusia and All,tf lA, conisnandeA by On Em perors of Austria and Russia in prison, is a v:vinle proof of s ate protett.on of God, and requires that solemn Thanksgiving be celebrate I through ut the whole extent of inn Empire. hope, that each nyirkval 50i1....4e+ as thrive we have ntv. tallied at Austerlitt, will induce our anein , ei at length to rive up the pis s r6dious councils of Engl 1,1, the only means that tail insure re , ce to the Continent. lJpoti receipt of thee, presents. you will, Icciteding to cue `Sill g a Dente i at which it is our intentiou, Chit all the Ciuistituted A uthoritte.. and our people, auist. Tt.it beitig the whole °hied of our letter, wehr.,, God to brow you in thily keeping. (Signed) NAPULEttN. Bishop of the Diocese of THIRTY-FIRST BULLETW OF THE GRAND 41t.MY P A CS, nrc. 17. The cannon fired yesterday at one, p.m. announre,l great news. In the hopes of hearing the S lit Bul letin read, we went to the . 11watte, and our hope was not disappointed. The representation of ./vhi:.-,r;a tu Anliv had just begun, and the audience were applauding tiiii al- Nl:iis qui pent top' :a raise airetot cc tn.rent. A= itiCi.... cnnibat:re et tuuniphc en riiiii3nt ; . when a Civil Officer appeared on the stage. nett caused the Aao; , Eacitee, to read the following : The day a f'oa the battle of Austerlitz, o:her wice railed the three Empernrs, His Majesty went' to his s•„ttion at the advanced posts, and received there the Emperor of Austria's alit. The confer ence of the two Monarchs was long and atnicaw- : —Francis 11. looking at the wretched hut ::; •.;!..ch Napoleon received him, could not avo:d expressibg some surprise.—" You see,' siid our Ittr.pea 'r t . laughing, " these are the palaces ;n seh,•l l y: : ;a have made me lie for two mcnths."—" ) cu , as; ploy your time too well in them," mine, •' e Ause trian Monarch, "to have cause to tepee.... ' . • The conversation having turned upon .•:- , "seff, Francis the Si.•cond ts.:ined his deepest hot ~ a. in against the infamous policy of that Power:— " They are vile traders," said he, several times. " who would set fire to the Continent for the sake of their trade ; 1 renounce their alliance for ever." That Prince, encouraged by the frank and open air of the French Monatch, having asked that the Emperor of Russia should be included in the Armis tice—" I will shew yon," said Napoleon, .. that his army is entirely surrounded, that to-morrow. perhaps, it will be in my power; aral,besidee, nothing guarantees to me the pacific intentions of that Prince."—" His intentions are in conformity with my own," replied Francis 11. " he shares my hatred and contempt for the English Government—in short. he wishes to withdraw."—" Well, since you are his guarantee. I desire nothing better than to he agree able to the Empe:or Alexander. I will open a retreat for his army, but I will have him retire im mediately; let him evacuate all the Austrian pos session., not only in Germany, bat in Poland ; let him march back, by fixed marches, of which I will give him the route; let no extraordir -try levy be made in the states of that Prince," Ste. In consequence of his generous disposition. Hit Majesty sent his Aid-de-Camp, General & A very. to the head-quarters of the Russian army. intro duced to the Emperor Alexander, he was recei'ved with the highest consideration. The first words spoken to him, by the Emperor Alexander, were a tribute to the genius of Napoleon. ii Your ' e peror has performed miracles ; the day before yes. En\ terday covers him with immo rta l g l or y " Then. inquiring the details of the fine manator. es nt ti e grand wanly, Alexander added, 4' You were inferie» in number, and every where your attacks were site • cessful." "It was the fruit of experience," repliell the French General. " I lis Majesty has already fought thirty battles like those of Austerlitz."... " And, " replied the Russian Monarch, " this is the first in which I have been; I have never pre. tended to rival Bonaparte, he is a very great war rior, he is really predestined." When they came to the =hie& of the message. Alexander asked what the French Emperor required of him ? theu, whether his person were safe ?.." Yes, Sire," replied Gen. Savary, " your pet son is sate, though, at the moment I am speaking, your Army is already turned. If your Majesty explain you , - self frankly, I guarantee your retreat." All the conditions of which we have spoken ahive. appear to have been consented to by the Emprtot of Russia, who, as well as the Emperor of Asss tria, expressed bimsell well satisfied with the French Monarch. An Armistice has thus been concluded between the three Powers, and Neguciations for Peace Will not he dilatory. The Frer.ch.Emperor has &hew ed himself in a strong manner , upon this latter point; and, in ordel. oat to tic any mptc 1w keEr 3 pranfieis42ll . 9 . , all he had taken, and was Ong Eta take, that is, almost all Vpper a: .ii Lawlor Austria. a part of Bohemia, Carniola, the Tirol, the *ate: of Venice, &c. Cries of Vie: Provereur, 'and the n•.trmest plan die, be* from all parts of the Theatre, as soon a - thii admirable news was read, and there wasisof one of the audience a•ho did not think humsi traurrutted to the age of enchantment. 11