The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1807-01-02 00:00:00

BIOGRAPHT OF MARSHAL DAVOUST.
0110b1 A GASMAN isrre.)
The high commendations bestowed on Marshal
•Dtvoust, by the Emperor Napoleon, in the Fifth
Bulletin, containing the account of the battle of
J:na, have called a greater portion of the public at-
tention to a General, whose early life is but 'little
known, and whose merit has rapidly raised him to
the most elevated military stations.
Louis Nicolas llsvoust was l•orn May the 10th,
3770, at Avaux, in the canton or Avalon, in the
department of L'Yonne, and was educated with
Bonaparte, in the Erute Msl,taire. In 1785, he
was Sob-Lieutenant in the regiment of Royal
Champagne Cavalry. On the breaking out of the
lievolution, most of his comrades emigrated : Da-
voust entertained different sentiments, and remained
in France, notwithstanding all the insult and abuse
lavished on such Officers as declared in favour of
the Revolution.
In 1790, volunteer battalions were every where
formed. Davoast resigned his Lieutenantcy in the
Royal Champagne Cavalry, and was appointed
Chief of the 9d Battalion of the Yonne. This bat-
talion served with distimlion in the Army of the
North ; and Davoust, in particular, manifested a
charaderistic valour and intrepidity. Some days
p-evious to the battle of lemappe, he repeatedly
atticked the enemy's posts, near Condi, and in the
irons of that town carried nn a very dangerous
petty warfare, from which he very adroitly
extricated himself. At this period it was easy to
foresee chat he would once shine among the ablest
Officers of the Frencn army. He was in all the
;gns of Dumourics ; and in the retreat of
General, his battalion rendered, on various
sions, the most important services.
en Lumourirs, after losing the battle of
erwinden, began to doubt his ability to prescribe
the Convention, he resolved to open a Negn-
with the enemy, and to &liver to them his
and the strong places which it defended. His
intention was discovered, and excited the incl;gna-
of all the true republicans. Davoust displayed,
occasion, an example of the most magnani-

devotion. With a few other officers. he con.

. the bcld design of seizing the person iif Du-
mouriez ; and in this enterprise he nearly succeed-
Damouriez with difficulty escaped the impend-
danger. by a precipitate flight to the Austrian
When we consider the boldness of Davoust
project, and compare it wish the insignificant

he possessed to carry it into declaims, we ale
obliged to admit that such an Attempt pre-sispposes
undaunted intrepidity, inferior in no respea to the
which is required in the Geld of battle. This
cir:umstatice excited at the time considerable atten
and Davoust's battalion obtained deserved com-
waendations.

one of those events, to which a revolution
a is susceptible, Davoust, whose patriotism and
rlity could no loisier be equivocal, was obliged
resign his commission, because he belonged to
lass of the Noblesse. He had just at the same
in June, 1793, been raised to the rank of Ge-
The 9th Tiles-mi.:for called him again into
; he joined the army of the Moselle, and
employed at Luxemburg. Here he unfolded,
large s: de, the military talents he had already
exhibited ; with a force of 4000 men, he obtained
advantages in several aairms over the Austrian gar-
., from 14 to 16,000 strong,
One of his exploits, during the blockade of Lit.
ember& is particularly worthy of notice. Being
informed, th it the destruti:on of a mill on the road
, Li lc,. wcald greatly distress the inhabitants and
garrison, he resolved to set it on fire. The mill
situated within the fortifications, and before the
s; but this was 00 obstacle to Davuust. Taking
him one night the grenadier company of the
battalion of the Vosges, he scaled the palisades,
overpowered several Austrian posts in the covered
r• ached the mill, ent in pieces a piquet of
ev, set it on use, and returned with the loss of
• • ..adier. An alarm was immediately beaten
t. mess, and the garrison kept up an units.

kn'i!ifil foe of musketry till day-break. At
le3get, the ap,lrebet..inn of a 'vim and
gave place to t N speaacle of a post dearoyed be-
Sc e the very gates of the (el. To prev, nt this
at* of negotiation from shake; the confidence of the
F rripon. Old Eight Magahal Bender made a wank
an the following day. Ile wag obliged to retreat
with the loss of 1200 bound:al g dad the French
Rave him no m.dtglatina in (.navey;ng
them
back M
the tariff**. that henget mi,.,'lt accelerate the arri.
al et the mn.r.ent when it imolai Le under the nc-
sesaasy of capitulating.
Demist Tutted the theatre of Luzeinbarg. to
sent trader Piehera nn rba Kt it He was left
by heal, with the Geroge 419 Ducar* and Caere's% at
Meediatio. seder the (noseband of General Mon.
take. Dossing the campaigia. many errors dr.
swti the metier of the soldier-. su,l bad ifs eve
egJibaagai d Merivett. Devesis wee eeA• • wg.:.

-~

soncr of war, but being exchanged in a few months,
was again appointed to a Command in the Krill of
the Rhine, and assisted in conduging it across that
river. Ile commanded one of the three corps which
were to make the real attack under I)uhesmc. As
the troops reached the right bank, I) ivonst formed
them into columns, which advanced against the
village of Diersheim, that was most obstinately
defended. Davoust took the place, and maintained

himself these after a bloody conflia, which was re-

newed the following day.
After this success, the General•in-chief, Moreau,
endeavoured to break the Austrian army, against
whose centre he, with this view, direCted his utimist

efforts. The Austrians, unable to withstand these
new attacks, resolved to retreat. The campaign
WAS opened with these favourable omens fer the
French, when peace, the result of the victories of the

Army of Italy, suddenly checked the progress of
that of the Rhine. I)avoust now joked the Con.
queror of Italy. to whom his enthu►iasm closely at.

tAched him. He was likewise chosen to accompany

the expedition that was then equipping in the p•,tt
of 'Coulon•
The fleet set sail, and after touching at Malta,
proceeded to Alexandria. The Marnelukes were
soon driven out of Egypt. Bonaparte gave to
Davoust, together with D.-ssaix, the command over
Upper Egypt. How ably he condatled himself is
that station, how he overcame Murad Bey, after

numberless Awns, and waged war with whole
hordes of Arabs, cannot be related within the limits
to which we are confioed. He was on the point at
pursuing the Arabs, w:rou he received intelligence

that Cair. and all Upper Egypt were in a state 04
insurrehno. Davoust felt the necessity of pre-
serving the most important point in Egypt. Tie
hastened to Cairo, sc ured the country, dispersed
the malcontents, and went back to Cairo, where he
awaited General Bonaparte, who was then ictur [king
from Syria.
Some days after his arrival at Cairo, 13.000 Turks
landed at Aboukir, and took the fort and the works
Bonaparte left Cairo. A week afterwards he gained,
with his advanced guard, commanded by Murat and
Lasnes, a signal vianry over the Turks, in w

the divisions of Kleber and Regnier, that were a
day's march dist int, had no share. The surviving
Turks took refuge in the village and fort of Abnukir.
Many men were !nu in the attacks made for seve-

ral days upon V em, and General Lasnes was
wnund_d. Here Davnust obtained the praise of hi,
Commander-in-chi-f ; he attacked the village, de-
feat. d the Turks, dr ye thous inch of them into the

sea. ar.tl the others i,,tti the cask, which, in forty-

`eight hours, was obliged to capitulate. With this
achievement, terminated the operations of General
DATOllat, El Egypt. On the conclusion of the Coo-
vetrion of El Atisch, he embarked, with Dessaix,
at Alexandri I, for France.
Both were anxious to return to their country, but
a thousand obstacles impeded the accemplishmtnt
of their wishes. After a tempestuous passage of
thirty days, during which they were nearly lost in
a harbour of Sicily, they came in sight of the
Merles Islands. They already resigned themselves
to the .pleasing prosped of again beholding their
native land ; when, in the midst of a thick fog,
they unexpededly fell in with an English frigate,
which carried them to Leghorn, to Admiral Keith.
By him they were put under quarantine ; and he
informed them, that he could cot set them at liberty,
till he had received the resolutions of his Court,
with respire to the Convention of El Arisch. At
length they regained their liberty, and, in five
days, landed at Toulon. No sooner was Bona.
pane made acquainted with the arrival of General
Davoust, than he ordered him to repair to Paris.
He received him with aftedion, appointed him Ge-
neral of Division. and gave him the command of
the Cavalry of the Italian Army.
After the battle of Nlarengo, General Benne had
the chief command irk. Italy. On the renewal of
the war, he was Je,iraus to Teal Iv* the theatre of it
to the other side of the Adige, and with this view
resolved on the passage If the Maim, which took
place at Proteolo. The obstinacy with which the
possession of that village wee contested, has reader-
ed it celebratid ; thriee wee it taken, and as otten
recovered. Geaeral UMPOITTI• the compan.rie in
arms, and faithfel friend of the brave Dessais,
greatly contributed, with some regiments of drai
goons, to the sis.:cess of the French arms. He re.
puked the theigarivi gresadiers, and snatched the
keg doeteful vidory. At the passage of the Adige,
ar.sl of the Brenta. and its various other engage-
ments,io Italy. he likewise performed important ser-
vices, till the armistice of Treviso was succeeded by
the peace of Luneville.
Boesapsrte, thee Fast Consul, did n-t fail to re-
weed the gallantry sad seal of Genital Devout/I.
rho had raised his reeves is Lftypt. He called
Nm to the bead of tits corps. Midi. at the
Mode of tri stereges. writwitini the appolislios of
„rho rahw er aid *primed him Chief el

~

--I

. •
held this commend with the title of
when Napoleon Bonaparte assumed the Impe-
rhil Crown, and environed himself with a still more
brilliant and numerous guard. Davoust was im-
mediate)/ raised to the dignity of Marshal of the
Empire and Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour.
soon after he was appointed to the chief eommami
of a camp on the toast, which, for a time, seemed
to threaten England with the ssri.vis intention of in-
vasion. This camp was afterwarfs Lroicen up, anf
divided into seven corps, which, ucder the condu6t
of Bonaparte, penetrate.) inm ths heart cf the Aits•
man monarchy. Marshal Davoust led one of these
corps to Ulm, and at the bittle of Austerlitz ; and
after the conclusion of peace, remained with it in
Germany. The war between France anl Prussia,
which brnkt out last (f-.l.)her, hurried Davoust's
corps into Saxony, and to the ever.tn-rnnrahle plain
of Jena, where, according to the french ohicial
statement, it performed prodigies. It is asserted,
that a principality in the now totally dissolved Em-
pire of Germany, has he.m decreed by Napoleon, as
the reward of its intrepid leader, who was the hero
of the day.

in r ranee
• lavished
the Revo
In 179
1.1
formed.
Royal C
Chief of
talion se
North
charade
p-eviou,
attacked
eavironi
kind of
citric a to
foresee t
Officers
campait
that Ge
occasion
Nerwint
, laws to
R citation
army at
intentioi
tion of
at on this(
mous di
certed t
tiT mourie2
ed. Dt
ing (lan
army.
in this
means!.
obliged
,i 1 an undi
valour
cir:urni
tte ' don, ab
mendat
By co
alone is
fidelity
to resig
the clat
time, it
aeral.
adivity
WAS CM
VI/
en a la
mdsibiti
advant
rison, f
One
▪ ember]
Inform
to Lief
the gat
64' W.II sit
I .1
gates;
et. with I
• first hi
1
r orrery
•
v, is,
letigtl
gave
a lc • t
net of
rris
val thi
at with t
▪ s gavel