The National Register.
London, England, 1809-07-16 00:00:00

454

bridge, in the rear across the main arm of the river. The. enemy
avith the divisions of Generals Molitor, ISoadet, Nausonty,
Le-
gran►i, Espague, Lasalle, and Ferranti, under the 'Marshals
Massena and Lasnes, as well as Marshal 13essieres,. together w it h
the Guards of the Wirtemburg, Hesse-Darmstadt, and Ilaadea
auxiliaries, had already left this position, and was directing his
march towards Hirschstetten, when the first Aus:rian advanced
guards met him. If it he at all permitted in war to indnlge fa-
vourable presentiments, it was certainly excusable so to do at that
great moment. when, on the 21st of May, exactly at twelve
o'clock, the columns began to put themselves in motion for the
attack .—A general enthusiasm had taken possession of the
troops; joyful war-songs, accompanied by Turkish music, re-
sounded through the air, and were interrupted by shouts of
" Long live our Emperor, long live the Archduke Charles!"
w henever the Imperial General appeared, who had placed him-
self at the head of the second column. Every breast panted
with anxious desire and high confidence after the decisive ato-
useut ; and the finest weather favOured the awful scene.
BATTLE OF THE 21ST OF MAY.
• FIRST COLUMN.

The advanced guard under Gederal Notdman, consisting of two
• battalions of Gs ulay and Lichtenstein hussars, htid formed near
the destroyed bridge • of Tabor, and leaving theiillages of Ka-
gran and Ilirsebstettin to the left, anti Stadia,' la..the right,
marched in the plain towards Aspeen; It waiifollowed by the
' column which, having left the High •Ilmad before the Post-office:
at Stammersdorf, had marched-from the right by half divisioaii.'
its right flank along the Danube was covered by a bat talioatif
St. Georgians; by the first battalion of 'V iefina NiOlunteers, ainit
by a .battalion of Militia, under tlie--?onunand of getjur coati .
Collot-do. Within a cannon shot of Stadelati the outposts in.ft:
the enemy's piquets, which gradually retreated to their original.
divisions. At this time General•Nottlinran ordered twit battalions.
of Gyulay to dritiv up en echelton,' in order to favouPthe ad-:
vance of the column. The enemy, deawn'utitalaile.diyisions,
• stood immediately before Aspern,having.to ••coverhis front, or-
curled all the ditches of the fieldS, which-afforded evellent-
breast-works. Il is right was covered tiaqry;itild his telff
by a broad and deep •iitch (one of those at carrY'Offthe water_
of the Danube when it overflows), as well as byp bushy ground;
• whit!' was likewise occit)iied sever-al bodies inselgse ouster.
"Thott4h the enemy had the advantage of position all to himself,
inwontien a the :re,hes of the Dioitt:-,e were t,nly passable by
meats of' a •5m..11 !aitle, at which lie kept up a Vigerous ti;•e
flaw ',en Owl the ditches both with cannon and small arms, it did
not prevent the I second' battalion of (ny lay, inimetlately after
the tit•st had penetrated as far as Ole bushy meadows, to pass the
bridge in a column, to form without delay, and with charged j
bayonets to attack the enem.s ho pteeipitately retreated f p
Aspen], on which occasion that vill•oe, af.er tiv4;nrous but nos
•ery obstinate resistance, was takenr'fOr the first time. It was,
however' not tong before the ebetny had it in his. pots er, by the
arrival of a fresh reinfrarement, to expel ai,-ain the battalions
of Guylay. By this time s!;:o. battalions of the column bad
arrived, the C•hassnors of Schjeider, of the second co-
lumn, joined :i^ advancNl pt:trd of the first ; Guylay formed.
again, and the enemy way a ;econd time pushed to the lower
end of the village,though he sit.ga ceeded again in reining what
be had lost.

Both parties were aware of the nece:;sitt k,f maintaining them-
selves in Aspen: at any rate, whit h, pi otititefl sueeet.sively the
most obstinate efforts bo'll of attack :wd di...felice; the parties
engaged each other in .•:er street, in !nery house, and in evert
barn ; carts, ploughs, and liarrei 0.6 ere obliged .to be removed.
during mit uninterrupted fire, in (inlet to get at the enemy; evert
individual wall was an impediment of th assailants, and a ran--
part of the attacked : the steeples, loftytrees, the garrets, am'
the cellars were to be conquered before either of the parties
could stle itself masters of the place, mad yet The possession. was
ever of short duration; for no sookcr hair.vve takeu a street or
house, than the enemy gained another, tot ci us to abandon the
former. So this murderous conflict lasted n;
several hours :
the German battalions were supported by ll unitarians, who were
again assisted by the Vienna Voi un teer- , e;tch vit oiling the whet
in courage and p.'rseveranre. At the wine time the secon,.
column combined its attai ks wiih those of the first, having to
overcame the -ame iesistance, by reason (if tho enemy's constant-
ly leading fresh rcinforcemeots into fire. At teogili Gewertii
Vacquant of the second column succeeded in becoming master
of the tipp.-r part of the village, nod maintaining hinorlf. cot.'
durii g the whole of the aiLht. By the shells of both parties,

JULY 16.

many houses had been set on fire, and illuminated the whole
country around. At the.extremitv of the ti;;l.t wing, on the
bushy meadow, the combats were not less severe. The left
dank of the enemy was secured by an arm of the Danube; im-
penetrahle twit mood, intersected only by footpaths, covered
his front, and a broad ditch and pallisadoesltforded him the ad-
vantage of a natural rampart.

Here fought, at the beginning of the battle, the fir.' battalion
of Gynlay, under C:►to.:el Mariassv ; then the battalion of chas-
seurs under Major Schneider; next the St. “eorgians under Ma-
jor M ihallovich, and finally, the two battalions of Vienna vo-
lunteers, under Lieutenant-Colonel Steigentesch, and St. Quen-
tin. Here, also, the enemy was defeated ; and the first day of
this sanguinary engagement terminated by the occupation of As-
tern by General Vacquant, at the head of eight battalion!: of
the second column, while Lieutenant Field-Mar:hal Hiller drew
the trnsps of his corps from the village, placed them again in
order of battle, and passed the night under arms.