The National Register.
London, England, 1809-05-14 00:00:00

OPERATIONS OF THE ARMIES.

The events which have so rapidly succeeded each other,
within the last three weeks, have been so unexpected, and
to the great majority of the public, so perfectly unintelli-
gible, that reason is lost in wonder, and every one seems
inclined to impute them to causes beyond human controul.
Nothing is so easy as to cut short all difficulties in this way;
but even a cursory examination will prove that there is no
necessity for having recourse to these extraordinary causes.
There is e:,ough in the Austrian errors, and in the French
evident superiority, which may solve the knot without
applpug, to such supernatural interposition. Nothing,
moreover, could be practically more dangerous than
thus generally assigning all the French successes to this
divine assistant. Who will venture to oppose those who
are urged forwards by Heaven.
The Plan of the Austrian campaign seems to have been
founded on erroneous principles. It would seem by the
Austrian Proclamation, that the main object, and the main
hopes of the campaign, were to operate on the national
prejudices of the German Confederates, and by presenting
them with a rallying point, with a force sufficient to re-
ceive and to defend them, to seduce them from what was
supposed to be their unnatural incorporation with the.
French. Upon these principles, and under these hopes, the
general plan of the campaign seems to have been—to
have c►►mmenced with offensive operations—to endeavour
with all possible effort to obtain the first advantage, in
order thereby to encourage the German Confederacy to

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declare themselves. The Austrians, therefore, with these
designs, advanced,—they extended their line along a gredt
extent of country, and bore down upon Ratisbon.—ln th:s
muti m there were two principal errors : in the first place,
it was contrary to all received principles, that the weaker
' power should voluntarily act offensively . In the second
place. the extent of the Austrian line most peciiktut se-
conded the peculiar system of the French,—it enabled them
to break the line, and thus fall on then, in front and 'rear.
—The French armies did not fail to avail themselves
these errors,—the Emperor NAPOLEON saw their objc;.',
and hastened to defeat it. Leavitlg Paris on the 12th, I a
reached his head quarters on the itith. In the mean time
he had effected the junction of All the divisions of his
army, and contrary to the expectation of the Austrians,
and subsequently to their evident surnrize, concentered his
force in one point.—The Austrian army was now upon its
advance. The Archdukes LOUIS and JOHN, with a preci
pitation which they have since had carve to repent, pressed
forwards to meet the French. The FrcnA on their parts,
confident in their superiority, crossed L-1 Danube, ;:nd i :-
stead of waiting the assault of the Austrans, theniselvt s
commenced the attack. The result was as •.light have been
expected. The Austrians, being deceived ps to the Freheli
strength and numbers, 101 l into a fatpl trap,---they attacked
the bull by the horns, and exactly IT ‘.led ln Ilia:
_point
of the French army where the Frc•eli
The consAuence was, that the su: 'dor we ht of the
French necessarily broke the A .strian
_The
French then got into the rear of their enmie::, and