The Sun.
London, England, 1806-05-26 00:00:00

FBENCH, 11111.17 REPORT.

REPORT t'FON THE OPERATIONS OF THE Tlinti)

CORPS OP TI-IE ARMY IN CALABRIA

" The Command of this Corps being given by
PrinceJose.rn to the!General of Division REGNIEn,
it was colie&ed it Salerno, about the end of Fe-
brnary, while the mountain artillery and provisions
were preparing for the Expedition at Naples : this
it was. necessary for the mules to carry.. This Corps
of the 'Artily then received the following organiza-
tion :—The Advanced Guard, under Brigadier-Ge-
neral COMPERE, was composed of four Battalions, a
Detachment of .Sappers, and three pieces of moun-
tain artillery : Gen. VERDIER'S Division consisted of
7 battalions, one detachment of Sappers, and 3 pieces
'9l:mountain artillery: the Reserve,'under Brigadier.:
Gen. FRAN CESCHI, was composed of one Battalion,
'end six Squadrons of Cavalry. Four pieces of light ar-
tillery were sent to Matera, to follow the moi,;e-
merits of the Corps in Calabria ; -they were ordered
to take the route of La Puglia, to arrive at Cassano,
it being the only one praWcable for carriages:
" The Neapolitan Army was composed of 28 Bat-
talions and 27 Squadrons, making a.total•of 18,0E30
and was to be joined by the Levy en Masse of
the Calabrians, and Peasants of the PrOvince Ba-
-,,ilieata, the ancient Heads of former Levees en Masse,
end.i.vho-owed 'their fortunes! and the favours they
had received to the'parts they had a&ed in the spe-
cj,-s of Crusade under Cardinal RtJFFO. This Levy
promised from 'BO to 100,000 men ;. but, though
much money- was expended to engage the Peasants,
and every means were used to cajole the Calabrians;
they refused to, arni,' and told the Prince that the
War did not concern them ; that he ought not to
have engaged in it ;that the Enemy did not arm
'against them : so that only a few hundreds of rob-
bers could be obtained, and thoae they We.re obliged
-to nay very-regularly, merely to retain them in their

" The Prince of Naples released all the persons
confined in the Prisons awaiting their sentences, and
-granted an amnesty to others who 'Were. pursued by
the hands of justic‘, as he wished to engage them
to 'genie ;in the retinue of his Troops. He also
lowered the new-imposts laid upon salt a short time
before=a Measure whiCh had increased- the disgUst
Of; the;Calabrians against the measures of the Court.
Rumours the most absurd in their kind were cir-
culated to the prejudice 'of the French ; but they
tailed in 'their object, At, length they were deter-
mined to give the Masses 'a Sudden impulse, with
the hopes of pillage ;, and-they ordered the Army to
,advance, as -if- it was 'Mended to march against
Naples, whelk tniy gave out there were but few
*Troops':. thiS movement was a&ually carried into
eiVeet,, when the French Army-put itself in a march-
kin order; and this was the only object which the
'En:nu), could be supposed to have had in view.
:‘‘ On the first of Match the Advanced. Guard
,established itself: at Ebel!. On the third the Army
colurnenced its march ; the Advanced Guard pushed
'on to Supino. • :in the 4th it was at Polla ; and
the Reserve, 'and ,VERDIER'S -Division, were at
Auretta., The Bridge of Campestrino was .Cort-
structed over a ravine, in a place- where the way
was cut through a rock, upon 'the. declivity of -a
-_-....t,:,•„ pa-len-ise it was 1-1-"0";h14,
to pass, on account of its smuosities : this Bridge
was to base ieen. defended by two piers of cannon,
rn howitzer, a:ld a number of Peasants, that the,
Chiefs had reprtsented to the Court of. Naples as
GOOO, thaugh they were, but 300 in reality ; bat
these Peasatits dispersed as ,soon as they were as-
sured of the march of the French Troops.
" On the sth the Advanced Guard was at.. San
Lotenzeo di Padilla; and the rent at Sala ; and an
-Aid-de-Climp from ,Marshall\ll,NuToLt brought a
'Letter to General REGNiEIt 'from the Neapolitan
Commander in Chief, •to inform him, that if the
French Army should treat the' Masses, which he

stiled Auxiliaries,. as vagabonds, he. should make use
of reprisals against dr.' French Prisoners. General
11.noNtEtt answered, that the regular Neapolitan
Troops might rely,: with confidence, on his gene-
rosity ; buk• that the alined Peasants could only be
treated as thieves arid rebels. • •
• " " Towards San Lorenzo the Advanced Guard dis-
covered some Neapolitan. Cavalry, who fled on its
approach. The former then took post: at Castel
Nuovo, where they erg to be reinforced in et few

• ,
days: they, however, left the.position before the
• 'time, and the ,Army saw no more of them that
day.

On the Gth the Army arrived at Castel Nuovo,
and continued its route, after having passed the de-
files of Gararo, and the summit of the mountains,
the Advanced GUard perceiving the Neapolitan
Troops intrenched behind the-Bridge Dellenico, to
which they lead Set fire.• They were 2,000 in_ num-
ber, with some armed pepants, and a-Sqnadron of
CaValry, with one piece of twelve, one howitzer,
and two four-pounders. 'The
.Light Troops of the
.of Light Infantry 'soon gained the
heights.whicir coinnaand,ed the right of the• Enemy's
htrenchments„ and N'(rhero, the Neapolitans never
, thought of ShbWing their Infantry till it was too late:
they were forced to abandon the i 2-pounder and an
howitzer •in a moment, and endeavoured to rally
'Under their 4-pounders; but these were likewise
soon. taken ,by the Light Troops, 'who pursued a
small number of the Enemy that escaped, towards
ltbsco, where they dispersed among the mountains.
At Lagonegro they found a great part of 'the Ene,
nay's equipage, and twenty-caissons., In the even-
ing it appeareil that 300 of the Enemy were made
prisoners, including a Colonel and. twenty Officers ;
they took also three• pair of colours. The Detach-
ments left at Lagonegro carded a number of Nett-
,politans on the following day, who had concealed
-themselves in the mountains. . -
• " On the 7th •we were obliged to wait for a con-
voy of biscuit • following the Arrny, as it was- abso-
lutely necessary ..to supply the Soldiers with provi-
Ei;us before they ,entered the mountains,. where
mules only could pasS. The Advanced Guard moved
'to Lai:nil, and found sixteen caissons • abandoned at
Fusco, andthree piece; of cannon at Laurie, where
they took three Officers and fifty privates. On the
Stiff, the Army arrived Castelluccio,whieh the Ene-
my liad left bdt a few hours before; and, during
their halt there thoy found several straggling privates
ned some titliecr3, as wellas at Rotunda. '
,01, the Dth they entered the defiles of the Val-
ley of keeping a I.vatchthl eve upon the
ri.iounicuus on eek.b , According to repofts, the