The Sun.
London, England, 1809-07-12 00:00:00

SECOND COLUMN

The advanced guard, commanded by Lienteuant
General Fresnel, advanced by Leopoldan and Ka-
gran towards Hirschstetten, and consisted of 'one
battalion "of cliasseurs and two battaiions of Anton
Mitsovsky under General Winzingerode, as well as
the brigades of cavalry, Klemit?, and Vincent, *under
General Veesev. It was followed -in the same di-
re6lion by tho column horn its position near Geras-
dorf. •

The enemy haying been discovered from the emi-
nences near. Hirschstetten to- be near Aspern and
Esslingen, the Brigade Veesey was -detached against
' the, latter place, and 'the -brigade WierzingerOde to
• diSlodge the enemy from Aspern.
The column deployed- ,before nirschstetten• in
two lines, in order to suppott the advanced guard,
and leaving Aspern to the right, followed upon the
' plain at a proper distance. •
Thy, brigade of Winz,ingerode; howevcr, met with
so spirited a resistance in its attempt upon A;-era,
that an -attack upon r_the trout alone was not likely
to be attended with- success ; the cavalry, werefOre,
of the advanced guard, was pulied forwar.l from
Aspern on the lett, iu order to support the attack on
, the Bank with the two batteries of c‘ivalty,.
as to facilitate the junction with the third 'coiatun
which was advancing by Breitenlee: Ai the saws
time the regiment or Reuss :Platten was o:-t-ed .to
the right side of Aspern, a vatW to an attac-k )11
that place, the rest of. the corps .was,.-tOrtned-into
CloSe columns of battalions.. •
Meali•While the enemy formed his left wing,
which he refused, towards Aspern; mid his right
upon Esslingpen. 'Thus lie advanco with columns
of infantry and Cavalry upon the. main army, witiie
an extremely • brisk--cannonade supported -him.
line of tWelve regiroents of cuirassiers formed the
centre of the second line,of the enemy, giving-'to thin
• whole an impaing aspeCt.
'Meanwhile the attack of a battaliprr 14...u5s-
Plirti-ar 6-ii-WinWas repulsed, anti 'it gave way,
. being thrown into consternation by, the loss of its
Commander, but it rallied itrunediatdy atier. - Count
Bellegarde ordered- General Baccpant to renew the
attack with the regiment of Vogel Sang, • and to
carry the village at all hazards. The latter oboyed-
the order with the most Witham success, and As-
pern, thotigh defended' by twelve -thousand of the
best of the enemies' troops, was carried by storm ;
Bacquant being assisted by the regiment of Reuss-
Planen,' by a hattalion o:Archdeke Miner-, and. by.
the brigade of iilaier of the third coloinn.
• To frustrate this attack, the enemy advanced
With two columns of infantiy, supported by his
heavy cavalry, upon the main army; repulsed the
two regiments oh Kienau- andrilincears light horse,
and tell upon the infantry. .
The latter.,e*peCting him, with their firelocks
ready, and with cool intrepidity, tired at ten p :ces
distance so ettitually, as totally to rout enet,y,
upon which General \ Xeesey, at the of a divi-
sion of Klenau, attached the eneinv:s cuilassicrs
with :such.energy,' that their- retreat Was followed by
that of the-infantry.-
• Hereby the army along the whole of its line' was
-.disengaged froth the enemy, obtained cotint2unica.
:tion on the lett , with the corps of -Prince tiohen-
zollern, and became possessed of the important post
of 'Asper°. The enerhy hieing in tull retreat at-
-tempted no further attack, and confined tlint.self
merely to a cannonade. The corps rentained during
the night under arms. Tlie enemy repeated, Irideed„
his attacksOn Aspern, but they all ploved Iniucces-
,