Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1805-06-14
BATTLE OF MARENGo.
FRoM DE CRoIsoEUIL's REvoLurIosARy
ANNALS.

two. On the 2nd day of June. he entered
Milan, caused the re denm of victory to-
be sung in the churches rof that city, and
re-organized the Cisalpine Republic. The
Lombards were struck with amazement;
she news of bis arrival IN Italy had reached
them but twenty-four hours before. The
correspondence of the Austrian general,
seized at Pavis, had apprizsd thssfifst con-
SUI of the melancholy fate of Genoa, SUR
yenderedby Massena to general OFT. The
order to raise the siege, which the court of
Vienna bad issued, arrived three hours at.
Ger the commencement of The negotiation.
ltwas concluded On che 4th of May. Mas
sena would not suffer this agreement TO be
drawn Up under the name of cabitulation.
Part Of his small army returned TO France
through Nice; English vessels conveyed
& 1he rest to An,ibss. They had stipulated
abe permission to enter the field again I'M.
anediately upon their arrival.
How great was the surprise of Mors
DE Meas! An army, fifty thousand
ustrong, composed Of intrepid veterans, and
youthful warriors glowing with euthuslas-
sticardor for glory, commanded by chiefs
sstill 10 I prime of life, but who, duriag
leight years of uninterrupted warfare had
;sacquired the maturity and experience of
sahr most advanced age; an army whose
existence he had deemed Chimerical, hav-
Ting now triumphed, at FIRST over nature,
eand then, IN hundred battles, overa gal
liant foe, suddenly stares him in the face
sastonishes him by its presence in the very
acentrc of his conquests; cuts off. all his
recommendations captures all his artillery,
all his stores; is, under his eyes, abun-
dainty subsisted at the expence OF his so.
vsreign; presses him on all sides /; closely
invests him and his numerous army amid
The maritime Alps; and, for momeut,
reduced him nearly to the same situation
under which Messena laboured month
before. Whist instability in human affairs
This remark is frequently repeated, be-
cause instances of mutatihty frequently
occur. But, on the present occasion,
what imprudence what glaring deficiency
of foresight! how blind that self-conceit
which refused 10 see the merits of its OPP
ponents how impolitic tina. jealousy which
supposed them utterly destitute Of talents!
Yet, could the grey-headed chiefs of the
Austrian army so soon forget the proves,
the skill, of those heroes who had success
sixely opposed and wearied each of them !?
Had not these heroes forcibly evinced that
their existence and activity were far from
being ideal France had displayed all her
energies, directedthe whole weight of her
power against Austria; daZZled by few
fugitive successes that blazed and died az
way like so many meteots, the latter dis
semblv1, for moment, 10 herself the re-
sourccs of France. and the abilities of her
new rulers hence those rash doubts which
produced the most Injurious preiudices,
the most fatal mistakes: in this unguarded
hour of contemptuoas supineness, Austria
was irrccoyerably crushed by a single
blow.
Suchet, wfose intrepidity had been
chained for a while By SO many hostile lie.
gions, was, at length, advancing towards
Nice, aud into Piedmont: The troops
left by general Melas in the maritime Alps
dispersed at his approach, or fell by his
victorious sword.
The God of battles reserved to Berthier
the satisfaction OF obtaining in person a sig
nal and complete victory, The remem-
brauce of this memorable action will NOT be
obliterated by the glorious engagement
which, four DAYS after, decided the fate of
italy, and promised peace to France. AT
the head of 10000 men, general OFT had
proceeded along the Pc, with view to
protect the banks of that river, which had
been for two weeks past the theatre Of so
many conspicuous achievements. Berthier
engages him near Montebello: The Aus
trians fought with deperate valour; the
French, with inferior numbers, displayed
courage, made exersions, almost exceed
ing belief. Casteggio, nelghbouring vii.