Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1806-03-18

AlAuSh sh@e wiz ttuTC Ilc, CDdC arc truly
my children, and in fact, sometimes
reproach myself with this sentiment,
which fear will end by rendering me
incapable of carrying on war" Could
the enemy have beheld this scene, he
would have been alarmed. But rash
& unthinking he continued his move
ments, & fastened forwards to his ruin.
The Emperor Immediately caused
the preparations TO be made Tor battle.
nc dispatched marshal Davoust, to che
convent OF Reggern he was win one
OF ms divisions, and division of dra-
goons, to make head against the enc
my S lett wing, IN order that ut :, sig
nal given, It might De quite envelop-
ed ne gave the command Oh the left
to marsnai L.nnes of the right to
marshal Souit; OF the centre to mar.
shall Bernadotte, and of all the ca
VARY which lie assembled on one point
to Prince Murat. The left of mar
siiai Lannes was supported by tine
oanton, superb position which the
Emperor mad caused to be fortified.
and on which he had caused to be
placed 18 pieces of cannon. On the
evening preceding the battle, ne had
lntrdsted the guard of this position TO
the 18th regt. IF the light infantrv.
and certainly it could not be guarded
by better troops. The division Of
Gen. Suchet formed the left of mar.
sh2l Lannes and that of Gen. Gaia
reili his right, which was supported
by the cav AIRY of prince Murat. The
latter had in front of it the hussars and
light horse under the orders of Gen.
Kellerman, and the division of dra-
goons Watcher and Beaumont. and in
reserve the divisions of cuirassier. of
Gems. Nansonto & PHaatpoult With
81 pieces of light artillery.
Z Marshal Bernadotte, that is to saw,
the centre, mad on its left the division
of Gen. Rivand, supported on the CEN
ire by prince Murat, & on its Left the
division of Gen. Dfouet.
Marshal SouIt, who commanded
the right of the army, had at his LETT
the division of Gen. Vaudane, az the
centre the division of Gen. St. Hill
laire at his right the division of Gen.
Legrand.
Marshal Davoust was detached to
the right of Gen. Legrana, w16 guar
Id the passages or the ponds, anu of
the villages of Sokolnitz and Ce.nitz.
He had with him the division FRAN
8 the dragons Of the division of Gen.
Bourcirr. The division of Gen. Gudin
was to march very early in TIC morn
ing from Nicholsourg to stop any of
the enemy's corps when might stretch
beyond the right.
The Emperor with his faithful war
companion msrshal 8=rthier, his first
aid-de-canp Col. Gen. Junot and all
his staff, was In reserve with the 10
battalions Of his guards, and the 10
battalions of Gen. Oudinot, of which
Gen. Duroc commanded part.
This reserve was drawn up in two
lines in columns by battalion, at the
distance of opening; having in the in
tervals 40 pieces OF cannon served by
the artillerym@n of the guards. 1t is
with this reserve that the Emperor
had the project of rushing wherever
his presence would have been nsces-
sary. We may say that this reserve
alone was worth an army.
At one O'Clock in the morning the
emperor mounted on horseback 20 vi
sit his posts, reconnoitre the fires Of
the enemy's 6ioou6cs, and received an
account from the large guards of what
they might have heard of the move
ments of the Russians. He learned
that they had-spent the night I'M dram
keuness and tumultuous cries, and
that corps Of Russian infantry had
presented themselves at the village of
Sokolnitz, occupied by regiment of
the division of Gen. Legraad, VINO
received orders to reinforce it.
The 1 18th Frimaire, day at length
appeared. The sun rose radiant and
this anniversary of the emperor's coro.
nation, on which one of the finest feats
of arms ofthe age was going to take
place was one of the finest days of this
Autumn.
This battle, which the soldiers per.