Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1809-08-22

4. That, from the circpms, "l0as'
French army remaining unmolsl. s Of b,
island, separated only by a small 81 :. D n
stream from the left bank whers = sofd4
was fought, it is too much to infs, "ls = b,t
French have been completely os,, %''&s
The Austrians seem to have mo-, ',nftsa
ly defeated them, but certainly s,l sofleA
condition to follow them up. Ny,
To say all in one word. it anna.
manifcs;ly from the French accopn ~' ! ny
most dreadful slaughter and havoc L. H'l
sustained by the French army: ,bs s . 3
have in consequence been most mo- y s
checked, and compelled to retreat,
Such seems to us 10 be the I'm. !.
things, sac
The Austrian dispatches, in ,be;, :,
tive OF the events of the 21st and q,I 7 n
not differ materially from tie Fr4n,FE !"
count, and If We make due allowance
the contrary exagscrations on both a
they may very easily be reconci|rd ny
do not even differ in the slightest dscr..
to the events of the 21st. The frencshl :
letin states, that the Auslriaos a,,,,r
them, and the Austrian accounts s,,s !
same. The French say that the Amen
were rePulseel and the Ausriaps do u
say thar, on this day, they gained aw i
vantage.
The Austrian dispatches, however, Al
fer from ihe bulletin in TWO circums,,,,,
OF apparent importance to the eveh,. ot 4.
22d. According 20 the Austrian secourN
the bridge was destroyed by the Atehds|
Charles, by the means of fire ships.
We have rot the most sligh; hesialio,n
say, that we do not believe this cirur.
stance. The French could not have crosd
the river unless they were possessed Of
full! command of It's passage for nuutt
OF leagues. Where were the fire Sims B
come from? Were no, the French IN sill
hcient force to have prevented his attsnp!|
These fire ships must have been sena
their approach and before the bridga|
were burned, that is on the S1s,, the Fnna,
were in possession of thtm. In such cHi
cums.ances would it have been possible fi
few scattered boats, for such they must
have been, to have fired the bridges? w
have no hesIta ton, therefore, most !uLy1
reject this circumstance.
The Austrian account proceeds to site
that the enemy were compelled 10 c0&a'
Danube on the ED. This too is ty.dtEF
saying TOO much now were tbry 10 eros
when the bridges we're broken down is
hanube is very near as broad as The river
Thames at Westminster Bridge.
1t seems somewhat ngLar 100, that ths
Austrian accounts say nothing as to sg
substantial, palpaole fruits OF this victoy.-
One OF these two things must be tmr-I
either that the French have been snablydal
re-established the bridges, or, they have
not been able to re-cstabi!si1 them. Il dty|
have been able to re establish them, bqI
arc still in possession Of the stream OF tht /
river, and the Austrian victory, thous
undoubted, is not SO great as has been d
lodged, lnasmuch as it would have bed
impossible for Bonaparte to have re-esap
Ilshed his bridges, and to have lepassedhs.
army, and that too in the face and front
4 victorious force.
On the other hand, if he has not ,e'ss
tablIshed his bridges, his army must n'ft''
'arlly remain on the left bank and IN H
slapd, and III this case they could not nave
maintained even that position, II Their
'erthrow had been as complete as aII''sA
n the Austrian dispatches.
The former, by the twelfth bulletin s''n'
o be the true state of thmgs--ttnfatl, ~'
French have re-established their briggs
nd therefore that the stream OF the rNdp
TIL In their possessioD-rhst they have"
cred very much, but have not been 01t
Fhelmed they have been severely ea''
d, but not subdued and that the b's'PD
the victory is, its probable sHsc's M
the spirits of the Austrlans'
l.