Hannibal journal and western union. (Hannibal, Mo.) 1851-1852, 1851-12-04

that inglorious grave, or that some Austrian
dragon would sabre his head from his body or
with bullet pierce his brain Enveloped in
clouds Of smoke, in the midst Of the dismay and
the uproar Of the terrific scene, he chapced to
evade observation, until his own troops, regard
less of every peril, forced their way to his res
cue. Napoleon escaped with but a few slight
wounds. Through the long day, the tide Of war
continued to ebb and to flow upon these narrow
dykes. Napoleon now carefully counted the
number Of prisoners taken, and estimated the a
mount of the slain. Computing thus that the
enemy did not outnumber him by more than
third. he resolvde 10 march out into the open
plain for decisive conflict. He relied upon
the enthusiasm and the confidence Of his own
troops and the detection with which he knew,
that the Austrians were oppressed. In these
impossible morasses ii was impossible to operate
with the cavalry. Three days of this terrible
conflict had now passed. In the horrible earn
age of these days Napoleon had lost 5000 men,
and he estimated that the Aastriqre eeuld not
have lost less, in killed, and wounded, and pris-
oners, than 10000. Both armies were utterly
exhausted, and those hours of detection and
lassitude had ensued in which evey one wished
that the battle was at an end.
1t was midnight. Napoleon, sleepless and
fasting, seemed insensl5ie to exhaustion either
OF body or OF mind, lie gallOped along the dykes
from post TO post, with his whole soul engrossed
with PREPARATIONS for the renewal of the conflict.
Now he checked his horse TO speak in tones Of
consolation to wounded soldier, and again by
Ia few words Of kind encouragement animated an
exhausted sentinel. At two o'clock in the
morning the whole army, with the ranks sadly
thinned was again reused and ranged in battle al
ray. 1t was a cold, damp morning, ard the
weary and half-famished soldiers shivered in
their lines. A dense, oppressive fog covered
the flooded marsh, and added TO the gloom Of the
night. Napoleon ordered fifty of the guards to
struggle with their horses through the swamp
and conceal themselves in the rear of the enemy
With incredible difficulty most of them succeed
ed in accomplishing this object. Each dragoor
had trumpet. Napoleon commenced furious
attack along the whole Austrian front. Wher
the fire was the hottest, at an appointed signal
the mounted guards sounded with their trumpets
loudly the charge, and with perfect desperation
plunged iGio the ranks OF the enemy. The
/ Austrians, in the darkness and confusion of the
night, supposing that Murat,* with his whole
{ body of cavalry, was laundering downupon theil
, rear, in dsmay broke and fled. With demoniaca
, energy the French troops pursued the victory
, and before that days sun went down, the prouC
army of Alvinz, now utterly routed, and hav-
| ing lost nearly thirty thousand men, marking its
path with trail of blood, was retreating into the
imountains of Austria. Napoleon, with stream,
ing banners and exultant music, marched tri.
lrmphantly back into Verona, by the eastern
gates, directly opposite those from which, three
days before, he had emerged. He was received
by the inhabitants with the utmost enthusiasm
and astonshment Even the enemies of Ma.
poleon so greatly admired the heroism and the
genius of this wonderful achievement, that they
added their applause to that of his friends. This
was the fourth Austrian army which Napoleon
, had oyerthrown in less than eight months, and
each of them more than twice as numerous a:
his own. In NapoIeon's dispatches to the Di.
'rectory, as usual, silent concerning himself
and magnanimously attributing the victory tC
; the herosm of the troops, he says, "Never was
a field of battle more valiandy disputed than th'
conflict at Arcola. have scarcely any generals
, left. Their bravery and their patriotic enthusi
E iaAm are without example"