Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-01-16
The Battle of aohenlinden.
BY J T. uEADLEY.

| The lser and the Inn, as they flow from the
Alps towards he Danube, move nearly in paral-
lei lines, and nearly forty miles apart. AS they
approach the river the space between them be-
comes one elevated plain, covered cnef1y with a
sombrc, dark, pine forest-crossed by two roads
only while the mere country paths, that wind
through 1t here and there, give no space to march
inr columns M0relu had advanced across this
forest to the Inn, where, on the lst of December,
he was attacked, and forced to retrace his steps,
and take up his position on the further side, at
the village OF lIoh"ninden. II re, where one
of the great roads debouched from the woods he
placed Ney and Grouchy.
The Austrians in four massive columns, plung-
ed into the gloomy wilderness, designing to meet
in the open plain Of H ,henlInden the central col
umn mlrching along the high road, while those
on either side made their way through amld the
trees, as they best could
1t was stormy December morning, when
these seventy thousand men were swallowed
from sight in the dark defles OF Hohennden
The day before 1t hao ralned heavily. and the
roads were almost inplsslble; but now furious
snow-storn darkened the heavens, and covered
the ground with one white ulbroken surface. -
The by paths were blotted out, and the signing
pines overhead dropped with their heavy burden
above the ranks or shook then down on The
heads of the soldiers as the artillery wheels
snote aganst their trunks. 1t was a strange
spectacle, those long, dark columns out of sight
Of each otner stretching through the dreary for
ests by themselves; while the falling snow, sift-
ing over the ranks, made the unmarked way still
more solitary. The soft and yielding mass
broke the tread of the advancing hosts, wnre the
artillery, and ammunition and baggage wagons
gave forth lnuffled sound, that seemed prophet
ic of some mournful catastrophe. The centre
column alone had hundred cannon in its lrail'
while behind them were five hundred wagons
and the whole closed up by the slow moving
cavalry.
Thus marching, it came at about 9oclock up
on IIohenli lden and attempted to debouch into
the plain; when Grouchy fell upon it with such
fury that 1t was forced back into the woods
In moment the old forest was alive with echoes
and its gle lmy Te:esses Illuminated with the blaze
of artillery. Grouchy, Grandj"an, and Ney, pu'
forth incredible efforts to keep this immense force
from deploying into the open field. The two
former struggled with the energy of desperation
to hold their ground and although the soldiers
could not see the enemy's lines the storm was
so thick. yet they aimed at the fIshes that issu'
ed from the woods, and thus the two armies
fought. The pine trees were cut in two like
reeds, by the artillery, and fell with crash on
the Austrian columns, while the fresh fallen
snow turned red with flowing bl cd. In the
mean time, Richenpanse, who had been sent
by circuitods route with single division TO
attack the enemy's rear, had accomplished his
mission. Though his division had been cut in
two, and irretrievaby separated by the Austrian
leff wing, the brave General continued TO advan-
ce, and with only three hundred men fell boldly
on forty thousand Austrans. As soon as Nor
eau heard the sound of his cannon through the
forest, and the alarm 1t spread amid the enemy'f
ranks, he ordered Ney and Grouchy to charge