The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-07-07
SIXTH OF JULY.

this ofhce.l
Tb;. il the anniversary Of the great battle
of wagram tlso9) which was preceded oy 'n'
massage of the Danube, one OF the most extra
ordinary military feats on record.
We have seen that after the bloody, but IN
dee;.;ve battle Of Essing t22d and 2Sd oil Mayl
N,noleon withdrew his forces into the isle oil
Job.u. With the activity so natural to him.
he Immediately began TO repair the losses
which he had incurred. Large re:nforcements
were drawn from France; the Saxon troops,
under Bernadotte, joined him, and the entire
army of Italy, victorious over the forces OPP
posed to them, followed shortly after. The
entire length ofthe Danube, throughout Bava-
ria, was secured by the possession ofthe strong
fortresses which command it, and this occupa-'
ton extended not only to the city of Vienna,
but included also Presburg and Raab, both
lying below that city. His communications
with France were thus rendered certain
through the right bank Of the Danube. Every
thing, therefore, being safe on his TANKS and
rear, he bent the whole energies OF his power
full mind TO completing the means ofcrosslng
the Danube, in the face of the Archdukes ar
my, and deciding the fate of the empire on the
left bank of that river, in sight OF Vienna. Inc
entire month Of June was devoted to concentra'
ting his troops upon that important point, and IN
preparing the means to throw them across the
Danube. He determined to trust no more TO
chance, but to raise works OF such character
that he could pass and repass that river as ca
silly as though he were marching upon SOLID
ground.
The principal arm of the river, at the island
ofLobau, is that which touches the right bank,
as we took occasion. TO state in our sketch OF
the battle of Ess.ng. The bridge of boats by
which the French had passed into the island,
had been repaired after that battle, but had
been again swept away by the floods. The
passage could only be permanently secured by
bridge on piles, and such bridge Napoleon
resolved to erect. There were enormous guam
titles of timber in Vienna, which had been
f,oated down from the Alps in RATS. There
were also great number of pile driving ma
chimes, work of this nature being very neces-
sary in that city. This timber, and these ma
chimes he caused to be conveyed to Ebersdorf,
the point at which he resolved to construct the
bridge, partly on RATS, and partly by land car
rage. In three weeks he had construc ted a
bridge of sixty piles, upon platform so broad,
that it admitted the passage of soldiers, horses
and artillery in any quantities. Forty yards
below this new bridge, he reconstructed, or
rather repaired, the old bridge of boats, and to
prevent them from being carried away by
above them, an enormous chain, found in the
Arsenal Of Vienna, where it remained as a tro-
phy ofvictory over the Turks, from whom il
had been taken when they besieged that city,
one hundred and twenty years before. This
precaution proving Intellectual, he next con-
suucted an enormous wear, composed Of
piles driven oblquey to the current. As sew.
eral boats, employed by the workmen, at diff
ferent times escaped and forced these piles, he
established system of boats, manned by the
aeamen of the guard, who rowing continually
backwards and forwards along the line of the
wear, intercepted the floating bod, S, and drew
them ashore with hooks. To guard against q
surprise, which might throw the bridges into
the hands of the enemy, and to make provis.
ion for q retreat in case of disaster, he con.
structed, on the Isle Of Lobau, a tete de pont
of strength so enormous, that it could keep an
the army could effect its retreat, or in case the
bridges should have been carried away, until
they could be replaced. By these works the
leland of Lobau was connected with the righ
bank Of the Danube, so securely, that the pas
sage presented few more obstacles than if i
fculty, that Of passing the small arm of thu
river, in the face of the enemy, was yet 10 b
solved. The first step was to secure the isle O
Lobau itself, by converting it into vast in
trenched camp, which might stand by ITSELF
He placed there 10000 men, in garrison as il
were, erected bridges over the little channels
which were filled with water when the river
was high, raised causewsus in the lower parts
ofthe island which were marshy and damp
built ovens, laid in -four and wine in abun.
dance, and turned several thousand cattle
loose to Craze. Roads were opened in every
direction, and these were lighted, at night, by
a great number of lamps fixed upon posts raised
for that purpose. The Austrians had com.
pletely barred the passage which he had used
on the former occasion, by erecting impregna.
BILE works which entirely commanded it. He
was therefore compelled to look for new one
Yetit was important to induce the enemy TO
believe that he intended to pass the rive,
at the former place, on the left of the is-
land, and for that purpose he erected numer-
Gus and powerful works there. In the mean
time, he had selected place much further
down. where the river, after reaching the lower
extremity of the island, turns off at right angles
and runs several thousand yards parallel TO il.
On the opposite shore, just where the river
turns of, was the town Of Enzersdorf, which
the enemy had strongly fortified; Immediately
below it was an open plain, very favorable for