The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-01-14

chain Of mountains called Monte Baldo, and
the road which Alvnzy had chosen runs be-
| tween this chain and the Adige. For the
| greater part of the way it runs over the low
| grounds of the Adige, but al lncanale the
| mountains come down TO the very verge OF the
river. Here the road leaves the river, and as.
cends the mountain in spirtl direction, open
| ing at the top upon plateau, called the level
Of Rivoii. From this position the Adige is
commanded on one side, while on the other
| the mountains rise above il so as to form kind
OF amphitheatre. This was the strong posi-
| ton of the French, the point at which they
would be sure to make stand. The plateau
cannot we'll be attacked in front alone, since
the attacking party could be hurled down the
spiral ascent by Ia force Of greatly inferior
| strength, and since, from this elevated pos ton,
the party attacked could sweep both sides of the
river with his artillery. Bat from Incanale.
several other roads lead to the flank and rear of
Monte Baldo, which, though not accessible to
artillery. afford good footing for infantry.
Determined to attack by all the routes at
once, Alvinzy, on the 18th, fell upon the ad-
vanced positions of Joubert, and forced him
| back upon the level Of Riv0li On the same
day, Proyera, approaching Verona, was attack
| ed and driven back by Massena. Another of
his advanced guards marched upon Caldiero.
Bonaparte, who had been at Bologna, ar
ranging affairs with the Pope, arrived immedi-
ately after the victory of Massena. and instant
| ly stopping the pursuit, recalled the troops to
| Verona. In the night he received intelligence
that Augereau, who was below him on the
Adige, at Legnago, was in the presence OF
powerful enemy, and that Joubert, who was
above him at Rivoli, had been attacked aud
| driven back. Uncertain as to which was the
main attack, he remained in his central position
at Verona, with Massena's division, and order
ed General Rey, who sent word that no enemy
| was before him, to proceed to Castel Nuovo,
SO as to be halfway between Joubert and Au-
gereau, and ready to assist either. On the 18th,
Bonaparte learned from Augereau that the enc
| my had confined his demonstration to a mere
fusillade-he had before him at Verona only
| two or three thousand men-while Joubert IN
formed him that he had been attacked by I'M
mense forces, and was in fair way to be sur
| rounded upon the level of Riypli, which he held
with the greatest difficulty. He saw the plan
| of the enemy in an instant.
| He sent orders to Rey, instead Of stopping at
| Castel Nuoyo, to push At once to RIvoH. He
| left regiment of infantry and one OF cavalry
| at Verona. He set out in the night between
the l3 h and 18th, for Rivoli, with three demi-
H., ofM .s.auafs Hivsinu nnI "a Sunn
ofcavalry. Pushing on before the troops, he
| arrived at Ri,OIi at two o'clock in the morn
ing. The weather had been very rainy for
some days, but il had now cleared up, was in
tenseIy cold, and extremely bright. The hori
zon was in blaze with the fires the enemy,
! whose forces he reckoned ut $4,000 men, while
JoubeIt's division did not exceed 10000. From
the number OF fires, he discovered that the enc
my meant to attack in five bodies. The first Of
these, with which were the entire artillery aid
| cavalry, were to ascend by the spiral road from
Incanale. Three other corps composed entire
~ of infantry, had assembled the mountains
which yerhang Rivoli, and were to drop down
upon it from their elevated positions. fifth
CORDS was on the other side Of the Adige, and
could only reach the French by means OF their
artillery. BonaparIe, then, had in his front the
Infantry, who had scaled the mountains, and
were ready to come down upon him; on his
right flank, the main body coming from Inca
male by the winding ascent; on his left, was a
division commanded by Lusegnan turning that
flank, and placing himself i'll his rear, to cut
him off from Verona. IL was necessary TO
hold the level of Rivol at all hazards
Though Joubert's soldiers had marched and
fought for tOny-eight hours, he reused them
before day 10 attack the advanced posts of the
Austrian infantry, in order to obtain more
space 10 deploy. The action thus commenced,
soon became very warm, but tie Infantry huy-
ing no artillery, for they could Rot dag it up
the mountain, could not withstand the treinen-
dous iiie which the French guns opened upon
them. They fell back upon the heights iron.
which they had descended. AT this moment,
the extreme right of the Ausrians fell sudden
ly on the extreme left of Joubert, aud threw il
into great confusion. Bonaparte galloped to the
SPOT. and taking demi-brigade of Massena's
division, which had just arrived, ordered it 10
rally the left of Jouberl. Massena advanced
at the head of this corps, interposed il be
tween the routed troops and the enemy, rail;.d
the former in his rear, and swept every thing
before him. But the check of Joubert's lett
had given time to the infantry 10 rally, and
Joubert giving back with the right, IL was ai-
preaching to form junction with the main
BODY, ascending from incanaie. At this very
moment, that body repulsed the 39ih leni-
brigade, and the Austrian division on the
other side of the Adige was playing on The
plateau with its artillery, Already the grena-
diers of the main Austrian body had climbed
the plateau, and the cavalry aud artillery were
| about to follow, when Lusignan's soldiers ar
peared on the rear of The French ARMY. Fo;-
" five thousand Austrans had surrounded six
teen thousand French. Bonaparte paid 30 at
tenton to Lusignan farther than to point 10
his troops and say hey are oars lie knew