Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-06-09
Incidents of the Wharf.-The Montebello OF
fhh First and Second Napo1eoa.

Incidents OF the War-The Mouteoeuo OF
khs First and Second Nspcleca.
/ Itisa carious historical ooncidsnes that the
baisss II Mon,sbsllo ives tbs first seughshy tbs
troops Of Napoleon ]. sfter essssing the Great Sc
| BsruAsdin 1900. Ii Nas ore Ut the bloodiest and
| 6erssst ever fought, 10 disparity q numbers the
| ssunkaance 10 also remarkable. The Herald
| groups the facts of the first contest:
| Napoleon l. had then only 5000 men, two
| thrds Of whom were new soldiers who had never
| seen shot fred. and with these he waa IN arrest
| the desperate march Of army of 10000 yeie-
ran Austrisns IL was necessary for him to divide
this little hand to save it FROM being cut to pieces
| before he could receive reimbursement. With
| characteristic rspidity he moved from point to
| pentthroogh Lombardy; with lightning glance bis
| eagle eye porceivcd the movements and combina
| tions OF tho enemy under slslas. He knew that
great and decisive battle must ,oon take place.
! for Melas was rapidly concentrating his army
| from all points. TO Lannes and Murat he issued
| the following brief but remarkable order:
"Gather your forces at the river Stadelln On
the Sth or the 9th 1T the latest you will have on
your hands Il, 900 or 1900 Austrians. Meet them
and cut them To pieces; il will be 30 mnny enemie,
less upon our hands IN the day of the decisive
| bntte We are to expect with the entire army Of
Melns."
The prediction turned out true. An Austrian
force $4,000 strong advanced and posted them.
selves strongly on the heights Of Montebcllo with
batteries planted upon the hill sides which swept
the plain. 1t was u the greatest moment that
this body should be prevented from combining
with the nther vast forces Of the Austrians Lam.
mes met them with only 5000 men. Yet they
rushed on the foe with q shout Of enthusiasm. =
Their ranks were swept with n storm Of grapes1nt.
Said Lannes, ~ could hear the bones crash in my
division like glass In a hail storm For nine
hours--from eleven in the day till eight at night
the carnage continued. Again and again tie
mangled columns of the French rallied 10 the
charge: and il was not till three thousand Of their
men lay dead on the field that tho Austrians bruke
and fled, also leaving three thousand dend behind
them, with six thousand prisoners.
Napoleon, fastening to the MD Of his general.
arrived just in time to SEQ the battle won. He
rode up to Lannes, surrounded by the dying and
dead, hi- sword drirring with blood. his face
blnckened with powder, and his uniform seized
and torn by the long strife Napoleon smiled in
silence, but did not forget the hcroism of Innncs
whom he afterwards crea'ed. from this battle
field, Duke Of Montebello"--a title which has
descended to his family to this day. 1t was tho
same hero who had before saved the fight on the
terrible bi idge Of Lodi, when the French were
moved down by the Austrian cannon like grns-,
and Nnpolenn's generals said II was impossible /,
advance. "Impossibe is not French" said Bona
parte. as he seized n standard aud rushed forward
shouting, Follow your General Lannes how
ever, was tho first ono to cross tho bridge. lie
dashed past his leader. plunging his horse into
the very midst of the Austrian ranks, and graspcd
Of their banners. At that moment his stccd
foil dead beneath him. and ha,fa dozen swords
gttercd above his head With Hcrculean strength
and agility he cxtricnted himself from his fallen
stead lcaped upon the horse Of IN Austrian behind
the rider, plunged his sword int the body Of the
rider. and hurled him from his saddle lie fought
his way back to his followers having slain six OF
tho Austrians with his own hand. The bridge
and tho battle were won. For this deed If terri
BILE energy NAPOLEON promoted Lannes On the
spot.
The baltic Of Monehcllo was not without its
influence on the n,m' rial victory of Marengo.
which was fought Immediately after June 40
and was CLOSELY connected with it. There 20 600
Frcnchmcn under Napoleon met 10, 900 Austrians,
including 1000 cavalry and 300 pieces OF cannon,
which irrcsstlbly swept Napoeon's troops before
them til Desnix, so nnxnusly expected with his
reserve Of 5000 men. arrived and charged when
he bnttic decmeh lost. The tide turned.
The Austrians were ovcrthrnwn with terrible
slaughter Twenty thousand men Of both sides
lay dead in the field. Dc-nix, the greatest gene
rnl Nnnolcon had, AMONG them. Tho
First Consul wcpt mud said the battle was dearly
bought. No douW another Mnrcngo an equal
~ sanguine and decisive hatle Of some other
name nil soon he fought. when we shall probably
know something at the qualities Of Napoleon Ill.
as general.
The New York Times nltrhu'es the loss of 80
many French Off ers ut Montebrllo mainly to the
con- ririinus character NJ the uniforms. We quote:
The fatality in question may I've accounted for.
perhaps in u lcss Romantic manner BY the con
sidorntisn that the French officers are more sig
nallv dlsiin .suishe On the Geld If hnt,e hv their
uniforms, than tho An>triaus. The Au~trian-
long ago abandoned the of the epaulettc.
which has ALWAYS been TIE 'sljining mark that
death, like SANDER, is supposed to love, and which
the French insist upon retaining. The Austrian
officers formerly went into nction wearing white
clonks which marked them out conspicuously
among the grey-couted masses Of their men; but
the fearful execution done upon them by tho Snr-
dininn rifemen in the war of lS49-'9, led the
government to discard this garment also. nu1 no
officers are now we'll anal enmatcd with their
mon in Appearance bei re the enemy the Aus
TRANS. The French officers in comparison stand
out in rs clear relief upon their companies rs did
tie searlct-conted and golda"ed British captains
in tla 1u Of mr. Avn raw