The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-10-17
Uefense of the TyrOl.

After the battle of the Aspern, Bona
parte detached a force of nearly forty
thousand men, under the command of
General Lafebvre, to subjugate the fy-
rolese, who, headed by the brave and
enterprising Andrew Hofer, had opposed
a desperate resistance to all their at
tacks. The account of the expedition,
as related by Saxon Major, who
escaped from the destruction OF those
terrible days, presents one OF the most
striking instances of national And 1ndl-
vidual heroism that history records:
"We had penetrated to Innspluck, :,
says the officer, without great rSslst.
ance. Our entrance into the passes OF
the Brenner was only opposed by small
corps, which continued falling back,
| after an obstinate though short resist
ance. Among others perceived man
| eighty years old, posted against the side
of rock, and sending death among our
ranks at every shot. Upon the Bavari-
ans descending from behind to make
him prisoner, he shouted, Hurrahr
struck the first man to the ground with
a ball, seized hold of the second, and
with the ejaculation, in Gods name
precipitated himself with him into the
abyss below.
''Marching onward, we heard resound
from the summit of high rock, Stephen,
shall I chop 1t off yet? to which loud
nay reverberated from the opposite.
This was told TO the Duke of Dantzic,
who, Notwithstanding, ordered us to ad
vance, at the same time he prudently
withdrew from the center to the rear.
The van, consisting of four thousand
Bavarians, had just stormed a deep ra-
vine, when we again heard hallooed
over our heads, Hans! for the most Holy
Trinityi Our terror was completed by
the reply that Immediately followed,
In the name Of the Holy Trinity, cut all
loose belotU!' and ere minute was
elapsed thousands of my comrades in
arms were crushed, buried and over
whelmed by an incredible heap of
broken rocks, stones and trees hurled
upon us. We were all petrifed; every
one fed that could, but a shower of
balls from the Tyrolese, who now rushed
from the surrounding mountains in i'm
mense numbers, and among them boys
/ and girls of ten and twelve years of
age, killed or wounded great many of
us. 1t was not till we got those fatal
mountains six leagues behind us that
we were reassembled by the Duke, and
| formed into six columns. Soon after
: the Tyrolese appeared, headed by Hofer,
7 the inn-keeper. After a short address
/ from him they gave a general fire, then
: flung their rifles aside and rushed upon
| our bayonets. Nothing could Withstand
> their impetuosity. They darted at our
) feet, threw or pulled us down, strangled
t us, wrenched the arms from our hands
S and, like enraged lions, killed all
f French, Bavarians and Saxons that did
e not cry for quarter. By doing SO I
6 with three hundred men, was spared
and set at liberty.
"When all lay dead around, and the
victory completed, the Tyrolese, as i
moved by one impulse, fell upon theil
: knees, and poured forth the emotions
, of their hearts in prayer, under the can
}, opy of heaven, scene so awfully sol
: emn that it will ever be present in my
a remembrance. joined in the devotion
. and never in my life did l pray NOR
7 fervently."