The Portland daily press., 1892-08-29

PLACED HIMSELF AT THEIR HEAD.
carried the column over the 200 yards al
clear space, scarcely a shot from the Aus
TRANS taking effect except at the point
where the platoons wheeled to take the
first leap.
The suddenness at the blow and the
miracle Of the passage of the bridge at all
by the French took the heart out of the
Austrian artillerists, and they abandoned
their guns almost instantly.
AS Napoleon had calculated, the Aus
trian infantry lying behind the batteries
was too far away to so to their aid. and 30.
without halting at the enemys front line,
his charging grenadiers rushed up the hill
to attack the second This, too, gave way.
and within few minutes after the first
ranks of the French landed on the AUS
trian bank Of the river the entire army OF
the allies was running to the rear.
Individuals turned now and then and
fought on their own nook to prevent cap
ture, and in this way some of the brayest
of Napoleon's followers won honors at
Lodi. When the general asked for the
names of the heroes OF the day to gazette
for bravery, the roll Of the entire first bat
TALON of carbineers who headed the at
tack were handed in Perhaps two-thirds
of them were dead, for they had received
the full force of the shower of grape hurled
at the daring column the moment the
Austrian artillerymen saw what was com
ing. Sergeant Leon, of that battalion, was
the first across the bridge, and he had Led
the attack on the batteries. One of the
grenadiers named Laforge had killed five
Austrians at the guns.
A ftar Nopf,laon hacapso for,our troIi.
ton said that he was the first general
across the bridge, and while he lay ia
prison at ST. Helena the statement ap-
peared in history. On hearing it read he
stopped the narrator abruptly and declared
that it must be corrected. 'sLannes passed
first" said he. II only followed him"
AT the close of the battle Napoleon placed
the credit for the success WHARF, next to
his own shoulders, it belonged. His report
said that when the grenadiers presented
themselves on the bridge 1.-THE fire Of the
enemy was terrible; the head of the column
seemed to hesitate; a moments hesitation
and all would have been lost. The gem
erals, sensible of this, threw themselves in
front and decided the struggle while it was
yet balanced. This formidable column
overthrow everything opposed to it; the
enemy's artillery was instantly taken. In
the twinkling of an eye his army was com.
pletely dispersed"
In another account Napoleon ssid that
the charge was made with the yapidity of
lightning" that the column trsversed the
bridge at running pace in few seconds
and was not exposed TO fire of the enemy,
except at the moment when it wheeled ia
the left to the bridge"
The French loss given by Napoleon was
200, which dou btless represented the killed
only. Brief and easy as the struggle was
to the French, it cost the Anstrians dear.
Their killed and wounded amounted to
1900, their prisoners LOCO To this the
Austrians add loss of 235 horses, IA cannon
and 30 wagons, the French claiming 600
horses and 20 cannon.
The result of the battle was tho capture
of Milan by the French and the control OF
all Lomhardy. Napoleon had failed to de-
feat the junction Of the Austrian armies,
but as he beat them in battle afterward,
Lodi became known as the turning point
10 his brilliant Italian campaign.
GEORGE l.. KILMER J