The Washington herald., 1914-07-12

Danube, rising almost sheer 800 and 100
teet on either side, often shut II in a mar
row bed. But these clin-like walls Civ,
way as the river approaches Vienna anC
its pent up waters burst upon and spreaC
over a great plain, the Marchfield, form
ing there a remarkable tangIe OF islands
Seizing upon those islands as stepping
stones Napoleon, with his customary
rapidIty. threw bridges of boats from
island to island a few miles below tht
city, and in hardly more than a week
after his capture of Vienna he began tc
march his army across to the Northern
bank; l.j00-foot bridge led TO the frst
island, while second bridge TO a great
Island named Lobau was 500 feet in
length. From Lobau in the mainland or
the farther side. there was constructed
third bridge 500 feet long. BY thai
series of pontoons the French passed out
upon the Marchfield.
Although within sight Of the Byzantine
domes and towers of the great city OF
Vienna. which has grown from a popu-
iatlon OF 10000 to more than 1000. 900 the
historic plain remains today, with the ex-
ceptlon OF a street car line. the same
simple. quiet countryside that il was
when the battle Of the empires burst
upon II and broke its stiffness in the first
decade Of the nineteenth century. The
wide, open field lying in front Of the
desolate wooded island OF Lobau is even
now dedicated to military use, but not 10
combat of foot and horse as in 1909
The big, ungainly hangar OF the Austrian
army rises in the meadow. and out OF its
oarn-llke door such chariots OF war sail
into the air as would have struck Napo-
leon dumb with amazement True, he
himself dreamed momentarily of battles
in the sky, and carried a balloon on his
Egyptian expedition. but he did not try II
to make any practical use OF it.
E<sIing-Aspern.
Beyond that ''FIugteld'. by the Danube,
and mile or more from Lobau, two little
stone villages dot the plain, the one on
the right being Essling and the one on
the left Aspern. Napoleon ordered his
advancing forces to seize those hamlets
and convert their stone cottages and
stone walls into forts.
The Archduke Charles stood on the
crown OF the Bisamberg. which lifts itself
like a grand stand at the upper end of
the Marchfield, when he saw his auda-
cious antagonist thus cast the GAUNTLET
at his feet, and he eagerly accepted the
bold challenge Of an army divided by a
river. Only 5000 French had crossed
when Charles descended the plain in five
and hurled $1,000 Austrians upon
their left and right wings at Aspern and
Essling.
Napoleon stood in the bricyxyard at
Essling while Marshal Lannes beat OF
the storm OF battle which beset that town
and six times in the afternoon Aspern
was tossed back and forth like a ball
trians were clinched in the churchyard
square and only broke away to bivouac
while at opposite ends Of the village they
left their outposts to glare at one another
around the street corners
Napoleon himself lay through the night
In the grass by the bridge, urging on
the reinforcements from the other side
OF the river. Once the bridge broke un-
der the pressure of the switching cur:
rent, but the rickety structure Was fast
ened together again. When. however at
o'clock in the morning, Charles bat
teries suddenly belched FIRE in the dark
ness and poured their lava streams upon
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