HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



[193 



this security the miscarriages and 

 misfortunes of the Austrian army, 

 which followed, may be attributed. 



To make a powerful diversion, 

 Melas detached general O'Reilly to 

 Placentia, and general Otto, upon 

 the Tessino. A detachment of six 

 thousand men was likewise sent to 

 Chiavasso, upon the Po, which, 

 turning off to Vercelli, retook 

 three hundred Austrian prisoners. 



The manoeuvre of advancing as 

 far as Chiavasso, which is within 

 fifteen miles of Turin, was a feint 

 for misleading the Austrians, by 

 seeming to threaten that city. 



The concentration of the Austrian 

 forces seemed to discover an inten- 

 tion of offering battle. General 

 Murat defeated O'Reilly, and made 

 himself master of Placentia, from 

 whence O'Reilly fell back upon 

 Otto, at Stradello and Montebello. 



The French army had now taken 

 a position on the Po, where it is 

 joined to the Tessino, and becomes 

 then of equal depth with the Rhine. 

 The republicans had no longer to 

 do with small detachments, but were 

 met by the Austrian advanced- 

 guard of eighteen thousand men. 

 The French army was now in- 

 creasing, and was joined by a di- 

 vision of the army of the Rhine, 

 which had separated at Ulm, and 

 had passed the Alps, by Mount St. 

 Gothard. 



The French vanguard crossed 

 the Po, and made a vigorous at- 

 tack upon the Austrian army, 

 which they drove before them into 

 the marshes, until night put a stop 

 to the pursuit, which was followed 

 the next day by the battle of 

 Montebello. 



The battle of Montebello was 

 very bloody ; that place was taken 

 and retaken by the contending 



Vol. XLII. 



armies. The van-guard, under 

 general Lannes, had suffered con- 

 siderably, when it was reinforced 

 by general Watrin's division, which 

 decided the battle in favour of the 

 republicans ; and, the Austrians 

 having lost six thousand prisoners, 

 and twelve pieces of cannon, with 

 several officers of distinction, killed 

 or wounded, were forced to re- 

 treat to Voguera. 



The day following, the French 

 army marched through Voguera, 

 and took some positions before 

 Tortona, which city the van- 

 guard surrounded without opposi- 

 tion. The Austrian array had now 

 arrived from Genoa, and had fixed 

 its head quarters at Alexandria. 

 As a general engagement appeared 

 to be unavoidable, every prepara- 

 tion was made for it. 



The French army quitted its po- 

 sition near Tortona, and advanced 

 into the plain betwixt that city and 

 Alexandria, forming in order of 

 battle, as the several divisions ar- 

 rived. Meanwhile Buonaparte 

 carefully examined the plain and 

 village of Marengo ; but, the day 

 proving wet, nothii;g was done un- 

 til the following (the sixteenth of 

 June), which was ushered in by 

 several discharges of cannon ; and 

 the preparatives on the side of the 

 Austrians appeared to be decisive 

 for battle before noon. 



Buonaparte and Berthier had 

 entered the plain, and the fire of 

 cannon and musketry began to be 

 brisk. The Austrian line extended 

 six miles in length, and steadily 

 preserved its positions, particularly 

 at the bridge over the Bormida ; 

 but the principal point of action, 

 and whereto they directed their chief 

 attention, was at San-Stefano, 

 from which point the Austrians 



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