162 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 



The fortified passes in the Tyrol 

 were strengthened, and a conside- 

 rable body of troops stationed under 

 the command of the archduke John, 

 to defend that country, and to 

 main'ain the communications be- 

 tween the armies in Germany and 

 the Venetian territory. 



At the same tim^, a combined 

 force of Russians and British were 

 collected at Corfu and ]Malta, for 

 the purpose of making a descent in 

 Italy, while another army of Rus- 

 sians, Swedes, and English, were 

 prepared, in the north of Germany, 

 to invade Hanover, and for further 

 cnterprize, when occasion should 

 servci 



The archduke Charles and gene- 

 ral Wassena being in face of each 

 other, on the opposite sides of tiie 

 Adige, waited only for the signal of 

 attack, which appears to have been 

 calculated by the Freneti from the 

 time that (heir army in Germany 

 should hare come in contact with 

 the Austrians in that quarter. Ac- 

 cordingly, on the 17tli of October, 

 Massena prepared to force the pas- 

 sage of the Adige. His army a- 

 moiinted to al)out 90,000 men, while 

 that of (he archduke Charles did not 

 exceed 73,0(;0. 



Early on the morning of the 18th, 

 the French general caused two false 

 attacks to be made, one on tlieir 

 right, the other on their left, 

 ■while, with the centre of his army, 

 he attempted the passage of the ri- 

 ver, at the bridge a. Verona. This 

 bridge was barricadoed, and some 

 of the arches cit. These impedi- 

 ments the French overcame with 

 great fortitude, and twenty four 

 companies of light troops, selected 

 from the divisions of Gardanne and 

 Dubesme, pushed forward across 

 the river, and were sooa followed 



by the whole division of general 

 Gardanne, and shortly after by the 

 remainder of the army. The Aus- 

 triar.s made a gallant resistance, but 

 were obliged to retire to the heights, 

 at some distance, where they had 

 entrenchments. The attack wils 

 renewed here, and the French gain- 

 ed some advantage, but so inconsi- 

 derable, that they judged it expe- 

 dient to recross the Adige, and 

 occupy their former ground. The 

 loss sustained by the Austrians 

 was seven pieces of cannon, eighteen 

 waggons, and about 1200 pri- 

 soners. There were many killed 

 and uounded on both sides. 



On the I'Oth, the French renewed 

 the attack. Alter passing the 

 Adige, they mounted and took 

 possession of (he heights of Val 

 Pantena, surrounded the castle of 

 San Fclici, and obliged the Austri- 

 ans to evacuate Venoretto. They 

 still advanced on the road of St. 

 jMidiael, where they met with se- 

 rious opposition from the Austrian 

 troops. Tlie French however suc- 

 ceeded in driving (he Austrians 

 from St. IMichael, taking fifteen hun- 

 dred prisoners, and two pieces of 

 cannon. This advantage was not 

 obtained without much bloodshed. 



I [itherto Massena was rather con- 

 fined in his operations, being cauti- 

 ous not to advance too far until he 

 had received information of the state 

 of the campaign in Germany. Af- 

 ter the action of the 20th, he took 

 a position within a few miles of CaU 

 diero, near Avhich place the arch, 

 duke was s(rongIy posted. No- 

 thing material occurred between the 

 two armies for several days. In 

 the mean time intelligence of the 

 surrender of general Mack's army 

 reached him, and of Bonaparte's in- 

 teotion to proceed, without loss of 



time, 



