166 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 



culty, and little known, the forts of 

 Scharnitz and Newstark, carried 

 both places by assault, taking one 

 standard, sixteen field pieces, and 

 about seventeen hundred prisoners. 

 On the I6th he entered Inspruck, 

 where he found an arsenal and ma- 

 gazines, well supplied with stores. 

 Ney pursued his advantage, and on 

 the 20th fixed his head quarters at 

 Bolzano, having ,his out-posts ad- 

 vanced as fisr as Trent. 



The archduke John, finding his 

 force insufficient to maintain him- 

 self in the Tyrol, nearly surrounded 

 on all sides, planned and cfTectcd, 

 with much boldness, a junction with 

 the archduke diaries in Carniola. 

 This attempt, ho\yevcr, was not ac- 

 complished without considerable 

 loss. The two brothers now has- 

 tened their march towards Vienna. 



The Tyrol being completely 

 cleared of the Austrian troops, 

 Massena advanced to Laybach, 

 which had been evacuated by the 

 archduke Charles, whilst his left 

 formed a communication with Ncy's 

 division, which now extended it- 

 self from Saltzburgh to Carinthia. 



Tiic detached corps of the French 

 army having, as wc have related, 

 executed the operations consigned 

 lo them, Bonaparte had at his im- 

 mediate disposal almost the whole of 

 Ills armj', to face the united forces, 

 composed of the remnant of the 

 Austrian-German army, and of the 

 Russians, who had received great re- 

 inforcements. 



Upon the reduction of the Tyrol, 

 the corps of Ney and Marmont ap- 

 proached the Danube, to support 

 the main body of the French army, 

 ■whilst Massena took up positions 

 "with the , intention of occupying 

 the attention of the archduke 

 •Charles. 



Marshal Davoust, upon the cap- 

 ture of Vienna, had marched to 

 Presburgh, and attempted a nego- 

 ciation wit'i the arcluluke Palatine, 

 for the neutrality of Hungary. But 

 in hearkening to these overtures, the 

 Hungarians seem to have had no 

 other object in view than to amuse 

 tlie French, for the purpose of de- 

 lay. No conditions were conclud- 

 ed, and Davou^t with his corps 

 joined tlic main army, preparatory 

 to a general action, which was daily 

 expected to take place. 



The state of the opposed armies 

 appears to have been nearly equal 

 in point of numbers. The Russians 

 amounted to about 5U,000 men, 

 the Austrians to about 25,000, the 

 latter chielly new levies. The 

 French force, after the junction of 

 Bernadottc and Davoust, consisted 

 of between seventy and eighty 

 thousand men, but they were flushed 

 with victory, and^ut of .all measure 

 superior totlieirantagonistsin milita- 

 ry skill, confidence, and discipline. 



The two aruiies were now in 

 presence of each other, both deter- 

 mined to make a stand. However, 

 on the 29th November, counts 

 Stadion and Ginlay were commis- 

 sioned, on the part of the emperor 

 of Germany, to open a ncgociation 

 for peace with Bonaparte, and at 

 the same time cornit Haugwitz ar- 

 rived at Vienna to offer the media- 

 tion of the king of Prussia, who, it 

 was supposed, was strongly inclined 

 to take a part in the war against 

 France. 



Bonaparte seemed to listen to the 

 proposition, but, as the event 

 proved, merely with the view of 

 putting the allies off their guard ; 

 for his object was to draw the ene- 

 my to a decisive action ; and, under 



the 



