170 



AJ^NUAL REGISTER, 



1S05. 



likewise belonging to Daroust's 

 corps, [adTaiiccd from Nicholbourg, 

 on the right of the French army, to 

 keep in check tlic corps of general 

 count Mcrveldt, who had pene- 

 trated through Hungary to Lnnden- 

 burgh. This genera! had with him 

 his own regiment of hulans and the 

 emperor's hussars, and 6 battalions 

 of infantry, ail very much weakened 

 by a difficult retreat, and little ex- 

 ceeding four thousand men. The 

 French army had also opposed to it 

 a detachment of O'RieJly's light 

 cavalry, and some Cossasks, which 

 ^I'ere sent to Gros-NicmEchifz, to 

 observe that j)oint. 



Such was the posilion of both 

 armies, during the night between 

 the 1st and 2d of December. 



Bonaparte, after having discovered 

 the intention of the allies, issued an 

 address to his troops, to (he following 

 effect: " that the Russian army,whicli 

 they had beaten at Tloliabrann, and 

 "who had been flying before them, 

 ■were now before them to avenge the 

 defeat of the Austrians at Dim ; that 

 the French army occupied a for- 

 midable position, and that while the 

 enemy marched to attack his right, 

 they would expose their flank ; that 

 he should himself direct all the bat- 

 talions, and if victory became for a 

 moment doubtful, that he should 

 put himself in front of the battle ; 

 that this victory would finish the 

 campaign, and that a peace would 

 follow worthy of his people, of his 

 army, and himself." 



In the course of the night, lie 

 visited, incognito, the out-posts. He 

 was soon recognized by (he soldiers, 

 ■who manifested their enthusiasm by 

 loud acclamations. 



The disposition for the attack of 

 the French army was delivered to 

 the general officers of the Austro- 



Russian army sooti after midnight on 

 the morning of the 2d of December. 

 But the imperfect knowledge which 

 was posscEsed of the enemy's posi- 

 tion, although scarcely out of the 

 range of the mnsketry, rendered the 

 suppositions upon which the ])lan 

 of the ad^ack was founded very 

 indefinite. It was imagined, that (he 

 French army wrts weakened in its 

 centre to reinforce its left. The 

 coirbin."'! army out-flanked the right 

 of t!ie French. It was s'lpposed, 

 that, by jjassing the defiles of Sokol- 

 nifz and of Kobilnifz, their right 

 would be turned, and that the at- 

 tack might .".fterwr.rds be continued 

 in the plain bctuccn Schlapanitz 

 and the wood of Turns, thus avoid, 

 ing the defiles of Schlapanitz and 

 liellowitz which it was Itelieved 

 covered the front of (he enemy's po- 

 sition. The French army was (hen 

 to be attacked by its right, which 

 was to be done with great cclerjty 

 and vigour. The valley between 

 Tellnitz and Sokolnitz, was to be 

 passed with rapidity. The right of 

 the allies (on which was the cavalry 

 of prince John of Liechtenstein and 

 tlie advanced corps under prince 

 Bagration,) was to cover this move- 

 ment. Tlie first of these generals 

 on the plain between Krng and 

 Schlapanitz, on each side of the 

 causeway, and occupying the heights 

 situatedo' between Dwarosclma and 

 the Inn of Lescli, with his artillery. 

 With this view the five columns, as 

 already mentioned, received orders . 

 to advance, and accordiiigly, at seven 

 o'clock the next morning, they put] 

 tliemselves in motion, from thei 

 heights of Pratzen. 



At the d^wn of day Bonaparte' 

 collected liis generals on a com- 

 manding height : he waited until the 

 Sim had appeared above the horizon 



before 



