HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



209 



tioD." Finding that the immense 

 number of prisoners that he had 

 already taken were likely to be- 

 come troublesome, he issued an 

 order that on their arrival in 

 France they should be placed at 

 the disposal of prefects of depart- 

 ments. Such agriculturists and 

 manufacturers as were at a loss 

 for workmen, were to apply to the 

 prefects or to the mayors of mu- 

 nicipalities, who were ordered to 

 allot to them as many as they 

 could employ. 



In the mean time the archduke 

 Charles, who had by incredible 

 activity re-inforced his army with 

 the wrecks of regular divisions and 

 new levies from Bohemia and Mo- 

 ravia to the number of 75,000 ef- 

 fective men, having learned the 

 fall of V^ienna, moved down on the 

 left bank of the Danube for the 

 purpose of watching the move- 

 ments of the enemy, and check- 

 ing any attempt that might be 

 made to cross the river. He fixed 

 his head quarters, on the 16th of 

 May, at Ebersdorf. The chain of 

 his out-posts extended on the 

 right, as far as Krews, while lower 

 down the river some battalions oc- 

 cupied Presburgh. The advanced 

 guard was pushed forward near to 

 the Danube, and the cavalry was 

 posted along the banks of a small 

 rivulet, on ground covered and 

 partly concealed by bushes. Buo- 

 naparte having resolved to attack 

 the archduke in his position, 

 marched his army along the south 

 bank of the Danube, till it had 

 reached the distance of about six 

 miles from Vienna. Here the 

 breadth and rapidity of the Da- 



nube are broken by two islands. 

 From the south bank to the 

 smaller island on that side the 

 distance is about 1,000 fathoms; 

 from this smaller island to the 

 larger island, called the isle of 

 Lobau, the distance is 120 fa- 

 thoms ; from the isle of Lobau to 

 the north or left bank of the Da- 

 nube the distance is only about 70 

 fathoms. At this favourable point 

 Buonaparte determined to cross 

 the Danube. 



As soon as the engineers had 

 established two bridges across 

 from the south side to the smaller 

 island, and from the smaller island 

 to the larger, Buonaparte fixed 

 his head quarters in the latter, 

 and in less than three hours threw 

 a bridge of pontoons from it to 

 the north bank. As the French 

 advanced the archduke retreated, 

 and permitted them to extend 

 themselves along the north bank 

 of the river. Buonaparte, left at 

 liberty to fix on the field of battle, 

 posted the right wing of his army 

 on the village of Essling, and the 

 left on the village of Aspern. The 

 archduke, who in his retreat had 

 halted when he came to a favour- 

 able position, on the 21st of May 

 at day-break called his troops to 

 arms, drew them up in the 

 order of battle, and communicated 

 his plan of an attack on the 

 French to his generals of division. 

 For a particular account of the 

 two dreadful battles that ensued 

 on that day, the 21st and 22nd of 

 May, we refer our readers to the 

 supplement to the London Ga- 

 zette of the 11th of July.* They 

 were both of them most sanguin- 

 ary 



Vol.. LI. 



Arr. Chron. p. 378. 

 1' 



