HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



215 



tack of the French soldiers and the 

 dreadful fire of the French artil- 

 lery. The loss of the Austrians, 

 according to the French, was 3,000 

 killed and 3,000 prisoners, while 

 their own did not exceed 900 in 

 killed and wounded. The Aus- 

 trian bulletin stated that the loss 

 of the French was 2,000 killed or 

 wounded, and 400 taken prisoners ; 



bau. Never did the strength and re- 

 sources of Buonaparte's mind, whe- 

 ther in planning campaigns, or giv- 

 ing orders for battle, or improving 

 to his own advantage every occur- 

 rence or accident in the heat of ac- 

 tion, appear in so striking a light as 

 during the solemn pause that inter- 

 vened between the battles of As- 

 pern atld Essling, and the great 



their loss they admitted, in killed and decisive engagement that took 

 wounded was 1,300 men; they place there six weeks after. The 



first step towards an ascendancy 

 over other men is to acquire 

 the perfect com^mand of one's self. 

 Buonaparte commanded his own 

 passions, restrained the natural fire 

 and impetuosity of his temper, 

 assunied not only a calm but 

 cheerful aspect, and set himself to 

 recover and raise the spirits of 

 his discomfited army by a series of 

 bulletins, in which he made no 

 scruple to vilify the Austrians, 

 whose successes he affected to 

 ascribe to the great swelling of the 

 river, which he styled general 

 Danube. He exaggerated the 

 losses which the Austrians had sus- 

 tained from the opening of the 

 campaign to the battle of Raab ; 

 congratulated them on the junc- 

 tion that had been formed with the 

 army of Italy; and confidently 

 predicted complete success in his 

 intended attack, as general Ber- 

 trand would soon triumph over the 

 only general, at all formidable to 

 the French, namelygeneralDanube. 

 In an incredibly short time general 

 count Bertrand raised three bridges 

 between the island he occupied 

 and the left bank of the river.— 

 In order to protect them against 

 fire ships,* stockadoes, raised on 

 piles, were placed 250 fathoms 



or 



also admitted that they had lost 

 some prisoners, but the number of 

 these was not stated. The exagge- 

 rations of the gazettes and bulle- 

 tins had nowj become commonly 

 so excessive that it is a wonder 

 that the French and Austrian ac- 

 counts of the battle of Raab do not 

 difiier still more widely. It is of no 

 importance to calculate the exact 

 numbers either of those engaged or 

 thoselostinthisactlononeitherside. 

 The French were decidedly victori- 

 ous : the Austrians were forced to 

 save themselves by flight. The arch- 

 duke John retreated to Comorn, a 

 town in Hungary, at the confluence 

 of the Waag and the Danube, 

 so strongly fortified that it never 

 had been taken, in order to secure 

 and facilitate a junction with the 

 grand Austrian army. On the 

 26th day of May the most advanced 

 parties of tlie French army of 

 Italy came up with the most ad- 

 vanced posts of the grand French 

 army, and early in June their 

 junction was completed. The 

 French army occupied a long line 

 from Lintz to Raab. 



On the 4th of July the different 

 divisions were called in, and the 

 whole of the French army concen- 

 trated in and about the island of Lo- 



higher 



" Buonaparte knew the necessity of providinj; against these : though, that nothing 

 Blight seem due to the genius of the Austrians, he had given out in liis bulletins that 

 his bridges had been destroyed by the aggregates of trees, mills, and other masses 

 precipitated by the increased weight and current of the mighty Danube. 



