HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



21^ 



single point of the Austrian line 

 towards the center, as if it had 

 been a fortress. To this tremen- 

 dous thunder there was nothing of 

 the same Icind to oppose. The Aus- 

 trian artillery, as just observed, was 

 placed at the two extremities of the 

 line. The center of the Austrians 

 was driven back two or three miles 

 out of the line ; the right wing, alarm- 

 ed at the danger in which it was 

 now placed, gave way, but fought 

 while it retreated. So also did the 

 left, which was attacked in flank by 

 marshal Davoust. The Austrians 

 thus routed in all quarters retreat- 

 ed towards Moravia. 



It was observed by military men 

 that the archduke had committed 

 an oversight in leaving his left flank 

 quite unprotected and exposed to 

 be attacked in flank, as in fact it 

 was b}' the enemy. It was stated 

 in the official accounts, published 

 by the Austrian government, that 

 this flank of the army was to have 

 been covered by the army under the 

 archduke John, but that he did not 

 arrive from Hungary until several 

 hours after the battle. It has 

 been observed of the Germans, 

 and especially in what concerns 

 matters of war, of the Austrians, 

 that they are very tenacious of old 

 customs, and averse to novelties. 

 The progress of science of every 

 kind is certainly more happily ap- 

 plied to the various purposes of 

 war by the French. Had a com- 

 munication by telegraphs, for which 

 the plainness of the country afford- 

 ed every facility, been established 

 between the head-quarters of the 

 two Austrian armies under the or- 

 ders of the archdukes John and 

 Charles, there is not a doubt but 



the former might have come up in 

 time for the battle of Wagram. 

 The messenger who was dispatched 

 to him on the evening of the 

 4th, did not perform his journey in 

 less than 24 hours. The establish- 

 ment of a line of telegraphs was 

 proposed by an officer to general 

 Wimfen, who appears to have been 

 a favourite counsellor in military 

 matters of the archduke ; but the 

 old general replied, " there is no 

 necessity of having recourse to 

 such fooleries." It was observed in 

 the French bulletins,* that in the 

 decisive and ever-memorable battle 

 of Wagram, from three to four hun- 

 dred thousand men, with from 12 

 to 1,500 pieces of cannon, contend- 

 ed for grand interests, on a field of 

 battle chosen on the most mature 

 deliberation, and fortified more and 

 more by the Austrians for several 

 months : in this battle the French 

 took 10 pieces of cannon and 

 20,000 prisoners, among whom 

 were nearly ^OO officers. The 

 field of battle was covered with dead 

 bodies innumerable. On the whole 

 the official accounts of the French 

 calculated that thebattle of Wagram 

 had reduced the Austrian army to 

 60,000 men. 



After the battle of Wagram, 

 though the Austrians still presented 

 as good a front as possible, all seri- 

 ous thoughts of resistance to Buo- 

 naparte were given up. Proposals 

 for an armistice were carried from 

 the emperor Francis to Buona- 

 parte, by prince John of Lichten- 

 stein, July 12th, which was agreed 

 to and signed immediately. All 

 the strong places and positions 

 which might be advantageous to 

 the French, in case of the war 



being 



• Dated at Walkerzdorf, July fl, 1809. 



