380 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



the passage of the river : whence all 

 preparations amounted to no more 

 than to secure the place against a 

 coup-de-main : and for this reason 

 the archduke had some time before 

 directed field-marshal Hiller to 

 send part of his corps along the 

 right bank towards the capital, in 

 the event of his (the archduke's) 

 passage to the left shore. 



Field-marshal Hillernow receiv- 

 ed orders to burn the bridge near 

 Stain in his rear, to leave a small 

 corps of observation near Krems, 

 to hasten by forced marches with 

 the bulk of his army to the environs 

 of Vienna, and, as circumstances 

 would permit, by occupying the 

 small islands, to keep up the com- 

 munication with the city and the 

 debouchee across the bridges. 



The army of the archduke now 

 advanced without interruption, by 

 Neupolla, Horn, and Weikendorf 

 upon Stockerau; and, in order to 

 overawe such enterprizes as the 

 enemy might project from the envi- 

 rons of Lintz, part of the corps of 

 the general of artillery count Kol- 

 lowrath, which till then had remain- 

 ed near Piisen with a view to secure 

 the North and West frontier of Bo- 

 hemia, was ordered to march to 

 Budweis. — Napoleon had used so 

 much expedition on his march to 

 Vienna, that on the 9th of May his 

 advanced troops appeared on the 

 glacis of the fortress, whence they 

 were driven by some cannon shot. 

 From three or fuur thousand regu- 

 lar troops, as many armed citizens, 

 and some battalions of country mi- 

 litia, defended the city , ordnance 

 of various calibre was placed on the 

 ramparts; the suburbs were aban- 

 doned on account of their great 

 extent ; and the numerous islands 

 and low busby ground behind the 



town were occupied by some light, 

 troops of the corps of Hiller as well 

 as by militia — The corps itself was 

 posted on what is termed " the 

 Point" on the left shore of the river, 

 waiting the arrival of the army, 

 which was advancing in haste.' — The 

 occupation of Vienna formed too 

 essential a part in the extensive 

 plans of the French emperor; its 

 conquest had been announced by 

 him with too much confidence, and 

 was of too greatimportance towards 

 confirming the prejudice of his irre- 

 sistible power, for him not to em- 

 ploy every method of taking it be- 

 fore the assistance which was so 

 near could arrive. — For the space 

 of twenty-four hours the howitzers 

 played upon the town : and though 

 several houses were set on fire, the 

 courage of the inhabitantsremained 

 unshaken. But a general devas- 

 tation threatened their valuable 

 property, and when at length the 

 enemy, availing himself of the nu- 

 merous craft which he found there, 

 crossed the smaller branches of the 

 Danube, dislodged the troops from 

 the nearest islands, and menaced 

 their communication with the left 

 bank, the city was justified in capi- 

 tulating, while the troops retreated 

 by the great bridge of Tabor, which 

 they afterwards set on fire. 



The archduke received this in- 

 telligence in head quarters, between 

 Hern and Meissau, and though it 

 was scarcely to be expected that 

 this city, surrounded as it was, 

 should continue its resistance, the 

 archduke proceeded on his march 

 without interruption.flatteringhim- 

 self that he mightbe able to execute 

 his favourite project by a bold at- 

 tempt to pass the IJanube near 

 Vienna. — This city capitulated oa 

 the 13tU of May, so that there w^ 



no 



