382 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



troopsto fall back to Maass, accord- 

 ing as the enemy should extend 

 himself. 



On the iilst at day-break, the 

 archduke ordered his army under 

 arms, and formed it in two lines 

 on the rising ground behind Geras- 

 dorf, and between the Bisam-hill 

 and the rivulet Russ. The corps 

 of lieu.-gen. Hiller formed the right 

 wing near Stammersdorf ; on its 

 left was the corps of the general of 

 cavalry count Bellegarde, and next 

 to that the corps of lieut.-gen. prince 

 HohenzoUern, in the allignemeut 

 of Deutsch-Wagram. The corps 

 of prince Rosenberg was posted by 

 battalions in column on the Russ- 

 bach on the rivulet Russ, kept 

 Deutsch-Wagram strongly occu- 

 pied, having, for the security of the 

 left wing, placed on the heights 

 beyond that place a division in re- 

 serve. The whole cavalry, which 

 the day before had advanced under 

 the command of prince Lichtenstein 

 by Anderklaa, was called back into 

 the line, filling, in two lines, the 

 space intervening between the left 

 wing of prince HohenzoUern and 

 the right of prince Rosenberg. 



The vast plain of the March- 

 field spread like a carpet before the 

 front of the line, and appeared, 

 by the absence of every obstruction, 

 to be destined to form the theatre 

 of some great event. The grena- 

 diers remained in reserve near 

 Seiering, and the corps of the gen. 

 of artillery, prince of Reuss, kept 

 the Bisam-hill, and the low bushy 

 ground along the Danube strongly 

 occupied. Part of it was still left 

 near Krems,the corps being almost 

 broke up by having so many of its 

 divisions detached to so consider- 

 able a distance. 



At nine o'clock, the archduke 

 ordered the arms to be piled, and 



the troops to dine. The piquet of 

 observation on the Bisam-hill re- 

 ported that the bridge across the 

 Danube behind the isle of Lobau, 

 being now quite finished, was plain- 

 ly perceivable, and that troops 

 were, without intermission, seen 

 filing off over it, as well as passing 

 in boats to the isle. The outposts, 

 likewise, gave information of the 

 gradual augmentation of the enemy 

 in the town of Enzersdorf, and in 

 the villages of Essling and Aspern, 

 and of his advancing towards 

 Hirschstetten. 



The archduke Charles now 

 thought that the moment for giving 

 battle had arrived, and hastened to 

 Gerasdorf, where the chief of his 

 quarter-master-general's staff, gen. 

 baron Wimpfen, sketched out the 

 following plan. 

 Plan of Attach upon the hostile 



Army on its March between 



Essling and Asperne, and to- 



ivards Hirschstetten. 



The attack to be made in five 

 columns. The first column, or 

 the column of the right wing, is 

 formed by the corps of lieut.-gen. 

 Hiller. It will advance from its 

 present position in the direction be- 

 tween the " Point" and Leopoldau 

 along the nearest arms of the Da- 

 nube, pass along the left bank to- 

 wards Stadelau and Aspern, keep 

 constantly near the Danube and 

 the meadows bordering upon it, 

 and is vigorously to repulse the 

 enemy, who most likely will meet 

 it on the same road, and to drive 

 him from the left bank. This co- 

 lumn must not suffer its progress to 

 be impeded by the batteries which 

 the enemy perhaps may have 

 erected on the islands, but must 

 endeavour to silence them by its 

 cannon, and spiritedly continue to 

 advance. 



The 



