386 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



and illuminated the whole country 

 around. — At the extremity of the 

 right wing on the bushy meadow 

 the combats were not less severe. 

 The left flank of the enemy was 

 secured by an arm of the Danube ; 

 impenetrable underwood, inter- 

 sected only by footpaths, covered 

 his front; and a broad ditch and pal- 

 lisadoes afforded him the advan- 

 tage of a natural rampart. — Here 

 fought at the beginning of the bat- 

 tle the 1st battalion of Gyulay un- 

 der colonel Mariassay ; then the 

 battalion of chasseurs under major 

 Schneider ; next the St. Georgians 

 under major Miliailovich, and 

 finally, the two battalions of Vienna 

 volunteers under lieutenant-colonel 

 Steigentesch and St. Quenten. Here 

 also the enemy was defeated ; and 

 the first day of this sanguinary 

 engagement terminated by the oc- 

 cupation of Aspernby general Vac- 

 quant, at the head of eight batta- 

 lions of the second column, while 

 lieutenant field-marshal Hiller drew 

 the troops of his corps from the 

 village, placed them again in order 

 of battle, and passed the night 

 under arms. 



Second Column. 

 The advanced guard, command- 

 ed by lieutenant-general Fre^nel, 

 advancedby Leopoldoa andKagran 

 towards Hirschstetten, and con- 

 sisted of one battalion of chasseurs 

 and two battalions of Anton Mit- 

 sovskyundergeneralWinzingerode, 

 as well as the brigades of cavalry, 

 Klenau and Vincent, under general 

 Veesey. It was followed in the 

 same direction by the column from 

 its position near Gerasdorf. — The 

 enemy having been discovered from 

 the eminences near Hirschstetten to 

 be near Aspern and Esslingen, the 

 brigade Veesey was detached against 



the latter place, and the brigade 

 Winzingerode to dislodge the ene- 

 my from Aspern. — The column de- 

 ployed before Hirschstetten, in two 

 lines, in order to support the ad- 

 vanced guard, and leaving Aspern 

 to the right, followed upon the 

 plain, at a proper distance. — The 

 brigade of Winzingerode, however, 

 met with so spirited a resistance in 

 its attempt upon Aspern, that an 

 attack upon the front alone was not 

 likely to be attended with success ; 

 the cavalry, therefore, of the ad- 

 vanced guard was pushed forward 

 from Aspern on the left, in order 

 to support the attack on the flank 

 with the two batteries of cavalry, 

 as well as to facilitate the junction 

 with the third column, which was 

 advancing by Breitenlee. At the 

 same time the regiment of Reuss 

 Plauen was ordered to the right of 

 Aspern, with a view to an attack 

 on that place, the rest of the corps 

 was formed into close columns of 

 battalions. — Meanwhile the enemy 

 formed his left wing, which we re- 

 fused, towards Aspern, and hisright 

 upon Esslingen. Thus he advanced 

 with columns of infantry and ca- 

 valry upon the main army, while 

 an extremely brisk cannonade sup- 

 ported him. A line of 12 regiments 

 of cuirassiers formed the center of 

 the second line of the enemy, 

 giving to the whole an imposing as- 

 pect. — Meanwhile the attack of a 

 battalion of Keuss Plauen on As- 

 pern was repulsed, and it gave way, 

 being thrown into consternation by 

 the loss of its commander, but it 

 rallied immediately after. Count 

 Bellegarde ordered gen. Vacquant 

 to renew the attack with the i"egi- 

 ment of Vogelsang, and to carry 

 the village at all hazards. The lat- 

 ter obeyed the order with the most 



brilliant 



