388 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



number of dead. — This corps, as 

 well as the others, passed the night 

 on the field of battle. 



Fourth and Fifth Columns. 

 These were both composed of 

 the corps of lieutenant-general 

 prince Rosenberg, on either bank 

 of the Russbach, and directed their 

 inarch from their position, to the 

 right and left of Deutsch-Wagram. 

 — The fourth proceeded through 

 Raschdorf straight to Esslingen. 

 Colonel Hardegg of Schwarzen- 

 berg's hulans conducted the ad- 

 vanced guard. — The fifth directed 

 its march towards the left, in order 

 to go a circuit round the little town 

 of Enzersdorf, and drive the enemy 

 out of the place. It was rein- 

 forced by Stipsic's hussars, under 

 the command of colonel Frolich. 

 Lieutenant-general Klenau led the 

 advanced guard of both columns. 

 As this circuit round Enzersdorf 

 obliged the fifth to describe a longer 

 line, it was necessary for the fourth 

 to advance rather more slowly. — 

 Enzersdorf, however, was quickly 

 taken possession of by a detach- 

 ment of Stipsic's hussars, and of 

 the Wallacho-IIIj'rian frontier regi- 

 ment, as it was already for the 

 greatest part evacuated by the ene- 

 my, from whom no more than thirty 

 prisoners could be taken. — Both 

 columns now received orders to ad- 

 vance uponEsslingen. — The fourth, 

 in close columns of battalions of 

 Gzartorisky's,archdjke Louis's and 

 Cobourg's, who were twice succes- 

 sively attacked by upwards of two 

 thousand of the enemy's heavy ca- 

 valry ; but these were each time 

 put to flight by our brave infantry 

 with considerable loss. — Of the 

 fifth column, two battalions of 

 Chasteler's advanced directly upon 



Esslingen, while two battalions at 

 Bellegarde's were ordered to pene- 

 trate the left flank of the village, 

 and the small contiguous wood. 

 Two battalions of Hiller's and 

 Cztarray's, besides the archduke 

 Ferdinand's and Stipsic's regiments 

 of hussars, and two divisions of 

 Rosenberg's light horse, were in 

 the plain in readiness to support 

 them. — These combined attacks 

 were made twice successively with 

 uncommon intrepidity, the enemy's 

 troops were repulsed at all points, 

 and driven into the village of 

 Esslingen which had been set on 

 fire. But as the enemy's army was 

 drawn up in several lines between 

 Esslingen and Aspern, and met 

 each new attack with fresh rein- 

 forcements, because the safety of 

 his retreat depended on the posses- 

 sion of this village, our troops were 

 obliged to abandon it at the ap- 

 proach of night, and to await, under 

 arms, the arrival of morning. 



The reserve corps of cavalry had 

 marched in two columns, under the 

 command of general prince Lich- 

 tenstein, and advanced upon the 

 New Inn between Raschdorf and 

 Breitenlee. General count War- 

 tensleben with Blankenstein's hus- 

 sars, conducted the advanced guard. 

 — No sooner did the enemy per- 

 ceive the general advance of the 

 army, than he placed the bulk of 

 his cavalry, supported b^' some bat- 

 talions of infantry, in order of bat- 

 tle between Esslingen and Aspern, 

 and commenced a brisk cannonade 

 upon the columns of Austrian ca- 

 valry as they approached. — Prince 

 Lichtenstein directed his columns 

 to march forward in two linesj on 

 which the enemy detached four or 

 5,000 cavalry from his position t« 



the 



