824 FRA 
been fo unfuccefsful in their former attempts upon Ger¬ 
many, that they now refolved to make their principal ef¬ 
fort from Italy under Bonaparte. For this purpofe the 
directory detached the veteran troops that had fought 
under Moreau as fecretly as poflible through Savoy into 
Italy. The court of Vienna, however, was aware of the 
approaching danger, and gave the command on the (ide 
of Italy to the archduke Charles. He brought along with 
him his belt troops from the Rhine, and numerous levies 
were made in all the hereditary dates for his further 
fupport. 
The war was now to affume a new fliapc, and be carried 
into a territory where the houfe of Auftria had fcarcely 
ever feen a foe. It was neceflary that Bonaparte fhould 
once more fcale the fummit of the Alps. This immenfe 
chain of mountains, which takes its. rife in the vicinity 
of Toulon, at fird flretches northward under the names of 
Piedmont and Savoy. It then runs towards the ead, into 
the countries of Swiderland, Tyrol, Carinthia, and Car- 
niola. The three lad of thefe, pading along the head of 
the Adriatic, form the frontier of the hereditary dates 
of Audria. Between the mountains and the fea lies the 
level trad of territory which belonged to Venice. It is 
eroded by many large dreams, which are fed by the melt¬ 
ing fnows of the Alps ; whence their nature is, that they 
are greated in fummer, and their waters diminidi during 
the frods of winter. 
While Bonaparte was fecuring the territory of Italy, 
the Andrian army was arranging itfelf along the eadern 
bank of the Piava. The French were on the oppofite 
bank, and Bonaparte hadened to join them after he had 
concluded his treaty with the pope. The beginning of 
March, 1797, was (pent in preparations; but at lad the 
republican troops advanced ; and having eroded the Piava 
on the 12th of March, the Audrians retired, fleirmifliing 
for fome days till they had eroded the Tagliamento, where 
they made a dand with their whole force. Early on the 
17th the French arrived at Valvafone, on the oppofite 
bank ; and after fome hefitation, refolved to force the 
padage of the river. To have accomplifhed this object 
would have been difficult, had not a recent frod dimi- 
nifhed the dream, by which means the French were ena¬ 
bled to crofs it in the face of the enemy in columns at 
various points. The army of Bonaparte was now in three 
divifions. Joubert, with the left wing, advanced along 
the courfe of the Adige into Tyrol, and wasordered to 
crofs over from thence, and to defeend along the valley 
of the river Drave, which is beyond the highed chain of 
what the Romans called the Noric Alps. Malfena, with 
the centre, after eroding the Tagliamento, advanced into 
the defiles of thefe mountains; while the right divifion, 
commanded by Bonaparte in perfon, proceeded along the 
coad of the Adriatic. After forcing the paffage of the 
Tagliamento on the 17th, the French foon defeated the 
Audrians on the oppofite bank, and compelled them every 
where to retreat. The other rivers were ealily palled ; 
and on the 19th, the town of Gradifca, on the river Li- 
i'onzo, furrendered to the right wing of the army, and its 
garrifon, amounting to 3000 men, were made prifoners of 
war. The right of the French having forded the Lifonzo 
near Colfegliano, while their left, under Malfena, advanced 
to Ponteba, the archduke fell back to Vippach. 
While Bonaparte thus finifhed tire conqued of Friuli, 
and drove the imperialids into the hereditary dates, Jou¬ 
bert, whom he left in the country of Trent and Tyrol, 
was now ready to co-operate in the plan of invalion. The 
French troops which occupied the banks of the Adige as 
far as Lavis, attacked the Audrians under Kerpen and 
Loudon, who, being far inferior in number, were defeated 
with great lofs. While retreating along the right bank 
of the Adige, Loudon was again attacked near Tramen, 
and though he bravely difputed the ground, again de¬ 
feated, and, prevented from joining Kerpen and tlie main 
body of the army at Botzen. Kerpen, finding thait Jou¬ 
bert was gaining his flanks, retired from Botzen to Clau- 
N C E. 
zerr, whence, after a long and obdinate encounter, he was 
obliged to retreat, and take a pofition near Sterzingen, the 
lad and ftrongeft pod in the Tyrol on the fide of Italy. 
The army of the archduke being entirely feparated 
from that of Kerpen, Bonaparte rapidly advanced into 
the hereditary Hates, penetrating into Germany by a road 
which had not been trod by the French fince the days of 
Charlemagne. The Audrians having evacuated Goritia 
after the republicans had palfed the Lifonzo, Bonaparte 
marched to that town, while his right proceeded towards 
Triede ; and on his left general Guyeux and MalTena 
advanced, the one from Cividale to Chiavoretto, and the 
other to Andrian Ponteba or Pontaffel. Malfena was or¬ 
dered to gain the two palfes leading from Friuli into Ca¬ 
rinthia acrofs the Alps, to turn the right of the archduke, 
and prevent his receiving reinforcements from the Rhine; 
and even to advance before him on the road leading from 
Clagenfurt to Vienna. 
The archduke, however, anticipating this defign, form¬ 
ed the bold plan of turning the left of the French, and 
attacking them in flank. He accordingly united his left 
and centre, and ordered a divifion to haden by forced 
marches, and to be joined by feveral battalions and fqua- 
drons from the Rhine. The fuccefs of this judicious plan 
was frudrated by the precipitation of general Oclkay, w ho, 
abandoning the defile of Pontaffel, enabled the French to 
polfefs themfelves of Tarvis, which commanded the road 
by which two columns under Gontreuil and Bayalich, the 
artillery of referve and baggage, were expefted to arrive. 
To re-open this important communication, the archduke 
directed Gontreuil and Bayalich to attack the French at 
Tarvis. Gontreuil drove them from the village of Saf* 
nitz, which gave time for the artillery of referve to ar¬ 
rive ; but was afterwards obliged to abandon this pofition, 
after having defended himfelf during the greated part of 
the day with lefs than three thoufand men againd upwards 
of ten thoufand : it is even thought that he would have 
maintained his pod, had not Malfena received reinforce¬ 
ments, while thofe expended under Bayalich and Oclkay 
did not appear. The archduke arrived during the con¬ 
flict, and expofed himfelf to the greated danger; count 
Wratidaw was wounded, as was Gontreuil himfelf. In 
confequence of Oclkay’s having abandoned the defile of 
Pontaffel, the column which was proceeding to join Gon¬ 
treuil got entangled in the mountains between the divi¬ 
fions of Malfena and Guyeux, and were nearly all made 
prifoners. 
Having thus failed in preventing the French from pene¬ 
trating into the hereditary dates, the archduke hoped to 
make them repent of the invafion. He divided his army 
into three corps, one of which, under general Seckendorf, 
occupied the road to Lay bach, and defended Carniola and 
the valley of the Save; the centre, commanded by Mer- 
cantin, protected the valley of the Drave and Clagenfurthj 
and the third, under the prince de Reufs and general 
Kaim, was to defend Styria, and check the progrefs of 
the left wing of the French upon the road to St. Veit, 
and in the valley of the Muehr. In the mean time Bona¬ 
parte’s right w ing feized Triefte, his centre advanced upon 
the Save, and his left to Villach upon the Drave, where 
it was reinforced by the divifions under Guyeux and Ser- 
rurier. This corps, confiding of thirty thoufand men, 
led by Maflena, after obtaining a flight advantage over 
the Andrian rear-guard, took polfeilion of Clagenfurth on 
the 30th of March, while general Seckendorf evacuated 
Laybach, which was inflantly occupied by Bernadette. 
The archduke was now compelled to retire towards the 
capital, which was ferioully menaced, and in which great 
condernatien prevailed. In fifteen days Bonaparte had 
taken twenty thoufand prifoners, and eroded the Alpsj 
and though the country dill prefented fome difficulties, 
there was no fortified place capable of redding his pro¬ 
grefs towards Vienna. The republican chief did nor, 
however, confider his own fituation as deditute of hazard, 
and therefore feized the moment of unbounded fuccefs to 
make 
