600 
A VISIT TO ASPERN AND WAGRAM. 
at present stand rooted in tlie old parapets and embrasures winch still 
remain, but all accounts show that there was an ample supply of wood 
nevertheless, and the other requisites of a good camping ground remain 
as they were. 
Immediately after the council of war already referred to was over, 
the Emperor retired in a skiff across the river to Kaiser Ebersdorf, and 
I was told by a distinguished Austrian officer, with whom I had the 
pleasure of walking over the ground, that according to tradition he 
slept for thn*ty-six hours continuously when he laid down to rest, so 
exhausted was he by the strain the last two or three days had imposed 
upon him. Thus recruited he soon, however, set himself to work with 
renewed energies to render the place impregnable to the enemy and 
a convenient stepping stone for himself to the northern bank. Warned 
by his first failure he directed his whole genius towards making a 
certainty of his next attempt. 
His first care was to restore the bridge, and throw up such earth¬ 
works round the one to the northern shore (which the Austrians did 
not try to wrest from his possession), and along the northern edge of 
the Lobau and adjacent islands, as would render any attempt at invasion 
on the Archduke's part hopeless. But he no longer thought of trusting 
to one frail bridge alone. He caused three, two of which were of the 
most solid description, to be constructed across the channel between the 
Lobau and the island in the main bed of the Danube, and two across 
the interval which separated that island from the southern shore. One 
of these latter was a bridge of boats; the other was built on piles. 
He likewise caused a sort of breakwater of piles to be driven into the 
bed of the river above these bridges whereever there was any danger 
of any fire-ships or other devices being floated down against them, and 
a regular system of guard-boats was established to patrol the water 
and ward off any attack the enemy might make down the river. 
When at Vienna the old landlady with whom I lodged observing me 
to be deeply engrossed in military books and maps brought me a 
sketch of the Island of Lobau showing all the works and bridges, both 
of Napoleon and the Austrians, and offered to sell it to me. It was 
indeed full of interest, showing most minutely as it did the exact 
position of all the points of interest connected with the operations 
which I was studying. For the benefit of my readers I have reproduced 
it at the commencement of this article, and a study of it will better 
enable anyone to understand the situation than many pages of my 
efforts at description. The bed of the Danube is now very much 
altered from what it appears on the sketch. A high embankment along 
the Lobau has confined its waters, and they now flow in a single 
channel between that island and Kaiser Ebersdorf, as I have shown on 
the sketch. 
It will be noticed that strong earthworks defended both extremities 
of these bridges. The Arsenal of Vienna contributed an immense 
number of guns for these tetes du pouts, and they soon became so 
formidable as to set attack at defiance. Such was the industry of all 
concerned that the bridges into the Lobau were completed in twenty 
days, but the energy of Napoleon did by no means rest contented when 
they were finished. 
