602 
A VISIT TO ASPERN AND WAGRAM. 
talents for organisation and mastery over details, he likewise showed 
such a grasp of strategical combinations as even his genius had never 
surpassed. The situation compelled him first to secure his communi¬ 
cations with the Rhine, while at the same time he should endeavour to 
separate the Archduke Charles’s force from that under his brother 
John which was at this time at Koermond, and the organisation rapid¬ 
ly gaining dangerous consistency known as the Hungarian insurrection. 
But since he would need every man he could possibly spare from these 
duties to throw into the scale on the decisive day, when he should de¬ 
cide to make his great effort from the Lobau, no larger force than 
was absolutely necessary could be detached from his immediate com¬ 
mand. 
Nice combination and an accurate calculation of time and space 
would enable forces apparently far distant to perform their share of the 
task in the outlying portions of the theatre of war and yet move iu, 
without undue risk of leaving vital spots unguarded, in time to take 
their part at the place where the real issue would be decided. Davout 
was, therefore, directed to dislodge the Archduke Charles from Press- 
burg, which he had occupied, and so deny the passage of the Danube 
at this point to the Austrians. Thus he would guard the Emperor’s 
immediate right. 
Eugene, the Viceroy of Italy, was to manoeuvre to gain the left 
flank of the Archduke John’s army and thus place him between Davout 
and himself, a movement which would force him across the Danube at 
a point as far as possible from the main Austrian army at Essling. 
Marmont was called from Dalmatia, and MacDonald from Styria to 
support Eugene’s movement, and eventually swell the muster-roll at 
the Lobau. 
In the course of a short essay such as this, which does not aspire to 
give anything like a history of the campaign, it is not necessary to 
refer in detail to these various operations, admirably as they will be 
found to repay attention, and it will be sufficient, therefore, to say that 
they were carried out, if not always with perfect, at anyrate with 
sufficient, success on the part of those to whom they were entrusted. 
Archduke John, who throughout the war seems to have marred the 
best laid schemes of his brother by his wilfulness and want of intelli¬ 
gence (to attribute no worse motive), gave battle to Eugene, who 
had been meanwhile joined by MacDonald, at Raab at a singularly 
inopportune moment, and was signally defeated and driven across the 
Danube at Komorn. 
Napoleon’s right was now, therefore, covered by the line of the Raab, 
while the corps echeloned along the Danube rendered his left secure. 
There remained a certain danger that, while he threw his whole weight 
into the effort to cross at the Lobau, the Archduke Charles might slip 
away from his grasp, effect a passage at Pressburg, and assail his line 
of retreat. Strong earthworks were, therefore, thrown up, behind 
which a numerically weak force might conceal their numbers and 
obstruct the passage of a superior one round Eugereau on the French 
side of the river opposite Pressburg, while a similar containing force 
deceived the Archduke John and occupied his attention before Komorn. 
