612 
A VISIT TO ASPERN AND WAGR4M. 
course of the stream. They were carrying all before them on their right, 
yet losing ground at the same moment on their left. The French, resting 
their left on the Danube near Enzersdorf, stood on a front generally 
parallel to that of their opponents, and were winning on the right while 
their left seemed hopelessly overpowered. The roar of the Austrian 
guns behind them round Aspern filled Napoleon's staff with dismay, and 
excited messengers galloped up from his rear with the most dispiriting 
intelligence. He paid no attention to the alarmist murmurs rising 
round him, but only broke his studied silence to ask now and then 
whether the smoke of Davout's guns appeared to progress east or west of 
the tower of Neusiedel. Ab length it palpably rolled beyond and to the 
west. The Emperor turned in his saddle and in a moment began 
delivering orders with the greatest animation. The battle was won. 
Massena was directed to make a strong effort against the Austrian 
right, which up to now had been let carry all before it. 
The great line of artillery, which hitherto had thundered to cover the 
breach and ward off the enemy's attack, now redoubled its efforts in 
order to prepare the way for the advance of the infantry. The crisis 
so patiently and confidently waited for had at length arrived. The 
time was ripe for the carefully prepared blow against the Austrian 
centre, and the vast column which had been formed from Eugene's 
corps was placed under command of MacDonald and launched into the 
weakest part of the enemy's line. The Emperor himself directed its 
advance between Siissenbrunn and Aderklaa, and led the Guard both 
infantry and cavalry in rear to drive the victory home. The formation 
of this great column of attack was most peculiar, and exemplified the 
change, noticeable in a lesser degree in the formations in which their 
troops fought at Aspern, which the deterioration of the French raw 
material necessitated. The prolonged wars were leaving their mark 
on the country, it was no longer possible to pick and choose recruits, 
and sickness and bloodshed had thinned the ranks of the veterans. 
The army of Wagram was not the army of Austerlitz and Jena, and 
the Emperor feared to manoeuvre soldiers he had lost confidence in 
with the freedom with which he formerly handled his regiments. Huge 
unwieldly masses, incapable of resistance if resolutely assailed, made 
their appearance on the battle-field, and the disaster of Waterloo was 
foreshadowed in the victory of Wagram. Eight battalions deployed 
in line, one in rear of the other, headed MacDonald's column, while six 
battalions in column on one side, and seven similarly arrayed on the other, 
formed its sides. This enormous mass of twenty-one battalions, compara¬ 
tively incapable of any fire effect, was to break the Austrian line by sheer 
weight and the moral effect of numbers. A tremendous cannonade was 
used to demoralise the enemy, and replaced the musketry fire which the 
skirmishers preceding the light columns of earlier years used to rely on. 
As this overpowering mass moved forward the Austrians, shaken by 
the previous cannonade, gave way, but the close nature of the French 
formation made them pay dearly for their success, and men fell so fast 
that Macdonald was at length brought to a stand-still at Siissenbrunn. 
The Austrian line, which although driven back was by no means 
disintegrated, plied him on all sides with a hot fire which did tremendous 
