ACHIEVEMENTS OF FIELD ARTILLERY. 
559 
the Kinzig, the left in echelon on the road from Erfurth to Frankfort. 
Their centre was garnished with a mass of 60 powerful guns, which 
were placed so as to sweep the line of advance of the French as they 
debouched from the forest. Thus it seemed that the feat of Moreau 
at Hohenlinden might be repeated, and if Wrede were strong enough 
to prevent his opponents from deploying as they emerged from the 
issues of the wood, he might emulate the achievement of the great 
soldier who had just fallen at Dresden. But the conditions were 
scarcely similar, even leaving out of sight the fact that the resources of 
a brilliant military genius had to be reckoned with. 
The corps of Victor and MacDonald, pushing the advanced light 
troops of the Bavarians with some difficulty through the wood before 
them, at length gained a footing beyond the trees and endeavoured to 
deploy. They had suffered heavily in the recent disastrous engagements 
in which they had taken part, and weary and dispirited as they were 
they now came under a most trying' cannonade from the great mass of 
guns which stood before the allied line, and which poured a heavy con¬ 
centrated fire upon them. For four hours the French army was unable 
to make any way across the narrow plain which lay between the forest 
and the banks of Kinzig. Napoleon’s anxiety for the safety of his line 
of retreat grew as the hours went by. Finally he sent the trusty 
Druot, who had served him so well at Wagram and Ltitzen with his 
artillery, to examine the enemy’s position, and he returned to say that 
with 50 guns and two battalions of the Guard he would engage to force 
a passage. The “ Immortals,” 1 as the rest of the army termed them, 
had suffered less than the other troops during the late battles, and was 
still comparatively intact and in good heart. The Emperor yielded to 
his suggestions. Two battalions of the Guard which had just come up 
were sent forward in skirmishing order, and succeeded in clearing the 
enemy’s tirailleurs from the outlets of the forests and the little plain 
beyond. In their wake Druot led forward his great battery. He first 
brought but 15 guns into action, but gradually added to their number 
until all his force was deployed. The Artillery of the Guard was, as we 
have said, splendidly equipped and trained, and their well served fire, 
directed by an exceptionally able leader, scon got the better of the guns 
which opposed them, and in a little while established a marked superiority 
over them in spite of the preponderance in numbers which they 
possessed. Then Nansouty and Sebastiani debouched with the cavalry 
of the Guard under cover of their fire, and launched their squadrons, 
which were also comparatively little the worse for their recent experi¬ 
ences, upon the enemy. These justly dreaded horsemen swept away all 
in their immediate front, and when Wrede threw some of his force into 
squares and tried to reorganise his cavalry in the rear for another effort, 
Druot’s irresistible batteries were again ready to paralyse all their 
efforts to rally, and the Bussian cavalry, which attempted to come to 
the support of the infantry, were as little able to withstand the French 
Curassiers as they had been. Finally the whole left wing of the Allies 
gave way entirely and fled headlong towards the Kinzig, leaving the 
1 Because the Emperor towards the close of his career was extremely chary of putting them into 
action. 
