AD any difafter happened to

ing the campaign, Buonaparte might have been induced to balance the neceffity of fending relief to the army of Italy, with that of fending fuccours to Germany. The fplendid fucceffes of Moreau, left him at liberty to do that to which he was moft inclined: to fend the army of referve into Italy. This army was ordered to Geneva, through the Païs de Vaud, and the lower Valais to Martigny, a village fix leagues from the Great St. Bernard, where the first conful, leaving Paris on the fixth of May, joined it, and made a ftay of three days, during which preparations were made for the afcent of the mountain.

The firft conful had determined upon the measure of marching an army to Italy with the utmoft expedition, on account of the fituation in which Maffena was then placed; who was fhut up in Genoa, and reduced to great ftraights, by general Melas. In this extremity, Buonaparte had refolved to furmount every difficulty in the paffage of the Alps, in order to attack the rear of the Auftrian army.

Fortunately, about this time, general Deflaix had arrived at Paris from Egypt; and, as the firft con

ful was well acquainted with the

was glad of his afliftance in this enterprize.

The principal part of the army was intended to pafs by Mount St. Bernard; other divifions were intended to cross by Mount Cenis, the Simplon, and Mount St. Gothard.

On the fifteenth of May, Buonaparte paffed St. Bernard, and at Remi, diftant fix leagues from the monaftry, first faw the Auftrians, who, though inferior in numbers, difputed the ground ftep by step with the republicans, until they faw another part of the army defeending, as if with intent to attack them in the rear.

No part of the artillery of this army had at that time crolled the mountains. It had been collected at the village of St. Pierre, and it may be fuppofed it was a work of no fmall difficulty to tranfport it acrofs the Alps. It was, however, effentially neceflary that fuch a tranfport fhould be made, and the following means was used to effect it:

Every piece of cannon was difmounted, and placed in troughs hollowed out of trees cut down for

the purpofe. Thefe were drawn by five or fix hundred men, according to the fize and weight of

the

the piece. The wheels fixed to poles, were borne on mens' fhoulders; the tumbrils were emptied, and placed on fledges, together - with the axle-trees. The ammuni tion, packed up in boxes, was carried on the backs of mules. To encourage the men, from four to five hundred franks were allowed for every piece of artillery thus tranfported. One half of a regiment was employed in drawing cannon, whilft the other half bore the necessary baggage belonging to their corps. The men proceeded in fingle files, it being impoffible for two to draw abreaft, or to pafs each other without danger of falling down the precipices on the fide. The man who led, stopped, from time to time, when every one took the refreshment of buifcuit, moiftened in fnow water. It was the labour of five hours to reach the monaftery of St. Bernard, when each man was refreshed with a glafs of wine. They had then eighteen miles of defcent, by far the moft difficult and hazardous, which they did not accomplish till nine the next night, being ten hours in performing it. Buonaparte, and his staff, marched on foot, and were in feveral places obliged to flide down feated on the fnow.

On the fixteenth of May, the vanguard reached Aofta, garrifoned by a Hungarian battalion, which, after fome lofs, evacuated the place, when a deputation from the town waited upon the conful to surrender it.

The van-guard now proceeded to the attack of Chatillon, near which place general Lannes was imformed the Auftrians were preparing to oppofe his paffage over a bridge thrown across a precipice; but the Auftrians were fo vigorously at

tacked by a body of huffars,' that they were foon driven off the bridge with a confiderable lofs, and fhut themfelves up in Fort De Barre, built on an inacceffible rock.

This fort, from its fituation in a narrow neck, appeared to ftop the progrels of the whole army; and, if it could not be reduced in four days, every foldier must have perished through hunger, as the provifions were nearly exhausted, and no means left of procuring an additional fupply. Had general Melas forefeen this obftacle, he might, by a timely oppofition, have fruftrated the fuccels of Buonaparte's expedition.

The rock on which the fort is built, is in the fhape of a fugarloaf; the pafs at its foot is skirted by a deep and rapid river, called the Doria; on the oppofite fide of which is a fteep inacceffible rock. There was no alternative; the fort muft either be taken or another paffage fought. Each had its difficulties, but Buonaparte's genius furmounted them.

The fuburb was taken poffeffion of by three companies of granadiers previous to an attack on the fort, which was defended by five hundred men, and twenty-two pieces of cannon.

The attack was made at night, when the republicans climbed up the rocks and over the pallifade amidst a fhower of balls, and drove the Auftrians from the works, but were at laft obliged to retreat themfelves.

This check made the conful refolve to find out another paffage, when a way was difcovered up the rock Albaredo; which afcent gained, might with a like difficulty, be defcended. But the artillery could not pofiibly be tranfported this way; it was therefore refolved, at

every hazard, to pafs the carriages through the fuburb. Every means was ufed, by letting out in the dark, and by fpreading litter along the way to deaden the found, and prevent fufpicion in the garrifon; yet, thefe precautions did not prevent the Auftrians from difcovering their defign, and the men were fired upon and killed by every difcharge. At length, Buonaparte ordered a cannon to be raifed, and placed upon the top of the church, which fo effectually battered the tower over the gate, that the garrifon, fearing a second affault, furrendered at difcretion.

A paffage was now opened to the republican army, which experienced no farther obftruction until it reached Ivrea, a town betwixt Aofta and Turin, from both which places it is diftant about eight leagues; and whither the army proceeded as foon as the foldiers had refreshed themselves with the provifions found in Fort De Barre. This place was efcaladed and taken, with fourteen pieces of cannon, on the twenty-third of May, by a divition under general Boudet, before the main army reached it.

Buonaparte, inftead of continuing his courfe fouthwards, to Turin, turned off to Romagno, eastwards, having received intelligence of a force collected there of fix thoufand men, partly compofed of Aufirian troops, which he had driven before him, and a number drawn from Turin. This body had taken a pofition at Romagno, and was intrenched behind the Sefia, a deep and rapid river. They appeared to be ignorant as well of the ftrength of the French army, as that it had Buonaparte with it, and treated its deligns with contempt, but were

the next day convinced of their mil take, when general Lannes forced their entrenchments, and cut them to pieces, notwithstanding their cavalry made fome fhew of refiftance.

On the twenty-fixth of May, Buonaparte gave orders for two divifions to march towards Turin, whilft his van-guard bore upon Chiufella and the Po. This was done in order to deceive the Auftrians, who thereupon croffed that river, and took a pofition on the right bank. Whilt the attention of the Auftrians was taken up with this manoeuvre, general Murat, at the head of a divifion of cavalry, entered Vercelli the next day, on the road to Milan. Other divifions, about the fame time, took poffeffion of Suza and Brunette, and Ariolo.

The Auftrians, finding themselves not in fufficient force to defend Milan, against the republican army, evacuated that city on the fecond of June, after a flight oppofition; and it appears that the French were w received by the inhabitants, who were already revolutionized.

well

After fome short stay at Milan, the van-guard of the army marched and took poffeffion of Pavia, on the fifth of June, on which day Genoa furrendered to the allies; and on which very day orders were fent to general Ott to raise the fiege. At Pavia, the republican army found confiderable magazines, and five hundred pieces of cannon, with a large quantity of ammunition.

During this time, general Melas was at Turin, and the greatest part of his army in the Genoefe territory, a pofition which he preferved too long; perhaps, partly owing to orders he had received from Vienna, an 1 partly to his ignorance of Buonaparte's real ftrength. To

this fecurity the mifcarriages and misfortunes of the Auftrian army, which followed, may be attributed. To make a powerful diverfion, Melas detached general O'Reilly to Placentia, and general Otto, upon A detachment of fix thfand men was likewife fent to Chivaflo, upon the Po, which, turning off to Vercelli, retook three handred Auftrian prifoners.

The manœuvre of advancing as far as Chiavaflo, which is within fifteen miles of Turin, was a faint for misleading the Auftrians, by feeming to threaten that city.

The concentration of the Auftrian forces feemed to discover an intention of offering battle. General Murat defeated O'Reilly, and made himself mafter of Placentia, from whence O'Reilly fell back upon Otto, at Stradello and Montebello. The French army had now taken a pofition on the Po, where it is joined to the Tellino, and becomes then of equal depth with the Rhine. The republicans had no longer to do with fmall detachments, but were met by the Auftrian advanced-guard of eighteen thoufand

men.

The French army was now encreafing, and was joined by a divifion of the army of the Rhine, which had feparated at Ulm, and had paffed the Alps, by Mount St. Gothard.

The French van-guard croffed the Po, and made a vigorous attack upon the Auftrian army, which they drove before them into the martes, until night put a flop to the purfuit, which was followed the next day by the battle of Montebello.

The battle of Montebello was very bloody; that place was taken and retaken by the contending ar

VOL. XLII.

mies. The van-guard, under general Lannes, had fuffered confiderably, when it was reinforced by general Watrin's divifion, which decided the battle in favour of the republicans; and, the Auftrians having loft fix thoufand prifoners, and twelve pieces of cannon, with feveral officers of diftinction, killed or wounded, were forced to retreat to Voguera.

The day following, the French army marched through Voguera, and took fome pofitions before Tortona, which city the van-guard furrounded without oppofition. The Auftrian army had now arrived from Genoa, and had fixed its headquarters at Alexandria. As a general engagement appeared to be unavoidable, every preparation was made for it.

The French army quilted its pofition near Tortona, and advanced into the plain betwixt that city and Alexandria, forming in order of battle, as the feveral divifions arrived. Meanwhile Buonaparte carefully examined the plain and village of Maringo; but, the day proving wet, nothing was done until the following (he fixteenth of June), which was ushered in by feveral difcharges of cannon; and the preparatives on the fide of the Auftrians appeared to be decitive for

battle before noon.

Buonaparte and Berthier had entered the plain, and the fire of cannon and mufketry began to be brifk. The Au rian line extended fix miles in length, and feully preferved its pofitions, particularly at the bridge over the Bormida; but, the principal point of action, and whereto they directed their chefattention, was at Sans-Stefano, from which point the Auflrins [0]

could

could gain Voguera before the French.

The Auftrians being in great force gained upon the French, when Buonaparte ordered the body of referve to come up; but, Deffaix, with his corps, was not yet arrived. The left wing of the French, com manded by Victor, now began to give way, and fome cavalry and infantry retreated in diforder. About the fame time the centre and right wing did the fame.

Buonaparte, in front, rallied the troops, and led them on again to the battle. Notwithstanding this, the French army ftill continued to retrest, and the Auftrians followed up their advantage. At this juncture of time, the garrifon of Tortona feeing the diforder of the French army, made a fally, and had nearly furrouded them.

Buonaparte, ftill in front, encouraged the corps, which defended a defile flanked, by the village of Maringo, on which thirty pieces of Auftrian artillery continually played, making terrible flaughter. And, now at four o'clock in the afternoon, the French army was fo pushed on all fides, that one-third of it was in confufion, and knew not where to rally.

The Auftrians, feeing the impofibility of forcing the defile, drew up more artillery, under the protection of which they fent forward a body of infantry to diflodge the French from a wood and vineyards, whilft their cavalry watched the opportunity of cutting them down as they quitted that pofition. Had this manœuvre fucceeded, the French army had been totally deftroyed.

At this inftant the fortune of the battle began to take a new turn,

and that fuccefs, which had heretofore attended Buonaparte, feemed now unwillingly to forfake him.The divifions of Monnier and Deffaix coming up, infured victory to the republican army, by infpiring it with renewed courage. To this, an unfortunate mistake, which Melas committed, about the fame time, did not a little contribute.That general, finding he could neither force the defile, nor make any impreffion on the centre of the French army, perhaps, prefuming too far on his fuccefs, and being moreover ignorant of the reinforcements which the republican army had received, weakened his line, by extenfion, in order to furround it.

Buonaparte faw the error Melas had been guilty of, and instantly availed himfelf of it, by the orders he gave. The troops of the republic quitted the defile, and, as they left it, formed in order of battle, and prefented a fresh and formidable front to the Auftrians, now nearly exhaufted and fatigued with fuccefs.

The Auftrians were now vigoroully charged, and fell back in their turn: their numerous cavalry was thrown into diforder, and the French huffars hitherto inferior, now charged and difperfed the fugitives. On the right, Deffaix bore down all before him, while Victor, on the left, carried Maringo, and bore down rapidly on the Bormida; where, getting poffeffion of the bridge, he cut off the retreat of the Auftrians on that fide. At the moment that Defaix gaining SansStefano, cut off the Auftrian left wing, the younger Kellerman made prifoners of fix thousand Hungarian grenadiers. The Auftrian general Zach, was made a prifoner, and Deflaix, in the very inftant of vie

tory,