that fell, and to defpair of fuccefs. Augereau, who had the chief command in this defperate attack, feeing moft of thofe generals carried off wounded, advanced himself, with a fandard in his hand, to the foot of the bridge. He had the good for tune to efcape unwounded, but his men could gain no ground. Buonaparte, on receiving intélligence of this ill-fuccefs, came himself to the fpot, and reminding his troops of their paffage over the bridge of Lodi, difmounted, and, feizing a ftandard, rufhed towards the bridge at the head of the grenadiers, crying out, "follow your general." The troops advanced again to the bridge, but were not able to ftand the fire of the Auftrians. Two other generals were wounded, and Buonaparte's aid-de-camp was killed at his fide; he himself, who had again mounted to rally his men with the more fpeed, fell from his horfe into marshy ground; after extricating himfelf he continued to prefs forward his men: but ftill they made no impreffion upon the Auftrians, who, nevertheless, did not dare to move from their pofition, in order to improve their advantage.

Buonaparte had, in the mean time, difpached general Guiaux, a remarkable bold officer, at the head of a ftrong body, with orders, by a circuitous march, to proceed to Arcola, and affail it upon the rear of the Auftrians, where it was more acceffible. This officer executed his orders with the completeft fuccefs. He carried the villages, taking feveral pieces of cannon, and making a great number of prifoners. This he effected the more readily, that while he fell upon their rear, the Auftrians were threatened by the troops in their front, who were again advanc

ing upon them, and whom they now could not have withstood.

Thus terminated the action of the fifteenth, which, though it ended fuccefsfully for the French, was undecifive. On the fixteenth, af break of day, the Auftrians made a general attack upon the French. They were vigorously repulfed every where but at Arcola, of which they had retaken poffeffion on the feventeenth. It was again affailed, in the fame manner as on the two preceding days, by general Augereau, who commanded the right wing, facing which ftood this celebrated 'fpot. The centre of the French army was, in the mean time, fo furioufly charged that it gave way; but Buonaparte, while it was retreating, placed a large body in a wood that flanked it, which, as foon as the Auftrians, prefling on the centre, were preparing to turn it, fallied forth upon them unexpectedly, and routed them with vaft flaughter. The left wing of the Austrians, covered with marfhes, ftoud its ground a long time, through the advantage of its pofition, and the fuperiority of its numbers. In order to make an imprefiion upon this, a party of horfe was detached round the marthes that protected it, and directed to found a large number of trumpets, as foon as they had reached its rear. This ftratagem fucceeded, and the left wing precipitately retired, imagining it was turned by a confiderable force. Still, however, Arcola remained untaken, notwithstanding the kill and bravery employed in attacking it. The fame maneuvre that prevailed againft it in the firft engagement was again practifed with the like fuccefs "A frong column came round upon the rear of those who

defended

defended it, while general Maffena, with the left wing, after defeating the right of the Auftrians, united with the centre, and both, with general Augereau on the right, ad vanced on the caufeways leading to it, when it was carried. The Auftrian army was clofely followed till night put an end to the purfuit.

This was the most obftinate battle that had yet been fought between the French and the Auftrians. Valour and fkill were confpicuoufly difplayed on each fide, but the genius and good fortune of Buonaparte overcame all obftacles, and gave him a victory, of which, on the firft onfet, he had every reafon to doubt. The loffes of the Auftrians, in this terrible battle, were truly ruinous. It was computed that eight thoufand of them were killed and wounded, and near five thousand taken, befides an immenfe quantity of warlike ftores, The lofs of the French was alfo very confiderable, efpecially in officers, who felt themselves obliged, on this critical occafion, to expofe their lives in the brunt of the battle, the gain of which may be chiefly afcribed to the perfonal intrepidity difplayed by the commander-in-chief and his other generals. In a letter to the directory, Buonaparte acknowledged, that, what with flain, or difabled, he had hardly a general left him fit for duty.

Early in the morning of the eighteenth, Buonaparte fet his army in motion to profecute the fuccefs of the foregoing day. It was forefeen that Alvinzi would retire either towards the Piava, on the frontiers of the Auftrian dominions, or endea vour to ftrengthen himself by a junction with the forces under general Davidovich, who had been more for

tunate than himself, and ftill kept the field in confiderable force.

Celerity, in his movements, was now become more indifpenfible than ever to the French general. The continual fupplies of recruits arriving from the Tyrol, and the parts contiguous to it, enabled the Auftrians, however frequently defeated, to return, as it were, immediately, to the charge; and fuch was their ftrength, that, had it been concentrated in the late actions, there was little doubt but the French must have yielded to its fuperiority.

Buonaparte had now been com pletely victorious over four hoftile armies, compofed of troops equal at least to any in Europe. The inference naturally was, that his own troops, and those who commanded them, were fuperior in military ta lents to thofe whom they had defeated; but the Auftrians were not of this opinion; and fuch was the confidence they repofed in their own prowefs, that they attributed the fucceffes of the French to fortunate cafualties, and neither to bravery nor better tactics. The fubjects of the emperor, particularly thofe of the counties ufually styled hereditary, were fo fully of this perfuafion, that they entertained no doubt of being able finally to chace the French out of all their Italian conquefts. Hence they readily repaired to the Imperial standard, eager to recover the reputation they had, in fome degree, loft, by the continual advantages of the French over them.

The inhabitants of the Tyrol were remarkably zealous in teftifying their readinefs on this occafion. They felt themfelves greatly offended by the proclamation that Buona

parte

parte had iffued to them, after he had defeated marthal Wurmfer, and was preparing to invade the Tyrol. It was filled with the feverest threats, to fuch of them as belonged to the diftricts of which he fhould take potleffion, if they did not, forthwith, leave the Imperial fervice and return to their homes. This they contidered as a violation of their native night, to act in defence of their fove

reign.

From motives of this nature they flocked to the different bodies that were affembling to reinforce the defeated army of Alvinzi, and that divifion under Davidovich, which, after forcing the French forces, under general Vaubois, to abandon their polition, was advancing towards Mantua.

In order to oppofe his progrefs, a large force was immediately difpatched against him, which effectually fucceeded in putting him to the rout, with fo confiderable a lofs, that his defigns upon Mantua were totally fruftrated.

The intelligence of these varions advantages, but efpecially of the great victory at Arcola, was received, as ufual, by the directory, with the higheft fatisfaction. The prefentation of the ftandards, taken on that memorable day, and in the other engagements with Alvinzi's army, took place on the thirtieth of De cember. It was accompanied with a fpeech from the officer who prefented them, remarkable for the devotion it expreffed in the army of Italy, to the republican conftitution of France, and its determination to fupport it against every attempt, either from foreign or domeftic ene

inies.

A declaration of this kind was the more acceptable to the republican

party, that its enemies in France, were, at this time, extremely active in their endeavours to render it odious to the nation, and to excite a difapprobation of the meafures of government, particularly of the prolongation of the war. They reprefented it as wholly unneceffary for the honour or the intereft of France, and continued merely to indulge the. ambition of perfons in power. By, fuch an arrangement of their conduct they hoped to bring the nature of the power they exercifed into difguft, and to prove it inconfiftent, both with peace abroad, and tranquillity at home.

Thefe adverfaries to the ruling fyftem, were the friends to the ancient monarchy, and the adherents to the firft conftitution, by which the power of the crown was limited. Thefe latter were incomparably more in number than the former, and included a large proportion of the nobleffe, and many of the clergy. But both thefe parties together, however numerous, were inferior in ftrength to the republican, which comprehended all the common claffes, and dreaded a renovation of that oppreffive authority which the upper ranks had exercifed over the lower. But what principally weakened the two firft parties was their difunion, they hated each other as much as they did the republicans. The non-... juring clergy, in particular, would.. not diveft itfelf of the leaft attachment to their primitive tenets, and anathematized all that differed from them. As thefe two parties agreed, however, in their deteftation of republicanifm, they exerted all their abilities and influence in undervaluing it, and all its fupporters. Bucnaparte's great actions protected him

from

from thofe who might have been inclined to depreciate his merit, but he could not escape the infinuations against his fidelity to the commonwealth. Thefe were induftrioufly propagated by its enemies, in order to breed fufpicions in the government, and to induce it to diminish its confidence in him, and thereby to fet both at variance with each

other.

But the intrigues and publications to this intent were ineffectual. It was to remove all jealoufies of this nature that Buonaparte directed his aid-de-camp, Lemarois, on prefenting the colours, taken at Arcola, to the directory, to aflure them of the inviolable attachment of his army to the intereft of the republic.

The mafs of the nation, pleafed with the glory accruing to it from fo many victories, was firongly prepoffeffed in favour of a fyftem under which its arms had fo wonderfully profpered. The ftaunch afferters of a commonwealth were continually reminding the public of the difproportion between the people at large and thofe who formerly poffeffed an exclufive authority over them. The nobleffe did not exceed one hundred thoufand individuals, nor the clergy, with the monaftic orders, twice that number. Were they entitled, in juftice and reafon, to affume a fovereign authority over twenty-four millions of people, containing a far greater number of perfons, poffeffing worth and capacity, equal at leaft, if not fuperior, to what they could boaft? Was it not among the plebeians, as they infultingly ftyled all but themfelves, that the nation counted the men of talents in all profeflions? Was it equitable that thefe fhould bow the neck to the others, and fubmit

to that feudal vaffalage which had fo long oppreffed and difgraced the people of France? Having emancipated themselves from this flavery, was it to be expected that they fhould return to it, with their eyes open to the contemptible character of those who arrogated the right of again becoming their tyrants, and, after paying the price of fo much blood, to fecure themfelves against their pretenfions, and the iniquitous combination of thofe foreign defpots, who abetted them, in hope of fharing the fpoils of the French nation, after having again reduced it to fervitude?

Reafonings of this kind were more acceptable to the generality than the arguments employed by the anti-republicans, who, though they widely differed in opinion among themselves, were confidered as forming but one party, to which their enemies gave, in common, the name of royalifts; meaning thereby to involve all the opponents of the commonwealth in the indifcriminate imputation of being foes to liberty, and afferters of arbitrary power.

The conflicts of opinion upon thefe various fubjects were, at this period, encreafing daily, and threatened to produce internal convulfions in various parts of France, through the invincible activity and courage of the party in oppofition to government. But the vigilance of the directory repreffed every movement that had the leaft tendency to infurrection, and the decided refolution of all the armies, to fupport the prefent measures, kept the difcontented in awe.

No clafs of men had fignalized their attachment to republican principles with fuch fervour and confiancy as the French foldiery. It

was

was now the fifth campaign, during which their toils and fufferings were not lefs remarkable than their exploits. Hunger and nakednefs had frequently been their portion, in the midit of their moft fplendid fuccelles. Had not the incredibly hard living they were ufed to in their own country, under the feverity of the old government, inured their bodies to go through much fatigue with a fiender fuftenance, and few comforts, they would not have proved adequate to the labours and feanty fupport to which they fubmitted, with fuch admirable patience, in the courfe of their warfare. This part of their character attracted the notice of foreign nations as much as of their own; and it was often a matter of furprize, how they could perform the duties of a military life with fo ftinted and wretched a fare, and under fo many difcouragements.

The army of Italy, in particular, had exhibited aftonishing examples of fortitude in the moft trying fituations; that their enemies had concluded, from the reports of the difficulties to which they were reduced, in procuring the means of exiftence, that nothing elfe would be needed to compel them to abandon their pofition, and withdraw to France. It was previoufly, how ever, to the prefent campaign, and while they were ftationed among the rocks, extending along the fouth

of Piedmont, to the frontiers of France, that the French foldiers had occation to exhibit their patience under hard fare. The coarfe and difgufting food on which they fubfifted, was compared to the Lacedemonian broth of old, and none, it was faid, but Frenchmen, Greenlanders, or Scotch Highlanders, could have fed on fuch mefles.

It was by their perfeverance, in thefe extremities, that they maintained the pofts they occupied, and afforded time to Buonaparte to join them, at the head of thofe reinforcements, united with which they marched to the conqueft of Italy.

This and their other atchievements were inceffantly held out to the French armies, as incentives to adhere faithfully to a caufe which they had hitherto fupported with fo much glory. One more campaign would, probably, put an end to their toils; and, by procuring a glorious peace, enable them to return to their country, and fpend their future lives with honour and ease, in the enjoyment of those remunerations promised them for their fervices.

Such were the arguments and expectations that animated the armies of France at this period, efpecially that which had performed fuch great things in Italy, and now hoped to clofe the year by the capture of Mantua, and the total fall of the Auftrian empire in Italy.

CHAP.