The life of Napoleon Buonaparte, emperor of the French. By Sir Walter Scott.

466 LIFE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE.
of strength,-and those of Bonaparte, who knew pelled by circumstances to serve in the opposite
that so soon as he should make a single sacrifice to ranks. Whatever effects might have been produced
compulsion, he would be held as having degraded by such an address, supposing it to have had time
that high military reputation which was the fbunda- to operate, the result was disconcerted by the
tion of his power. It may reasonably be supposed, promptitude, which with Bonaparte was almost
that, with the undecided war of Spain on his hands, always the harbinger of success..he would willingly have adjourned the contest; but While the Austrian army moved slow, and with
with him, the sound of the trumpet was a summons to frequent halts, encumbered as they were with their
be complied with, in the most complicated state of baggage and supplies, Napoleon had no sooner
general embarrassment. learned by the telegraph the actual invasion of
The exertions made by Austria on this important Bavaria, than he left Paris on the instant, and
occasion were gigantic, and her forces were supe- hurried to Frankfort, without guards, without equiprior to those which she had been able to summon age, almost without a companion, save the faithful
out at any former period of her history. Including Jos6phine, who accompanied him as far as Strasthe army of reserve, they were computed as high as burg, and there remained for some time watching
five hundred and fifty thousand men, which the the progress of the campaign, the event of which
Archduke Charles once more commanded in the was destined to have such a melancholy influence
character of generalissimo. It is said that this gal- on her own happiness.
lant prince did not heartily approve of the war, at The Archduke Charles's plan was to act upon
least of the period chosen to commence it, but the offensive. His talents were undoubted, his
readily sacrificed his own opinion to the desire of army greatly superior in numbers to the French,
contributing, his utmost abilities to the service of his and favourably disposed, whether for attack or debrother and of his country. fence; yet, by a series of combinations, the most
Six corps d'arm6e, each about thirty thousand beautiful and striking, perhaps, which occur in the
strong, were destined, under the archduke's imme- life of one so famed for his power of forming such,
diate command, to maintain the main weight of the Bonaparte was enabled, in the short space of five
war in Germany; a seventh, under the Archduke days, totally to defeat the formidable masses which
Ferdinand, was stationed in Gallicia, and judged were opposed to him.
sufficient to oppose themselves to what forces Rus- Napoleon found his own force unfavourably dissia, in compliance with her engagements to Napo- posed, on a long line, extending between the towns
leon, might find herself obliged to detach in that of Augsburg and Ratisbon, and presenting, through
direction; and two divisions, under the Archduke the incapacity it is said of Berthier, an alarming
John, were destined to awaken hostilities in the vacancy in the centre,:by operating on which the
north of Italy, into which they were to penetrate by enemy might have separated the French army into
the passes of Carinthia and Carniola. two parts, and exposed each to a flank attack.
Bonaparte had not sufficient numbers to oppose Sensible of the full, and perhaps fatal consequences,
these formidable masses; but he had recourse to which might attend this error, Napoleon determined
his old policy, and trusted to make up for deficiency on the daring attempt to concentrate his army by a
of general numerical force, by such rapidity of lateral march, to be accomplished by the twvo wings
movement as should insure a local superiority on simultaneously. With this view he posted himself
the spot in which the contest might:take place.:He in the centre, where the danger was principally apsummoned out the auxiliary forces of the Confede- prehended, commanding Mass6na to advance by a
ration of the'Rhine, and of the King of Saxony. flank movement from Augsburg to Pfaflenhofen,
He remanded many troops who were on their march and Davoust to approach the centre by a similar
for Spain, and by doing so virtually adjourned, and, manceuvre from Ratisbon to Neustadt. These
as it proved, for ever, the subjugation of that marches must necessarily be forced, that of Davoust
country. lie had already in Germany the corps of being eight,;that of Massena betwixt twelve and
Davoust, and of General Oudinot. The garrisons thirteen leagues. The order for this daring operawhich France had established in Prussia, and in tion was sent to Massena on thie night of the 17th,
the northern parts of Germany, were drained for and concluded with an earnest recommendation of
the purpose of reinforcing his ranks;:but the total speed and intelligence. When the time for executamount of his assembled forces was still greatly in- ing these movements had been allowed, Bonaparte,
ferior to those of the Archduke Charles. at the head of the centre of his forces, made a
On the 9th of April, 1809, the Archduke crossed sudden and desperate assault upon two Austrian
the Inn; and thus a second time Austria cor- divisions, commanded by the Archduke Louis and
menced her combat with France, by the invasion of General Hiller. So judiciously was this tinled, that
Gernmany. Some confidence was placed in the ge- the appearance of Davoust on the one flank kept in
neral discontent which prevailed among the Ger- check those other Austrian corps d'arime, by wauora
mans, and especially those of the Confederation of the divisions attacked ought to have been supportthe Rhine, and their hatred of a system which ed; while the yet more formidable operations of
made them on every occasion the instruments of Massmna, in the rear of the Archduke Louis, achievFrench policy. The Archduke averred in his ma- ed the dlefeat of the enemy. This victory, gained
nifesto, that the cause of his brother was that of at Abensberg upon the 20th April, broke the line
general independence, not individual aggrandise- of the Austrians, and exposed them to farther miswent; and he addressed himself particularly to fortunes. The emperor attacked the figitive* the
tose his brothers of Germany, who were now cor- next day at Landshut, where the Austrians lost