Alison's History of Europe [pp. 281-296]

Alison's Ilislory of Europe. iAY,
aistonishing burst of talent which led to the glories only maintain its ground till this side attack took
of MAarengo and lfohenlinden." place, the ruin of the whole column, or, at least,
In the next campaign, the Austrians led off, for- the capture of all its cannon, would be the result.
t,ine favored them for a time, and they seemed to To effect this object,-he concentrated all the forces
carry everything before them, until met on Ho- he could command at the mouth of the defile; but
hen lili(len by MIoreau: "So far the most brilliant so unforeseen was the attack, that not above two
success had attended the Austrian advance, and if thirds of his army could take a part in the action;
it htd been vigorously followed up by a general neither the right wing under Lecourble, nor the half
capablle of appreciating the immense advantages of the left, under Sainte Suzanne, could he ex Richie it offered, and forcing back the enemy's re- pected to arrive so as to render any assistance.
treating columns without intermission upon those "The Imperialists had committed the great error
which came up to their support, it might have led of allowing the surprised Republicans all the 2d
to the total defeat of the French army, and changed to concentrate their scattered forces; but they did
the whole fortune of the campaign. But the Arch- not, on the fi)llowing day, repeat their mistake.
duke John, satisfied with this first advantage, al- Early on the morning of the 3d, a day ever memolowed the enemy to recover from their consterna- rable in the military annals of France, all their
tion. On the following day no forward movement troops were in motion, and they plunged, in three
w:,s made, and Moreau, skilfiflly availing himself great columns, into the forest to approach the
of that respite, retired through the forest of io- enemy. The centre, forty thousand strong, ad HENLINDEN to the ground which he had originally vanced by the great road from Muhldorf to Munich,
occupied, and carefully studied as the probable the only road which was practicable, in the dreadtheatre of a decisive conflict. ful state of the weather, for artillery; above a
"The space which lies between the Inn and the hundred pieces of cannon and five hundred charileer, which is from twelve to fifteen leagues in ots encumbered its movements. The infantry
b)readth, is intersected in its centre by this forest, marched first; then came the long train of artillery
now celebrated not less in history than in poetry. and caissons; the cavalry closed the procession.
Parallel to the course of the two rivers, its woods The right wing, under the command of General
fiorm a natural barrier or stockade six or seven Latour, consisting of twenty-five thousand men,
leagues long, and from a league to a league and a followed the inferior road leading from Wasserhalf broad. Two great roads only, that from Mu- bourg to Munich; Keinmayer moved on the flank
tich to Wasserbourg, and from Munich to Muhl- of that column, with his light troops, through the
dorf, traverse that thick and gloomy forest, where forest; while the left wing, under Riesceli, was
the pine-trees approach each other so closely as in directed to proceed by a cross path by Albichen to
most places to render the passage of cavalry or St. Christophle. The imperial columns, animated
artillery, excepting on the great roads, impossible. by their success on the preceding days, joyfully
'The village of Hohenlinden is at the entrance on commenced their march over the yet unstained
the Munich side of the one defile, that of Maten- snow two hours before it was daylight, deeming
pot at the mouth of that leading to Muhldorf. the enemy in full retreat, and little anticipating any
The village of Ebersberg forms the entrance of resistance before their forces were united and disthe other defile leading to Wasserbourg. Between posed in battle-array, in the open plain, on the Muthese two roads the broken and uneven surface of nich side of the forest.
the forest is traversed only by country paths, almost " From the outset, however, the most sinister
impracticable during the storms of winter even to presages attended their steps. During the night
foot-soldiers. the wind had changed; the heavy rain of the pre Moreau, with his staff, had carefully reconnoi- ceding days turned into snow, which fell, as at
tred this ground; and as soon as it became evident Eylau, in such thick flakes as to render it implosthat the Archduke was to advance through its dan- sible to see twenty yards before the head of tilhe
gerous defiles, he prepared, with the art of a con- column, while the dreary expanse of the forest
suminate general, to turn it to the best account. presented, under the trees, a uniformn white su3rface,
Rapidly concentrating his forces in the plain at the on which it was impossible to distinguish the beaten
entrance of the defiles on the Munich side, he at track. The cross paths between the roads which
the same time gave orders to Riichepause, with his the troops followed, bad at any time, were almost
division, to advance across the forest, so as to fall, impassable in such a storm; and each body, isoearly on the morning of the 3d, perpendicularly on lated in the snowy wihlerness, was left to its own
the line of the great road fiom Hohenlinden to resources, without either receiving intelligence or
Mnhldorf. He naturally anticipated that this move- deriving assistance from the other. The central
moet would bring him on the flank of the Austrian column, which advanced along the only good road,
centre, when entangled in the defile, with its long outstripped the others, and its head had traversed
train of artillery and chariots; and that, if the Re- the forest, and approaclied Hohenliuden about nine
poablican force at the entrance of the pass coldd o'clock. It was there met by the division of Greo
Allsoit's IIisiory of Eui-ol)c.
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