The 1st column consisted of 19 22

2nd 3rd

20

16

22

8

13

8

5th

13

16

The corps of cavalry
The corps of genadiers 16

78

148

Total 103 All which amounted to 75,000 men, effective troops.

Of artillery there were 18 batteries of brigade, 13 of position, and 11 of horse artillery; in the aggregate 288 pieces of different

calibres.

The enemy had availed himself extremely well of the advantages of the ground to cover his passage. The extensive villages of Essling and Aspern, mostly composed of brick houses, and encircled all round by heaps of earth, resembled two bastions, between which a double line of natural trenches, intended to draw off the water, served as the curtain, and afforded every possible security to the columns passing from the Isle of Lobau. Essling had a granary furnished with loop-holes, and whose three stories afforded room for seve ral hundred men, while Aspern was provided with a strong church-yard. The left side of the latter village borders on an arm of the Danube. Both villages had a safe communication with the bushy ground near the Danube, from which the enemy had it constantly in his power to dispatch, unseen, fresh reinforce ments. The Isle of Lobau served at once as a place of arms and as a téle-de-pont, a bridge-head for the bridge, in the rear across the main arm of the river.

The enemy, with the divisions of gens. Molitor, Boudet, Nansouty, Legrand, Espagne, Lasalle and Fer

If it be at all permitted in war, to indulge favourable presentiments, it was certainly excusable so to do at that great moment, when, on the 21st of May, exactly at twelve o'clock, the columns began to put themselves in motion for the attack. A general enthusiasm had taken possession of the troops: joyful war-songs, accompanied by Turkish music, resounded through the air, and were interrupted by shouts of " Long live our Emperor, long live Archduke Charles!" whenever the imperial general appeared, who had placed himself at the head of the second column. Every breast panted with anxious desire and high confidence after the decisive moment; and the finest weather favoured the awful scene. Battle of the 21st of May.-First Column.

The advanced guard under gen. Nordinan, consisting of two battalions of Gyulay and Lichtenstein hussars, had formed near the destroyed bridge of Tabor, and leaving the villages of Kagran and Hirschstetten to the left, and Stadlau to the right, marched in the plain towards Aspern. It was followed by the column, which, having left the high road before the postoffice at Stammersdorf, had marched from the right by half divisions. Its right flank along the Danube was covered by a battalion of St. Georgians, by the 1st battalion of

Vienna volunteers, and by a battalion of militia, under the command of major count Colloredo. Within a cannon-shot of Stadlau the out-posts met the enemy's pic quets, which gradually retreated to their original divisions.--At this time general Nordman ordered two battalions of Gyulay to draw up en eckellon, in order to favour the advance of the column. The enemy drawn up in large divisions, stood immediately before Aspern, baving, to cover his front, occupied all the ditches of the fields, which afforded excellent breastworks. His right was covered by a battery, and his left by a broad and deep ditch (one of those that carry off the waters of the Danube when it overflows), as well as by a bushy ground, which was likewise occupied by several bodies in close order. Though the enemy had the advantage of position all to himself, inasmuch as the freshes of the Danube were only passable by means of a small bridge, at which he kept up a vigorous fire from behind the ditches both with cannon and small arms, it did not prevent the 2nd battalion of Gyulay, immediately after the first had penetrated as far as the bushy meadows, to pass the bridge in a column, to form without delay, and with charged bayonets to attack the enemy, who precipitately retreated to Aspern, on which occasion that village, after a vigorous but not very obstinate resistance, was taken for the first time. It was, however, not long before the enemy had it in his power, by the arrival of a fresh reinforcement, to expel again the battalions of Gyulay. By this time some battalions of the column had arrived, the chasseurs of Major

Schneider, of the 2nd column, joined the advanced guard of the 1st; Gyulay formed again, and the enemy was a second time pushed to the lower end of the village, though he succeeded again in regaining what he had lost.-Both parties were aware of the necessityTM of maintaining themselves in Aspern at any rate, which produced successively the most obstinate efforts both of attack and defence; the parties engaged each other in every street, in every house, and in every barn; carts, ploughs, aud harrows were obliged to be removed during an uninterrupted fire, in order to get at the enemy; every individual wall was an impediment of the assailants, and a rampart of the attacked; the steeple, lofty trees, the garrets, and the cellars were to be conquered before either of the parties could stile itself master of the place, and yet the possession was ever of short duration; for no sooner had we taken a street or a house than the enemy gained another, forcing us to abandon the former. So this murderous conflict lasted for several hours; the German battalions were supported by Hungarians, who were again assisted by the Vienna volunteers, each rivalling the other in courage and perseverance. At the same time the 2nd column combined its attacks with, those of the first, having to overcome the same resistance, by reason of the enemy's constantly leading fresh reinforcements into fire. At length general Vacquant of the second column succeeded in becoming master of the upper part of the village, and maintaining himself there during the whole of the night.-By the shells of both parties many houses had been set on fire,

and

and illuminated the whole country around. At the extremity of the right wing on the bushy meadow the combats were not less severe. The left flank of the enemy was secured by an arm of the Danube; impenetrable underwood, intersected only by footpaths, covered his front; and a broad ditch and pallisadoes afforded him the advantage of a natural rampart.-Here fought at the beginning of the battle the 1st battalion of Gyulay under colonel Mariassay; then the battalion of chasseurs under major Schneider; next the St. Georgians under major Mihailovich, and finally, the two battalions of Vienna volunteers under lieutenant-colonel Steigentesch and St. Quenten. Here also the enemy was defeated; and the first day of this sanguinary engagement terminated by the occupation of Aspern by general Vacquant, at the head of eight battalions of the second column, while lieutenant field-marshal Hiller drew the troops of his corps from the village, placed them again in order of battle, and passed the night under

arms.

Second Column.

The advanced guard, commanded by lieutenant-general Fresnel, advanced by Leopoldoa and Kagran towards Hirschstetten, and consisted of one battalion of chasseurs and two battalions of Anton Mitsovsky under general Winzingerode, as well as the brigades of cavalry, Kienau and Vincent, under general Veesey. It was followed in the same direction by the column from its position near Gerasdorf.--The enemy having been discovered from the eminences near Hirschstetten to be near Aspern and Esslingen, the brigade Veesey was detached against

--

the latter place, and the brigade Winzingerode to dislodge the enemy from Aspern. The column deployed before Hirschstetten, in two lines, in order to support the advanced guard, and leaving Aspern to the right, followed upon the plain, at a proper distance.-The brigade of Winzingerode, however, met with so spirited a resistance in its attempt upon Aspern, that an attack upon the front alone was not likely to be attended with success; the cavalry, therefore, of the advanced guard was pushed forward from Aspern on the left, in order to support the attack on the flank with the two batteries of cavalry, as well as to facilitate the junction with the third column, which was advancing by Breitenlee. At the same time the regiment of Reuss Plauen was ordered to the right of Aspern, with a view to an attack on that place, the rest of the corps was formed into close columns of battalions.-Meanwhile the enemy formed his left wing, which we refused, towards Aspern, and his right upon Esslingen. Thus he advanced with columns of infantry and cavalry upon the main army, while an extremely brisk cannonade supported him. A line of 12 regiments of cuirassiers formed the centre of the second line of the enemy, giving to the whole an imposing aspect.-Meanwhile the attack of a battalion of Reuss Plauen on Aspern was repulsed, and it gave way, being thrown into consternation by the loss of its commander, but it rallied immediately after. Count Bellegarde ordered gen. Vacquant to renew the attack with the regiment of Vogelsang, and to carry the village at all hazards. The latter obeyed the order with the most

brilliant success, and Aspern, though defended by 12,000 of the best of the enemy's troops, was carried by storm; Vacquant being assisted by the regiment of Reuss Plauen, by a battalion of archduke Rainer, and by the brigade of Maier of the third column. To frustrate this attack, the enemy advanced with two columns of infantry, supported by his heavy cavalry, upon the main army, repulsed the two regiments of Klenau and Vincent's light horse, and fell upon the infantry. The latter expecting him, with their firelocks ready, and with cool intrepidity, fired at ten paces distance so effectually, as totally to rout the enemy, upon which general Veesey, at the head of a division of Klenau, attacked the enemy's curiassiers with such energy, that their retreat was followed by that of the infantry.-Hereby the army along the whole of its line was disengaged from the enemy, obtained a communication on the left with the corps of prince Hohenzollern, and became possessed of the important post of Aspern. The enemy being in full retreat attempted no further attack, and confiued himself merely to a cannonade. The corps remained during the night under arms. The enemy repeated, indeed, his attacks on Aspern, but they all proved unsuccessful.

Third Column.

This columu, according to its destination, had begun its march from its position at Seiring, by the road of Sussenbrun and Breitenlee. Some divisions of O'Reilly's light horse and chasseurs formed the advanced guard of the column, and at three o'clock in the afternoon

met near Hirschstetten, the left wing of the enemy, which consisted mostly of cavalry.-As about this time the first and second columns advanced intrepidly upon Aspern, and the enemy began to fall back to his position between Esslingen and Aspern, lieutenant-general Hohenzollern, ordered up his batteries, and a very brisk cannonade commenced on both sides.-The first line formed in close columns of battalions, and advanced with the greatest resolution upon the enemy, when his cavalry suddenly rushed forward in such disproportionate numbers, and with such rapidity, that there was scarcely time to save the artillery which had been brought up, and the battalions were left to defend themselves by their own unsupported exertions. This was the remarkable moment in which the regiments of Zach, Joseph Colleredo, Zettwitz, Froon, a battalion of Stein's, and the second battalion of the Archduke Charles's legion, under the conduct of lieut.general Brady, and generals Bureschi, Maier and Koller, demonstrated with unparalleled fortitude what the fixed determination to conquer or die is capable of effecting against the most impetuous attacks.--The enemy's cavalry turned these battalions on both wings, penetrated between them, repulsed the squadrons of O'Reilly's light horse, who were unable to withstand such a superior force, and in the confidence of victory, summoned these corps of heroes to lay down their arms. A well directed and destructive fire was the answer to this degrading proposition, and the enemy's cavalry abandoned the field, leaving behind them a considerable

cumber

number of dead.--This corps, as well as the others, passed the night on the field of battle.

Fourth and Fifth Columns. These were both composed of the corps of lieutenant-general prince Rosenberg, on either bank of the Russbach, and directed their march from their position, to the right and left of Deutsch-Wagram. The fourth proceeded through Raschdorf straight to Esslingen. Colonel Hardegg of Schwarzenberg's hulans conducted the advanced guard. The fifth directed its march towards the left, in order to go a circuit round the little town of Enzersdorf, and drive the enemy out of the place. It was reinforced by Stipsic's hussars, under the command of colonel Frölich. Lieutenant-general Klenau led the advanced guard of both columns. As this circuit round Enzersdorf obliged the fifth to describe a longer line, it was necessary for the fourth to advance rather more slowly.Enzersdorf, however, was quickly taken possession of by a detach ment of Stipsic's hussars, and of the Wallacho-Illyrian frontier regiment, as it was aiready for the greatest part evacuated by the enemy, from whom no more than thirty prisoners could be taken.-Both columns now received orders to advance upon Esslingen.-The fourth, in close columns of battalions of Czartorisky's, archduke Louis's and Cobourg's, who were twice successively attacked by upwards of two thousand of the enemy's heavy cavalry; but these were each time put to flight by our brave infantry with considerable loss.-Of the fifth column, two battalions of Chasteler's advanced directly upou

Esslingen, while two battalions of Bellegarde's were ordered to penetrate the left flank of the village, and the small contiguous wood. Two battalions of Hiller's and Cztarray's, besides the archduke Ferdinand's and Stipsic's regiments of hussars, and two divisions of Rosenberg's light horse, were in the plain in readiness to support them.---These combined attacks were made twice successively with uncommon intrepidity, the enemy's troops were repulsed at all points, and driven into the village of Esslingen which had been set on fire. But as the enemy's army was drawn up in several lines between Esslingen and Aspern, and met each new attack with fresh reinforcements, because the safety of his retreat depended on the possession of this village, our troops were obliged to abandon it at the approach of night, and to await, under arms, the arrival of morning.

The reserve corps of cavalry had marched in two columns, under the command of general prince of Lichtenstein, and advanced upon the New Inn between Raschdorf and Breitenlee. General count Wartensleben with Blankenstein's hussars, conducted the advanced guard. -No sooner did the enemy perceive the general advance of the army, than he placed the bulk of his cavalry, supported by some battalions of infantry, in order of battle between Esslingen and Aspern, and commenced a brisk cannonade upon the columns of Austrian cavalry as they approached.-Prince Lichtenstein directed his columns to march forward in two lines, on which the enemy detached 4 or 5000 cavalry from his position to

the