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Animated by the patriotic writings of their literati, the citizens of Milan, and of other towns, presented a petition to the administration, requesting it to procure permiffion, from Buonaparte, to form themselves into military corps, in order to ferve against the Austrians. Their request was favourably received by the general, who was duly fenfibly of the impreffion such an example would have on their fellow-countrymen in other parts of Italy.

During these various tranfactions, the neceffity of dividing his attention to a multiplicity of objects, of providing the means to carry on different enterprizes, and, above all, to continue the blockade of Mantua, had left the Austrians leisure to make new military arrangements. They recruited the shattered army of marshal Wurmfer, and, by drawing reinforcements from the neighbouring provinces of the Austrian dominions, they formed a new one, with which they again indulged the hope of being able to take the field, and repair their loffes.

They now moved their cantonments behind the Lavifio and the Piava, and advanced against the French, who, after ineffectually striving to oppofe their paflage of thefe rivers, yielded to their fuperior force, and fell back to the Adige. General Davidovich, who commanded the Austrians in this quarter, was thereby enabled to recover Trent, and other towns in its vicinity; while marshal Alvinzi proceeded as far as Vicenza, in the Venetian territories, where he was fure of meeting with every clandestine aid which that ftate, could afford.

From the beginning of November, a variety of actions took place between the Austrians and the French, who were generally fuccessful and made a number of prifoners; not, however, without fuffering on their fide.

The plan of marshal Alvinzi, who had the chief command, was, to form a junction with the Auftrian troops that were on their march from the Tyrol, and with thofe that had forced the French to retine from Trent. To this intent, he drew near to Verona, where, he hoped, they would joined him. Buonaparte, apprised of this movement, crofled the Adige, on the fourteenth of November, and approached the Austrians posted at Caldaro. Alvinzi, judging that he would be vigorously attacked, and that the day would probably prove decifive, disposed his troops with great skill. The village of Arcola, through which the French were to pass, was fituated in the middle of a marsh, and acceffible only by a caufeway. This poft he occupied in great force, lining with troops every fpot on each fide, from whence the French could be annoyed in their march. They fucceeded, however, by dint of intrepidity and perfeverance, and penetrated to a bridge on a canal that flanked the village: here ftood a numerous body of chosen men, who repulfed them in repeated attacks: they had alfo to encounter a tremendous fire from the houfes near the bridge, which were filled with troops that kept up a continual difcharge of musketry. The French generals, who faw the neceffity of carrying this poft, placed themselves at the head of their men, who feemed to lofe courage at the numbers that

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that fell, and to despair of fuccess. Augereau, who had the chief command in this defperate attack, seeing most of those generals carried off wounded, advanced himself, with a standard in his hand, to the foot of the bridge. He had the good for tune to escape unwounded, but his men could gain no ground. Buonaparte, on receiving intelligence of this ill-fuccess, came himself to the spot, and reminding his troops of their passage over the bridge of Lodi, dismounted, and, feizing a standard, rushed 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 stand the fire of the Austrians. 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 speed, fell from his horse into marshy ground; after extricating himself he continued to press forward his men: but still they made no impreffion upon the Austrians, who, nevertheless, did not dare to move from their position, in order to improve their advantage.

Buonaparte had, in the mean time, dispached general Guiaux, a remarkable bold officer, at the head of a strong body, with orders, by a circuitous march, to proceed to Arcola, and affail it upon the rear of the Austrians, where it was more acceffible. This officer executed his orders with the completest success. He carried the villages, taking several pieces of cannon, and making a great number of prisoners. This he effected the more readily, that while he fell upon their rear, the Austrians 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 successfully for the French, was undecifive. On the fixteenth, at break of day, the Austrians made a general attack upon the French. They were vigorously repulfed every where but at Arcola, of which they had retaken possession 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 stood 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 Austrians, preffing on the centre, were preparing to turn it, fallied forth upon them unexpectedly, and routed them with vast flaughter. The left wing of the Austrians, covered with inarshes, stood its ground a long time, through the advantage of its position, and the fuperiority of its numbers. In order to make an impreffion upon this, a party of horfe was detached round the marshes 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 skill and bravery employed in attacking it. The same manœuvre that prevailed againft it in the first engagement was again practifed with the like fuccess. A ftrong column came round upon the rear of those who defended

defended it, while general Massena, 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 causeways leading to it, when it was carried. The Austrian army was closely followed till night put an end to the pursuit.

This was the most obstinate battle that had yet been fought between the French and the Austrians. Va lour and skill were confpicuously displayed on each fide, but the ge. nius and good fortune of Buonaparte overcame all obstacles, and gave him a victory, of which, on the first onfet, he had every reason to doubt, The loffes of the Austrians, in this terrible battle, were truly ruinous, It was computed that eight thousand of them were killed and wounded, and near five thousand taken, befides an immenfe quantity of war, like stores. The lofs of the French was alfo very confiderable, especially in officers, who felt themselves obliged, on this critical occafion, to expose their lives in the brunt of the battle, the gain of which may be chiefly ascribed to the perfonal intrepidity displayed by the commander-in-chief and his other generals. In a letter to the directory, Buonaparte acknowledged, that, what with flain, or disabled, he had hardly a general left him fit for duty.

Early in the morning of the eigh teenth, Buonaparte set his army in motion to prosecute the fuccess of the foregoing day. It was foreseen that Alvinzi would retire either towards the Piava, on the frontiers of the Austrian dominions, or endeavour to ftrengthen himself by a junetion with the forces, under general Davidovich, who had been more for

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

Celerity, in his movements, was now become more indispensible than ever to the French general. The continual supplies of recruits arriving from the Tyrol, and the parts contiguous to it, enabled the Austrians, however frequently defeated, to return, as it were, immediately, to the charge; and such was their strength, 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 completely victorious over four hoftile armies, composed 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 those whom they had de feated; but the Austrians were not of this opinion; and such was the confidence they reposed in their own prowess, that they attributed the successes of the French to fortunate casualties, and neither to bravery nor better tactics. The fubjects of the emperor, particularly those of the counties usually 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 conquests. Hence they readily repaired to the Imperial standard, eager to recover the reputation they had, in some degree, loft, by the continual advantages of the French over them.

The inhabitants of the Tyrol were remarkably zealous in testifying their readiness on this occafion. They felt themselves greatly offended by the proclamation that Buonaparte

parte had issued to them, after he had defeated marshal Wurmfer, and was preparing to invade the Tyrol. It was filled with the severest threats, to fuch of them as belonged to the districts of which he should take poffeffion, if they did not, forthwith, leave the Imperial service and return to their homes. This they confidered as a violation of their native right, to act in defence of their fove

reign.

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

In order to oppose his progress, a large force was immediately dif patched against him, which effectually succeeded in putting him to the rout, with fo confiderable a lofs, that his designs upon Mantua were totally frustrated,

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The intelligence of these various advantages, but especially of the great victory at Arcola, was received, as usual, by the directory, with the highest fatisfaction. The presentation of the standards, 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 expressed in the army of Italy, to the republican constitution of France, and its determination to fupport it against every attempt, either from foreign or domestic ene

mies.

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 disapprobation of the measures of government, particularly of the prolongation of the war. They reprefented it as wholly unnecessary for the honour or the interest of France, and continued merely to indulge the ambition of persons in power. By such an arrangement of their conduct they hoped to bring the nature of the power they exercised into disgust, and to prove it inconfiftent, both with, peace abroad, and tranquillity at home.

These adversaries to the ruling system, were the friends to the ancient monarchy, and the adherents to the first conftitution, by which the power of the crown was limited. These latter were incomparably more in number than the former, and included a large proportion of the noblesse, and many of the clergy. But both these parties together, however numerous, were inferior in strength to the republican, which comprehended all the common claffes, and dreaded a renovation of that oppreffive authority which the upper ranks had exercised over the lower. But what principally weakened the two first parties was their difunion: they hated, each other as much as they did the republicans. The nonjuring clergy, in particular, would not divest itself of the least attachment to their primitive tenets, and anathematized all that differed from them. As these two parties agreed, however, in their detestation of republicanism, they exerted all their abilities and influence in undervaluing it, and all its fupporters. Buonaparte's great actions protected him

from

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was to remove all jealoufies of this nature that Buonaparte directed his aid-de-camp, Lemarois, on presenting the colours, taken at Arcola, to the directory, to affure them of the inviolable attachment of his army to the intereft of the republic.

The mass of the nation, pleased with the glory accruing to it from so many victories, was strongly preposlessed in favour of a system under which its arms had fo wonderfully profpered. The staunch afferters of a commonwealth were continually reminding the public of the disproportion between the people at large and those who formerly poflefied an exclufive authority over them. The noblesse did not exceed one hundred thousand individuals, nor the clergy, with the monaftic orders, twice that number. Were they entitled, in justice and reason, to affume a fovereign authority over twenty-four millions of people, containing a far greater number of perfons, poffeffing worth and capacity, equal at least, if not fuperior, to what they could boaft? Was it not among the plebeians, as they infultingly styled all but themselves, that the nation counted the men of talents in all profeffions? Was it equitable that these should bow the neck to the others, and submit

to that feudal vassalage which had so long oppreffed and disgraced the people of France? Having emancipated themselves from this flavery, was it to be expected that they should 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 secure themselves against their pretenfions, and the iniquitous combination of those foreign despots, who abetted them, in hope of sharing the spoils of the French nation, after having again reduced it to fervitude?

Reasonings 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 form ing but one party, to which their enemies gave, in common, the name of royalists; meaning thereby to involve all the opponents of the commonwealth in the indiscriminate imputation of being foes to liberty, and afferters of arbitrary power.

The conflicts of opinion upon these various subjects were, at this period, encreasing 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 repressed every movement that had the least tendency to infurrection, and the decided refolution of all the armies, to support the prefent measures, kept the discontented in awe.

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

was

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