the victorious French general, who had treated him with such indignity, and two commissioners of the government, Garrau and Salicetti, both of whom had voted for the death of Louis XVI. his relation and ally. In the year 1799, upon the renewal of the war after the treaty of Campo Formio, the French Directory declared, that peace was at an end between France and Tuscany, on account of the adherence of the Grand Duke to the cause of the Emperor; and on the 15th of October, 1800, entered Florence as enemies, and Leghorn on the 16th.

Bonaparte having, by the terror of his arms, obtained the submission, and secured the plunder of the northern parts of Italy, hastened to concentrate his forces, with which he invested the fortress of Mantua, which was justly considered as the key of Italy.

CHAP. XVI.

GENERAL WURMSER SENT TO OPPOSE BONAPARTE HIS FIRST SUCCESSES-DEFEATED ON THE MINCIO BY NAPOLEON THE AUSTRIANS AGAIN DEFEATED BEFORE ROVEREDO BONAPARTE'S ARMY ENTERS TRENT-BEATS WURMSER AT BASSANO-COMPELS HIM TO TAKE REFUGE IN MANTUA-BATTLE OF ARCOLE-BONAPARTE'S SUCCESS EXCITES ALARM IN FRANCE.

THE destruction or dispersion of the imperial army in Italy under Beaulieu, which had given to Bonaparte the means of conquering the whole of the northern part of that country, was now repaired by the arrival of a new army composed of the flower of the German troops serving on the Rhine, under the direction of General Wurmser. On his approach, the hopes of the Italian powers who had not made their definitive arrangements with the French republic, began to revive, as

they cherished the expectation that he was about to become the deliverer of Italy from the Gallic yoke.

The first success of the Austrians fortified this illusion of the Italian states; for, having assembled what remained of the forces under Marshal Beaulieu at Trent and Roveredo, General Wurmser, while he threatened an attack on the whole line of the French army, marched along the Adige with the whole body of his forces, and suddenly, on the 29th of July, fell upon the post of Salo, on the lake of Guarda, and that of Corona, between this lake and the river, which posts covered the city of Mantua. The loss of these important positions was immediately followed by the deliverance of Mantua, from the siege of which place the French were driven in great disorder, and with a considerable loss of artillery and stores. The Austrians, emboldened by their success, after taking possession of Salo, whose garrison withdrew to Peschieru, instead of Brescia, as they were ordered, seized on this latter place, together with the magazines of the republic, and their hospitals, and thereby cut off the communication of the French army with Milan.

The Pope on the news of this success, sent his vice-legate to take possession of Ferrara, which the French had now evacuated, notwithstanding the remonstrances of Azzara the Spanish ambassador, who represented this step as a direct violation of the armistice between his holiness and the republic. The vice-legate made his public entry without opposition; but when he substituted the papal arms for those of the republic, the citizens of Ferrara immediately assembled, and replaced those of France.

The position of the French was extremely critical; for while the garrison of Mantua was now at liberty to act with the Austrians on the one side, Wurmser was pursuing Bonaparte on the other. The French general, in danger of being surrounded, suddenly withdrew his forces from Verona and other parts of the Adige, and by a forced march threw himself, with the whole of his army, on the other side of Mantua,

and regained possession of Brescia. He then brought together his forces between the lake of Guarda and Mantua, at Castiglione, behind which village Wurmser had drawn up his forces after passing the Mincio. The French had succeeded in retaking the various posts, and were now to decide the

contest.

The battle was fought on the 15th of August with great obstinacy and courage, and ended in the total defeat of the Austrians, who were compelled to repass the Adige, leaving Bonaparte once more in possession of the country round Mantua; the siege of which place, from the loss of the heavy artillery, he was compelled to turn into a blockade.This victory is said to have cost the Austrians twenty thou sand men; the number of prisoners was very great, owing to the prompt submission or rather defection of various divisions, who were soldiers originally of the Polish nation, and who seized the favourable moment of contest, or defeat, to abandon a service which was hostile both to their principles and their feelings; and who afterwards formed a legion, under Polish officers, and were incorporated into the armies of the republic. During this engagement, which lasted several days, the inhabitants of Milan, by offering at the moment of danger to organize battalions, and march for the common defence, gave new proofs of their attachment to Bonaparte, so much the more unequivocal, as the further defeat of the French, whose retreat was at first cut off, would have rendered the Austrians complete masters of Lombardy.

Though this defeat of General Wurmser before Mantua had considerably weakened his army, yet the reinforcements he received by the Tyrol, kept him in a respectable state of resistance against the passage of the French armies by these mountains, into Germany. Bonaparte, leaving a sufficient number of forces to keep up the blockade of Mantua, marched along the Adige, to attack the Austrian army, who were strongly intrenched at Mori, and who occupied the passes of St. Marco. After a severe contest, (4th September) these

passes were taken by his army, and the Austrians were compelled to evacuate the city of Roveredo, which had long been their chief depot, and take refuge in Trent. In order to cover this city, the Austrians had rallied at the pass of Calliano, and had taken positions which appeared impregnable. The address and courage of the division under General Massena surmounted this obstacle; and after a long and obstinate conflict, in which the French made six thousand prisoners, and took twenty pieces of cannon, this general victoriously entered the city of Trent, while General Wurmser drawing off the remainder of his forces to the right towards Bassano, assembled the greater part of them in the valley of Brenta.

By this manœuvre, the Austrian commander hoped to have engaged Bonaparte to have continued his march into the Tyrol, which appeared to be his object, and to which there was no longer any opposition; while by rapid marches he was enabled, from the position he had taken, to fall into the rear of the French army, and by cutting it off from the division left to form the blockade of Mantua, had hoped, with the assistance of the garrison, to defeat this division, and prevent the retreat of the French general.

Bonaparte, however, instead of continuing his march from Trent into the Tyrol, aware of the design of Wurmser, turned short to the right, and followed him closely to the valley of Bretna. Pursuing his march along the river of this name, he defeated the Austrians (8th September) successively at Primonalo, at Covolo, at Cismone, and lastly at Bassano, where Wurmser had established his head-quarters. Perceiving himself then vigorously pursued, Wurmser had no alternative but to retreat towards Trieste, by which he must have abandoned Mantua to its fate, or make good his march to that place, and reinforce the garrison with the wrecks of his army. This latter plan seemed to him the most practicable; he accordingly presented himself before Verona, where he attempted to pass the Adige: but General Kilmaine, whom

Bonaparte had left in that city, opposed his progress; and he was therefore compelled to seek a passage at Porto Legnano, which he fortunately effected. It was Bonaparte's intention to have prevented him from penetrating to Mantua, and he had taken measures to surround him and compel him to sur render; but Wurmser's marches were so rapid that this plan could not be put in execution. He met with resistance in his march, at Cerea, Castellano, and Due Castelli; but as he had to contend with inferior forces, he succeeded in making good his way to Mantua, where the French attacking and obtaining, after great slaughter, the posts of Favorito and St. George, in the suburbs of the city, and not having artillery to form a siege, turned the whole into a blockade. In this attack it is computed that the Imperialists lost twenty thousand men; and this was the third army which had been destroyed in the course of this campaign, in attempting to reduce Lombardy once more under the Austrian yoke.

The Emperor immediately assembled a fourth army to effect the release of General Wurmser, who was now shut up with his troops in Mantua. General Alvinzi had encamped on the Piava, and was advancing towards Vicenza, while Davidovitch, with the division under his command, descended from the Tyrol along the Adige towards Verona, which was the head-quarters of Bonaparte. Alvinzi, having passed the Piava, met the French on the Brenta, where an action took place which obliged him to repass the river; but the left of the French army under General Vaubois, which was opposed to the Austrian divisions on the Tyrol, being defeated, Bonaparte was compelled to retreat to Verona, and defend the passages of the Adige. The Austrian generals having now made themselves masters of all the country beyond this river, were concentrating their forces to attempt the attack of the French at Verona; and, by forcing the posts between the Adige and the lake of Guarda, to raise the blockade at Mantua. Bonaparte saw the danger of awaiting the attack of the Austrians, who, if they succeeded either in taking Verona or