198

MARULAZ ENTERS MOOSBURG.

the bridge. Hiller had already got his troops in line on the hills east of the town, and had set a column moving to the rear; and to capture the bridge so as to interrupt the Austrians in their retreat, a storming party, headed by gallant Mouton, one of the emperor's aides-de-camp, was organized out of Morand's division. "Mouton set going at a pas de charge upon the bridge the grenadiers of the 17th, which formed the head of the column. This bridge, which is of wood, was in flames, but that was no obstacle for our infantry, which crossed it and penetrated into the town," says the 1st Bulletin, and took many prisoners. Wrede and Morand followed, though the resistance was stanch.

Meanwhile from Freising, which he had reached late April 20, Massena had sent his light cavalry with Claparède's division ahead during the night; and on the 21st, had started again towards Landshut, Marulaz moving before daylight on Moosburg to seize the bridge, supported by Claparède; and an élite company of chasseurs "entered Moosburg at a gallop, from which the enemy retired on our approach. This company reached the bridge in time to prevent the fire of straw, which the enemy had placed there, from burning it. The enemy in line of battle on the right bank of the Isar, infantry and cavalry, gave fire to oppose the reopening of the bridge. The commandant dismounted a part of the company, which rushed upon the bridge with much audacity, to throw into the water the flaming straw, which was luckily accomplished. In an instant the company was on the other bank, and a quarter hour sufficed to make the bridge practicable." Colonel Lambert then crossed his chasseurs. The road from Moosburg to Landshut is a sort of defile between river and bank, and Marulaz marched on Hofham. Massena then ordered a brigade of Claparède to move on Landshut along the left bank with the Bavarian cavalry, and the rest of Claparède and St.

THE PURSUIT ON GEISENHAUSEN.

199

Cyr marched along the main road. Their progress was slow, as they were gallantly met by Nordman. To cover the rear, Legrand was to move but half-way to Landshut, Molitor to remain at Moosburg. Claparède was not up in season to cut off the retreat; and abandoning Landshut, the Austrian divisions, pursued by Bessières, kept on through Geisenhausen and Vilsbiburg, and reached Neumarkt during the night, whence next day they retired to the Inn at Neu Oetting. They had lost five thousand men and twenty-five guns, with five hundred wagons and their pontoon train, and were disabled from taking part in the struggle still to go on upon the theatre south of Ratisbon. At 5 P. M. Marulaz heard of the advance of the French main force on Landshut, and riding out to join hands with Morand and Bessières, he took part in the pursuit on Geisenhausen. At 7.30 P. M. the emperor ordered St. Sulpice to move upon Essenbach and scout out to Ergoldsbach, so as to open the highway as far as possible, and also to scout out two leagues along every road and especially on towards Sträubing and Landau. "He is to send out small parties which will go as far as to find the enemy, and place positions at two leagues distance on all of the roads, so that if the enemy come on, we shall be protected. He is to send a patrol of infantry and some light cavalry, even fifty cuirassiers, on Ratisbon."

On April 21 Napoleon sent Otto the following note to be distributed to the various allied governments, and 'to be received with a salute of one hundred guns, wherever read in public:

NOTE.

The Austrian army has been struck by the fire from heaven which punishes the ingrate, the unjust and the perfidious. It is pulverized. All its army corps have been crushed. More than twenty of its generals have been killed or wounded. An archduke has been killed, two wounded. We have more than thirty thousand prisoners, flags, guns, magazines,

200

DAVOUT OUTNUMBERED.

baggage. Of all this army which has ventured to come and dare the French army, small débris will repass the Inn. As at Jena, we see that the fortune of war is especially fallen on those who have provoked it. Prince Lichtenstein, one of the most furious, was mortally wounded."

While Napoleon, on the 21st, saw his game escape towards the Inn, Davout was placed in an awkward situation, and Charles once more unwisely remained on the defensive, probably proposing to draw in Bellegarde and Kollowrath, and still hoping for a junction with Louis and Hiller. It was lucky that Charles did not frankly attack. Had he done so, even with the aid of Lefebvre, Davout might have been overwhelmed by the forces of the enemy, five to three of theirs. It was also lucky that, although for another purpose, the emperor had sent Lefebvre towards Davout, for without him. Davout could not have held his own. As it was, Lefebvre, in accordance with the morning orders, had promptly moved through Adlhausen on Langquaid with Deroy, the Bavarian cavalry and St. Germain's cuirassiers, Demont coming up from Abensberg, the crown prince remaining at Rottenburg in reserve. From Langquaid, the Austrian parties retiring, he moved downstream towards Leurndorf, where he arrived between ten and eleven, and at once pushed in on the enemy.

From Davout's report we learn that at the point of day on April 21, he debouched from Teugen and Hausen, scouting with his cavalry and preceded by skirmishing lines, the marshal riding with the vanguard, and advanced as far as the left bank of the Laber, driving back Hohenlohe's light troops to a point overlooking Langquaid. In a few hours he learned that the Austrians had taken Ratisbon, and the Bohemian corps had joined; and before 8 A. M. he sent word of these facts to the emperor, also stating that he was engaged, and had large forces to face. Although his duty was merely to contain the Austrian right wing during the day, he believed

UNTER LEUCHLING TAKEN.

201 in doing this by a stout offensive, and he soon perceived that Charles showed no sign of attack, which encouraged him to stretch out his divisions on a wider front, and though weak in depth, to hammer continuously. Hohenlohe had been on the left bank of the Laber, but on hearing of troops coming down the stream, he withdrew across to a position with his right on Schirling, and Rosenberg, who had been in the Dinzling country, was ordered down to his aid. Lefebvre had attacked the enemy's outlying troops at Langquaid, and driven them back to Leurndorf, which he seized. Meanwhile Davout advanced, and found Rosenberg drawn up on the left bank with his left at Eggmühl, and holding the heights behind the Leuchling villages, in force. The Austrians were in several lines, leaning their left on Unter Leuchling and crowning the heights with artillery, their right protected by thick woods. Hohenzollern had again crossed the river at Eggmühl to come in on Rosenberg's left. Between ten and eleven Davout again wrote the emperor: "All the enemy's army is in front of us. I am occupying the heights near Eggmühl, which is on my right. The battle is very lively." After some manœuvring Davout seized a good position in his front, the Laber on his right and wooded land on his left, and with brilliant courage, met by equal gallantry on the part of the enemy, he attacked Unter Leuchling and carried it. But Davout was nervous about Abensberg, the road to which was held only by cavalry : "Montbrun is very weak on the route to Ratisbon along the Danube," he wrote to the emperor; "I fear the enemy might try to move to Abensberg." There was, indeed, danger of this, for Lichtenstein from the Wölkering-Abach country did undertake to threaten Davout's left flank. But Lefebvre came along in time to help Davout out of his difficulties. From Leurndorf he had advanced to Hohenzollern's position at Schirling, and had driven him out of it, which was what led

202

DAVOUT CALLS FOR AID.

Hohenzollern to join Rosenberg. This relieved Lefebvre from most of his pressure, and during the rest of the day there was only cannonading on his front, though his presence exerted a marked effect. But the battle still went on in front of Davout, who at 5 P. M. again wrote the emperor: "It is probable that the troops coming from Ratisbon will move around my left. The battle continues extremely lively. I will hold on to my position, I hope, but the troops are too much worn with fatigue to think to carry the positions defended by three times more artillery and troops than I have. . . . The enemy is trying to turn my left."

Nevertheless, Davout with his lieutenants, Friant, St. Hilaire and Compans, forged slowly ahead. Ober Leuchling was taken, but the Austrians held the river, and finally Davout bivouacked under their guns, writing the emperor at 11 P. M.: "We have kept our positions. . . . Archduke Charles is there with nearly the entirety of his army. . . . I shall keep my new positions. I hope to receive during the night or to-morrow morning the orders of Your Majesty. If I do not receive any and the enemy should march on me, I will do what I can to resist the numbers." But he deemed it safer to withdraw from part of his advanced position, so gallantly won.

French Elite Gendarme.

Davout's calls for aid gradually opened Napoleon's eyes to the actual situation, and from Landshut, late April 21, Berthier wrote him that as he now had Demont and Lefebvre,