wounded, and the city taken and delivered up to the troops for pillage during three hours. A proclamation was then iffued, ordering all arms to be surrendered, on pain of death to those who retained them; and threatening to fet fire to places where Frenchmen fhould be murdered. The reduction of Lugo took place on the fixth of July.

Mantua was, in the mean time, clofely befieged, and hard preffed. The garrifon made feveral vigorous fallies, but Buonaparte, who had by this time collected, from the many ftrong towns he had taken, a numerous and formidable artillery, gave no refpite to the befieged, and conftantly repelled them. He erected batteries for the firing red hot balls, and feveral parts of the city were in flames: but the governor was refolved to hold out to the last extremity, and refufed to liften to the fummons to furrender.

Powerful reinforcements having joined marthal Wurmfer, fince the check he had received in the mountains of the Tyrol, he re'olved to repair this by raising the fiege of Mantua; by effecting which he would at once undo all that had been done by Buonaparte Animated with this hope, he assailed the French at Salo, on the western fide of the Lake of Garda, and at Corona on the east. He had the good fortune to diflodge them on the twenty-ninth of July, from both of thefe pofitions: thofe at Salo retired to Pefchiera, and those at Corona to the city of Verona.

Buonaparte, who perceived the criticalness of his fituation, assembled all his forces to oppose the Auftrian general, who, after feizing Brescia, in confequence of the capture of Salo, on the one fide of the lake,

and Verona on the other, which the French were compelled to abandon, was moving with the divifion under · his command towards Buonaparte, while the other was advancing with all expedition to place the French between two fires.

Confcious that his ftrength was not equal to an encounter with the Auftrian general's united divifions, Buonaparte came to the determination to attack them fingly before they could form a junction. This, indeed, feemed the only expedient left to extricate him from his prefent danger. It was not, however, without the deepest concern, that he faw himfelf reduced to the neceffity of abandoning the fiege of Mantua, now almoft deftitute of provifions, and on the point of furrendering.

He raised it on the thirtieth of July, and, in purfuit of his plan, marched with all expedition to Brefcia, where he joined the divifions of his army. They had gained feveral advantages over the Auftrians, particularly at Lonado, a town which thefe had feized, but from which they were expelled, after being completely defeated in an engagement, the laft of July, wherein they loft great numbers.

From Brefcia, where the Austrians were again totally routed, on the firft of Auguft, they withdrew in diforder towards the Tyrol, where they took refuge in the mountains. On the third, marhal Wurmfer, who, apprifed of the ill fortune that had attended his other divifion, had advanced with all speed to its affiftance, came up with Buonaparte, who, expecting him, was prepared for battle. The Auftrians had fome advantage at first, through the rafh impetuofity of an advanced corps of French,

in

French general determined to lofe no time in bringing the conteft to a final iffue. Feigning to be defirous of avoiding an engagement with Wurmfer, he ordered a retrogade motion to be made by hist army, ́order to induce him the more readily to advance. This order was executed on the morning of the fifth, with fuch dexterity, that while the Auftrian general, deceived by appearances, was approaching the French army to attack it, the right wing of the French, under general Serranier, an officer of great ability, turned the left of the Auftrians, and affailed its rear, while another divifion attacked a redoubt in its front. The left of the French, in like manner, moved with unexpected rapidity against the right of the Auftrians, and their centre was charged at the fame time with fuch impetuofity and vigour, that, furprifed at movements fo contrary to their expectation, they were in a manner taken unawares. They made, however, a refolute defence, but fortune declared for the French. The Auftrians were thrown into confufion; and, notwithstanding the fkilful difpofitions of Wurmfer, were not able to ftand their ground. They retired with all expedition, after losing two thoufand men, and would certainly have loft many more, had not the French, from the exceffive fatigue of fo many fucceffive conflicts, been difabled from a purfuit.

This victory was completely decifive of the conteft between thefe two rival generals. The battle might be faid to have lafted five days, as there was no intermiffion of fighting during that time. The loffes of the Auftrians, precluded all hopes of keeping the field. They

amounted to feventy pieces of cannon, all the carriages belonging to his army, more than twelve thoufand prifoners, and fix thoufand flain.

But the principal lofs was that of reputation. The troops thus beaten were chiefly veterans. Those who came with Wurmfer were deemed the flower of the Auftrian army, that had fo obftinately contended with the best troops of France upon the Rhine. Wurmfer himself was reputed an officer fecond to no one in the Imperial fervice, nor indeed in Europe, for valour, skill, and experience, and was in a manner the laft hope of Auftria, for the recovery of Italy.

All these were circumstances deeply mortifying to the court of Vienna, and proportionably productive of triumph and exultation, to the French republicans, and their well-wishers.

The firft intelligence of marshal Wurmfer's marching against Buonaparte, at the head of fo felected an army, had revived the expectations of all the enemies to France, and not a little alarmed the directory itfelf.

But thofe who were able judges of the military talents of Buonaparte, never felt a moment's defpondency, and it is but juftice to acknowledge that he fully answered their utmoft expectations. Throughout the whole courfe of this arduous trial, his abilities aftonished both friends and foes: Surrounded by difficulties of every fort, he acted with a clearness of penetration that forefaw and obviated them all. He removed impediments as faft as they arofe, and took his meafures with fo much prudence and fagacity, that he could not be charged with having committed one falfe ftep. His body

and

and his mind appeared reciprocally calculated for the fupport of each other. Both were inceffantly employed, the one in planning, the other in perfonally forwarding every defign that was conceived. Such were the indefatigable qualities with which nature had endowed him, that while his thoughts were uninterruptedly on the stretch, he allowed himself no kind of repose; and, during the last seven days and nights of this dreadful conteft, he was never known to have laid himself down to reft.

Notwithstanding this terrible defeat, the Auftrian general, though unable to keep the open field, ftill

occupied the ftrong line along the Mincio, and a fortified camp before Pefchiera. But the French attacked them on the fixth, forced their camp and lines, and compelled them to withdraw to the other fide of the Mincio, with a great lofs of men and cannon. They pursued them to Verona, where the Austrians, through the connivance of the Venetians, endeavoured to make a stand: but they were driven from this city, and fled in diforder towards the Tyrol. This action completed their route, and the garrifon of Mantua excepted, no Austrian troops remained in Italy on the fouthern fide of the Adige.

CHAP.