which rendered it necessary to reduce the troops to short allowance, ech man having no more than two ounces of bread per day. Relief by sea had been precluded by contrary winds, and the harbor was at length blockaded by the British fleet under lord Keith, which appeared on the 5th of April in the gulf off Genoa, while the army of general Melas approached the city by land, extended its front along the whole line of the French army. The French generals themselves admit that the opening of the campaign by general Melas, was entitled to the highest praise, on account of the address with which be concealed the immense force which he had in Italy. Being well acquainted with the weakness of the republican army, he contented himself, during the winter, with watching its movements by means of a simple and slight cordon; while he disposed his own throughout Piedmont, Lombardy, the Venetian state, the Bolognese, and the march of Ancona and Tuscany. Thus divided, the Austrian army had the appearance of weakness; but it possessed all the means of being easily recruited, and provided with every thing necessary for action. The reinforcements which it received from time to time, during its long repose, were, in like manner, dispersed over an immense extent of country, and were scarcely to be perceived. The French were deluded by this arrangement, into conviction that it would be late in the season before the Austrians could take the field, and even flattered themselves that they should be beforehand with the enemy, at the very time when the different corps in: tended to to form the Austrian armies were on their march to the general rendez vous. Cities, towns, and villages, all at once, as by a spontaneous movement, sent forth companies, regiments, and battalions, for the formation of an active army. In a few days general Melas was enabled to assemble 10,000 men before. Bobbio, 10,000 before Tortona, 30,000 at Acqui and Alessandria, and to advance with this irresistible force against Massena; while he left behind him in the plains of Piedmont, the VOL. I. whole of his cavalry, a fine park of artillery, and 20,000 infantry. The astonishment excited by all these circumstances was great and universal. Massena adopted the only measure that was prudent and practicable, in his situation. He contracted his lines; he formed masses, which, though disproportioned to the numerous bodies to which they were opposed, might yet make an impression, and divide the enemy by darting upon thein at points favorable to an attack; thus ob taining different advantages, according to local circumstances, and the genius and combinations of the chief commander. The defence of Genoa was undertaken by Massena himself, at the head of one of is divisions; but the right wing of the rmy of Melas, which bore principally on Vado and Savona, took Vado on the second lay of the siege, and by this means iso isolated he right wing of the army under Massena. A division under Suchet was cut off from the army on the second day of the siege, by the reduction of Vado. From that moment the French were cut off from all· communication with France by sea as well as by land, and Suchet's division was unable to return to its own country, till: after a long series of engagements and dis asters. Prior to these events, a large quantity of wheat had fortunately entered the port. of Genoa, and prevented the necessity off immediate capitulation. On the 5th of April, therefore, the attack of the Aus trians on the French army became general. On the morning of that day the French were driven as far back as Ruha, which they entered in the evening.. At Bergo di Sornoni the Austrians made an attempt to break the French line, but were repulsed by general Panisot, of the second division. The same result attended their efforts against the heights of Cordibona where the French firmly maintained their ground. The second day of the siege, the 6th of April, was more terrible. A general attack on the right of the French line was made by general Otto, who fell on the first division with 12,000 men in front of Bobbio. His object was to cut his way through 3. M. the French line, and press on directly to Genoa. The principal attack was made at Monte Coruna; the first division was compelled to give way and to fall back towards Novi and Monte Jaccio, as far as Quinto, where he rallied and made a successful stand for the defence of the city. The second division was also attacked but with less fury. General Gazau however who commanded, deemed it prudent to retire behind the Scrivia towards some it was unavoidable: the other and ins stronger colun, endeavored to keep sp the tone of offensive operations, by bearing in favorable circumstances its whole and undivided force on the different divisions of the enemy, and beating their different corps in succession. The Austrians on the contrary, being able to divide without too much weakening themselves studied on ry occasion to surround the French, and never met them. mills upon that river. The third division without attempting an attack. The con commanded by general Gardanne sustained sequences of these opposite plaus were a dreadful conflict. Of the 30,000 men mortifying to the Austrians, repulsed and whom general Melas had assembled, in the baffled by an inferior army, inferior army, but were, province of Acqui, 20,000 marched under highly destructive to the French who could his command to Savona, where the third little spare the soldiers slain, disabled, and division, though but we, withstood the taken prisoners, in a series of arduous enshock, till the anal of general Soult, who by the most extraordinary display of skill and valor succeeded in throwing 600 men and provisions into Savona, but could not save Vado, nor prevent the division of Suchet from being cut off. On the same day a frigate from lord Keith's fleet, with a view of encouraging the inhabitants to insurrection, came within cannon-shot of Genoa, and after firing forty rounds, again withdrew, the people paying no attention to the signal. The result of these and similar actions was, that the French exhausted of money, men, and provisions, were obliged to reconcile their minds to the idea of retreating by little and little to Genoa, a plan which was carried into complete execution, after daily fighting, on the 20th of April. The kind of war carried on by an army necessarily depends on the force which it possesses, and the situation in which it is placed. It was natural therefore that generals Melas and Massena should pursue opposite systems of operation. The object of Masseua, continually in action with an army superior in numbers, was to divide the enemy by marching his own troops in two columns. It was contrived that these columns should not be equal in strength. The one weaker than the other, made it its chief business to manœuvre as much as possible so as to occupy the enemy without attacking him or waiting to receive an attack, unless counters. The republicans with difficulty fell back to Genoa, the Austrians being several times on the point of cutting off their retreat. During this succession of events the right of the army of Genoa under general Miolis had tried the same kind of warfare and received orders at last to fall back to Genoa. By In the course of the fifteen days that the defence was maintained, Massena having lost one third of his men, could not dissemble that be had nothing more to expect from the force of his arms. He therefore began to fortify himself in his positions, to explore farther resources of subsistence, and to exercise the most severe economy in the use of those which yet remained. means of some small vessels, which the army had been able to retain, notwithstanding the vigilance of the English fleet, he sent letters to Corsica to general Suchet, and to Marseilles. Severa' officers whom he had sent to Suchet, and to the first consul, with an account of his situation, were taken by the enemy. In the mean time, Massena became acquainted with the march of the army of reserve, under Buonaparte. He was not less encouraged by the courage of his troops. There was not a day that passed without skirmishing between advanced posts, in forced reconnoitrings, and efforts to penetrate within the positions of the, besieged army. On the 30th of April, the Austrians, who by this time had carried the post of Deux Freres and fort Quezzi, blockaded Fort Diamant, and commanded the works of Fort Eperon. In this posture of affairs, Massena, perceiving that they had in view to take the post of la Madona del Monte, from whence they might drive the French from Alboro, the only point from which they would be able to bombard Genoa, he formed a resolution to make a last effort with his corps of reserve, which had not yet been brought into serious action and to force the enemy to abandon their most advanced positions. In this he succeeded, but it was at the expense of a series of bloody actions, desperate and obstinate, and loss on both sides; insomuch, that the combatants being too near each other to make use of musketry, had recourse to their bayonets, the butt ends of their muskets, and even to stones. The loss in killed, on both sides, was great TE French made a great number of prisone s, even to the amount of several thousanus, and took all the scaling-ladders destine for the escalade of Genoa, and the for. adjacent. The sealing-ladders were so formed as to admit of three men abreast. They were burned by the French night. General Soult carried the post of Deux Freres, and the rout of the Austrians was complete. The situation of the Aus trian prisoners in Genoa was dreadful. The French suffered extreme privations themselves: their prisoners, after attempt ing to prolong hfe by eating their shoes and knapsacks, died of hunger. This day, the most memorable in the siege, the victory, which was so decidedly on the side of the French, only served to hasten its conclusion. Such combats, so destructive to both parties, added to the miseries of the French and Genoese, by the increase of prisoners without an increase of provisions. The army of Buonaparte was yet at too great a distance to come to the relief of Massena before the last of his soldiers should have perished with hunger. In the sorties, which he made in the course of the month of May, he lost a great many of his officers, and among these some of the generals of his staff, in killed and severely wounded. The city of Savona had surrendered to the Austrians on the 15th of May. The English fleet began now to bombard Genoa every night. The populace, particularly the women, ruuning about the streets, set up frightful cries for peace. And a general insurrection of the people of Genoa against the French, would have ensued, if the efforts of the French soldiers to restrain it, had not been seconded by a number of individuals among the inhabitants. The illusions of hope at last vanished. There was no longer the smallest expectation that the succours so long looked for would come in time. The provisions were entirely exhausted; even the last horses and dogs were nearly consumed, when general Massena received a letter from general Melas, inviting him to an interview with lord Keith, and the generals Otto and St. Julian, who offered him a capitulation on the most honorable terms. To this first overture, he replied, that he would consider of it; though he bad, in truth, nothing farther to consider. The day after, he received another message with the same terms He then sent the adjutant-general Andreaux, under pretence of some business relating to the prisoners, to Rivoli, to receive the proposals of the enemy, and to enter, without any farther delay, into a negotiation for peace.. are The first article of capitulation proposed by the allies, was, that the army should: return to France, but that the general should remain prisoner of war-"You, sir," said lord Keith to Massena, worth 20,000 men." But Massena said, "that no negotiation would be gone into, if the word capitulation was to be made use of." On the 4th of June the allied generals, having departed from their firstproposal, resumed the negotiations. the mean time, while this was oing on, the city of Genoa, containing a population of 160,000 souls, though a prey to all the horrors of famine, remained quiet. A. great number of old people, women and 3. M 2. In: children, reduced to the necessity of attempting to sustain nature by herbs, roots, and impure animals, died of disease or inanition. This melancholy picture was often exhibited to view by the rising sun. Mothers were often found dead with hunger, and children at the breast also dead, or dying. On that day, the 4th of June, the principal articles for the evacuation of Genoa were agreed on between the French adjutantgeneral Andreaux on the one part, and major-general Rest, a staff officer in the imperial service, with the English captain Rivera, on the other. And it was settled that the chiefs of the opposite armies should meet on the day after, being the 5th of June, for signing a definitive treaty. At nine o'clock in the morning of that day a conference was held by the opposite parties, in a small chapel, which is situated in the middle of the bridge of Cornegliano, and between the posts of the Austrians and the French. Here lord Keith, commander of the combined naval forces in the Mediterranean, general Otto, commander of the blockade of Genoa, with general St. Julian, who was charged with the political part of the negotiation, were met by general Massena, commander-in-chief of the French army in Italy. in Italy. Each of these parties was accompanied by only two or three gentle men. In this conference Massena displayed much finesse, under the cloke of an apparent gaiety, which formed a complete contrast with the gravity of the other contracting party, and was attended with this was attended with this advantage, that it did not look as if he were greatly alarmed for the situation of his army. And it is owing to that ease and gaiety of manner that he ultimately obtained all which he demanded. A degree of misunderstanding had taken place between the English as individuals and the Austrians, the former reproaching the latter with the great length to which the siege had been protracted. Massena endeavored to take advantage of this want of harmony by flattering the pride of one party at the expense of the other. Lord Keith disclaimed all hard conditions, observing to Massena; "General, the defence you have made has been so heroic, that it is impossible to refuse you any thing you ask :" and to the surprise of Europe, the right wing of the French army charged with the defence of Genoa, and the commander-in-chief with his staff, were permitted, by the articles of capitulation, to leave Genoa with their arms and baggage and to rejoin the centre of the French army by land. The same liberty was granted to 8100 men, who obtained permission to enter France by Nice; the rest were transported by sea to Antibes and were plentifully supplied with provisions. Passports were granted to the Genoese patriots. The Austrians took possession of the gates of the city, and the English of the entrance into the harbor. French commissioners remained at Genoa, to witness the execution of the articles which related to the sick and the hospitals; and Massena was allowed to send a courier with a passport to Buonaparte, to announce the evacu ation of the city. HISTORY OF THE WAR. CHAP. XXVIII. Campaigns of 1800 on the Rhine and in Italy-Activity and Intelligence of Buonaparte -Dexterity and Enterprise of Moreau-Buonaparte hastens from Paris, Passes the Alps, and gains the Battle of Marengo-Its Influence on the Hopes and Opinions of the French People. I HAVE already observed that general Moreau had been appointed to the com mand of the French troops composing the army of the Rhine, which had been formed by the junction of the armies of the Rhine and the Danube. That general arrived at the latter end of January at Basle, where he established his head-quarters. The army having been considerably reinforced since the close of the last campaign, was not less formidable from its numbers, than from the excellence of the troops of which it was composed. The most brilliant results were expected from the strenuous exertions of the government in providing for the comfort of the troops, abandoned as they had been to all the extremities of want; from the skill displayed in their military organization; and above all from the appointment of the "great and beloved" Moreau to the chief command. On the other hand the departure of the Russians had reduced the Austrian army to its native strength, and restored the opposing numbers to some appearance of equality. The coalition it is true had supplied some part of the deficiency occasioned by the departure of its allies, by the march of 10,000 Bavarian troops and of the corps of Condé, both in the pay of England. The English party at Vienna having obtained by their intrigues the recal of the archduke Charles, the only general who was worthy to oppose Moreau, the com mand of the Austrian army was confided to general Kray who had been advantageously distinguished in the course of the preceding campaign in Italy. The main armies opposed were nearly equal in number, and the following was their respective situations at the recommencement hostilities. of The right wing of the army of the Rhine under the command of Lecourbe composed of the remains of the late army of the Danube, was arranged in three divisions with a reserve. It amounted to 38,000 combatants independent of some battalions destined to form under the orders of general Moncey, the left wing of the army of reserve which was intended to penetrate into Italy by the St. Gothard. It occupied all the eastern and northern frontier of Switzerland, and bordered the course of the Rhine from its sources to its junction with the Aar. It was opposed to all the Austrian troops posted in the Grisons and the Voralberg under the orders of the prince de Reuss, besides a portion of Kray's left wing stationed along the Rhine between the lake of Constance and the Wutach, and which had strong reserves at Singen and at Stockach, under the orders of general Sporch. General Moreau commanded in person the centre, or reserve, which, composed of three divisions, was assembled at Basle and in its vicinity, to the amount of 30,000 men |