Napoleon's Letters To Josephine Part 47

_April 19th._--Combat of Pfafferhofen. Oudinot repulses Austrians, while Davoust wins the Battle of Thann. _Napoleon joins the army._

_April 20th._--Battle of Abensberg. Archduke Louis defeated.

Austrians take Ratisbon, and 1800 prisoners. Poles defeated by Archduke Ferdinand at Baszy.

_April 21st._--Combat of Landshut; heavy Austrian losses.

Austrians under Archduke Ferdinand take Warsaw.

_April 22nd.--Battle of Eckmuhl. Napoleon defeats Archduke Charles._

_April 23rd._--French take Ratisbon.

_April 25th._--King of Bavaria re-enters Munich.

_April 26th._--French army crosses the Inn.

_April 28th-30th._--French force the Salza, and cut in two the main Austrian army--"One of the most beautiful manoeuvres of modern tactics" (_Montgaillard_).

_April 29th._--Combat of Caldiero. Eugene defeats Archduke John.

_May 3rd._--Russia declares war on Austria, and enters Galicia.

_May 4th._--Combat of Ebersberg. Ma.s.sena defeats Austrians, but loses a large number of men.

No. 1.

TO THE EMPRESS, AT STRASBURG.

_Donauwoerth, April 17, 1809._

I arrived here yesterday at 4 A.M.; I am just leaving it. Everything is under way. Military operations are in full activity. Up to the present, there is nothing new.

My health is good.--Yours ever,

NAPOLEON.

No. 2.

TO THE EMPRESS, AT STRASBURG.

_Enns, May 6, 1809, Noon._

_My Dear_,--I have received your letter. The ball that touched me has not wounded me; it barely grazed the tendon Achilles.

My health is very good. You are wrong to be uneasy.

My affairs here go excellently.--Yours ever,

NAPOLEON.

Kind regards to Hortense and the Duke de Berg.[32]

_May 8th._--Eugene crosses the Piave, and defeats Archduke John.

No. 3.

TO THE EMPRESS, AT STRASBURG.

_Saint-Polten, May 9, 1809._

_My Dear_,--I write you from Saint-Polten. To-morrow I shall be before Vienna; it will be exactly a month to the day after the Austrians crossed the Inn, and violated peace.

My health is good, the weather splendid, and the soldiery very cheerful; there is wine here.

Keep well.--Yours ever,

NAPOLEON.

_May 13th._--French occupy Vienna, after a bombardment of thirty-six hours.

_May 17th._--Roman States united to the French Empire.

_May 18th._--French occupy Trieste.

_May 19th._--Lefebvre occupies Innsbruck.

_May 20th._--Eugene reaches Klagenfurt.

_May 21st-22nd._--Battle of Essling. A drawn battle, unfavourable to the French, who lose Marshal Lannes, three generals killed, and 500 officers and 18,000 men wounded. The Archduke admits a loss of 4200 killed and 16,000 wounded.

_May 22nd._--Meerveldt with 4000 men surrenders at Laybach to Macdonald.

_May 25th._--Eugene reaches Leoben in Styria, and captures most of the corps of Jellachich.

_May 26th._--Eugene joins the army of Germany, at Bruck in Styria.

No. 4.

_May 12th._--Soult evacuates Portugal. Wellington crosses the Douro, and enters Spain.

TO THE EMPRESS, AT STRASBURG.