224 POWER OF NAPOLEON-HIS AMBITION.

which produced such extensive spoliations upon the American commerce, and led to the embargo, and other restrictive measures in the United States. Bonaparte published a rejoinder to these orders in Council the same month, from Milan, called the Milan de

cree.

At the close of the year 1807, the political power of Bonaparte was at its greatest height; he had humbled all his enemies upon the continent, dictated a peace to Russia, Prussia and Sweden, established himself as king of Italy, placed his brother Joseph on the throne. of Naples, Louis on the throne of Holland, created the kingdom of Westphalia for his brother Jerome, exalted the electorates of Wirtemberg and Bavaria to the rank of kingdoms, and enlarged their territory; married his son-in-law Eugene to the daughter of the latter; established the confederacy of the Rhine; overawed all the other powers of Europe, made them his allies in the war against England, and caused his restrictive system to be established throughout the con

tinent.

But his ambition knew no bounds; and like Alexander, who sighed for new worlds to conquer, Bonaparte sighed for more kingdoms; and also it would seem for more brothers to place on the different thrones of Europe. But his ambition carried him a step too far, and at this period he committed the first fatal error. The king of Spain had long been the obsequious and willing tool of Bonaparte, and the whole resources of his kingdom were entirely at his disposal. So completely was he devoted to the French Emperor, that to serve him, he had engaged in a ruinous war with England, in which he steadily persevered. Yet Bonaparte was not satisfied, he was not willing to leave the poor old king the sorry privilege of wearing his crown, as he had long since ceased to be an independent sovereign. Bonaparte wanted to have the nominal, as well as the real government of Spain.

He resolved to seize the kingdom, and transfer his brother Joseph from Naples to Madrid, and to place Murat, his brother-in-law, on the throne of the two Sr

HIS DESIGNS UPON SPAIN.

225

ilies. Murat having been ordered with a strong army to Madrid, Charles the 4th was induced to abdicate in favour of his son, Ferdinand 7th, who was afterwards inveigled and deceived into the power of Bonaparte, and compelled to renounce, in his own name, and that of his family, the crown of Spain and the Indies in favour of Joseph Bonaparte. These violent measures roused the spirit of the Dons, and soon led to a general insurrection throughout Spain. The Spanish patriots, receiving the aid and co-operation of Great Britain, made war upon the French, compelled Joseph to leave Madrid, and with wonderful perseverance and enthusiasm, continued the struggle with the gigantic power of Bonaparte, often obtaining considerable advantages, and occasioning a constant drain upon the French armies, until his final overthrow and abdication. Talleyrand is said to have opposed with as much firmness as he dared to do, the designs of Bonaparte upon Spain, and to have urged the folly or inexpediency of them, rather than their outrageous injustice. "Is it not," said he, "easier to govern Spain through the present king, than it would be if he was out of the way; and as you now have the control of all the resources of the country, do you esteem it a privilege, to have the trouble of superintending them yourself? as you already have the milk, can it be an object to have the custody of the cow? it will cost something to keep her; besides, she may be unruly, and make you trouble."

These remarks were lost upon a man who was hurried along by his ambition, and who could hear nothing that opposed it. But he soon found the truth of them. The Spanish Cow, not liking her new master, was unruly and troublesome indeed; the attempt to maintain possession of the country, cost the French, more than all the revenue of the Indies ; and by the possession of the Cow, the milk was lost; as the revenue no longer went into the French coffers. The protracted war with Spain, was extremely wasting to the French armies, and the Peninsula became the grave of thousands of brave Frenchmen. This strug

226

WAR WITH AUSTRIA.

gle was entirely different from any, in which Bonaparte had been engaged; in his other wars a single campaign, and often a single battle, was decisive of the contest. The reason of this difference is obvious; this, was a war against the nation or people; whereas his contests with the northern powers, were wars against kings, in which, the people had no interest; consequently when their armies were conquered, they could maintain the contest no farther; but in a war against a nation, to conquer its armies is of little consequence; you must conquer the people, who, unless this is done, will supply new armies, as fast as they may be destroyed. This is an advantage which a free state has over a despotic one. Spain was in the situation now, that France was, during the early part of the revolution; the nation was roused to defend itself against foreign oppressors.

a

The obstinate and spirited resistance of the Dons, and the ruinous war in the Spanish Peninsula, tended to stir up the embers of war on the Continent, which had only been smothered by fear, and afforded a powerful stimulus to Great Britain, to renew her exertions and her subsidies, to form another coalition gainst France. Austria, which had been the backbone of all the coalitions; who seems to have made war from choice, and peace from necessity, who appears to have concluded treaties only for the purpose of taking breath, and to have renewed hostilities, as soon as she had recruited her strength: Austria required no great stimulating to induce her to renew hostilities.Indeed she had long been making preparations, and issued a formal declaration of war on the 6th of April 1809. Her army at this time consisted of nine corps, of 30,000 men each, besides several corps of reserve, comprising about 55,000 men, making a grand total of about 325,000 men. Learning that the Austrians had crossed the Inn, Bonaparte left Paris on the 13th of April, and arrived at his head quarters at Donawert, on the 17th. He immediately began to collect the different corps of his army, and put them in operation. His plan was to manoeuvre the whole Austrian line, to

CAPTURE OF VIENNA-BATTLE OF ESSLING. 227

direct their attention from the principal point of attack, where he intended to break their line, and pass between the army of the arch-duke Charles, and that commanded by his brother.

In consequence of various successes of the French, particularly at Eckmuht, the arch-duke was obliged to cross the Danube, to form a junction with general Bellegarde, who had attempted to check the French, on the frontier of Bohemia. The Arch duke, being unable to make a stand, Bonaparte advanced rapidly in the course of the Danube towards Vienna, and on the 10th of May, appeared once more before that city, which after a show of resistance surrendered.The arch-duke, informed of the fate of the capital, moved down on the left bank of the Danube, to watch the motions of Bonaparte, and took a position at Ebersdorf. The French Emperor instantly resolving to attack him, marched down the south bank of the River, about six miles from Vienna, where the stream is divided by two Islands, and its rapidity broken.Here he determined to cross it. Extending his troops on the right bank, his right wing was fixed at Essling and his left at Aspern. The Arch-duke having retreated as the French advanced, took a favourable position, and prepared for a general attack. Here on 21st and 22d of May, was fought the long, obstinate and sanguinary battle of Essling, as it was called by the French, or of Aspern, as the Austrians named it, each designating it, by the point where they were successful. The first day, the action was terminated only by the darkness of the night, at which time, the French were driven from Aspern, but retained Essling. On the morning of the 22d the French regained Aspern; but in the course of the day, the Austrians, by repeated attacks, succeeded in driving them from it, and also from Essling; the following night, the French moved from the left bank of the Danube, and took up a possession on the Isle of Lobau, where they entrenched themselves, and waited for the arrival of reinforcements. In this action both parties claimed

228

OPERATIONS IN ITALY.

the victory; the result was not decisive; both suffered severely.

In the mean time, the war was carried on in Italy between the Viceroy Eugene, and the Archduke John. The commencement of operations, was favourable to the Austrians, who took Padua, Vincenza, crossed the Adige, and menaced Venice; but the Viceroy, being reinforced, retook the places lost, crossed the Brenta, and drove the Archduke before him. The situation of the Archduke Charles, required these troops to reinforce his army, and as they were proceeding to join him on the Danube, they were met and attacked at Raab, on the 14th of June, the anniversary of the battle of Marengo. The action was severely and warmly contested; at length the troops of the Hungarian insurrection gave way; a general route followed, and the imperialists were obliged to save themselves by flight.

Bonaparte having concentrated most of his troops, and being reinforced by the Viceroy, determined to cross the river, and give battle to the Archduke Charles, who had also received strong reinforcements.

As if by the power of magic, three bridges were almost instantly thrown across the river, on which the troops were to pass, and another opposite to Essling, the object of which was to draw off the attention of the Austrian commander to that quarter. One bridge of eighty toises long, consisting of but one piece, was fixed in five minutes, one of boats was completed in an hour and a half, and one of rafts in two hours. On the night of the 4th of July, being dark and rainy, in the short space of two hours, the whole French army crossed the river, unopposed and unperceived; and in the morning they were beheld with astonishment by the Archduke Charles, drawn up in order of battle at the extremity of his left wing. By this masterly movement, the Archduke Charles was completely deceived; he had expected that the conflict would take place on the same ground as the former, and had made his arrangements accordingly; he had thrown up lines, of which the left was protected by