CHAP. command in Italy was offered to Bernadotte. There were upwards of 100,000 French soldiers there, but scattered at all points between the Adige and the Bay of Naples: a sufficient army according to Bernadotte's opinion could not anywhere be collected to resist, not merely the Austrians but the Russians, who under Suwarrow were marching to take part in the renewed conflict. Bernadotte refused the command in consequence. The first outburst of war, however, came from the court of Naples. It had been rendered exultant by the victory and subsequent presence of Nelson and his fleet, and had rushed into extensive military preparations. Those inhabitants of the Roman states who disliked the republic established there, began to collect in bands and prepare for insurrection. If the Neapolitan court was rude to French agents, the French official journals menaced the court of Naples with still less courtesy. Recriminations followed. Naples asked the French to evacuate Malta and Rome, which was tantamount to a declaration of war. General Mack took the command of the Neapolitan army, and towards the close of November pushed it in three divisions upon Rome and upon Ancona. General Championnet, who commanded the French, flung a garrison into the castle of St. Angelo, and retreated to Civitá Castellana, where he hoped to be reinforced. The King of Naples entered Rome on the 29th. Meantime the Neapolitan division that was advancing towards Ancona was met by the French, beaten and driven back into the Abruzzi, and Championnet was reinforced by the victors. Mack had not 30,000 men in Rome. He left a large garrison there and dividing the rest into several bodies, as if he were hunting game, not pursuing soldiers, he allowed each to be fallen upon separately by the French, who in fifteen days totally defeated the Neapolitan army and drove it in disastrous retreat from Rome. Championnet decided to pursue them at once. The But at XLII. King of Naples no longer putting faith in his army or his CHAP. Austrian general, summoned the peasantry of the Abruzzi to resist the French in a guerilla war. the same time the middle class of Naples, disgusted with their monarch, resolved to imitate Rome in proclaiming a republic. The advance of the French encouraged them, whilst the flight of king and court on the 21st of December, to Sicily on board two English frigates left them no other alternative. The lazzaroni, however, would not submit; they determined on resistance and the citizens on submission, a civil war and massacre would have followed, had not the French taken advantage of these divisions to penetrate into the city, and by affecting a great respect for St. Januarius, allayed somewhat the fury of the mob. The Parthenopæan republic was thus established at Naples. The In March 1799 war was solemnly declared. French army under Massena instantly entered the Grisons, and surprised an Austrian division in Coire. Jourdan, simultaneously passed the Rhine at Basle, and marched by Schaffhausen to the northern end of the Lake of Constance, putting himself in communication with Massena. The latter hoped to penetrate into the Tyrol by the Vorarlberg, whilst Jourdan in concert with him might advance across South Bavaria. In both these purposes the French generals were baffled. At Feldkirch the entrance to the Vorarlberg, and at Mayenfeld, Massena met with a resistance that he could not overcome, whilst at Stochach north of the Lake of Constance, Jourdan and the Archduke Charles fought a memorable battle on the 25th of March. Stochach, the position for which both armies fought, is the point where roads and rivers meet, both leading or flowing from it towards the Lake, and towards the Danube. The French had some 40,000, the Austrians some 50,000 men. Jourdan had been already driven back with loss on the 22nd; on the 25th he attacked, XLII. CHAP. directing his chief efforts to carry the heights of Nellemberg, near Stochach. But the brunt of the battle was not there. On the northern wings of both armies, Soult was victorious, driving his enemies before him through the woods of Liptingen. This endangered the Austrians' centre, and the archduke flew to his right with reinforcements, charging in person at the head of his cavalry, and not only drove in Soult, but completely routed that wing of the French. The rest of Jourdan's army was obliged to retreat: the loss was great on both sides. But the result of the engagement of Stochach was that Jourdan retreated to the Rhine; indeed had the Archduke Charles followed him, he would in all probability have destroyed the French invading army. But the Austrian court peremptorily enjoined him to turn his efforts against Massena in Switzerland.* It would require descriptions very minute and detailed to render intelligent the military operations through the valleys and over the passes of the Alps. They were unimportant in their results, except so far as that Massena was driven finally from the valley of the Rhine to that of Zurich and the lakes, and even there, though he fought a successful battle in defence of his positions, he found it necessary to abandon them, and withdraw further westward. The main struggle was in Italy. There were 120,000 French soldiers in the peninsula; a third occupied Rome and Naples, under Macdonald, Championnet having been dismissed by the Directory for doing what Bonaparte had often done-slighted its agents. There were not more than 50,000 men on the Adige, opposed to a number of Austrians under Kray, somewhat superior. Bernadotte having refused the command in Italy, Joubert having resigned in consequence of Championnet's disgrace, and Moreau being suspected of moderantism, * Clausewitz, St. Cyr, Archduke Charles's Feldzug. Scherer obtained the command at the instance of Barras. The Directory thought they might order him to perform what Bonaparte alone could have attempted, cross the Adige in face of a superior enemy, that enemy possessed. of Verona. Scherer had to obey, and first penetrated between Verona and the lake, attacking and carrying a fortified camp which the Austrians had formed at Pastorengo; but afraid to follow up his own movement, he retreated, leaving one of his divisions to be severely handled and in part made prisoners. He then tried to pass the Adige on the other side of Verona, when he was attacked by Kray on the 5th of April at Magnano, a little to the east of Villafranca. A smart action resulted in the loss of several thousands on both sides. But it was no longer Austrian but French divisions. which remained prisoners. Such was the difference between Bonaparte and Scherer. The latter was panic stricken, he gave orders for retreat, not only behind the Mincio, but the Oglio and the Adda. All the fruit of former victories was lost. The French public received the news of these losses and reverses without surprise. Nothing better could be hoped of a government so contemptible. Soldiers said it was all owing to the reign of the avocats, constitutionalists alleged it was the natural fruit of tyranny, the patriots attributed all to lukewarmness and moderantism. There would have ensued a general outburst of discontent had not an event occurred to influence the national passions and turn them for the moment from the domestic to the foreign enemy. The French plenipotentiaries still continued their residence at Rastadt; though at war with Austria, they hoped to make peace with Germany, a hope and pretension which greatly provoked the spleen of the Austrians. As their armies overran the duchy of Baden in consequence of the retreat of Jourdan, they interrupted the communication of the French plenipotentiaries, and obstructed CHAP. XLII. CHAP. their efforts at negotiation. To persuade the German powers not to take part with Austria in the war, the French revealed to them that the court of Vienna had agreed to secret articles in the Treaty of Campo Formio, which made over Mayence, the bulwark of Germany, to France, in order to facilitate its own appropriation of Venice. The Austrians vowed vengeance. They compelled the French plenipotentiaries to leave Rastadt, and when they did so on the 28th of April at night they were, at a short distance from Rastadt, waylaid by Austrian hussars; two of them, Bonnier and Roberjeot, murdered, the third, Jean Debry, escaping badly wounded back into Rastadt. The resentment of the French at such an unparalleled outrage may be conceived. The Archduke Charles disowned it. The Austrian government aimed no doubt at seizing the papers of the plenipotentiaries, but that murder was also intended as well as perpetrated was but too clear. It proved a God-send to the Directory, changing altogether the object of popular animadversion and exciting once more in the whole nation that ardour for prosecuting and sustaining the war which had begun to flag in consequence of the incapacity and unpopularity of the Directory.* Such rekindled enthusiasm was too late to save Italy. Suwarrow had joined Kray with a corps of 30,000 Russian soldiers, and forced the passage of the Adda, in the battle of Cassano, towards the end of April, one of the French divisions being cut off. Moreau, who had served as a lieutenant under Scherer, took the command. Instead of falling back upon Turin, Moreau betook himself to the Apennines towards Genoa, where he hoped to await the arrival of Macdonald with his fresh army from the south. In this object he altogether failed. Instead of remaining in the line by which Macdonald must emerge from Tuscany, Moreau kept too &c. * Mém. d'un Homme d'État, French Procès Verbal of the circumstances, |