Napoleon, a short biography . e of Vienna was not serious,and the French army quickly occupied Napoleon was maturing a plan forcrossing to the north side of the Danube,whence the Archduke Charles was watchinghis movements with a large army, he Issued adecree annexing Rome to the Empire (May 17).The army was now moved a few miles east ofVienna, bridges were constructed, and on the2ist the leading brigades began to deploy onthe further bank between the villages of Aspernand Essling. At this point desperate fightingtook place during the 21st and 22d. TheArchduke Charles attacked in force
Napoleon, a short biography . e of Vienna was not serious,and the French army quickly occupied Napoleon was maturing a plan forcrossing to the north side of the Danube,whence the Archduke Charles was watchinghis movements with a large army, he Issued adecree annexing Rome to the Empire (May 17).The army was now moved a few miles east ofVienna, bridges were constructed, and on the2ist the leading brigades began to deploy onthe further bank between the villages of Aspernand Essling. At this point desperate fightingtook place during the 21st and 22d. TheArchduke Charles attacked in force; the Frenchnumbers on the northern bank gradually in-creased until on the second day a rise of theDanube broke down the bridges. Then it be-came a question of whether the French couldhold their ground. While engineers workeddesperately to re-establish communications,Lannes and Massena held the Austrians atbay with dogged obstinacy, fought on till night,and thus enabled the troops to retreat in safety- Wagraiu Maigrafueusiedl. Austrian Positions. BORMAY 4 CO., Wagraiii WAGRAM i6c D But Napoleon had lost twenty-five thousandmen, including Marshal Lannes who was mor-tally wounded at the close of the day; andwhatever excuses there might be to offer, hehad been defeated by the Archduke Charles. The French army had now retreated from thenorthern bank into the large island of Lobau,and the marshals whom Napoleon consultedwere all of opinion that the retreat should becontinued to Vienna, or at all events to thesouthern bank. Napoleons decision admirablyillustrates a cardinal principle of strategy. Itis nearly invariably the rule that of two armiesone is attacking, the other defending; one hasthe offensive, the other the defensive. So longas that relation holds the army on the offensivehas the move; that is, it may within certainlimits choose a line of operations which itsopponent is compelled to devise methods todefend. The offensive in the hands of a com-petent general is an imm
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