Asperges

ASPERGES, the ceremony of sprinkling the people with holy water before High Mass in the Roman Catholic Church, so called from the opening words Asperges me, Domine, hyssopo (Ps. li. 7). The brush for sprinkling is an aspergilluco, and a vessel for holy water an aspersorium.

BATTLE

OF (1809), was fought on May 21 and 22, 1809, between the French and their allies under Napoleon and the Austrians commanded by the Archduke Charles (see NAPOLEONIC CAMPAIGNS). When Austria, with her army reorganized, reopened hostilities in 1809, the swift opening move of Napoleon split her army asunder and enabled him to push down the south bank of the Danube and occupy Vienna, left exposed by the Austrian retreat across the river. Napoleon then aimed to complete the overthrow of the Austrian forces, but the bridges over the Danube had been broken, and the archduke's army had reassembled on and about the Bisamberg.' The first task of the French was the crossing of the Danube. Lobau, one of the numer ous islands which divide the river into minor channels, was selected as the point of crossing, but rough weather caused 24 hours' delay in the bridging of the channels from the right bank to Lobau and it was not until midday on May 20 that the troops, other than the advanced detachments, crossed to the island. By the evening' of the loth a large force had been collected there and the last arm of the Danube, between Lobau and the left bank, bridged. Mas sena's corps at once began to cross to the left bank and dislodged the Austrian outposts. Undeterred by the news of heavy attacks on his rear from Tirol and from Bohemia, Napoleon hurried all available troops to the bridges, and by midday on the 21st 25,000 men were collected on the edge of the Marchfeld, the broad open plain of the left bank, which was also to be the scene of the battle of Wagram. The archduke did not seriously resist the passage; it was his original intention to await developments, but a misleading, if happily misleading, report led him to seize the opportunity for a blow before the bulk of the French army had crossed. Napoleon seems to have taken the risk too lightly, both underestimating his opponents and the need for preparatory measures, but he sought to minimize it by concentrating close to the river before pushing forward—and thus also to avoid atten tion. His forces on the Marchfeld were drawn up in front of the bridges facing north, with their left in the village of Aspern (Gross-Aspern) and their right in Essling (or Esslingen). Both places lay close to the Danube and could not therefore be turned. But the French had to fill the gap between the villages, and also to move forward to give room for the main body to form up. Whilst they were thus engaged the archduke moved to the attack with his whole army of 98,000 men in five columns. Three under Hiller, Bellegarde and Hohenzollern were to converge upon Aspern, the other two, under Rosenberg, to attack Essling. The Austrian cavalry was in the centre, ready to move out against any French cavalry which should attack the heads of the columns. During the 21st the bridges became more and more unsafe, owing 'See sketch map in the article WAGRAM.

to the violence of the current, and the passage of the French reinforcements was frequently delayed.

The battle began at Aspern ; Hiller carried the village at the first rush about 4 P.M., but Massena recaptured it, and held his ground with the same tenacity he had shown at Genoa in i 800. The French infantry, indeed, fought on this day with the old stubborn bravery which it had failed to show in the earlier battles of the year. The three Austrian columns, hindering each other by their convergence on a single point, were unable to do more than drive the French out to the far edge of the village before night fell. In the meanwhile nearly all the French infantry posted between the two villages and in front of the bridges had been drawn into the fight on either flank. Napoleon therefore, to create a diversion, sent forward his centre, now consisting only of cavalry, to charge the enemy's artillery, which was deployed in a long line and firing into Aspern. The first charge of the French was repulsed, but the second attempt, made by heavy masses of cuirassiers overrode the guns, but failed to break Hohenzollern's infantry squares, and in the end retired to their old position. Even so, they effectively discouraged any further attack on the French centre. In the meanwhile Essling had been the scene of fighting almost as desperate as that of Aspern. The French cuirassiers made repeated charges on the flank of Rosenberg's force, and for long delayed the assault, and in the village Lannes with a single division made a heroic and successful resistance, till night ended the battle. The two armies bivouacked on their ground, and in Aspern the French and Austrians lay within pistol shot of each other.

All through the night more and more French troops were put across, and at the earliest dawn of the 22nd the battle was re sumed. Massena by degrees cleared Aspern of Austrians, but at the same time Rosenberg stormed Essling at last. Lannes, how ever, resisted desperately, and reinforced by St. Hilaire's division, drove Rosenberg out. By 7 A.M. Napoleon had 77,00o troops across and he launched a great attack on the Austrian centre. Beginning with Lannes on the right, the whole French centre, with the cavalry in reserve, moved forward. The Austrian line was broken through, between Rosenberg's right and Hohenzollern's left, and the French squadrons poured into the gap. Victory seemed within reach when the archduke brought up his last re serve, himself leading on his soldiers with a colour in his hand. Lannes was checked, and with his repulse the impetus of the attack died out all along the line. Meantime Aspern had been lost to a counter-attack by Hiller and Bellegarde, and graver news reached Napoleon at the critical moment. The Danube bridges had at last been cut by heavy barges, which had been set adrift down stream for the purpose by the Austrians. Napoleon thereupon (i i A.M.) suspended the attack and decided to retire to Lobau. About 3 P.M. Essling fell to another assault of Rosen berg, and though again the French, this time part of the Guard, drove him out, the Austrian general then directed his efforts on the flank of the French centre, slowly retiring on the bridges. The retirement was costly, and the French must have been driven into the Danube but for the steadiness of Lannes, the exhaustion. of the assailants, and the archduke's inexplicable action in draw. ing back part of his force about 4 P.M. Although he turned them about again on hearing that the French were retiring across to Lobau, he did not seek a renewal of the struggle. The French lost 20,000 and amongst the killed were Lannes and St. Hilaire. The Austrians lost 23,36o. Even this, the first serious defeat of Napoleon did not shake his resolution. The beaten forces were at last withdrawn safely into the island. On the night of the 22nd the great bridge was repaired, and the army awaited the arrival of reinforcements, not in Vienna, but in Lobau. But it had been a nar row escape from disaster, and its special historical significance is an illustration of the over-confidence which was fastening more and more strongly on Napoleon's mind. (B. H. L. H.)