Crossing The Danube

Napoleon's passage of the river Dauiibe in the face of the Austrians before the battle of Wagram is thus described by a military writer in the Loiidon Tclegrapli: " He had prepared on the island of Lobau a immber of flat-bottomed craft and the materialn for iloating bridges, iu cauals which he had cut iuto the main stream, keeping the boats concealed by trees and brushwood from the enemy's view. Making a feint at another point, he sent, at 9 o'clock in the e-yening, two battalions of infantry across, who at once became engaged with the Austrian outposts, but held their ground till the floating bridges were constructed over the river, there 150 yards wide, when a whole corps passed over and seized the nearest village. By 11 o'clock several bridges were constracted, another corps was already crossing, and before daylight 70,000 uien liad effected their passage. The night was very dark, and there were torrents of min." The passage of the Danubë in 1828 was a bold and brilliant undertaking. The Turks had divined the Eussiau iutentions from the preparations being made, and had intrenched themselves opposite to Satunovo, the selected point of crossing. To reach the rivor bank here tlie Bussians had to make a causeway no le'ss tlian 7,000 paces in length, 3,000 of which had to be carried on wooden bridges, and the troops were under fire from the Turks while at work. The Bussiaus had a flotilla ou the Danube, and wiien the causeway was complete a detachment of light infantry and Cossacks were sent across the river in boats and landed below the Turkisli intrenehniènts, concealed by a wood. The Turks did not discover their presence, aud the Bussians rushed upon the rear of the nearest intrencliment, taking it by storm. Then the Turks, more than 10,000 strong, were seized with panic and fled, and the position was abandoned.