had reached one bank of the Fontanone, of which the French occupied
the other. Each was firing on the other from either side of the ravine;
grape-shot flew from side to side within pistol range. Protected by its
terrible artillery, the enemy had only to extend himself a little more
to overwhelm Bonaparte's forces. General Rivaud, of Gardannes' division,
saw the Austrians preparing for this manoeuvre. He marched out from
Marengo, and placed a battalion in the open with orders to die there
rather than retreat, then, while that battalion drew the enemy's fire,
he formed his cavalry in column, came round the flank of the battalion,
fell upon three thousand Austrians advancing to the charge, repulsed
them, threw them into disorder, and, all wounded as he was by a
splintered ball, forced them back behind their own lines. After that
he took up a position to the right of the battalion, which had not
retreated a step.

But during this time Gardannes' division, which had been struggling with
the enemy from early morning, was driven back upon Marengo, followed by
the first Austrian line, which forced Chamberlhac's division to retreat
in like manner. There an aide-de-camp sent by Bonaparte ordered the two
divisions to rally and retake Marengo at any cost.

General Victor reformed them, put himself at their head, forced his way
through the streets, which the Austrians had not had time to barricade,
retook the village, lost it again, took it a third time, and then,
overwhelmed by numbers, lost it for the third time.

It was then eleven o'clock. Desaix, overtaken by Bonaparte's
aide-de-camp, ought at that hour to be on his way to the battle.

Meanwhile, Lannes with his two divisions came to the help of his
struggling comrades. This reinforcement enabled Gardannes and
Chamberlhac to reform their lines parallel to the enemy, who had now
debouched, through Marengo, to the right and also to the left of the
village.

The Austrians were on the point of overwhelming the French.

Lannes, forming his centre with the divisions rallied by Victor,
deployed with his two least exhausted divisions for the purpose of
opposing them to the Austrian wings. The two corps--the one excited
by the prospect of victory, the other refreshed by a long rest--flung
themselves with fury into the fight, which was now renewed along the
whole line.

After struggling an hour, hand to hand, bayonet to bayonet, General
Kaim's corps fell back; General Champeaux,