acdonald was associated with the viceroy in the command. In
Poland, also, Ferdinand's easy successes had carried him too far in
pursuit of Poniatowski, and he began to retreat. Lefebvre with the
Bavarians was stationed at Salzburg to prevent an irruption of the
Tyrolean mountaineers toward the north; all the rest of the Emperor's
army was immediately ordered to march on the Austrian capital.

The advance was scarcely contested. Hiller, commanding Charles's left
wing, had paused in his retreat, and crossing the Inn with his thirty
thousand men, had successfully attacked Wrede at Erding. He had
probably heard that Charles was marching to Passau, but the news was
false. Learning the truth, he turned again and recrossed the Inn;
thence he continued to withdraw, stopping an instant at the Traun to
avail himself of a strong position and hold the line if Charles were
perchance coming thither to join him. At Ebelsberg, on May third, he
made a splendid and momentarily successful resistance, but was
overwhelmed by superior numbers. Hearing of his leader's slow advance,
and being himself in despair, on the seventh he led his army at
Mautern across to the left bank of the Danube in order to effect a
junction with the disheartened Archduke, and then destroyed the bridge
behind him. The forces of Charles and Hiller met and halted on the
slopes of the great hill known as the Bisamberg, which overlooks
Vienna from the north shore, and commands the fertile plains through
which the great river rolls past the Austrian capital.

[Illustration: Battle of Eckmuehl 22 April 1809.]

Day after day, with unimportant interruptions but no real check, the
French ranks marched down the right bank of the stream. On May tenth
they appeared before Vienna. Then, as now, it had no efficient
fortifications, and its garrison consisted of a citizen militia,
strengthened by a small detachment which Hiller had sent forward to
reinforce and encourage them. The defenders were commanded by the
Archduke Maximilian. There was a brave show of resistance; all the
suburbs were evacuated, and the populace gathered behind the old brick
walls which had been erected two centuries before against the Turks.
At first Napoleon thought there would be a second instance of such
embittered and desperate resistance as he had encountered at Madrid.
But a feint of the French to cut off the communication of the town
with the river, together with a few cannon-balls, quickly brought