The Italian Campaign
The French now wished to make up in Italy what they had lost in Germany.
The prospects for this seemed very good. The Hungarians, under the
daring Count Alexander Karolyi, were gathering in the neighborhood of
Vienna; while in Italy the imperial troops were starving.[4]
The Emperor Leopold the First had grown old and indifferent, and his
characteristic indecision and lack of self-confidence had increased. The
faithful artillery General, von Heister, drove the Hungarians before
him, and Eugene was again sent to Italy to restore order and if possible
clear the way. There was one favorable circumstance. His uncle, Duke
Victor Amadeus, had at last broken his compact with the French and had
come over to the Emperor’s side. He had not received much benefit from
his friendship with the French. “Hands off here, hands off there,” had
been the cry, and there was no regard for ties of relationship.
In Italy the two brothers, the Duke of Vendôme and the Grand Prior, were
in command. Eugene had first to deal with the latter, who was not
particularly brilliant. By means of marches and countermarches he kept
him busy, eluding him cleverly when the Grand Prior thought to have
surely entrapped him. But this could not long continue. Eugene soon
became disgusted with the comedy. In August, 1705, he confronted the
Grand Prior at the town of Cassano on the Adda. The position of the
enemy was excellent, while Eugene, besides the eight thousand Prussians
under Prince Leopold of Dessau, possessed but a small army. Still he
wished to attack the Grand Prior, who had no idea that the enemy was so
close until he was enlightened by messengers from his brother, the Duke.
He was now all the more alert, fearing a severe reprimand. He placed his
troops behind several canals and garrisoned the island in the Adda, as
well as a large stone building which commanded the island and the bridge
leading to it, called the Osteria.
A heavy artillery fire from Eugene’s side opened the battle. Then the
infantry fell in line, taking the Osteria in a quick assault and
endeavoring to close the sluices of the canals. Just as they were
occupied with this difficult and to them puzzling piece of work, the
imperial troops were surprised by a vigorous attack of the French
regiments, by which they were driven back and the Osteria taken from
them. The Austrians again captured the bridge and building, but were
obliged to give them up again and again. At the head of his men Eugene
stormed the position for the third time, drove the enemy’s ranks into
the river, and prepared to take the intrenchments. But he was received
with a heavy grenade fire which swept away whole lines, so that he was
obliged to retire again.
In the meantime the Duke of Vendôme appeared on the battle-field with
fresh troops. It was Prince Leopold who bore the first shock of their
attack. His soldiers had waded through the canals in order to reach the
enemy the sooner, and had attacked them with their bayonets. But they
were met by such a murderous hail of bullets, great and small, that the
Prussians were obliged to withdraw. It was only for a short time,
however, just long enough to take breath; for Dessau was not the man to
be so quickly repulsed. “He is a cowardly dog who deserts his general!”
he cried in a voice of thunder, and was the first to plunge again into
the canal, followed by his grenadiers. Thus they victoriously advanced
and passed through two canals, and were getting nearer and nearer to the
foe, when for the second time they were driven back by the furious fire
of the French cannon and rifles; and late in the afternoon they took
refuge with Eugene’s exhausted troops in a secure camp.
It was at Cassano that the “Dessau March” originated, a piece of music
which was composed in honor of Leopold, and which still enjoys great
popularity.
The day at Cassano was a disastrous one for the Germans, for more than a
fifth of their army lay dead or wounded on the battle-field. For a long
time Eugene was obliged to play at hide and seek with the enemy, being
now too weak to engage in open warfare. But wherever he could injure the
French, we may be sure he did so. Eugene’s bloody partisan warfare is
remembered to this day in Lombardy.
But in Paris they were evidently not quite satisfied with the operations
of the firm “Vendôme brothers.” Both of them were recalled and Duke
Philip of Orleans and Marshal Marsin intrusted with the command of the
army. This spurred Eugene on to measure his strength with these new
representatives. Turin was the last refuge of Duke Victor Amadeus of
Savoy; this time-server had been thus driven to extremity. Starhemberg
held the city with seven thousand men. A French army forty thousand
strong now appeared to besiege it. But Eugene arrived on the ground
before them. He crossed the Po with thirty thousand men, passed around
the French intrenchments, crossed the Dora also, and went into camp
between this river and the Stura.
At daybreak on the seventh of September, 1706, the troops of the allied
armies broke camp. They were divided into eight columns, of which four
formed the first and four the second division. Scarcely had the French
commanders noted Eugene’s plan when they sent large reinforcements to
the threatened spot and began a heavy cannonading. Of course the
imperial batteries did not remain silent. This artillery battle
thundered for more than two hours. Meanwhile, in Turin, Count von Daun
was making ready with twelve battalions, four hundred grenadiers, five
hundred cavalrymen, and six fieldpieces for a timely sortie. The
inhabitants of Turin witnessed the progress of the battle from the walls
and the roofs of the houses and churches, praying devoutly for the
success of the German arms.
The Prussian troops had scarcely come up when they were ordered to
attack. Prince Leopold at their head, they advanced upon the enemy as
though they were on the parade-ground, with erect, firm bearing and
without firing a shot. A terrific fire greeted them; the enemies’
bullets swept them in front and in the flank, and although they answered
with a very rapid battalion fire, the battle was too unequal and they
were obliged to retire. As soon as Eugene noticed this he hurried to the
spot, to the support of the brave Prussian regiments, with the remainder
of the left wing, which was soon followed by the centre and the right
wing. The fighting broke out all along the long line of battle. Both
sides fought recklessly, neither advancing, but on the other hand
neither giving way.
Eugene’s attention was centred on the Prussians; the Prince of Dessau,
his valiant ally of Höchstädt and Cassano, seemed to him the right man
to strike a tremendous blow. It needed but a few words. Leopold, the
“bull-dog,” as Eugene is said to have called him, threw himself with his
already much decimated battalions with terrific fury upon the enemy’s
intrenchments. Nothing intimidated the faithful fellows, nothing could
stop them. They crossed the moat, took the redoubts, and intrenched
themselves therein. Eugene was in the midst of them. His horse was shot
under him and he fell to the ground. The terror of death was upon him.
But no!—immediately he arose and hurried on, at the head of his men.
Simultaneously with this brilliant success, the Prince of Württemberg
penetrated the intrenchments from the opposite side. Eugene’s positive
orders were that the left wing should occupy the intrenchments which had
been taken until the right wing and the centre had also taken the
intrenchments. But alas! in the enthusiasm of victory the left wing
hurried after their advancing brothers, and the fortifications remained
unprotected. But Eugene was watching the progress of the battle.
Starhemberg’s regiment was called upon, occupied the fortifications,
turned the captured French cannon about and shelled the fleeing enemy
with them. The French at the centre fought just as doggedly. There
Philip of Orleans and Marsin were in command. Three times the
intrenchments were taken by the allies; three times they were recaptured
by the French, until, at last, the Duke of Savoy took them for the
fourth time—and held them.
Thus the French were repulsed at all points. In great disorder they
hurried toward the Po and the Dora. It was now the faithful Daun’s turn.
He received them, not with open arms, but with powder and lead instead,
took part of them prisoners and drove the rest into the cold waters of
the river, to cool the heat of their flight.
Thus the rule of the French in Milan was overthrown. Amidst the
boundless rejoicings of the delivered city, Eugene made his entry into
it, as its imperial governor. From this time the plans of Louis the
Fourteenth were frustrated. He must have been sick enough with rage at
the little _abbé_, for the pills he had had to swallow in Italy were
bitter as gall. And still the triumphs of Germany over the French were
not complete. While a small imperial force marched straight to Naples to
harass the French there, Eugene and Victor Amadeus made ready to carry
the war into Southern France. After an extremely arduous march over the
Alps, they reached Valette, which lies about a half-hour’s march from
Toulon, and went into camp there. During the following days Toulon was
shelled by the Austrians. Nothing more was done, however, as the French
were gathering in ever increasing numbers; so Eugene wisely withdrew.
The fall of Toulon was the dearest wish of the English and Hollanders,
but Eugene preferred not to burn his fingers in their interests.
Besides, from the standpoint of the soldier, his retreat through the
enemy’s country was a greater feat than the storming of Toulon would
have been. On the road he casually took Susa; and he arrived again in
Vienna in the Autumn of 1707, where he was greeted at court, as well as
by the people, as the deliverer of Italy. He met with a brilliant and
extremely friendly reception.