Wurmser heard with dismay the utter ruin of Davidowich; and doubted not that Napoleon would now march onwards into Germany, and joining Jourdan and Moreau, whose advance he had heard of, and misguessed to have been successful, endeavour to realise the great scheme of Carnot—­that of attacking Vienna itself.  The old general saw no chance of converting what remained to him of his army to good purpose, but by abiding in Lombardy, where he thought he might easily excite the people in his emperor’s favour, overwhelm the slender garrisons left by Buonaparte, and so cut off, at all events, the French retreat through Italy, in case they should meet with any disaster in the Tyrol or in Germany.  Napoleon had intelligence which Wurmser wanted.  Wurmser himself was his mark; and he returned from Trent to Primolano where the Imperialist’s vanguard lay, by a forced march of not less than sixty miles performed in two days.  The surprise with which this descent was received may be imagined.  The Austrian van was destroyed in a twinkling.  The French, pushing everything before them, halted that night at Cismone—­where Napoleon was glad to have half a private soldier’s ration of bread for his supper.  Next day he reached Bassano where the aged Marshal once more expected the fatal rencounter.  The battle of Bassano (Sept. 8) was a fatal repetition of those that had gone before it.  Six thousand men laid down their arms.  Quasdonowich, with one division of 4000, escaped to Friuli; while Wurmser himself, retreating to Vicenza, there collected with difficulty a remnant of 16,000 beaten and discomfited soldiers.  His situation was most unhappy; his communication with Austria wholly cut off—­his artillery and baggage all lost—­the flower of his army no more.  Nothing seemed to remain but to throw himself into Mantua, and there hold out to the last extremity, in the hope, however remote, of some succours from Vienna; and such was the resolution of this often outwitted but never dispirited veteran.

In order to execute his purpose, it was necessary to force a passage somewhere on the Adige; and the Austrian, especially as he had lost all his pontoons, would have had great difficulty in doing so, but for a mistake on the part of the French commander at Legnago, who, conceiving the attempt was to be made at Verona, marched to reinforce the corps stationed there, and thus left his proper position unguarded.  Wurmser, taking advantage of this, passed with his army at Legnago, and after a series of bloody skirmishes, in which fortune divided her favours pretty equally, was at length enabled to throw himself into Mantua.  Napoleon made another narrow escape, in one of these skirmishes, at Arcola.  He was surrounded for a moment, and had just galloped off, when Wurmser coming up and learning that the prize was so near, gave particular directions to bring him in alive!