village of Aspern (Gross-Aspern) and their right in Essling. Both places lay close to the Danube and could not therefore be turned; Aspern, indeed, is actually on the bank of one of the river channels. The French had to fill the gap between the villages, and also move forward to give room for the supporting units to form up. The corps led by Johann von Hiller (VI), Heinrich Graf von Bellegarde (I) and Prince Friedrich of Hohenzollern-Hechingen (II) were to converge upon Aspern, while Prince Franz Seraph of Rosenberg-Orsini (IV) was to attack Essling. Prince Johann of Liechtenstein's Austrian reserve cavalry was in the center, ready to move out against any French cavalry attacking the heads of the columns. During the 21st the bridges became more and more unsafe, owing to the violence of the current, but the French crossed without intermission all day and during the night. Order of battle Kaiserlich-Königliche Hauptarmee, under the command of Charles of Austria: 1st Column (VI Corps), Hiller: Vanguard: Nordmann Div. Kottulinsky Div. Vincent 2nd Column (I Corps), Bellegarde: Div. Fresnel Div. Vogelsang Div. Ulm Div. Notitz 3rd Column (II Corps), Hohenzollern-Hechingen: Advance Guard Div. Brady Div. Weber 4th Column (IV Corps), Rosenberg/Dedovich: Div. Klenau Div. Dedovich 5th Column (a part of IV Corps), Rosenberg/Hohenlohe: Vanguard: Rohan Div. Hohenlohe Reserve Corps, Liechtenstein: Div. Hessen-Homburg Div. Kienmayer Div. of grenadiers, Lindenau Div. of grenadiers, d'Aspre TOTAL: 99 000 men; 84 000 infantry, 14 250 cavalry, 288 guns Armée d'Allemagne, under the command of Napoleon I: Imperial Guard: Div. 1 (Young Guard): Curial Div. 2 (Old Guard): Dorsenne Div. 3 (cavalry): Arrighi II Corps, Lannes † : Div. Tharreau Div. Claparède Div. Saint-Hilaire † Div. of reserve, Demont (unengaged) IV Corps, Masséna: Div. Legrand Div. Carra Saint-Cyr Div. Molitor Div. Boudet Brig. Marulaz (cavalry) Div. Lasalle (cavalry) Cavalry Reserve Corps, Bessières: Div. Nansouty Div. Saint-Sulpice Div. d'Espagne † TOTAL: 77 000 men; 67 000 infantry, 10 000 cavalry, 152 guns Battle First day The battle began at Aspern; Hiller carried the village at the first rush, but Masséna recaptured it, and held his ground with remarkable tenacity. The French infantry fought with the old stubborn bravery which it had failed to show in the earlier battles of the year. However, the Austrians also fought with fierceness and tenacity that surprised the French, including Napoleon himself. The three Austrian columns were unable to capture more than