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!

Buonaparte, after making himself master of some scattered corps which
had not been successful in keeping up with Wurmser, re-appeared once
more before Mantua. The battle of St. George--so called from one of the