On the 12th, the Austrian army gave battle at Saint-Michel and Corona, and encamped at Montebaldo. On the 13th, Joubert evacuated Corona and took up his position at Rivoli, whilst the Austrians occupied Bevilacqua. Finally, on the 14th, Bonaparte visited the plateau of Rivoli, which he reached at two o'clock in the morning. Here it was that the final battle took place, as he had predicted. We know the results. At eight in the morning 45,000 Austrians invited battle. At five in the evening they were nowhere to be seen; it was as though an earthquake had swallowed them up; Alvintzy had been wiped out at a single stroke. There was still Provera to be dealt with. Provera followed the plan indicated in the letter intercepted by my father; he slipped away from Augereau and threw a bridge over Anghiari, a little above Legnago. He marched on Mantua, which he intended to reinforce with nine or ten thousand men. Augereau had obtained knowledge of his crossing; falling upon his rear, he took 2000 of his men prisoners; but Provera continued his march with the remaining 7000. Luckily, Bonaparte learnt these details at Castelnovo. He was about the same distance from Mantua, he had Frenchmen under his command, and he would therefore reach it before Provera. If he did not arrive, and if the garrison attempted the sortie Wurmser had been ordered to take in Alvintzy's letter, the blockading corps would be caught between two fires. Masséna's division received orders to march at double quick pace to Mantua, where it should arrive the same evening. The reserves from Villa-Franca were to take the same route and march at the same speed. Finally, Bonaparte himself galloped off to reach Mantua before nightfall. Now let us see from General Serrurier's letters to my father what was going on round Mantua, and what action was taking place in the French camp. "HEADQUARTERS AT ROVERBELLA, "_20 Nivôse, Year V._[3] "SERRURIER, General of Division, in command of the blockade, to GENERAL DUMAS, in command of the 2nd Division. "MY DEAR GENERAL,--I have just received a letter from Divisional-General Augereau, dated from Porto-Legnago, on the 19th inst.; wherein he informs me that the enemy attacked his outposts with a force greatly superior to his own, and that Adjutant-General Duphot has abandoned the Castle of Bevilacqua, to prevent himself from being outflanked. He will write and tell me the various movements of the enemy that night. All our troops are thoroughly on the alert; but I do not believe the enemy at Mantua will undertake any big action unless its army has a very marked advantage, or unless they try to slip away. As soon as I receive news from General Augereau I will let you know it.--Yours, with all good wishes, SERRURIER." Provera was the enemy referred to who was attacking Augereau, in carrying out his instructions to march on Mantua.