After  a  fevere  cannonade  of  fevcxal  hours,  a  general
-attack  was  made  in^  four  columns  on  this  poll,  in  which
the  French  were  repulfed,  with  the  k>fs  of  two  of  the
Generals  who  commanded  the  aflault^  and  Provera
keeping  firm  in  his  pofition,  ftopp'^d.the  progrcfs  of
the  French  army  for  five  days,  and  gave  time  to  the
Auftrians  to  recover  their  difprder*  aiid  recruit  their
forc^es.  On  the  fifth  day  the  armies  prepared  for  a  gc-»
«eraJ  adlion.  Angerau^who  commanded  the  left  wing
of  the  French  ^rmy,  llill  held  Provera  blockaded  ia
the  ruins  of  the  caftte.  The  Auftriaas  and  Piedmon*
tefe  attempting  to  force  the  centre,  were  rcpuUed  mtk
great  lofs ;  and  their  left  wing,  which  wa^  fl<inked  by
the  village  of  Dego,  where  tfaey  were  ttrongly  en-
trenched,- was  turned  by  General  Maffena.  General
Laharpe,  in  the  mean  time,  paffiog  the  Bormida,  with
Kis  diviiion  in  qlofc  columns,  fucceieded  in  turning  the
-nght  ^aok  of  the  left  wing  of  the  Auftrian  army  ;  and
while  the  divifton  under  General  Cervoni  marched  dired^
\y  towards  the  qcmre.  General  Boyer,  with  a  third  divi-
8dn,  threw  bimfelf  in  their  rear,  with  the  defign  to  cut
off  their  retreat.  The  Auftrians  loft  upwards  of  10,00a
nxn  iq  this  a^ion,  of  whom  8,000  were  prifoncrs,  with
thirty^two  pieces  of  cannon,  and  nftQen  pairs  of  colours  ;
and  General  Ppvera  with  his  garriion  furrendered  them-
£elves  prifoners  of  v^ar.
