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informed of this, when he, on the 11th, with his family, in all haste, retired from Munich to the western frontier of his kingdom, to the town of Dillingen. He took with him Baron (soon afterwards created Count) Maximilian Joseph von Montgelas, who was then at the head of two important branches of administration in Bavaria—the foreign and the home departments.
By means of the line of Chappe’s optico-mechanical telegraphs, established, already for some time, from the French frontiers to Paris, the Emperor Napoleon I. got information of this sudden aggressive movement of the Austrian troops much sooner than it was thought possible in the Austrian army, and he, without the least delay, started from Paris for Bavaria, on his way to the army. He came so totally unexpected to Dillingen, that he found King Maximilian in bed.
There is no doubt, that by the speedy arrival of the Emperor Napoleon I. in the midst of his army, Bavaria owed its delivery from the Austrians. Munich had been already, on the 16th of April, occupied by the Austrian General Jellachich, but he was, in less than a week after, on the 22nd, obliged to withdraw, and King Maximilian could again enter into his capital.
