LIV 1794. duce the whole left Rhine. CHAP. dead on the field of battle, and several of their battallions were reduced to one hundred and fifty men. Seven hundred prisoners, twenty-six pieces of large cannon, three pair of colours, one hundred horses, and forty ammunition waggons, were taken, as well as the general's own carriage, his secretary, and papers. The remuant of Latour's army was completely routed and dispersed: general Clairfait having endeavoured without effect to assist Latour, with great skill and ability fortified himself at Juliers; and thither the republicans directed their efforts. On the 29th the French advanced from Aix-la-Chapelle, crossed the Roer, and attacked all the Austrian general's extensive posts, from Ruremonde to Juliers and Dureu. The conflict lasted the whole of the 29th and 30th of September, and was renewed on the 1st and 2d of October. The battle was extremely fierce on both sides; but Clairfait having lost ten thousand men, found it necessary to retreat as rapidly as possible. Juliers was abandoned to the French, The repub- and Clairfait retreated across the Rhine: the republicans conlicans re- quered Cologne, Worins, Bonn, and in short reduced the whole left bank of the river. Pichegru, meanwhile was pres bank of the sing on towards Holland. He informed the national convention, that with two hundred thousand men he would subjugate the United Provinces: and though the whole force which he required was not immediately sent, yet so numerous an addition was despatched to his army, that he deemed himself able to proceed with his operations. In the beginning of October he invested Bois-le-duc, which in a few days surrendered. On the 20th of October, a sharp conflict took place between the republicans and the English, in which, though the event was not decisive, the loss was considerable. The duke of York now crossing the Waal, fell back to Nimeguen, and thither the French multitudes soon followed. The British army was posted to the left of Nimeguen, and the enemy in front of the town, where batteries were erected for the purpose of cannonade and bombardment. On the 4th of November a sortie was made in the night. The troops employed in the sally were about three thousand British, Hanoverians, and Dutch; and their object was to destroy the batteries which were newly constructed to annoy the city. It appears that the French were by some means informed of this design, The British and were prepared to obstruct its execution. The conflict was extremely obstinate, but our troops were victorious, though advantages with considerable loss. The British general, however, from greatly out- the immense superiority of the enemy, found it necessary to evacuate Nimeguen. Philippine on the Scheldt also surren dered the French army on the right was fast advancing, and after the victories over the Austrians laid siege to Maestreicht. This city stood, a regular investment in the begin ning of October. During this month the republicans carried on their approaches, and whilst their parallels were forming but are numbered. LIV. 1794. constructed their batteries. They repeatedly summoned the CHAP town to surrender; this denunciation having on the 30th been made in vain, the besiegers began to pour a most dreadful shower of shot and shells from all their works, with which they had surrounded the place. This fire, lasting during the whole of the night, demolished many public buildings and private houses, wounded and killed great numbers of the inhabitants. During three days this destructive assault continued: the governor at length, moved by the entreaties of the magistrates and people, entered into a negotiation with general Kleber, and the city capitulated on the 4th of November. After the capture of Nimeguen and Maestreicht, the operations were inactive during the rest of the month. But the troops, exhausted though not engaged in battles, were exposed to the severest hardships. The winter began with extreme severity: the Winter soldiers were in want of clothing and other necessaries for campaign encountering a winter campaign, which had not been foreseen in Holland, in time to make adequate provision. In a country so much colder and damper than Britain, that season far exceeded its usual rigour. The consequence was sickness and mortality Sickness among the soldiers, augmented by the want of remedies and and mortali medical assistance sufficient for such an unexpected prevalence of the British troops. of distemper. It is probable, from the inaction of the French at this time, that they laboured under similar evils. Fresh and numerous re-enforcements however, arriving, enabled them in December to proceed with their operations. On the 7th of this Intrepid efmonth they made a fruitless attempt to cross the Waal in four forts of their rafts, from Nimeguen; two of the rafts were sunk by the English remains. forces, who were stationed on the opposite side, near the village of Lant; one floated to the side occupied by the Dutch; and only one of the four regained that which was in the possession of the republicans. On the 11th the attempt was renewed, and with better success: they crossed the river above Nimeguen and near the canal, in boats and on rafts to the number of about five thousand men. Another detachment, however, attempting the passage was repulsed with considerable loss. About the middle of December the frost became extremely intense and in a few days the Maese and the Waal were frozen over. On the 27th the army crossed the river; the duke of Attempts of York had, together with the prince of Orange, endeavoured York and to rouse the Dutch to such energetic resistance as had formerly prince of saved their country from French invaders; but the circum-Orange to stances of the times, and the dispositions of the people, were Dutch. totally changed. Great numbers of the Dutch were now unwilling to oppose the French, and most of the rest conceived opposition hopeless. The exhortations of the princes were, therefore, altogether unavailing; and the duke of York considered all efforts as useless to save a people not desirous of saving themselves. Seeing military exertions unlikely to be farther useful in that country, he returned to England. The the duke of rouse the LIV. 1794. CHAP. remaining forces were now intrusted to the command of gene ral Walmoden; and an attempt was made to force the enemy to repass the Waal. For this purpose ten battallions of British infantry, with six squadrons of light cavalry, commanded by major-general Dundas, assisted by four squadrons and four battallions of Hessians, amounting in all to about six thousand five hundred infantry, and a thousand horse, advanced in three columns. At day break on the 30th of December, attacking a great body of French at the village of Thuil, they carried it with the bayonet, and drove the republicans across the river. This success, however, was only temporary; the English army was from the dreadful effects of the climate and season, rapidly decreasing. Private liberality was added to public expenditure in sending plentiful supplies of flannel waistcoats, and other fences against the cold; but the inclemency of the frosts was superior to every expedient: the chief part of the army was overcome with sickness. According to the reports of officers who were engaged in this dreadful service, the professional attention bestowed upon the sick was by no means adequate to the effectual discharge of that momentous duty. In the month of January the French again crossed the Waal with seventy thousand men. This formidable host attacked the remains of the British army, and compelled them, though still making the most gallant resistance, to retire. Without tents, and unable to procure cantonments, the distressed heroes were obliged to pass the night, in this severe season, in the open tobacco sheds, or under the canopy of an incle ment sky. The Dutch now urged the stadtholder to conclude a peace with the French, and finding him unwilling, their provinces and towns successively offered terms to the republicans, which were accepted. Zealand, and soon after Holland, entered into a capitulation. The stadtholder with much difficulty escaped from the Hague with his family, sought and found refuge in England: by the beginning of February the proImmense vinces had concluded a treaty with the French. As the repubsuperiority licans now possessed all the country between the British army of numbers and the coast of Holland, it was impossible to retreat in that English to direction; they, therefore, were obliged to take a much more evacuate circuitous route towards the north coast of Germany. They Holland, repeatedly occupied strong positions, not with the vain intenyields to the tion of making a stand against three times their number, but French to secure their retreat. Therein they had also to encounter forces the which 'arms. e The details on this subject, not once or twice mentioned, but very frequently repeated through the periodical works of the time, daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly, and never contradicted, charge the medical department with extreme negligence. But candour must admit, that the prevalence of distemper was much greater than was to be foreseen or expected when the medical appointments were made, and that therefore a less minute attention could be bestowed on every "individual patient, than the case required, REIGN OF GEORGE III. LIV. 1794 many other difficulties. The partial thaws which occasionally CHAP. took place only served to aggravate the misery of the troops, from the floods which succeeded these alterations in the tem perature, and either impeded their progress, or obliged the sol diers to wade through torrents of mud and water, which sometimes reached even to their knapsacks. In this dreadful situation they were obliged to continue their march, or to be over whelmed by the enemy. After a route perhaps unequalled in the annals of military hardship, the exhausted remains of our army arrived at Bremen; and having halted for some weeks they embarked for England. disastrous to Such was the melancholy termination of the British expe Campaign dition to the continent: so little did the expenses, prepara- of 1794, tions, and military equipments of two years answer the pur the British poses for which they were undertaken. Britain had gone to army. war to prevent an attack upon the rights of Dutch navigation: instead of one river, the whole seven provinces were now commanded by the republicans. She had gone to war to prevent French aggrandizement: one campaign had given France an accession of territory fertile, productive, and opulent, far surpassing all the conquests of her most ambitious and successful monarchs.. In Italy and Spain the republicans were successful as far as they employed their efforts: their exertions, however, in Piedmont, were not important. On the confines of Spain they made rapid advances: the Spanish government attempted to raise the subjects in mass: but this was an expedient that could succeed only in countries where the people, either being or conceiving themselves free, were inspirited by the ardour of liberty. · 51 aurini bermite vluzestnih 101 int2 #10317 From such an issue to the efforts of the confederation, persons that did not exactly consider the specific case might very naturally draw unjust inferences. Such might conclude, that -because the combination in question had been unsuccessful, that no future union for suppressing dangerous ambition could be successful, and therefore that the attempt would be vain. Were a concert to be proposed for reducing the exorbitant power of France, the events of 1794 might be quoted as warnings that the scheme would be impracticable; and assur edly the same means and conduct in similar circumstances would be unavailing. If the continental powers, pretending to join, were really to pursue different and even contrary objects; and if the French were inspired by the same spirit which, during their republican enthusiasm, animated and invigorated their exertions, the issue would certainly be discomfiture to the nominal coalition of really discordant parts. But if they were to unite in head, heart, and hand, to pursue an object which many might think more important for their ultimate safety than paltry indemnities; and if it were to happen that they had not to contend against enthusiasm, but torpid indiffer VUL. IT 64 CHAP. 1794. Signal suc cesses of Britain where she fought alone. in the Mediterra nean. Acquisi tions in the West Indies. ence, it would by no means follow that the events of 1794 would be repeated. Even respecting Holland singly, it would be extremely hasty to deduce a general conclusion from the untoward issue of this disastrous campaign. The reduction of Holland did not arise merely from the arms of Pichegru, but in a great degree from the Dutch themselves. The majority of them were democratical, and received the French not only without opposition, but with gratitude and joy, as their deliverers and brothers. They might have withstood Pichegru when assisted by the gallant English, as without any assistance they withstood Turenne and Conde; and with much less aid they discomfited Alva and Parma. The Dutch have clearly manifested, that, if they exert themselves, no, foreign power can keep their country in subjection, or even dependence. Should it ever happen that they choose to assert their independence, there is little doubt that they will be successful whenever they have the will they have the power to be free. Signal as had been the disasters of the British armies on the continent, where she acted alone, unincumbered with allies, and on her appropriate theatre, her success was momentous, and her glory transcendent. In the choice of naval commanders, our minister, through the war, has uniformly considered instrumentality; fitness for discharging the duties, and accom plishing the purposes of the appointment. The various conmands, supreme and subordinate, were conferred on professional Her fleets ability and character, Three powerful armaments were preparamount pared for the campaign of 1794: one under lord Hood, commanded the Mediterranean, reduced the Island of Corsica, and protected the coasts of Spain and Italy; a second, under sir John Jervis, with a military force headed by sir Charles Grey, reduced Martipico, Guadaloupe, St. Lucie, and some parts of St. Domingo. But the most illustrious monument of British Operations naval glory was raised by earl Howe. During the preceding part of the war, France, conscious of her maritime inferiority, to Great Britain, had hitherto confined her exertions to cruisers and small squadrons for harassing our trade. In the mouth of May, the French were induced to depart from this system of naval warfare. Anxious for the safety of a convoy daily expected from America, conveying an immense supply of corn and flour, of naval stores and colonial productions, the Brest fleet, amounting to twenty-seven ships of the line, ventured to sea under the command of rear-admiral Villaret. Lord Howe expecting the same convoy, went to sea with twenty ships of the line. On the 28th May he descried the enemy to windward. Admiral Pasley in the evening gave signal to the vanmost ships to attack the enemy's rear. Lord Hugh Seymour Conway attacked the Revolutionaire of 120 guns, and being soon supported by captain Parker of the Audacious, so damaged the enemy's ship that she struck; but escaping during the night, of earl Howe and the channel fleet. |