was now the fifth campaign, during which their toils and fufferings were not lefs remarkable than their exploits. Hunger and nakedness had frequently been their portion, in the midst of their moft fplendid fucceffes. Had not the incredibly hard living they were used to in their own country, under the feverity of the old government, inured their bodies to go through much fatigue with a flender fuftenance, and few comforts, they would not have proved adequate to the labours and fcanty fupport to which they fubmitted, with fuch admirable patience, in the courfe of their warfare. This part of their character attracted the notice of foreign na tions as much as of their own; and it was often a matter of furprize, how they could perform the duties of a military life with fo ftinted and wretched a fare, and under fo many difcouragements.

The army of Italy, in particular, had exhibited aftonishing examples of fortitude in the moft trying fituations; that their enemies had concluded, from the reports of the difficulties to which they were reduced, in procuring the means of existence, that nothing elfe would be needed to compel them to abandon their pofition, and withdraw to France. It was previously, how ever, to the prefent campaign, and while they were ftationed among the rocks, extending along the fouth

of Piedmont, to the frontiers of France, that the French foldiers had occafion to exhibit their patience under hard fare. The coarfe and difgufting food on which they fubfifted, was compared to the Lacedemonian broth of old, and none, it was faid, but Frenchmen, Greenlanders, or Scotch Highlanders, could have fed on fuch meffes.

It was by their perfeverance, in thefe extremities, that they maintained the pofts they occupied, and afforded time to Buonaparte to join them, at the head of thofe reinforcements, united with which they marched to the conqueft of Italy.

This and their other atchievements were inceflantly held out to the French armies, as incentives to adhere faithfully to a caute which they had hitherto fupported with fo much glory. One more campaign would, probably, put an end to their toils; and, by procuring a glorious peace, enable them to return to their country, and spend their future lives with honour and eafe, in the enjoyment of thofe remunerations promised them for their fervices.

Such were the arguments and expectations that animated the armies of France at this period, especially that which had performed fuch great things in Italy, and now hoped to clofe the year by the capture of · Mantua, and the total fall of the Auftrian empire in Italy.

CHAP

fo confiderably increased, and the garrifon fo much strengthened, that, unless the French could attack it on the German, as well as on their own, fide of the Rhine, the communication with Germany would furnish it with continual fupplies of men and provifions, and fruftrate all their endeavours to reduce it.

The opening of the campaign was aufpicious to the French. Moving from Duffeldorf, that divifion which had wintered there, marched, under general Kleber, on the right fide of the Rhine, towards a body of Auftrians, encamped at the river Sieg, to guard its paffage against the French; but thefe defeated them on the firft of June, and, following their fucceffes, encountered and routed another body, commanded by the prince of Wirtemberg, on the fourth, at Altenkirchen, a place lying on the road to Mentz, whither the French intended to force their way, in order to intercept its communication with Germany. In the firft of thefe engagements, the Auftrians loft about two thousand men; in the fecond, near three thoufand.

They had now croffed the Sieg, and the Lahn, and were in purfuit of the troops they had defeated at the paffage of thefe rivers: they had, at the fame time, invefted the celebrated fortrefs of Ehrenbritftein, the capture of which would have given them the command of all the neighbouring country.

Happily for the Auftrians, this was a place of extraordinary ftrength, and not to be fubdued but by the greatest efforts and perfeverance: in order, however, to fecure it ef fectually, together with the adjacent parts, it was judged advifeable, by the Auftrian commanders, to move,

1

with the greater part of their forces, to the defence of the German fide of the Rhine.

The archduke Charles, who was at the head of the Imperial army, croffed that river accordingly, about the eight of June, in fuch force, as rendered the Auftrians confiderably fuperior in ftrength to the French, who, by this motion, were arrested in their progrefs towards Mentz, which they had nearly approached: and general Lefebre, one of their beft officers, was, after a most brave and skilful defence, defeated, on the fifteenth, near Wetzlaar, and com pelled to repafs the Lahn, and retire towards the Seig, in his way back to Duffeldorf.

General Jourdan, who commanded the French army, opposed to the archduke, after raising the fiege of Ehrenbritftein, near Siegburg, took a pofition where he hoped to make a stand, until the reinforcements he expected had joined him; but the archduke, confiding in the goodness of his troops, as well as the fuperiority of their numbers, attacked the divifion under Kleber, on the twentieth, at Kirpen, and, after a well-difputed action, compelled him to retire, and abandon all the courttry he had reduced, in his march from Duffeldorf; to which place he found it neceflary to make a retreat with that part of the army under his command, while the other recrofled the Rhine at Neuwied with Jourdan, and repoffeffed their former pofitions, in order to prevent the Auftrians from deriving any farther advantages from their fuccefs.

Manheim and Mentz feemed now to lie open to the attacks of the French; but, as the protection they would receive from the Auftrian

armies,

armies, on the right fide of the Rhine, would render fuch an attempt extremely hazardons, they determined to befiege neither, but to leave their future reduction to the confequence of a plan of operations, which, if it fucceeded according to their expectations, would not fail to put them in poffeflion of those two cities, without the neceffity of a fiege.

When the archduke crofled to the right of the Rhine, he left a ftrong divifion of his forces in the Hundfdruck, the country lying on the left of that river, between Mentz, on the north, and Manheim, on the fouth. This divifion, together with the garrifons of thofe two cities, was reputed fufficient to watch and repel the motions of general Moreau, who commanded the French forces in that quarter.

But this active general was intent on a very different plan from that of annoying the Auftrian divifion, or of forming the fiege of either of thefe places. In order, however, to deceive them, by fuch appearances as might facilitate his defigns, he made a variety of motions, in dicating an attack of feveral of their pofts; and, while they were making arrangements to oppofe him, he drew off, unperceived, almost the whole of his army, and, by an expeditious march, reached Strafburgh before the Auftrians had difcovered

his motions.

He had now attained the fpot from whence he was to enter upon the execution of his project, which was, to cross the Rhine, oppofite this city, into Swabia, and to take the fort of Kehl; by being master of which, he would gain the command of a large extent of country in its proximity, and fecure an

8

entrance to the French into that circle.

He had propofed to attempt a paffage in different places; and, in order the more easily to effect his defign, to take poffeffion of fome of the islands in that river, but most of thefe happened to be overflowed, and the others were poffefled by the Auftrians, who were to be diflodged before he could make good his landing. To conceal his motions, he attacked 'thein in the night of the twenty-fourth of June, in fuch force, and with fo much refolution, that the Auftrians were foon obliged· to retire across the bridges communicating with the German fide, and which they had not time to deftroy. Over these the French paffed to that fide, but they had neither fufficient artillery nor cavalry to affift the infantry in cafe of an attack, which was every moment expected. In this critical fituation, general Moreau determined to march forwards with the few pieces of cannon he had feized upon the iflands. With thefe he refolutely affaulted the fortiefs of Kehl, and carried it. This fudden and unexpected fuccefs greatly alarmed the Auftrian army, under the archduke; the rear of which was thereby put into danger, while the front was expofed to the force under Jourdan: who, collecting the divifions that had retreated, was preparing to join Kleber, again advancing towards the Auftrians.

Marthal Wurmfer, who commanded the Auftrian troops in the Brifgaw, from which large detachments had been fent to Italy, was unable to maintain his ground against Moreau, and the archduke was himself compelled to haften to his aid; but, before he could arrive,

Moreau

Moreau fell upon the Auftrians at Renchan, a village near Philipfburgh, and totally defeated them, on the twenty-eighth of June, with a confiderable lofs of men and cannon. He pursued them to Radstadt, where, having received re-inforcements, they made a stand; but, after an obftinate conflict, were again routed on the fixth of July. General Laroche had, on the fecond, defeated a large body of them pofted on Mount Kubis, the highest of thofe called the Black Mountains. They now retreated to the village of Ettlingen, a ftrong pofition in the neighbourhood of Manheim. Here they were joined by the major part of the archduke's army, and appeared refolved to make a vigorous refiftance for the prefervation of that part of Germany. The battle was fought, on the ninth of July, with great fury on both fides, but ended to the advantage of the French. They were repulfed in four charges, but fucceeded in the fifth, which was made with the bayonet. The Auftrians loft great numbers flain in the field, befide fifteen hundred who were taken.

This victory decided the fuperiority on the Rhine in favour of the French. The Auftrians left totally uncovered the cities of Mentz and Manheim, and the fortreffes of Philipsburgh and Ehrenbretftein, and retired farther into Germany, to wait for reinforcements, before they could venture to resume offenfive operations.

In the mean time, general Kleber had again proceeded from Duffeldorf, and advanced along the right bank of the Rhine. He was joined on the fecond of July by general Jourdan, who had croffed the Rhine VOL. XXXVIII.

near Coblentz. The Auftrian general, Wartenfleben, had not been able to oppose these various movements of the French, who had worfted his troops on feveral occafions, and taken or killed near two thousand of them. After dif perfing all the various corps that attempted to impede their progres, they arrived, on the twelfth of Juy, within fight of Francfort on e Main.

This city, with feveral others n its proximity, furrendered to the French, on capitulations that left them in poffeffion of their municipal laws and government. In order to quiet the minds of the Germans, and convince them that the views of the French did not extend to any permanent poffeffion of the towns and territories they had feized, general Jourdan iffued a proclamation, by which he formally engaged to protect the judicial chamber of the empire at Wetzlar, fituated in the circle of the Upper Rhine, at fome diftance from Francfort. granted a fafeguard to all its members, and ftrictly forbad its proceedings to be disturbed under any pre

tence.

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