body of Austrians being in the vicinity of that place.

August the 11th, the Prussian army was put in motion. This force had been encamped in the neighbourhood of Triers, and intended to enter France by the route of Sirk and Thionville. The army of emigrants consisting of 10,000 men, were kept a day's march in the rear of the Prussians. On the night of the 11th, a slight skirmish took place between a party of French and Prussians. On the 12th, the Prussian hussars and chasseurs occupied the post of Sirk; where the inhabitants who had fired from the windows on the Prussian troops, were hanged by the common hang

man.

General Clairfait was now in full march towards Montmedi, with the view of co-operating and forming a junction in France with the Prussian army. On the 22d this General made himself master of Longwy, after a very feeble and ineffectual resistance, notwithstanding that it was strongly fortified, well-garrisoned and amply provided with stores and provisions. Some days previous to this, the Prussians had attacked, the French post, at Aumeby, near to Villers la Montagne; which they carried after a vigorous resistance; in which each party sustained a considerable loss. The combined armies now commenced the important siege of Thionville; and shortly after that of Verdun. Thionville was gallantly defended, although surrounded by an army of 50,000 men : but Verdun was treacherously delivered, as Longwy had been before, to the enemy; which facts confirmed, in the opinion of the nation, the danger in which they were, by having their

armies and fortified places in the hands of nobles, and most of them disaffected to the cause of the revolution. The French executive government apprehending their growing danger, used every method to stimulate the patriotism of their countrymen. M. Luckner was appointed Generalissimo of the armies of France. An entrepot was established under his immediate control at Chalons-sur-Marne, where. he established his head quarters. To this point all the fresh levies were conducted; from whence, after they were inspected, they were forwarded to the different armies, accordingly as circumstances or exigencies might require.

It cannot be disputed that Dumouriez did, on all occasions, acquit himself as an active and enterprizing officer; and that he evinced a very considerable degree of knowledge in his profession. The proclamation which, according to the instructions of Roland, minister of the home department of France, he issued at the critical moment, when the combined armies were by rapid movements attempting to penetrate to Paris, was a well-judged, and a provident measure. He commanded the inhabitants to drive all the cattle and horses behind the French camps, to destroy, or carry away provisions and forage, and to cut down the trees every where, to form abbatis, that the march of the enemy might be impeded as much as possible. About this time General Latour and Colonel Mylius made an attack on the towns of Lannoi and Roubaix, situated between Tournay and Lisle; which were taken after a vigorous resistance on the part of the French.

The disgrace that followed the

feeble

feeble defence of Longwy, appears to have had a good effect on those to whom the command of fortified places had been entrusted. Thionville continued to make a vigorous resistance. A sortie was made with the best effect; and prevented the enemy from carrying on active operations against the place.

The advanced guard of the Prussians still continuing to advance, General Kellerman moved to Barle-duc; which obliged the Prussians to fall back on the main body. He afterwards ordered his army towards St. Dizier, to cover Chalons from the enemy.

An attack had been made on the 12th, by the Prussian army, upon Dumouriez's head quarters at Grand Pré.-The enemy was met at Chenay Befu, by a detachment of the French army, under the command of General Miranda. An action took place between the French and Prussian infantry; which last were driven by the French, supported by their artillery, to the village of Morthemehere the engagement was renewed, the Prussians having received reinforcements both of infantry and artillery. But they were again overpowered, and forced to retire upon their advanced posts at Briguenay, where their cavalry was equally compelled to retire by the French artillery and light cavalry. This action,though not a great one (the bo

dy of troops engaged, being on the side of the French 1500 in all, and that of the Prussians 3000) yet was of great importance at that moment. The French were taught, by that essay, that they might meet a body of Prussians, and with advantage, even with an inferior number :that their artillery had appeared that day intrinsically superior to the enemy's; and that their Generals could manoeuvre before the Prussians with equal success: which considerations certainly raised very much the spirit of the French army.

On the 14th September another attack was made on Dumouriez's army, at La Croix au Bois. A detachment under General Chazaux had suffered and lost that important post; which check forced Dumouriez to make his retreat; and the General was on the point of breaking up his camp at Grand Pré, and retiring to St. Menehould*; when, by a lucky change of fortune, he defeated the enemy, re-established his camp, and issued orders for the protection of the country. Dumouriez's force was daily increasing; and the armies of France drawing to a focus, for the protection of the capital. Dumouriez's army consisting now of 26,000 men ; Kellerman's of 22,000; Bournonville's of 11,000 with 8000 men expected from Paris, constituted an army of nearly 20,000 men.

Butrumours, very unfavourable to

the

the French army, were at this time in circulation; and, in consequence thereof, two battalions which had been ordered by Luckner to join Dumouriez from Chalons, refused to march. The real truth of the unfortunate event which occasioned these reports, has not as yet been clearly ascertained; or rather, they have been industriously concealed. Dumouriez, in his letter, denounces vengeance on the fugitives and those battalions who had basely deserted their guns, at the same time, the General asserts, that he can answer for the safety of his country, and requests that the Assembly may be under no alarm.

Montmedy, invested by Clairfait, made an excellent defence, which, with that of Thionville, prevented the combined armies from advancing in their march towards the capital of France.

On the 11th of September, the army under Clairfait having quitted the camp at Romayne, posted itself on the heights above Barecourt and Besancy; and a part of the Prussian troops made a movement in a parallel direction. In consequence of these movements, partial actions took place between the armies; in which the French appear to have regained the credit they had lost in the action of Grand Pré. The forces of the French were now collected at the important points of Chalons, Rheims, and St. Menehould. The army of Dumouriez was that of the advanced guard; and on whose particular exertions depended the fate of France. The combined armies, by their entrance into Champaign, would have obtained possession of the finest country in the kingdom, and

the best adapted to the movements of regular troops; and more especially of cavalry, with which the Austrian and Prussian armies so abounded. It would, in fact, have given the key of Paris, and the certainty of its possession. The eyes of ali were now turned to this important object: the defeat of Dumouriez's army would instantly have broken up the body of raw, undisciplined troops, stationed at Chalons; who, no doubt, would have fled to Paris, and whose arrival would have created the greatest alarm and consternation. The friends of royalty would have rallied, and have opened the gates of the capital to the victorious enemy.

On the 20th of September, the combined armies attacked the advanced guard of Kellerman, near to Dampierre: the Austrian and Prussian armies were repulsed. This attack took place on the 20th of September, when there was a very vigorous cannonade on both sides. Soon after a truce took place, and a negociation was opened between the King of Prussia and Dumouriez. The Prussians were in the mean time taking measures for their retreat. The republican government was proclaimed by the Convention; and all negociation was of course at an end. The Duke of Brunswick sent his second manifesto, as preposterous as the first, and in contradiction to the propositions that had been made in the course of this suspension of arms. Kellerman, struck with a sudden terror, wanted to make a retreat at this critical moment; and all that Dumouriez and other officers of inflence of the army could do, was, to promise him that all the baggage of the army should be sent to the

rear

rear at Vitry, to enable him to move, if necessity should compel him to take such a step. The enemy made his retreat soon after; and Kellerman was convinced of his imprudence and folly. We cannot help remarking that this seems to be the period when discipline and subordination began to be displayed in the French armies. Sickness and want of provisions began to pervade the combined armies, particularly that of the Prussians. The soldiers, from eating large quantities of unripe grapes, had brought on a bloody flux: the horses of the cavalry were in like manner seized with distempers, owing to the new wheat on which they had been fed. In a letter, found in the pocket of the Prince de Ligne, who was killed on the 14th of September, it appears that the Austrian troops could procure nothing to eat; that they scarcely ever eat meat, and had tasted nothing hot for four or five days together: the weather too had been very bad, which increased the sickness and mortality, and rendered the roads impassable. By the same letter of the Prince de Ligne, it appears that all the promises made to them by the emigrants, with the most sanguine expectation of success, had completely failed; which produced great coolness and divisions among them. We may recollect that Dumouriez had, in a proclamation, commanded the peasants to cut down the trees, and everywhere to form abbatis, to cut up the roads, and to oppose by every means the progress of the combined forces. These prudent measures, added to the bravery of the peasants themselves, who fre. quently attacked small detachments from the army, and fired with great

success on the enemy, was very conducive to the retreat of the Austrians and Prussians.

War having been declared by France against the King of Sardinia, and a very considerable body of his troops having advanced to the defiles of Savoy, General Montesquieu put his army in motion, and advanced upon that country. Montmelian received the French army; and shortly after Chamberry opened its gates. The Sardinian troops made no stand against the enemy, but made a precipitate and irregular retreat.

These successes

for a time shielded Montesquieu from an attack which had been made on his conduct in the Assembly, and from a vote of suspension which had absolutely taken place. The government of France determined also on the reduction of the Nice; for which purpose General Anselme and Admiral Triguet were joined in an expedition. Towards the end of the month, General Custine took possession of Spires, where he found abundance of ammunition and many guns. The Duke of Saxe Teschen, on the other hand, had invested Lisle with a considerable force, and had summoned it to surrender. But the Generals Ruhaut and Giscard, of the artillery, officers of great merit, took every measure to defend it, and succeeded. La Bourdonnai, the commander in chief, was much censured for the little assistance he gave to the garrison

The Duke of Brunswick foreseeing that the tide of war was likely to turn in favour of the French ; and that his army, reduced by sickness and famine, would soon be obliged to return home, under the disadvantages of a retreat (on which

he

he would be harassed on all sides) prudently resolved to attempt negociation; and on very moderate terms offered to withdraw his army, and to become the ally of France: all that he wished, was, the perfect safety of the King, and an honour able place for his Majesty in the new constitution.

About the end of the month the Prussians began to move off; they left Clermont, and quitted their advantageous camp on the heights of Lalune. The retreat of the Prussians opened the communication between Chalons and St. Menehould, which had been intercepted about twenty-four hours. The Duke, in this retreat, lost daily a great number of men, waggons, and horses; and afforded to the French generals a complete triumph. In this retreat the French army might have obtained advantages over the enemy if they had acted upon his rear with activity and resolution :-and this was Dumouriez's intention, having sent his orders for the purpose to Valence, Bournonville, and Miranda: but Kellerman opposed it; Bournonville acted with delay; no advantage was obtained; and time was left to the Duke of Brunswick to execute it with order, and a success which he could scarcely have expected from his situation. Dumouriez was particularly elated; and he assured the Assembly that he would fix for the winter his head-quarters at Brussels. The distress and want

of the Prussians in this business was undoubtedly great: the camps which they left, and which were taken possession of by the French, appeared more like a buryingground than the residence of the living: they had even been reduced to the necessity of eating their horses, to satisfy the cravings of nature.

The reputation of men, in all the different walks of life, but in none so much as that of war, depends, with vulgar minds, on success: as success, again, depends on fortune. The military renown of the Duke of Brunswick suffered a temporary relapse; and his pedantic adversary in the field, who has celebrated his own praises in three sizeable volumes, laboured to set off his own ability and address, by contrasting these with errors alleged by him to have been committed by the German commander. But the errors of the day are usually corrected by the progress of time; opinions descend from the higher and best informed to the lower classes of men: and the light of truth dispels the illusions of fancy, It has already sufficiently appeared that Dumouriez was not qualified to make a just estimate of the conduct of the Duke of Brunswick, being unacquainted with the whole of his views, as well as with many important circumstances in his actual situation. Though the Duke was disappointed in the force* on which he had been in

duced