General appeared, and shewed the impolicy and impracticability of the enterprize at that time. He declined this command; and was successful enough to persuade the members to relinquish the enterprize; or to suspend it till time should bring things to maturity; and future events shew what was the proper line to be pursued both relative to Spain and her colonies.

The force under the command of Kellerman had been, with infinite trouble and perseverance, organized, and was now become a regular, subordinate, and well appointed army, consisting of 40,000 effective men. The recent retreat, and the various defeats of the Austrian and Prussian troops, inspired the General with confidence that the period was now arrived when the Belgians and Liegeois would eagerly espouse the French cause; and by a ready co-operation, materially assist in the reduction of those fertile provinces, from whence the numerous armies of France would be supplied with provisions and forage; while the fortified places, with which the Low Countries abounded, would furnish ammunition and warlike stores of every kind. Advantages like these were not to be neglected. It was determined on by the National Assembly, that Brabant should be invaded by Dumouriez; and on the 1st of November, it was resolved by the Executive Council, that the armies should not cease to improve the advantages which they had already gained; nor enter into winter quarters till they had driven the combined armies beyond the Rhine.

When Dumouriez quitted his army, on his journey to Paris, this

army divided into two corps, under the Generals Bournonville and Miranda, and marched, on the 11th October, towards Valenciennes ; which movement produced the raising of the siege of Lisle by the Austrians. Dumouriez, at his return from Paris, found the army, quartered near Valenciennes, in very high spirits, and every thing, by the exertions of those two Generals, ready for marching into Belgium.

On the 27th of October, we find General Dumouriez at Valenciennes, where the magistracy shewed him every attention, and presented him with the keys of the town; the acceptance of which was of course refused. Troops were now daily arriving to complete the force destined against the Netherlands; and particular attention was paid by Dumouriez in collecting a very formidable train of field and heavy artillery, and which was said to extend to the length of some leagues on the road. At this period the German troops, which had already evacuated Orchies, St. Amand, and Marchiennes, were by degrees retiring from the French Netherlands towards Tournay and Mons. They had entrenched themselves in the Lys; and the advanced posts of the French army were at Roubaix and Lannoy.

By the 4th of November, Dumouriez had entered the Austrian Netherlands in nine columns, and advanced to Boussu (having quitted his head-quarters at Konning on the 3d) where the Austrians had an excellent position. He immediately attacked them, and killed 150, and took 200 prisoners, with the loss of no more than twenty

men.

men. By this success, a junction was formed with General d'Harville and his detachment from Bavay; and the army took possession of the territory of Delonges.

On the 5th, in the morning, General Dumouriez reconnoitred the position of the enemy. The Austtrian army consisted, according to some accounts, from 20,000 to 28.000* men, commanded by the Duke of Saxe Teschen. Their right extended to the village of Jemmappe, and their left towards Mount Palisel. They were posted in all this length, on a woody mountain; where they had, in an amphitheatre, three tiers of redoubts, furnished with twenty pieces of heavy artillery, at least as many fieldpieces, besides three field-pieces for each battalion, amounting in all to 100 pieces of cannon.

The army of Dumouriez was plentifully supplied with artillery; but on account of the superior advantage which the elevated situation of the enemy's guns afforded them, it would have been the height of imprudence to have trusted the event of the day to artillery alone. Dumouriez, relying on the energy and spirit of his troops, and the strong desire they had evinced to be led to action, determined on a vigorous and close attack in the course of the following day. On the afternoon of the 5th, several partial skirmishes took place between the contending armies; and General d'Harville was enabled, with 600 men, to take possession of

the heights of Framery; while General Dumouriez took his position with his right toward Framery, and his left extending towards Horme, having the enemy immediately in front. On the morning of the 6th, the General ordered twelve sixteen-pounders, the same number of twelve-pounders, with twelve sixpounders, to be advanced and disposed in the front of his line; by which disposition, d'Harville had the advantage of flanking the enemy's left. The General, in person, commanded the attack on the right: that of the centre was led by Egalité and other Generals. At seven in the morning a very heavy fire of artillery commenced on both sides. This continued without intermission, and without any decided effect on either side, till ten o'clock. The toops of France by this time displayed the greatest eagerness to attack the enemy with fixed bayonets. This mode of attack was recommended by the Generals Egalité and Bournonville; but it was necessary, previously to this, to approach certain of the enemy's batteries, and to occupy the village of Carignon, then in the possession of the Austrians, and without which the French could not attack the lines of Jemmappe. The direction of this attack was entrusted to CoJonel Thuvenot, an officer of merit and experience. His efforts were to be directed against the villages of Carignon and Jemmappe, and the right of the enemy's entrenchinents, as soon as he had effected

his

his object. To the left d'Harville was ordered to carry his batteries nearer to the enemy; by which means he could produce a more considerable impression, and, supported by General Bournonville, who was ordered at noon to attack the left, keep them in check towards that quarter. This was the time appointed for the general assault; when the centre of the French army moved on in columns, in regular order, to carry the lower tier of the Austrian batteries. This service was readily effected, but not without considerable confusion and disorder in the French line. Of this disorder the Austrian General wished to take advantage, and for that purpose detached the cavalry to charge the French troops. This movement was soon discovered by Dumouriez, who instantly gave orders for the hussars and chasseurs to cover the infantry, and to charge and repel the enemy; and he was himself of considerable use in form ing and directing the manœuvre.

While the French cavalry were successfully employed in this business, the infantry, under the command of Egalité, pushed on to gain possession of the second tier of redoubts. After this was performed with great bravery, there was still another effort to be made, in order to gain the summit of the heights, where the Austrians were posted to make their last and greatest stand. The intrepidity of Dumouriez's army, and their coolness in surmounting the complicated difficulties as they occurred, in the course of a long contested engagement, had very considerably slackened the order of the Austrians. At two o'clock in the afternoon, they com

pletely gave way on all sides; neither did they attempt to occupy or dispute any of the posts which remained to be defended between the heights of Jemmappe and Mons. They entered the garrison of this place in the most irregular manner, and which partook more of flight and panic than the defeat of a regular army, whose discipline and courage had hitherto been regarded as equal, if not superior to those of the first troops in Europe.

After the action, the General posted his army on the heights of Cuvenis, where he collected his wounded; and at the same time General d'Harville took possession of Mount Palisel, as M. Stetenboffe did of Mount Bertellmont. The Austrians lost in this action, according to the account of Dumouriez, "the most terrible in the memory of man, 4000 in killed and wounded, and nearly the same number in missing and disbanded." The loss of the French was about 300 killed and 600 wounded.

We cannot avoid remarking, that the French studiously, in all their engagements, diminish their own loss, whilst they exaggerate that of their opponents.

In this action, the superiority of numbers was very much on the side of the republicans, as they perhaps exceeded the Austrians in the proportion of three to one: and it is remarkable, that, notwithstanding the irregular retreat of the Austrians, they only lost eight pieces of cannon.

Dumouriez lost no time in summoning Mons to surrender. This place, after three different demands, was totally evacuated by the Austrians; and on the morning of the

7th, surrendered by the magistracy to General Bournonville, who had been ordered to commence the attack, by erecting batteries, and bombarding the town.

The Austrian forces retired to Brussels, whither Dumouriez now prepared to follow with all expedition, and otherwise to reap the fruit of this important victory.

Bournonville, to whom the magistracy of Mons had opened its gates, was appointed by the executive power to repair to Mentz, to take the command of the army under General Kellerman; that officer having

been recalled to Paris.

He was promoted to this command, for the purpose of supporting Custine, and acting with more vigour and judgment than his predecessor. But in this expectation, both ministers and the public were still disappointed.

Operations in West Flanders were at this time carried on with great enterprize and effect. On the 6th of November, General Labourdonnaye, who commanded in that quarter, gave orders to make a false attack on Menin, in order to cover his design of forcing the Austrians from several important posts which they occupied. They were in consequence beat at Pont Rouge, Comines, and Varneton; where they had entrenched them selves, but were obliged to retire. By these events the navigation of the river Lys was opened; which was an inestimable advantage to the French army. Forage was very scarce, and cattle could not be

spared to bring it from a distance. A boat was able to bring as much as would require sixty waggons to draw.

On the 8th in the morning, Labourdonnaye entered Tournay, with the first division of his army, which, following the example of Mons, had likewise been evacuated. The second division, encamped at Cisoing, was to follow the next day, in order jointly to proceed on operations concerted with Dumouriez.

The fall of Tournay was accompanied by that of Menin and Ipres; and on the 12th, General Labourdonnaye took possession of Ghent, the capital of Flanders, without the least difficulty. The Austrians under la Tour, to the number of 5000 men, fell back on Antwerp; but part of the baggage of his detachment, embarked on the Scheldt, fell into the hands of the French. During this time, Dumouriez had not been idle; for on the 13th he appeared before the city of Brussels; and on the morning of that day, his advanced guard beat a force commanded by the Prince of Wirtemberg, consisting of 8000 men, on the heights of Anderlicht. The engagement lasted six hours. The French lost thirty men; the loss of the Austrians is stated at a much greater number. On the 14th, in the morning, the gates of Brussels were opened to Dumouriez. General Miranda had been left in charge of the army, while the advanced guard, with Dumouriez at their head, had advanced to Brussels.

On

his object. To the left d'Harville was ordered to carry his batteries nearer to the enemy; by which means he could produce a more considerable impression, and, supported by General Bournonville, who was ordered at noon to attack the left, keep them in check towards that quarter. This was the time appointed for the general assault; when the centre of the French army moved on in columns, in regular order, to carry the lower tier of the Austrian batteries. This service was readily effected, but not without considerable confusion and disorder in the French line. Of this disorder the Austrian General wished to take advantage, and for that purpose detached the cavalry to charge the French troops. This movement was soon discovered by Dumouriez, who instantly gave orders for the hussars and chasseurs to cover the infantry, and to charge and repel the enemy; and he was himself of considerable use in form ing and directing the manœuvre.

While the French cavalry were successfully employed in this business, the infantry, under the command of Egalité, pushed on to gain possession of the second tier of redoubts. After this was performed with great bravery, there was still another effort to be made, in order to gain the summit of the heights, where the Austrians were posted to make their last and greatest stand. The intrepidity of Dumouriez's army, and their coolness in surmounting the complicated difficulties as they occurred, in the course of a long contested engagement, had very considerably slackened the order of the Austrians. At two o'clock in the afternoon, they com

pletely gave way on all sides; neither did they attempt to occupy or dispute any of the posts which remained to be defended between the heights of Jemmappe and Mons. They entered the garrison of this place in the most irregular manner, and which partook more of flight and panic than the defeat of a regular army, whose discipline and courage had hitherto been regarded as equal, if not superior to those of the first troops in Europe.

After the action, the General posted his army on the heights of Cuvenis, where he collected his wounded; and at the same time General d'Harville took possession of Mount Palisel, as M. Stetenboffe did of Mount Bertellmont. The Austrians lost in this action, according to the account of Dumouriez, "the most terrible in the memory of man, 4000 in killed and wounded, and nearly the same number in missing and disbanded." The loss of the French was about 300 killed and 600 wounded.

We cannot avoid remarking, that the French studiously, in all their engagements, diminish their own loss, whilst they exaggerate that of their opponents.

In this action, the superiority of numbers was very much on the side of the republicans, as they perhaps exceeded the Austrians in the proportion of three to one: and it is remarkable, that, notwithstanding the irregular retreat of the Austrians, they only lost eight pieces of cannon.

Dumouriez lost no time in summoning Mons to surrender. This place, after three different demands, was totally evacuated by the Austrians; and on the morning of the