CHA P. IX. Campaign in Germany-Oppofite Designs of the French and Auftrians.Succeffes of the French.-They invest Ehrenbritficin.-Driven back, by the Archduke Charles, to Duffeldorf-The Divifion of the French Army under Moreau takes Poft at Strapburg. The Plan of Operations propofed by this General.-Croffes the Rhine.-Reduces the Fortress of Kehl.-Defeats the Auftrians, under Marshal Wurmfer, near Philipsburg.—And in various and fucceffive Engagements.-The Aufirians retire, in order to wait for Reinforcements, into the Interior of Germany, Junction of the French Troops under Jourdan and Kleber.-Thefe united reduce Frankfort.Succeffes of Morcau in Swabia.-Ceffation of Hoftilities between the French and the Princes of Wirtemberg and Baden.-Conduct of Prussia.-A Pruffian Army takes Poffeffion of Nuremberg.-Impolicy of the French in the Mode of raifing Contributions.-Caufe of this.-Depredations of the French in Germany-Operations of the French Armies under Moreau and Jourdan.Difafters of the Aufirians.-The Emperor represents the Situation of Germany, and his own Situation, in an Appeal to his Bohemian and Hungarian Subjects.-Dict of the Empire.-Partakes of the general Confternation of Germany.-Determination to open a Negociation for Peace with France, -The Tide of Succefs turned against the French by the Germans, under the Archduke Charles.--Obflinate Engagements.-Masterly Retreat of the French Armies.-Particularly of that, under Moreau.-Confequences.-The Auftrians occupied in the Siege of Kehl.-Sully of the Garrison there. -Various Actions-Armistice between the French and Auftriaus.— The Diet of the Empire re-animated by the enterprizing Spirit and Success of the Archduke Charles, folicitous to regain the Favour of the Imperial Court. ployed in a conteft with the Auftrian arias and authority in Italy, Jourdan and Moreau were engaged in a conflict with the fame formidable enemy on the Rhine; which the French had long propofed to make the boundary of the republic, on the fide of Germany. The object to which the Auftrians were thought to direct their motions was Luxenbourg; the recovery of which important fortrefs, at the opening of the campaign, would have given great reputation to the Auftrian arms, and opened, at the fame time, a paffage for the recovery of the Netherlands. The French were no lefs defirous of obtaining poffeffion of Mentz, in their attempts on which they had loft fuch numbers, and experienced fo many difappointments; but the fortifications of this city had been fo confiderably increafed, and the garrifon fo much ftrengthened, 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 divifon 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 first of June, and, following their fucceffes, en countered 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 first 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 paflage of these rivers: they had, at the fame time, invefted the celebrated fortress of Ehrenbritstein, 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 effectually, together with the adjacent parts, it was judged advifeable, by the Auftrian commanders, to move, 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 moft brave and fkilful defence, defeated, on the fifteenth, near Wetzlaar, and compelled 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 raifing the fiege of Ehrenbritftein, near Siegburg, took a pofition where he hoped to make a ftand, 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 courtry he had reduced, in his march from Duffeldorf; to which place he found it necellary 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 at tempt extremely hazardous, 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 poffeffion of thofe 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, toge ther with the garrifons of those 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, almoft the whole of his army, and, by an expeditious march, reached Strafburgh before the Auftrians had difcovered his motions. He had now attained the spot from whence he was to enter upon the execution of his project, which was, to crofs the Rhine, oppofite this city, into Swabia, and to take the fort of Kehl; by being mafter 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 proposed 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 poffeffed by the Aufirians, who were to be diflodged before he could make good his landing. To conceal his motions, he attacked them in the night of the twenty-fourth of June, in fuch force, and with so 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 thefe the French pafled to that fide, but they had neither fufficient artillery nor cavalry to aflift 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 fortrefs 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 againft 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 purfued them to Radftadt, where, having received re-inforcements, they made a ftand; 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 Aufirians 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 fortrefles of Philipfburgh and Ehrenbretftein, and retired farther into Germany, to wait for reinforcements, before they could venture to refume offentive 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 thoufand of them. After difperfing all the various corps that attempted to impede their progrefs, they arrived, on the twelfth of July, within fight of Francfort on the Main. This city, with feveral others in 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 iffied 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. He granted a fafeguard to all its members, and ftrictly forbad its proceedings to be difturbed under any pre tence. Among the cities that furrendered to Jourdan was that of Wurtsburgh, one of the most confiderable bishopricks and ecclefiaftical principalities in Germany. Here he found immenfe magazines and two hundred pieces of cannon. It fell into his hands on the twenty-fixth of July; and fhortly after, having forced Wartenfleben to retire beyond the Rednitz, near Bamberg, on the firft of Auguft, he took poffeffion of that capital of Franconia, on the fame day: like Wurtsburgh, it was allo a bishopric and principality, and poffeffed a confiderable territory. [K] By By thefe conquefts Jourdan was now ftationed in the heart of Germany, whence he threatened to invade, at his pleasure, the dominions of all the neighbouring princes. Saxony and Bohemia lay open to him, and fuch was the confternation univerfally occafioned by thefe victorious irruptions of the French into the empire, that its numerous principalities and states seemed to have loft all courage, and to be prepared for any conditions the victor fhould think it proper to impofe upon them. General Moreau, on the other hand, immediately after his victory at Ettlingen, took poffeffion of Friburgh, the capital of the Brifgaw, and of Stutgard, the capital of the duchy of Wirtemburg; the archduke endeavoured to impede his operations; but was fpeedily constrained to retire across the Necker, where, taking advantageous pofitions, he refolutely ftrove again to refift him: but his efforts were inefectual, and he was compelled to confult his fafety, by pafling to the other fide of the Danube, while Moreau made himself mafter of the rich and extenfive circle of Swabia. The respective dominions of the duke of Wirtemburg, and the margrave of Baden, being now in poffeflion of the French, thofe princes were compelled to make application to the directory, for a ceflation of hoftilities against them. They eafily obtained their requeft, and their dominions w re restored to them, on condition of entirely detaching themfelves from the enemies to the republic, and affording them no affiftance of any kind. The poffeffions of the duke, on the left of the Rhine, were ceded to France. The facility and moderation dif played by the directory, on this occafion, was, in the unanimous opinion of politicians, the foundest policy they could purfue in their prefent circumftances. As it could not be the defign of the French government, to retain any of the acquifitions made in Germany, the wifeft measures they could embrace, were to reftore them to their ownners, on the fimple condition of ceafing to act against the French. This alone would gradually establish an amicable correfpondence with thofe fovereigns and ftates in Germany, whofe friendship it behoved them to cultivate, and whom it was their bufinefs to detach from the interefts of the houfe of Auftria, by holding out the aid of the republic against its too extenfive power and influence in all that related to the management and concerns of the Germanic body. This period feemed appropriated, as it were, to the depreffion of this ambitious power. The policy of the French was indefatigably exercifed in confirming the antipathy of its former enemies, and in raifing up as many new ones as circumftances would enable them. Pruffia, the hereditary rival of Auftria, was encouraged to form as many new pretenfions, and to revive as many old and obfolete claims, as it had ftrength to enforce. The ambition of the houfe of Brandenburgh had conftantly been upon the increase, fince its exaltation to the regal title, in the commencement of the prefent century. It had omitted no opportunity of adding to its territories, and the circumftances of Europe had, in general, been favourable to its purfuits. The jealoufy of the houfe of Auftria did not view this aggrandilement |