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called the Valley of Hell, from the frightful appearance of the rocks and mountains that hang over it on each fide, and in many places are hardly the space of thirty feet afunder. This valley extended feveral leagues; and at the opening that led out of it, a formidable body of Austrians was stationed. Moreau was duly sensible of the peril he was about to encounter; but no other method remained to extricate him from the many difficulties that furrounded him. Latour, though repeatedly defeated, was still in great force. Anxious to regain his reputation, he exerted himself inceffantly whenever the leaft advantage feemed attainable. While this indefatigable enemy pressed upon his rear, every inlet on each fide of the valley was filled with troops, awaiting the moment of aflailing the flanks of the French in their pallage through it. To guard against this multiplicity of dangers, Moreau disposed of his right and left'in such a manner, that the rear part of them protected his entrance into that valley, by facing the forces under Latour, and the van by advancing upon Navandorf and Petrasch on their respective wings, obliged them to divide their strength and attention. Having made these difpofitions, the main body of the French proceeded in compact order along the valley, at the farther opening of which a desperate fight en fued with the Austrians that guarded it. But the French cleared their way; as did also the rear of their right and left, which marched through with little molestation; and, having joined their respective divifions, presented altogether so formidable a countenance, that the Austrians, already disheartened by

their inability to prevent the passage of the French, did not attempt to attack them in the position they had taken after leaving the defile, nor in their march to Friburgh, where they arrived the next day.

This celebrated action took place on the twelfth of October. It completed the security and fuccess of one of the most memorable retreats recorded in the military annals of modern times. It covered with glory the troops that performed it, and the general that commanded them. Throughout the whole of his expedition, Moreau had difplayed confummate abilities. He had furmounted obstacles of every kind, and penetrated into the very heart of the empire. He had taken poffeffion of Augsburgh and of Munich, the capitals of Bavaria, and compelled the elector to fue for peace. Had not the ill-fortune attending Jourdan's army disconcerted his plan, it was highly probable that he would have marched into Auftria, and forced the emperor to accept of any peace that he could have obtained, discomforted as he then was in every quarter, and deprived of any other means to save himself from apparent destruction.

In the mean time, it cannot be denied, that the light in which the French directory perceived and represented the expeditions of its armies into Germany, was a true one. The princes of the empire were detached from the coalition; immenfe fums were levied, which defrayed the expences of the invafion; and a powerful diverfion was formed in favour of the expedition into Italy.

But it ought equally to have been acknowledged, as above, that these expeditions contributed to remove the partiality entertained for the French, from the minds of all the people in Germany, when they faw with how little reason they had expected to be benefit ed by the fucceffes of those licentious invaders. Nothing less than their infamous conduct to the people, who had long viewed them with benevolence, and had received them with cordiality, could have effaced the impreflion which had fo univerfally taken place in their favour. The Germans now became convinced of their error, in expecting that a foreign nation would be fincerely folicitous to rid them of their grievances, and would not rather make ufe of the opportunity of rendering them subservient to their own purposes.

But that confequence of the forced retreat of the French from Germany, which politicians efteemed moft deferving of confideration, was the immediate influence it had over the councils of the court of Berlin. While the French appeared irrefiftible, it harboured and undertook designs of a nature tending at once to revolutionize the whole empire, and to exact the dominion of Pruffia equally on the fall of Auftria and the ruin of the smaller states of Germany. The movements and fucceffes of the French in Italy and on the Rhine, and the establish ment on the part of Pruffia of a great military force in Nuremberg, feemed to indicate a plan for furrounding the emperor, by a wide circle, at the fame time that they laboured for his destruction, by interior attacks. The French armies contracted more and more

the

quarters of the Auftrians on the Rhine; the pofition of the Pruffians, at Nuremberg, precluded the army under the archduke from retreating

by the way of the Danube, otherwife than through their connivance, which, according to the usual policy of the court of Berlin, must be purchased by fome important conceffion. In a word, according to human views, the abasement, if not the ruin, of the house of Austria feemed to be faft approaching; and the liberties of the inferior states already to have fallen. It was, therefore, with universal fatisfaction that Germany beheld the Pruffian monarch's associates in these iniquitous designs, disabled from giving him assistance or countenance. The world indignantly beheld the affected moderation he assumed, by pretending to relinquish his ufurpations on the ground, that the inhabitants of the districts he had seized, would not confent to become his subjects, nor the empire itself be prevailed upon to authorize him to accept of their fubmission. His ambition appeared altogether of a mean and contemptible kind. It was evident he would have facrificed his common country to strangers, for the fake of promoting some paultry interests, the compassing of which would never have indemnified him from the danger he must have incurred by introducing so formidable and restless a people into Germany as the French. Their interference in its internal affairs would, in all likelihood, have been exerted without confulting his inclinations and interest, and might much more shortly than he imagined, have been extended to his own concerns, in a manner that would have affected him most detrimentally, and afforded him ample cause to repent of the fordid motives that had induced him to act against his country.

France, though difappointed in the great projects it had formed in therlands would be required, toge ther with the restoration of all the conquests made by the British army in both the Indies.

the expedition to Germany, still preserved its general preponderance against the coalition. The directory had, previoufly to the opening of the campaign, published to all Europe a defire to terminate the war upon equitable conditions; but these did not appear fuch to the two remaining powers in alliance against the republic. They well underftood, that the ceffion of the Ne-verify the epithet, bestowed upon it

perfuafions of a fimilar kind, that were no less current among the people of its hereditary dominions in Germany, contributed wonderfully to animate them in the defence of a family, that seemed, at all times, the peculiar favourite of fortune, and destined, however liable to temporary depression, ultimately to fucceed against all its enemies, and to

It was to confirm its pretenfions to these lofty demands, that France made those venturous attempts in the empire that had almost succeeded. But the failure did not induce the rulers of the republic to abate in their demands, which they still infifted on with as much obstinacy as if they had been completely fuccessful in those vast enterprizes.

Austria did not display less resolution. It felied on that constant good fortune which had, in the critical occurrences of many ages, never permitted it to be reduced to diftress, without finally providing it with the means of deliverance. Hence, in the midst of difficulties, the spirit of that high-minded family, though frequently staggered at the reverfes that befel it, and bending occafionally before unavoidable neceffity, still remained unbroken, and filently cherished the hope, that the hour of profperity would return, as it had fo often done, and richly repay it for its past loffes.

While such ideas were prevalent, the court of Vienna felt more indignation than despondency at the fuccess of the republican arms. The

so long ago, of fortunate.

The inferior fovereigns, and petty states of the empire, had, in the beginning of the contest between the coalition and the republic, wavered in their opinion concerning the justice and propriety of requiring them to join against a people that had given them no provocation. Hence flowed those difcontents, and murmurs, against the Imperial mandates, and requifitions, to that purpose, which were gradually converted into an enmity to thofe that issued them, and into good wishes to the cause against which they combated. But this hoftile difposition had no activity. A long and habitual subserviency to the politics of the court of Vienna was too firmly established among moft of the secondary princes, and Imperial cities, as they are styled, to be fhaken by transitory events. The court of Berlin was more feared than respected, and its tergiversation destroyed all influence but that which proceeded immediately from the terror of its arms. Thus the Austrian interest, though it fometimes fluctuated, still recovered its influence, and the inimical designs of Pruffia, against the lesser states of the empire, together with the flagitious behaviour of the French, restored, in a great measure, the preponderance of the Imperial court, and the former readiness to coincide with its wishes. The return of this complying temper was also partly due to the neceffity which Austria felt, of paying a competent regard to the ideas and inclinations of the people at large, and of carefully avoiding to give them just cause of

ance

offence.

The frontiers of France, on the Rhine, were now in danger of becoming again the theatre of war. Thefpirit and activity of the archduke, encreased by his late successes, had prompted him to an enterprize, from which, if he fucceeded, much utility and honour would be derived

This was to retake, by a fudden and vigorous attack, the fortress of Kehl. To this end he detached, from his army, a corps of chofen men, who attacked the French general, Scherer, at Bruchsal, in the proximity of the Rhine, on the thirteenth of September, and, pushing him before them as far as Kehl, forced the outworks on the nineteenth, and had nearly carried that strong fortress. A tremendous fire, from the French batteries, compelled them, at length, to retire: but the boldness and resolution displayed in this enterprize did great honour to the aflailants, and shewed how little the Austrian troops were daunted by the fucceffes of the French.

The fame enterprizing disposition continued to characterize the archduke in his operations against the French, after their retreat to Friburgh, where Moreau had now eftablished his quarters. On the feventeenth of October, his advanced posts, at Kindringen, in the vicinity, were affailed with great fury by the Imperial army, commanded by the

archduke in person. All the generals that had been employed against Moreau, in the course of the campaign, were present in this action, which was maintained with remarkable obstinacy by both parties. The personal intrepidity of the archduke was confpicuous on this occafion. The right wing of his army, under Latour, being repulfed, and on the point of abandoning the attack of Kindringen, he put himself at the head of a body of granadiers, who returned to the charge and carried it. The left wing, and the centre of the Austrians, met with the firmeft resistance, and, though the French were worsted, the action was not decisive.

General Moreau, finding himself overpowered by the immenfe fuperiority of numbers that occupied the positions around, concentrated his force in such a manner, as either to make a vigorous defence, or a fecure retreat, as circumftances should render it most expedient. He was attacked upon the strong ground he had chosen at Schlingen, fituated upon a height, near Friburgh, on the twenty-third of October. The difpofitions made by general Moreau, to receive the enemy, were fo judicious, that, notwithstanding the number and valour of the Austrians, and the expertness of their commanders, the contest lafted three days, when the French, after difputing every inch of ground, retired in the best order, across the Rhine, at Huninghen, on the twenty-fixth. retreat was conducted with fuch firmness in the men, and skill in their commander, that the Austrians were neither able, nor willing, to attempt a close pursuit.

Their

The

The French, on leaving the right fide of the Rhine, had provided the fortress of Kehl with a garrison, composed of felect officers and foldiers. Moreau's intention was to find the Austrians such employment, in the fiege of this important place, that they thould not have leifure to turn their attention to any other object in that quarter. His project fucceeded fo well, that, till the commencement of the enfuing year, their whole time and strength were fpent in efforts to reduce this fortrefs. Herein they loft numbers of their best men. A very ferious action took place on the twenty-fecond of November. The garrifon made a general fally, and, driving the befiegers from their line of circumvallation, fpiked all their cannon, and, after making a great flaughter, carried off a large number of prisoners.

In order to balance this check, the Auftrians attacked, on the thirtieth of November, the fortification that covered the head of the bridge of Huninguen, on their fide. The attempt was made in the middle of the night, and the French were driven from their works. Recovering, however, from their disorder, they fell upon the affailants, retook their works, and defeated them fo completely, that they were obliged to retire, with the utmost speed, to a great distance, furioufly pursued by the French, who flew and took vast numbers, though not without a fevere lofs on their fide, at the first onfet, which was very unfavourable, and had nearly put the enemy in poffeffion of the head of the bridge, whereby the communication with Kehl would have been cut off, and its reddition accelerated. VOL. XXXVIII.

Such

This action, for the time it lasted, and from the mutual animosity of the combatants, was reputed the most destructive of any that had yet happened during this war. was the fury of both the French and Austrians, that they were wholly intent upon flaughter. Few pri foners were made; and the killed and wounded, on both fides, was computed at four thousand, the lofs being nearly equal,

The month of December was confumed in operations of this kind, which occafioned the lofs of numbers, and ferved only to exercise the skill and bravery of both parties. It was not till the opening of the next year, that, after a valiant defence of two months, the fortress of Kehl furrendered to the Auftrians, who thereby became poffefled of a heap of rubbish and ruins. The garrifon carried away the very pallifadoes, and left nothing worth the taking. The works at the head of the bridge were in like manner evacuated fome time after, and a final termination put to the operations of the campaign in this quarter.

The French and Austrian armies, on the lower Rhine, harrassed by the incessant fatigues they had undergone, came alfo to the determination of concluding hoftilities during the winter. An armiftice took place between them, about the middle of December, by which they mutually agreed to retire into cantonments, and to remain there peaceably, till the fufpenfion should be formally declared at an end.

The termination of a campaiga so unfortunate in its commencement, and fo favourable in its termination, to the Auftrian intereft in Germany, totally revived its in[L] finence

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