was now the fifth campaign, during which their toils and sufferings were not less remarkable than their exploits. Hunger and nakedness had frequently been their portion, in the midst of their most splendid successes. Had not the incredibly hard living they were used to in their own country, under the severity of the old government, inured their bodies to go through much fatigue with a slender sustenance, and few comforts, they would not have proved adequate to the labours and scanty support to which they submitted, with such admirable patience, in the course of their warfare. This part of their character attracted the notice of foreign nations as much as of their own; and it was often a matter of surprise, how they could perform the duties of a military life with so stinted and wretched a fare, and under so many discouragements.

The army of Italy, in particular, had exhibited astonishing examples of fortitude in the most trying situations; that their enemies had concluded, from the reports of the difficulties to which they were reduced, in procuring the means of existence, that nothing else would be needed to compel them to abandon their position, and withdraw to France. It was previously, how ever, to the present campaign, and while they were stationed among the rocks, extending along the south

of Piedmont to the frontiers of France, that the French soldiers had occasion to exhibit their patience under hard fare. The coarse and disgusting food, on which they subsisted, was compared to the Lacedemonian broth of old, and none, it was said, but Frenchmen, Greenlanders, or Scotch Highlanders, could have fed on such messes.

It was by their perseverance, in these extremities, that they maintained the posts they occupied, and afforded time to Buonaparte to join them, at the head of those reinforcements, united with which they marched to the conquest of Italy.

This and their other achievements were incessantly held out to the French armies, as incentives to adhere faithfully to a cause which they had hitherto supported with so 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 ease, in the enjoyment of those remunerations promised them for their services.

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

CHAP.

so considerably increased, and the garrison so much strengthened, that, unless the French could attack it on the German, as well as on their own, side of the Rhine, the communication with Germany would furnish it with continual supplies of men and provisions, and frustrate all their endeavours to reduce it. The opening of the campaign was auspicious to the French. Moving from Dusseldorf, that division which had wintered there, marched, under general Kleber, on the right side of the Rhine, towards a body of Austrians, encamped at the river Sieg, to guard its passage against the French; but these defeated them on the first of June, and, following their successes, 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 first of these engagements, the Austrians lost about two thousand men; in the second, near three thousand.

They had now crossed the Sieg, and the Lahn, and were in pursuit of the troops they had defeated at the passage of these rivers; they had, at the same time, invested the celebrated fortress of Ehrenbritstein, the capture of which would have given them the command of all the neighbouring country.

Happily for the Austrians, this was a place of extraordinary strength, and not to be subdued but by the greatest efforts and perseverance: in order, however, to secure it effectually, together with the adjacent parts, it was judged adviseable by the Austrian commanders, to move,

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

The archduke Charles, who was at the head of the Imperial army, crossed that river accordingly, about the eight of June, in such force as rendered the Austrians considerably superior in strength to the French, who, by this motion, were arrested in their progress towards Mentz, which they had nearly approached: and general Lefebre, one of their best officers, was, after a most brave and skilful defence, defeated on the fifteenth, near Wetzlaar, and compelled to repass the Lahn, and retire towards the Sieg, in his way back to Dusseldorf.

General Jourdan, who commanded the French army, opposed to the archduke, after raising the siege of Ehrenbritstein, near Siegburg, took a position 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 superiority of their numbers, attacked the division under Kleber, on the twentieth, at Kirpen, and after a well-disputed action, compelled him to retire, and abandon all the country he had reduced in his march from Dusseldorf; to which place he found it necessary to make a retreat, with that part of the army under his command, while the other recrossed the Rhine at Neuwied with Jourdan, and repossessed their former positions, in order to prevent the Austrians from deriving any farther advantages from their

success.

Manheim and Mentz seemed now to lie open to the attacks of the French; but as the protection they would receive from the Austrian

armies,

armies, on the right side of the Rhine, would render such an attempt extremely hazardous, they determined to besiege neither, but to leave their future reduction to the consequence of a plan of operations, which, if it succeeded according to their expectations, would not fail to put them in possession of those two cities, without the necessity of a siege.

When the archduke crossed to the right of the Rhine, he left a strong division of his forces in the Hundsdruck, the country lying on the left of that river, between Mentz, on the north, and Manheim, on the south. This division, toge ther with the garrisons of those two cities, was reputed sufficient 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 Austrian division, or of forming the siege of either of these places. In order, however, to deceive them, by such appearances as might facilitate his designs, he made a variety of motions, indicating an attack of several of their posts; and while they were making arrangements to oppose him, he drew off, unperceived, almost the whole of his army, and, by an expeditious march reached Strasburgh before the Austrians had discovered his motions.

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

entrance to the French into that circle.

He had proposed to attempt a passage in different places; and, in order the more easily to effect his design, to take possession of some of the islands in that river, but most of these happened to be overflowed, and the others were possessed by the Austrians, who were to be dislodged before he could make good his landing. To conceal his motions, he attacked them in the night of the twenty-fourth of June, in such force, and with so much resolution, that the Austrians were soon obliged to retire across the bridges communicating with the German side, and which they had not time to destroy. Over these the French passed to that side, but they had neither sufficient artillery nor cavalry to assist the infantry in case of an attack, which was every moment expected. In this critical situation, general Moreau determined to march forwards with the few pieces of cannon he had seized upon the islands. With these he resolutely assaulted the fortress of Kehl, and carried it. This sudden and unexpected success greatly alarmed the Austrian army, under the archduke; the rear of which was thereby put into danger, while the front was exposed to the force under Jourdan: who, collecting the divisions that had retre: ted, was preparing to join Kleber, again advancing towards the Austrians.

Marshal Wurmser, who com. manded the Austrian troops in the Brisgaw, from which large detachments had been sent to Italy, was unable to maintain his ground against Moreau, and the archduke was himself compelled to hasten to his aid; but before he could arrive,

Moreau