1807.] 



Memoirs of the late Duke of Bnmsn'.ici; 



56:. 



afleinbli" and the conllitutcd authnrities 

 Mere to e>.j)f riciice all the uiidefiiicd ri- 

 gours of luartiul Inw. 



Souii after tills, Frederick William of 

 Prulli^, who had been pioclaiini'd the 

 *' head of tlx; league," arrived in the 

 x;ain|) of tlie allies: vhilc Uuiiioiirie/., 

 :i|jp(nntcd to -the chief couiniand of the 

 French arraiey, ali'iimed a Itroiig pofition 

 ill the fored of ArgoiMie, anil bid dcli- 

 ance to the invaders. The fiirrender of 

 Louew y and Verdun gave a fav(jurahlo 

 afpeft to the royal caiil'e; and on re- 

 ceivinrr this iiitelligencc, the uew trcneral 

 alluded to above, deemed it prudent to 

 withdraw to tjie cainp of St. Alenehouid, 

 within 110 miles of Paris. JJuring tliis 

 rotrcat, his new troops were foi/cd with 

 SI hidden panic, and 10,000 of them lied 

 Lcfire 1,J00 I'rulllaiis! 



^Jcanwhile, the reliliance experienced 

 by the allies, during the liege of 'I'liron- 

 villc; and the critical juurtioi: of the 

 Ceiierals Kellcrmaiiii and Bcuniam ille, 

 with the grand army, pro'\ed the lalva- 

 tioii of France. 



Xotwitlnlanding this, the Duke of 

 BrnnlV.ick act.aucod agaiuit the enemy, 

 wlioni he fiippofed, in conlequcnce of 

 the intclli<ieiK;e of the emigrants, to be 

 in iuU retreat towards the capital ; but 

 on the morning of the 'Mrh of Septem- 

 ber, he belield their Itrong entrenched 

 camp, fupporied by an imincnle train of 

 artillery, while a lame army was drawn 

 up in order of battle. Notwitiillanding 

 this, hi= llifjlmcfs gave orders to feize on 

 the heights of (lizancourt ; on which 

 Kellennaiui, whofe polltion had been 

 milked, brought up the whole of his 

 cannon to a comniandiiig eminence on 

 the hill of Valniy, and by means of a 

 ivcU-directed tire arrelied the progrefs of 

 tlie combined forces. By a uialieriy ma- 

 iiwuvrc on the part of the Freiicli com- 

 mander in ciiief, the allied arinv was at 

 tiie fame time out-flanked, and its left 

 turned. In coiiitquenccof this Ikirinilli, 

 during which au obfcure otheer of ca- 

 valry* appears to huv(,' foiled the tac- 

 ticians ivho had ItiidieJ the art of war 

 in the fchool of the immortal Frederick, 

 a retreat was rcfolved on ; and tliat 

 Jinny, which liafi marched forward in all 

 the pride oftriumj)h, was obli'.'cd fpeedi- 

 ly to withdraw, 'jy forced nuncios, del- 

 titutc of provifious, eiicuuibered willi 

 hagtage, expofed to tiie ravages of a 

 dreadful dylentery, and coniplcteW be- 

 reft (;f all its "l.,iv. 



* Dii(nuL.iitz, 



But it oiiLiht not to be omitted licre 

 that the Duke of Brunfwick )?, in part, 

 exempt from the blame attacheti to llicli 

 a crude and incoherent invahon. 'J hat 

 diltiiiguillied otheer, on perceiving that 

 tiie allies were received, not as deliver- 

 ers, but enemies, inlifled that iL had 

 become abfolutely tiecelfary to give ji 

 fvlteinaticai direction to the operations 

 of the combined armies. He objected, 

 alii), t(j ilie mode of warfare that Jia'd 

 been adopted, and wil.hcd tiiat ni> t'oi- 

 trols in his rear Oioidd remain uncap- 

 tured. But ho was oppofed by the Kiiij 

 ot' I'ruUia, who, replete with zeal, and 

 avaricious of glory, iiolVeired none of the 

 military talents of his uncle; and had it 

 not been lor the prudence and circum- 

 fpection of the general in chief, his r<?- 

 treat would have been cut otf, and thfe 

 monarih hinil'eif, peiha['s, carried a pri- 

 foiier t .' Paris. 



In 17;t.j, the Duke of Brunfwick re- 

 deemed I'omo portion of tlwt glory which 

 he Ir.id lolt at \almy, by the capture of 

 iVIeiiti!, and the battle of Pirmal'eas ; "ut 

 the latter of which he obtained polfeifioii 

 of tweiily-feven pieces of cannon and 

 two liowif/crs ; while he at the fame 

 time obliged 3,0|)0 of the enemy to 

 throw down tiieir arms, and fnrrciider 

 prifoners of war. After the lines of 

 Vt eiliemburg had been forced, he pur- 

 faed the Aullrians, and (hewed hiuii'i if 

 worthy of his former ruiiutation. 



He however foon after retired from 

 the command of the Pruilian army in 

 dilgud, and was fuccecdcd by .Mollen- 

 dor.f, the companion of his youth and 

 the rival of his old age. His Highnefs 

 immediately returned to Brunfwicli, and' 

 occupied himfelf, as nfual, with the 

 profjjeritv of his own dominions. Happy 

 would it have heen for him and for Wn 

 family, had he confined his cares to his 

 foiereigiit) ! But he was addicted to . 

 war from habit, and from difpofition; 

 and iiOtwitbilanding he defpifed the in- 

 trigues of the court of Berlin, lie pined 

 for active employment in camps, and at 

 the head oi uruiies, where he had ("pent 

 hrs youth. 



Meanwhile, the King of PruHia, pnr- 

 fuing at h'Ugth a fate and profitable po- 

 licy, dv;terniined on onleniig into a 

 ticuty Willi France; and as I'redcrick 

 William H. was the liril to enter into, 

 fo alio vyas he the (i^rft to abandon, the 

 coalition. Accovdiugly, after having ob- 

 tained the cities of Dantzic and 'liiorn, 

 and added Jiune of the iiiolb fiMtile pro- 

 Viiici^i of Poiuiiu tu liii dominions, and 

 iep!c:ii!li'.'>-I 



