22 ANNUAL 



every occasioH, had made a very 

 serious impression. They saw that, 

 with all their efforts, even when 

 successful, they could not damp the 

 resolution of the French ; who 

 seefhed to forget their defeats the 

 moment they were able to renew 

 the fight, and to behave with as 

 much confidence as if they had 

 been the victors. The first of these 

 defeats was on the 24th of this 

 inonth, two days after the action 

 wherein they had received so de- 

 structive a check. They had taken 

 z strong position at Rouveroy, on 

 that sic--- of the Sambre where Ge- 

 neral Kaunitz lay encamped. He 

 formed there with a design of sur- 

 prising them ; and did it so effectu- 

 ?,llv, notwithstanding their uiual 

 T^igilance, that they suffered a total 

 rout, witli the loss of near .5,000 

 men killed and taken, together with 

 fifty pieces of cannon. 



Six days before this event, the 

 Austrian forces, commanded by 

 General Beaulieu, had invaded the 

 district of Bouillon, lyingwithin the 

 precincts of France. A large body 

 of French were defeated, and the 

 town of that name taken and plun- 

 dered, on pretence of the inhabit- 

 ants having hred on the Austrian 

 troops: 1,. 500 men, it was report- 

 ed, were slain or captured on this 

 pccasion. But th'.se discomiitures 

 of the French produced no solid 

 advantages to the allies : in the 

 district of Bouillon they soon re- 

 covered the superiority. General 

 Jourdain, at the head ui 40,000 

 men, entered the Duchy of Lux- 

 emburgh ; and General Beaulieu 

 was in consequence forced imme- 

 diately to abandon his position, and 

 retreat towards Namur, in order 

 to protect it from Jourdain's army, 

 fjlitled by his spccess, and cpnfiding 



REGISTER, 1794. 



in his numerous forces, Gcnei-al 

 Jourdain advanced towards Chan- 

 leroy, of which he cut off the com-« 

 munication with BrusscU. Alarm- 

 ed at his attempt, the allies col- 

 lected a powerful body of tvoop8» 

 at the head of which the hereditary 

 Prince of Orange attack^^d the 

 French, on the 3d of June, so vi- 

 gorously, that they were obliged to 

 recross the Sambre, after losing 

 about 7,000 men. 



It was not expected that, after 

 being forced to raise the siege of 

 Charleroy with so much loss, they 

 would 80 readily be able to resume 

 it with a greater strength than be-: 

 fore. Tiiis however they did in a 

 short time. They recrossed the 

 Sambre with 60,000 men, and 

 after destroying some fortified posts 

 that had been constructed to ob- 

 struct their approaches to the 

 town, they recommenced the 

 siege with the utmost fervor, 

 The commanders of the allies were 

 duly sensible of the critical situa- 

 tion they were in : Charleroy was, 

 by the present position of the con- 

 tending armies, absolutely necessary 

 for the preservation of Brnsr.els 

 itself. Should the former fall, the 

 latter could not stand. Of this 

 tlie French were well aware j and, 

 from that motive, carried on the 

 siege of Charleroy with all possible 

 vigour. Animated by the conici^ 

 ousness of the eminent dangers 

 that threatened them, were the 

 French to reduce this important 

 fortress. Prince Cobourg, in con- 

 junction with the hereditary Prince 

 of Or-Tjige and General Beaulieu, 

 determined to hazard a general ac- 

 tion with the French, in order to 

 compel them to raise the siege. 



For this purpose the major part 

 of the allied army was drawn toge- 

 ther. 



