HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



57 



him to surrender, was much ap- 

 plauded at the time for the spirit 

 and laconism of the style : *' The 

 honour," said he, " of defending a 

 place like Sluys, that of command- 

 ing a brave garrison, and the con- 

 fidence they repose in me, are my 

 only answer." The name of this 

 brave officer was Vanderduyn; and 

 he made his words good by the 

 valour with which he acquitted 

 himself : that siege was carried on 

 with great vigour from an early 

 period in July till near the close 

 of the next month, when the place 

 yris surrendered on honourable 

 terms, in consideration, said the 

 French, of the soldier-Hke beha- 

 viour of the garrison. The re- 

 duction of Sluys took place on the 

 25th day of August] and it was 

 considered as an cpocha of note 

 in thii campaign* not only for the 

 . length and spirit of its defence, but 

 for having led the way in first 

 making an able resistance. 



In the mean time, during this 

 victorious career of the French on 

 the side of the Netherlands, their 

 armies on the Moselle and the 

 Rhine were not Jess fortunate. 

 After the brilliant successes ob- 

 tained in the close of the succeed- 

 ing year by Generals Hoche and 

 Pichegru, the raising of the siege 

 of Landau, and the retreat of the 

 X)uke of Brunswick into winter 

 quarters, the French might boast 

 of the prosperous termination of a 

 campaign which had now placed 

 them in a situation promissory of 

 the highest successes in that which 

 was to follow. 



The campaign of 179'jt,' in this 

 quarter, began by the reduction of 

 the fortofKaiserslautern, of Spires, 

 and of other places in those parts, 

 Vi'^iereiii Wge qu4ntitie8 of military 



stores were found. Notwithstatid*- 

 ing the rigour of the season, these 

 exploits were atchieved with au 

 expedition and alacrity that alarm* 

 ed the enemy, who had not ex- 

 pected such early exertions fron» 

 the French. Intimidated by so un- 

 looked-for an incursion, the Aus» 

 trians in garrison at Fort Vauban 

 deserted it, after applying matches 

 to the mines, in order to blow them 

 up before the arrival of the French, 

 who were fast approaching, and 

 whom they entertained no hope of 

 being able to resist. As soon, how- 

 ever, as the rigour of winter abated, 

 the Auitrianstookthe field, impa- 

 tient to recover that ascendancy 

 which the French had gained over 

 them. Many bloody skirmishes hap- 

 pened between both parties, the 

 aniaiosity of whom was reciprocal^ 

 and who lost numbers of men m 

 this dcstructivebut undecisive mode 

 of vyarring. It was not till towards 

 the end of May that any action of 

 consequence took place. Marshal 

 Mollendorf, who had succeeded to 

 the Duke of Brunswick in the com- 

 mand of the Prussian army, after 

 thia prince's resignation, was de- 

 sirous to justify his master's choice, 

 and to signalize his own appoint- 

 ment. The French ^yere entrenchr 

 ed at Kaiserslautern, and did not 

 imagine that their enemies would 

 venture to attack them in such n 

 situation. But the Marquis, sus- 

 pecting this persuasion, resolved to 

 improve the opportunity which it 

 afforded him of attacking them by 

 surprise. He accomplished his in- 

 tentions »o successfully, as to force 

 their entrenchments, and put them 

 to a total rout. Their loss in slain 

 and taken amounted to more thaa 

 3000, besides a number (tf cannon. 

 This defeat liappeRed on the Silt^ 

 J^^ of 



