S8 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794. 



pf May. This unexpected event 

 rendered the French more circum- 

 spect, as they had been routed 

 through mere accident, for which 

 they had not been prepared ; it nei- 

 their diminished their courage nor 

 their confidence. They waited 

 with additional vigilance for an op- 

 portunity of revenge. But the 

 conduct of Marshal Mollendorf 

 long prevented them from obtainr 

 ing any material advantage ; and 

 the whole month of June elapsed 

 without any transaction of great 

 Consequence. In the beginning of 

 July the French army received conr 

 siderable reinforcements ; and its 

 commanders became sensible that 

 it behoved them to strike some 

 How before the enemy himself was 

 reinforced. For this end they ad- 

 vanced with their whole force on 

 the Prussians, who received them 

 with their accustomed bravery. 

 The conflict was long and obsti- 

 nate ; and victory seemed doubtful 

 during a great part of that day and 

 of the next, during both which the 

 battle lasted. The French were 

 seven times repulsed, but their 

 eighth charge was successful. The 

 Prussians occupied strongentrench- 

 incnts on a verj- high mountain^ 

 which the enemy, by means of supe- 

 rior numbers, assaulted on every 

 side with such unceasing fury, that 

 they were carried at last with grfat 

 slaughter. Several Prussian onicers, 

 of note fell upon this occasion; and 

 the loss of the French was very 

 considerable. So averse were the 

 Prussians to relinquish the contest, 

 that it v/as eleven at night before 

 they retreated. This battle took 

 place on the 12th ar.d 13th of July, 

 near a place called Edikhoffeiu 

 Not satisfied with this success, the 

 French resolved to bringv matters 



to a final decision, and to render 

 the present action conclusive of the 

 whole campaign, by continuing it 

 till the enemy was entirely over- 

 thrown and disabled from keeping 

 the field. To this end, early in 

 the morning of the 14th, they made 

 another attack on a large body of 

 the enemy entrenched on the high 

 grounds at Tripstadt. After a fu- 

 rious combat, very destructive to 

 both parties, the French carried 

 the works, with a number of prir 

 soners and pieces of cannon. Elated 

 by this additional success, and full 

 of the plan they had so nearly com- 

 pleted, they extended their attacl? 

 on the following day, which was 

 the 15th, along the wljole chain of 

 posts occupied by the Imperial and 

 Prussian troojis. The artillery of 

 both parties did dreadful execution 

 among them on this day, as from 

 their reciprocal position, they were 

 remarkably exposed to its effects. 

 This destructive cannonade lasted 

 above six hours without ceasing ; 

 and it was difficult to tell which 

 guns were best scryed, those of 

 the French or of their enemies. 

 It was dark before the action was 

 concluded, whonthe allies, protect- 

 ed by the night, made a hasty re^ 

 treat. The Imperialists crossed the 

 Rhine ; and the Prussians retired 

 further down the left banks of that 

 river, towards Mentz. 'J'ht; French 

 may be said to have entirely car-? 

 ritd the point they had proposed, 

 by the violent exertions they made 

 during these four decisive days--. 

 Sixty miles of territory in length, 

 from Franpe to the Rhine, were 

 immediately abandoned by the al- 

 lies, in consequence of this defeat ; 

 and no appearance remained of 

 tl)eir being able, during the residue 

 of this campaign, to recover any 



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