62 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794. 



fare, in which trumpeters, drom- forced to continue his retreat till 



mcrs, and bag-pipers, were officers he had reached the body of men 



•of great consequence ; as in the stationed under General l)alton, as 



time of Virgil, who gives great a furtlitr support in case of need 



praise to him who was skilful : 



^re ciere viros, Martemque accendere 

 cantu*. 



The power of the Marseillois 

 hymn, and other songs, are well 

 known. It is a fact worthy of no 



The pressure of the French, how- 

 ever, upon the Austrians, was so 

 violent in every quarter, that they 

 were totally unable to maintain 

 their ground. Tliey were broken 

 and thrown into much confusion at 



tice, that while the French soldiers Aix la Chapclle, where they had 



were sometimes without shoes, the 

 army was always furnished with the 

 best bands of music in Europe. 



It has been predicted by men 

 of speculative genius and philan- 

 thropic dispositions, that the pro- 

 gress of science, by increasing the 

 enormous expence of mihtary pre- 

 parations by the instrumentality of of this defeat, was compelled to 



endeavoured to make a stand, and 

 fled with the utmost precipitation 

 and disorder towards Cologne ; 

 where, with much difficulty, the 

 scattered troops were rallied on the 

 third day after this unfortunate en- 

 gagement. 



General Clairfait, in consequence 



powers K'ss and less svibject to re- 

 ■«istauce, and by the reductioTiof the 

 whole business and consequences 

 of war more and more to calcula- 

 tion, — would be favourable to the 

 tranquillity and happiness of the 

 human race. But the present war, 

 more sanguinary and atrocioiis than 

 any recorded in history, reminds 

 us how much the passions of men 

 prevail over thei' judgment, and 

 forbids us to indulge in such pleas- 

 ing anticipations. 



A powerful corps of Austrian:; 

 werepested in the midway between 

 Lierre and Maestricht : thev were 

 under General Clairfait, who, on 

 receiving intelligence of Gtneral 

 Latour's defeat, ordeivd a strong- 

 detachnRCHt to his assistance ; by 

 means of whit.h he made good his 

 retrett, and checked the pursuit of 

 the rrench. But on the morning 

 of the ] 9th they renewed the at- 

 tack with such fury, that he was 



withdraw as far SvS Juliers, where 

 he was rejoined by the fugitives. 

 The French in the mean time 

 took possession of Aix la Cliapellc", 

 from whence they proceeded oa 

 the 26th in quest of Clairfait, a 

 division of whose army they at- 

 tacked in great force. But they 

 met with so resolute a defence, that 

 after several violent charges they 

 ■were unable to miiks an impression 

 on the Austrians, and obliged to re- 

 tire with loss. 



TJic situation of Geneyal Clair- 

 fait was so advantageous, that while 

 he kept possession of it, the French 

 wi^uld be materially impeded in 

 their operations. He had stationed 

 a chain of posts, reaching from his 

 camp as far as Ruremoud ; and 

 they were all in excellent order- 

 The French, notwithstanding the 

 frequent defeats of this brave of—, 

 ficer, knew his value, and that 

 none ot them were due to wantp 



* To rouse the warriorsj y the iound of ihe trumpet, and inflame- their couraga 

 by a song. 



