56 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794. 



this end they found it previously 

 indispensable to be masters of the 

 strong fort of Crevecceur, where the 

 sluices were situated. They in- 

 vested it accordingly 5 and it sur- 

 rendered to thpin on the 27l.li of 

 September. The loss of so im- 

 portant a place, together with the 

 defeat of General Clairfait, which 

 followed it soon after, threw a 

 damp on the measures that were 

 pursued by the British and Dutch 

 commanders. Bois le Due, deprived 

 of its principal means of deience, 

 was no longer viewed as possessing 

 much strength. The French im- 

 mediately laid siege to it ; and it 

 yieli'' d to them on October 10th, 

 by a capitulation, which permitted 

 Xhe garrison to retire into Holland, 

 on condition of not serving against 

 France till regularly exchanged. 

 The like terms had betn granted 

 to the garrison of Crevecceur. The 

 artillery and miHtary stores foiuid 

 in Bois le X^uc were very consir 

 dcrable. 



The Duke of Y'ork was now en- 

 camped under the walls 6f Nime- 

 guen. On the taking of Creve- 

 cceur, and the approach of the 

 French army to Bois le Due, he 

 thought it necessary to relinquish 

 Grave, as of too dangerous a proxi- 

 mity to the very numerous forces 

 of the euv'my. From the begin-r 

 ning of October, when he took 

 this position, to the middle of the 

 montli, the French were chiefly oc- 

 cupied in the siege of Boi;jle Due: 

 but as soon as they had secured 

 this important j lace, they resolved 

 to strike a decisive blow on the 

 Duke, and, if possible, to compel 

 hitn to rrtire fr.nn the defence of 

 the United Provinces. For this 

 purpose the French crossed over 



the Mcuse with thirty thousand 

 men, which were to attack the Bri-< 

 tish posts on the right, while ano- 

 ther body of no less atrength was 

 advancing to take them on their 

 left. On the morning of the ISth 

 of October, the several divisions 

 of the Duke's array on the right 

 were accordingly assailed by the 

 French, who, forcing a post which 

 was occupied by a body of cavalrj', 

 a corps of infantry, which was stft's 

 tioKed near it, was thrown intq 

 disorder, and comiitHed to retreat 

 along the dyke on the banks of the 

 Waal. Unfortunately, they were 

 followed by a body of the enemy's 

 cavalry which they mistook for 

 their own ; nor din they discover 

 their mistake till the enemy came 

 up and attacked them before they 

 CQuld assume a posture of defence. 

 Tile whole of that infantry was 

 either killed or made prisoners. 

 The superiority of the French ren- 

 dering at the same time all farther 

 resistance vain, the Duke withdrew 

 all his troops from the posts which 

 they had occypied, and stationed 

 them on the other side of the Waal, 

 in order to oppose the passage of 

 the French over that river. En^ 

 couraged by this success, and firmly 

 intent on the accomplishment of 

 their plan, the French, on the 

 27th of Octobe"-, made a violent; 

 attack on the British posts in the 

 frontofNimeguen, and, aftei' an ob-? 

 stinate conflict, obliged them, in or-, 

 dertopreventtheirbeing wholly surr 

 rounded, to alter their position, and 

 move to aqother of greater se<:urity, 

 The French were now encamped 

 in such force in the environs of 

 Ni'neguen,that it would have been 

 rash to have attacued them in the 

 field ; all that could be effected was 



