102] 
carte blanche for him in all military 
affairs. This commander still con- 
tinued to complain of the want of 
discipline and appointment in the 
army under hiscommand. Occasi- 
onal skirmishes took place between 
the contending armies ; but of too 
little consequence to be minutely 
detailed. It appears that M. Luck- 
ner found his endeavours to pene- 
trate into Flanders were ineffectual ; 
and on the night of the 29th June, 
he evacuated Courtray and Menin, 
and marched back to Lisle, where 
he encamped on the 30th on his 
former ground. Early next morn- 
ing the Marischal separated his 
army into three divisions: the first 
marched to Valenciennes; the se- 
cond took possession of Orchies ; 
and the third resumed its position 
in the neighbourhood of Dunkirk. 
By this sudden and unexpected 
movement, the whole of Flanders 
was evacuated by the French; but 
the system of war became totally 
changed. That war which, accord- 
ing to the military notions of M. 
Luckner, was proper to be an of- 
fensive, now became merely defen- 
sive. The defensive was Berthier’s 
lan, the offensive was Luckner’s. 
On the 3d of July, the Duke of 
Brunswick arrived at the head of 
the first division of an army of Prus- 
sians, at Coblentz, on the right bank 
ofthe Rhine, This army was com- 
puted at 52,000 men, all in the 
highest state of spirits, discipline, 
and subordination. 
It was now necessary to oppose 
‘the whole strength of the country 
against so formidable an enemy ; 
and that too in a situation where it 
was most assailable, on the side of 
the Rhine, Lorraine, and Alsace. 
The junction of the Austrians with 
the Prussians would constitute a re- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1792. 
gular well-appointed army, 80,000 
strong. —~ 
The minister for foreign affairs 
represented to the National Assem- 
bly the dangers which threatened 
France, and the strong combination 
that had been formed against it. 
He included in this report, beside 
the King of Hungary, who, on the 
5th of this month had been elected 
Emperor at Frankfort, the Kings 
of Prussia, Spain, Portugal, Naples, 
Sardinia, and the Pope. 
On the 14th of July the two ge- 
nerals, Luckner and Fayette, ar- 
rived in Paris. The former was de- 
manded by the Assembly to give 
an account of his campaign; but — 
this he positively refused to do; al- 
ledging that the King was the im- 
mediate person to whom he was to 
detail operations that were merely 
military: at the same time he as- 
sured the Assembly that the army 
was still incomplete, deficient in 
number of corps, and by no means 
united; and that, if neglected, it 
would be in immense disproportion 
to that of theirenemies. These re- 
presentations were no less true than 
the other which followed them. | It 
appeared that, after garrisoning the 
various places absolutely necessary, — 
there would not be a greater num- 
ber of effective men than 70,000, 
to oppose the combined strength 
now approaching the frontiers of 
France. Augmentations and levies 
were in consequence proposed, and 
Marischal Luckner was appointed 
by the King Commandant-General 
of the two armies of the Centre 
and the Rhine. M. Biron was 
appointed to the immediate com- 
mand of the army of the Rhine, 
but subject to the orders and con- 
trol of the Marischal. : 
It is necessary to revert to the 
position 
