HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
Year at Vitry, toenable him to move, 
if necessity should compel him to 
take such astep. The enemy made 
hisretreatsvonafter;and Kellerman 
- “was convinced of his imprudence 
‘and folly. We cannot help remark- 
[107 
success on the enemy, was very 
conducive to the retreat of the 
Austrians and Prussians. 
War having been declared by 
France against the King of Sardi- 
nia, and a very considerable body 
“Ing that this seems to be the period 
when discipline and subordination 
‘Degan to be displayed in the French 
armies. — Sickness and want of 
rovisions began to pervade the 
~ combined armies, particularly that 
ofthe Prussians. The soldiers, from 
eating large quantities of unripe 
grapes, had brought on a bloody 
flux: the horses of the cavalry were 
in like manner seized with distem- 
pers, owing to the new wheat on 
which they had been fed. In a 
‘etter, found in the pocket of the 
‘Prince de Ligne, who was killed 
‘on the 14th of September, it ap- 
“pears that the Austrian troops could 
‘procure nothing to eat; that they 
‘searcely ever eat meat, and had 
tasted nothing hot for four or five 
days together: the weather too 
‘had been very bad, which increased 
the sickness and mortality, and ren- 
dered the roads impassable. By the 
of his troops having advanced to. 
the defiles of Savoy, General Mon- 
tesquieu put his army in motion, 
and advanced upon that country. 
Montmelian received the French 
army; and shortly after Chamberry 
opened its gates. The Sardinian 
troops made no stand against the 
enemy, but made a precipitate and 
irregular retreat. ‘These successes: 
for a time shielded Montesquieu 
from an attack which had been 
made on his conduct in the Assem=- 
bly, and from a vote of suspension. 
which had absolutely taken place. 
The government of France deter- 
mined also on the reduction of 
the Nice; for which purpose Ge- 
neral Anselme and Admiral Tri- 
guet were joined in an expedition. 
Towards the end of the month, 
General Custine took possession 
of Spires, where he found abun- 
dance of ammunition and many 
same letter of the Prince de Ligne, 
it appears that all the promises 
‘made to them by the emigrants, 
with the most sanguine expectation 
of success, had completely failed ; 
guns. The Duke of Saxe Teschen, 
on the other hand, had invested 
Lisle with a considerable force, and. 
had summoned it to surrender. 
But the Generals Ruhaut and Gis- 
which produced great coolness and 
Visions among them. We may 
~ Fecollect that Dumouriez had, in a 
proclamation, commanded the pea- 
‘sants to cut down the trees, and 
‘everywhere to form abbatis, to cut 
card, of the artillery, officers of 
great merit, took every measure to 
defend it, and succeeded. La Bour- 
donnai, the commanderin chief, was 
much censured for the little assist- 
ance he gave to the garrison. 
The Duke of Brunswick fore- 
seeing that the tide of war was like- 
ly to turn in favour of the French ; 
and that his army, reduced by sick- 
ness and famine, would soon be 
obliged to return home, under the 
disadvantages of aretreat (on which 
he 
- up the roads, and to oppose by 
_ €very means the progress of the 
ed forces, These prudent 
asures, added to the bravery of 
€ peasants themselves, who fre. 
x amped attacked small detachments 
_ from the army, and fired with great 
