HISTORY OF EUROPE, 
neighbourhood. On the 18th, the 
advanced guard of General La- . 
bourdonnaye’s army, commanded 
By Lamorlui, entered the city of 
Antwerp:—but the citadel — still 
held.out: the inhabitants of this 
aeons evinced the same friendly 
isposition to the French which 
all the other places had done ;— 
andthe wavigation.of the Scheldt 
was now completely in their pos- 
Session. 
General Valence, the command- 
erin chief of the army of Ar- 
dennes, after the capture of Charle- 
roy, had posted himself at Nevilles, 
which he quitted on the 16th, in 
order to prevent a body of Austri- 
ans, under-General Beaulieu, from 
covering Namur. The General had 
been detached from the main body 
at Louvain, to effect this purpose ; 
which was.of considerable import, 
from the frontier situation of this 
important fortress. 
Valence had sent forward his ad- 
vanced guard onthe 17th: and the 
day following he marched with his 
whole army to support this body, 
as the force under Beaulieu was by 
this time very near. The French 
army fell in with his out-posts; all] 
of whom they attacked. and routed. 
General Valence proceeded, with 
the forces under his. command, to- 
wards Namur, where he encamped. 
On the 19th, the enemy took their 
ground at Ramillies; and on the 
20th, in the morning, the French 
batteries were erected against the 
town. The batteries opened at 
seven.o'clock in the morning : and 
at four o'clock, four companies of 
grenadiers took possession of the 
gate of Brussels. The fortress was 
prepared to make a vigorous re- 
sistance : the garrison consisted of 
3000:men; and the commandant 
faa9 
depended on being reinforced by 
rince Hohenloe, or by General 
Beaulieu, who for 'that purpose in- 
tended to,pass by Hui, and to,as- 
cend the right,bank of the Meuse 
to Namur. Tobe able ta attack 
the enemy, General Valence con- 
structed two bridges, the one over 
the Sanibre, and another ‘over the 
Meuse. 
Dumouriez having quitted Brus- 
sels, witha view te reduce the city 
of Liege, agreeably to the planlong 
before concerted, proceeded to that 
place by the route of Tirlemont. 
He found a large body of Aus- 
trians posted behind the town, 
with an advanced guard of three 
or 4000 men, in possession of the 
heights of Cumptich, opposite to 
the Beautersem. Dumouriez with 
his advanced guard, attacked that 
of the enemy, by aheavy discharge 
of artillery. The advanced guarad 
of the Austrians were reinforced by 
5000 men, yet they did nothing ; 
and .on the morning of the 22d, 
moved entirely away, when the 
French entered Tirlemont with the 
loss of four men. 
The General |pursued his march 
to St. Tron, where he arrived on 
the 25th, and was now within seven 
leagues of Liege. On the 27th, in 
the morning, he came up with the 
rear guard of the Austrians, com- 
manded by General Staray, and 
consisting of 12,000 men. Amat- 
tack was commenced with great in- 
trepidity ; »and ended in the defeat 
of the Austrians, and the loss of 
Staray, who was killed in the action. 
The loss of the French amounted 
to no more than fifteen or twenty: 
men, killed or wounded; and on 
the part of the Austrians, betweem 
five and'six hundved. ‘This battle 
was-fought inthe vicinity of Liege ; 
[I] 4 but 
