48] 
invasion and conquest. It was ar 
entire discouragement to the adhe- 
rents of the Stadtholder, and filled 
the opposite party with the utmost 
boldness, and a determination to 
improve the despondency of their 
adversaries. They met every where 
in clubs and societies, and watched 
with anxiety for the critical hour, 
when they might proceed to active 
measures, and facilitate the entrance 
ofthe French, and the expulsion of 
their enemies. 
Since the repulse of the French, 
on the thirtieth of December, they 
had been meditating how to re- 
occupy the positions from which 
they had been driven. The inferior 
force that had compelled them to 
retreat, was a circumstance that 
had alarmed theircommanders : but 
the distresses attending the British 
troops, and the daily diminution of 
their strength, by the sickness pre- 
vailing among them, the incom- 
modities arising from scantiness 
of necessaries, and the excessive 
rigour of the season, soon dispelled 
every apprehension that they would, 
in conjunction with their allies, be 
able to make a stand, ahd encou- 
raged the French to renew their 
attempt to cross the Waal. On 
the fourth of January, 1795, some 
regiments were detached from 
Pichegru’s army, and made good 
their passage unmolested. The 
truth was, that on surveying the 
situation of the allied forces, it ap- 
peared impracticable to oppose the 
enemy with any reasonable hope of 
success, and that an expeditious 
retreat was necessary to save the 
remains of the British army. After 
spiking.the heavy cannon, and de- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1795. 
stroying all the ammunition that 
could be carried away, it retired 
towards the Leck, on the sixth of 
Janyary. As soon as this was per- 
ceived by the French, they advanced 
in considerable force, and pressed 
the British troops so closely, that an 
engagement ensued, wherein the 
combatants fought with so much 
obstinancy on both sides, that 
they were alternately repulsed, 
and returned to the charge four 
times successively, The, French 
at last gave way. Their superi- 
ority of strength prevented a pur- - 
suit, and the British troops availed 
themselves of this momentary suc- 
cess, to continue their retreat; but 
no respite was given to them, by 
the French: they crossed the 
Waal, on the tenth, in such force, 
that "it was found impossible to 
withstand them. General Walmo. 
den, on whom the command in 
chief of the British troops and the 
German subsidiaries had now de- 
volved, was posted between Arn- 
heim and Nimeguen, at the defile 
of the Greb, in the province of 
Utrecht*®. Hoping to make 
a capture of the whole, Piche- 
gru, at the head of more than 
seventy thousand men, attacked 
them en all sides. After such re. 
sistance as their inferiority permitted 
‘them to make, they were. obliged 
to retire in all directions, with so 
considerable a loss of their camp- 
equipage, that they were compelled 
to take shelter in open sheds during 
the following night, from the ex- 
cessive severity of the weather, 
Another attack was made by Piche- 
gru, four days after, on some 
posts that had been taken to secure 
* Where lines were constructed, in 1745-6, for protecting the provinces of Utrecht 
and Holland. 
the 
