50] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1795. 
evening of the fifteenth, direéting Utrecht, and of Rotterdam, twoof 
its march to Zutphen. On the re- the most’important places in the 
treat of the British forces, the seven provinces. 
French took.immediate possession of 
shrub here and there. The wind was excessively high, and drifted the snow and sand 
togetherso strong, that we could hardly wrestle against it ; to which was added a seve~ 
rity of cold almost insufferable. ‘The frost was so intense, that the water which came 
from our eyes, freezing as it fell, hung in icicles to our eye-lashes; and our breath, 
freezing as soon as emitted, lodged in heaps of ice about our faces, and on the blan- 
_kets or coats that were wrapped round our heads. : 
“ ‘Night fast approaching, a great number, both men and women, began to linger 
behind, their spirits being quite exhausted, and without hopes of reaching their des- 
tination; and if they once lost sight of the column of march, though but a few mi- 
nutes, it being dark, and no track to follow, there was no chance of finding it again. 
in this state, numbers were induced to sit down, or creep under the’shelter of bushes, 
where, weary, spiritless,and without hope, a few moments consigned them to sleep; 
but alas! whoeverslept awakened no more, their blood alimost instantly concealed in 
their veins, the spring of life soon dried up; and if ever they opened their eyes, it 
was only to be sensible of the last agonies of their miserable existence. 
“ Others, sensible of the danger of sitting down, but having lost the column, wan- 
dered up and down the pathless waste, surrounded with darkness and despair; no 
sound tocomfort their ears but the bleak whistling wind; no sight to bless their eyes 
but the wide trackless desert, and ‘shapeless drift;’ far from human help, far from 
pity, down they sink, to rise no more! 
“< About half past ten o’clock at night we reached Brickborge, when, to add to our 
misfortunes, we could hardly find room to shelter ourselves from the weather, every 
house being already filled with Hessianinfantry, who are in no respect friendly to the 
English. In several houses they positively refused us entrance, and in’every one re- 
fused us admittance to the fire; at the same time they posted centries by the cellar 
doors, to prevent the inhabitants from selling us any liquors ; even their commandin 
‘officer pushed, with his own hands, a number of our men neck and heels out of his 
quarters. Thus we were situated, till, partly by force, and partly by stealth, we 
crept in where we could, glad to obtain the ele of a house at any rate. 
[Jan. 17.] “We halted this day, andin the morning, waggons were sent out ‘with 
a number of men, to search for those who were left behind. A great number were found 
near the route of the column; but a greater number, who had straggled farther off, 
were never heard of more. In one place, seven men, one woman and a child, were 
found dead ; in another, a man,a woman, and two children; inanother,a man, a 
woman, and one child; and an unhappy woman being taken in labour, she, with her 
husband and infant, were all found lifeless. One or two men were found alive, but 
their hands and feet were frozen to such adegree, as to be dropping off by the wrists 
and ancles. ce 
[Jan. 19.] “ Perhaps never did a British army experience such distress as ours does 
at thistime. Not a village nor house but what bears witness to our misery, in contain- 
ing some dead, and others dying ; some are daily found who'have crawled into houses 
singly ; other houses contain five, six, or seven, together, some dead, and others dying, 
‘or unable to walk, and as for those that are able, it is no easy matter for them to find | 
their way: forthecountry is one continued desert, without roads, and every track filled 
up with the drifting and fallingsnow. Add to all this, the inhabitants are our most 
inveterate enemies, and, where opportunity offérs, will rather murder a poor lost 
distressed Englishman, than direct him the’ right way; several instantés’of which we 
have already known, It is reported, that in the several columns of the army, about 
700 are missing since we left the'river Leck.” See An Impartial Journal of the Cam- 
pugns, in 1793, 1794, and 1795, by Robert Brown, corporal in the Coldstream 
regiment. Although corporal Brown was not acquainted with the combinations on 
which were founded the plans of the different marches and engagements, and the 
campaigns in general, and still less, with the political interests, and private passions 
by which these were influenced, yet he relates whatcame under his own observation, 
with candour, sensibility, and judgment. 
; Delivered 
