HISTORY OF EUROPE. [205 



be the subject of no small volume. 

 One circumstance we shall notice, 

 as curious and interesting in itself, 

 and characteristic of that courage 

 and genius which was displayed by 

 the French in this campaign, and 

 throughout the whole of the war. 

 The passage of the Rhine was 

 both difficult and dangerous, as the 

 French had neither bridges nor 

 boats, the Austrians having de- 

 stroyed the former, and sunk the 

 latter. After several actions, on 

 the eighteenth of June, in which 

 the Austrians were compelled to fall 

 bact upon Ulm, general Lecourbe 

 made several demonstrations, on 

 that day, on the bridge of Dillin- 

 gen : but, in consequence of the 

 reports made by his reconnoitring 

 parties, he determined, seriously, to 

 attempt the bridges of Grensheim, 

 Blenheim, and Hochstadt. Eighty 

 naked swimmers to be armed with 

 muskets and knapsacks, which were 

 sent after them, in two small boats, 

 tookpossessionofthevillagesofGren- 

 sheim andBlenheim,and made them- 

 selves masters of some pieces of can- 

 non, which weremanned byartillery- 

 men, who had passedoveron ladders 

 placed on the wrecks of the bridge. 

 They all maintained their positions 

 with extraordinary courage, while 

 a number of miners and bridge- 

 ■ builders were employed, imder the 

 enemy's fire, in repairing the 

 bridges, over which a force was 

 passed to oppose the reinforcements 

 which the enemy were marching 

 towards the points, where the ob- 

 ject of the attack could be no longer 

 doubtful. The 9ith demi-brigade 

 passed over after the swimmers, and 

 boldly supported themselves until 

 other parties came to assist them. — 

 After the retreat of the Austrian 

 main army, from Ulm, general Mo- 



reau took possession of Munich, and 

 laid the Bavarian territories under 

 heavy contributions. The elector 

 was compelled to pay to Moreau a 

 great part of the subsidy of 5C0,000^. 

 which he had received from Great 

 Britain. After the retreat of the 

 Austrian army from Suabia, the 

 French also took possession of the 

 principal places in the duchy of 

 Wurtemburg ; which, as well as 

 Bavaria, was laid under severe 

 contribution, and treated altoge- 

 ther as an enemy's country. The 

 duke and duchess of Wurtemburg, 

 with their family and suite, retired 

 to Anspach. The French, at the 

 same time, by the occupation of 

 £11- Wangen, became masters of the 

 whole electorate of Treves. 



In the mean time, the division 

 under the active and indefatigable 

 Lecourbe, drove the Austriansfrom 

 Coire, and the whole of the coun- 

 try of the Grisons. Thus general 

 Moreau, by transferring the seat of 

 the war to Bavaria and the frontiers 

 of Austria, and by pressing closer 

 and closer on the flank and rear of 

 the A ustrian s in the Tyrol, prepared 

 the way for driving the imperialists 

 out of that country, lest they should 

 be altogether surrounded by the 

 army under Moreau, and detach- 

 ments from that of Buonaparte, 

 through the Valtelline. StUl far- 

 ther to aggravate the evil plight 

 of the Austrians, an army of thirty 

 thousand strong, French and Bata- 

 vians, was on its march from the 

 Lower to the Upper Rhine, and 

 ready to pass by Mentz and Dus- 

 seldorf, into Franconia. 



In these circumstances, the Aus- 

 trians solicited an armistice, which, 

 at the desire or advice of Buona- 

 parte, to Moreau, was, on the fif- 

 teenth of July, granted. This truce 



