124] 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



to the confederacy did not appear 

 to exert any considerable influence 

 upon the early part of the cam- 

 paign, we shall find it in powerful 

 action during the succeeding part. 

 The city of Hamburg, so im- 

 portant from its situation and com- 

 merce to the north of Germany, 

 became an object of great political 

 interest at an early season of the 

 year. Its desertion by the French, 

 its occupation by Tettcnborne, and 

 the restoration of its former muni- 

 cipal government, have already 

 been mentioned. The advance of 

 the French to the Elbe, having ren- 

 dered it necessary for the divisions 

 of Tettenborne, Dornberg, and 

 TshernichefF to recross that river, 

 they concentrated their force at 

 Hamburg. Davoust (prince of 

 Eckmuhl), with about 10,000 men, 

 occupied Luneburg, Harburg, and 

 Stade, and stationed small posts at 

 intermediate points on the Elbe. 

 The advance of Sebastian! to Sulz- 

 wedel caused Walmoden, with the 

 corps of Dornberg and Tscherni- 

 cheff, to post himself at Domitz ; 

 and thus the defence of Hamburg, 

 was left to its own volunteers, with 

 Tettenborne's Hanseatic corps, and 

 some Mecklenburgers. On the 

 8th of May, Davoust, having col- 

 lected a body of men at Harburg, 

 opposite to Hamburg, embarked 

 them for an attack upon Wilhems- 

 burg, an island in the Elbe, be- 

 tween the two towns. They ef- 

 fected a landing, driving before 

 them the volunteers posted for the 

 defence of the island. The utmost 

 alarm, in the meantime, prevailed 

 among the people of Hamburg, 

 among whom it was reported that 

 Davoust had promised his soldiers 

 five hours plunder of the city. 

 The drums beat to arms, the streets 



were crowded with men running 

 to the alarm posts, and the ram- 

 parts were filled with affrighted 

 spectators. At length, upon the 

 advance of a battalion of Meck- 

 lenburgers, the enemy were beat 

 back to their boats. At the same 

 time, a body of Hanoverians and 

 Lubeckers being marched to the 

 assistance of a corps, posted on 

 Ochsenwerder, attacked the assail- 

 ants on the right flank, and com- 

 pelled them to retreat. On the 

 morning of the 9th, the French 

 appearing determined to renew 

 their attempt, the Danish sub- 

 governor of Altona went over to 

 Vandamme, the French command- 

 er, and expostulated with him on 

 the attack upon a city in their 

 neighbourhood, in the safety of 

 which they were so much inte- 

 rested, declaring that the Danes 

 would assist in repelling it, if per- 

 sisted in. Receiving a rough answer, 

 the governor, on his return, sent 

 three Danish gun-boats fully man- 

 ned, which anchored in the passage 

 opposite to Hamburg ; and in the 

 evening a Danish corps with ten 

 pieces of artillery, together with 

 some Cossacks, were drawn up in 

 a line along the sands, and Russian 

 guns were placed close to Altona. 

 Things were in this situation, 

 when the approach of a body of 

 Swedes caused the Danes on the 

 12th to quit Hamburg, and re- 

 tire to their own territory, leaving 

 however their artillery for the 

 protection of the place. The 

 Swedes, to the number of 1,200, 

 entered the town, in which they 

 mounted guard, and Hamburg 

 again flattered itself with security. 

 They took part in its defence 

 against another attack of the 

 French on the 22nd ; but the Crown 



