GENERAL HISTORY. 



[3 



lation which permitted the French 

 governor to retire with his gar- 

 rison, and tliat he had sent de- 

 tacliments towards Italy, and to the 

 different points of strength on the 

 roads of the Simplon, St. Bernard, 

 and St. Gothard. Count Wittgen- 

 stein crossed the Rhine near Fort 

 Louis, and occupied the evacuated 

 forts Vauban and Alsace, whence 

 he could communicate by his right 

 with Marshal Blucher. General 

 Wrede, with his armj', had his 

 head-quarters at Col mar ; and the 

 Prince of Wurtemberg had block- 

 aded New Brisac. Prince Schwart- 

 zenberg, with the main Austrian 

 army, was on his march from Alt- 

 kirchen upon Montbelliard, whilst 

 a detachment was observing Befort. 

 The fortress of Huninguen was at 

 this time under cannonade, but no 

 material injurj' had hitherto been 

 done to the works. Such was the 

 line of frontier occupied by the al- 

 lied powers, with troops to which, 

 in number and appointment, the 

 French had nothing comparable to 

 oppose. On Jan. 8, Napoleon is- 

 sued a decree, declaring the na- 

 tional guard of Paris in activity, 

 and himselfits commander in chief. 

 No substitute for its service was to 

 be allowed, except of the nearest 

 relatives. 



On Jan. 11 the Emperor of 

 Russia arrived at Lorrach, and on 

 the 13th with the reserves of his 

 army he crossed the Rhine, ac- 

 companied by the King of Prussia. 

 The Emperor of Austria, who had 

 arrived at liasle on the preceding 

 evening, went to meet the other 

 sovereigns, and they entered that 

 city on horseback at the head of 

 the Russian and Pruftsian guards. 

 The columns of the allied army 

 continued thelradvance on all sides. 

 Prince Schwartzenberg on the 12th 



had his head-quarters at Vesoul, 

 and was upon the advance to Lan- 

 gres. General Bubna's corps had 

 a direction given it from Dole to- 

 wards Lyons. Besancon was in- 

 vested by the corps of Lichtenstein. 

 Gen, VVrede having proceeded 

 through Alsace to St. Drey in 

 Lorraine, his advanced guard was 

 attacked on the 10th by the corps 

 under Gen. Milliaud, and forced 

 to retire behind St Marguerite; 

 Gen. De Roy, however, having as- 

 sembled the force under his com- 

 mand, attacked the enemy, killed 

 and wounded a considerable num- 

 ber, and took five hundred pri- 

 soners, and St. Diez was recovered. 

 The Prince Royal of Wurtemberg, 

 in conjunction with the Hettman 

 Platoff, also gained some consider- 

 able advantages in the neighbour- 

 hood of Epinal. The army of 

 Silesia, or Bincher's, advanced by 

 separate corps through the Pala- 

 tinate to northern Lorrain. Mar- 

 shal Marmont, who was posted at 

 Kaiserlautern, retreated towards 

 the Saare, pursued by the corps of 

 Sacken ; and after joining another 

 retreating French corps from the 

 Hundsdruck, passed that river at 

 Saarbruck, destroying the bridge, 

 and that of Sarquemine, and pos- 

 sessed himself of the passes. In 

 the mean time D'Yorck's corps 

 took the road through St. Wendel 

 to Saarlouis and Saarbruck. Count 

 Henkel marching to Treves, took 

 there above one thousand prisoners, 

 and a quantity of military stores. 

 Count Langeron had blockaded 

 and summoned Mentz. The 

 French papers at this period men- 

 tion the formation of camps of re- 

 serve at Meaux, Solssons, Chalons, 

 Troyes,and Arcy-sur-Aube. " The 

 moment is come (say they) when 

 from all parts of this vast empire, 

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