220 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



Bavaria and Swabia. The great 

 leader of the Tyrolese was Andrew 

 Hoffer, an innkeeper at Sand, in 

 the valley of Passeyr. Pie was 

 not a man of ambition, nor yet of 

 any extraordinary talents; but he 

 possessed sound natural sense and 

 other qualities which procured 

 him the confidence, respect, 

 and veneration of all his country- 

 men. He was about 4,5 years of 

 age, of gigantic stature, and 

 strength, yet of a comely and pleas- 

 ing countenance. His dress was 

 that of a simple peasant ; so also 

 were his manners. The leading 

 feature in his character, his pre- 

 dominant passion, was religious 

 enthusiasm; he was endowed with 

 cool and constant courage; in his 

 temper he was mild and merciful ; 

 he treated his prisoners of war 

 with all possible humanity ; he 

 never put any one to death even 

 where it was deserved and seemed 

 to be demanded by the commission 

 of enormous cruelties. Many vil- 

 lages he saved from flames. The in- 

 fluence of this man, a patriarch in 

 character and appearance, on the 

 minds and hearts of all ranks of 

 his countrymen, even the highest 

 not excepted, appeared to be the 

 effect of magic. He did not as- 

 sume authority or affect to com- 

 rnand. The sentiments and the 

 ^sample alone of Hoffer were suf- 

 ficient to invest him with the power 

 of a dictator. Under the influ- 

 ence, rather than the authority or 

 even direction of this man,* the 

 Tyrolese persevered in their resist- 

 ance to France and Germany, 



combined against them ; and their 

 resistance was most formidable. 

 In vain did Buonaparte for a long 

 time pour in fresh forces, block up 

 the passes of the Tyrol, and ob- 

 struct as much as he could, all 

 communication with the neigh- 

 bouring countries. If for a short 

 time the Tyrolese fled, it was only 

 to attack their enemies when they 

 were unprepared, or to draw them 

 into situations where they might be 

 attacked with greater advantage. 

 They were frequently driven back 

 even after they had penetrated to 

 the very heart of the Tyrol, j- 

 At last this simple, virtuous, and 

 brave people was overcome by a 

 constant succession of fresh co- 

 lumns of the enemy, and the cap- 

 ture and death of the good and 

 gallant Hoffer. He had retreated 

 at the close of 1809 with his fa- 

 mily to a poor cottage amidst the 

 mountains, at that time covered 

 with deep snow, waiting for the 

 events of the spring season. His 

 retreat was discovered. In the 

 night of the 27th of January, 

 1810, a party of French grenadiers 

 knocked at his door about four 

 o'clock in the morning. Hof- 

 fer immediately opened the door, 

 and said "I am Andrew Hof- 

 fer ; I am at the mercy of the 

 French ; let me sufler death in- 

 stantly ; but for heaven's sake 

 spare my wife and my children ; 

 they are innocent, and not answer- 

 able for my conduct." There 

 was with Hoffer his secretary, a 

 youth of 18 years of age, just come 

 from college, the son of a physician 



in 



* The warlike achievements of the Tyrolese and Voralbergers were performed 

 by a number of different parties not unlike the Spanish giirrillan. 



f See many interesting circumstances respecting the war in the Tyrol in App. 

 Chron. pp. 333. and 4.31. 



