REVOLUTION. 



d'armes, he readily carried into effect, at lead to a certain 

 point. By means of uncommon exertion and activity, 

 joined to the moll tyrannical defpotifm, he fucceeded, hy 

 the beginning of April, in collecting a large force on the 

 banks of the Elbe, though that force was ot a very different 

 defcription from the veteran army which he had loit in 

 Ruffta. His cavalry and artillery were particularly inferior ; 

 and it was on thefe two branches, efpecially the artillery, 

 that the French uled to depend for their victories ; it is even 

 laid that, in confequence of his having loft upwards of iooo 

 pieces of cannon in Ruflia, he was under the neceflity of 

 lupplying his army, in a great meafure, with cannon from 

 the (hips at Antwerp, which were, of courfe, of a defcription 

 by no means fuited for military purpofes. 



Before Bonaparte left Paris, to take the command of his 

 army, lie judged it expedient to fettle the form of a provi- 

 fional government during his abfence : he had fo narrowly 

 efcaped dellruction in his Ruffian campaign, at a time when 

 he had taken no meafures refpecting the government of 

 France while the king of Rome was a minor, that he re- 

 folved to guard againit all accidents for the future. Ac- 

 cordingly his emprefs was regularly declared regent during 

 his ablence ; and the king of Rome was nominated, in a more 

 lolemn manner than heretofore, his fucce'for. It is probable 

 that the appointment of the emprefs as regent had other ob- 

 jects in view ; Bonaparte knew well the temper and difpo- 

 fition of the Pariiiaus ; he knew that the belt mode of draw- 

 ing oif their thoughts and fpeculations from the difalters that 

 had occurred, or might occur, was by keeping up the fplen- 

 dour, bullle, and pageantry, of a court ; and this could be 

 done with the belt effect by invefting his emprefs with the 

 name and dignity of regent. Having thus taken what he 

 conceived to be all due precautions, and fent on before him 

 immenfe bodies of troops, he clofed the feffion of the legif- 

 hitive body in a fpeech full of his nfual confidence and 

 lltinefs, in which he led them and the French nation to 

 ► xpert, that on the banks of the Elbe he fhould regain all 

 thofe laurels which he had loft amidlt the fuows of Ruflia. 

 Having thus detailed the preparations which Bonaparte 

 for the commencement of what has been denominated 

 the German campaign, we mull notice briefly the prepara- 

 tions of thofe powers who were to oppofe him. Alexander, 

 at the head of Ins army, advanced with great rapidity into 

 ( lie north of Germany. As foon as he eroded his own bound- 

 aries into thofe of Pruflia, he ordered a declaration to be 

 iffued, explanatory of his motives and views. The Rulii m 

 emperor was every where hailed as a deliverer, and upon Ins 

 entrance into Berlin he was received with the utmolt enthu- 

 lialm by all ranks of the people, and in the end Pruflia be- 

 ne a noble ally to the northern potentate. She was in- 

 deed deftined to aft a confpicuous part in avenging her own 

 wrongs and thofe of Germany. Her armies were put on 

 'lie belt footing. Blucher, who had already immortalized 

 himfelf by his conduct, had a leading and cxtenfive com- 

 mand ; and it firms to have been the wife policy of the con- 

 tinental lovereignB, in this lalt ftruggle for their independence, 

 to feleCt thofe generals againit whom Bonaparte had dif- 

 played the greatest rancour; they thus fecured themfelyes 



from treachery, while tliey called forth all the talents of 

 i heir commanders. Belides the regular army of Pruflia, the 

 Landwehr or militia were called out ; all were anxiou ; to be 

 enrolled toco-operate in the deliverance and defence of their 

 country. 



In the mean time the Ruffian army continued to advance, 

 md having liberated great part ot 1'iullia, directed their 

 efforts towards the emancipation of Saxony. Count Witt- 

 genftein, who commanded the Ruffian army, addr'-fPd to the 



Saxons a molt noble and infpiriting proclamation, which, 

 though it probably made a deep impreflion, did not, at the 

 time, produce the confequences which the Ruffian general 

 anticipated. The king of Saxony was with the French, 

 and no fmall part of their country was occupied by thofe 

 people, circumftances which naturally prevented many from 

 joining the allies whofe wifhes were cordially with them ; 

 when, however, an opportunity did occur, it u. ill be feen 

 that the Saxons proved themfelves worthy of the name of 

 Germans, and of their ancellors. A hope was now ex- 

 cited that Bemadotte, the crown prince of Sweden, and his 

 numerous army, would be brought to aft in favour of the 

 allies; this expeftation was conliderably flrengthened by 

 treaties which were concluded between the courts of Sweden, 

 Ruflia, and Great Britain. By thefe treaties, the army 

 under the crown prince was immediately to be employed in 

 the common caufe, and in return for his acceflion of force, 

 Great Britain, belides granting a (ubfidy to Sweden, agreed 

 to give up to her the ifland of Guadaloupe, and to gua- 

 rantee the kingdom of Norway when it fhould be conquered 

 from the Danes. 



Thus it was known that early in the year 1813, Great 

 Britain, Ruffia, Pruflia, and Sweden, were' decidedly againit 

 France. Hollilities commenced, and in many parts the 

 French were decidedly victorious ; Hamburgh, and many 

 other places in the north of Germany, fell into their hands. 

 The firit great battle in which Bonaparte was himfelf en- 

 gaged, was at Lutzcn, on the ill of May; the Pruffians, 

 having partially fucceeded in breaking into the fquarea of 

 the enemy, committed great carnage, .aid the conflict on all 

 fides was mod defperate and fanguinary. For a confidcr- 

 able time the allies were the allailants, but toward- ev< ninft 

 Bonaparte called in that divifion of his army which was 

 near Leiplic, and collecting all his referves, made a molt 

 furious attack, for which the allies were not prepared ; night 

 however put an end to the combat. The allies remained 

 mailers of the field that evening, but judged it prudent, 

 early on the next day, to commence a retreat, in confe- 

 quence of which Bonaparte claimed the victory in the battle 

 el LtltZCD. But it was not Inch a victory as he ufed for- 

 merly to boaft of; and on the 2 1 II of May another bloody 

 battle was luuejit at Bautzen, which was Hill in favour of 

 the French, and the allies again found it expedient tore- 

 treat. The lofs of the enemy in this obftinate battle was 

 very fevere ; though Bonaparte gained ground by it, he 

 gained it at fuch an expence of men, and with fuch a con- 

 viftion of the bravery and Ikill of the allies, that he mull 

 have been very unwilling to have obtained many fuch vic- 

 tories. But the mull alarming circumftance which occurred 

 during the battle ot Bautzen, was the defertion of a whole 

 battalion ol Wurtemburghers, as well as a body of Saxon 

 troops, which mull have convinced Bonaparte how little de- 

 pendence lie could place on the German troops. The allies 

 continued their retreat, and on the 24th of May their head 

 quarters were within 18 leagues of Berlin. On the 4th of 

 June, through the mediation of the emperor of Auliria, an 

 arnudice was agreed on, which was to continue till the 

 20th of July. It was a matter of great difficulty to de- 

 termine on which fide the advantage of this armilliee hy ; 

 both parties were probably defifOUS ot it, and is the em- 



perorof Auftria preffed it molt earneftly, each party readily 

 agreed to it, in the hope of raining his allillance, or avoid- 

 ing his hoftdity. It was, however, extremely Unpopular 



throughout Germany, and efpecially in the Prufllan Hates; 



fo Btuch fo, that the king deemed it 1. ■ ivlkirv to blue a pro- 

 elan a' km., m which he declared that the armiitice tad not 

 beea fought lor ly the allied powci , and that they would 



only 



