FRA 
foners, who had volunteered in the expedition, having 
. deferted, undertook to guide the republicans by an al- 
inod impaffable route to fort Pcnthievre, the defence of 
which was inju/dicioufly entruftecf to men of their own 
defcription. The enterprize was commenced on a mod 
tempeftuous night, July 2.8, by a detachment of three 
thoufund men, under generals Humbert, Watteau, and 
Menage. An attack was made along the fea-coad, where 
the Englilh gun-boats kept up fo galling a fire, that the 
affailants were on the point of retreating, when, to their 
great aflonifhment, the tii-coloured flag was feen flying 
on the top of the lbrt. This change was effected by a 
divifion of three hundred men under Menage, who, 
marching up to their middle in water through a tcm- 
peftuous fea, and climbing from rock to rock, had reached 
the fortrefs, fcaled the walls, and, afiifled by the trea¬ 
chery of fome individuals in the garrifon, made them- 
felves makers of it, after putting all who refilled to the 
l'word. 
Nothing now remained to impede the attack of the re¬ 
publicans on the remaining force of the royalids. The 
Chouans, with M. de Puifaye at their head, had embarked 
in the flat-bottomed boats, and were carried to other parts 
of La Vendee, where they difperfed themfelves among 
their friends. The emigrants, headed by the young comte 
de Sombreuil, protedled the re-embarkation of the aged 
men, women, and children, who had attended the expe¬ 
dition, and then prepared to fell their lives as dearly as 
pofiible. A portion of their force had already laid down 
their arms and gained the republican ranks, protefling 
that they had only joined tire royalids through compui- 
fion ; Hoche was rapidly advancing, and had obliged 
Sombreuil and his followers to retreat to an ifolated rock, 
whence many threw themfelves into the fea, and peri (lied 
in a vain effort to reacli the flup.ping. The remainder 
were preparing for refidance, when they were fummoned 
to capitulate, and induced to lay down their arms on a 
promife that their lives fliould be fpared. Such a pro- 
mife, however, availed them but little ; they were tried 
by a military commiflion, and doomed to be fliot; a 
fentence which was executed on all who were captured, 
clergy as well as laity, and even on young Sombreuil 
himfelf. After this difafter, Charette, Stofflet, and Pui¬ 
faye,-vainly endeavoured to excite the Vendeans to new 
efforts. Puifaye was obliged to quit the country; Cha¬ 
rette and Stofflet, after maintaining a-hard confiidl; at the 
head of a few followers, and harafftng perpetually the ar¬ 
mies of the republic, wdVe finally defeated, taken pri- 
foners, and fliot at Nantes, in purfuance of the verdifft of 
a military commiflion. The Briiith armament remained 
on the coad fo long as a probability appeared of ferving 
the caufe in which they were employed. At length, the 
French government having again conciliated the infur- 
gents, and formed a new treaty of peace, Dec. 31, 1795, 
the Britilh fleet retired to its own Ihores. 
The campaign of 1795, on the Rhine and the frontiers 
of Italy, did not, however, produce events fo important 
as might have been expected. The (late of the French 
finances, the agitations and diflraCtions which embarraffed 
the government, and the numerous uncertainties attend¬ 
ing newly-acquired power, prevented more vigorous ex¬ 
ertion. The fucceffes of the protracted campaign of 
1794, had weakened their armies more than their oppo¬ 
nents could believe; the neceflity of keeping up fuch a 
force in Holland as would enable them to carry their 
fchemes into the fulled effeCt, weakened their difpolable 
forces for the field, and they had no hopes, until peace 
with Pruflia, Spain, and other powers, limited their ope¬ 
rations to fewer quarters, of being able to carry on effec¬ 
tual holtilities for another: year. The Imperial com¬ 
manders, on the other hand, were equally vveakened by 
the length of the campaign; the cabinet of Auftria was 
divided by jarring counfels ; and thofe who were mod 
patriotic in their views for the good of th empire, were 
N C E. 811 
filled with condernation at the fucceffes of the French, 
and the inglorious defection of the king of Pruflia. 
Jourdan and Pichegru, who dill commanded on the 
Rhine, proceeded, after fome unimportant fkirmifhes, to 
prefs the fiege of the (Long town of Luxembourg, which 
was garrifoned by ten thoufund men under marefchal Ben¬ 
der. As no fuccours could arrive, the marefchal capitu¬ 
lated on the 7th of June, J795, a more early period than 
was expefted ; but obtained for his garrifon permiflion to 
retire into Germany, on condition of not ferving again till 
exchanged. Mentz alone remained in poffeiiion of the 
Auflrians on the left bank of the Rhine ; but the repub¬ 
licans were not yet able to fpare a fuflicient force for the 
invedment. A long period of inaCtion enfued, at the 
end of which the republicans under Jourdan fuddenly 
eroded the Rhine, and attacked Dufl'eldorf. The Aus¬ 
trians, flruck with alarm at this unexpected movement, 
abandoned the city, and retreated towards the Lahn, 
w here Clairfait, who commanded this divifion, was joined 
by a confiderable force. Soon after jourdan had effected 
the paffage of the Rhine, Pichegrualfo paffed near Man- 
heim, and having taken that city, the French became 
makers of a fufficient traCt of country to undertake the 
fiege of Mentz. The Andrians placed their chief hopes 
on a junction to be effected between the armies of Ciair- 
fait and Wurmfer. To impede this, Pichegru gave battle 
to the latter general, on the 25th of September, 1795, 
and had gained the victory ; but his troops having dll — 
perfed themfelves in every direction in qued of plunder, 
the defeated Andrian cavalry turned on the late viCtors, 
killed a great number of men, and drove the remainder 
into Manheim. 
Meanwhile Jourdan, according to a plan previously ar¬ 
ranged, had eroded the Maine, and inveded Mentz on 
the right fide of the Rhine; but Clairfait, having received 
reinforcements, fell fuddenly on his rear,.captured his ar¬ 
tillery, and obliged him to raife the blockade, recrofs the 
Maine, and retreat to Dufleldorf ; while his rear was con- 
duntly harraffed by the victorious imperialids. Piche¬ 
gru was alfo obliged to retreat to the other fide of the 
Rhine, leaving a drong garrifon in Manheim, and hoping 
to reinforce the camp before Mentz fufficiently to refid 
the Auflrians; but before he could arrive the fate of the 
day was decided ; the French were completely routed, 
their artillery taken, and they with difficulty effected a 
retreat. The victorious armies, now forming a junction, 
retook the Palatinate, and the greater part of the country 
between the Rhine and the Mofelle : Pichegru, on the 
other hand, effected a junction with Jourdap ; but their 
utmod efforts could not prevent the recapture of Man¬ 
heim, though they impeded a projeCt formed by the im¬ 
perialids for penetrating to Luxembourg. 
On the fide of Italy, preparation rather than aCtion 
marked the progrefs of the year. Scherer had gained 
fome advantages in the draits near the riviere di Ponente ; 
the peace with Spain gave reafon to hope for ample rein¬ 
forcements; and the republicans were in poffeffion of all 
the furnmits of the Alps, from the borders of the lake of 
Geneva to the county of Nice. Both parties were occu¬ 
pied in (Lengthening their pofitions; the French at Bor- 
ghetto and Albenga, their opponents at Dego; while ge¬ 
neral Dew'ins extended his redoubts over the Heights 
which cover Savona and Vado. Meanwhile Genoa, 
placed in the centre of hodilities, was a feene of continual 
negotiation, and the government was threatened by all 
parties; the ports were blockaded by an Englifli fleet, 
and all provifionsdeflined for the army of Italy intercepted. 
The French, at length, terminated the fufpenfe in which 
they were involved, by an attack on the whole Auflrian 
line, for the purpofe of expelling them from the Genoefe 
territory. This meafure was ref’olved in a council of war 
held at Albenga; and the republicans were encouraged 
in their refolution by a knowledge that the Auftrian army 
had fuffered much through ficknefs, The grand attack 
was 
