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The command of the army being left 
to him by Gereral Jourdan, who was 
compelled by indifpofition to abfent him- 
’ f{elffor awhile, he came up with the enemy 
at Forcheim, beat them back to the Reid- 
nitz, and tock fixty pieces of cannon from 
them. Shortly aiter, however, the French 
army was obliged to retreat. The Di- 
rectory made this circumftance a pretext 
for mortifying the Generals, the greater 
part of whom were nct very patient under 
the affront. Of this number was Kleber : 
he looked upon the majority of the mem- 
bers of the Dire&tory with fovereign con- 
tempt; and from his well-known frank- 
nefs, it may readily be fuppofed that he 
gave himlelf no trouble to conceal it.— 
Thofe Generals who had difplayed the 
greateft talent and capacity, were pre- 
cifely the men againtt whom the Direc- 
tory delighted to exercife thofe petty acts 
of authority which generally evince a fri- 
voloufnefs of difpofition and unfitnefs to 
govern. Kleber; who did not think it 
neceflary to keep terms with them, fa- 
tigued, befides, with their paltry’ vexa- 
tions, gave in his refignation, which was 
accepted without hefitation; they fuftered 
him, however, to retain his pay as Gene- 
ral of divifion. _ 
He availed himfelf of this interval of 
leifure to undertake feveral journies. He 
went to Paris, and prelented himfelf to 
the Minifter of War, who received him 
with diftinguifhed marks of attention, 
and perfuaded him to pay avifit to fome 
of the Direétory. In {pite of the firm 
refolution he had taken not to appear be- 
fore any of them, he was prevaued on, 
by the folicitations of the Miniter, to 
wait upon Barras, On his introduction 
to this Diretor, he found him engaged - 
at piquet: he was playing at the moment 
when the Minifter and himfelf entered : 
_ he firft noticed them by a flight inclina- 
. tion of the bead, and, when the game was 
over, he arofe, and addrefling himfelf to 
‘Kleber, inquired if he was acquainted 
- with fuch and fuch Generals. After. 
fome other queftions, perceiving that his 
turn to play was again come, he quitted 
him. The Minifter and Kleber now 
withdrew ; and as foon as they were on 
the outfide of the Luxembourg, the Jatter 
exclaimed, ** Is this the manner in which 
he receives a man who fiatters himfelf that 
he has meritoriouily difcharged his duty 
on important occafions |”? ** What rea- 
fon have. you to complain? (replied the 
Minifter,) You have been well received ; 
he has fpoken to you.” From this time 
forward Kieber could never prevail on 
Biographical Account of General Kleber. 
/ 
[ Nov. t; 
himfelf to appear before any of the Di- 
rectors ; and he continued to exprefs his 
fentiments of them with all the franknefs 
of a foldier incapable of throwing a glois 
over the truth. 
He returned to Strafburg, and thence 
took a journey into the department of the 
Upper Rhine, where fome hopes were 
held out that he might be eleéted to the 
Legiflative Aflembly. This, however, 
did not take place; and his failure was 
attributed to a falfe accufation, that at 
the commencement of the Revolution he 
had beena partizan of many overftrained 
fyftems, and to his connexion with fome 
perfons at Strafburg who were known to 
be Terrorifts. He therefore left the de- 
partment of the Rhine, and returned to 
Paris, where he determined to live in re- 
tirement. He purchafed a country-houte 
in the environs, and employed himfelf in 
drawing up memorials of his different 
campaigns. 
In the midft of this occupation came 
the 18th of Fru@tidor. The refult of this 
day, which finifhed with the profcription 
of many of the pureft patriots in France, is 
fufficiently known. Kleber was.a man 
of too much merit, 2nd of a character too 
decided, to efcape the notice of the au- 
thors of this profcription: his name was 
down in the fatal lift ; but from fome re- 
mains of fhame, or perhaps from remorfe, 
it was afterwards erafed. An attempt te 
arreft him would probably have been at- 
tended with danger, as he was prepared 
againft ali accidents, and well difpofed to 
fell his perfon dearly in cafe of an attack. 
He would never have fallen alive into the 
hands of thefe profelytes of tyranny, but 
his death would have been preceded by 
the deftructicn of many of thofe who 
might dare te approach him, 
General Hoche was in the fecret of the 
18th of Fructidor ; be infifted even, thas 
Kleber fhould be included in the meditat- 
ed profeription, and he was ftrangely iur- 
“piized to learn that he had been {pared.— 
He wrote immediately to the Directory, 
with the bittereft complaints of their ne- 
gleét, and exprefled himfelf in regard.to 
Kleber in the following terms :—‘* You 
have done nothing, Citizens Directors, 
abiolutely nothing, fince you fuffer the 
moft dangerous man in the Republic to 
remain in France—that viper, who has 
feduced half the officers in the army.— 
You will readily fuppofe that I mean 
Kleber.” 
After fuch a letter, and adenunciation 
fo formal, from a man of fo much influ- 
ence as Hoche, it will be a matter of fur- 
prize 
