the exception of Mayence, the French were masters of every place on the left bank of the Rhine between Landau and Nimeguen. Such was the result of the campaign of 1794 of republican France. Though it began inauspiciously, it terminated gloriously. Flanders and Holland were subdued; the Italian States were trembling for their existence; Spain was suing for peace; and the King of Prussia and the Emperor of Germany were indicating a like inclination. In the execution of those objects, her heroic armies displayed the most exalted, patriotic devotion, and the most unbounded selfsacrifice. During the whole of the campaign, and even in the very depth of winter, the troops were half-naked, and often in want of the very necessaries to support life. ENGLAND'S BATTLES BY SEA AND LAND IN 1794. there, for the purpose of affording time to the Dutch to put their strongholds in a position of defence; but the Dutch appearing disinclined to exert themselves, the English forces took a defensive position behind the Aa, when being attacked by the enemy, they retired to the right bank of the Meuse, with the loss of 1,500 men. The duke sustained considerable losses in the successive attacks on the 10th, 19th, and 27th of October, and in the early part of December, he transferred the command of the British and Hanoverian forces to the Hanoverian general, Walmoden, and returned to England. IN the campaign of 1794, carried on be- | being attacked there, they retreated to tween the armies of the coalitionists and Mechlin. Being repeatedly attacked here, those of republican France, the British and they abandoned the place and retreated to Hanoverian forces, under the Duke of York, Antwerp, with a determination to take post were first engaged with the enemy near Cambray. A large force of the enemy being collected in Cæsar's Camp, near that city, on the 26th of April, their centre, under Pichegru, advanced against the Duke of York's division, but was driven back with considerable loss. It was on this occasion, that the 15th hussars, at the head of the British cavalry, drove headlong through the enemy's line, thus completing their rout. In the battle of Turcoing, fought May 18th, the Duke of York's corps being attacked by an overwhelming force of 45,000 men, under General Souham, and finding its communication with the main army cut off by the advance of another corps of 15,000 men, on the side of Lisle, was, after an obstinate resistance, obliged to give way and retreat to Tournay. There, at five o'clock in the morning of the 22nd of May, the British contingent was attacked by Pichegru. After a desperate and bloody contest, which lasted till nine o'clock at night, the enemy was repulsed, and the village of Pont-à-chun, which was the object of contest, remained in the hands of the English. In consequence of the reverses of the imperialists, the British contingent retreated to Oudenarde, which also finding untenable, it retreated towards Antwerp. During these transactions, an effective force of 10,000 men, under Lord Moira, had, in the end of June, landed at Ostend. The earl immediately marched to the assistance of the Duke of York. On his reaching Alost, he was attacked by the enemy, but repulsed them with considerable loss. Two days afterwards, he effected a junction with the duke. They posted their united forces along the canal between Brussels and Antwerp; but In the early part of this year, the island of Corsica had been wrested from France, and received under the protection of Great Britain. This was effected by the bravery of Lord Hood. He, after the evacuation of Toulon, had remained with the Mediterranean fleet in the bay of St. Hyères, an anchorage formed by a small group of islands of that name. On the 24th of January, the British fleet, with 1,400 troops on board, under the command of Majorgeneral Dundas, got under weigh from the bay of St. Hyères, and set sail for the bay of San-Fiorenzo, in Corsica. On February 5th, the troops took possession of the tower of Mortella. Lord Hood, not being able to obtain the co-operation of General Dundas, who deemed the reduction of Bastia, the capital of the island, impracticable with the force under his command, took on board a part of his fleet that portion of the land forces which had originally been ordered to serve on board the fleet as marines, and on the 2nd of April set sail for Bastia, where he arrived at anchorage on the 4th. On the same evening, the troops, commanded | rendered. On the 19th of June, the alby Lieutenant-colonel Vilettes, with the legiance of the Corsicans was transferred to guns, mortars, and ordnance stores, and also the British crown. a detachment of seamen, commanded by Captain Horatio Nelson, of the Agamemnon, landed a little to the northward of the town. On the 11th, the batteries were opened; and on the 27th, the town and citadel sur A reinforcement of 2,000 men now arriving from Gibraltar, the reduction of the fortress of Calvi was undertaken; and on the 10th of August, after a slight resistance, it surrendered. THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE FLEETS OF ENGLAND AND FRANCE, JUNE 1ST, 1794. As the spring of the year advanced, the both from Brest, and in search of their own channel-fleet, under the command of Lord fleet. These, as well as several other prizes Howe, which had rendezvoused during the and recaptures, were destroyed, as no arwinter at Torbay, Plymouth, or Ports- rangement could be made for sending them mouth, was ordered to put to sea, for the into port, without diminishing the efficiency purpose of seeing the East and West India of the fleet in regard to frigates. The and Newfoundland convoys clear of the English fleet then stood under easy sail to channel, and to intercept the large French the northward, conformably with the inconvoy, amounting to 200 vessels, laden ference deduced from the latest intelligence with the produce of the French West India of the enemy's fleet, the principal station of settlements, and flour and provisions taken in American ports, valued at five millions sterling. Besides intercepting this rich convoy, which was anxiously expected by the famished population of France during the Reign of Terror, the admiral was directed to proceed for Ushant, to look after the French fleet, which had set sail from Brest. On the 2nd of May, the fleet and convoy, amounting to 148 sail, including fortynine ships of war, set sail from St. Helens. Having arrived off the Lizard on the 4th, Rear-admiral Montague was detached with six seventy-four's and two frigates, to protect the convoy to the latitude of Cape Finsterre, where Captain Peter Rainer, who had been previously detached with the Suffolk (seventy-four), a sixty-four, and five frigates, undertook the escort of the convoy for the remainder of the passage. Thus the channelfleet was reduced to twenty-six sail of the line, seven frigates, one hospital-ship, one brig-sloop, and two cutters. The English fleet cruised in the Bay of Biscay for several days, in blowy, foggy weather, a hundred leagues to the westward of Ushant, in expectation of falling in with the French fleet. On the 25th of May, after a fruitless search for the enemy, two French corvettes were observed steering after the fleet, on the supposition, as afterwards appeared, that it was the French fleet. They were both captured; the Républicain, eighteen guns and 120 men, and the Inconnu, twelve guns and 136 men, which was supposed to be between the parallels of 45° and 47° 30'. On the morning of the 28th, several French ships were discovered by the advanced frigates, four or five leagues to windward, the wind then blowing fresh from the south by west, with a rough sea. Chase was immediately given ; and on the evening of that day, an action took place between the enemy's rear-guard and the British vanguard, in the course of which the Revolutionaire, a three-decker, and the sternmost ship, was so damaged, that she struck to the Audacious; but night coming on, she was not taken possession of, but was towed, on the following morning, into Rochefort. On the 29th, at daylight, the two fleets were within six miles distance of each other. Each fleet manoeuvred to gain the weather-gauge of the other. Howe, at the head of several ships, passed through the French fleet, and then put them about again, in preparation to renew the attack; but the rest of the fleet passing at the time to leeward, and beyond the sternmost ships of the French line, the action was discontinued. A dense fog concealed the hostile fleets from each other during the 30th, and the morning of the following day. On the evening of the 31st, the fog clearing off, the enemy was seen to the leeward; but before the British fleet could get up abreast, the day was too far advanced to bring on the action. During the fog, the French admiral had been rejoined by the four sail of the line and two frigates, which he had detached to co-operate with the squadron was hoisted on her. The loss in killed and escorting the West Indian convoy. * wounded had been great. That on board of the English fleet, was 290 killed and 858 wounded. The French represented theirs to have been 3,000; but it is well known that it much exceeded that number. On board of the six ships taken, the killed amounted to 190; the wounded to 380. The number of prisoners on board of the captured ships, was 2,300. The dawn of the 1st of June (Sunday), disclosed the hostile fleet, about three miles to leeward, in order of battle. The British fleet, having the weather-gauge, immediately bore down, in an oblique direction, on its opponents, and was abreast of them about seven o'clock, A.M. The enemy resolutely awaited the advance, and opened a heavy fire on the British vessels, as soon as they The battle of the 1st of June may be thus came within range. At about half-past summarily described: About half-past eight, the British admiral made the signal nine A.M., the French van opened its fire for the fleet to close, to pass through the on the British van. In about a quarter of French line, and engage to leeward, so that, an hour, the fire of the French became if worsted, the enemy could not escape. At a general, and Lord Howe and his divisional little before half-past nine, the Queen Char- flag-officers, bearing the signal for close lotte (Howe's flag-ship), followed by the action at their mast-heads, commenced a Defence, the Marlborough, the Royal heavy fire in return. A few of the British George, the Queen, and the Brunswick, ships cut through the French line, and enreached the centre of the French line. The gaged their opponents to leeward; the English flag-ship, steering a direct course remainder hauled up to windward, and for the Montagne, the flag-ship of the opened their fire, some at a long, others at French commander-in-chief, Rear-admiral a shorter or more effectual distance. At Villaret Joyeuse, and disregarding the fire ten minutes past ten, A.M., when the action opened on her as she approached the object was at its height, the French admiral, on of her attack, poured her whole broadsides the Montagne, made sail ahead, followed by into the stern of the Montagne, as she passed the second astern, and afterwards by such slowly through the line, from the effect of other of his ships as, like the Montagne, which 300 men were killed or wounded on had suffered little in their rigging and sails. the hostile vessel. At nearly the same mo- At about half-past eleven, A.M., the heat ment, the action became general in the of the action was over, and the British were centre. In about an hour from the com- left with eleven, the French with twelve, mencement of the battle, the Montagne more or less dismasted ships. None of sheered off, followed by all the ships in her the French ships had, at this time, struck van which could carry sail, and leaving their colours; or, if they had struck, had twelve engaged in close action. The battle since rehoisted them: they, for the most having been maintained by both sides with part, were striving to escape, under a spritdesperate resolution, seven ships of the line sail, or some small sail, set on the tallest remained in the hands of the conquerors; stump left to them; and continued to fire but one of them (the Vengeur) having re- on every British ship that passed within ceived too many shots between wind and gun-shot. water, filled and foundered, with 280 prisoners on board, as soon as the English flag After failing in his attempt to cut off the Queen, in her disabled state, Villaret stood A curious incident is said to have occurred on George Lennox, the governor, in whose possession board this ship. When she was entirely dismasted, he lived to a good old age. The whole of the a whisper of surrender is said to have been uttered, colours, except the white ensign, of the Marlborough which Lieutenant Monkton (then in command, the having been shot away, she was fired into by several captain having been removed on account of the se- English ships, on the supposition that she was vere wound he had received) overhearing, exclaimed, French; and at last, that colour being carried away, "he would be damned if she should ever surrender; Appleford, one of the crew, loudly exclaiming, in and that he would nail her colours to the stump of the true spirit of a British sailor," the English colours the mast." At that moment, a cock, having escaped shall never be dishonoured where I am," stripped from the coop which had been broken during the off the red coat of a marine who had been killed, contest, suddenly perched himself on the stump of stuck it on a boarding-pike and exalted it into the the main-mast, and crowed aloud; in an instant, air, at the same time saying, that when all the red three hearty cheers rang through the ship's com- coats were gone, he would hoist the blue jackets. pany, and they immediately renewed the fight with This conduct infused fresh spirit into his comrades, redoubled vigour. On the arrival of the ship at and they fought with great bravery until the ship Plymouth, the cock was made a present of to Lord | surrendered. on, and succeeded, contrary to all expecta- | best bower, sheet, and stream anchors hooked tion, in recovering and cutting off four of the Vengeur's weather, fore, main, and mizen his dismasted ships, the Républicain, Mutius, chains. The two ships then paid round off Scipion, and Jemappes; a fifth, the Terrible, before the wind and left the scene of action. having previously joined him by fighting her way through the British fleet. At about fifteen minutes past one, P.M., the general firing ceased; but it was not till thirty minutes past two, P.M., that the six dismasted ships nearest at hand, the Sanspareil, Juste, Amèrique, Impétueux, Northumberland, and Achille, were secured by the British; and none of these opened their fire on the ships which advanced to take possession of them. At a little after six P.M., a seventh French ship, the Vengeur, was taken possession of, but in so shattered a state, that in ten minutes afterwards, she went down, with upwards of 200 of her crew on board, composed chiefly of the wounded. Among the ships engaged on this eventful day, the Brunswick and the Vengeur deserve to be recorded in the roll of fame. The conduct of the captain and crew of the former was above all praise. The oblique mode of closing on the enemy's fleet, and the advanced position which the Brunswick took, firing close abreast of the Queen Charlotte, occasioned her to receive much of the fire directed at the admiral's ship. From this cause the Brunswick's cock-pit was half-filled with killed and wounded before she returned a shot, and her masts, sails, and rigging were much damaged. Captain Harvey intended, in obedience to Lord Howe's orders, to pass under the stern of the Jacobin, but the latter being ranged ahead, and the Achille, the Jacobin's next astern, having taken her place, he found this to be impracticable, and that he must pass through the opening between the Achille and the Vengeur. The latter ship, however, in order to frustrate this design, made sail ahead, and the Brunswick was left with no alternative but to run the Vengeur on board, unless, indeed, Captain Harvey disregarded his orders, and rounded to windward. Putting her helm down, therefore, to avoid the tremendous effects which must otherwise have ensued from the collision, the Brunswick fell alongside her opponent, and her The Brunswick had a figure-head representing the head of the Duke of Brunswick, with a laced hat on. During the battle, the hat being struck off by a cannon-shot, the crew of the ship, thinking it derogating from the duke's character that his emblem should continue uncovered in the face of the enemy, It is reported, that the master of the Brunswick asked Captain Harvey, if they should cut adrift from the French ship, and that the reply was-"No; we have got her, and we will keep her." One of the most determined actions on record then took place, each individual of the crews of both ships fighting as if the fate of their respective countries depended on their exertions; and fast and furious became the contest. Eight of the Brunswick's lower-deck ports, being found to be jammed by the Vengeur's side, were quickly blown off, and the muzzles of the guns touching each other, vomited forth their deadly fire. The Vengeur's musketry played in the meanwhile sad havoc on the Brunswick's poop and quarter-deck, and having thirtysix-pounder carronades on the poop, from which langridge (old rusty nails and pieces of iron) was fired, the officers and men fell rapidly before it. A party of the 29th regiment, doing duty as marines, commanded by Captain Alexander Saunders, made a most effectual return by the steadiness of their fire; but at length their gallant captain fell dead upon the deck. Captain Harvey was wounded by a musket-ball, which tore away three fingers of his right hand, but binding his handkerchief round his hand, he continued at his post as before. Several other officers were killed and wounded about the same time. At about eleven, A.M., a large ship was observed on the larboard quarter of the Brunswick, bearing down upon her, having her forecastle, gangways, and lower rigging, crowded with men, with the apparent intention of boarding the Brunswick, and releasing the Vengeur. As many of the larboard guns as would bear, were therefore pointed at the stranger, which was the Achille, and a double-headed shot, in addition to the round shot already in the guns was put into each. The Achille having advanced to within musket-shot, these guns were fired with deliberate aim; and this being repeated four or five times, the foremast, being the only remaining mast of the sent a deputation to the quarter-deck, to request Captain Harvey would be pleased to order his servant to give them his laced cocked-hat to supply the loss. The request being granted, the carpenter nailed the captain's hat on the duke's head, where it remained till the battle ended. |