body of their army being well fecured, they fent out feveral detach ments. Their fmall bodies were conducted by general Luckner, and other able partizans, who undertook feveral bold and very diftant enterprizes, attacked the enemy where they were leaft upon their guard, routed their convoys, deftroyed feveral of their magazines, carriages, and horfes, and carried of their prey even from the gates of Caffel. Thefe lively actions feemed a prelude to fome more important and decifive attempt. The French became fenfible that a ftroke of fome importance was expected from the greatnefs of their force; and that it was not for the credit of their arms only, but for their fecurity from the minute, but continual and galling attempts of parties from the allied army. For fome time prince Ferdinand had been pofted to the fouth of the Lippe, between Ham and Lipftadt. This pofition he took, in all probability, becaufe M. Broglio had, by occupying the places on the Dymel, got between him and Hanover. Therefore he judged it expedient for him in his turn to get between the prince de Soubife, and the Rhine. In this fituation, if the enemy attempted any movement towards the king's dominions, he was ready to fall directly on the places they occupied by that river, which, in the prefent circumftances, were full as important to them as the Hanoverian territory was to us. Thus whilft he feemed to retire from that territory, and in a manner to abandon it, he in reality provided with the greater effect for its fecurity. Marthal Broglio, when he had refolved on the attack of the allied army, united his troops to thofe of the prince de Soubife, at a place called Soeft, between Lipftadt and Ham. On the other hand, as foon as the general of the allies was apprized of their intention, he posted his army in a very strong and advantageous manner. The river Aeft runs for a confiderable way almoft parallel to the Lippe, from which it is not diftant, in fome places, much more than half a mile. The high road from Lipftadt to Ham paffes between thefe rivers; and it was of the utmost moment to prince Ferdinand to secure that important communication, by which alone he could hope an advantageous retreat, or in any degree propofe to command the adjacent country. With a view therefore to protect that communication, he established his left wing on the ifthmus between the rivers. The left extremity of that wing under general Wutgeneau, leaning to the Lippe, by which it was perfectly fecured, as the right was fupported by the village of Kirch Denkern, fituated immediately on the Aeft. The marquis of Granby commanded in that wing, with the affiftance of lieutenant-gen. Howard and the prince of Anhalt, who were pofted towards the abovementioned village, At that village and another river called the Saltzbach, fmall, but very deep, joins the Aeft almoft in a right angle. Behind this river, on a confiderable eminence, was placed the center, commanded by general Conway; and on a con tinuation of the fame eminence, the right wing, under the hereditary prince, ftretched out towards the village of Werle, and it was well defended on the flank by rugged, rugged, bufhy, and almost impracticable ground. Nothing could be more advantageous than this difpofition of the army, by which the whole center and right wing were covered in front by a river, and the left fupported by rivers on both its Hanks. In the left, indeed, was the ftrength and flower of the army; the count of Lippe had placed alfo in this wing the greatest part of the artillery, as he knew that it defended the most important fituation, was the most exposed in front, and confequently would be the object of the enemy's moft confiderable efforts. He was not mistaken in his conjecture. On the 15th of July, in the evening, a very furious attack was made on lord Granby's pofts, which was fuftained for a long time with all the intrepidity and firmnefs which British troops always exert, and which that gallant officer knows fo well how to infpire. The difpofition we have juft mentioned, was not then compleated; fo that they had the whole torrent of that impetuofity which diftinguishes the French in their firft attacks, to refift for fome hours, until Wutgeneau, according to the plan originally projected, arrived to their affiitance, and then with efforts united and redoubled in a long and obftinate combat, which continued until it was quite dark, they repulfed the French, and drove them into the woods. July 16th. By the next morning, the difpofition of the allies was perfected; and it was evident that the French, far from being difmayed by their misfortune, were prepared for a more general and better fuftained attack than the former. M. Broglio commanded against our left, which, as on the preceding day, was the principal object of the enemy. The prince de Soubife led their center and their left. The engagement began at three in the morning, and it was a fevere and continued fire for upwards of five hours, before the least effect could be perceived on either fide. The weight of the attack this day lay on Wutgeneau's corps, which fupported it with a degree of bravery that rivalled the ftand which had been lately made by the British forces. But about nine, the prince difcovered that the enemy were preparing to erect batteries on an eminence, in the front of the marquis of Granby's camp, which he had not been able to enclofe within his lines. Senfible of the preffing neceffity there was of preventing the enemy from feizing on an eminence, from whence they might cruelly gall his army, he called in a referve, which had been placed at the other fide of the Lippe under general Sporken. Strengthened by this fupply, and encouraged by the irrefolution which now began to appear in the motions of the enemy, he commanded the troops which were neareft at hand to advance upon them. This movement was decifive, the enemy gave way, fell into diforder, and retired with precipitation. Their center and left, which had not been able to paß the Saltzbach, after a long and ineffectual cannonade, retired with the reft, and covered their retreat; fo that favoured by this circumftance, and the clofenefs of the country, which was full of hedges, they marched off in tolerable order, and were purfued but a little way. However their lofs was confiderable: the the regiment of Rouge, confifting of four battalions, with its cannon and colours, was entirely taken by the fingle battalion of Maxwell. Their whole lofs in killed, wounded, and prifoners, has been eftimated at five thoufand. The allies had about three hundred killed, a thoufand wounded, and about two hundred prifoners. This action was the climax of the campaign of 1761, in Weftphalia; it did the greatest honour to the wildom of the accomplished commander in the difpofition, and to the bravery of the troops in the combat; but it was far from decifive. Notwithftanding the lofs the French fuffered, they were ftill much fuperior in their numbers. On this miffortune the old ill understanding between Soubife and Broglio broke out with fresh animofity. Narratives, memorials, and replies, conceived with great bitternefs, where mutually remitted from both marfhals to their court. Marthal Broglio alledged, that his misfortune was owing to the prince de Soudife's delay, who did not begin the attack till it was too late for him to continue it; the prince de Soubife, on the other hand, fuggefted, that Broglio began his attack earlier than the time that had been fixed, in hopes of forcing the allies without Soubife's affiftance; and when he found that point loft, obliged Soubife to retreat, that he might not have the honour of recovering it. The allies after this battle kept their ground for fome time, whilft the French retreated. It is impoffible regularly to account for all the unexpected turns which have happened, perhaps, more in this campaign, than in any of the former. It is enough to know that the original fuperiority of the French, together with their oppor tunity of continual reinforcement, may very tolerably explain the rea- · fon of the advantages which they fo often obtained after very conti derable defeats. This is a point which it is neceffary the reader fhould continually keep in his mind during the whole narration of this ftrange war. After their late lofs and retreat, the French foon advanced again. The party under the prince de Soubife, paffed the Lippe, and made difpofitions for the feige of Munfter, whilft marshal Broglio's army turned off on the other fide, croffed the Wefer, and threatened to fall in upon Hanover. This divifion of the enemy compelled prince Ferdinand, though little in a condition for it, to divide his army alfo. The hereditary prince pofted himfelf to cover Munfter; whilft prince Ferdinand continued in the country towards the Wefer, to obferve the motions of marfhal Broglio. Whilft thefe various pofitions were mutually taken, as the armies were continually moving near each other, a number of very fharp fkir mishes enfued. Marthal Broglio cautioufly avoided a battle whenever he faw that the duke of Brunf, wick, by calling together his troops, had prepared for, and was defrous of it; fo that there was no way left, but, if poffible, to check his motions, and wear down his force by reiterated lefer actions. Thefe actions were almost always to the advantage of our troops. In one of them, however, the young prince Henry of Brunfvick was mortally wounded ; and July 20th the whole army faw with regret, the diffappointment of fuch great great hopes as were formed from the rifing gallantry of a prince, who fo nobly supported the martial fpirit of his family, and had fallen whilft he was emulating the heroic actions of his brother the hereditary prince, and his uncle Ferdinand. He On the fide of Weftphalia, the prince de Soubife perfevered, notwithstanding fome checks, in his defign of laying fiege to Munster; there was great reafon to apprehend that he might succeed in that enterprize, as it was always in marfhal Broglio's power, by taking fome fteps on the fide of Hanover, to make it neceffary to draw away the greatest part of the force deftined to the fuccour of Munster. therefore begun to make the previous arrangements at Dorften. The hereditary prince, who knew that he was continually liable to be called off, took the firft opportunity of attacking this place. Aug. 30th A battalion of French troops formed his garrifon, and made a brave defence, but it was affaulted with fo much refolution and perfeverance, that they were obliged to furrender prifoners of war. The prince totally deftroyed the ovens which were established here, and by this means not only fruftrated their defign of befieging Munfier, but compelled them for a time to retire from the Lippe. As to prince Ferdinand, he faw clearly, that the intentions of marfhal Broglio were to make himself mafter of his majefty's, and the duke of Brunfwick's territories. To attempt to follow him, and to beat him from thence, would only be irrecoverably to transfer the feat of war into thofe countries, and wholly to abandon Weftphalia to the enemy. Diverfion' therefore, and not direct oppofitión, became his object. He refolved, that as often as he perceived marshal Broglio making any progrefs on the fufpected quarter, he fhould throw himfelf as far into Heffe, as the enemy had advanced towards Hanover, and by ftopping their fubfiftence, oblige them to quit their enterprize. This plan at firft fucceeded to his wifhes, and drew back marshal Broglio into Heffe, upon whofe approach prince Ferdinand retired to his old quarters at Paderborn, and was ready 19th Oct. for a new movement as foon as Broglio should return to the execution of his former defign. Accordingly he foon returned to the Wefer. Then the hereditary prince, who had by this time rejoined the grand army, advanced into Heffe, and pushed to the fartheft extremities of that country even as far as Fitzlar; but though he fucceeded fo far in his attempts as to deftroy all the leffer magazines which he found in the open country; yet as all the fortreffes were in the hands of the enemy, as the garrifons had been newly reinforced, and the grand magazines were well fecured in thofe places, he kept his ground in his advanced pofition. It was on this occafion principally that prince Ferdinand found the difadvantage of not being able to form two armies, which might act feparately. For on one hand, marthal Broglio, when he had perfectly fecured his pofts in Heffe, took a fituation in which he watched all the motions of prince Ferdinand, and kept himfelf in readinefs to fall back into Heffe, or to advance into Hanover, as might beft agree with his defigns. From hence he fent fent out fome powerful detachments which acted with great effect. One of thefe detachments entered the Harts Foreft (the remains of the great Hercynian, fo famous among the ancients) and befieged the ftrong caftle of Schartsfelts, which they took and demolished. Then they laid the whole tract of country under fevere contribution. Another and fill more powerful detachment under prince Xavier of Saxony appeared before Wolfenbuttle, a confiderable city, and ftrongly fituated, as it is Oct. 5th. wholly furrounded by the Ocker. But the French, as they knew that the town is moftly built of wood, commenced their ope rations with a very fierce bombardment. This had fuch an effect, that the refiftance of the place was not proportioned to its ftrength; in five days it furrendered, and was fubject, like the reft, to a grievous contribution. Flushed with this fuccefs, the French followed their blow, and advanced, keeping ftill the courfe of the Ocker, to Brunfwick; and began alfo to inveft that city. The reigning prince, unable to protect his fubjects, or to fecure his perfon in his dominions, fled to Hamburg, where he met the landgrave of Heffe, whom the rage of war had in the fame manner driven from his territories. This free city now became a place of general refuge, and enriched itself by the calamities, as it had in better times done by the profperity of Germany. It was lately computed, that the ftrangers there had increased to forty thoufand, amongst whom they could reckon two fovereign princes, and feveral other perfons of the firft diftinction. This rapid and unrefifted progrefs of the French to the eastward of the Wefer, was to the highest degree alarming. Prince Ferdinand, with all the expedition in his power, detached the hereditary prince to the relief of Brunfwick. This measure fortunately faved that very important place. This active commander compelled the enemy not only to raise the siege of Bruniwick, but to abandon Wolfenbuttel, and to make a precipitate retreat, with the lofs of fome of their cannon, and, upwards of a thoufand men. Whilft Broglio's detachments proceeded thus in diftreffing the country to the eastward of the Wefer, the prince of Soubife, who, by the removal of the hereditary prince of Brunswick to another quarter, faw no longer any thing capable of oppofing him, fpread his army by detachments over all Weftphalia, and ravaged it in the most cruel manner. They took Ofnaburg; and because the contributions were not immediately paid, they gave up the place to be pillaged by their troops, who rifled the miferable inhabitants without mercy. Another body pushed as far as Embden. This important town was immediately furrendered by the garrifon (two English companies of invalids) at the defire of the timid inhabitants, and the promife of favourable treatment: notwithstanding this capitulation, and the merit of fo eafy a furrender, the town, as well as the whole country of Eaft-Friefland, was laid under a ruinous contribution. But their exorbitances grew to fuch an extremity, that the boors were at length compelled to rife, and with fuch |
