X. 1792. CHAP. till I see the enemy retire. I shall then show it to my soldiers, and return to Paris to receive punishment for having saved my country in spite of itself." Meanwhile he neglected nothing which might encourage the soldiers, and keep alive their hopes. Night and day he was to be seen at their watch-fires, conversing with the common men, and predicting the speedy retreat of their enemies. By these means he appeased their discontent, and, by iii. 44, 47. communicating to them his views, inspired them with his 117. Ann. confidence. Meanwhile, the position of Islettes was still 30. Lam. preserved; and an attack, by a detachment of the Allies, Gir. iv. 48. on that important pass, was defeated by the obstinate resistance of the officer in command.1 1 Jom. ii. 134. Dum. Th. iii. 116, Reg. xxxiii. Hist. des 30. The conduct of the Duke of Brunswick, both in this Secret ne action, and the movements for three weeks which had prebetween the ceded it, would be altogether inexplicable, if the external Brunswick aspect of the military events alone was considered. gotiation Duke of and Dumourier. But the truth was, as has at length been revealed, that during all this period a secret negotiation was in dependence between him and Dumourier, the object of which was to obtain, after a little delay, the recognition of the constitutional throne by the latter, and the junction of his army to the invading force. This negotiation was skilfully conducted by the French general, who constantly held out that he was in reality favourable to the King and the constitution, and would show himself so when the proper time arrived; but that, in order to do this with effect, it was necessary to wait for the arrival of the other corps-d'armée, as without an imposing force such a declaration would not be attended with the desired effect at Paris, and that any disaster in the mean time would put an end to all his designs. By these plausible but insidious communications, Dumourier gained time to retire from the Argonne forest to Ste-Ménehould without molestation, 471. Cap. and completely paralysed his antagonist, till the arrival of the expected reinforcements put him in a situation to throw off the mask, and openly resist the Allied arms.2 2 Hard. i. Eur. i. 161, 162. X. 1792. 31. paralysed Valmy. The same secret negotiation which had already arrested CHAP. their movements, restrained the Prussian arms on the field of Valmy; the Duke of Brunswick was fearful, by a decided action and probable victory, of converting a Which also promised ally into a decided opponent.* No sooner was the Allies on the cannonade concluded than the interchange of secret the field of messengers became more active than ever. Lombard, private secretary to the Duke, suffered himself to be made prisoner in disguise by the French patrols, and conducted the negotiation. The Duke insisted on the immediate liberation of the King, and re-establishment of a constitutional monarchy; while the French general avowed that these were the objects which he really cherished at the bottom of his heart, but that, in order to carry these intentions into effect with any prospect of success, it was indispensable, in the first place, that the Allies should retire and evacuate the French territory; that their doing so would give him so much influence that he had no doubt of being able to achieve these desirable objects, and that he pledged his word of honour to do so; whereas, if these terms were resisted, he would exert all the means in his power to destroy the invaders, which his present situation, at the head of a hundred thousand men, enabled him to effect without difficulty. He added, that the necessary effect of such a continuance of the contest would be the destruction of the King and the royal 486, 487. family, whose lives were already menaced by the anarchical 171, 172. faction who held the reins of power at Paris.1 1 Hard. i. Cap. Eur. i. these nego These representations of Dumourier made a great 32. impression at the Allied headquarters. The danger to Effect of the King's person was evident, from the violence of the tiations on Jacobins, and the frightful massacre in the prisons which the Allied had already taken place. The conduct of the Republi *This was openly alluded to in the Prussian official despatch giving an account of the battle. "From the general to the lowest soldier the most enthusiastic spirit animated the army, and it would undoubtedly have gained a glorious victory, if considerations of a still higher kind had not prevented the King from giving battle."-HARD. i. 482. movements. X. 1792. CHAP. cans, under the cannonade of Valmy, had demonstrated that their troops could at least stand fire, and were not disposed to join the invaders-circumstances which, in the most favourable view, presaged a severe and bloody contest before the war was brought to a successful issue. It seemed foreign to the interests of Prussia to risk its sovereign and the flower of its army by a further advance into France, in pursuance of objects in which it had no immediate or peculiar interest, and which, if too warmly pursued, would probably divert the national forces from the side of Poland, where real acquisitions for the monarchy were to be obtained. These considerations were strongly urged upon the King by his council, and the Duke of Brunswick, who had not altogether lost hopes that brilliant prospects still awaited him from the triumph of the liberal party in France. But the King steadily resisted, and, inflamed by military ardour, and a generous desire to save the august captives at Paris, warmly urged an immediate advance to the capital. Who knows," said the Duke of Brunswick, "that our first victory may not be the signal for the death of the 1 Hard. i. King?"-"How fearful soever," replied the monarch, may be the situation of the royal family, I think we Lam. Hist. should not retire. I desire from the bottom of my heart to arrive in time to deliver the King of France; but my first duty is to save Europe."1 486, 494. Cap. Eur. i. « 181, 184. des Gir. iii. 298. 33. The emigrants advo vance to Paris. 66 The French emigrant noblesse strongly supported this courageous resolution. "A methodical war," said they in cate an ad- September 1792, "may be the most prudent against a regular power, the forces and strength of which are known; but those of France during a revolution cannot be thus estimated. Its armies, at present far from numerous, and ill-disciplined, will become habituated to war, will be multiplied tenfold, if they are allowed time the soldiers, the chiefs, will alike learn by experience. Revolutionary fanaticism will every day make greater progress in the minds of the people; and soon they will X. become ungovernable by any other method but force. CHAP. At present they hesitate: they have not declared themselves openly. They are waiting for some decisive event some striking success, to show them to which side victory is likely to incline. It was neither after the battle of the Trebbia, nor of Thrasymene, that the allies and subjects of the Roman republic declared themselves; but no sooner did Hannibal march forward and gain the victory of Cannæ, than nearly the whole subject towns and nations rose and solicited his alliance. It is to Paris that we should march, and arrive like a thunderbolt, in order to prevent the factions from completing their measures for raising the immense, and now inert mass of the 1792. au Roi de nation." This adds another to the many proofs with 1 Discours which history abounds, that the truth is generally as des Emigrés clearly perceived by some, during the course of events, as Prusse, 21st it is afterwards by all the world; and that it is to the August. prejudice or timidity which prevents their advice being Moll. Hist. followed, that the greatest public calamities are generally x. 25, 26. owing.1 * Bert. de de la Rév. 34. the negotia The negotiation, however, notwithstanding these pressing arguments, still continued. The King of Prussia Progress of offered terms on which he was willing immediately to tion. evacuate the French territory; but, in answer, he received a bulletin, containing the decree of the Assembly abolishing royalty in France, and converting the kingdom into a republic. Filled with consternation at this intelligence, the Prussian envoys returned mournfully to their camp; and Dumourier artfully took advantage of the general alarm, to represent that he was as much distressed as any one at the turn affairs had taken at Paris; They were- "1. The King disclaims all intention to restore the ancient regime, but wishes only the establishment of such a constitution as may be for the advantage of the kingdom. “2. He insists that all propagandism should cease in his own dominions, and those of his allies. "3. That the king should be set at liberty. "23d September 1792." VOL. II. 2 H X. 1792. CHAP. that the Republican party was now triumphant, and could be overthrown only by the restoration of calmer ideas on the return of peace; but that nothing could be more certain, than that any further advance of the invaders would involve in instantaneous ruin the King, the royal family, and the whole nobility, and render utterly hopeless the restoration of legitimate authority. While skilfully making use of these painful and too probable considerations to paralyse the Allied armies, and cause them to waste the time in fruitless negotiations, Dumourier apprised the government at Paris of all that was going forward, and informed them that he was satisfied that the distress was very great in the army of the invaders, and that by a little further firmness on his part they would be driven to a disastrous retreat.* At the same time he wrote a long memorial to the King of Prussia, in which he adduced every argument calculated to shake his resolution to advance further, and insisted, in an especial manner, on the danger to which it would expose the King of France.1 1 Hard. i. 499, 509. 35. the Prussian ters. Frederick-William, however, remained firm; neither Intrigues at the strong representations of his generals as to the headquar- danger of his army, nor the still more pressing perils of the King of France, could shake his resolution. At a council of war, held at headquarters on the 27th of September, at which the ministers of Austria and Russia assisted, it was resolved to advance and give battle on * "The proposals of the King of Prussia," said he, " do not appear to offer a basis for a negotiation, but they demonstrate that their distress is very great-a fact sufficiently indicated by the wretchedness of their bread, the multitude of their sick, and the languor of their attacks. I am persuaded that the King of Prussia is now heartily sorry at being so far in advance, and would readily adopt any means of extricating himself from his embarrassments. He keeps so near me, from the wish to engage us in a combat as the only means he has of escaping; for if I keep within my intrenchments for eight days longer, his army will dissolve of itself from want of provisions. I will undertake no serious negotiation without your authority, and without receiving from you the basis on which it is to be conducted. All that I have hitherto done without M. Manstein is to gain time, and commit no one."- -Secret Despatch, DUMOURIER to the French Government, 24th September; HARD. i. 500. |