SUBJECTION OF LA VENDÉE. La Vendée. The consequence was, that the brave Lyonese were overpowered, and subjected to all the horrors of a ruthless military execution. The Vendéans made a desperate struggle, and were promised assistance by the English Government; but before their tardy succours could arrive, the struggle was at an end. The devoted peasantry with their leaders were scattered and destroyed by the disciplined bands of the republic; and, in the desolation of this noble province, the hope of France was for the time extinguished. Reverses now followed in quick succession. The selfish and arrogant conduct of the Emperor put an end to any hope of sympathy and support which the Allies might have justly expected from the French people. The way in which the Vendéans and Lyonese were left to their fate disheartened the loyalists. Condé and Valenciennes, after their surrender, were taken possession of in the name of the Emperor, and not in the name of Louis the Seventeenth. This occupation of two great towns, part of the territory and of the ancient monarchy of France, made it manifest that the Imperial arms were engaged in a war of conquest and aggrandisement; and that instead of coming to the aid of a sovereign oppressed by a cruel and unnatural rebellion, the Emperor of Austria desired to take advantage of the misfortunes of a kinsman and ally for the furtherance of his own ambition. Monsieur, the first prince of the blood, protested, on the part of his infant nephew, the captive heir Ch. 33. 1793 19 20 Ch. 33. 1793 Defeat of SIEGE OF DUNKIRK. of France, against these treacherous acts of spoliation, which indeed created the deepest disgust, not only among Frenchmen of every class and party, but in every just and generous mind. The vigour and promptitude of the republican Government contrasted strongly with the tardiness and hesitation of the allies. Hardly had the siege of Dunkirk been formed, before the garrison was increased from three thousand to more than fifty thousand men. The generals and other officers, who had been hitherto unsuccessful, were replaced by other generals and officers who knew that the alternative was the triumph of the French arms or the guillotine. Hitherto the allied forces had been superior in all arms; but now the enemy had collected reinforcements, and concentrated his strength. Houchard, the republican General, was peremptorily ordered to hold Dunkirk. In pursuance of these instructions, the republican general attacked and routed the covering army of the Austrians, under the command of Field Marshal Freytag. The besieging army, under the Duke of York, was thus left exposed to the whole French force, consisting of the army in the field, and the garrison of Dunkirk. The British commander, thinking it hopeless to maintain his position in the presence of such a force, made a hasty retreat, leaving behind him the battering train, and the greater part of his artillery, magazines, and stores. In this disastrous and disgraceful manner, ended an expedition, which, had it been completely 21 SIEGE OF TOULON. 1793 successful, would not have advanced the object of Ch. 33. the war a single step. The Duke of York was permitted to effect his retreat without molestation; but the rulers of France thought that their general had deserted his duty, because he had not pursued the British, and driven them into the sea. Houchard, who had won the battle of Lincelles, and raised the siege of Dunkirk, instead of being loaded with honours and rewards, was superseded in his command, summoned to Paris, arraigned as a traitor before the revolutionary tribunal, condemned for favouring the escape of the allies, and sent to the scaffold. Toulon, the only place of importance of which the allies had yet obtained possession - Toulon, the great arsenal of France, which had opened its gates to the British, and raised the standard not of Austria, but of Louis, was not thought of so much account as some petty fort in Flanders. The royalists of this great port had relied on the powerful and efficient support of England and Austria; but their hopes were not fulfilled. The important posts and positions which commanded the town, were defended, not by British and German veterans, but by scanty garrisons and detachments of Spanish and Neapolitan troops. The insurrection at Lyons being quelled, the victorious army of the Rhine appeared before Toulon; they were accompanied by a powerful artillery; and this arm was chiefly under the direction of a young officer whose terrible name then became known for the first time. It was Napoleon Bonaparte, 22 Ch. 33. - 1793 Surrender of SIEGE OF MAUBEUGE RAISED. who pointed the guns which battered down the defences of Toulon. While the French were carrying position after position, the allied commanders were quarrelling in the town; and when it became apparent, that the place must be abandoned, it was with difficulty that the English Admiral could persuade the Spaniard to concur in a measure so obvious as the destruction of the French fleet in the harbour. This object was only partially accomplished, when the advance of the enemy compelled the allies to make a hasty retreat; leaving the inhabitants of the city, for the most part, to a fate similar to that which had befallen the devoted Lyonese. Quesnoy having surrendered to the Austrians, after a short siege, the Prince of Coburg proceeded to invest the more important fortress of Maubeuge; but the Republicans found it was time to make a vigorous effort, if they would prevent the whole chain of forts, which guarded the western frontier of France from falling into the possession of the Allies. The garrison of Maubeuge, consisting of fifteen thousand men, ill provided for a siege, after several attempts to dislodge the besiegers, were at length forced to retire within their entrenchments. A large army, under Jourdan, was sent to relieve the place; and, after many desperate encounters, the Republican General succeeded in cutting off the communications of the Austrian army, which was, therefore, compelled to raise the siege, and re-cross the Sambre. CAMPAIGN IN FLANDERS. The French then made an irruption into West Flanders, but after some success, were repulsed at all points. Both armies shortly after withdrew into winter quarters. Ch. 33. 1793 at Men 23 But the campaign in Flanders, though con- The Prussians ducted with a want of vigour and capacity, and attended with results far from commensurate with the means and opportunities of the Allies, was successful, and even glorious, when compared with the achievements of the German armies on the Rhine. While the Prince of Coburg was taking French towns in the name of the Emperor, the Prussians, content with the possession of Mentz, remained inactive. They were at length aroused by a formidable effort on the part of the French to retake Mentz. After this attempt was repulsed, the Allies suffered another precious month to pass away without making any movement. At length it was determined to advance into Alsace; but hardly had this movement been made, when it appeared that the views of the Allies, instead of being directed to a common object, were intent on particular and selfish views. Strasburg, like Lyons, Marseilles, and Toulon, was willing to open its gates to a garrison which would take possession of it in the name of Louis the Seventeenth. But the Austrians desired to restore Alsace to the Empire; while the Prussians were opposed to the aggrandisement of their rival. Between the two German Powers, Strasburg was sacrificed. Two emissaries of the Rule of Terror |