Generals Petrafch, Meerfeldt, and Nauendorff, in immediate and clofe Co-operation with each other, will endeavour to fall upon the left flank of General Moreau's retreat, whilft General La Tour purfues him in front, and General Frolich preffes on his right. General Neu has lately driven back the enemy's pofts near Mayence, and taken a confiderable number of prisoners. General Bournonville is arrived as commander in chief of the French army of the Sambre and Meufe, in place of General Jourdan; but he has not yet attempted to advance. I have the honour to be, &c. ROBERT CRAUFURD. From the LONDON GAZETTE, October 25. Admiralty Office, October 25, 1796. Extract of a Letter from Sir Thomas Williams, Knt. Captain of his Majefty's Ship Unicorn, to Evan Nepean, Efq. dated at Sea, twelve leagues north of the Lizard, the 21st of October, 1796. SIR, I AM to acquaint you, that his Majefty's fhip Unicorn, under my command, has jug captured L'Enterprize French privateer, of fix guns and forty men, from Breft twenty-eight days, and has taken a Portuguefe fhip, two English brigs, and a floop. I have the honour to be, &c. &c. &c. THOMAS WILLIAMS. From the LONDON GAZETTE, October 29. Admiralty Office, October 29, 1796. Extract of a Letter from Vice-admiral Kingfmill, Commander in Chief of bis Majefty's Ships and Veffels at Cork, to Evan Nepean, Efq. dated on board his Majefty's Ship Polyphemus, in Cork Harbour, the 19th day of October, 1796. SIR, I HEREWITH tranfmit to you, for the information of my lords commiffioners of the admiralty, a letter received from Lord Beauclerk, captain of his Majefty fhip Dryad, who has just returned from his cruize, and has brought in La Vautour French privateer. She had twice before been chaced off this coaft by the Hazard and the Viper. I have the honour to be, &c. &c. &c. R. KINGSMILL, SIR, Dryad, at Sea, October 17, 1796. I HAVE the honour to inform you, on the 16th inftant, at three P. M. Scilly bearing E. by S. twenty leagues, we chaced a fail to the north north weft, and at nine P. M. came alongfide of her; proves to be. Le Vautour French privateer, carrying feven four-pounders, and two twelve-pound carronades, with 78 men, 130 tons burthen; failed from Morlaix on the 13th inftant; had not taken any thing. I have the honour to be, &c. &c. &c. Robert Kingfmill, Efq. Vice admiral of the Red, &c. A. BEAUCLERK. Dorvning-freet, October 29, 1796. DISPATCHES, of which the following are copies, have been received from Robert Craufurd, Efq. by the right honourable Lord Grenville, his Majesty's principal fecretary of ftate for foreign affairs. Head Quarters of his Royal Highness the Archduke MY LORD, THE great distance of the Prince of Conde's corps from the Archduke's head quarters, and other circumftances, have prevented my being able till now to have the honour of tranfmitting to your lordship the detail of an affair, which (though it was not of fufficient importance to have any material influence on the general operations of the army, and is now of too old a date to be interefting as an article of intelligence) reflects fo much honour on the Prince of Conde and his corps, that it would be an act of injuftice to thofe brave and unfortunate perfons, were your lordfhip to be left uninformed of the particulars of their very gallant conduct. Lieutenant-colonel Craufurd has therefore defired me, though thus late, to give your lordship an account of this action, and I have taken it from the most authentic fources. The number of troops left for the defence of the country between the Danube and the Tyrol, in the beginning of laft month, was fo fmall, that the Prince of Conde's corps was divided on an extremely extensive line, and confiderably above one half of it was detached from under the immediate command of his ferene highness. On the 11th of Auguft the Prince was pofted in front of Mindelheim, having two advanced corps on the Guntz; that of the right near Erckheim, commanded by the Duke D'Enghein; that of the left at Southeim, under the orders of General Viomenil. He had alfo fent a detachment of cavalry to Loppenhaufen, to cover his right, or rather to obferve the enemy's movements in that quarter, and another on the left to Guntzburg, on the road between Mindelheim and Kempton; the detachment at Guntzburg communicated with the corps at Kempton. The On the 12th the enemy attacked the Duke D'Enghein's corps, and were repulfed; but the fuperiority of their numbers enabled them to fucceed in turning General Viomenil's left, and they thereby obliged both these corps to retire to the Prince of Conde's pofition. enemy now advanced in great force clofe to his ferene highnefs's front, established themselves in the woods and village of Kamlach, and appeared to intend a decifive attack, which the Prince prepared to refift. He placed the centre of his infantry on the heights behind the villages of Upper and Lower Aurbach, both of which he occupied; eavalry was judiciously concealed from the enemy's view, and sheltered from the cannonade, but ready to advance whenever an opportunity occurred for it to act. The Duke D'Enghein's corps was posted on the heights in front of the right of the pofition, and General Viomenil in the fame manner on the left, occupying the road that leads from Southeim to Mindleheim. The referve was pofted on the heights in front of Mindleheim, and a detachment of between five and fix hundred men in the valley of Mindleheim, in fuch a manner as to prevent the enemy's coming quite round the left into the rear of the position, which otherwife was much to be apprehended from the great fuperiority. of their numbers, and from the country being extremely woody. As the republicans did not venture to advance to the attack acrofs the plain which feparates the wood of Kamlach from the villages of Upper and Lower Aurbach, the remainder of the day of the 12th paffed in a diftant and unimportant mufketry. In the evening, however, the Prince received repeated and pofitive information, from his reconnoitring parties and patroles, that strong columns of the enemy were advancing on his right and left, He therefore judged that his only chance of maintaining his pofition was by beating the corps in his front, before thofe which were removing towards his flanks could approach near enough to annoy him; and though his ferene highnefs knew he fhould have to do with infinitely fuperior numbers, he boldly determined on the attack, the difpofitions for which were nearly as follows: The right, under the Duke D'Enghein, was ordered to carry the village of Lower Kamlach, and to penetrate through the wood, if poffible, towards Erckheim. The center, in two columns, was to attack the enemy in or near the village of Upper Kamlach; and the left, under General Viomenil, to advance on the great road to Southeim. The inferiority of his force, and the apprehenfion of the enemy's receiving still further reinforcements, determined the Prince to march against them in the night of the 12th, the battalions of infanterie noble (compofed entirely of gentlemen, formerly officers in the French fervice, and great numbers of whom are chevaliers de St. Louis) began their attack on the Upper Kamlach. Having received the fire of a battalion that occupied the gardens, they immediately pursued it into the village, and driving before them the troops that attempted to defend Kamlach, they foon arrived at the bridge on the other fide of it. Behind this bridge several battalions of the enemy were regularly formed, and the fire now became fo fevere as to render the fuccefs of a further attack very uncertain; but the infanterie noble advanced against the enemy with fo much impetuofity, that the latter gave way, and retired into the wood of Kamlach. Here thefe brave gentlemen again attacked the repubhcans, and, notwithstanding the great fuperiority of numbers, and confequent long and bloody refiftance, drove them quite out of the wood, and on to the heights behind it. In the mean time the Prince of Conde was informed, that the Duke D'Enghein, after carrying the village of Lower Kamlach, had found the woods beyond it fo ftrongly occupied as to prevent his advancing; that General Viomenil was fimilarly fituated; and that the enemy was attempting to come round the flanks of the infanterie noble, and cut them off from the bridge of Kamlach. His ferene highnefs therefore found himfelf under the neceflity of ordering the different corps to retreat to the position. The enemy followed to the edge of the wood of Kamlach, but did not come into the plain. Arrived in the pofition, the Prince found it totally impoffible to remain there, without risk of being entirely cut off, not only on account of the numerous reinforcements which he faw advancing to join the enemy in his front, but ftill more on account of the strong columns that were marching round both his flanks. He therefore, on the morning of the 13th, began his retreat to Kildefingen, which was almoft undisturbed, his rear guard, commanded by the Duke D'Enghein, being followed only by the enemy's light infantry. The Prince's lofs in this affair was about feven hundred men, and a great number of officers killed, and three wounded. The two battalions of infanterie noble loft between four and five hundred gentlemen. The enemy's lofs muft alfo have been very confiderable, and one lieutenant-colonel, and one commandant of a battalion, with about fixty men, were made prisoners. MY LORD, Head Quarters of his Royal Highness the Archduke I HAVE the honour to inform your lordship that General Moreau, (after being foiled in his attempt to retreat from Ulm to Stutgard) having recroffed the Danube at Erbach on the 26th of September, marched upon Biberach and Schuffenreid. On the 27th General La Tour advanced to the Iler, and Leutetenant-general Frolich to Leutkirch, the latter puthing forward his advanced guard to Wurtzach, where it took fome baggage and prifoners. On the 28th General La Tour advanced from the Iler to the Rottam in two columns; that of the right commanded by himfelf in perfon, that of the left by Lieutenant-general Mercantin. On the 29th the advanced guard of General La Tour's corps (under Major-general Baillet) drove the enemy out of Biberach, and purfued them to Groth, where, after a fevere cannonade, it took its pofition. Major-general Klinling, with three battalions and four fquadrops, (forming an intermediate corps between Generals Mercantin and Frolich) advanced to Wolfseg, and General Frolich towards Wangen. Whilft thefe operations were going on upon the right of the Danube, Major-general Nauendorff was marching on the other fide of the river from Ulm towards Heckingen, in order to come into immediate co-operation with Lieutenant-general Petrafch, who, preceded by a corps of feveral battalions and fquadrons, under Major-general Meerfeld, was advancing towards Rothwell and Villingen. By thefe movements the Auftrians became mafters of the highest parts of the mountains of the Black Foreft, where the Danube takes its fource, as well as thofe rivulets, which, running weftward to the Rhine, form the only pafles whereby an army can defcend from thefe mountains to the Brilgaw. General Moreau had now, therefore, no other alternative than either to attempt the dangerous operations of attacking Generals Petrafch and Nauendorff, in order to gain the Val d'Enfers, which defcends into the Brifgaw by Freyburg, or to take VOL. V. his his retreat by the foreft towns and the territories of Switzerland; and finding himself at the time clofely purfued by General La Tour, he determined, by a vigorous attack, to endeavour to give the latter a check, by which he might gain time to effect his retreat without great lois. Accordingly, when, upon the 30th inftant, the advanced guards of Generals La Tour and Mercantin's columns were in march towards Schuffenried, they were attacked in the neighbourhood of Steinhaufen, by above three divifions of Moreau's army. An obftinate engagement took place; but, as General La Tour moved forward with his wholecorps to fupport his advanced guards, the enemy were repulfed with very great lofs, and the Auftrians maintained their position. The advanced guard of General Mercantin's column, confifting of a detachment of the Prince of Conde's corps, and commanded by the Duke D'Enghien, fuffered principally in this action. His ferene highnefs's conduct was very brilliant, and that of his whole corps extremely gallant. The lofs of the Austrians amounted to about fix hundred men, four hundred and twenty of whom were of the Duke D'Enghein's corps. From the reports of the fpies, it appears that General Moreau has began to let part of his army defile, without arms, through Switzer land. His royal highnefs the Archduke marched on the, 3d inftant from Schwetzingen to Graben, on the 4th to Carliruhe, and yesterday to this place. Major-general the Prince of Lichtenstein paffed the Rhine on the 2 inftant at Manheim, and took poffeffion of the pofts of Germersheim, on the fortifications of which the enemy had bestowed fo much time and labour. He is deftroying the works of this strong poft, and has fent detachments as far as Weiffenburg, which the enemy abandoned. Lieutenant-general Kray drove the enemy out of Neuwied on the 20th; fince which nothing material has happened between the Meyn and the Sieg. I have the honour to be, &c. (Signed) ROBERT CRAUFURD. Berne, October 1, 1796, LARGE bodies of the enemy's army continue to arrive every day at Shaffoufen, where they are difarmed, and fent, through the cantons of Zurich, Berne, Soleure, and to Bafle. As yet we can learn nothing pofitive as to the caufe of this deroute. It is certain that it has been confiderable in fome one point, as the fugitives continue to arrive every day in ftill greater numbers. It is probable, alfo, that the enemy has fuffered in more quarters than one, as it is obferved that thofe who arrive belong to fo many different corps, that they could not poffibly have all ferved together. It is difficult to learn any thing from the fugitives themselves (fo very confufed is the account they give) excepting the fact, that a general panic prevails throughout the whole army; fome of thofe who have arrived in this diforderly ftate having come even from General Moreau's head quarters, which they left at Ulm on the 21ft. ;It is difficult to learn with certainty any thing relating to the number or frength of the pealants under arms in the Black Foreft: all that we know |