HISTORY OF THE V/ A R.
43
ariived at Konigfgratz, one of the rnoli important poUs in Bohemia, with all his fick and wounded, with all his heavy bagg-i^e, all his heavy artillery, and military ftores com- pleat. This place he poffeffed after driving from it a body of 7000 Auf- trians who were intrenched there. He immediately laid this city and feveral other difiritSs under contri- bution; but this plan not admitting any further operations on that fide, he took no other advantage from that momentous poll. He foon re-en- tered Silefia, and marched with the moft amazing diligence to encounter the Ruffians, who had at this time united their divided corps under Brown and Fermer, and fixed thelong fiuduating plan of their operations, by entering the New Marche of
Brandenburg and laying fiege to Cuftrin. The reduction of this place could leave them but a few days march to Berlin ; Count Dohna was not in a condition ta oppofe their progrefs, the King was ftili at a great diilance. But itis nece/Tary tobreak our narrative of his affairs, however interefting, to take a view of the operations of the armies on the Rhine. We leave the lung of Pruffia in full march, to give one body of his enemies battle, after executing a retreat from the other, in a manner that did Ids nvlitary genius the greateft honour. So that on the whole, it is difiicult to fay, which gained the greateft glory, the King of Pruflia by his retreat, or M. Daun by the meafures which oblig- ed him to it.
CHAP.
X.
Jllies pa/s the Rhine. Battle of Cret-clt. A Si ion at ^angerjhaufen, Aflion at Meer. Allies repajs the Rhine.
PRINCE Ferdinand had it not in his pov.'er to cut off the re- treat of the French over the Rhine ; but he prefled the.li clofely, and prepared himfelf to crofs that river in purfuit of them. His defign was to carry the v,ar beyond the Maele, and thereby oblige the Prince de Soubife to abandon the enterprife he was preparing again fl HefTe Caflel. His highnefs executed the paffage of
T„„^ . ^he Rhine at Herven with June 1. . . ,. ,
- the corps immeoiateiy un-
der his command ; then he fent the bridge with which he ferved himfelf fo wsll up the river to Rees ; the reft of the troops pafTed there ; the whole army were over before the 7th of June. The flattery of the laft age faw wi:;i aftonilhment a puifage of the R:Lne by a Freach
inonarch, unoppofed, at the head of a mighty army. We faw that river pafifed by the enemies of France, ia the prefence of an army of 50,000 of that nation ; it was an action which did not need the exaggeiati- ons of rhetoric.
The French army retired as the Prince advanced, and took an ad- vantageous camp which threatened to retard the operations of the allies. Their right was under Rhinebergj but the Prince by his well-judged motions turned their left flank to- wards the convent of Campe, by which the French found themfelves obliged to quit their advantageous poft, and to retire into Meurs. They ftill kept towards the Rhine. The Prince advanced on tiiC iide of the M„efe.
It
