A privateer of eight guns and 40 men, from Rochelle, by Sir Hyde Parker's fquadron. The Turot privateer, from Havre, with 25 men, by the Lion. The Bon Elperance privateer, from Cherbourgh, with 25 men (and the recapture of a vefel laden with naval and ordnance ftores, which the Efperance had taken) by the Childers loop. DOWNING-STREET, SEPT. 20. THE Dispatches, of which the follow ing are copies, have been received from Robert Craufurd, Efq. by the Right Hon. Lord Grenville, his Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. Head-Suarters of his Royal Highness the Archduke Charles of Auftria, Lauffen, Aug. 27, 1796. MY LORD, I HAVE the honour to inform your Lordship, that the main body of the Auftrian army of the Upper Rhine paffed the Danube at Donawert on the 13th inft. and halted near that place on the 14th; the rear guards ftill occupying the road leading from Norlingen and Hockftadt to Donawert, the former at the defile of Haarbarg, the latter at a village about á league eaffward of Blenheim. On the 15th, his Royal Highness, leaving General La Tour with a confiderable part of the army of the Upper Rhine, to defend the Lech, marched with the remainder down the right of the Danube, with an intention of recroffing it, in order to operate against General Jourdan's right fink, whilft General Wartenfleben fhould advance and attack his front. The rear guards were of courfe withdrawn from the above-mentioned pofts, and Donawert evacuated in the course of the day. When his Royal Highnels commenced this manoeuvre, General Wartenfleben was in the pofition near Amberg. To turn the left of this pofition, General Jourdan had detached a confiderable column on the great road leading from Nuremberg, through Neumark, to Ratilbon; and, in order to oppote this column, Major-General Nacendorf was advancing from the latter place with a corps of four of the battalions newly arrived from Auftria and fome light troops. On the 17th the troops, which the Archduke had brought from the army of the Upper Rhine, repaffed the Danube, in two columns, at Neuburg and Ingolstadt, and encamped near thote places, the latter of which, being capable of defence, and important from its htuation on the river, a garrifon was thrown into it. The coInran that paffed at Neuburg was com manded by Lieutenant-General Hotze. On the 18th the troops halted. 1 The intention was to proceed from hence with the right coluinn from Ingolftadt towards Bellugriefs, and LieutenantGeneral Hotze's confiderably further to the left; but, in the night from the 18th to the 19th, intelligence was received, that Gen. Wartenfleben had been obliged to quit the pofition of Amberg and return behind the Nab. The above-mentioned projected movement of the Archduke's corps now became very dangerous, as its communication with Gen. Wartenfleben would have been in the greatest degree precarious, and its retreat, in cafe of defeat (being cut off, as it might have been, from the road to Ratifbon), extremely difficult. His Royal Highnefs therefore directed his march more to the right, and arrived on the 20th inft. with his right column at Hemman. From this time Major-General Nauendorf's corps, which advanced the fame day to the Heights of Tafwang, formed his Royal Highness's advanced guard. Lieutenant General Hotze's corps marched towards Bellugriefs. By this march the Archduke fecured the road to Ratisbon, and the right flank of Jourdan's army was equally threatened, he having advanced to the Nab. A heavy cannonade, heard in the direction of Schwartzfeld on the 20th inft. and other reafons, made it neceffary to proceed but flowly until more certain intelligence of General Wartenfleben's fituation could be obtained, and a combined plan of attack finally arranged. The abovementioned cannonade afterwards proved to have been an affair of no importance. On the 22d the enemy's corps, which had advanced from Neumark, and taken polt behind a deep ravine, through which the great road paffes near the village of Teining, was attacked by the advanced guard under General Nauendorf, and ob liged to quit its pofition, and retreat to wards Neumark. The right column of the Archduke's corps encamped near Neumark. On the 24th the long-intended combined operation took place against General Jourdan's army. This operation was performed in feven columns. That on the right of General Wartenfleben's army advanced towards Weger; another column proceeded from Schwartzfeld, having a third fmaller force to its left, and a fourth advanced from Swandorf towards Amberg, in the neighbourhood of which place the three latter columns were to unite, and that of the left to form a junction with the Archduke's right, which proceeded from Neumark, by Caftell, to Amberg, having two ftrong corps to the left, of which the one under LieutenantGeneral Staray advanced to Herschpruck, and the other under Lieutenant-General Hotze to Lauffen. This excellent difpofition would certainly have been followed by a very decifive battle, had not the enemy, alarmed at the menacing movements of the Archduke's corps, retreated fo precipitately as to make it impoffible. Their lofs muft, however, have been confiderable; and two battalions of their rear guard, which defended as long as poftible the defile of Amberg, were compleatly annihilated by fome fquadrons of Auftrian cavalry. The different corps encamped in the evening in the neighbourhood of Amberg, Herfchpruck, Lauffen, &c. General Jourdan is continuing his retreat towards Forcheim. Whilst these operations were carrying on, General Moreau croffed the Danube at Donawert, and acted with his whole army against General La Tour, who has been obliged to quit the pofition of the Lech, and on the 24th took another behind the Ifer. General La Tour's lofs has been very inconfiderable, although the great fuperiority of the enemy obliged him to retreat. Thus, my Lord, have I endeavoured to give your Lordship an accurate account of the late events and movements; and it is with the deepest concern I must conclude it by informing your Lordship, that my brother, Lieutenant Colonel Crauford, was unfortunately wounded and taken on the 25th init. The Archduke has been pleafed to write to General Jourdan, reclaiming him; and I have no doubt of their giving hum up, as it would be contrary to every rule to detain a perfon as prifoner of war, who was not, at the times of his being taken employed in a military capacity. It is impoffible for me to express to your Lordship how much the Archduke, and, I may fay, all the principal Officers of the army, have fhewn themselves interefted about Colonel Craufurd; nor can I conclude without affuring your Lordship that his being taken was not owing to any imprudence; though, indeed, his conduct, ever fince he has had the honour of being attached to the Auftrian army, has been marked by that confpicuous zeal, activity, and courage, which he cannot help difplaying, even when only a spectator of military operations. I have the honour, &c, (Signed) ROBERT CRAUFURD. HeadQuarters of bis Royal Highness the Archduke Charles of Auftria, Bamberg, Aug. 31, 1796. MY LORD, I HAVE the honour to inform your Lordship, that after the affair of the 24th inft. General Jourdan continued his retreat in feveral columns through Velden, Peg. nitz, &c. &c. in the general direction of Ebermanstadt and Forcheim, He has been clofely purfued by the Archduke's army, under which denomination I come prife that lately commanded by General Wartenfleben, as well as those troops which his Royal Highness brought with him from the Danube. On the 25th inft. the advanced guard, under Lieutenant-General Kray, marched by Sultzbach to Hohenstadt, and a confi. derable column of the enemy's baggage was taken or deftroyed in the defile between that place and Velden. The troops which had encamped the preceding evening near Anberg, followed General Kray's march, and the Archduke took his head-quarters at Sultzbach. On the 26th Lieutenant-General Kray purfued the enemy in the direction towards Græffenberg, and Lieutenant-Ge neral Hotze advanced from Lauffen towards Erlangen on the Rednitz; the former having his right covered by Major General Elfnitz, in the neighbourhood of Velden, Neuhang, Blech, &c. as had the latter his left by Major-General the Prince of Lichtenstein, who had paffed through Nuremberg. The Archduke's columns marched from the camp of Sultz bach to Herfpruck on the Pegnitz. On the 27th Lieutenant-General Hotze, having croffed the Rednitz, moved towards Hochftadt on the Aifch, Prince Lichtenstein's corps forming his advanced guard; Lieutenant-General Kray's corps marched to Græffenberg, Betzenstein, &c. and the army from Heripruck to. Lauffen, 'T On On the 28th the Prince of Lichtenstein's light troops approached on the left bank of Rednitz, very near to Bamberg, Lieutenant-General Kray marched to Neukirch, and the Archduke to Heroldberg. On the 29th, upon the approach of the advanced guard, the enemy abandoned precipitately the ftrong fort of Forcheim, fetting fire to the mills and bridges on the Wifent to cover their retreat. Their rearguard, confifting of nearly a divifion, took poft in the night with its left to the heights of Egglefheim, and its right to the Rednitz, on the road from Forcheim towards Bamberg. The army encamped between Baiersdorf and Forcheim. Early on the morning of the 30th, Lieutenant-General Kray moved forward to attack the enemy in their pofitions near Eggletheim; but they abandoned it fo quickly, that no ferious affair could be engaged, nor could the column, which had been fent through the mountains to turn their left, arrive in time to fall upon their retreat, fo that their lofs was not confiderable. Lieutenant-General Kray purfued them towards Banberg, and the Archduke took his head-quarters at Hirfchald. On the left of the Rednitz Lieutenant-General Hotze advanced to Burg Eberach, pushing forward his ad. vanced guard under the Prince of Lichtenftein to Eltman on the Meyn. Lieute nant-General Staray's corps, which had followed General Hotze's march, advanced to Clofter Eberach. Very early on the morning of the 30th, Jourdan's army, that is, the heavy artillery, &c. began to cross the Meyn, at Hallitadt. During the whole of the operations which I have had the honour of defcribing to your Lordship in this and my last difpatch, his Royal Highnefs's great aim has been to bring General Jourdan to a decifive battle; but the bad roads and defiles the troops had to pafs between the Danube and Amberg confiderably retarding their march, gave Jourdan time to get off; and he has fince fucceeded in avoiding a general engagement, wherein he has been greatly favoured by the nature of the country, which is fo extremely hilly, woody, and interfected, as to make it impracticable to employ the cavalry. Notwithstanding it is much to be regretted that it was not poffible to bring the enemy to a general battle, yet there are ftrong reasons to hope that thofe maiterly manœuvres, by which the Archduke has forced them to fo fudden a retreat, and has already driven them confiderably out of the direction which Jourdan undoubtedly must have wished to take, may ultimately have as happy an effect upon the general iffue of the campaign, as they, at all events, will be honourable to his Royal Highness. I am not yet enabled to inform your Lordship of the number of prifoners made by the different columns: a confiderable number were taken on the 23d in the affair near Neumark, and in the affair of Amberg there were between 900 and 1000. Of what has been taken fince, I fhall have the honour to acquaint your Lordship in my next. A corps, under Major-General Nauendorff, was detached on the 25th initant to reinforce General Latour, who is behind the Ifer. On the 27th Colonel Craufurd was left behind by the French, with a fafeguard, at Betzenftein, they having found it ime poffible to tranfport him any further without endangering his life; they exacted his parole not to ferve against the Republic till exchanged, which will, I believe, take place immediately. He has been moft severely wounded in the head by a muket ball, but I have the happines to inform your Lordship, that the Archduke's own furgeon, whom his Royal Highness (whole goodness on this occafion has been great indeed) was pleased to fend to him, as well as the other furgeons who attend him, give me the greatest reafon to hope for his recovery. In cafe of my abfence from the army for a few days, Captain Anftruther, of the guards, who came lately from Berlin, will have the honour of informing your Lordship of every thing that happens. I have the honour to be, &c. ROBERT CRAUFURB. Your Lordship is already informed of the movements of his Royal Highness the Archduke up to the 37t ultimo, at which period the Right Wing of the Army was affembled in the plain betwixt Forcheim and Bamberg, and the left, confifting of upwards of twenty battahons and fifty fquadrons, under the command of Lieutenant-General Stzaray, had reached Eberach, and threatened at once, by detachments, the point of Schweinfurt and of Wurtzbourg. Early on the 31st, the Archduke entered Bamberg, and, from the information there received of the movements of the enemy, determined to push on with the whole army towards Wurtzburg, as being the point, on the occupation of which depended the poffibility of forcing Jourdan to abandon the Meyn, and take his retreat through the country of Fulda, on the Lahn. His Royal Highness proceeded in the evening to Bourg Eberach. General Kray took post at Eitmann, and General Stzaray advanced to Klofter Schwartzach. On the 1t of September, the Archduke marched to Ober Schwartzach, General Kray to Geroldshoffen, and General Stzaray to Kitz ngen, where he paled the Meyn. His advanced guard, under Ge. neral Hotze, took poffeffion of the town of Wurtzburg, the French garrifon retiring into the citadel. In the mean time, the enemy strained every nerve to reach Wurtzburg before the main body of the Auftian army fhould come up; and, by forced marches, anived at Koch, within three leagues of the town, the fame day on which General Hotze took poffeffion of it. Next day (the 2d) Jourdan attacked, with the utioit impetuofity, the corps under Ge. neral Stzaiay, but, though he fucceeded in forcing fome of his poits, he was not able to make any impretion on the main polition, and retired in the evening to his camp near Kormach. There he refolved to abide the event of a battle, and, in that view, polted himself in the following His left wing, confifting almoft entirely of cavalry, was placed in the fpacious plains in front of Kornach, But confiderably thrown back, in order to receive the more effectual fuppart from the infintly in the wood. A numerons artillo'y was diftrionted on the most effential points along his front. The divifion of Lefevre remained potted behi.d Schweinfurt, to cover the great road to Fulda, and a finall intermediate corps maintained his com munication with the army. His Royal Highnefs halted the 2d in his camp of Ober Schwartzach, whilt a bridge was thrown on the Meyn, near Dettelbach, which was not finished till late in the evening. General Kray remained at Geroltzhoffen. General Szaray, in the mean time, judging from the force and ufual condu& of Jourdan, that he would food renew his efforts to render himself mafter of Wenfbourg, embraced the spirited refolution of rather advancing against him thạn of waiting for him in his pofition. The Archduke approved of this idea, and determined to facilitate the execution of it, by making a combined attack on the ene my, to take place early in the morning of the 3d. The intention was, that General Stzaray fhould move forward against the corps which was oppofed to him, that the main body, under the command of General Wartenfleben, paffing the bridge at Dettlebach, fhould attack the centre of the enemy, whilft General Kray, croffing the river at the point neareit Geroltzhoffen, should turn his left wing. Soon after day-break, accordingly, Genaval Stzaray advanced, and drove back the pufts of the enemy: as, however, the other two columns had a confiderable march to make, and met with uch unexpected delay in the paffage of the river, he foon found him felf engaged, alone, by very fuperior numbers; and was obliged, not only to relin quith the ground he had gained, but had much dificulty in maintaining his original pofition. At this critical inftant his Royal Highnets fent orders to General Wartenfleben to ford the river with the whole of his cavalry, and advance directly againt the left of the enemy. His judicious ma noeuvre had the defired effect. Jourdan, leeing himself menaced in the mon effential point of his pofition, withdrew from his right the troops with which he was pelling General Stzaray, who thus gained, jame to re-establish himself in his poft. The cavalry now charged the left of the enemy, and drove it om its grond but the enemy retiring behind the woud, ihę •、;:Riew Auftrians remained exposed to a fire of mufquetry and grape, which obliged them to abandon the advantage they had gained. A fecond attempt of the faine nature had a fimilar fate; and, after fruitless endea. vours to draw the enemy into the plain, his Royal Highnels refolved to await the arrival of the rest of General Wartenfle ben's column, without which it was evident the pofition of the enemy could not be forced. At length the infantry appeared advancing from Dettlebach, and General Stzaray moving forward at the fame time, a combined attack was immediately formed against the wood which covered the ene my's front. Eight battalions of grenadiers advanced for this purpofe with equal order and impetuofity; regardless of the fwarm of Tirailleurs who harraffed them, they gained the wood without firing a shot, and in a few minutes drove the enemy, not only from thence, but from the heights beyond it. This advantage, and the appearance of General Kray's column on the right, decided the fortune of the day. Jourdan made no attempt to recover the ground he had loft, but began his retreat on every point: this he for fome time conducted with much regularity; his cavaly preferving confiderable countenance, and forming repeatedly, under protection of their light artillery, to check the purfuit of the Auftrians. At length however, continually harraffed by the huffars, and overpowered by a prodigious fire of artillery from the heights, the confufion became general; the exceffive fatigue of the Auftrims, and the coming on of night, alone faved them from total deftruction. The lofs of the Auftrians on this occafion amounts at moft to eight hundred men, amongit whom are no Officers of diftinction. That of the enemy is by far more confiderable. Two thousand prifoners are already brought in, and the number of killed and wounded cannot be fmaller. One colour, fix pieces of cannon, and a great number of ammunition and baggage waggons, have fallen into the hands of the conqueror. The fuccefs which on this occafion has attended the Auftrian armes is to be afcribed chiefly to the perfonal conduct of his Royal Highnels the Archduke. Prefent every where, where the danger was the most preffing, he animated the troops by his example, and preferved them in order by the coolness and quicknels of his manoeuvres, and at length feized, with infinite judgment, the true point of attack which decided the victory. A Yesterday the Citadel of Wurtzburg capitulated; the garriton, to the number of 700 men, furrendering themfelves prifoners of war. General Belmont, Chief of the French artillery, is amongst the number. A prodigious quantity of ftores, of ammunition, and provifions, has been found in the town and citadel, partly left there by the Auitrians, partly collected by requifition from the neighbouring country. Intelligence is received, that the enemy has abandoned in Schweinfurt 70 pieces of artillery, which he was unable to transport. From the reports of the corps in tront, there is every reafon to believe that the enemy has decidedly quitted the Meyn, and directed his retreat to Fulda. The light troops which have been fent in puriuit continually bring in pritoners and baggage: and the peasantry, exasperated at the unheard-of outrages of the enemy, has rifen in many parts, and deliver up or deftroy all the itraggiers who fall into their hands. His Royal Highnes, determined to perfevere in the fame line of operations, this day detaches Colonel Count Meerfela with ten fquadrons of light cavalry, to form a junction with the garrifons of Manheim and of Mayence, by which means a corps of twelve or fifteen thousand inen will be enabled to act in the rear of the enemy. From the diftingulled abilities. of the Officer to whom this enterprize is entrufted, the greatest hopes are entertained of its fuccefs. The army moves this day towards Wertheim, and the head-quarters will be to morrow at Renlingen. By the latest accounts received from the other fide of the Danube it appears, that General La Tour itill maintained himfeif in front of Munich; but the fuccefies on this fide had not then produced the expected effect of forcing General Moreau to a retreat. It hardly seems poflible that he fhould now venture to delay it. I have the honour to be, &c. |