Obrazy na stronie
PDF
ePub

during the seven years war in the reign of George the Second, prince Ferdinand having been appointed commander-in-chief of the army of the king of Great Britain. The hereditary prince entered into action in the 23rd year of his age, and his first exploit was the taking of Hoya, towards the latter end of February, 1758. Having been detached with four battalions, some light troops and dragoons, to dislodge the count de Clrabot from the neighbourhood of that town, he passed the Weser at Bremen, with a part of his detachment, while the rest advanced on the other side of the river, and the enemy having been attacked in front and rear, were in a little time forced and thrown into confusion. The bridge having been abandoned, and near 700 men taken prisoners, the count de Chabot, threw himself with two battalions into the castle, but was soon obliged to sur, render on terms of capitulation. As soon as Hoya was reduced, he marched to attack Minden, which he invested on the 15th of March, and on the 16th the garrison surrendered at discretion. He was likewise extremely active in the pursuit of the French when they were retreating in great disorder towards the Rhine. At the battle of Crevell, he was intrusted by prince Ferdinand with the command of the left wing of the army, and he evinced equal courage and ability in that important station. Various circumstances having determined

prince Ferdinand to repass the Rhine, he made his dispositions for forcing the strong pass of Wachendonk, an island surrounded by the Niers,

of

very difficult approach, and situated exactly in his route to the Rhine. This service was performed by the hereditary prince, who perceiving that the enemy had drawn up the bridge, rushed into the river at the head of his grenadiers, who drove the enemy away with their bayonets, and cleared the bridge for the passage of the army towards Rhinebergen.

The hereditary prince completed the success of the battle of Minden, gained by prince Ferdinand on the 1st of August, having the same day des feated the duke de Brisac, in the neighbourhood of Covelt, and by that victory prevented the marshal de Contades from making his retreat; as intended, by the defiles of Wittekendstein. He next attacked Fulda, and defeated the duke of Wirtemberg, taking four battalions prisoners, with two pieces of cannon, two pair of colours, and all their baggage. At the close of the campaign the hereditary prince was detached with 15,000 men to join the king of Prussia, and had the satisfaction to fight under the eye of that great commander at Frey burg, in Saxony.

[ocr errors]

In the beginning of February, 1760, bis serene highness began his march from Cheinnitz, ản Saxony, for Westphalia. In the month of May

1

he was detached, with some battalions of grenadiers and two regiments of English dragoons, to Fulda, where he surprised and took several parties of the enemy. At his return from this expedition he was posted on the left of the army, and, at the battle of Corbach, had to oppose the greatest efforts of marshal Broglio and the flower of the French infantry; and though obliged to retreat, he maintained his reputation by repeated proofs of bravery and intelligence. On this occasion his serene highness received a slight wound in the shoulder.

On the 5th of August, the hereditary prince set out on an expedition to break up the quarters of a French detachment, cantoned at Zirenberg, at a small distance from the French camp. He marched with so much caution and secrecy, and all his measures were so judiciously taken, that the troops were surprised, and had no time to assemble in any consi derable numbers; but having fired from the windows, the allied forces broke open the houses, and put to the sword or made prisoners, nearly the whole of the party. The prisoners brought away by the allies amounted to 400 men, including 40 officers, besides two pieces of cannon. This nocturnal attack, in which the British troops distinguished themselves, was regarded by military men at the time, as one of the best lessons for a similar exploit that had occurred in the course of the war.

But

While the war was carried on merely by small detachments, and prince Ferdinand and marshal Broglio were practising every means to conceal from each other their real projects; prince Ferdinand's design to cut off the communication of the marshal with France, by the Lower Rhine, was made known in the month of September, by the march of the hereditary prince through Westphalia, at the head of twenty battalions and as many squadrons. On his march he surprised part of a detachment under General Fischer, crossed the Rhine at Dusseldorff, Rees, and Emmerick, advanced to Cleves, forced its garrison to surrender prisoners of war, and invested Wesel on both banks of the Rhine. his measures in this well-concerted enterprise were defeated, Wesel having been secretly supplied with provisions, ammunition, and troops, and the rains and overflowing of the Rhine, having impeded, and ultimately frustrated, all the operations of the siege. As soon as the prince was informed of the march of the marquis de Castries, he set out to encounter him by forced marches, and arrived, October 14, at Rhynberg, where his light troops were posted. This position they were compelled to abandon, notwithstanding all the efforts of his serene highness, who commanded in person, and exposed himself with great intrepidity in the warmest parts of the engagement The enemy, leaving five battalions and some squadrons at Rhynberg, marched by the

left, and encamped at Clostercamp, near the convent of Campen.

The hereditary prince, far from being discouraged by his previous unsuccessful attempts, resolved to try to surprise the French in their camp. For this purpose he began his march about ten o'clock in, the evening of October 15, leaving a strong force under general Bock, with instructions to observe Rhynberg, and attack that post, in case the attempt en Clostercamp should succeed. His march was so well conducted, that he arrived within sixty paces of the front of the French camp without being perceived by any of their sentinels or out-posts, when an officer of the regiment of Auvergne was stopped, and ordered, with fixed bayonets presented to his breast, to be silent, but he, nobly preferring his duty to his life, exclaimed: "Auvergne, here is the enemy "The alarm was repeated by the sentinels; the French ran to arms, and defended them. selves with so much bravery and resolution, that the hereditary prince, whose horse was killed under him, after repeated attacks, seeing no prospect of success, thought proper to give orders for a retreat, which was effected without confusion. The day following, the enemy attacked the advanced body of the allies, posted in a wood before Elverick, and extended along the Rhine; while another column of the French army marched through Walack, and took post among the thickets at the distance of a

« PoprzedniaDalej »