Ossian Collection > Gentleman's magazine, and historical chronicle > Volume 66, Part 2

690 Jnterejfhig InteUigencefrom th London Gazettes. [ Aug,
to make hirnfelf mufter of this impoTt3nt
pofition, Gen. JourJan determined to laife
tlie b'lDck.'iJe of Ehrenbreitftein, and re-
cro's the Rhine. Four of the fix d'.vifions
which compofed his army have diiected
their march towards Neuvvicd, ihe two
o^h<^s towards Seigbnrg, Cologne, and
DulTeliloif On the 16th, tlie Archduke
marched in puifuit of Gen. La Fcvre to
Grieffenftein, where he wns joined hy
Gen. Kray, who had croffed the L^l.n
that morning at Lenhn, On the i6rh, his
Royal Highnefs marched to Renberodt ;
the advanced guard puHiinj on to Al-
tenkirchen, and on the iSth to Hacken-
boiirg. The corps at Limburg, NalTau,
and, Wellbourg, croffed the Lahn, and pur-
fued Gsneral Jourdan by Montabauer and
Thierdorf, whilH: the Partifan corps on the
right advanced to the Sieg. But, notwith-
ftanding the uttrolt diligence h.is bten
made ufe of by the Auftnnns, no r.ffair of
■ confequence hns t .ken place fince the 15th ;
as the enemy have retired on all fnle.s with
the utmoft precipitntion. fntelligcnce is
jull received that Mi.rnrial Wurmlei's pills
jn the front of Manheim were attacked on
Ihe 14th mftant ; and that his Excellency
«3efeated the enemy, and took from them
Several cannon.
Head'^uarten of Hn Royal Wghnefi the Arch-
iuh Charles ojAi:f.ria,Hacker.bmirg,Jur.c 20.
I have the hoiiour to mftiriri yoisr Lord-
' (hip, that his Royal HighnelE the Arch-
♦iHike's advanced corps, commanded hy Ge-
neral Kray, advanced yafterdny morning,
at day-break, in pus fait of that p.irt of the
enemy's army, whxh, after uniting at Al-
tenkirchen, '-vas r.jtirinsr, under tie orders
of General Klehei-, low.rds Siegbu's on
the Sieg, with the intention of proceeui'.ig
thence to Cologii aid Dulfeldoif. General
Kleber found himlcLf under the necciTity of
liaitlng that day on the heights that lay he-
tweea Kirpen and Ukareth, on the great
road to Siegburg, in order to give time for
his referve, ammunition, and baggage, to
pafs the Sieg. He tlierefore occupied the
very advantageous pofition thr.t thsfe heights
alFordj with about 24,000 men. The front
of both his wings, as well as his fi.ink.<,
were covered by tvvo deep ravines, tli.it
Gonld only- be pnlTed at a very few points.
The approach to his center was about tiiree
hundred yards broad, and ran along a ridge
that connected this pofition with the Heights
of Kirpcu, and in which the tiyo ravines
above mentiontd take their fource. At the
f iilage of Kirpen there is another range of
advantageous heights, parallel to thofe
where the enemy waspofted; their right
^looking towards Ukareth) terminates in a
, ieep ravine 5 their left on a plain oppofite
to the enemy's cen'er. Tiiis plain is bound-
ed on its left by a fmdl wood that extends
tow.ards the ravine, which covered the ene-
my's right vimi, leaving ilie approach t«
their center cloffe on its right. From this
wood a long range of inclofiires and fmall
cnpfes, iiUf.rmixed with two vilbges and
feveial fcrtt'eted houfes, e.^.tended in a pa-
r.^Ucl direftion to 'he riglit of ths enemy's
pofiiion, ne;.rly on a line with, the Heights
of Kirpen. On the Alterkirchen fide cl
Kirpen, about fevcn Iiundred yard> fiom
the laiter, is a third range of heights, which
t.-ike exadtly the fame direiffion as thofc 1
have jull defcribed, their right being co-
vered with a deep ravine, their center and
left falling gradually inio a plain tiiat i;
bounded by Kirpen, and by the inclofures
and fmall villages above-mentioned. Gen.
Krny's corps confiftcd of aucut ii,goc
men. viz. 52 fquadrons of light cavalry, 2
battiilions of grenadier.-;, 6 battalions of fafi.
leers, 2 battalions of Scayonian light inf.in-
tiy, with a corps of riflemen, and a pio-
portionate number of heavy &nd h^jrfe ar-
tillery. The Anftrian hulfars fell- in with <
large patrole of the enemy at the village ol
Weyerbnfcli, and drove it brick to Kirpen:
there", they c;ime up with Gen. Kleher';
p-ifts, which they i.mmedi.'.tely forced back
toward? Ills pofiticu, and Gen. Kr.iy's ad-
vanced guard, confifting of one Sclavoniar
light infantry and one Walloon battalion
w;th feveral fqnadrons of light cavalry, aiic
fome horfe-artillery, formed upon th<
Heij^hts of Kirpen. Gen. Kleber, wIk
eould eafily difcover Gen. Kt..y's flrength
immediately determined upon attackint
part of the infantry of his riglit wing, ad-
vanced into the wood tliac txHUi:ied th«
plain below the Heights of Kirptn, ant^ •!■
to the iociofures and villages that extent! -v
tiience between the two poiitiens ; am! t t
ca\':ihy of that wing marched in the rjai
of thj infantry, ready to advance and at-
tacii Gen. Kray's left, as foon as the lattpi
(the infantry) (houid have eftabliHied it-
felf along the edge cf the plain. A fmal
part of the infantry of this left wing ad-
vanced through the ravines againlt Gen
Kray's right, irt order to prevent his de-
taching thence j whilil his principal bodyol
cavalry, fupported by nine battalions of iiT-
fantry, and a great proportion of heavj
artillery, marched from, his center agaiiifl
the heights of Kirpen. Tlie Aullrian ca-
valry, which was polled near Kirpen, at-
tacked the French cavalry as they wei«
forming at the !ie.id of tiie ridge before de-
fcribed 5 but, partly Irom the fire wlucfc
they received in their left flank from tlw
wood, and partly from the very gre.at fu- '
periority of numbers, they were repulfed '
However, the battjlion of Walloons aiw \
Sclav.onian light infantry kept their groimJ, |
the cavally rallied under their protedlioii; ;
and in this fitu;;tlon the advanced guarc i
waited the energy's attack. The Frend 1
.cavalry, as fooa as its formation was corff. j
.pleted, advanced againft the Heights «]
Kifpsii, Slid, lupportsd by a part cf.tJi«iii 1
lufaiurj