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

[ 179^-3 htireJJifjg hielllgence from the London Gazettes. 691
I iiifantrv, drciva back the Aufii-ian cs'-'nlry,
' the ScLivoninn bv.talion, and the artil'ei7,
[ ill of whom retired behind the line of the
■ pofition in the rear. The Walloon batta-
lion, comrnaiidcd by Col. Erndy, ftooJ
• firm,' lepulfdd the repeiced and combine'
; attacks tl'.at were made upon it, and ;it
' laft, finding icfelffurrounderf, began its re-
f treat through the village towards the pofi-
: tion, which it effected in a manner th'it de-
• ferveS to lie r^prcfented as an example of
I bravery and difcipiine, which may be
I ei^jtialled, hut can never b*? furpafled. The
1 French were now matters (jf the village
I and Hci.'xlit'^ of Kirpen ; their right wing
i had efJ.iblilhed iifelf on the ed^e oV the ifi-
l c!offr<': and in the villages tint border the
I f)lain, and their left extended from Kirpen
t in a ppri'iel line to the Auflnans, with
t iVhofe riginit was already engaged in a
;' dtftaHt nnifqu try fire. Ge i. Kray firmed
\ his advanced r^uatd again bshind his center
I ^5 a refeive, and remivned upon his' pofi-
tion to receive the formidnbte attack that
the ene-jr w.-re nov/ prep.'>ring to 'm.ike
f hpon h'ln. Gen. Kleher brought a gtent
I quantity of artilleiy on the Height of Itir- '
' pev, ■ and formed two principal itcacks ;
■ the one wirh two lines of civalry, fupnort-
cd by his light wing of fnfanry, ag.iinft
■ G'cn. Kray''? left, and the other with nine
I t);;rt3linns of i!)fantry, fuppf rtod by a large
' bi>dy of c -vdry againfl: the Center, whilft
i Ms !eft advanced fufEcisntly to keep the
; A\iftri3n rip.ht in cViCck. The enemy now
■ iittacked Gen. Kray's left wing, and de-
i It-at.-d hi? cr.va!' y, as their great fuperion'ty
I nf numbers gave them an opportunity of
•' ^aii'\ing its fimic. ilM the battalion and
' the b.attery, which occupied a height on the
i left of the infantry pofiiion, ch3n£,ed theiir
j front, and kept up fucli a heavy fjre on the
flank of tl^e French cavaliy as ciiecked
I their purfuit. The Auftrian cavalry ral-
i lied, under the protef>ion of this able
' rmooeuvre, and, retnriiing to the charge,
■■ fxipported by four ftjuadrons of Saxtinr,
i "Who had juft arriveJ, drove- hade the
■ French into the villages' and defiles' from
') ^'hich they had advanced, and decided the
fi-atfiiir on that fide. Whilft this was going
i oft,Lhe nine battaiioni, and thecavair/ that
ji Vvero formed at Kirpen, advanced againft
itliecenicr of the Aultrian pofition,- fup-
l j>i)rted by a moft formidable fire of ariil-
i'lery. 'iJii^ point was occupied by three
i liittal'ons and fome fquadrons of C7.v<.!ry in
S the firfl line, to whjch ths advanced guard,
'that li.-ni been o'Miged to abandon Kirpen,
i formed, as h.-^s been before obferved, a fe-
'tbnii Lne. Tliefe moft grtllant troops al-
: lowed the French to approach them within
' a huiulrcd paces without firing, except
from their cannon. The firft line of inf..n.
.trV theti give a general difcharge, and
charged with their' bayonets. Th^s dcci-
■ftVe movement produced tlie defired eifca;
the French gave way; G<m Kmy's cavalry
pjrutcd them into tlif^ village, anri the Auf.
trians proved finally vidtftrious. They were
not, however, in fufficienc force to profit of
this victory in the manner they might
otherwife liave done, efpeciallv a": the ene-
my's broken troops were received by a
ftrong releri'e, and as tlieir ri/ht ftil! re^
mained in the villages and inclofures which
they had t.tken pclttrffinn of in the begin*
ning of the adlion ; Gen Kray wa; tl-.ere-
fore obliged to content himfelf with forcing
tlie enetny to abandon the H^iglits of Kir-
pen, 111 the evening Ge.i. Klcher retired
his right wing into liis pofition ; but a bat-
talion at the extremity of his left, that had
advanced to turn the right of the Auftrians,
was completely cut off Thus, my l.>rd,
ended an affai:, wl.ich, thougli lefs luipor-
tant than that of the 15th, near Wetzlar,
becaufe the objei'l of coHtcition was not of
fuch inagnitnde, may, with jufticc,beftyled
cquaHy brilliaint ; particiihrtv when wc
confider that the French had more thati
<iouhle the force of the AuHrians. Gen.
■Kray loft between five and fix hundred
men : the enemy liad above feven huiuired
taken prifoi.ers, left feveral h'jn !red dead
on the field, ;ind, according to a!! rcj^orts,
had a very groat number wounded. Gen.
Kray retre?te<i laft niglir, as foop as it
r-.'a-; d>rk, atrofs "he Sieg at Sicghourg,
whencs he is directing h s march towards
Du^'eldirf, and G^-ii. Jourdr.ii has re-
croffed the Rhin*^ with the reft of his
army at Neuwied.
I)uivr.b:g-Preei,Juh I. Difpatches havc
been this day receiVed from Col. Gi,iham,
dated at the head-qmrters of Gen. Beau-
lieu, Cngliano, near Rovoredo, June the
13th and 14th ; by which it appears, that
-nnthing materia! had occurred in that quar-
ter fince the 3i'ft of N^ay.
A.h'.\rally-Off.ce, July 2. Copy of a
letter from Vice Admiral Oiiilow, com-
mand.ing his Majc'\y's fliips and veiTils at
Plymoiiih, to Mr. Nepesh, June 30, 1796.
Herewntii I have the p^ea'aire to indole
a letter from Capt. Tomlinfon, of his
Majefty's Ihip La Sufhfaute, containing
p.niiculsrs of his fuccefs in capturing
the Morgan French privateer, and re-
capturing the fix Englifli merchant- ihipj,
named in the inclofed lift, that had been
taken by her, and wlii-^h you will be
pleafed to lay before my Lords Commif-
fioners of the Admiralty. So complete a
■piece of lervice, performed hv a vefTel of
Inch fmall fjrce as the Suffifante, I am
jjerfuaded their Lordlhips •wi!! admit, re-
flsdls great credit en Capt. Tomlinfon, his
officers, and men.
La Sufijunte, fhmouth, June 30.
Sir, I beg leave to acquaint you that his
Majefty's i\oop La Sufhfante, uiider my
comtnandj has retaken ^twa JingUra mar-
chant-