Part 13
Frankfort treacherously given up to the Austrians, when 1300 Frenchmen were massacred by the Hessians, and several whose lives were spared had their hands cut off, Dec. 2.
1793. Neuingen, the battle of, between the combined armies and General Dumourier, when the French were defeated with great loss, March 20.
Battle of Tirlemont, Clairfayt defeats Dumourier, March 18.
Battle of St. Amand, in which Dampierre the French commander was killed by a cannon ball, in an engagement near the woods of Rhemes and Vicoigne, when the allies were defeated with great loss; General Clairfayt and Duke of York commanded the coalesced army, May 8.
Famars, battle of, between the French and combined powers, when the former were defeated, by Cobourg and Duke of York, May 23.
Carlberg, the battle of, when the French under Custine, defeated the Prussians, May 18.
Arlon, French and Austrians, latter defeated, 9 June.
Valenciennes, taken by the combined powers, and soon after retaken, June.
Marseilles, which had revolted against the convention, subdued Aug. 24.
Verdun, the French garrison, taken by the Prussians, and retaken soon after, Sept. 2.
Battle of Weissemberg, (or attack and repulse of,) Aug. 27.
Battle of Hondschoote, French under Houchard commander, Marshal Freytag taken, duke of York escapes, Sept. 6.
Dunkirk besieged by the combined army under the Duke of York, August 25, who were repulsed with great slaughter, Sept. 7, following.
Battle of Dunkirk, Duke of York and Marshal Freytag defeated by the French under Houchard and Jourdan, 32 24-pounders, and 68 other pieces of cannon taken by the French, Sept. 8.
Battle of Pirmasens, on the Rhine, Duke of Brunswick victorious over the French.
Battle of Saorgia, King of Sardinia beaten, Sept. 20.
Spaniards defeated at Perpignan under Ricardos.
Boufflers, from 8 in the morning to 7 at night, Austrians retreat under cover of night.
Battle of Maubeuge, Cobourg Austrian, Jourdan French, lasted two days, from day light ’till night.
Jeremie fort, St. Domingo, taken by the British, Oct.
Limbach, battle of, when the French were victorious, Sept. 14.
Maubeuge, the battle of, between the Austrians and the French, when the former were defeated with great loss, Oct. 15 & 16.
Toulon surrendered to the English Admiral Lord Hood, who took possession of the town and shipping in the name of Louis XVII. when the tree of liberty, which had been erected there, was converted into a gibbet for the republicans. On December 19, following, the republicans attacked the town in a most vigorous manner; when the combined forces, finding that all future resistance was useless, after having set fire to the shipping, arsenals, &c. made a precipitate retreat.
Tirlemont, battle of, when after a contest of several days, the French under Dumourier were defeated.
Battle of Deuxponts, Hoche and Wurmser, Hoche victorious at 4 o’clock, afternoon, loss of Austrians 6000, French 2000, 21 Nov.
Hagenau, Hoche gains a victory, 8-9 Dec.
Action five days at Weissemberg, and Austrians driven from Balberotte, 31 Dec.
1794. Noimoutier, the island of, taken from the Insurgents of La Vendee, by the arms of the French Republic, Jan 3.
Battle between Russians and Poles, former defeated, 4 Jan. Fort Vauban taken by the French, Jan. 7.
Battle of Villers en Couchée, 24 April.
Battle of Cateau.
Moucron, battle of, when the allied forces under Clairfayt were totally defeated by the French under Pichegru, April 26.
Courtray, the same, 11 May.
Tournay, battle of, between the French and English, when the former were defeated, May 10; again between the French and combined powers, when the latter were defeated with great loss, May 17 & 18 following.
Lannoy, Pichegru defeats duke of York, 18 May, takes 60 pieces; here the duke won the race, but lost the battle.
Turcoing, Pichegru and Clairfayt, a victory on neither side, though a desperate battle, 22 May.
Coilloure, the Spanish garrison of, also Port Vendre, Fort St. Elmo, &c. with 8000 prisoners, taken by the French under Gen. Dugoumier, May.
Battle of Espierres, 25 May.
Hoogleden, Macdonald defeats Clairfayt, 13 June.
Charleroy, a garrison consisting of 3000 Austrians, surrendered to the French under Gen. Jourdan, June 25.
Battle of Fleurus, Jourdan victorious over Cobourg, began at 3 o’clock in the morning; the French three times fell back from the powerful artillery of the Austrians, and returned fresh to the fight. The French word of battle was, _no retreat to day_, for 9 hours victory indecisive; when Jourdan collecting his corps de reserve, Lefebvre leading the cavalry, the Austrians were put to the route. In this action reconnoitering with balloons was practised with the greatest effect, the combined forces lost about 8000 men killed and 15000 prisoners, June 28.
In consequence of this victory, Le Chateau de Namur soon after submitted to the French republic.
Battle of Bellgarde, in the Eastern Pyrennees, Spaniards defeated, French general Mirabel, killed, 13 July.
Fontarabia, the key of Spain, was taken by the French, July.
Chandernagore taken from the French by the British, July.
Indians defeated by Gen. Wayne, Aug. 20.
Juliers, the fortress of, submitted to the French, when all the provinces west of the Rhine fell into their hands.
Boxtel, Moreau pursues duke of York, 14, 15, 16, Sept.
Bellegarde taken after an action, the last place possessed by the coalesced powers in France, 18 Sept.
Battle of Warsaw, between the Russians and Poles, in which Kosciusko was taken prisoner covered with wounds, 10 Oct.
Battle of Rerzese, in Poland, in which Suwarrow annihilated the Poles, took all their artillery, 19 Oct.
Berterzel, Moreau, beats the Duke of York; general Fox wins a race here, 19 Oct.
Praga, the suburb of, near Warsaw in Poland, taken by the Russian General Suwarrow, who gave the barbarous orders to his army to give quarters to no one, in consequence of which, upwards of 30,000 Poles, men, women and children, were massacred, Nov. 4.
Nimeguen, port of, evacuated by the British, Nov. 7.
Warsaw, the capital of Poland, taken by the Russians under Suwarrow, Nov. 9.
Maestrecht, the garrison of, consisting of 8000 Austrians, surrendered to the French, Nov. 9.
Battle of the Black Mountain, Eastern Pyrennees, in which Dugomier, commander of the French, gained a complete victory, but fell in the battle; took 50 pieces of cannon and the Spanish founderies of Egui and Orbaycette, 17 Nov.
Another battle, French took tents for 50,000 men, at Figueras, 20 Nov.
Graves, the fortress of, taken by the French, Dec. 30.
1795. Battle of Bommel, in Holland, French under Moreau, took 120 pieces of cannon, 7 Jan.
Grenada, bloody battle fought between the French and English in that island, in which the latter were defeated, March 3.
Battle of Quiberoon, Puissaye defeated by Hoche, 3 Aug.
1796. Battle of Kreutsnach, in which the French general Moreau, defeats the Austrian generals Kray and Wurmser, 4 Jan.
Bonaparte’s first campaign in Italy.
Montenotte, Bonaparte with 56,000 men, defeats Boileau with 84,000, took from the Austrians 40 pieces of cannon, 11 April.
Battle of Fonubio, 7 May.
Battle of Pavia, 17 May.
Milessimo, 11 May.
Dego, the same, 14 April.
Battle of Mondovi, in which the French general Stengel was killed, 22 April.
Battle of Lodi, over Boileau, 11 May.
Passage of the Mincio and battle of Borghetta, 4 June.
Battle of Renchen, Moreau victorious over the Austrians, 28 June.
Battle of Etingen, the corps of Condé cut to pieces, 1 July.
Battle of Neukirchen, Lefebvre defeats the Austrians, 6 July.
Battle of Castiglione lasted five days, Wurmser defeated, 70 field pieces, 15,000 prisoners, and Killed 6000, 2 Aug.
Battle of Peschiera, 6 Aug.
Battle of Roveredo, 6 Sept.
Battle of Bassano, 8 Sept.
Battle of Castellaro, 14 Sept.
Battle of Legonaro, 11 Oct.
Battle of Caldiero, 12 Oct.
Battle of Arcole, 15 Oct.
Battle of Altenkirken, Jourdan defeats Wurmser, 1 June.
Moreau attacks Wurmser and defeats him at Frankenthal, 15 June.
Moreau defeats the Austrians at Nordlingen, 10 Aug.
Jourdan defeated and retreats from Frankfort towards the Rhine, 30 Aug. to 3 Sept.
Desaix defeats the Austrians at Marienburg and covers Moreau’s retreat, 7 Sept.
1797. Battle near Laforma on the Adige, 13 Jan.
Provera beaten and made prisoner at La Favorita, 15 Jan.
Passage of Tagliamento and defeat of the Archduke near Gradisca; who narrowly escapes, 16 Feb.
Battle of Tagliamento, Austrians under arch duke Charles, defeated by Massena, 16 March.
Battle of Neuwied, Hoche defeats the Austrians under Kray, and takes 4000 prisoners, 18 March.
Battle of Tarvis in the Noric Alps, Massena defeats the Austrians, 20 March.
Battle of Lavis, Joubert defeats the Austrians, 22 March.
Battle of Pufero, Austrians defeated by general Guyeux, 23 March.
Battle of Tarvis, fought above the clouds, Austrians defeated by Massena, the imperial cuirassiers annihilated, 25 March.
Battle of the defiles of Neumark, Massena defeats the Austrians, 2 April. 1798. General Berthier, enters and occupies the city of Rome, in consequence of the assassination of general Duphot, and an attempt to assassinate Joseph Bonaparte the French ambassador, 10 Feb.
General Brune takes possession of Fribourg in Switzerland, after a severe action, 3 March.
A revolt in Ireland, several actions between the Irish and British troops with various success, during this month, April.
Action at Killalla, 19 April.
Action at Hacketstown, between the Irish insurgents and British troops; same day actions in Clare, Lucan, Lusk, and Kilcullen, 25 May.
Action at Tarragh, very desperate and bloody; same day the insurgents in Wexford, capture a British detachment, 27 May.
Battle at Enniscorthy, Ireland; same day a desperate action near Limerick, 28 May.
Battle of Arklow, the Irish insurgents defeat the British regulars, 29 May.
Battle of Vinegar Hill, the British under general Fawcett, defeated, 30 May.
Action at Newtownbarry, the British compelled to retreat before the insurgents; the pike the chief weapon of the Irish, 1 June.
The insurgents from Wexford, defeat the British under colonel Walpole, the colonel is killed, and the cannon are taken by the insurgents, 4 June.
Desperate action at New Ross, county Wexford; the British army under general Johnson, severely cut up, their cannon taken, and lord Mountjoy killed. Several actions during this month in which the British are defeated, 5 June.
Battle of Antrim, lord O’Neil killed, with a pike, 7 June.
Battle of Ballinahinch, the British army severely handled by the insurgent general Munroe, who was wounded and taken prisoner and afterwards executed; the British in vengeance burned the town of Saintfield, 12 June.
Insurgents camp at Vinegar hill, stormed by general Lake, and carried with great slaughter, 21 June.
Sir Charles Asgill, defeated by a body of insurgents, under the command of Murphy, an Irish priest, 23 June.
Sir Charles Asgill, attacks the Irish insurgents on Kilconnel Hill, and defeats them, but with the loss of 1000 men; the insurgents lose as many with all their cannon, and their leader Murphy falls in battle, 26 June.
Several actions in this month between the revolted Irish and British troops, July.
A French army under general Humbert, lands in Ireland, and takes possession of Kilalla, 22 Aug.
Humbert attacks Lake at Castlebar, and defeats him, taking six pieces of British artillery, 27 Aug.
Battle of Underwalden in Swisserland, between the adherents of the aristocracy of Berne and the French, under Schauenburg; the town of Stantz was burnt to the ground, 9 Sept.
The Irish insurgents defeat a British force at Rathfarnham, 18 Oct.
Desperate action at Kilcock, the British troops suffer from the pike, 28 Oct.
General Mack commences hostilities in Italy against the French, by an attack on five different points of the French lines, in the Roman territory, 22 Nov.
Battle of Porto Fermo, on the Adriatic, the French defeat the Neapolitans and take their cannon and baggage, 28 Nov.
Macdonald defeats the Neapolitans at Civita Castellano, 5 Dec.
Again defeats Mack at Calvi, 8 Dec.
Championnet defeats Mack in a general action, 11 Dec.
Macdonald defeats the Neapolitans under Dumas. The fruit of these battles, was 12,000 prisoners, 99 pieces of cannon, 21 standards, 3000 horses, and all the baggage of the Neapolitan armies.
Egypt conquered by the French.
1799. Battle of el Arish, Bonaparte defeats the Mamalukes, 9 Feb.
Jaffa taken by storm, by generals Lasnes and Bonaparte, 5 March.
Battle of Sadaseer, near Periptnam, first action on the invasion of Mysore, 5 March.
Battle of Luciensteig, Massena forces that place with dreadful slaughter; and thus gains the key of Tyrol and the Grisons, 7 March.
Battle at Loubi, on the river Jordan, near Nazareth; Bonaparte, Murat, and Junot commanded, 8 March.
Kleber defeats the Syrians at Led-Jarra, 10 March.
Battle of Esdrelon, near Mount Tabor, 17 March.
General Desolles scales the Julian Alps, takes the intrenched defiles of Tauffers in the rear, and gains a complete victory over Laudohn, 17 March.
Ostrach, Jourdan with 40,000 men, is attacked by the archduke with 80,000, and is forced to retreat, 21 March.
Samanhout, a new and elegant disposition, infantry squares formed the two flanks, cavalry in a square the centre; the troops to oppose were Mamalukes and horsemen. Davoust commanded the French horse, Friant and Belliard the two squares of infantry, 22 March. Several battles at Biramba, Bardis, Girgé, gained by Desaix in this month.
Stockach, Jourdan attacks Archduke, but is defeated and forced to retreat; Jourdan’s force under 40,000 men, the Archduke’s above 80,000; the battle was principally fought by infantry and was terrible; 10,000 men lay on the field of battle, 25 March.
Scherer and Moreau attack the Austrians between the Garda and Adige, gain a hard earned victory, fought from day break to 11 at night, 26 March.
Scherer and Moreau attack general Kray before Verona, and are defeated, 30 March.
Battle of Magnan, the French are defeated, 5 April.
Battle Malanelly, E. Indies, 5 April.
Lacourbe defeats Bellegarde in the Engadine, 1 May.
Seringapatam taken by storm, Tippoo put to death, partition of Mysore followed, 4 May.
Attack of St. Jean d’Acre, and Bonaparte forced to raise the siege, 7 May.
Moreau defeats the Russians on the Po, 12 May.
Lecourbe defeats the Austrians on the Reuss, 2 June.
Battle of Zurich, the Austrian Generals Hotze, and Wallis, Kerpen and Hillier wounded; and Judinot and Humbert of the French, 5 June.
Battle of Modena, Macdonald defeats Hohenzollern, 10 June.
Battle of the Trebia, at St. Juliano, Moreau and Suwarrow; the French defeated, 18 June.
Battle of Chebrisa, Bonaparte against the Mamelukes; a new disposition, echellons of squares with artillery and baggage of each square in its centre--and giving a front and flank fire.
Turks land and take Aboukir after a battle very desperate, the Turks defeated, Bonaparte embarks for France, 15 July.
Battle of the Pyramids, the same order of battle--very decided victory over Murad Bey, 21 July.
Second battle of Zurich, most terrible and brilliant, Massena attacks the Archduke; indecisive, 14 Aug.
Suwarrow attacks Joubert at Novi, who is killed, Moreau takes the command but is forced to retreat, a bloody battle, 15 Aug.
Helder, 27 Aug.
Battle of Bergen, in Holland, general Brune attacks Abercrombie, 10 Sept.
Second battle, the British and Russians under the Duke of York, defeated by Brune, and forced to retire within intrenchments, 19 Sept.
Third battle of Zurich, terrible and decisive, one of the most brilliant in history; Massena commanded, the Austrian general Hotze killed, the French triumph, 7 to 24 Sept.
Battle of Fossano, 14 Sept.
Gaeta, Aquila taken by storm, Mack defeated, and the Neapolitans capitulate to Championnet, 1 Oct.
Battle of Bergen, 1 Oct.
Battle of Sand hills near Bergen, 2 Oct.
Battle of Egmont, duke of York again defeated and capitulates, 6 Oct.
Battle of Fossano, French defeated by Melas, 4 Nov.
1800. Egypt conquered by the English.
Moreau crosses the Rhine, and defeats the Austrians at Engen, 2 May.
Battle of Gremback, same, 3 May.
Biberach, same effect, 9 May.
Severe action at Memmingen, Kray forced to retreat, 11 May.
Signal defeat of five Austrian columns, by two French on the Iller, 5 June.
Battle of Hochstedt, the Austrians defeated by Moreau, 18 June.
Action at Ungerhausen, 26 June.
Celebrated battle at Hohenlinden, gained by Moreau, takes 80 pieces of cannon and 10,000 prisoners; action began at day break and ended at 4 o’clock.
Battle of Casteggio, Austrians defeated by Berthier, 8 June.
Battle of Marengo, one of the most brilliant in history, and important in its consequences; it lasted 11 hours; decided the fate of Italy, and placed the iron crown on the head of the Bonaparte Dynasty, 14 June.
Battle at Muhldorf, 1 Dec.
1801. Alexandria, Egypt, Abercrombie fell, French defeated by Hutchinson, 21 March.
1805. Battle of Wertingen in Bavaria, the first of the coalition of Austria and Russia; Austrians defeated and all their cannon taken, Oct. 8.
Battle of Guntzburg, marshal Ney defeats the Austrians, 9 Oct.
Battle on the Adige, Massena forces a passage at Verona, and defeats the archduke Charles, Oct. 18.
Surrender of Ulm by Mack, October 20.
Murat defeats prince Ferdinand at Nuremburg, Oct. 21.
Battle of Caldiero, Massena attacks the whole Austrian line, defeats them; captures one of their divisions; the arch duke escapes at night, Oct. 30.
Battle of Amstetten, the Russians defeated by Murat, 4 Nov.
Battle of Marienzel, Davoust defeats the Austrian General Meerfeldt, 8 Nov.
Mortier defeats the Russians under Kutasoff at Diernstein, Nov. 11.
Murat and Lasnes defeat the Russians under Kutasoff at Holabrunn, 15 Nov.
Soult again at Guntersdorff, 16 Nov.
Battle of Austerlitz or of the three emperors, 500 pieces of cannon and 150,000 men were engaged in this battle, which was one of the most profound in the history of tactics, and the most brilliant in the annals of victory; 150 pieces of artillery were taken by the victors; this battle deprived the house of Austria of the title of Emperor of Germany, 2 Dec.
1806. Battle of Jena, Oct. 14.
Prussia subdued by Bonaparte.
1807. Dantzick taken, May 20.
Battle of Spaudau, June 5.
Battle of Lonutten, same day.
Deppen, battle of, Marshal Ney makes a fictious retreat, and cuts a body of Russians to pieces, June 6.
Eylau, battle of, very bloody and desperate, Russians lost 30,000 men killed, June 6-12.
Friedland, battle of, this action decided the fate of the Coalition, and produced the peace of Tilsit on the 7th July succeeding. This battle stands in the same rank with Jemappe, Fleurus, Nordlingen, Zurich, Marengo, Jena and Austerlitz.
BATTLE-_Array_, _Line of_ BATTLE, the method and order of arranging the troops in order or line of battle; the form of drawing up the army for an engagement. This method generally consists of three lines, viz. the front line, the rear line, and the reserve.
The second line should be about 300 paces behind the first, and the reserve at about 5 or 600 paces behind the second. The artillery is likewise divided along the front of the first line. The front line should be stronger than the rear line, that its shock may be more violent, and that, by having a greater front, it may more easily close on the enemy’s flanks. If the first line has the advantage, it should continue to act, and attack the enemy’s second line, terrified by the defeat of their first. The artillery must always accompany the line of battle in the order it was at first distributed, if the ground permit it; and the rest of the army should follow the motions of the first line, when it continues to march on after its first success.
BATTLE-_Ax_, an offensive weapon, formerly much used by the Danes, and other northern infantry. It was a kind of halbert, and did great execution when wielded by a strong arm.
_Main_-BATTLE. See BATTLE-_Array_.
BATTLEMENTS, in military affairs, are the indentures in the tops of old castles or fortified walls, or other buildings, in the form of embrasures, for the greater conveniency of firing or looking through.
BATTRE _l’estrade_, _Fr._ to send out scouts.
BATTRE _la campagne_, _Fr._ to scour the country or make incursions against an enemy.
BATTRE, _Fr._ to direct one or more pieces of ordnance in such a manner, that any given object may be destroyed or broken into by the continued discharge of cannon ball, or of other warlike materials; it likewise means to silence an enemy’s fire.
BATTRE _de front_, _Fr._ to throw cannon-shot in a perpendicular or almost perpendicular direction against any body or place which becomes an object of attack. This mode of attack is less effectual than any other unless you _batter in breach_.
BATTRE _d’écharpe_, _Fr._ to direct shot, so that the lines of fire make a manifest acute angle with respect to the line of any particular object against which cannon is discharged.
BATTRE _en flanc_, _Fr._ is when the shot from a battery runs along the length of the front of any object or place against which it is directed.
BATTRE _a dos_, _Fr._ to direct the shot from one or several pieces of cannon so as to batter, almost perpendicularly, from behind any body of troops, part of a rampart or intrenchment.
BATTRE _de revers_, _Fr._ to direct shot, in such a manner as to run between the two last mentioned lines of fire. When you batter from behind, the shot fall almost perpendicularly upon the reverse of the parapet. When you batter from the reverse side, the trajectories or lines of fire describe acute angles of forty five degrees or under, with the prolongation of that reverse.
BATTRE _de bricole_, _Fr._ This method can only be put in practice at sieges, and against works which have been constructed in front of others that are invested. A good billiard player will readily comprehend what is meant by the _bricole_ or back stroke; it means simply the firing of shot against a wall so that the balls may rebound and in the rebound strike men or objects, that could not be struck directly.
BATTRE _la Caisse_, _Fr._ to beat a drum.
_Mener battant_, to overcome.
_Mener quelqu’un au Tambour battant._ To overcome by strokes of the drum. To disconcert, to confound, puzzle and perplex any body.