was on the eve of a national bankruptcy; yet were the efforts of both undiminished. The empress of Russia, having lost only men, readily supplied by her boundless dominions, adhered to her military system, which she considered as necessary to the training of her armies: and Sweden made no advances towards peace. The greatest exertions were displayed in every quarter of the globe.

Germany, however, continued, as hitherto, to be the grand theatre of military operations, though less of conquest or bold enterprise. These found elsewhere a wider range. Repeated trials of each other's strength had here made all parties more cautious; because all were become sensible, that the war could only be brought to a successful issue by patience and perseverance, not by any single blow. The greatest blows had been already struck, yet peace seemed as distant as ever; though, in striking some of those blows, ruin itself had been hazarded by the illustrious Frederick. Less dependence was henceforth placed in fortune, and more in force and skill. Experience had moderated the ardour of courage, and rectified the mistaken conceptions of military superiority. Firmness and recollection took place of presumption and rashness; and mutual esteem and apprehensions of danger of selfconfidence and mutual contempt.

The fire of the king of Prussia's genius alone seemed unabated. We have seen in what manner he obliged the Austrians and the army of the empire to evacuate Saxony, at the close of last campaign, while his generals forced the Russians and Swedes to retire towards their own frontiers. He began the present with equal vigour and success: and he had formed a great system of operations, in concert with prince Ferdinand of Brunswick. One of his generals, in the month of February, destroyed the Russian magazines in Poland; another recovered Anclam, Demin, and all the places the Swedes had conquered in Pomerania. He himself, by his threatening motions, drew the Austrian army to the frontiers of Silesia. His brother, prince Henry, who had wintered in Saxony, seized the opportunity to lay Bohemia under contribution; and afterward, entering Franconia, pushed the army of the empire as far back as Nuremburg.

To this degree were the arms of the king of Prussia successful. But certain unforeseen events, partly depending upon himself, partly upon others, disconcerted all his future plans, and gave a fatal reverse to his affairs. The Russians advanced towards Silesia, notwithstanding the destruction of their magazines. And prince Ferdinand, although early reinforced with a choice body of British troops, found himself unable to prevent the army of the empire from receiving succours from that of France; a circumstance on which the success of the campaign greatly depended, and on which his Prussian majesty had presumed, though certainly without due consideration.

The French, by a flagrant violation of the liberties of the empire, accompanied with an act of perfidy, had made themselves masters of Frankfort upon the Maine, a neutral and free city, in the beginning of January. This was an important acquisition, as it secured to them the course of the Maine and the Upper Rhine, by which they could readily receive every kind of supply. It was therefore determined to dislodge them, if possible, as soon as the season would permit the allied army to take the field.

With this view, prince Ferdinand assembled his troops in the neighbourhood of Fulda, and began his march 'towards the enemy at the head of thirty thousand men; having left the rest of his forces to guard the electorate of Hanover, and protect the bishoprick of Munster. He found the French army, under the duke de Broglio, strongly posted near the village of Bergen, between Frankfort and Hanau; yet did he resolve to attack them. He accordingly drew up his forces in order of battle, and advanced to the charge. But after three desperate efforts to get possession of the village, he was obliged to retire with the loss of two thousand men.(1) He preserved, however, so good a countenance, that the enemy did not attempt to pursue him.

(1) French and English Gazettes compared.

The allies, perhaps, lost no honour by this action. But they failed in their object; and that failure, besides thwarting the designs of the king of Prussia, reduced themselves to great distress for want of provisions. Meanwhile, the French enjoyed plenty of every thing. And their armies on the Upper and Lower Rhine, having formed a junction near Marpurg, proceeded northward, under the mareschal de Contades, who fixed his head-quarters at Corbach, whence he detached a body of light troops to take possession of Cassel. Finding himself inferior to the united forces of the enemy, prince Ferdinand judged it prudent to retire as they advanced. He left strong garrisons, however, in Lipstadt, Retberg, Munster, and Minden, in order to retard the progress of the French generals. But this precaution proved ineffectual. Retberg was surprised by the duke de Broglio. He also took Minden by assault; and Munster, though defended by a garrison of four thousand men, was reduced, after a short siege.

It now appeared impossible to prevent the French from making themselves a second time masters of his Britannic majesty's German dominions. Considering the conquest of Hanover as certain, the court of Versailles was only occupied in contriving expedients for securing it; and the regency of that electorate, willing to provide against the consequences of such a probable event, again sent their archives and most valuable effects to Stade. All things seemed hastening to the same situation, which brought on the humiliating convention of Closter-seven; especially as prince Ferdinand continued to retire, and studiously kept up his communication with the Weser.

But that accomplished general, though weakened by his losses, was not disconcerted. He saw his danger, and was prepared to meet it. Although naturally cautious, he resolved, under the pressure of necessity, to pursue a bold line of conduct, instead of taking refuge in despair, or seeking an apology for misfortune in the gloom of public despondency. The moment he found nothing but a battle could hinder the French from taking up their winter-quarters in the electorate of Hanover, he determined to bring matters to that issue. And the means by which he accomplished his design with an inferior army, without exposing himself to any disaster, discovered so profound a genius for war, as will ever make him be ranked among the greatest masters of the military art.

The main body of the French army, after the taking of Minden, had encamped in the neighbourhood of that city, to which its right wing extended. On the left was a steep hill, in the front a morass, and a rivulet covered the rear. As nothing could be more advantageous than this position, which rendered an attack impracticable, prince Ferdinand employed all his skill to draw the enemy from it. With that view he quitted his camp on the Weser, and marched to Hille; leaving, however, general Wangenheim, with a body of troops, intrenched at Thornhausen, on the banks of the disputed river: and detaching the hereditary prince of Brunswick, with six thousand men, to make a compass towards the enemy's left flank, and cut off their communication with Paderborn.

The French generals, who were not inattentive to these movements, fell into the snare that was laid for them. They concluded that the opportunity which they had so long sought, of cutting off prince Ferdinand's communication with the Weser, was at last found, and with it the consummation of their wishes. They saw, as they imagined, the allied army divided and disjoined beyond the possibility of immediate union; and therefore flattered themselves with its final destruction, by the defeat of general Wangenheim, and the command of the Weser the necessary consequence of such defeat. Full of this idea, they left their advantageous post; and passing the morass in their front, advanced into the plain.

The duke de Broglio, who led the van of the French army, proceeded with great confidence, until he reached a neighbouring eminence; whence he beheld, instead of intrenchments defended by a small body, the whole army of the allies disposed in excellent order, and extending from the banks of the Weser almost to Minden. A discovery so unexpected embarrassed the

French general. But he had no alternative left: it was too late to recede He therefore ordered his cavalry to advance, and begin the engagement.

The British infantry, which, with two battalions of Hanoverian guards, composed the centre of the allied army, sustained the principal shock of the battle, and broke every body of horse and foot that advanced against them; while the Hessian cavalry, with some regiments of Prussian and Hanoverian dragoons, posted on the left, baffled all the attempts of the enemy, and pushed them to the necessity of seeking safety in flight.(1)

At this instant, prince Ferdinand sent orders to lord George Sackville, who commanded the British and Hanoverian horse, which composed the right wing of the allies, to advance to the charge. And if these orders had been cheerfully obeyed, the battle of Minden would probably have been as memorable and decisive as that of Blenheim. The French army would have been utterly destroyed, or totally routed and driven out of Germany. But whatever was the cause, whether the orders were not sufficiently precise, were misinterpreted, or imperfectly understood, the British cavalry did not arrive in time to have any share in the engagement ;(2) so that the French, instead of being hotly pursued, were permitted to retire in good order, and to regain their former position, notwithstanding the loss of seven thousand men. They judged it necessary, however, to quit their camp, and pass the Weser the same night; and next day the garrison of Minden surrendered at discretion. The allies lost in the action near two thousand brave troops.

Prince Ferdinand passed an indirect censure upon the British commander for his conduct on this occasion, and a court-martial confirmed that censure. But as the whole weight of ministerial influence is supposed to have been thrown into the scale of the German general, the impartial part of mankind are still divided in their opinion on the subject, and will likely long remain So. It may not, however, be improper to observe, for the information of posterity, that the two generals were by no means on good terms with each other, before the battle. Prince Ferdinand, who understood the mystery, as well as the art of war, and pursued it as a lucrative trade, felt himself uneasy under the eye of an observer so keen and penetrating as lord George Sackville, and wished to remove him from the command. This wish perhaps occasioned that confusion, or contradiction of orders, of which the English general complained, and which he assigned as the cause of his inaction. But there is also reason to suppose, the chagrin of the British commander might make his perception, on that occasion, less clear than usual, and that he might even secretly indulge a desire to obscure the glory of a hated rival, without reflecting, that in so doing, he was sacrificing his duty to his sovereign, and eventually the interests of his country.(3)

LETTER XXXIV.

The View of the State of Europe, and the History of the general War, pursued, from the Defeat of the French at Minden, to the Death of George II.

THE Victory gained by the allies at Minden, though less complete than it might have been rendered by the ready co-operation of the British general, threw the court of Versailles into the utmost confusion, and blasted all their hopes of conquest. It not only enabled prince Ferdinand effectually to defend the electorate of Hanover, but to recover Munster, and force the French to evacuate great part of Westphalia. And if he had not been obliged to weaken his army, in order to support the king of Prussia, whose

(1) London and Paris Gazettes, passim. The French account of this battle, and of the operations that preceded it, are by far the most perfect.

(2) Evidence produced on the trial of lord George Sackville.

(3) See prince Ferdinand's Letter to the king of Great Britain; and lord George Sackville's Vindication of his conduct.

affairs were much embarrassed, he would probably have driven the vainglorious enemy to the other side of the Rhine, before the close of the campaign. The embarrassment of his Prussian majesty was chiefly occasioned by the approach of the Russians, in spite of every effort to obstruct their progress. Displeased with the studied caution of count Dohna, the king conferred the command of the army destined to oppose them on general Wedel, who immediately gave them battle, conformable to his orders. He attacked them with great vigour, but without effect, at Kay, near Zullichau, in Silesia, on the twenty-third day of July. The Prussians were repulsed with much loss, after an obstinate engagement, and the Russians made themselves masters of Frankfort on the Oder.

No sooner was the king of Prussia informed of that misfortune, than he resolved to oppose the Russians in person; and began his march with ten thousand of his best troops, to join the shattered army under Wedel; leaving his brother Henry to observe the motions of the Austrians on the frontiers of Lusatia. Meanwhile, mareschal Daun, apprized of the king's intention, detached general Laudohn, with twelve thousand horse, to give vigour and stability to the Russian army, which was deficient in cavalry.

The reinforcement arrived nearly at the same time that his Prussian majesty joined Wedel. And Laudohn and count Soltikow, the Russian general, took post at the village of Cunnersdorff, opposite Frankfort. The combined army consisted of about one hundred thousand combatants: their position was naturally strong; and they farther secured their camp by intrenchments, planted with a numerous train of artillery. The king of Prussia's forces, after all the reinforcements he could collect, fell below fifty thousand men; yet did his pressing circumstances, and his own sanguine spirit, inflamed by hostile passion, induce him to hazard an attack.

The previous dispositions for that purpose being made, the action began about eleven o'clock, and the Russian intrenchments were forced with great slaughter. Several redoubts, which covered the village of Cunnersdorff, were also mastered, and the Prussians advanced to the village itself. Here the battle was renewed, and raged with fresh fury for two hours. At length the post was carried; the enemy's artillery was taken; and every thing seemed to promise a complete victory. But the Russians, though broken, were not discouraged. They again formed under cover of the Austrian cavalry, and took possession of an eminence, called the Jews' burying-ground, where they resolved to defend themselves to the last man.

Prudence and past experience of the steady valour of the Russians ought to have taught his Prussian majesty to rest satisfied with the advantage he had gained but he could not bear to be a conqueror by halves. The ardour of his mind determined him to follow his blow, in hopes of crowning at once his glory and his vengeance, by the final destruction of a barbarous enemy, who had dared to enter within the line of his ambition; and whose cruel ⚫ ravages had so often drawn him from the pursuit of victory, or obstructed the career of conquest. He accordingly led on, to a new attack, his brave battalions, yet faint from recent toil, beneath the heat of a burning sun, and sore with many a wound. He led them against the main body of the Russian army, the greater part of which had not hitherto been engaged, posted on higher ground, and strongly defended by artillery. They were unequal to the difficult service: they fell back; they were again brought to the charge, and a second time repulsed with great slaughter. Enraged at this disappointment, the king put himself at the head of his cavalry; but their vigour also was spent. In vain did he attempt to break the Russians (who are possessed of uncommon bodily strength, and an instinctive or mechanical courage, which makes them inaccessible to fear): they baffled all his gallant efforts. Their fire was the mouth of a volcano, and their bayonets a hedge of spears. The Prussians, wasted with fatigue, and startled at the number of slain, blamed the perseverance of their prince, but still maintained the unequal combat.

In those awful moments, when the finest troops in the world were waver

ing, and the greatest of modern commanders could with difficulty encourage them to keep their ground, the Austrian cavalry, yet fresh, broke in upon them with the impetuosity of a torrent. The Russian horse followed the animating example, and the foot resumed their activity. The exhausted Prussians yielded to the irresistible shock: they were seized with a panic; they fled. The king rallied them: he brought them back to the charge; he set them an example of bravery in his own person. Three times did he renew the engagement in the front line. He had two horses shot under him, and many bullets had passed through his clothes. But all his intrepid exertions were ineffectual: the battle was irretrievably lost, and the approach of night only prevented the Prussian army from being utterly cut off. As the struggle terminated, the slaughter on both sides was awfully great. Near thirty thousand men lay dead on the field, or dying of their wounds and sixteen thousand of these were Prussians. (1)

The issue of this battle astonished all Europe; and occasioned the most extravagant exultation among the hostile powers on one side, and the greatest depression of mind on the other. When the king of Prussia got possession of the village of Cunnersdorff, he wrote, in the triumph of his heart, a congratulatory billet to his queen, without waiting for the final event: "We have driven the Russians from their intrenchments. Expect within two hours, to hear of a glorious victory!"-And as this billet arrived at Berlin just as the post was going out, the premature intelligence reached the courts of London and Versailles before the news of the king's disaster, also first conveyed in another laconic despatch to the queen: "Remove from Berlin with the royal family. Let the archives be carried to Potsdam. The town may make conditions with the enemy."(2)

But if his Prussian majesty subjected himself to some degree of ridicule as a man, and blame as a commander, by his defeat at Cunnersdorff, his subsequent conduct wiped all off. And the surprise of mankind, at his sudden and unexpected reverse of fortune, was soon lost in their admiration of the wonderful resources of his genius, and the unconquerable fortitude of his spirit. The day after the battle, he repassed the Oder, and encamped at Retwin; whence he moved to Furstenwalde, and posted himself so advantageously, that the Russians did not dare to make any attempt upon Berlin. He even watched their motions so assiduously, that the main body of their army, under the victorious Soltikow, instead of entering Brandenburg, marched into Lusatia. There he joined the grand Austrian army, under mareschal Daun; and the two generals held consultations concerning their future operations.

In the mean time, the king of Prussia having refreshed and recruited his broken and exhausted troops, and supplied the loss of his artillery (which had all fallen into the hands of the enemy) from the arsenal at Berlin, appeared again formidable. While his friends as well as his enemies were of opinion, that the Russian and Austrian armies united had only to determine what part of his dominions they chose first to subdue as a prelude to the conquest of the whole, he obliged both to act on the defensive. And he at the same time detached a body of six thousand men, under general Wunch, to the relief of Saxony; where the army of the empire had made great pro gress during his absence. Hall, Wittemberg, Leipsic, Torgau, and even Dresden itself, had surrendered to the imperialists. But the detachment under Wunch retook Leipsic on the 21st of September; and having joined general Finck who commanded in Saxony, the Prussian generals repulsed the army of the empire at Corbitz, though supported by a body of Austrians under general Haddick, and recovered every place in that electorate except

Dresden.

Encouraged by these successes, and seeing that he could not second the operations of the king on the side of Silesia, prince Henry quitted his camp at Hornsdorff near Gorlitz, in Lusatia, and marched with incredible celerity (1) Compared relations of the battle of Cunnersdorff, published by authority at Berlin and Vienna. (2) Foreign Gazettes, passim.