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attacking us in the rear. In cafe we had been defeated, the corps pofted overagainst Rederow was to have fallen upon our routed troops, and to have prevented their retiring to Merfeburg, the only retreat which would then have been left us.

The King took the refolution to march up to the enemy, and to attack them.

His Majefty had determined to make the attack with one wing only; and the difpofition of the enemy made it neceffary that it should be the left wing. The very inftant the battle was going to begin, his Majefty ordered the general who commanded the right wing, to decline it, to take a proper pofition in confequence thereof, and, above all, to prevent our being furrounded. All the cavalry of our right wing, except two or three fquadrons, had already marched to the left, which was done at full gallop; and being arrived at the place affigned them, they formed overagainft that of the enemy. Our cavalry moved on immediately; the enemy's advanced to meet them; and the charge was very fierce, feveral regiments of the French coming on with great refolution. The advantage, however, was entirely on our fide. The enemy's cavalry being routed, were purfued, for a confiderable time, with the greateft fpirit. But having afterwards reached an eminence, which gave them an opportu nity of rallying, our cavalry fell upon them afresh, and gave them fo thorough a defeat, that they betook themfelves to flight in the utmost diforder. This happened at four in the afternoon. Whilft the cavalry charged, our infantry opened themselves. The enemy cannonaded them very brifkly during this interval, and did fome execution; but our artillery was not behindhand with them. This cannonade having continued on both fides a full quarter of an hour, without the leaft intermiffion, the fire of the infantry began. The enemy could not ftand it, nor refift the va lour of our foot, who gallantly marched up to their batteries. Thefe batteries were carried one after another, and the enemy forced to give way, which they

did in great confufion. As the left wing advanced, the right changed its pofition; and having foon met with a fmall rifing ground, they availed themfelves of it, by planting fixteen pieces of heavy artillery on it. The fire from thence was partly pointed at the ene. my's right, to increase the disorder there, and took their left wing in front, which was exceffively galled thereby. At five, the victory was decided, the cannon ceafed, and the enemy filed on all fides. They were purfued as long as there was any light to diftinguish them by; and it may be faid, that the night alone was the preservation of this army, which was fo formidable in the morning. They took the benefit of the darkness to hurry on to Freyburg, and there to repafs the Unftrut, which they did on the morning of the 6th, after a whole night's march. The King fet out early in the morning to pursue them with all his cavalry, fupported by four battalions of grenadiers; the whole infantry following them in two columns. The enemy had paffed the Unftrut at Freyburg, when we arrived on its banks; and as they had burnt the bridge, it became neceffary to make another; which, however, was foon done. The cavalry passed first, but could not come up with the enemy, till five in the evening, upon the hills of Eckerfberg. It was too late to force them there; and the King therefore thought proper to canton his army in the neareft villages, and to be fatisfied with the fuccefs our huffars had, in taking near 300 baggage-waggons, and every thing in them. This fo glorious victory must be more agreeable to his Majefty than any one he has ever gained, as it was at the price of fo little blood, our whole lofs not exceeding 500 in killed and wounded. Among the former is Gen. Meincke. His R. Highness Prince Henry, and Gen. Zeidlitz, are both flightly wounded.

If we confider the difpofition of both armies, as to their numbers, it must be acknowledged, that the hand of Heaven has been on our fide. The enemy boafted that they were 70,000 strong,

I believe they were not quite fo many; but, from the ground which they covered, it may be inferred, that they were not less than 50,000 fighting men. After the King had got together at Leipfic all the feveral corps of his army, he had 33 battalions, and 43 fquadrons, leaving a garrifon of five batta lions at Leipfic. He marched with the reft to Lutzen; and having croffed the Sala at Weiffenfels, Merfeburg, and Halle, and left a battalion in each of those three places, the whole army, which joined, after this paffage, on the 3d of November, overagainst the enemy, confifted only of 25 battalions and 44 fquadrons. During the battle, the regiment of Winterfeld covered the bag gage; fo that the whole weight of the action fell upon the cavalry, and 23 battalions drawn up in two lines; and even of this infantry there were but fix battalions that had recourfe to the fire of their mufquetry, viz. four battalions of grenadiers, and the regiment of Old Brunswick, which did wonders. That regiment loft its colonel, with a bout 100 men killed and wounded.

The lofs of the enemy cannot yet be afcertained. It is supposed they left 3000 men upon the field of battle. The prifoners exceed 4000 men, and there is a mongst them a great number of officers and generals. We took 50 pieces of cannon, and a great many standards and colours. We have this day taken four more pieces of large cannon, and made 4 or 500 prifoners.

ordered to affemble: but Prince Hildburghaufen's quarters being at half a league's diftance from the city, Prince George of d'Armftadt commanded in his abfence, and took every poffible method to make refiftance. But it was too late: they were obliged to retire; and that noble bridge, which had cost above 100,000 crowns, was burnt to fecure our retreat. The Pruffian artillery made a terrible fire, whilst the two regiments were paffing the bridge. The regiment of Deux Ponts loft four officers and 100 private men, upon this occafion. The Captains Muncherode and Dames, with two lieutenants, were among the former. The lofs of Rechman's regiment amounted to 200 men, of whom fix were officers. The whole army continued before the town, and the Feldt-Marshal in his quarters at Bugerau. In the night 300 of the Wurtzburg Imperial regiment were detached to the place where the bridge had been, in order to obferve the enemy.

During the whole night, a noife was heard in the city, occafioned by the ftrokes of mallets; but it was not difcovered till break of day, that two houfes had been turned into batteries. As they were not yet finished, we easily dismounted them with our fix pieces of cannon, which were fent thither; and killed them four foldiers and one workman.

The 1ft of November, the fire from the artillery continued on both fides till ten o'clock; when we began to march towards Merfeburg. The baggage having gone before as far as Camburg, From an officer in the army of the empire, we were forced to lie on the ground dated from Erfurth, Nov. 7.

At one in the morning of the 30th paft, we left our quarters at Stoffen, and received orders to repair to Weiffenfels. The regiment of Varell marched through the city, and over the bridge, and was cantoned at Petra; two regiments, viz. thofe of Naffau and Deux Ponts, and Rechman's of Bavaria, with two companies of French grenadiers, remained at Weiffenfels,

On the 31ft, at five in the morning, the Pruffians came and attacked the city. Upon this, the whole army was

without wood or ftraw. In the mean while the French were reinforced by 20 battalions and 18 fquadrons, commanded by the Duke de Broglio.

The 3d of November, we put ourfelves in a pofture to wait the enemy. At one in the afternoon we retreated a league towards Freyburg, where we halted; at five we were drawn up in order of battle; and thus we advanced flowly, towards the enemy, all night. were pofted in a wood on the right, where we covered ourselves by felling trees; and batteries were placed by the

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French on the two eminences at each end of the wood. On the 4th we were in presence of the enemy, and cannonaded each other. The enemy's cavalry advanced, but were repulfed by ours, fuftained by the fire of our artillery. The enemy's infantry then moved forwards in three columns, but were alfo repulfed. On the 5th the cannonading began very early in the morning on both fides. The left wing of the enemy extended as far as Legen, and their right to Schorta; and our army was posted in the wood at Waneroda. At noon, our army, as well as the French, had orders to form the line of battle, and to march out of the intrenchments which we had made. We advanced towards the enemy; keeping a little, however, to the left. The enemy made a feint of retiring; on which we redou bled our pace: but we foon found what kind of retreat they were making. In order to deceive us the more effectually, they had fent fome fquadrons towards Merseburg; but the reft of their army was drawn up behind an eminence which concealed them from us. It muft be confeffed, that we fell completely into the fnare. The first line of the French and our cavalry continued ad vancing; when all on a fudden our right wing received a terrible fire from the enemy which we returned brifkly; but as we had been obliged to advance in fome hurry, our ranks were a little difordered, which made the enemy's fire fall the more heavily upon us. Our cavalry fled the firft upon full gallop, but our artillery fupported us fome time longer at last the French fled likewife; and being then no longer able to refift the enemy, the rout became general. We have loft all our baggage and artillery, and at least 10,000 men. We marched the whole night; and paffing the river at Freyburg, arrived at Eckartfberg at fix o'clock in the morning. At two o'clock in the afternoon the FeldtMarshal and Prince George joined us. They had hardly fet down to dinner, but we perceived the enemy at our heels, who cannonaded us brifkly; and as our army was not got together, no.

thing was left for us but to retreat. Having again marched all night, we arrved at last at Erfurth; where we now are, in want of every thing, though we are rather better off than before. It is now eight days fince our men have had bread: they have lived upon turnips and radishes, which they dug out of the earth.

From a letter, dated, Leipfic, Nov. 9.

It is unfortunately but too certain, that the combined army has been totally defeated and difperfed. One part of it has fled by Naumburg, the other by Freyburg. The Prince of Deffau purfues the one, and the King in perfon the other. There have been brought to Merfeburg above 5000 prisoners, befides 300 officers. They are confined in the churches.

The army of the empire has loft fixty-four pieces of cannon, with kettledrums, colours, and standards, in great number. Gen. Revel, brother to the Duke de Broglio, died yesterday of his wounds at Merfeburg. This enormous misfortune is attributed, folely, to the injudicious difpofitions of the two commanders; and it is affured, that, for two days, the army had not had a morfel of bread. Three hundred waggons, with the heavy baggage of the French army, and a great number of mules, were taken yesterday at Eckersberg. Pofterity will never believe, that, at most, 18,000 Pruffians could ruin an army of above 60,000 men. Laft night 300 waggons came hither, loaded with wounded French and Swifs, who are in great diftrefs for want of a fufficient number of furgeons. This day we are informed from Merseburg, that the number of prifoners amounts already to 10,000. The peasants of Gotha and Thuringe bring in numbers of them, in refentment of the bad treatment they have met with from the French. They add further, that the victors have taken in all 164 pieces of cannon.

[We are obliged to defer the other accounts of this memorable action till our next.]

It is affured, that his Pruffian Majefty, immediately before the battle, made

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a fhort fpeech to his troops, nearly in thefe words. My dear friends, the hour is now come, when all that is, and all that ought to be dear to us, depends the fwords which are now drawn for the battle. Time permits me to fay but little, nor is there occafion to fay much. You know that there is no labour, no hunger or cold, no watching, and no danger, that I have not fhared with you hitherto ; and you fee me rea dy to lay down my life with you, and for you. All I afk is the fame pledge of fidelity and affection that I give; and let me add, not as an incitement to your courage, but as a teftimony of my own gratitude, that from this hour till we go into quarters, your pay fhall be double. Acquit yourselves like men, and put your confidence in God." The effect of this fpeech is faid to have been fuch as can neither be expreffed nor conceived; the general emotion burft into an univerfal shout, and the looks and demeanour of the men were animated to a degree little fhort of frenzy.

After the battle his Majefty caused his troops put cockades into their hats, as an emblem of their being fupporters and

defenders of the Proteftant caufe.

Upon the firft notice of this battle, M. Richlieu fent off a ftrong detachment to favour the Prince de Soubife's retreat, which was made for about 70 miles with great precipitation. According to late accounts, that prince had reaffembled his difperfed troops, and diftributed them in fuch a manner, that the left of his army ftretched away to that of M. Richlieu in the principality of Halberstadt, and its right extended to the frontier of the landgraviate of Heffe-Caffel. M. Richlieu had ordered all his troops, which were preparing to go into winterquarters, to halt wherefoever they actually were, and hold themselves in readinefs to march, according to what ulterior dire ions they should receive. The remains of the execution-army of the empire had separated from the French, and retired towards Bamberg in Franconia.

The Pruffians did not purfue fo far as was expected, having other bufinefs in view. By late advices their main body VOL. XIX.

remained affembled on the Sala, with advanced pofts in Thuringia, as far as Erfurth, whofe gates had been fhut. On the 15th of November his Pruffian Majefty fet out from the neighhourhood of Leipfic at the head of eighteen battalions, and fome regiments of cavalry and huffars, in order to pass into Silefia. By the 17th he had got to Drefden. The Queen of Poland died there fuddenly of a fit of an apoplexy the day preceding. On the 20th his Majetty arrived, with the firft divifion of thofe troops, at Baut zen in Lufatia.

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We have the following article from Berlin, dated Nov. 5. "It is with the utmost surprise, that we read in several of the foreign papers, a letter pretended to be writ by the King our fovereign, to his Britannic Majefty, concerning the late convention [530]; and we can with great truth affure the public, that piece is entirely falfe and fuppofititious,, no fuch letter having been ever writ, or fo much as thought of by the King."

For fome time. paft letters from Hanover have been complaining of infractions of the convention figned there in September laft. The following is one of thofe letters, dated, Hanover, Nov. 12. "Our good friends the French have treated us in a manner of which there are few inftances in hiftory. They have taken every method to break the convention, of which the following will convince you. When the troops were quartered in the towns, each houfe being obliged to furnish a number of beds for the officers and men, Meffieurs being ill provided with thirts, they took the fheets, from their beds to make up that deficiency, the officers themselves fetting the example; and when complaint was. made to the fuperior officers, the only fatisfaction received was, a number of fhirts, night-caps, cravats, and stockings, being ordered to be raised by way of contribution. Another agreement was, that no troops fhould enter the Hartz-foreft, where the filver-mines are. A body of French troops, breaking through this, entered the foreft, infulted the inhabitants, and by that means, raifed the refentment of the people, who 4 R

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fell upon the troops, and drove them from thence. The French commanding officer, interpreting this into an infurrection, laid the poor miners, and other perfons refiding in the forest, under military execution."

Soon after the middle of November, the Hanoverians, Heffians, and Wolfenbuttlers, who had been for fome time pofted at and about Stade, in confequence of the convention concluded in September, began to be in motion.

We are told by letters from Hamburg, that Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttle paffed the Elbe on the 23d, to take the command of them; and informed them, that 12,000 Pruffians were marching for Lunenburg in order to be joined by them there. The remains of the late army of obfervation were then faid to be 40,000 effective men, befides 1800 fick. By late accounts, M. Rich. lieu was using his utmost endeavours to prevent their junction with the Pruffians, and the Hanoverians and their allies were making forced marches, of at least two days in one, in order to effectuate it. The Pruffians in Brandenburg Pomerania, under Gen. Count Monteuffel, have had several skirmishes with the Swedes in that province, commanded by Marshal Sternberg. On the 23d of October 50 huffars and 30 huntfmen of the former, made divers prifoners, and carried off fome horfes from 300 of the latter, who had attacked them. For a fortnight about that time the Swedes made no further progrefs, contenting themfelves with intrenching the pofts they occupied, in hopes of keeping them during the winter. M. Lehwald, not expecting any great disturbance to Pruffia from the Ruffians this winter, has been marching for Pomerania with moft of the troops that were under his command. Upon notice of this march, the Swedish general wrote in the most preffing terms for a powerful reinforcement, without which he would be reduced to the fame dilemma the Saxon army was in at the beginning of the war. The London gazette gives us reafon to think, that M. Lehwald was to begin his operations against the Swedes on the 29th of October.

To the accounts already given [543.] of what happened at Fort William-Henry in NORTH AMERICA, we have now to add thefe following.

"New York, Aug. 19. [printed by order.]. Fort William. Henry was, on the 9th inftant, after a vigorous refiftance, obliged to yield to the fuperior force of the enemy. They confifted of at leaft 8000 men, the greateft part regular troops, befides 1000 Indians, and a number of Canadians. Our garrifon confifted of between 2 and 3000 men. The French, immediately after the capitulation, moft perfidiously let their Indian Blood-hounds loose upon our people: whereupon a few run off with their arms and light cloathing, and were pursued by the Indians fix or feven miles; all the reft were defpoiled of their arms; the most were ftript stark naked; many were killed and fcalped, officers not excepted. All the English Indians and negroes in the garrifon were feized, and either captivated or flain. The throats of most, if not all the women were cut, their bel lies ript open, their bowels torn out, and thrown upon the faces of their dead and dying bodies; and it is faid, that all the women were murdered in one way or other; that the children were taken by the heels, and their brains beat out against the trees or ftones, and not one of them faved. Some of the fugitives that reached New York on this day, affirm this, as what they faw in the whole or in great part executed before they efcaped! The report of fuch cruelty and barbarity could hardly be believed, were we not affured of the horrible maffacre of feveral hundreds of Gen. Braddock's wounded men, of whom we hear not of one that furvived the carnage; were we not also affured of the murder of all the fick and wounded of the garrison at Ofwego, notwithstanding the previous capitulation. It is certain, that the growth of the British colonies has long been the grand object of French envy; and it is faid, that their officers have orders from their fuperiors to check it at all events, and to that end to make the prefent war as bloody and deftructive as poffible! It is evident, that all

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