At the commencement of the campaign of 1794, General Pichegru made
every possible effort to approach Tournai and besiege it in regular
form, but all in vain; he, on every occasion, had to contend with
troops superior to his own, beneath its walls. When, however, he had
gained several victories, and the Imperialists had been conquered at
Fleurus, the allies withdrew from Tournai, which fell into the hands
of the French. It was not by causing men to be massacred before places
that the French made their conquests, but by beating the enemy in
the open field. This campaign suffices to convince military men of
the vices of the ancient tactics, which began by laying sieges and
sacrificed so many men in the trenches. A well-fortified place is
impregnable whilst defended by a good army; but there is no fortress
that can hold out, when the troops which ought to defend it are beaten.
In the revolutionary wars, the French only besieged the cities that
were absolutely necessary to assure the position of their armies. The
king of Prussia alone formed a just idea of this new manner of making
war. In 1794, he wrote to the emperor of Austria: “It is impossible
to save your territories from invasion; the French have fresh armies
continually springing up; and, do not deceive yourself, their generals
have a good kind of tactics, which disconcerts ours and always puts it
at fault.” The above passage is certainly from a French author, but it
contains much truth.