The entrance of a French army into Worms, in the beginning of October
1792, had excited a considerable alarm in Mentz, before the inhabitants
of the latter city received the accounts, which were not long wanting,
of express and avowed preparations for a march towards them. Great
numbers of French emigrants had been drawn to the city by the meeting
of the Emperor and the King of Prussia there, a few months before;
many had arrived since the dissolution of their army in Champagne;
and, during the approach of the Republican troops to Spires and Worms,
families were continually passing through the city, joining those, who
began to take their flight from it. The narrow streets were filled
with carriages, and the distressful haste of the travellers served to
depress the spirits of the inhabitants, who saw how little their
city was thought capable of defence. On the 15th of October, Baron
d'Albini, a counsellor of the Court, called the Burgesses together,
and admonished them to make preparations for their security; he also
enquired, whether they thought it prudent, that the Elector should
remain in the city with them? and, it being readily answered, that they
did not, the Elector set out for Wurtzburg, a town about 100 miles
distant, and was followed by the members of the government. At the same
time, a considerable emigration of the other inhabitants took place.
The approach of the French had been so little foreseen, till within
the few last weeks, that the garrison did not amount to a tenth part
of the war complement. The inhabitants, however, having happily had
little experience of sieges, did not know what this complement should
be, and, after the first alarm, began to think the deficiency might
be easily remedied. The Electoral troops, having sent some useless
detachments to Spires, amounted to only 968 men, to whom an hundred
were added, obtained from Nassau, Oranien, Weilburg, Bieberich and Fuld
by the Elector's demands of assistance from his neighbours. Two hundred
and seven Austrian hussars of Esterhazy had also arrived, on the 13th,
and all the inhabitants of the Rheingau, a populous district, bordering
upon the Rhine, were summoned to the assistance of the capital. The
antient society of Archers of the city laid down their bows for
musquets; the Academicians formed themselves into a corps, and were
placed, together with the Archers, at several outposts. The traders,
though exempt from personal service, and unwilling to surrender that
privilege, resolved to pay double watch-money for substitutes. It began
to be thought, that the threatened progress of the French had been
untruly reported; that the siege could not be commenced at that late
season of the year; and lastly, that some promised reinforcements of
Austrian troops could not be far off.
But, on the 19th of October, the French, in four columns, began to
surround the place. They wore, at first, white cockades, expecting to
be mistaken for the army of M. de Condé; they were, however, known,
and fired upon. Though some days had been passed in preparation, it
was now found, that there was little readiness for defence. The best
artillerymen had been lost at Spires; there were, at first, no horses
to draw the cannon, so that oxen were used for that purpose; the
nearest balls to the batteries of twenty-four pound cannon were cast
for twelve-pounders; and many of the musquet cartridges could not
be fired. In a few hours, however, several of the artisans applied
themselves to the making of cartridges; horses were supplied by the
servants of the Court and the Nobility, and all hands were, in some
way or other, employed. It was then reported, that a corps of Austrian
troops was in the neighbourhood, and, on the 19th, 1800 men entered the
city. These were recruits without ammunition, and, for the most part,
without arms, being on their march to join the army of the Emperor.
They were then under the command of two or three subalterns; but some
other Imperial officers came in from the neighbourhood, and arms were
obtained from the Elector's arsenal. After this reinforcement there
were probably about four thousand men in arms in the city.
With this force, it is allowed, that a much longer defence than was
made might have been expected; and, unless there was some failure of
the commander's attention, the treachery of an engineer, to whom the
surrender is imputed, could certainly not have been so effectual.
EIKENMAYER, this engineer, had, it seems, made known to the French
the commander's preparations for defence; intelligence, which, if the
preparations had been greater, could have been but little serviceable
to the assailants. His chief assistance was afforded to them by much
more conspicuous means; for, as the inhabitants went frequently to a
building called St. Stephen's Tower, to observe the progress of the
besiegers, he assured them, that the army, which really amounted only
to eleven thousand men, consisted of forty thousand; that they had
with them two-and-twenty waggons, laden with scaling ladders, and that
the city would presently be taken by storm. The same representations
of the besiegers' force were also made by him to the Council of War;
and these, it is said, determined them to the surrender, before the
French had raised a battery against the works.
Many of the citizens, however, were surprised and enraged at this
resolution; and the captain of the Austrian reinforcements expressed
his displeasure, at the Council House, where he declared, that he would
continue to defend the place, even without permission. In the mean
time, the capitulation was signed, and he was induced to submit to it
by the solicitations even of the citizens, by whom it was blamed, and
by their representations, that, in the present agitated temper of the
inhabitants, all attempts at defence must be useless.
Baron d'ALBINI carried news of the surrender to the Elector, at
Wurtzburg, and, about five o'clock, on the 21st of October, two French
officers came to the Council House, followed by two companies of
grenadiers. On the 22d, eight thousand French entered the city, the
other three thousand having marched, the preceding day, to Franckfort;
the inhabitants, astonished to find themselves taken by so small a
force, now saw, to their still greater surprise, that their conquerors
had scarcely any heavy cannon. This day was passed in assigning
quarters to the troops, and, on the next, Custine, the commander of the
French, called the members of the City Council together, to whom, in
a short speech, he promised the protection of persons and properties,
inviting them, at the same time, to promote the fraternization of the
inhabitants with the French nation. Professor BOHMER, who had accepted
the office of his Secretary, translated this address into German, and
it was circulated through the city.
It is remarkable, that the French had no sooner taken possession of
this sudden prize, than they began to foresee the probability of
being reduced to defensive measures, and to prepare for them. They
immediately collected contributions of forage and corn from the
neighbouring villages; the streets were rendered almost impassable by
the loads brought in; and, as the magazines were soon filled, great
quantities were wasted by being exposed to the rain in gardens, and
trodden under the feet of horses in the streets. The garrison was soon
increased to 20,000 men, of whom sometimes three hundred sometimes
five hundred were lodged in each convent. The French soldiery having
committed some excesses, Custine reproved their licentiousness, and
began to habituate them to discipline by ordering a retirement to their
quarters, at certain hours, by beat of drum.
The inhabitants soon began to suspect the contrivance and the persons,
that had produced the surrender; for Eikenmayer lived in intimacy with
Custine; Professor Metternich, of the Academy of Mentz, mounted the
French cockade; and the Elector's physician, having left the city,
upon a promise of assisting some peasants, whom he asserted to be
seized with an infectious fever, had carried on a correspondence with
the French, as had PATOKI, a merchant, born at Colmar, who had lately
received the right of citizenship.
The palaces of the Elector and the Provost were now ransacked; and,
though it had been published as a rule, that the property of private
individuals should not be touched, the houses of the nobility were
treated, as if they had belonged to the Prince. The profligacy and
pride of Custine became every day more conspicuous, and were oppressive
upon the garrison, as well as the inhabitants, though in a less degree.
Johannesberg, a village upon the Rhine, at the distance of a few miles,
is celebrated for its wines, which sell for three times the price of
those of Hockheim. Custine sent a part of the garrison solely to bring
him the wines from the cellars of the Prince of Fuld, who has a palace
there; but, a compromise being proposed, the negotiation was protracted
so long, that a Prussian corps, for which the Prince had sent, carried
Johannesberg, before the terms were concluded. The Prince saved his
money, and lost only eighteen barrels of wine, of which part was sent
to Paris, and the rest supplied the entertainments given by Custine.
Those of the Germans, who attached themselves to Custine, supplied him
with information of the state of the whole country. His Secretary,
Professor Bohmer, had begun the institution of a Club so early as
the 22d of October; but this society is thought to have become
inconvenient, and they soon after began to prepare for a National
Convention in Mentz.
In the mean time, Cassel was surveyed, and the fortifications, for
which Eikenmayer is said to have furnished the design, were commenced.
The neighbouring peasants were summoned to work at these, at the price
of fifteen French sous, or about seven pence halfpenny a day; and
intrenchments were thrown round Kostheim.
On the 17th of December, Custine published a proclamation, in which he
stated, that, whereas some persons had supposed the King of Prussia
to have so little respect for his character as to have invited him to
a surrender, none should presume, on pain of death, to speak of such
a measure, in future. This proclamation gave the inhabitants of Mentz
information, that the Prussians were approaching. Some German troops
had, indeed, begun by degrees to occupy the ground about Coblentz, but
in a condition, which did not promise active measures, being weakened
by a long march and by sickness; the Hessians posted themselves
between Hanau and Franckfort; and the Prussians advanced so near to the
latter city, that the scattered parties of the French retired to, and
at length lost it.
About this time, an Electoral Professor of Philosophy and a Canon of
Mentz, named Dorsel, who had left his posts, in the preceding year, to
be naturalized, at Strasbourg, returned with a design for an union of
Spires, Worms and Mentz into one territory, under the protection of the
French. He procured the substitution of a Municipality for the City
Council. He obtained considerable influence in the city; and, on the
1st of January 1793, when the three Commissioners of the Convention,
Reubell, Merlin and Haussman, entered Mentz, and were received by
Custine with military honours, they shewed more attention to the
Professor than to the General.
The Prussian head quarters had been established within a short
distance of Mentz; but, during all December, there had been only
affairs of advanced posts, so that some tranquillity prevailed in the
city. On the 6th of January, Hockheim was assailed by six thousand
Prussians; the French, however, had been informed of the preparations
for attack, and had time to retire to Kostheim and Cassel, leaving 112
prisoners and twelve pieces of cannon. Some French, who had concealed
themselves in the church tower, were thrown headlong from it, for
having shouted, or thrown stones at the King of Prussia, as he passed.
After this, another month passed, without hostile attempts on either
side. The Prussian troops were refreshed by rest; the French passed
the same time, partly in balls, to which all the ladies of Mentz
were invited, and partly in preparations for defence. On the 17th of
January, a small tree of liberty, which had been planted in November,
was removed, and a fir, seventy feet high, placed in its stead, with
much ceremony. All the inhabitants were pressingly invited, upon this
occasion; Messrs. Reubell, Merlin, Haussman and Custine attended; the
Mayor, Municipality, and the Members of the Clubs followed; the ensigns
of the former government were burned; Custine called upon the music of
the garrison for French airs, which occupied the rest of the day; and
the evening concluded with entertainments and dancing. Soon after, the
Commissioners left the city, and proceeded on a journey to the Moselle.
On the 16th of February, Custine published a proclamation, and two
new Commissioners, who had just arrived, issued another, founded upon
a decree of the French Convention, relative to the union of other
countries with France. The Council House was full from morning till
night; the assembled traders declared their adherence to the Germanic
system; and the new Commissioners seemed inclined to listen to their
remonstrances. But, when the three former Commissioners returned, they
treated the Deputies of the trades with great haughtiness, and refused
them permission to send agents to Paris. A second deputation, on the
22d of February, was no better received, and they were informed, that
the 24th was the day for the commencement of the new form. The traders
are described to have been much affected, at the return of their
Deputies. On the 23d of February, early in the morning, the author of a
remonstrance, which had been presented, was arrested and carried into
banishment, being accompanied by guards to the advanced posts of the
Prussians, at Hockheim.
The inhabitants now began to leave the city by passports, which
were, however, not easily procured, or used. A proclamation by the
Municipality divided Mentz into sections, and directed the manner, in
which each section should elect a representative, on the 24th. On that
day, the streets were unusually silent, all the former burgesses having
resolved to remain in their houses, except one, and only 266 persons
met to take the new oath and to make the new elections. On the 25th,
another proclamation came out, and several banishments succeeded; but
the burgesses still adhered to their resolution. The Municipality, on
the 1st of March, again invited them to take the new oaths, and gave
notice of an order of the Commissioners to the Mayor, to publish a
list of the sworn and unsworn, on the Monday or Tuesday following.
Notwithstanding this, the number of sworn did not equal 350.
Some of the neighbouring villages, which were visited by the French
Commissioners, accepted their terms; the greater part refused them.
At Worms, where clubs, similar to those at Mentz, had been formed, 1051
persons took the oaths. The inhabitants of Bingen refused them.
In the mean time, some expeditions were made into the Palatinate, and
corn, to the amount of sixty thousand florins, was taken away, before
the reiterated remonstrances of the Palatine Resident at Mentz, upon
the subject of his master's neutrality, could restrain them. In the
first days of February, the French had also entered Deux Ponts, where
the Duke relied so much upon his having supplied only his contingent
to the treasure of the Empire, that he had not left his palace, though
he knew of their approaches to his country. On the 9th, at eleven at
night, the Duke and Duchess fled, with the utmost precipitation, to
Manheim, having left the palace only one hour before the French
entered it. Great quantities of forage were swept away from this
country, and brought to Mentz, which the allies now approached so
nearly, that the garrison hastily completed the fortifications of
Cassel, and filled the magazines with stores, lest the communication
should be cut off by the destruction of the bridge.
On the 15th of February, they had begun to destroy the palace of _La
Favorita_, and to erect a battery upon its ruins. Though the carriage
of provisions now occupied so much of their attention, a great number
of large and small cannon were brought from Landau; fresh troops
arrived, and General Wimpfen, who had defended Thionville against the
King of Prussia, was declared the first in command. By banishments
and emigration, the number of persons in the city was reduced fifteen
thousand.
The new National Assembly met in Mentz, on the 10th of March, that
city having chosen six deputies, Spires two, Worms two, and some other
places one each. On the 17th, they had their first sitting, and, on
the 18th, declared all the country between Landau and Bingen, which
places were then the limits of the French posts near the Rhine, united
in one independent state. On the 19th, was agitated the great question
relative to the connections of this state, and it was not till the
21st, that they declared their incorporation with the French. Three
deputies, FORSTER, PATOKI and LUCKS were appointed, the next day, to
carry this resolution to Paris; and several decrees, relative to the
interior administration of this state, were passed, in consequence of
which many persons were conducted over the bridge into banishment, on
the 30th.
Accounts now arrived, that the siege would shortly commence, and
orders were issued, relative to the prevention of fires, to the
collection of stores of provisions by each family, and to several
other domestic particulars. All the inhabitants, those especially in
the neighbourhood of the granaries, were directed to preserve large
quantities of water; and the proprietors of gardens within the city
were ordered to plant them with herbs. Officers were sent round to
examine these gardens. Already each family had been admonished to
provide subsistence for seven months; and the richer class were now
directed to furnish a loan to the burgesses, that the latter might be
enabled to provide for the poor. In consequence of this order, 38,646
florins 10 creitzers, or about 3200l. were collected, and expended for
provisions. The gardens and walks round the city were now dismantled of
their trees, of which those in the _Rheinallee_, before mentioned, were
an hundred years old. All the summer-houses and villas, within cannon
shot of the city, were destroyed.
On the 8th of March, the French garrison in the fortress of Konigstein,
which the Prussians had blockaded for some months, surrendered. In this
month also other advances were made towards Mentz. The Prussian General
Schonfield brought 12,000 men into the neighbourhood of Hockheim, near
which the Saxons were posted; the King of Prussia, his son and the Duke
of Brunswick, who had passed part of the winter at Franckfort, left
it, on the 23d of March; a bridge was laid, at St. Goar, over which
numerous bodies of Prussian troops passed the Rhine; the French fell
back towards Bingen, and the Prussians occupied a hill, not far from
it. On the 28th, they were closer pressed, and left all the villages in
the neighbourhood of Bingen, from which place they were driven, the
next day, by a bombardment.
At the same time, a similar retreat towards Mentz also took place from
the southward. At Worms, during the abandonment, great quantities of
hay and straw were burned, and the burgesses kept watch, all night,
dreading the conflagration of the whole city by the flames, rising from
the magazines. Immense masses of hay and straw were also burned at
Frankenthal, where there had been a garrison, during the whole winter;
but the corn was carried away. At Spires, early on the 31st of March,
the burgesses and troops were employed in throwing the hay and straw
from the magazines into the ditch; but it appeared that even this mode
would not be expeditious enough, and fire was at length set to the
whole store at once.
In the retreat from Oppenheim, though the French were under
considerable difficulties, they were upon the point of obtaining what
they would have thought an abundant reward for them. It was on the
30th of March, that their cavalry and flying artillery took the road
by Alsheim. As this was a place capable of making some defence, and
there were Prussian troops visible at the gates, they began the attack
by planting cannon, and directing a vigorous fire upon it. The King
of Prussia, who was at dinner in the town, and had not an hundred men
with him, received his first intelligence of their approach from this
fire. He immediately rode out, on the opposite side, and, sending some
hussars to the spot, the French did not continue the contest, but made
their retreat by another road. If they had known how few troops were
in the town, they would, of course, have entered it without commencing
this fire; and the Prussian officers agree, that, if they had done
so, there would have been little chance of saving their monarch. Had
they been aware also, that his Prussian Majesty was there, they might
have reduced this slight chance to an impossibility; for they were
sufficiently numerous to have surrounded the town, and had approached
so quietly, that they were not known to be near it. The Prussians had
no cannon, and the French were otherwise greatly superior; though,
having no other purpose for entering the town, than to continue their
retreat, they did not wait to contest it, but retired by another road.
That a circumstance, which would have had such an effect upon the
affairs of Europe, should have depended upon so slight a chance as
this, we could not have believed, if the story had not been confirmed
to us by ample authority.
The garrison of Mentz was increased by these retreats to 23,000 men;
General Kalkreuth, who commanded the blockade from Laubenheim to
Budenheim, a distance of twelve miles, had only 16,000 men. General
Schonfield, with his corps of observation, was at Hockheim. The
besiegers, however, presently amounted to 30,000 men. It is remarkable,
that, though the French retreated from several quarters, at once, and
in many small columns, not one of these was effectually interrupted by
the Prussian commander.
Upon intelligence of these advances, the Elector of Mentz paid a visit
to the King of Prussia, at his head quarters, and left his minister,
the Baron d'ALBINI, to attend to the affairs of the recovered places.
In the beginning of April, the blockade was more closely pressed, and
the preparations for the siege seriously commenced. General d'OYRÉ was
made commander in the city, with a Council of sixteen persons, to
assist him in restoring the means of its defence. A person was placed
at the top of an high building, called Stephen's Tower, with glasses,
which enabled him to overlook the country for nine miles round. He
had a secretary with him, that his view might never be unnecessarily
diverted, and was obliged to make a daily report of his observations.
The beating of drums and ringing of bells were forbidden throughout
the whole city, that the besiegers might not know in what quarters the
corps de garde were placed, or what churches were left without the
military. All prospect houses and trees within the walls, which could
serve as marks to the fire without, were ordered to be demolished. Many
days were passed in bringing further stores of provisions into the
city; after which an account of the stock was taken, and there were
found to be
24,090 sacks of wheat.
1,465 of other corn.
996 of mixed grain.
------
Of which 26,551 sacks, it was stated, that 23,070 sacks of meal could
be made. To this was to be added in sifted meal of wheat 109 sacks, of
other corn 45 sacks, of mixed grain 10,076 sacks; making in all 33,300
sacks of meal. There were besides
43,960 rations of biscuit.
7,275 pounds of rice.
13,045 of dried herbs.
Of forage, 10,820 quintals of hay.
54,270 of straw.
1,518 sacks of oats.
2,503 of barley.
The Council estimated, that the garrison had corn enough for nine
months, rice for seven, and herbs for six. There were fifteen hundred
horses, and it was reckoned, that the straw was enough for ten
months, the oats for four-and-twenty days, and the barley for eighty
days. The garrison was numbered, and found to consist of 22,653
persons; of whom to each soldier was allotted, for the future, 24
ounces of bread, per day, in lieu of 28, and 4 ounces of fresh meat, or
3 ounces of salt, in lieu of 8 ounces of fresh. The allowance of the
sick in the hospitals was changed from twelve to eight ounces.
During these preparations for a long siege, the diminution of the
number of inhabitants, by means of the clubs, was pursued. On the 8th
of April, all persons, not useful to the army, were ordered to leave
the city, unless they would take the new oath; at the same time, it
was said, that on account of the foreseen want of money, the soldiers,
employed on the works, would be no longer paid, but the other workmen
would continue to receive their salaries.
The garrison made their first sortie, on the night of the 10th and
11th, proceeding towards the Rhine. Kostheim was immediately taken, and
the attack upon the Hessians succeeded, at first, but a reinforcement
compelled the French to retire. About this time, the Commissioner
Reubell went to Oppenheim, where he delivered a proposal for peace to
the King of Prussia.
The village of Weissenau was contended for, on the 15th, 16th and 17th,
and finally destroyed, the French soldiers, who remained upon the spot,
subscribing 460 livres for the inhabitants.
On the 18th, nearly the whole of a French convoy of 90 waggons was
taken by the Prussians. On the 20th the Imperialists erected a small
fort on a point of land, near the Main, and the French, on the other
hand, perfected a battery, at Kostheim, with which they set on fire
some stables.
The price of provisions was already so much increased in the city, that
salt butter cost 48 creitzers, or 16d. pence per pound.
In the night of the 28th and 29th, the French landed in three vessels,
and destroyed a battery, erected near the Main. On the 1st of May,
at one in the morning, they attacked the Prussians, at Hockheim, and
set the village of Kostheim on fire. The Prussians repulsed them with
loss, but they remained in Kostheim, notwithstanding the fire, which
continued for three days; they were then expelled by the Prussians,
but soon returned with reinforcements, and a sanguinary contest
commenced, at the end of which they continued to be masters of the
village. A numerous garrison was placed in it, which, on the 8th, was
again attacked by the Prussians, but without effect. Thus the greatest
part of May was spent in contests for villages and posts, in which the
French were generally the assailants. In the night of the 30th, they
beat up, in three columns, the Prussian head quarters, at Marienborn.
Having marched barefooted and with such exact information, that they
passed all the batteries unperceived, they entered the village itself,
without resistance, and, it is supposed, would have surprised the
commander, if they had not fired at his windows, beat their drums,
and begun to shout _Vive la Nation!_ Three balls, which entered the
apartment of General KALKREUTH, admonished him to quit it, and a
sentinel stepped up just in time to shoot a French soldier, who had
seized him. Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia immediately arrived with
some troops, and the French began to retire, leaving thirty prisoners
and twenty killed of 6000, engaged in the enterprise. The loss of the
Prussians was considerable; amongst the rest Captain Voss, a relative
of Mademoiselle Voss, well known in the Court of Prussia.
On the 4th of June, the allowance to the garrison was ordered to be two
pounds of bread and one bottle of wine for each soldier, per day.
In the night of the 6th and 7th, the cannonade was very fierce, on both
sides; in Mentz a powder magazine was fired by a bomb, and blew up with
a dreadful explosion.
The scarceness of provisions increased, so that a pound of fresh butter
cost six shillings. Horseflesh began to be consumed in many families.
On the night of the 9th and 10th of June, the garrison made four
sorties, which ended in considerable loss, on both sides, and in the
retirement of the French into the city. On the 10th, they attacked, at
eight in the morning, a post near Gonsenheim, retreating without loss,
after killing an officer and several men. This was their first sally
in open day-light.
General Meusnier, who had been wounded near Cassel, on the 7th, died on
the 13th, and was buried the next day, within the new fortifications,
all the officers of the garrison, with the members of the convention
and clubs, attending.
Some fire ships were now completed, which a Dutch engineer had
conducted from Holland, to be employed by the besiegers in burning the
bridge of boats over the Rhine. It was thought, however, that their
explosion would damage the city unnecessarily, and they were rejected.
In the night of the 15th, one of these floated down the river, whether
by accident, or by the connivance of the inventor, is not known; the
inhabitants were in the utmost terror, but it struck against the quay,
and, being immediately boarded, did no damage.
The trenches were opened, in the night of the 16th and 17th, but, the
workmen having been ill conducted, were not covered in, at day-light,
and were compelled to retire, leaving their implements behind them. Two
nights afterwards, the work was renewed in good order and without loss,
the King of Prussia, his sons and the Duke of Brunswick surveying them
from a neighbouring height. The first balls fell in a street near one
of the gates, and all that part of the town was presently deserted.
The 24th was a distressful day for the inhabitants. Four days before,
the King of Prussia had sent a general passport for such as chose to
come out, and 1500 persons, chiefly women and children, had accepted
his offer. A short time after the gate had been opened, dismay was
spread through the whole city by an account, that the Prussians would
suffer no more to pass and the French none to return. The bridge was
covered with these unhappy fugitives, who had no food, or shelter,
and who thought themselves within reach of the Hockheim batteries, that
played furiously upon the city. Two children lost their senses through
fright. At length, the French soldiers took compassion upon them; they
carried several persons into the city under their cloaks, and, the
next day, their remonstrances against the inhumanity of the German
clubbists, who had shut the gates against this defenceless crowd,
obliged them to permit the return of the whole number.
For several succeeding nights, the garrison made sorties, with various
effect, interrupting, but not preventing the completion of the parallel.
At sunset, on the 27th, the besiegers began a dreadful cannonade and
bombardment. On this night, the steeple of the church of Notre Dame
caught fire; and during the alarm, excited by an immense volume of
flame, arising in the midst of the city, the Austrians completely
carried the French posts, near Weissenau. The next night was equally
terrible to the inhabitants; the flames caught several parts of the
city, amongst others the cathedral; some of the magazines took fire,
and eleven hundred sacks of corn were burned. The church, formerly
belonging to the Jesuits, was much injured. The French, intending to
retaliate their last surprise upon the Austrians, made a fruitless
attack upon the Weissenau redoubt.
On the 29th of June, at mid-day, the French were driven from a point
of land, near the Main, called the Bleiau. In this affair, a vessel,
with 78 Prussians on board, drove from her anchor, owing to the
unskilfulness of the crew, and, during a fire, by which eight men were
killed, made towards the city. The Prussians were taken prisoners, and
exchanged the next day. At night, the bombardment was renewed; the
_Domprobstei_, or palace of the Provost, was burned and several of the
neighbouring residences; in other parts of the city, some houses were
reduced to ashes.
The next night, the church of the Franciscans and several other public
buildings were destroyed. A dreadful fire, on the night of the 2d
and 4th of June, consumed the chapel of St. Alban. Families in the
southern part of the city now constantly passed the night in their
cellars; in the day-time, they ventured into their usual apartments;
for the batteries of the besiegers were by far the most terrible, at
night, when the whole city was a sufficient mark for them, though their
works could scarcely be discerned by the garrison. In the day-time,
the exactness of the French gunners frequently did great injury to the
batteries, which, at night, were repaired and used with equal effect
against the city.
St. Alban's fort was now demolished, so that the besieged withdrew
their cannon from it. Elizabeth fort was also much damaged. A strong
work, which the French had raised, in prolongation of the _glacis_,
divided the opinions of the Prussian engineers. Some thought it should
be preserved, when taken, because it would command part of the town;
others, that it should be demolished. The latter opinion prevailed,
and, in the night of the 5th and 6th, General MANSTEIN was ordered
to make the attack with three battalions. He perfectly succeeded, as
to the nearest part of the work; but the other, on account of its
solid foundation, could not be entirely destroyed. In the mean time,
two battalions were sent, under cover of the darkness, to attack
the Zahlbach fort, a part of which they carried by storm; but the
reinforcements, immediately supplied by the garrison, obliged them to
retire. Two Prussian officers were killed; one wounded, and another,
with one-and-thirty men, taken. The Prussians lost in all 183 men; the
French had twelve killed and forty-seven wounded.
On the 6th of July, the French repaired the damaged fort, the distance
of it from the Prussians preventing the latter from hindering them.
At night, General Kleist carried the fort, at Zahlbach, by a second
attack, and demolished it; at the same time, some batteries of the
second parallel were perfected. The French could not support the
loss of this fort; on the 7th, they attacked the scite; carried it,
after a severe contest; and rebuilt it. At night, they were driven
back again and the fort entirely destroyed. In the same night they
were driven from Kostheim, after a furious battle, by the Prussian
General Schonfield. During this engagement, the rapid succession of
flashes and explosion of bombs seemed to fill the air with flame.
A Prussian detachment having been posted on the road to Cassel, in
order to prevent the garrison of that place from sending succour to
Kostheim, this road was so strongly bombarded by the French, that seven
bombs were frequently seen in the air at once. The loss was great, on
both sides, in this engagement, after which the Council in the city
resolved, to make no more attempts upon Kostheim, on account of the
distance.
The following night, the fire was less than usual, but a few bombs and
grenades fell in the city, where the inhabitants had now learned to
extinguish such as grounded, before their _fusees_ were consumed. They
also formed themselves into parties for the ready suppression of fires.
The next morning, the garrison saw the works of the besiegers brought
to within two hundred and fifty paces of the walls.
About this time, the sickliness of the garrison became apparent, and
General D'Oyré informed the Council, that, on account of this and of
the fatiguing service of the works, he feared the defence could not be
much longer continued. He lamented, that the troops of the line were so
few, and the others so inexperienced.
For several nights, the works of the besiegers were eagerly pushed,
but still they were not so forward, as had been expected. Some of the
besieging corps began to be sickly; the King of Prussia having resolved
to employ no more labourers, it was reckoned, that the soldiers, for
eight-and-forty hours of work, had only eighteen of rest. On the other
hand, they were assured, that the garrison must be equally fatigued,
since, in such an extensive fortification, none could be left long
unemployed.
The French had been, for some time, busied in forming what is called
a Fleche at the head of one of their forts, and this was thought
necessary to be destroyed. It was attacked in the night of the 12th and
13th by the Austrians; but so much time was passed in their operations,
that the French fell upon them, in great force, about two in the
morning, and beat them away, with loss. The Austrians were as little
employed as possible in services of this fort.
On the 13th of July, another battery was stormed by the Prussians; but,
as the officer, unlike the Austrians, advanced with too little caution,
his party was much hurt by some pieces of concealed cannon, and the
enterprise failed.
The night of the 13th and 14th was passed in much agitation by the
garrison and inhabitants. Several of the public buildings were set
fire to and burned by grenades. The works of the besiegers were now
greatly advanced. The garrison made five sorties in this night, and
were repulsed in all, losing an hundred men, while the besiegers lost
eight killed and one-and-thirty wounded.
On the 14th of July, a cessation of arms took place from seven o'clock
in the morning till one. In the city, the French celebrated their
annual fête; General d'OYRÉ and the troops took the oath, and MERLIN
delivered an address to them. In the Austrian camp, the Prince de CONDÉ
was received with a _feu de joye_. During this cessation, the soldiers
upon the different outposts entered into conversation with each other,
and the French boasted of the difficulties they laboured under from the
length of the siege.
At night, an affair at the Fleche cost the allies, who succeeded in
part, ninety men; the French confessed, that this work cost them in all
three hundred. The inhabitants of the city were again greatly alarmed,
their streets being covered with a shower of grenades. The laboratory
and a part of the Benedictine abbey were burned, and two explosions
took place at the former. The whole city shook with each report, and,
in the nearer parts, all the windows were broken and the doors burst
open. The remainder of the hay and straw was consumed in this fire; the
whole stock of other forage was reduced to a sufficiency for four days;
and the surgeon's stores were much damaged.
Still the Fleche prevented the besiegers from completing their second
parallel. It was, therefore, again attacked, on the night of the 16th
and 17th, Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia commanding at the assault,
in which he was one of twelve officers wounded. The Fleche was then
completely carried.
The next night was very industriously spent by the besiegers in forming
new batteries, and those of the second parallel were raised, before
there were cannon enough at hand to place upon them. The French
took advantage of this, and brought a part of theirs to bear, so as
to enfilade the parallel, with great effect; the Prussians almost
immediately losing an officer and forty men.
In the city, the sick had now increased so much, that six hundred men
were brought from Cassel, on the 17th, to re-inforce the garrison. On
the 18th, the commandant informed the Council, that there was a want
of fodder and such a loss of horses, by desertion, that there were not
cavalry enough left for service. The soldiers, who knew the deficiency
of medicines and other means of relief for the wounded, were unwilling
to be led to sorties. Though corn had not failed, flour, it appeared,
soon would, for some of the mills had been rendered unserviceable, for
the present, by shot, and others were deserted by the millers.
At night, after an unsuccessful attempt upon the Fleche, it was
resolved, that the garrison, which had hitherto scarcely suffered a
night to pass, without making some sorties, should, for the future,
adhere solely to defensive measures. Some engineers proposed to abandon
the whole line of forts, and others, that two of the largest should
be blown up. The General and Council, at length, confessed, that they
could not continue the defence, and assured the inhabitants, who
had declared themselves in their favour, that a longer delay of the
surrender would produce a more severe disposition of the besiegers
towards them, without increasing the chance of escaping it.
A negotiation, relative to the surrender, was now begun by D'OYRÉ,
in a letter, which partly replied to one from the Prussian commander
KALKREUTH, upon the subject of the departure of aged persons and
children from the city. Their correspondence continued till the 20th,
and several letters were exchanged, chiefly upon the question of the
removal, or detention of the inhabitants, who had attached themselves
to the French; it was then broken off, upon a disagreement, as to this
and some other points. The firing, on both sides, had in the mean time
continued, and the besiegers carried on the trenches, though these were
now such an easy mark for the garrison, that they lost an officer and
five-and-twenty men, in the night of the 19th and 20th. The next night,
the Dominicans' church in the city took fire, and six French soldiers
were buried under its ruins.
Upon a renewal of the intercourse, the fire slackened, on the
21st; but, on some delays in the negotiation, was threatened to be
recommenced. At length, the conditions of the surrender were settled,
and the negotiation signed, on the 22d of July, by the two Generals
Kalkreuth and D'Oyré; the former having rendered the capitulation
somewhat easier than was expected for the garrison, because the
Duke of Brunswick had only nineteen thousand men to cover the siege,
and Custine had forty thousand, which were near enough to attack
him. General KALKREUTH's orders are supposed to have been to obtain
possession of the place, upon any terms, that would give it him quickly.
At this time, the garrison, which, at the commencement of the siege,
had consisted of 22,653 men, was reduced to 17,038, having had 1959
killed, 3334 wounded, or rendered unserviceable by sickness, and having
lost 322 by desertion.
The loss of the besiegers is stated at about 3000 men.
The consumption of ammunition, on the part of the French, was found to
have been
681,850 pounds of powder,
106,152 cannon balls,
10,278 bombs,
6,592 grenades,
44,500 pounds of iron,
300,340 musquet cartridges;
and, during the siege, 107 cannon either burst, or were rendered
unserviceable by the besiegers' shot. Towards the conclusion, sixty
cannon also became useless by the failure of balls of the proper
calibre.
On the 24th and 25th, the garrison marched out, MERLIN leading the
first column of 7500 men. The members of the Clubs, who would have
gone out with the troops, were pointed out by the other inhabitants
and detained; but the Elector had the magnanimity to think of no other
retaliation, than their imprisonment in a tower, near the Rhine, where
they have since remained.
There was now leisure to examine the city, and it was found, that six
churches were in ruins; that seven mansions of the nobility had been
burned, and that very few houses had escaped, without some damage.
The surrounding grounds were torn up by balls and batteries. The
works of Cassel were surrendered entire to the conquerors, and are an
important addition to the strength of Mentz, already reckoned one of
the strongest and largest fortifications in Europe. Between Cassel and
the ruins of Kostheim not a tree was to be seen. All the neighbouring
villages were more, or less, injured, being contended for, as posts, at
the commencement of the siege; and the country was so much disfigured,
that the proprietors of lands had some difficulty to ascertain their
boundaries.