The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-06-02

,iiooS ni pa, ssvi>, amt
entr,ited to the driveller Rochambeau, to La
Fayette, partizan in the petite .gt4rre of Anne.
RIGA, ard to the fupid Luckner who, after 80
years fervice in the French army, knew not
enough OF the language to return thanks for
| compliment paid him by the Jacobins. twas
natural, however, to fuppote, that when the
| qualifications of general were extended to the
whole army, more would be found than when
it was confined to a few individuals. And foup-
on experiment it proved. In every campaign
we have feen private folders and even private
citizens giving proofs of the higheit military ia
Tents and have often been aitonihSd at re-
cciving the news of fpendd victory along
with the frft mention of the ficcefsful generals
| name. Ofthe generals, except perhaps Bona
parte, Ito one has gained greater renown than
| Pichegru.
Gen. Pichegr1 was born in l76l, at Arboir,
| in Frapchc- Comte. His parentage was mean,
but he received good education, under the tu-
| his native town. Having made great progreis
in the abitrufe licences, he was ient by the good
| fliars TO teach philoiophy, and the mathema-
tics, in college belonging To their order at Bri-
| enne. This circumstance it was which gave
| rife to the il-founded report of his having been
4 monk.
He afterwards entitled in the artillery, and
foon roie to the rank of ferjeant, the hgheit to
which plebeian could aipire but when the
revolution came, and opened road for untitled
| merit, he was promoted ttep by ftep to the
command of an army. He had not been long
i'm that eminent fation, when in conjunction
with Hoche, he marched to attempt the relief
of Landau. Though it was in the midft of Il
fevere winter, the attack on the Auftrian poii-
tons was renewed day by day, with doubtful
iuccefs. On the fifth Pichegru was ieen in the
front of the line, in the midit of tremendous
fire, waving his hand and exclaiming, point de
retraite auiour Gbm mes entans ~ This day
there was no retreat; and very ihortly after Lam
dau was relieved.
At the beginning of the enfuing campaign, he
was appointed to oppofe Cobourg in the north
and ordered by Robefpierre's committee to con-
quer-This impious command, which plainly
implied that the guiotine would be the reward
of ill-fuccefs, was accompanied by directions to
preis the Auftrians in the centre, and to content
himfelf with harrafiing them upon the TANKS.
Finding that the blood of his folders flowed to
no purpofe as long as he did 70, he left Landre-
cies to its fate, and boldly advanced into the e.
| nemy's country upon Cobourg's left. The VIC
tories of Mencron, Courtray, and Hoogleden,
fulfilled this movement. Jourdan who COM
manded the Sombre and Meufe army, under Pr
chegru's orders, being ultimately fuccefsful upon
the right, prince Cobourg was obliged TO fall
back with his centre, and abandon his conqueft
in French Flanders, as well as the whole of the
Auitiian Netherlands. This campaign would
have been Till more decifve, if plan deviied by
Pichegru and Carnot could have been put in eX-
ecution. While fufficient force was acting
upon the front of the allies, and while fifty thou
iand men were guarding the patlage fthe Rhine
to prevent their receiving achievements, the
army of the Mofelle was to have fallen upon
their rear. This plan by placing Prince Co.
bourg between two fires, would have injured
his total ruin, and have broken the iinews ofthe
war at a Jingle blow but its execution was
prevented by the neceflity of incorporating the
| army of the Mofclie with that of the north.
Having thus nd himfclf from the Auitrians,
Pichegru turned to Holland, and awaiting him
icif ofa fashionable froit, which gave his troops
free paiiaee acrofs the rivers and canals, pulh-
ed the Britiih and Dutch army before him, AMI
entirely over-ran a country, unconquerable per-
! haps in any other circumstances.
| In this long courfe of conquef, Pichegru
made great innovations'in the art of war. Con-
trary to the practice of other generals, he never
laid iege to a fortified place that was not necef-
fairy to fecure his petition. Inftead of filling the
enemy'S bitches with the dead bodies of his beft
| troops, he very wiiely preferred driving their
armies out of the field at much lefs expence of
blood, and confident that the fortrefies would
Afterwards fall of hemfeives.-Pichegru was al
70 the inventor of that fyftem of incelant attack
which is TO congenial to the temper of the
French nation, and which 70 completely baf-
fed all the deliberate plans of the coalefced.-
OF this fyfem the value was well underftood
by the King of Prufia, who, in letter to the
Emperor, ,exprefed himfef in the following
words:-s The French Generals purfue incom-
parable plans Of operations, which difconcert
and defeat all our projects"
The official accounts that Pichtgru gave of
his Victories, in which he feldom mentioned
more than the refult, formed iingular contraft
with the rodomontade of the National commit
lioners, who never failed to call the enemy
flaves and towards; and to make thoufands of
them bite The dna, with the lofs of fome half-do-
zen republicans. a great part of Pichegru' 8
modefy, is however fuppofcd to have origina-
ted in fear of exciting the jealoufy of Robef-
pierre and his afiociates. In fpte fall this eau
ton, amember ofthemountain party reproached
him at Brufiels with the greatness of his rcputa-
! ton. Citizen Reprsjsntati1r, anfwered the Ge-
neral, Pereeipe that arjRoeracy bfe5 only char
ged 6aHd5 among rs.
Pichegru'S humanity is no lefs honorable to
him than his noble achievements in the field.
He conftantly reiifsed the barbarous decree which
forbad the giving of quarter to Englifh or Hano-
verlans, as well rs that which directed the exc.
! cution of the Autrian garrifons of Valenciennes,
Condo, lie Quefnoy, and Laudrencies, if they
did not iurrenderp upon the frlt luminous. This