Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume IX.djvu/68

 60 HUNGARY off its mask and sent Count Laraberg to dis- perse the diet by force. Tbe Batthyanyi min- istry now resigned, and .a committee of de- fence was formed under the presidency of Kos- suth. The revolution began. The old troops were transformed and blended with the new. Kossuth's eloquence brought the people of the central plain under arms. Single detachments of Hungarian troops returned with or without their officers from abroad. The fortress Co- morn was secured. The archduke Stephen, the new palatine, fled from the country. Lam- berg was massacred on the bridge of Pesth by a mob. Jellachich was defeated at Pakozd near Buda (Sept. 29) and fled toward Vienna, which rose in revolution (Oct. 6). The prin- cipal fortresses hoisted the national flag. On the other hand, Temesvar and Arad hoisted that of Austria. The war of races raged with terrible fury and varying success. Transylvania was entirely lost. The pursuit of Jellaohich was executed with hesitation by Moga, a late Austrian general, the frontier river Leitha was crossed too late, and the hastily collected vol- unteers fled after a short fight at Schwechat (Oct. 30) against Windischgratz and Jellachich, who thus became masters of Vienna. Katona, sent to reconquer Transylvania, was routed at Dees. Count Schlick entered Hungary from the north, and occupied Kaschau (Dec. 11). The Rascian Damjanics alone led the honveds to victory on the S. E. frontier, while Perczel suc- cessfully defended the line of the Drave on the S. W. Unable to defend the W. frontier against Windischgratz, Gorgey, the new commander of the army of the upper Danube, retreated on the right bank of that river, evacuating Presburg, Raab, and, afterthe rout of the equally retreating Perczel at Moor (Dec. 29) and an engagement at Teteny, the capital Buda-Pesth itself (Jan. 5, 1849). The day before, Schlick dispersed the undisciplined army of the north under Me- szaros, the minister of war. Thus the govern- ment and diet, which transferred their seat to Debreczin, would have had little prospect of security if the Polish general Bern had not be- gun in the latter half of December a new Tran- sylvanian campaign, which cheered the patriots with a nearly unbroken series of successes over the imperialists. Gorgey, too, who according to anew plan of operations returned westward on the left bank of the Danube, leaving a part of his troops with Perczel on the middle Theiss, succeeded in diverting the Austrian main army under Windischgratz from a march on Debre- czin. Then turning northward, he skilfully fought his way through the rugged region of the Ore mountains, amid continual perils, and, after a signal victory of his vanguard under Guyon over Schlick's corps on Mount Brany- iszko (Feb. 5), finally effected a junction with the army of the upper Theiss, which under Klapka had been successful against that Aus- trian general. The activity of Kossuth and his associates in supplying all these bodies of troops with men, ammunition, money, and officers was admirable. The zeal of the com- mittee of defence was worthily responded to by the confidence of the people, who, even when two thirds of the country were in the hands of the enemy, almost as willingly accept- ed " Kossuth's bills " as specie, and by the gen- eral bravery of the troops. But new dangers arose with the invasion of the Russians from the Danubian principalities into Transylvania, where Bern, after a triumphant march (Janu- ary), was suddenly checked before Hermann- stadt, and could save his position at Piski (Feb. 9, 10) only after the loss of a part of bis troops ; and within the national cam]) by the stubborn disobedience and intrigues of Gorgey, which caused the unfavorable issue of the great battle of Kapolna (Feb. 26, 27), the retreat of the united main army beyond the Theiss, the deposition of its commander, the Pole Dem- binski, and a considerable loss of time. An- other heavy loss was that of the isolated for- tress Eszek, which was surrendered with im- mense stores by its cowardly commanders. Elated by the despatches of Prince Windisch- gratz, the young emperor Francis Joseph, who had succeeded his uncle at Olmutz, Dec. 2, 1848, now promulgated a new constitution (March 4), which with one stroke annihilated the constitution and national independence of Hungary, making it, with narrowed limits, a crownland of Austria. But the next few days brought a new series of Hungarian victories. Damjanics, who had been recalled from the south, routed the Austrians at Szolnok (March 5). Bern took Hermannstadt and drove the Russians through the Red Tower pass into Wallachia. After the occupation of Cronstadt, all Transylvania, except Carlsburg, was in the hands of the Polish general. Perczel swept over the Rascian Vendee. The temporary chief commander of the main army, Vetter, having fallen ill, Gorgey finally received the command, and the offensive against Windisch- gratz was resumed. He crossed the Theiss at various points, and, advancing toward the cap- ital, defeated the enemy at Hatvan (April 2), Bicske, Izsaszeg, Waitzen, and Nagy Sarl6, res- cued Comorn, which had withstood a long siege and bombardment, crossed the Danube, and gained a victory at Acs (April 26). During this short campaign the diet at Debreczin pro- claimed the independence of the country (April 14), appointing Kossuth its governor, and An- lich entered Pesth. Instead, however, of con- tinuing his victorious march to the capital of the enemy, Gorgey returned with the bulk of his army to the siege of Buda, while a new and extensive Russian invasion was approaching. Buda was stormed (May 21), the government and diet returned to the capital, and Gorgey again took the field, but injudiciously chose the N. bank of the Danube for his new campaign, and, without profiting by Kmetty's victory at Csorna, S. of that river (June 13), wasted the blood of his army on the Waag. The Russian armies and fresh Austrian troops under Hay-