Page:The Annual Register 1758.djvu/48

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ANNUAL REGISTER, 1758.

in many refpecls far vvorfe tlian his. His troops had befides acquired a high reputation and a clear iuperio- rity over all others. The conlidei-a- tion, however, ct' an army greatly haraffed, and a moft fevere winter, obliged him to reftrain his ardor, and to attempt nothing againfl the Auflrians in the months of January, February, and March. The fame inaftion, owing to much thr. fame caufes, prevailed amongft the Ha- noverians for a little time: but hav- ing been reinforced about the mid- dle of February by a body of Pruf- fian horle, they put their whole army once more in motion.

The Duke de Richelieu had been recalled, and the Count of Clermont now commanded the French troops. This was their third commander in chief within the fpace of a year; a circum fiance alone fufficient to (hew the unileadinefs of their councils, and the irregularity of their opera- tions. In eifect, they every where retreated before the Hanoverians, whofe main body marched on the right to the country of Bremen ; whilft a fecond body under General Zaftrow kept on the left towards Giftbrn. They pufhed the French frorn pofl to poll. They obliged them to .evacuate Otterfberg, Bre- men, and Werden. The caltle of Rotterfberg was taken in fix hoars. A confiderable detachment under Count Chabot was pofted at Hoya, a ftrong fort upon the Wefer, and a place of fuch confequence that Prince Ferdinand refolved to diflodge the enemy froln it. He appointed for that fervice the hereditary Prince of Brunfwick, with four battalions of foot and fome light horfe. This Prince, not twenty years of age, 1 ad already entered into the courfe of glory under the aufpices of his uncle, and full of ardor to lignalize himfelf.

with joy embraced the occafion; and here he gave an earnell of his fame, in one of the moii; lively and bell: conduced adlions in the war. The firll fruits of this young hero were fuch as would have done ho- nour to the maturity of the mcft experienced foldier.

'I'he Prince had a broad and deep

river to pafs. He had no r, u -

r r .• u- Feb. z-i. means of tranlportmg his -^

men, but a fmgle fioat ; fo that a long time mull be fpent in getting them over; what was worfe, beiore half his troops were paffed, a ilrong wind arofe, which rendered the float unferviceable, and entirely cut off aU communication between the Prince and the moll confiderable number of his party, whilit the party he was going to attack was fuperior to him, had his whole body been together. ,ln this exi- gence tlte Prince came to a refolu- tion worthy of hiihfelf. He re- folved not to fpend any time in at- tempts to bring over the reft of his troops, much lefs to make ar.y at- tempt to return to them, but to urge on boldly, in fuch a manner as to poffefs the enemy with an opi- nion of his ftrength, and to attack them brifdy before they could be undeceived. Therefore, between 4, and 5 o'clock in the morning, they marched v^ith the utmoll fpeed di- redly to the town of Hoya. When^ they were approached within a mile and a half of the place, another ac- cident was on the point of defeating the whole enterprife. Their detach- ment hred by miftake upon four of the enemies dragoons, who were patrolling; the firing was caught from one to another, and at lail became general. This feemed more than enough to difcover their mo- tions and alarm the enemy. But the fame fpiric influenced the con- dud