of December the marshal ordered General Count CHAP. Mercy D'Argentau, with a body of troops, to IV. pass the river Inn, which he happily executed and drove the confederates from their intrench- 1741. ments, at Sternberg, as alfo the town and castle of Steyr. On the 14th the marfhal arrived at Emflatten, where he waited the following days for the coming up of the pontons and artillery. The 17th he marched with the army, and on the 18th arrived at Hagg, two leagues from Ens. The 19th he marched all night, and the next morning, at break of day, laid bridges over the Inn. The work was finifhed with wonderful difpatch, notwithstanding the fire of the French cannon; and then the army paffed the river, the foot over the bridge, but the horse took to the ftream. The Generals Bernklau and Bernes were the first that got over, and formed the troops into order as they came up. A large body of the confederates made a fhew of attacking the Auftrians, but General Bernklau, at the head of a detachment of horse foon difperfed them. As the French and Bavarians had the river Steyr before them, befides an entrenchment, and a line drawn between the towns of Ens and Steyr, Marshal Khevenhuller made a feint of attacking them on the fide of Mathaufen; during which time Count Mercy diflodged them from Steyr, after having killed and made prifoners a great number of them; and Count Palfi marched directly to attack the town of Ens, when the garrifon immediately defired a capitulation, and obtained leave to retire to Lintz. Upon this Count Segur, the Prince of Tingry, Lord Clare, and General Minucci, precipitately retired with the French and Bavarians; and Marshal Khevenhuller detaching the huffars Ii 2 PART huffars after them, a great number were flain II. and taken prifoners. The Auftrian boors, hav ing taken up arms, cut all the French and Ba1741. varians they met with to pieces; and the marfhal continued in full march to overtake and give them battle, but they retreated, and in endeavouring to fave their heavy baggage by the Danube, the greatest part of it fell into the hands of the Austrian huffars, who received but a flight loss, while Baron Trenck was dispatched with 250 pandours, to take poffeffion of the pafs of Steyermarck, with orders to drive the French and Bavarians from Claus, Windifchgarten and Spital, in which three places they had 664 men, and five pieces of cannon; wherewith they might have defended themselves in the defiles of the mountains against an entire army. Baron Trenck marched all night, and an hour before day fell upon the first centinel himself, and tumbling him over the rock down a frightful precipice, broke his neck. He then attacked a fmall redoubt, where he took eight prisoners, but the reft escaping carried the alarm to the town of Claus, where the Baron followed them clofe at their heels with 50 men. It was now day-light, and as the garrifon ftood looking over the walls, the Baron had his fifty men advanced close to the gates, threatening them with the ill confequences that must attend their daring to fire a fhot, their whole army being, as he pretended, totally defeated. This fo intimidated the commandant and the garrifon, that they foon agreed to capitulate, and furrendered themselves thereupon prifoners of war. Baron Trenck then fummoned Windifchgarten and Spital, which upon being apprized of his having taken poffeffion of Claus, fent him their keys immediately, where by by in the feizing of this important poft he made CHAP. twenty-two officers and the 664 men prifoners, IV. and took the five cannon, and alfo forty-eight pop guns. ON the 26th of December the confederate troops made a feint at firft as if they intended to retreat on the fide of Wells and Lambach ; but their design was to throw themselves into Lintz, a ftrong and beautiful city, the capital of Upper Austria, 105 miles weft of Vienna, which they effected, and together with the garrison they made a body of 10,000 men; when they were immediately furrounded, and blocked up by the Auftrians: they defended themselves with great refolution, but being deftitute of provifions, and cut off from all affiftance, Count Segur offered to capitulate, and to evacuate all the Upper Auftria, upon condition of having a free paffage, and the military honours allowed them; but Marshal Khevenhuller infifted, that they fhould either furrender themselves prifoners of war, or engage to ferve no more against the queen during the continuance of the war and on the 12th of January the French and Bavarians furrendered upon capitulation, by which they were obliged not to ferve against the Queen of Hungary for the space of a year. But no precaution being taken in the articles of capitulation, to fettle the rout of these troops, the Austrians, by conducting them by tedious journeys, and impaffable roads, occafioned the lofs of the greatest part of them. THE great Turenne obferves of capitulations, that the particular place, the road to it, and the time in going ought to be ftipulated. For want of which the French and Bavarians were now at the mercy of the Auftrians, in the fame manner 1741. PART manner as a body of 800 English were to the II. Spaniards in 1707, who being taken at Alzira in Spain, only capitulated to be escorted to Le1741. rida, which might have been done in a fortnight; but the Spaniards conducted them fo far out of the way, that they were three months in going, and did not arrive at Lerida till the Spaniards had taken poffeffion of it. THE populace of France had a good opinion of the martial abilities of Count Segur, and expected he would have made a braver defence; but the conduct of that general, will admit of an easy vindication, when it is confidered, that though the troops were numerous, it put him under the greater difficulties, as there was fo fmall a quantity of provifions in the town that the troops were compelled to live upon horseflesh, and had been unsuccessful in all their fallies; besides, the count had received positive orders to preserve the troops, from the court of Versailles; where, on his arrival, he met with a kind reception from the king, though he was generally cenfured by the court. WHILE Marshal Khevenhuller was befieging Lintz, General Bernes feized the French and Bavarian great magazine at Cremfmunfter; and General Bernklau, posting with a detachment to invade Bavaria, in his way got poffeffion of the falt-works at Gemund, with the towns of Hallstadt and Ischel, and took the garrisons, confisting of 400 men, prifoners; and afterwards obliged the garrifon of Mathaufen to furrender at difcretion. The general foon after having furprized Reidi and Scharding, a town in Bavaria, fituated on the river Inn, feven miles fouth of Paffaw, opened a way for the huffars to make incurfions very far into the electoral territories. Count Count Thoring, having collected a body of 8,000 CHAP. Bavarians, endeavoured to diflodge the Auftrians IV. from Scharding; but being disappointed by the r vigilance of General Bernklau, who had defeated 1741. fix companies of grenadiers with a body of horfe, which Count Thoring had fent upon that defign; General Bernklau after leaving a neceffary force in Scharding, marched forwards, and joining Colonel Mentzel with the troops under his command, they proceeded together to the village of Wittich, where the Bavarians were pofted; and having attacked them, after a brifk engagement, wherein the Bavarians loft above 3,000 men, the Auftrians obtained a complete victory, and took General Preyfing among the prisoners. THESE fucceffes attending the arms of her Hungarian majefty, recovered Auftria, procured winter quarters for her troops in Bavaria, and prefaged the glory that crowned her victorious troops in the following year. THE French and their allies were highly culpable in difuniting their army, confifting of regular and well-difciplined regiments, instead of marching in a body to attack the Auftrians; who being chiefly new raised militia, were incapable of ftanding a general battle; which it is probable the French and Bavarians might have obliged them to, had they marched to Vienna, where the queen returned on the 1st of December attended by the whole court. To ballance the advantages the Queen of Hungary had obtained in Auftria and Bavaria, the Pruffians continued to improve their fuccefs in Silefia; and Count Neuperg being obliged to withdraw the Auftrian forces to make head against the French and Bavarians, on their enter |