nciennes, was, if we exclude men in garrisons,
somewhat over 65,000 in strength, or more than half the whole strength of
the long line. With Coburg in the central army was the Duke of York with
some 22,000, and the Prince of Orange with a rather smaller contingent of
Dutch.

Over against this long line with its heavy central "knot" or bulk of men
under Coburg, in the neighbourhood of Valenciennes, the genius of Carnot
had mustered over 200,000 French troops, which, when we have deducted
various items for garrisons and other services, counted as effective more
than 150,000 but less than 160,000 men. This French line extended from the
sea to Maubeuge, passing through Dunquerque, Cassel, Lille, Cambrai, and
Bouchain.

It was as a fact a little before the opening of April that the French
began the campaign by taking the offensive on a large scale upon the
29th of March.

[Illustration: SKETCH MAP SHOWING THE OPPOSING FRENCH AND ALLIED LINES.
APRIL 1794]

Pichegru, who was in command of that frontier army, attacked, with 30,000
men, the positions of the allies near Le Cateau, well to the right or
south-east of their centre and his, and was beaten back.

It was upon the 14th of April that the Emperor of Austria joined Coburg at
Valenciennes, held a review of his troops (including the British
contingent, which will be given later in detail), fixed his headquarters
in the French town of Le Cateau, and at once proceeded to the first
operation of the campaign, which was the siege of the stronghold of
Landrecies. The Dutch contingent of the allies drove in the French
outposts and carried the main French position in front of the town within
that week. By the 22nd of April the garrison of Landrecies was contained,
the beleaguering troops had encircled it, and the siege was begun.

After certain actions (most of them partial, and one of peculiar
brilliance in the history of the British cavalry), actions each of
interest, and some upon a considerable scale, but serving only to confuse
the reader if they were here detailed, Landrecies fell after eight days'
siege, upon the 30th of April. An advance of the Austrian centre, after
this success, was naturally expected by the French.

That normal development of the campaign did not take place on account of a
curious episode in the strategy of this moment to which I beg the reader
to give a peculiar attention. It is necessary to grasp exactly the nature
of that episode, for it de