aken from France, England
could not at that time encourage the count's pretensions. His presence
in the town would have been embarrassing to Hood, and he would certainly
have interfered with the defence. England did not acknowledge his claim
to the regency, and he was not admitted into Toulon.

While the allies were divided in purpose and action, the danger of
France and the violation of her territory roused the party in power to
energy in her defence. In August the second committee of public safety
decreed a _levee en masse_, and on the 23rd substituted for it a
universal conscription. Men were poured into the army, but they had to
be turned into soldiers; and efficient generals, and above all a
competent military administration, had to be provided. At this crisis
Carnot, who was to earn the title of "organiser of victories," took the
direction of the war. The new troops were at first worse than useless,
but after a while they were brought to order by being drafted into the
old battalions; the amalgamation of the volunteers with the regulars was
effected early in 1794, and the army of the revolution became a
well-ordered fighting machine. While the new levies of August, 1793,
were still undisciplined Carnot's genius began to raise the fortunes of
France.

[Sidenote: _HONDSCHOOTE._]

When York marched off to the siege of Dunkirk on August 10 he divided
his army into two corps, placing one, composed of 14,500 German and
Austrian troops, under Marshal Freytag, to act as an army of
observation, while he commanded the army of the siege in person. On his
march a detachment of his troops surprised and routed a French force at
Linselles while engaged in pillaging the place. He summoned Dunkirk on
the 23rd. The fleet, which was to have bombarded the town and brought a
siege-train, had not arrived. He was only able to invest the town on the
east, for the French laid the country between Bergues and Dunkirk under
water, and the causeway from Bergues was strongly defended. His army
occupied a wretched position, was in want of good water, and was cut off
from direct communication with Freytag, who was encamped in front of
Bergues.[246] On September 6-8 Freytag's army was attacked by a French
army under Houchard of nearly four times its strength. Walmoden, who
succeeded Freytag, might have avoided the battle of Hondschoote on the
8th; he fought in obedience to York's orders and was defeated with heavy
loss. York hastily retreated