The Austrian batteries were opened with tremen dous effect on the 23d of July. The part of the town near the river was a heap of ruins ;,,and no thing but the hopes of succour, and confidencein the strength of their fortifications, could have prevented the garrison from yielding to the enemy. On the 31st of July, a Turkish army of 200,000 men, under the Grand Vizier, arrived at Belgrade, and encamped above the Austrian camp, having its left towards the Save, and its right supported by the Danube. The works which the Grand Vizier threw up, were mount,. od with 140 pieces of cannon. Being thus placed be tween the fire of the Ottoman army and that of the garrison, while his army was wasting with the dy. szntery, and a mortality prevailing among the horses, the situation or Prince Eugene rendered it neces ' sary to hazard some desperate enterprise. It was accordingly resolved, in a council of war, to make a furious attack upon the Turkish camp ; and at one o'clock in the morning of the 16th August, the Aus trian army quitted their trenches amid the obscurity of a thick fog. While employed in their preparato ry movements, the fog had thickened to such a de gree, that the Austrian right wing, under Count Palfi, missed the redoubt at which they were to form, and unwillingly surprised one of the advanced works cf the enemy. The troops of the grand vizier, roused by this sudden alarm, rushed to the combat. The right being thus engaged, inclined too much to its right flank, and left a considerable vacancy in the centre. Prince Eugene, who commanded the left wing, perceiving that the was engaged, was for ced to the attack before his battalions had time to form. The awful uncertainty which the mist occa sioned, hurried some•of the Austrian detachments in to the midst of the enemy, where they were instant ly cut to pieces. The combatants were completely hid from each other, till they arrived at the yoints of each others bayoft-ts, and at this fatal instant, the reserved and well.dirccted fire of the Austrians pro duced a dreadful carnage among their enemies. The
centre of the Ottoman army having no foes to op pose, separated the two wings of the Austrians, and opened a deadly fire upon their antagonists ; and they would have infallibly put an end to the combat, had not the fog dispersed at this critical moment, and discovered to prince Eugene the perilous condition of his army. Eighteen battalions of his second line of infantry, under the prince of Bevern, were instant ly hurried against the Turkish centre. Every sol dier seemed to feel, that on his single arm depended the fate of the day ; and with an intrepidity and va lour which could scarcely be surpassed, the Turkish battalions were broken as they advanced, and pur sued to their very trenches, over the mangled bodies of their comrades. The vacancy in the imperial centre being now filled up, the two wings were formed for a new attempt. The battle now became general, and after various success, in which the Turks had sometimes the advantage, the Austrians succeed ed in forcing the entrenchments of the enemy, and in driving them from all the -redoubts by which their camp was defended. The imperialists pursued them about three miles beyond the eminence, and permit ted them to fly in every direction. In this celebra ted action the Turks had 13,000 killed, 5000 wound ed, and 3000 prisoners, while the Austrians had only 3000 killed, and .4500 wounded. The result of this victory was the surrender of Belgrade on the 19th, in consequence of a mutiny in the garrison. In 1739, the Turks attempted in vain to retake this for tress, which afterwards came into their possession by the treaty of 1739, after its fortifications were demo lished. In 1789 it was again taken by the Austrians under Marshal Laudohn, who restored it to the Turks at the peace of Sistova, in 1791, since which time it has remained in their possession. Population 25,000. East Long. 21' 32', North Lat. 45° 10'. tice Chishull's Travels, p. 4.3. (Q)