At its appearance only, the French cavalry uttered treacherous cries, and passing by the infantry, fled to Lille, without being followed, abandoning its artillery, carriages, and baggage.

Dillon, hurried along by his squadrons to Lille, was there massacred by his own soldiers.

His colonel of engineers, Berthois, fell beside his general, beneath the bayonets of the cowards who abandoned him.

The dead bodies of these two victims of fear were hung up in the _Place d'Armes_, and then delivered up by the malcontents to the insults of the populace of Lille, who dragged their mutilated carcases along the streets.

Thus commenced in shame and crime those wars of the Revolution which were destined to produce, during twenty years, so much heroism, and so much military virtue.