1708. tended deferters, rifing up at once, prefented their bayonets, and stopped them. Refiftance, would now have been to little purpose; fo the brigadier's commands being immediately obeyed, he left fome of his men there, and with the reft marched directly into the town. It being early, they only met with a few labourers in the streets, fome of whom took them for deserters, and others they quieted with gold. In this manner they advanced to the gate of Bruges, which they seized with little or no refiftance, as, they did likewife the bridge of Meuleftede. In the mean time, monfieur Grimaldi, who followed monfieur de la Faille at a distance, entered the town likewife, and marched with the reft of the detachment to the market-place. All the gates being soon after feized, about ten, monfieur de le Faille marched to the town-house, and, having affembled the magiftrates and chief burghers, he caused a pardon to be read to them, figned by the elector of Bavaria, and underneath by the count de Bergeyck; upon which they readily fubmitted. The enemy, being thus become mafters of the town, fummoned the governor of the caftle to surrender; but monfieur de Labene, major of Sir Richard Temple's regiment of foot, who commanded in that fortress with about three hunt dred men, expecting either to be reinforced by major-general, Murray, or relieved by the approach of the confederate army, anfwered, "That he would defend it to the last extre"mity." The French began to prepare for attacking the caftle; and major-general Murray, who was posted at Marienkirk with two English regiments of foot, and one of Spanish dragroons, in vain attempted to throw a reinforcement into the place. Major Labene, having been fummoned a second time, and being wholly unprovided for defence against so powerful an army, obtained an honourable capitulation. Some hours after the enemy had furprized Ghent, count de la Motte appeared with a strong detachment before Bruges, which furrendered the next day, without making the least refiftance, or putting the enemy to the trouble of firing more than three pieces of cannon. There was indeed a fort of capitulation agreed upon, in which the fieur Briel, receiver of the contributions, and Mr. Volmar, his comptroller, were included; but it appeared by every circumftance, that this was a thing of form only, and that the articles had been long before fettled by other perfons than they that pretended to grant and accept them. This done, count de la Motte marched immediately to 1708. Damme, hoping to meet with the fame fuccefs there; but as this place was fortified, and garrifoned, the governor opened the fluices, and put the whole country under water, which obliged the count to retire. From thence he marched to Plaffendahl, a little fort on the canal, which leads from Bruges to Oftend, and is a fecurity to the communication of thofe two places. The officer, who commanded in it, refused to surrender; upon which the count attacked and, took it fword in hand. Major-general Murray, having found it impoffible to reinforce the caftle of Ghent, retired to Sas van Ghent, where he found the deputies of the States-General for the affairs of Flanders, and concerted with them the neceffary measures for putting the frontiers in a pofture of defence, and fecuring thofe pofts, which were moft exposed. The con federate army The duke of Marlborough, who was yet in camp at Terbank, received advice, that a confiderable detachment was marched towards Tubize, and, in the night, that their whole army had followed at nine in the evening. The duke march gave immediate orders for the confederate army to be in rea- from Terdinefs to march. Accordingly, about three in the morning, bank. the 5th of July, they marched from the camp at Terbank, paffed the canal in four columns, and incamped 'with the left at Anderlech, and the right at the mill of Tomberg. Here the duke got intelligence of the enemy's defign on Ghent, and that the detachment they had made for that end was advanced as far as Aloft, and had broken down the bridge over the Dender: he thereupon ordered major-general. Bothmar, with four regiments of horfe and dragoons, to país over at Dendermond, in order to obferve the enemy, and to prevent their defign upon Ghent; but he came too late. diligence. The fame day the French paffed the Senne at Hall and The Tubize, and were paffing at the mill of Goicke till night, French within a league of the right wing of the allies; which com pafs the ing very late into the camp, and the army having made à Dender with great very long march through difficult ways, it was not thought practicable to attack the enemy that night. However, the greatest part of the horfe and foot having been brought to the right during the night, in order to engage the enemy, the whole army was formed the next morning early in order of battle; but their design was fruftrated by the French, who were employed the whole night, with all poffible expedi tion, in passing the Dender through the town of Ninove, and 1708. in Prince and, over feveral bridges built near that place for the fame purpofe; fo that the detachment, fent to attack their rearguard, came too late to find any thing but their fmall baggage, which was attended by a ftrong gaurd. Thefe majorgeneral Schulemberg and Sir Richard Temple, with ten fquadrons and five battalions, fupported by major-general de Veyne, with ten fquadrons more, foon defeated, put them to flight, and took a great deal of baggage. The confederate army encamped the fame night at Afche, Eugene where prince Eugene of Savoy, having made a quick march comes to from the Mofelle, and left his cavalry at Maeftricht, refolvthe army. ing to be prefent as foon as poffible, at whatever action might happen, though his troops fhould not come up in time, arrived that evening with major-general Cadogan, whom the duke of Marlborough had fent to attend him. The arrival of prince Eugene, and the approach of his troops, not only revived the fpirits of the foldiers, but was very acceptable to the generals themselves, after the ungrateful news they had received that very day of the French having furprized Ghent. The duke of Marlborough and prince Eugene, from the very moment they met, acted with the most perfect unanimity. The next day a council of war was held, in which it was refolved to regulate the march of the army according to the motions of the enemy; and the pioneers were fent on every fide to make ways; the refolution, which the duke had before taken of bringing the enemy, if poffible, to an engagement, being again confirmed. And fo eager were the generals for it, that it was determined, if a fair opportunity offered, not to wait the arrival of the imperial troops. In the afternoon prince Eugene went to Bruffels to pay a vifit to his mother, the countefs of Soiffons; and the day following the duke of Marlborough being much indifpofed and feverish, the orders were given at monfieur Auverquerque's quarters; and, according to thefe orders, four battalions marched to reinforce the garrifon of Bruffels, and eight battalions were ordered, with major-general Cadogan, and the quarter-mafters, to make the ways. The fmall advantage, which the enemy had in furprising Ghent, proved the occafion of their own much greater lofs; and the governor of that caftle not delivering it till the 8th . of July, had this good effect, that it amufed the enemy two or three days in their camp from above Aloft to Schilebille on the Scheld. This delay proved fatal to them; for the French generals receiving intelligence, that prince Eugene was bringing a reinforcement of about thirty thousand men, with all expedition, from Germany into Brabant, bethought 1708. themselves of retiring towards their lines and strong towns, before the conjunction of the confederate troops, in hopes, that being reinforced with a good body of troops, which were coming to join them from Alface (though not with fuch speed as the Germans, who were remarkably expeditious on this occafion beyond their ufual cuftom) under the command of the duke of Berwick, they might afterwards be a match for the confederates, or, at leaft, might preferve their late eafy conquefts. They likewife imagined, that they might furprize or reduce Oudenard, the only pass the allies had on the Scheld, fince the taking of Ghent, before the allies could be in any readinefs to prevent it; and to by the this end, count de Chemerault having broke down all the French. bridges on the Scheld, and intimidated all the leffer places in thofe parts, they caufed Oudenard (e) to be invefted on the 9th of July early, and intended to have taken poffeffion of the advantageous camp at Leffines. Monfieur de Sigterman, who commanded in Oudenard, fearing that the inhabitants might be treacherous, as it was fufpected they had been in other places, immediately called a council of war, to confider of means how to keep them within the limits of their duty, if they fhould be otherwife inclined. It was refolved to defend the place to the laft extremity, and to declare to the townfinen, that it was hoped they would contribute all that lay in their power to that end; but that, if they offered to make the leaft attempt towards furrendering the place, they would fet fire to it in every part, and reduce it to a heap of afhes. The inhabitants made all possible proteftations of their fidelity, and affifted the governor in putting the town in the best posture of defence. The duke of Marlborough and prince Eugene, having either information or fufpicion of the enemy's defign, ordered brigadier Chanclos to throw himfelf into Oudenard, (e) Oudenard is a rich and very ft ong town of the LowCountries, in the earldom of Flanders, the marquifate of the territory of Oudenard: it furren dered to the duke of Marlborough in 1706. The French laid uege to it in the beginning of this campaign; but the approach of the confederate army made them abandon the place, Oudenard invested 1708. with feven hundred men, detatched from Aeth, Courtray, and Mening, and Walef's dragoons, which was performed accordingly. This proved a great disappointment to the enemy; for, if they could have fecured this place, they would have cut off the communication of the allies with Mening and Courtray. Motions of the The fame day Oudenard was invefted, the confederate army (which was encamped at Afche) marched in four columns, the earl of Albemarle being left, with all the grenadiers of the army, and thirty fquadrons, to make the rearguard, in case the enemy fhould have made any motion towards Bruffels. The ways being in good repair, the army marched with the greateft expedition, and advanced as far as Herfelingen, above five leagues from Afche, before ele ven in the morning. Here the duke of Marlborough gave orders for the army to pitch their tents, fronting towards the enemy; who being far from expecting, that the confederate army could poffibly make fo fwift a march, did not beat the general till three in the afternoon, thinking themselves fure of the camp of Leffines, in order to cover the fiege of Oudenard, for which they had their artillery ready at Tournay. Prince Eugene having rejoined the army at Herfelingen, the duke of Marlborough detatched major-general Cadogan about four in the afternoon, with eight fquadrons, and as many battalions, to take poffeffion of the camp of Leffines. Accord ingly, eight hundred men of this detachment entered the town of that name, about midnight; and the reft having paffed through, at four in the morning, pofted themselves on this fide the river Dender. On the other hand, the retreat, which was the fignal for ftriking the tents, being beat at feven, the evening before, in the camp at Herfelingen, the whole army marched immediately, and, moving on all night, began, the 10th, about eleven in the morning, to pals the Dender over the bridges laid by major-general Cadogan, and continued their march to the camp of Leffines, on the other fide; the chief ftrength whereof confifts in the rivulet, which falls below it into the Dender. The enemy, perceiving themselves difappointed of this camp, altered their march towards Gavre, in order to pass the Scheld there. The 11th in the morning, upon intelligence, that the enemy had quitted Oudenard, and were purfued by brigadier allied ar- Chanclos with Walef's dragoons, Cadogan was fent with fixteen battalions and eight fquadrons to make the ways and bridges at Oudenard. The army began to march at eight my.. o'clock |