ately dispatched orders for the several British and Dutch regiments to be transported from Oftend to Antwerp, and fent to Monfieur Pafchal, the governor of Bruffels, to affure him, that he would certainly come to his relief. Upon which encouragement, the ftates deputies refolved to ftay in Bruffels ; and the vigorous measures they took with the council of ftate and the governor, were very inftrumental in the prefervation of that important place. Nor were the states general lefs folicitous for Antwerp, whither they difpatched some of their own members, with general Fresheim, an experienced officer, and ordered troops to hallen thither from Naerden, Heusden, Gavre, and other places. On the 22d of November, N. S. the elector of Bavaria invefted Bruffels (o); and, the next day, fent a trumpeter, with a fummons to general Pafchal to furrender, in these terms: "His electoral highness “knowing, that the commandant is not in a condition to "defend himself with the few troops he has; if he obliges "his electoral highnefs to begin the attack, he fhall have no "capitulation for himself or his garrifon. Let not the com"mandant flatter himself, that he can retire with his garri"fon to Antwerp, if he delays to furrender; for he is to "know, that he will foon find troops pofted to hinder his "retreat." The governor, who had nine battalions and a thousand horse under him, returned an answer by the fame trumpeter: "That he was very unfortunate in not having "the honour to be known to his electoral highness; that "he durft affure him, he would do all that a man of honour "ought to do, and that he was fatisfied with the garrison." The elector was not a little furpriz'd at this resolute answer: and, on the 26th of November, in the morning, the enemy began to fire from their batteries against the city (but with little fuccefs) and in the evening, with their small shot against the men in the outworks, and, about nine at night, they attacked the counterfcarp with great fury, between the gates (0) Bruffels is a very fair, large, and noble city of the Low Countries, the marquifate of the dukedom of Brabant in the quarter of Bruffels, fubject to the queen of Hungary, and the feat of her chief governor for thefe parts. It was abandoned by the French immediately after the memorable battle of Ramillies, and made its fubmiffion to the duke of Marlborough. The elector made 1708. 1798. of Louvaine and Namur. The fire was terrible on both fides, and lafted till five the next morning; during which. time the enemy made nine attacks, and at laft lodged themfelves on the glacis of the counterfcarp. But about fix o'clock the besieged made a fally from the covered way fword in hand, with fuch fuccefs, that the enemy were driven out of their works, after a moft obftinate and bloody engagement. The action ceafed the 27th, about ten in the morning, and the allies expected to be attacked a fecond time at night; for their fpies unanimously reported, that the enemy had a defign, not only to make a general aflault, but would alfo fire with red-hot bullets, to excite the burghers to fedition; upon which the befieged difpofed all things as well as poffible for refifting the enemy's attacks. But in the afternoon, inftead of renewing the engagement, the elector of Bavaria demanded a fufpenfion of arms, in order, as he pretended, to bury the dead, and draw off the wounded, which proved but a fratagem to raise the fiege with lefs difadvantage. For upon the arrival of two couriers from Mons, with intelligence, that the duke of Marlborough and prince Eugene had passed the Scheld, in order to relieve Bruffels; his electoral highnefs fent away his baggage, and in the night marched off with his troops, without found of trumpet or beat of drum, and with fuch precipitation, that the enemy left in their camp twelve pieces of cannon nailed up, two large mortars, and about twenty barrels of powder. They alfo left about eight hundred men wounded in the adjacent villages; and the dragoons and huffars, who, the next morning, went out in purfuit of the enemy, brought in a great many prifoners, and fome baggage. So, that it was computed, that, what with their killed, wounded, prifoners, or deferters, this unfuccefsful expedition coft them above three thoufand men ; whereas the lofs of the allies did not amount to above five or fix hundred killed or wounded. For this brave and refolute defence of the city of Bruffels, lieutenant-general Pafchal was juftly advanced by king Charles III, to the dignity of a marquis. However, it had not been poffible for that general to defend himself much longer, with a garrison of scarce five thousand men, in fo large and unfortified a place. The prefervation of Bruffels was therefore principally owing to the duke of Marlborough and prince Eugene, who, with incredible fecrecy and expe dition, paffed the Scheld the 27th of November in the morning, with very little oppofition; the French, in a panic fear, abandoning thofe lines and intrenchments, which they had been been cafting up for three months paft. This affair was managed with fo much precaution, as redounded greatly to the reputation of the confederate generals. For the duke of Marlborough being early acquainted with the extremity, which the city of Bruffels was in, recalled the troops, which were in the diftrict of Furnes, commanded by lieutenantgeneral Fagel, which joined the army at Rouffelaer on the 22d, and alfo the detachment, which was at Lens and la Baffee. The fame day they received advice, that the dam which the enemy had been making near Gavre, to stop the courfe of the Scheld, was broke and carried away by the rapidity of the stream, which very much facilitated their paffing that river. The army arrived the 25th off Harlebeck, and continued there till four in the afternoon, for giving Itime to prince Eugene to come up to the place appointed. 57 1708. ~ The measures were concerted thus: that prince Eugene's Measures army fhould pass the river between Effenaffe and Hauterive; concerted the duke of Marlborough and count Tilly at Kerkhoven; and for pafling count Lottum, with the earl of Orkney, between Gavre the Scheld. and Afperon. Major-general Cadogan, and brigadier Evans, were sent before to lay the pontoons over the Scheld, who not only performed orders, but paffed the river, and posted themselves and their detachment on the other fide, and put to flight a body of the French, which lay intrenched thereabouts. The confederate troops were therefore ordered to march with all poffible expedition, and, as they paffed the river, they formed themfelves in order of battle. Prince Eugene, having advice of thefe proceedings, paffed directly over the river, and joined the duke of Marlborough at Kerkhoven. Upon their conjunction, they advanced to Berchem, in order to dislodge the enemy from that poft; but monfieur Souteron, who commanded there, retired with the utmoft precipitation. The Dutch cavalry pursued them, and happened to fall in with a party of grenadiers, who had lined fome hedges and ditches, in order to fecure the retreat of the reft. In this action the allies had about fixty men either killed or wounded; among the latter brigadier Baldwin, in the fervice of the ftates, was fhot through the body; and the earl of Albemarle, prince William of Heffe, and count Maurice of Naffau, had their horfes killed under them. The confederates purfued the enemy till it was dark, and incamped on the hills near Oudenard, to the joy of the whole army, who expected to have met with great difficulties in paffing the Scheld, and to the furprize of the generals themfelves, who could 1708. could not have imagined, that the enemy would have fo cafily abandoned pofts fo advantageous by nature, and which they had fortified with fo much application and labour. In the feveral pursuits, the confederate troops took great part of the enemy's baggage, their bread-waggons, feveral colours, ftandards, and two or three pair of kettle drums, and killed and made prisoners near a thousand men (p). The duke of Marlborough, upon his arrival at Oudenard, took the neceffary measures for advancing towards Bruffels, and, in his march, he was informed at Aloft, that the elector of Bavaria, upon the firft notice of the paffage of the Scheld, had quited the fiege with great precipitation, leaving all his artillery and wounded men behind him. The duke came to Bruffels on the 29th of November in the morning, to take proper measures for fending a fupply of ammunition and stores to the fiege of the citadel of Lisle, and to thank the garrison of Bruffels for their vigorous defence. He was received with great acclamations of joy, and complimented by the ftates of Brabant, and the magiftrates of the city, upon their deliverance, which they justly attributed to his (p) Burnet fays, The duke of Marlborough, hearing the duke of Bavaria was going to attack Bruffels, made a fudden motion towards the Scheld: but, to deceive the enemy, it was given out, that he defigned to march directly towards Ghent, and this was believed by his whole army, and it was probably carried to the enemy; for they feemed to have no notice nor apprehenfion of his defign on the Scheld: he advanced towards it in the night, and marched with the foot very quick, leaving the horfe to come up with the artillery: the lines were fo ftrong, that it was expected, that, in the break ing through them, there must have been a very hot action: fome of the general officers told me, that they reckoned it would have coft them at least ten thoufand men; but to their great furprize, as foon as they paffed the river, the French ran away, without offering to make the leaft refiftance; and they had drawn off their cannon the day before. Our men were very weary with the night's march, fo they could not purfue; for the horse were not come up, nor did the garrifon of Oudenard fally out; yet they took a thousand prisoners. Whether the notice of the feint, that the duke of Marlborough gave out of his defign on Ghent, occafioned the French drawing off their cannon, and their being fo fecure, that they feemed to have no apprehenfions of his true defign, was not yet certainly known; but the abandoning thofe lines, on which they had been working for many weeks, was a furprize to all the world: their counfels feem'd to be weak, and the execution of them was worfe; fo they, who were fo long the terror, were now become the fcorn of the world. conduc Conduct and expeditious march. The day before, prince Eugene, with his troops, and a detachment of eight battalions and thirty fquadrons from the grand army, returned to Lifle, and the fixteen battalions under count Lottum marched back to the camp. But, the fame morning, lieutenantgeneral Dompre, with forty fquadrons, advanced towards Aloft, being ordered to incamp between that place and Afche, in order to relieve Bruffels. The duke of Marlborough, with king Auguftus, and several other persons of diftinction, having been entertained at dinner by general Pafchal, and given the neceffary directions, returned in the evening to his camp at Aloft, where the troops refted the 30th. The day following, the confederate army removed from thence, and incamped with the right at Oudenard, and the left near Bierlegheim. At the fame time, lieutenantgeneral Dedem was ordered to advance with twenty batta lions, and to pass the Scheld at Oudenard, where he incamped on the other fide of the river, to affift at the works that were ordered to be made for the security of that place, and to be near at hand to join lieutenant-general Hompesch, who, with thirty-eight fquadrons and eight battalions, were incamped near Menin; by which difpofitions a communication was maintained with prince Eugene's forces at Lifle. 1708. tinued. The fiege of the citadel at Lifle was all this while carried The fiege on with great diligence; and, in the abfence of prince Eu- of the cigene, the befiegers had lodged themfelves on the fecond tadel of counterfcarp, and began, on the 1ft of December, to raise Lifle conbatteries thereon; which being finifhed in fix days, the prince sent a fummons to Boufflers, offering him an honourable capitulation, if he would furrender before the batteries had begun to fire; otherwife to expect no others terms, than for him and his garrifon to be made prifoners of war. The governor, whofe ftock of ammunition was almost exhaufted, and who was informed, that the communication between Bruffels and Lifle was free and open, thought fit to prevent the confequences of a breach being made in the body of the citadel, by beating a parley the 8th of December, N. S. hoftages being exchanged, the articles were figned the day following; and, on the 10th, the marshal, with the whole garrifon, marched out with all the ufual marks of honour and were conducted to Doway (q). If (9) The prince of Orange the ftates-general on this ocwrote the following letter to cafion: The cita del fur renders. |