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1708. and over several bridges built near that place for the fame purpose; so that the detachment, sent to attack their rearguard, came too late to find any thing but their small baggage, which was attended by a strong guard. These 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.

Prince Eu

The confederate army incamped the fame night at Asche, gene comes where prince Eugene of Savoy, having made a quick march to the army. from the Mofelle, and left his cavalry at Maeftricht, refolving 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 sent 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 visit 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 these orders, four battalions marched to reinforce the garrifon of Brussels, and eight battalions were ordered, with major-general Cadogan, and the quarter-mafters, to make the ways.

The small advantage, which the enemy had in surprising 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 amused 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 ftrong 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 usual custom) under the command of the duke of Berwick, they might afterwards be a match for the confederates, or, at least, might preserve their late eafy conquefts. They likewife imagined, that." they might furprize or reduce Oudenard, the only pass the Oudenard allies had on the Scheld, fince the taking of Ghent, before invefted by the allies could be in any readiness to prevent it; and to this end, count de Chemerault having broke down all the bridges on the Scheld, and intimidated all the leffer places in thofe parts, they caused Oudenard (e) to be invested on the 9th of July early, and intended to have taken possession of the advantageous camp at Leffines.

Monfieur de Sigterman, who commanded in Oudenard, fearing that the inhabitants might be treacherous, as it was suspected it 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 otherwise inclined. It was refolved to defend the place to the laft extremity, and to declare to the townfmen, that it was hoped they would contribute all that lay in their power to that end; but that, if they offered to make the least 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 poffible 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 himself into Oudenard,

(e) Oudenard is a rich and very ftrong town of the LowCountries, in the earldom of Flanders, the marquifate of the territory of Oudenard: it furrendered to the duke of Marlborough in 1706. The French laid fiege to it in the beginning of this campaign; but the approach of the confederate army

made them abandon the place,
and engaged them in a battle
near it, which proved a fatal
overthrow to them. It stands
on the river Scheld, thirteen
miles fouth of Ghent, thirteen
north-west of Aeth, thirty-fix
weft of Bruffels, and thirty-feven
almost north of Mons.

the French.

1708. with seven hundred men, detatched from Aeth, Courtray and Mening, and Walef's dragoons, which was performed accordingly. This proved a great difappointment 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 allied

army.

The fame day Oudenard was invested, 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 cafe the enemy fhould have made any motion towards Bruffels. The ways being in good repair, the army marched with the greatest expedition, and advanced as får as Herfelingen, above five leagues from Afche, before eléven 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. Accordingly, eight hundred men of this detachment entered the town of that name, about midnight; and the reft having pafled 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 áll night, began, the 10th, about eleven in the morning, to pass 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 pafs the Scheld

there.

The 11th in the morning, upon intelligence, that the enemy had quitted Oudenard, and were pursued by brigadier 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

o'clock

o'clock by the left, ftill in four columns, as they had in-
camped; and after the news came, that the enemy were still
paffing at Gavre, the duke of Marlborough and prince Eu-
gene refolved to endeavour to bring them to an engagement.
In order to this, the army continued their march with fuch
fpeed and diligence, that, at two in the afternoon, the front
was at the bridges, over which Cadogan's fixteen battalions
were then paffing. Eight fquadrons, and part of the former-
detachment, with the quarter-mafters, and major-general
Rantzaw at the head of them, were pofted behind a rivulet
that runs into the Scheld, where they obferved, that the
French army were partly marching, and partly drawn up in
order of battle. They took notice likewife that the enemy
had thrown feven battalions into the village of Heynem
(which is fituated on the banks of the Scheld) and the neigh-
bouring plains, which confronted that fmall village, were filled
with the troops of the houfhold, who were drawn up exactly
oppofite to the eight squadrons under major-general Rant-
zaw, no obftacle but a fmall rivulet dividing them. Behind
the village were moraffes, woods, and defiles; fo that an
army had no other way to march, but through the high-
road. This difpofition of the French made it uncertain,
whether their real defign was to hinder the duke of Marl-
borough paffing the Scheld, or to gain their own lines be--
tween Lifle and Tournay, which they thought they might
easily have done, not imagining, that fo confiderable a bo-
dy, as that of the confederates, could march five leagues in
a close country abounding in paffes and defiles, have their
roads levelled, cross a great river, and make an attack upon
them the same day.

The design of the duke de Vendofme in placing the seven battalions in the village of Heynem, and the fquadrons, which the confederates had discovered on the plain, which were to the number of twelve, was to have advanced towards the bridge, over which the allies were paffing, to a certain diftance, in order to have waited there till half their troops were paffed, and then to have attacked them with all the advantage which his fuperiority of number could have given him, not doubting but he fhould easily have defeated them, before the other half of their army could come to their affiftance. It was with this intent, these troops were advanced, and the duke would foon have followed with the whole army; but the duke of Burgundy did not approve. of this project. He had all along fhewed an inclination to retire towards Ghent; and this propenfity appeared now VOL. XVII. stronger

B

1708.

1708. ftronger than ever; he ordered the troops to stop short in their march at Gavre in the greatest perplexity, not knowing which way to move. He even recalled the fquadrons, which were in the plain, and prepared to retire; and to this the French attribute their misfortune, which ensued.

The battle

It would have been easy for the French, either to have cut off the detachment of the allies, which had advanced and laid bridges over the Scheld, or, at least, to have de ftroyed thofe bridges, before the whole confederate army could come up; and if then they had supported their left at Heynem, pofted their horse behind the caftle of Beveren, towards the mill of Oycke, and placed their center on the height between Wertigem and Heurne, they would undoubtedly have had all the advantage, which the most difficult. ground could give; and perhaps the choice would have been on their fide, whether to engage in a general action or not. But the dukes of Burgundy and Vendofme, who had been at variance for fome days before, what course they should take, ftill differed in their opinions, and were both yet ftrangely at a lofs, what measures they should refolve upon, and what difpofitions to make. This irrefolution lafted till three in the afternoon, when most of the young commanders in the French army, to make their court to the duke of Burgundy, contradicted all that was advised by the : duke of Vendofme, and declared loudly for an engagement, which in a great measure determined the duke of Burgundy; and the duke of Vendofme was obliged to fubmit.

Major-general Grimaldi was therefore ordered by the of Oudenard. duke of Burgundy, with the horse of the king's houfhold, to July 11.N.S. begin the attack on the right, and diflodge major-general : Rantzaw from the eminence, on which he was pofted; but when they came to the rivulet, and found it marfhy, they I were difcouraged from attempting the paffage, and retired towards their own right, though their army had twelve thoufand men more in number than the confederates, and feveral other advantages. This attack the duke of Vendofme difapproved of; and therefore fent monfieur Jennet, his aid de camp to the left, to attack the allies on that fide. the duke of Burgundy countermanded it, upon information, as it was faid, that there was an unpaffable morass on that fide, which, however, the duke of Vendofme had paffed over but an hour before. Upon this Cadogan, who had paffed the river with twelve of his fixteen battalions between three and four o'clock, attacked the village of Heynem, with fuch refolution (brigadier Sabine, with his brigade, being at

But

the

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