1709. feven fountains. Sixty battalions were appointed for the trenches; three Imperialifts, feven English, three Danes, feven Pruffians, three Saxons, twenty-three Dutch, five Hanoverians, three Palatines, four Heffians, two Witemburghers; and fix fquadrons of the troops of the several nations were to attend the usual services of horse in a fiege.

On the 4th of July, the enemy endeavoured to poffefs themselves of Commines and Fort Rouge, in the former of which places was a major with a hundred and fifty men, and in the latter a captain with fifty, who were twice attacked with great vigour; but they defended themselves fo bravely, that, the confederate troops coming up in time to their relief, the enemy not only retired with precipitation, but abandoned the poft of Warneton. On the 7th, at night, the trenches were opened before Tournay at the three attacks, with the loss of about thirty men killed, and as many wounded. The next day the trenches were relieved about four in the afternoon; but the violent rains, which fell in the night, very much incommoded the befiegers, and retarded their works. On the 9th, the befiegers began to erect a battery. The fame day two French officers, who attempted to get into the town, were taken pri→ foners; and, in the night, the trenches were carried on (notwithstanding the wet weather, and the continual fire of the befieged) with the lofs of thirty men killed or wounded. The 10th, thirty veffels, laden with artillery and ammunition, arrived near the bridges of communication. The fame day the befieged made a fally with five hundred men, but immediately retired at the approach of the confederates: The 12th they made another fally by the Valenciennes gate; but general Lottum had difpofed all things at his attack with fuch regularity, that the enemy were immediately repulfed with the lofs of near twenty men. On the 13th, the befiegers began at the attack of count Lottum, and fired from two batteries of twelve pieces of cannon each, with fo much fuccefs, that they foon difmounted the guns of the enemy on that fide, and beat down a wind-mill, from which they had very much difturbed the allies in their trenches. The 14th they began, at the fame attack, to fire from another battery to break open fluices; and the fame day the batteries, at the attack of general Fagel, began to fire; as did, on the 15th, thofe at the attack of general Schuylemburgh. The reft of the cannon and mortars were mounting on feveral batteries, and were in a condition to fire the 16th. The fame day the befiegers at count Lottum's attack, be

garf

gan to batter the wall, which made the communication 1709. between the town and citadel. On the 19th, they fired from a battery of eleven pieces of cannon at general Fagel's attack, in order to inlarge the breach at the attack of count Lottum, and into the covered way, on the same side from the Scheld to the citadel, which would very much facilitate the fuccefs of that attack: and, on the 21ft, they made themselves mafters of the whole counterfcarp, at general Fagel's attack, and fired into the covered way on the other fide of the Scheld before the attack of count Lottum, with fo much fuccefs, that the befieged were forced to quit that poft. The attack of general Schuylemburgh was likewife by this time very forward; for they made fuch an inceffant fire from their batteries, that, on the 22d, the breaches in the horn-work, the ravelin, and the wall of the town, were almost in a condition to be mounted, and, at the fame time, the faps were carried to the wall of the ditch. However, they continued to fire from all the batteries to inlarge the breaches; infomuch, that general Schuylemburgh, on the 27th, caufed the ravelin and half-moon at his attack to be ftormed; and, notwithstanding the vigorous refiftance of the enemy, and their great fire, the allies lodged themselves thereon, and perfected their lodgment, by favour of the continual fire they made from the cannon and mortars. On the 28th, in the morning, the besieged made a vigorous fally, in order to re-take the works they had loft the night before, but met with fo warm a reception, that they were forced to retire with confiderable loss: and, in the evening, the befiegers having made the neceffary difpofitions for a general ftorm; and, the enemy fearing to be taken fword in hand, they beat a parley, and defired to capitulate for the town. Whereupon hoftages were ex- The town changed, and, after fome debates, the capitulation was capitulates, agreed to.

Thus, after twenty-one days of open trenches, the allies reduced a place, which the French thought impregnable, and that in the fight of a numerous army of the enemy, who made no attempt to relieve it. And the conqueft was fo much the more advantageous, that the lofs of the allies was less than could have been expected, confidering the ftrength and importance of the place.

The French, according to the capitulation, furrendered and furrenone gate the 30th of July. The next day Surville, the ders. French governor, was entertained at dinner by prince Eugene; and, in the afternoon, retired into the citadel, which

1709.

Articles for

his garrison of about four thousand men had already entered, and the earl of Albemarle, who was appointed governor of Tournay, took poffeffion of the town. The time agreed on for evacuating the place expiring that night, the allies began to work on the approaches to the citadel. On the Ift of Auguft, in the evening, the French began the first act of hoftility, and fired from the citadel with cannon and fmall fhot upon count Lottum's trenches and batteries ; from whence they were immediately answered, and the fire continued very hot on both fides the whole night. The fame day the difpofitions were made for an attack, the new lines of circumvallation about the citadel almost finished, and orders given for levelling those about the

town.

In the mean time, Surville having propofed to the confethe time of federate generals the appointing two perfons to treat about furrendering the citadel, the furrender of the citadel, prince Eugene and the duke of Marlborough nominated de Lalo (a brigadier in the British troops) on their parts; and Surville named the marquis de Ravignan (a brigadier in the French fervice) who, having conferred, drew up and fubfcribed articles for fettling the time of furrendering the citadel.

The French king refufes to ratify the articles.

These articles were fent to the French court for their approbation, and an answer was to be returned in feven days. But upon this occafion the French gave a fresh instance of their infincerity, and manifefted to the world, that their proposals for delivering up the citadel of Tournay was but an artifice to gain time, and amuse the allies. For, the French king would not ratify thefe articles, but, upon condition, that there fhould be a ceffation of arms in general in the Netherlands till the 5th of September, which the allies would not confent to; and therefore the fiege was carried on with all poffible vigour, notwithstanding the great disadvantages which the confederate troops lay under, by reafon of the great number of the enemies mines.

From

the 8th of Auguft, the day on which the marquis de Ravignan returned from the French court, to the 20th of the fame month, the enemy sprung fixteen mines, which coft the befiegers a great number of men, and very much retarded their approaches. On the 20th, the besieged sprung a mine with fo great execution, that part of the wall from the town to the citadel, two branches of the trenches, a parallel, two faps, and two of the befiegers mines were ruined, and a captain, two enfigns, and nineteen foldiers killed. The 22d, the miners of the allies difcovered the branch of

another

another mine; and as they were bufy in finding out the 1709. mine itself, they heard the enemy working on a great gallery. Whereupon a lieutenant and fixteen grenadiers was ordered to diflodge them; but the lieutenant being killed at the first onset, his men were difhearted and retired. Immediately after another officer, with a fresh detachment, was ordered to go upon that fervice; but, the enemy throwing a great number of grenadoes, and making a terrible fmoke, the befiegers were forced to retire, to prevent being fuffocated. The 23d the miners, fupported by a lieutenant and twelve grenadiers, were at work to pierce through a traverse cross the gallery they had discovered; but the enemy threw in a great quantity of ftraw, hemp, and powder, which being fet on fire, occafioned fuch a smoke, that the officer and eight grenadiers were stifled. All this while the miners of the befiegers frequently met with thofe of the enemy, and ingaged them with piftol and bayonet. On the 26th the enemy fprung a mine, which killed above four hundred of the confederate troops, who, notwithstanding that loss, and the great fire of the befieged, lodged themfeives that night near the pallifadoes at general Schuylemburgh's attack. Ön. the 29th monfieur du Mey, the chief director of the attacks, was mortally wounded. That day and the next the befiegers made a fierce fire upon the citadel, and threw abundance of bombs, which did great execution.

tulate.

On the 30th, at fix in the morning, the enemy beat a The citadel offers to capi. parley, defiring to capitulate; and, hoftages being exchanged, monfieur Dolet and the marquis de Ravignan, both major generals, and four other officers came out of the citadel; and major-general Hondorf, with five officers more on the befiegers fide, were fent in. Dolet, and his company were brought to the earl of Albemarle's houfe, where the duke of Marlborough and prince Eugene were met to receive their propofals. They offered to furrender the place, and delivered a project of a capitulation, confifting of eleven articles, the chief whereof were: that the chapel fhould "not be made ufe of for the exercise of any other religion "but the Roman catholic, upon any pretext whatsoever: "that they should have twelve pieces of cannon and fix

mortars, with ammunition for twenty charges, and horfes and waggons, and other neceffaries for that purpose, to "be furnished by the befiegers: that the garrifon fhould "march out, drums beating, and colours flying, with the "other usual marks of honour that they should have four VOL. XVII. M. " covered

1709.

The articles rejected.

The citadel furrenders.

covered waggons; and that the prifoners fhould be re"turned on either fide, and no deferters stopped."

Dolet and the other French hoftages having made these offers, they were told by the duke of Marlborough and prince Eugene, that they could not allow of any other conditions, but that the garrifon fhould furrender themselves prifoners of war. Upon this they returned into the citadel; and, about three o'clock in the afternoon, the hoftilities were renewed. The confederate generals infifted upon having the garrifon made prisoners of war, as well for the honour of the arms of the allies, as in return for the king's having refufed to agree to the former capitulation, which was declared to the French officers. Befides, during the ceffation, the allies had confirmed accounts, that the enemy owned they were obliged to furrender for want of provifions; which they did in less than three days, upon the following conditions: " that all the officers and foldiers "fhould retain only their swords and baggage, and, leaving "their colours and arms behind, were permitted to return "to France, upon condition that they fhould not ferve, "until they were actually exchanged against the like num"ber of officers and foldiers of the allies; and thofe taken "at Warmeton were immediately to be sent back as part of "that exchange." After this conqueft, the duke of Marlborough and prince Eugene refolved to leave nothing unattempted, that might tend to the improvement of their late fucceffes: and therefore concerted the neceffary measures for befieging of Mons. The army, on the 3d of September, paffed the Scheld, and incamped the next day at Breffeul, the Hereditary prince of Heffe-Caffel (who was detatched the day before with four thousand foot and fixty fquadrons) incamping at fome distance. The 5th, the troops continued their march, notwithstanding a violent rain. The prince of Heffe paffed the Haifne in the afternoon, and the grand army incamped at Siraut, within a league of that river. The 6th in the morning, the army was again in motion; and, in the march, the duke of Marlborough received advice, that, the prince of Heffe having made the difpofitions for attacking the French lines from the Haifne to the Sambre, three regiments of dragoons had abandoned the fame. The French defigned to defend thofe lines; for the chevalier de Luxemburg, with a great detachment arrived foon after to fuftain the regiments of dragoons, and was followed by marfhal Villars in perfon. But, feeing their troops had quitted their poft, they marched back to Quiev