the head) that they foon made themselves mafters of it, and 1708. took three of the feven battalions intire, making many of the officers and private men prisoners that belonged to the other four. Immediately after, major-general Rantzaw, with the eight fquadrons, and the quarter-mafters, passed the rivulet, and advanced into the plain, where the French horfe had been drawn up, between the villages of Singhem and Mullen. Several of their squadrons of their rear-guard being ftill paffing through the plain, the eight squadrons, with the quarter-mafters attacked them with great vigour, and drove them into the close ground and the high-way, which led into the march of their own army. Hanover di *Bulau's, Here it was, the electoral prince of Hanover, his prefent The electomajefty of Great-Britain, gave distinguishing proofs of his ral prince of early valour. He charged, fword in hand, at the head of tinguishes a fquadron of his father's dragoons *: his horfe was fhot himself. under him, and colonel Lufchky, who commanded the fquadron, was killed fighting bravely by him. Lieutenantgeneral Schulemberg, and feveral other volunteers, behaved with great refolution, and led up the fquadrons. The French regiment of la Breteche, and several other regiments, were intirely broken; and the colonel himself, being dangerously wounded, was taken, together with a great many other officers, and twelve ftandards and kettle-drums. The confederate army continued, in the mean time, to pafs the bridges with all imaginable diligence. The Pruffian horse formed themselves upon the right in the fame plain, where the advanced guard was; and the reft of the horse, as they paffed, followed the Pruffians through the village of Heurne, into the plain; but the foot, because of the length of the march, came later to the bridges; so that none but the fixteen battalions were there till five o'clock. The duke of Marlborough and prince Eugene being at the head of the horse, which were forming in the plain, and obferving the great want there was of infantry, fent orders to the foot, which had been employed in the attacking the village, to leave their poft, and throw themselves into the hedges on the other fide of the plain, whither the enemy feemed to be marching with great diligence. On that fide of the plain were no more than two battalions of major-general Collier's and brigadier Grunkau's; which were attacked with great fury; but they maintained their post with equal bravery, till more foot came up to their affistance. The duke of Marlborough fent repeated orders to the foot, to press their march, the enemy being then form B 2 ing, 20 1708 ing, and ready to attack the infantry, which was already there, with very unequal numbers. In the interim, the duke of Argyle arrived with twenty battalions, which were fcarce pofted, when the French attacked them very brifkly, and drove fome Pruffian battalions from their pofts; but notwithstanding the inequality of numbers, about fix in the evening, they retook it sword in hand. By this, time count Lottum was coming up, to fuftain this attack, with the remainder of the foot of the right; and the duke perceiving, that the great ftrefs of the battle would lie on the right, fent to the left for twenty battalions. The left wing arrived fomething later than the right, and having paffed their horfe through Oudenard, and their foot on bridges below the town, had formed themselves in two lines, with the village of Moreghem behind them. The fuccefs, which the confederates had already obtained in the feveral engagements near the villages of Heynem, Mullem, and Heurne, made the French generals fenfible, they should foon be attacked on all fides. They therefore found themselves under a neceffity of making a fland; to which end, they pofted their foot very advantageously before the villages of Wanigen, Lede, and Huyze, having in their front feveral defiles, fenced with inclofures of hedges, ditches, or thickets, and placed moft of their cavalry on their right, near the villages of Oyke and Wirtigen. As foon as the confederate foot arrived, they formed themfelves in two lines before the horse, and then attacked, in very good order, the inclosures and villages in their front, where the French were pofted; fo that about seven o'clock the fire grew general, both on the right and on the left; and, though the enemy gave way in most places, yet, being fuftained with fresh troops, the action was maintained very obftinately a good while after. There was before the left of the left wing a kind of opening, through which run a road, that led into the plain, on the top of the hill, and which the prince of Orange-Naffau, - at the head of the Dutch foot, cleared with great vigour and refolution. At the fame time the duke of Marlborough difpatched orders to the velt-marfhal d'Auverquerque and the count de Tilly, who were on the top of the hill near Oycke, to preís the enemy as much as poffible on that fide. Thefe orders were punctually obeyed; and Auverquerque ordered major-general Weeck to march with the brigades of Waffenaer and Oudenbergh; which being fupported by count Tilly with the Danish cavalry under his command, paffed " paffed through a narrow defile into a field where all the 1708. French houfhold were drawn up. The confederate troops no fooner approached, than the French, who did not in the leaft apprehend being attacked on that fide, retired, and endeavoured to fhelter themselves under the hedges between Wirtigem and the caftle of Beveren towards the main body of their army, where the fire was very hot; but the prince of Orange-Naffau, with count Oxenstiern, coming up with four brigades of infantry, led them on with great gallantry, paffed fome defiles, attacked the enemy in the flank, and obliged them to give way. Thofe, who were thus retiring, were forced back into inclosures in great diforder; and it growing dark, many battalions and more fquadrons being in the utmost confusion, some were cut in pieces, and others defired to capitulate for their whole regiments. While this happened on the left, the duke of Marlborough, who till then had been the whole time in company with prince Eugene, vifiting the field of battle, leading on, pofting, and ranging the refpective bodies of troops; but thinking now it would be more advantageous to feparate, and direct in different places, arrived there, having left the care of the right to prince Eugene, who fhewed great fatisfaction in leading on the English troops, whom he saw perform wonders; fo that at laft the enemy finding themselves charged and borne down on all fides by the confederate forces, retired in the utmoft confufion, leaving great numbers of prifoners behind them. Their dragoons favoured their retreat, and, to fave the troops of the houfhold, received several discharges from the confederate infantry, and were most of them either killed or taken. Night coming on, and the fire being directed fo many ways at once, that it was impoffible to diftinguish friends from enemies, the confederate generals gave pofitive orders to their troops to give over firing, and to let the routed enemy escape, rather than to venture putting themselves into diforder. This put an end to the flaughter, and faved the remainder of the enemy's army; for, had there been but two hours more of day light, in all probability their whole body of foot, and their right wing of horfe, would have been intirely cut off, they being furrounded almoft on every fide. During this memorable action, the duke of Marlborough and prince Eugene gave their orders with fo much compofedness of mind and clearness of judgment, as feemed pecu B 3 ..liar 1708. liar to those two great men. They expofed their persons to the greatest dangers, when neceffity required it; and yet had both the good fortune to escape unhurt. The electoral prince of Hanover had also a great share in the glory of the day. At the head of his father's cavalry, he charged the celebrated troops of the French king's houfhold, bearing down all that oppofed his career. The young prince of Orange-Naffau, ftadtholder of Frifeland, and father of the late prince of Orange, diftinguifhed himself likewife by his martial ardour, bravery, and conduct. The brave veltmarshal d'Auverquerque, though worn out with the fatigues of above thirty campaigns, and in a languishing condition, exerted his expiring vigour, and was on horfe-back at the head of his troops in the hotteft of the fire. Count Tilly, the prince of Wirtemberg, lieutenant-generals Rantzaw and Nutzmer, major-generals Webb and Cadogan, brigadier Sabine, and, in fhort, all the generals, and officers animated the foldiers every where by their own example. The victory indifputable on the fide The different troops, of which the confederate army confifted, fought with such emulation of each other, that it was difficult to determine, which deferved the greatest applause; yet it was obferved, that the Pruffian gens d'arms fignalized themselves in feveral vigorous charges, which they made and fuftained against the French cavalry, in which they loft near half of their number. If we may believe fome of the French writers, the dukes of Burgundy and Berry, and the pretender, had a great fhare in this battle; but, if the Dutch accounts are to be credited, they, or at least the two latter, only beheld the engagement from the steeple of an adjacent village, and confulted their fafety by a timely retreat. As for the other generals of the enemy's army, they committed feveral grofs errors, as well before as during the action, either for want of unanimity or judgment: but, for their troops, it must be acknowledged, that, in general, they fought better at this time than they had done upon any other occafion. The French endeavoured by their partial relations to palliate their defeat, and make a drawn battle of it (f); for of the duke which they had the only pretence of having faved their bagof Marlbo- gage. Now that could not be otherwife, fince they left it rough and prince Eu behind behind them, as they did likewife their artillery, having only made use of four or five pieces of cannon during the whole action. But the field, where the battle was fought, of which the confederates remained mafters, with fix or feven hundred of the enemy's officers, and about feven thoufand private foldiers, who were made prifoners, together with ten kettle-drums, and above one hundred ftandards and colours taken, were all evidences of an indifputable victory on the fide of the confederates. 1708. retreat. The enemy retired in the night, by the road which leads The French through the village of Huyfe from Oudenard to Ghent, make a good The duke of Vendofme proposed to the duke of Burgundy, that they should halt, in order to form their troops, and give their march, at least, the air of a retreat; but his advice was unregarded; for of all the general officers prefent, only the count d'Evreux was of his fentiment. Obferving therefore, that nothing was to be done with men terrified out of their fenfes, he gave the word for a retreat, which was no fooner done, than the generals, as well as private men, threw themselves into the road of Ghent with the utmost precipitation. The duke of Vendofme looked with grief and fhame on this fcandalous behaviour: finding, however, twenty-five fquadrons of his best troops, and about the fame number of battalions unbroken, he formed with these a rearguard, and fo preserved the army from a fecond defeat, " army, which they drew up in order. The French army ar riving there at the fame time, in order of battle, gave the charge. The onset was furious, and lafted from four in the evening till night came on, ⚫ which put an end to the fight. The army of France retired 'towards Ghent: the left, which made the rear-guard, remain'ed upon the field of battle till it was broad day, and then • marched off in good order, under the conduct of the chevalier du Rozel, lieutenant-ge⚫neral, the enemy, who attack⚫ed them not being able to do ⚫ them any mifchief.' The mar B 4 fenfible where they fled, nor by whom they were conducted. In a word, the difpofitions for their engagements, and the motives which induced us to undertake it, ought never ta be repeated in any future con'juncture.' which |