Dėnain, in order to advance towards the allies. And indeed And indeed he made such speeches to his army, that it was generally believed he would venture a battle, rather than look on and fee Doway loft. On the 17th of May, in the morning, the befieged made a fecond falley with nine companies of grenadiers, and a detachment of dragoons upon the left. But colonel Preston, who commanded there, gave them fo warm a reception that, upon the first firing of his men, the enemy retired with precipitation. The 21ft, at night, the befieged made another falley on the left, wherein several men were killed on both fides; and, notwithstanding they were difappointed, they made a fourth attempt on the trenches, the 23d at night. But, the befiegers, who had notice of it, having killed about twenty of their men, upon the first discharge, the reft retired in great confufion. 1710. During these transactions before Doway, Villars set out May 19. from Peronne, and arrived the fame day at Cambray, where he held a grand council of war, in which it was resolved, immediately to affemble the French army, in order to attempt the relief of Doway. Accordingly, Villars fent expreffes to fome reinforcements, that were commanded to join him from the Upper Rhine, to advance with all poffible expedition; and having drawn together all his troops, paffed the Scheld, and incamped with his right near Bouchain, and his left at Ribecour. Upon advice of this motion, the duke of Marlborough and prince Eugene thought fit to alter the difpofition of their forces, except thirty battalions left at the fiege, and twelve fquadrons at Pont-aRache. The 24th, all the cavalry of the duke of Marlborough's army marched over the Scarpe, and incamped near Gouleffin; and, the next day, the infantry moved the fame way, incamping with the right over against Vitri, and the left near Arleux. At the fame time prince Eugene made a motion with his army, placing his right at Ife-les-Efquerchien; by which fituation, the confederate troops were ready to repair immediately to either of the fields of battle already marked out, according to the next motions of the enemy; for which purpofe roads were made for the armies to march in four columns either way. The 25th, bridges were laid in feveral places over the Scarpe (which parted the two armies) for the more eafy communication of the troops; and, the fame day, upon advice, that the enemy were in motion, all the troops were ordered to be in a readiness to march. The four following days, both armies made feveral 1710, motions; and, on the 30th, the Dutch infantry, under count Tilly, was ordered to join the duke of Marlborough's army; which was by this time reinforced by the arrival of the Pruffians, Palatines, and Heffians, and the recalling of feveral detachments. Upon intelligence, that Villars had pofitive orders from court to venture a battle, the expectation of a fudden engagement increased on both fides; and that general, who was incamped with his right at Roquelincourt near Arras, and his left at St. Eloy, advancing with his troops in order of battle, the confederate generals repaired to their respective poíts; the cannon was placed on the batteries, that defended the avenues to their camp; and all other neceflary difpofitions were made to receive them. Villars, with a great detachment, advanced fome time after, within mufket-shot of the confederates guard, and took a view of the army and its fituation. But instead of attacking them, as he had fo confidently given out in the morning, he marched back, and joined the center of his army, and incamped between Noyelles Sous-Lens and the heights of of St. Laurens. The confederates judging, he did not defign to attack them, but only to retard the fiege, fent the troops back, which they had drawn from before Doway; and thofe under general Fagel returned into the lines on the other fide of the Scarpe. And, to prevent any surprize from the enemy, orders where given to join the several redoubts, in the front of the camp by a line to extend from Montignon to Vitri, which was finifhed on the last of May. The fiege of Doway, which by all these motions had been retarded, was carried on with all imaginable vigour, notwithstanding the many obstacles the allies met with in their approaches, both from the difficulty of the ground, and the refolute defence of the garrifon. On the 29th of May, the befieged made a fifth falley on the right attack, and penetrated into the trenches; but, after an obftinate engagement, they were repulfed with the lofs of twenty-five officers, and about one hundred private men. The next day a party of the garrifon of Fort-Scarpe made a falley, and advanced to Pont-a-Rache, with a defign to intercept the bread-waggons of the allies. But colonel Caldwell, who commanded there with three hundred dragoons, vigorously repulfed them, though he had the misfortune of being wounded in one of his arms. The last day of May, the befieged made a vigorous falley, burnt feveral villages, took part of the equipage of general Fagel, and returned into the town with a good number of cattle. The befieged continued to defend their out-works with the utmost obftinacy; but notwithstanding their frequent fallies and mines, on the 5th of June, the allies made two lodgments on the glacis of the counterscarp at the right attack; as also lodgments on the right and left of the other attack of the counterfcarp of the ravelins, and fired brifkly from the batteries of cannon and mortars, to drive the enemy from their traverses. The 10th in the morning, the allies fired five pieces of cannon into the covered-way, and continued the fap, which went on but flowly, by reafon of the great fire of the enemy. However the befiegers in the night, between the 14th and 15th, perfected a lodgment on the covered-way at the right attack, and repaired the damages their works received at the left by the great number of bombs, that were thrown into them. On the 16th, the befiegers began to fire against the ravelins, from a battery of seven pieces of cannon, and made a line of communication on the left attack. They fprung likewise two mines, that night, at the right attack with so much success, that the enemy abandoned all their places of arms, and the befiegers made lodgments at both attacks. After this they brought several pieces of cannon on their batteries, and fired fo effectually, that, the breaches in the ravelins being judged wide enough, and all things being in a readiness to ftorm both of them by the 19th, the troops commanded for the affault performed that fervice with great bravery, but met with fo vigorous a refiftance, that many were killed on both fides. On the 23d at night the prince of Anhalt having made the neceffary difpofitions for attacking the two ravelins at the right attack, they stormed the fame on the 24th, and lodged themselves thereon after a fmall refiftance. Soon after the enemy fprung two mines under the ravelin of the right, whereby the befiegers loft fome workmen however they inlarged the lodgments and communication at the left. At length the garrifon, being reduced to the laft extremity, on the 25th at two in the afternoon beat a parley, and offered to capitulate for the town only, without including FortScarpe. But, this being refused, they sent hostages to both attacks, who were conducted to the duke of Marlborough's quarters; where being again told, that no capitulation could be granted to the town without including FortScarpe; on the 26th in the morning, monfieur Albergotti fignified, that he was willing to furrender that fort with the town, provided he might have liberty to remove all 1710. there 1710. July 10. their provifions and ammunition. This pretenfion occa→ (r) Doway, or Dovy, a ftrong city of the Low-Countries, in the earldom of Flanders, the marquifate of the territory of Doway. An univerfity, fubject to the French, and taken by them in 1667. It ftands on the river Scarpe, between Artois and Hainault, thirteen miles almost north of Cambray, fifteen almoft eaft of Arras, and thirty-five weft of Mons. (s) The French, according to their cuftom, very much magnified the lofs fuftained by the allies in the fiege of Doway. And it is certain, the reduction of fo ftrong and important a place must be attended with no fmall danger and difficulty; and according to the computation, which was made by the allies of their killed and wounded, there were three lieutenant-colonels, three majors, twenty-three captains, thirty-five fubalterns, one hundred ferjeants, and one thoufand eight hundred and ninetynine private men killed: two lieutenant-colonels, four majors, fifty captains, one hundred and fifty-two fubalterns, two hundred and forty-two ferjeants, and five thousand two hundred and fixtyfeven private men wounded. Óf the artillery fifty-four killed, and ninety-fix wounded; engineers, thirteen killed, and thirty-three wounded: miners twelve killed, and twelve wounded. Total at both attacks, two thoufand one hundred and forty-two men killed, and five thousand eight hundred and fixty-five wounded. inftead taken. instead of attacking the confederates, incamped within his 1710. new lines from Arras, towards Miramont. The confederate generals finding it impracticable, either to attack the Bethune enemy, or befiege Arras, turned their army against Bethune (t), which was invested the 15th of July, N. S. and on the 29th of Auguft the place was furrendered by monfieur du Puy Vauban, who commanded there, and was nephew to the famous engineer of that name. During the fiege of Bethune, Villars, with his army, marched out of their intrenchments, and pofitively declared, that he would attack the confederates, and endeavour to raise the fiege. Upon this the duke of Marlborough and prince Eugene formed their armies in order of battle, and the duke advanced with a detachment to observe the French Aug. 1 army, who, instead of preparing for a battle, were cafting up a new line and intrenchments for the better fecurity of their troops. On the 24th of August, the right wing of prince Eugene's army foraged in the front towards St. Pol near the enemy's camp, under a guard of five hundred horse, and one thousand Danish and Heffian foot. Villars, having notice of it the night before, detached thirty fquadrons under the command of the count de Broglio, to attack the foragers; and, in order to be an eye-witness of that enterprize, he followed in person, and arrived on the mount of St. Pol, where he ordered four fquadrons of carabineers to attack the foragers on that fide, while fome other fquadrons were advancing to attack them another way, They fell upon three fquadrons of the allies, which gave way; but the foragers, joining with their guard, beat the enemy back with great flaughter. However, the French growing too numerous, the allies retired in very good order to an adjacent village, from whence the Danish and Heffian infantry made fuch a fire upon the enemy, that they loft a great many men. Villars advanced in perfon, and, having (t) Bethune is a town of the Low-Countries, in the earldom of Artois, vaftly strong, and in extraordinary repair. A noble man, in his travels, was fo extremely pleased with it, that he declared, it gave him fuch furprizing ideas of the great lofs of France, in the death of monfieur Vauban (who drew the plan of it) that he could not but pafs furrounded |