Aire and St. taken. furrounded that poft, fummoned the infantry to furrender, and, upon their refufal, ordered part of his horfe to difmount and attack them; but they were fo warmly received, that they retired in diforder. In the mean time the picquet guard of the army advancing, and prince Eugene marching with part of his cavalry, Villars thought fit to retreat, lest this fkirmifh fhould occafion a general engagement, having loft a great many men in this fruitless attempt, befides a coJonel, twenty other officers, with three hundred private men, who were made prisoners, and a booty of one hundred and fifty horfes. As Villars ftill declined an engagement, the confederate Venant be- general, in order to secure the head of the Lys, refolved to fieged and befiege St. Venant (u) and Aire (w) at the fame time. Both thefe places were invefted on the 6th of September, and both surrendered on honourable terms. St. Venant the 30th of September, and Aire the 9th of November. Notwithstanding the great precaution of the allies, for the fecurity of their artillery and ammunition, which were to be used in the fieges, the enemy formed a defign of surprifing a convoy of feveral boats coming up the Lys from Ghent, under a guard of twelve hundred men, who were to be reinforced by another detachment. But monfieur de Ravignan with four thousand men from Ypres, not far from Courtray, beat the guard; killed about two hundred men; took fix hundred foldiers; blew up fome boats laden with ammunition, funk others laden with cannon-ball and bomb-fhells, to interrupt the navigation of the Lys, and then retired with fo much precaution, that a detachment of the allies, fent out to cut off his retreat, could not effect it. There was no time loft in repairing the damages occafioned by this misfortune; and the country people were immediately fummoned to weigh up the boats, which the enemy funk in the Lys, and clear the paffage of that river. On the 26th of September, the chevalier de Luxemburg having formed a defign to furprife Fort-Scarpe, marched from Bouchain with a ftrong detachment to Pont-a-Rache, fent two hundred men in the night into the wood of Belli (u) St. Venant is a town of the Low-Countries, in the earldom of Artois. It ftands by the borders of Flanders, about four miles east of Aire, twenty-fix fouth of Dunkirk, and as many north of Arras. (w) Aire is a large and handfome city of France. It fiands upon the Lys, twenty-five miles fouth of Dunkirk, twenty-eight north-weft of Arras, and twentyfix caft of Boulogne. fonties fonties near the fort, and had two waggons loaded with hay, 1710. in which feveral grenadiers were concealed. These waggons were driven by fome other foldiers difguifed as boors, who were to seize the barrier, and, upon a signal, to be supported by others, and then by the chevalier himself. But major-general Almama coming at the fame time to vifit general Hompefch, who, having fome fufpicion of the defign of the enemy, was gone into the fort to give the neceffary orders for its fecurity, left his guard without the barrier, who walking their horfes, and following the waggons by mere chance, the enemy believed they were discovered, and so ran away, leaving their captain and one of their men prifoners. Six days after the surrender of Aire, the confederate armies broke up and marched into winter-quarters. Thus ended the campaign in Flanders, which, though not of fuch luftre as the former, because no battle was fought, yet was, by military men, efteemed very extraordinary in this refpect, that our men were about a hundred and fifty days in open trenches, a thing faid to be without example. Rhine in Nothing confiderable paffed on the Rhine, they being Campaign equally unable to enter upon action on both fides. The on the French, who, in the winter, had threatened the empire with confiderable; a new invafion, were obliged to weaken their forces, in order to cover their frontiers, and ftrengthen their armies in the Netherlands; and the Germans were not in a condition to improve fo fair an opportunity of invading France. The elector of Brunswick, who commanded the imperial army, diflatisfied with thefe proceedings, defired leave to refign a command, from which, as he faid, he could not promise himself any honour, nor the public expect any advantage. As he could not be prevailed with to defift from his purpose, the command of the army of the empire was given to count Gronsfelt. Nor was the campaign on the fide of Piedmont more and likeconfiderable than on the Rhine. The march of the confe- wife that in Piedmont, derate troops met with such difficulties and delays, that the army was not formed till about the middle of July; and the duke of Savoy, befides his former pretences for not putting himself at the head of the army, was, now indifpofed, as well as the prince of Piedmont, his eldest fon, and his brother, the duke of Aofta. In this fituation, count de Thaun, veldt-marshal of the imperial forces, took upon him the command of the confederate army, the Piedmontefe generals being directed to comply in every thing with his orders. 1710. orders. But, notwithstanding the preparations made to pass the Alps, and penetrate into Dauphiné, they found it impoffible to force their way through the mountains; fo that, after having diflodged the French from Arches, and fome other pofts at the entrance of the valley of Barcelonette, they gave over that defign, and the army marched to Suza, where they continued, as long as the feafon permitted, to hinder the duke of Berwick, who commanded the enemy's forces, from making any detachments into Spain. The French were so apprehenfive of an invasion on the fide of Dauphiné, that, befides the intrenchments they cast up in the mountains with great labour and expence, they were obliged to keep there feventy-two battalions, and a good number of horse. Affairs in Spain. The campaign this year in Spain was very remarkable, where both parties were conquerors and conquered by turns. In April a great council of war was held (fays our author *) in which it was refolved to take the field on the first of May, and that the fleet (lately arrived at Barcelona, under the command of Sir John Norris) fhould immediately fail for Cagliari, to fecure the island of Sardinia, which was performed in a fhort time. Pursuant to this refolution, our army affembled near Agramont. The enemy, under the command of the marquis de Villadarias, had already taken the field, and were incamped at Balaguer. Upon our approach they marched to Lerida, and we took poffeffion of their camp. Here king Charles, with general Stanhope (who was come from Italy with money and a thousand recruits) came and reviewed the whole army. On the other hand, king Philip, who was likewife come to head his army, gave it out, that he was refolved to put all to a decifive battle; and, accordingly, the enemy, confifting of forty-two battalions and fixty fquadrons, marched along the plain in our full view, in nine columns, to attack us. Marfhal Staremberg immediately prepared to receive them, but they did not think fit to come within cannon shot that day, and only drew up in battle on the hills on our left, from whence they could easily discern every thing in our camp. In the evening they retired to Belcaire, in the way to Balaguer, about four miles diftant. The next day they came again, and, forcing in our grand guard, halted an hour or two; after which they marched towards our front, raised a Namely, of the manufcript, Spain, This manufcript uses the account of the campaigns in old ftyle. battery, battery, and began to fire. This was anfwered by one of 1710. ours, which did fome execution on their foot. Having halted fome time, they retired a second time to the fame place, and were pursued by general Stanhope with some squadrons, who fell upon their rear, and killed several hundreds. A few days after, the enemy fent a large detachment, with fix pieces of cannon, to take the town of Calaf, where we had fome men, but they met with fo warm a reception, that they were glad to return to their camp. the On the 15th of July, it was refolved in a council of war, to march down the plain in our turn, and attack the enemy before they had paffed the river at Lerida: but that evening, news being brought that all had paffed, or would have paffed before we could come up with them, that design was laid afide, and another was put in execution. The next morning fome fquadrons of dragoons, and twenty companies of grenadiers, with cannon and pontons, marched very early to make a bridge over the Noguera at Alfaras, and the whole followed. When our horse came upon army hills, they faw forty-two fquadrons drawn up, with nine battalions, upon fome high grounds near Almanara, who were followed by their whole army, which was in the valley, on the other fide the hills. General Stanhope, rightly judging that we had a fair opportunity of falling upon thefe fquadrons before their whole army was joined, went with general Belcaftel to king Charles (who was near with marshal Staremberg and count Attalaia) and preffed his majesty very warmly to attack the enemy with the horse, fuftained by the whole army; but, perceiving the king and the marfhal did not fo readily come into his propofal as he expected, he faid aloud, that, if they let flip fo fair an opportunity, general Belcaftel and he had orders to withdraw his troops, which he would instantly obey and leave the country. Upon these words he went away to a great number of general officers and colonels, who were got together about fifty paces from the king, viewing the enemy, and expecting what news the general would bring them. In a few mi nutes, count Attalaia came to Stanhope from the king, to inform him that he complied with his defire and advice, but wanted to know, Who was to command? Who but myfelf, answered the general, being the lieutenant-general of the day. He immediately fends his aid de camps to the regiments he intended to take with him, with orders to mount and follow him. Thefe were all the horfe and dragoons of our left, in all fixteen fquadrons. The reft of the horfe were The battle July 17. were commanded by the marfhal to follow, and all the foot to form and be ready to march. Orders were alfo fent to the commander of the train to fix a battery of fix guns upon a rifing ground on our left. The fun was not above half an hour high, when general Stanhope marched up to the enemy, who were in two lines, twenty-two fquadrons in the first, and in the second, twenty, befides the nine battalions who were a little behind them on their right. Stanhope put himself at the head of the first squadron of Harvey's horfe, and Carpenter at the head of the other. He made a very short speech to the men, and defired them to keep very close, and not break themselves, for he was fure they would be as firm as a rock, and all the enemy's fquadrons could not break them. Then he marched and attacked the guards commanded by general Ameffaga, who, as their horfes clofed, fpoke fome words to him, which Stanhope anfwered with a ftroke of his fword, that killed the Spaniard. The whole fquadron, as indeed all the reft, animated with the example of their general, performed wonders, pushed the firft line upon the fecond, and entirely routed the Spanish horfe. The nine battalions ran away, and all were purfued till dark. We lay upon our arms all night, and the next day incamped on the field of battle. In this fhort action we took lieutenant-general Verboon, and loft the earl of Rochfort and count Francis Naffau, both killed at the head of their regiments of dragoons, and both officers of great merit and distinction. About four hundred men were killed and wounded on our fide; but the enemy's lofs was confiderable, the number of their flain and wounded not being less than fifteen hundred. Many more would have been made prifoners, if our men, in the heat of the action, could have charged themselves with them. The enemy retired that night in fuch hafte to Lerida, that they left behind a great deal of their baggage (amongst which was fome of king Philip's plate) and in two days marched on towards Saragoza, the capital of the kingdom of Arragon. We left our camp of Almanara to pursue them, and took the caftle of Monfon, and fortified the head of the bridge. From hence a thousand horse were detached to feize the town of Aibaftro, and the day after a thoufand foot, with four pieces of cannon, were fent to the town of Stadilla, which was defended by above five hundred men, and where the enemy had fome magazines, which were all taken. Stanhope marched all that night for Sarimana, where he found two |