two regiments of horfe, which he foon put to flight. A 1710, party of four hundred horse marched to Candasmos, and furprized a convoy of forty waggons with ftores, fixty laden mules, and two thousand fheep, guarded by two troops of horse, which they routed, and brought away the whole convoy. This fupply was very acceptable in a country, where provifions for man and beaft began to grow very scarce, being at so great a distance from Barcelona, where our magazines were. On the 2d of Auguft general Stanhope, after having been away feveral days with two thoufand horfe, joined the army, and all marched to Cajadin. Here we faw the enemy plant their camp near Fraga on the other fide the river Cinca, which it was refolved we fhould pafs that evening to attack them the next morning: but they marched all night towards Saragoza, fo that inftead of fighting we were put to a long and tedious march after them, in which we overtook part of their rear, and several skirmishes enfued, which might have drawn us into a general battle, very much to. our disadvantage; because the main of our army was still at a distance over a very long heath, where no water was to be found, and the weather exceffively hot; whilft the enemy's were all together behind a brook and fuch high eminences as were almoft inacceffible, and the ford, through which they had pafied the brook, very narrow. When general Stanhope came up to the advanced guard, and to fome fquadrons fent to fuftain it, he immediately formed all the horfe of the left, and fent with all fpeed to the generals Belcaftel and Wills to march up the foot as fast as they coulda Presently after marfhal Staremberg came up with the right of our horfe and formed immediately; for the enemy was not then half a mile from us. Fresh orders were fent to the foot and artillery to make all poffible hafte. The enemy. fent several small parties to the rifing grounds to obferve us. Some of their horfe came through the narrow ford, but, when they faw ours drawn up, they quickly retired. At last the foot and train being arrived, difpofitions were made to receive the enemy, if they thought fit to come from behind their ftreng natural intrenchment and attack us: but they fuffered our army to refresh themselves after fo great a fatigue, and marched away in the night, leaving at a fmall town on this fide of the ford fome of their baggage, which was fecured the next morning. Here we refted ourselves that night without pitching our tents, and early in the morning marched after the enemy to the large town of Candafmos, where VOL. XVII. T 1710. we were in danger of peifhing with thirst, there being neither pump, nor well, nor ciftern in the place, but only one large pond of water, which the troopers, as they came up, marched their horfes into, and by that means the water was fo fpoiled, that it could not be used. The pond was fupplied by two fprings, which the foot-foldiers entirely ruined by their great eagerness to come at the water. Wine was as fcarce as water, none being to be found in the town, not even in the convent, and what the futlers had was all turned four (x). We were glad to march out of this place the next morning, but found ourselves in as great diftrefs for want of water as the day before, till we came to Bucarolos, where we incamped, the enemy ftill retiring before us. At break of day the army marched on in four columns, in expectation of overtaking the enemy, but were disappointed, and inftead of them had to encounter, on our march to Ufera on the Ebro, with violent thirst and heat, without a drop of water; and, to incommode us the more, the enemy had fet fire to a very long heath, we were to pass over. It is not to be conceived what we fuffered upon fuch a march, fmothered all that day with clouds of afhes, especially the foot. About five in the evening, and not before, the horse of both lines got to the river Ebro, whofe waters did not a little refresh us. Some generals rid up by the river-fide, and difcovered, at a small diftance the tops of the enemy's colours behind a rifing ground. A party of Huffars being ordered to advance, brought word in a quarter of an hour, that their army was there in a marching pofture. Staremberg inftantly made a difpofition, in cafe they should come back, and the foot formed as they came up. We ftayed upon our arms till night, when we could hear the enemy's drums, who then began to march to Saragoza. General Stanhope, perceiving no great inclination in the marthal to pafs the river that night, prevailed fo far as to have Carpenter detached with two thousand horse to ford it over, and went with him as a volunteer. We expected to hear every moment, that the pontons were ordered to be laid over the river for the whole army to pafs; but no fuch thing, til at laft the generals Belcaftle, Wills, Fraucomberg, and Lepel went to Staremberg, and, after a long confultation, gained the point, in which, it was faid, the mar (x) A general officer gave fifteen pifloles for a cheft of Florence, and had but three flasks out of it that could be drank. M. S. fhal Thal was determined by the king, as well as convinced by the reasons of the generals. The pontons, after this, were laid with all expedition, and the army began to pass the river between one and two in the morning, on the 8th of Auguft. Carpenter, finding the enemy were gone to Saragoza, marched with his detachment of horse by the fide of the Ebro over-against Villa-Franca, and having notice, that the army had paffed the river, he marched as an advanced guard towards that city, where he found the enemy's horse drawn up. We marched with great speed, and came in the evening before the town, where we faw the enemy's whole army in order of battle (being within lefs than cannon-shot of them) on a rifing ground on the right of the city. Here we continued all night on our arms, and some of their horse moved towards us, as if they intended to furprize us, but we were too well upon our guard for them to attempt any thing that night. When general Stanhope viewed the enemy's difpofition that evening, he obferved their right line was extended far beyond our left, theirs confifting of thirty-two squadrons, and ours of twenty. Whereupon he formed a defign, which he communicated at fupper to fome officers, and which proved of great fervice the next day. He commanded the left of the army, and the body of referve under brigadier Hamilton was by the marfhal ordered to obey his directions. This body confifted of eight squadrons of Portuguefe horse, who were cloathed in red. The general rightly judged the enemy would take them for English (as they did) and fo refolved to have them drawn up before the battle at a distance from his left, and to flank it, all which fucceeded to his wish. 1710. M. S. The next morning very early the cannon began to fire Battle of on both fides. The moft part of the morning was fpent in Saragoza. viewing the lines and making alterations. King Charles with marshal Staremberg rid from the right to the left, notwithstanding the danger, which animated the troops. The convoy of bread was expected every moment, and was much wanted, confidering the laft three days march, but it came not before the fignal for the attack was given: so that the foldiers, as well as many officers, fought with empty bellies. General Stanhope was obliged to march the horfe more to the left, by reason of a very large dry ditch made by the torrents, that come down from the hills, and which is very famous in the hiftory of Arragon; for here it was, T 2 that *La bar Jos muertos. 6 1710. that king Ferdinand overthrew the Moors, and made fuch a flaughter of them, that the ditch is from thence called, The ditch of the flain *. We loft many men this morning, ranque de who, preffed by hunger and thirft, ventured to go and gather grapes in the vale between the two armies, and were fhot by the enemy's advanced guard. Major-general Wade came to the left fome time before the attack, and advised general Stanhope, befides his other project (which he much liked) to have three or four battalions fent for, to interline with his fquadrons, which was done, and they performed very great fervice. About noon the fignal for battle was given; the body of referve immediately marched up and flanked our left, which had the defired effect; for the enemy, obferving this body of red coats beyond our line, ordered ten or twelve fquadrons of their right to march and attack them. General Stanhope foon came up with the enemy's horfe, which he did not find much fuperior to his, by reafon of the detachment juft made, but ftill they were fuperior. He received their fire, which killed and wounded fome men, and put two fquadrons into diforder, but they rallied in an inftant. Then the whole left fell upon the enemy fword in hand with fuch order and courage, that, notwithstanding an obftinate refiftance, the first line was entirely broke. The second made but a short stand, and ran away with the firft. They were pursued very far, and in the Hight many were taken and killed. Our right and center 'were no less fuccefsful. For their left wing of horse was overpowered and put to flight in a fhort time by our right. The foot indeed made a longer defence, which lasted above two hours, but with fuch flaughter of their men, that the field of battle was covered with the dead. The enemy's horfe of the left wing being gone, and our right being come up to the walls of the city, our horse had time to breathe, for the ground would not permit them to be in the lines, and the right of our foot was clofe to the walls. Here the marfhal was at the head of his own regiment, making it fire by platoons, as regularly as any of ours do at their exercife. The detachment, the enemy had made against the body of referve, put them to flight as was expected, and purfued them a great way, till they found their miftake. Then returning towards the field of battle, and finding their right was gone off, they fell very furioufly upon our battery, cut to pieces all the guard, and killed or wounded all the officers and men belonging to it. Our au thor us. thor (a chaplain in the army) was upon the battery, and first 1710. discovered thefe fquadrons advancing towards it; upon which he thought it high time to fecure himfelf by galloping away to our right. When he came there, through the field of battle (which, fays he, was a terrible fight) he met close by the walls with general Wetzel, whom he informed of the fuccefs of our left, and of what the enemy's detachment of horse was doing in our rear. Wetzel defired him to go to the marshal, and fent his aid de camp with him. He found the marfhal (as was faid before) exercifing his men against a brigade, that had turned their backs upon When he told him, that general Stanhope had defeated the enemy's right, and was pursuing them, but that ten or twelve fquadrons were in our rear and falling upon our batteries that is no great matter (fays the marshai) if general Stanhope has beat the right, we are sure of a compleat victory. And fo indeed it proved, for quickly after all the foot threw down their arms and ran away, or were taken prisoners. However, upon the intelligence given the marshal, he ordered Wetzel to be upon his guard, and prevent any furprize from those squadrons, who, in a few minutes, came in fight of our rear; but upon our first motion galloped away and were feen no more. A great flaughter was made of the enemy's foot, to the number of five or fix thousand, and above feven thousand were taken prifoners. We took all their colours and cannon, and fhould have made more prifoners, had the horse of our right had room to pursue them; but the fituation was fuch, that they could not país by or through the foot. However the victory was entire and glorious, confidering the great difproportion of numbers, the enemy having fixty fquadrons to our forty-feven, and forty-two battalions to our thirty-three. The army incamped that night in a very commodious and pleafant ground near the city. King Charles, in the evening, entered Saragoza, attended by most of the general officers, and was received with loud acclamations by the people, who looked upon him as their deliverer from the yoke they had fo long groaned under,. and as come to restore them to the form and privileges of their antient government, which had been taken from them. And in this he answered their expectations; for the king's first care, that very night, was to abolish the Caftilian government (which had been introduced by king Philip, and confifted of chancellors, fyndics, &c. in every city, of his appointment) and gave them the'r old magiftrates or T 3 jurats, |