wards Valladolid and the neighbouring towns, where they 1710. were to remain (b). Captain Colby, who was fent to marfhal Staremberg, with an account of general Stanhope's being furprized, did not come to Cifuentes till late at night. The marshal immediately sent to the generals of the three nations, the Portuguese, Dutch, and Palatines, to march their troops with all poffible expedition to Cifuentes. They were indeed cantoned in towns very near, and got ready fo quickly, that at break of day they were all affembled before one of the gates of the town. The marshal had ordered the Germans to beat to arms, which much alarmed us (fays our author, who was then with Lepel at Cifuentes) and we were not a little furprized to fee, upon opening one of brigadier Lepel's windows, great bodies of troops clofe to the walls; but it was fo dark we could not distinguish what they were. An officer fent by the brigadier to the marshal, brought word, that the English were furrounded in Brihuega by the enemy; that the troops about the town were our own; and that he must not lofe a moment to get ready to march. This order was immediately obeyed, and we were out before we could well fee. The Germans came out foon after, and the marshal himself about eight o'clock, when we expected to march every minute; but he was refolved to ftay for Du Bourgay's regiment and the train. At laft, after waiting three hours in vain, about eleven, orders were given to march, and brigadier Lepel was fent back with his regiment (b) There were taken in Brihuega three lieutenant-generals, Stanhope, Carpenter, and Wills; major-general Pepper; brigadier Gore; colonel Dormer; fifteen lieutenant-colonels, Moyfer, Otway, Montague, Benson, Hawker, Varrier (died), Dalzel, Faulkland, Richardfon, Ramfey, Howard, Whitmore, Strickland, Nevil, Pearson; nine majors, Bland, Cotton, Wyvel, Erle, Keitley, Wheeler, Douglas, Pinfold, Savage; fixty captains, feventy-fix lieutenants, fixty-four enfigns, three adjutants and quarter-mafters, three fecretaries of general Stanhope, and one of general Carpenter's; Laroon, quarter- By this means brigadier Lepel to 1710. The battle of Villaviciofa. M. S. to meet Du Bourgay. We paffed the Tajuna at Olmeda, and marched through fuch very narrow and difficult roads, that it was quite dark before we were clear of the defiles, and got to the high grounds in the way to Brihuega. As foon as our field-train (which had much retarded our march) came up to the ground, where we lay that night on our arms, the marshal ordered several pieces of cannon to be fired, as a fignal to general Stanhope, that we were marching to his relief; but it was too late and to no purpose; for they were not heard, it being juft at the time the enemy got into the town, when they made their laft and greatest fire before the capitulation began. So it may truly be faid, that the faving one regiment was the cause of our lofing fuch a confiderable body of English. For, had we marched to the relief of Brihuega, as foon as all the troops were. ready about Cifuentes, we fhould have been there between. two and three in the afternoon, and very probably saved that valuable part of our army; for the enemy must have either retired or fought between two fires. About eight, brigadier Lepel joined us, with Du Bourgay's regiment and the train, having fkirmished about three hours with Vaillejo, who had purfued them till they came to the army. On the 29th, early in the morning, we marched upon four columns towards Brihuega, though it was believed. Stanhope had furrendered, the firing of fmall arms having been heard by the advanced guard, from the time we came. to that ground. About eleven, the marshal, with his adju-. tant-general, and fome aids de,camp, went about half a mile before the army, to try whether he could get a fight of the town from the rifing ground. After fome minutes,' some smoke was discovered to rife from the bottom between the hills, and he was foon fatisfied there was the place, by hearing the enemy's horfe marching up the high grounds, before he could fee them; but it was not long before he faw them plain enough, upon which he galloped back, and ordered his army to form. The enemy was alfo forming; but their lines extended as far again as our's, confifting of twenty-five thousand men to our thirteen thousand. Between twelve and one, the armies began to cannonade, one another; but, as the enemy faw how weak we were fince the lofs of the British troops, they foon began the attack on their right, flanking and almoft furrounding our left, which had no more than thirteen weak fquadrons, who behaved very ill, and ran away as foon as the enemy charged them them (c). By that means our foot were left to mercy, and 1710. two English battalions, two Dutch, four Palatines, two Spanish, and one Neapolitan, were cut in pieces, or taken prifoners. Here the generals Belcaftel and St. Amand were killed, befides many field-officers and others. By good fortune, the victorious right, instead of pursuing their blow, fell to plundering the baggage of the whole army, which was very confiderable, and could not ftir from the place,. Vaillejo being in the rear of it with his party. Befides the baggage, they met with another great booty. Many perfons of quality and diftinction (chiefly ladies and ecclefiaftics) having left Madrid to follow king Charles to Saragoza or Barcelona, fell into their hands, with a great number of coaches, and all the riches they could bring away. Unfortunately for them, they came into the field of battle, which was on the high road, just before the action began, and could not proceed, for fear of falling into the hands of the partisan Vaillejo. The enemy's right being thus employed, the marshal fought the left with great flaughter and fuccefs till night, when both horfe and foot retired in diforder. The duke of Vendofme, with king Philip (who was prefent during the whole action) galloped away in fuch hafte, that they paffed by the English prifoners, before they got to Guadalaxara. Thus the marfhal remained mafter of the field, took all their cannon, and retook ours, but was forced to nail it all up, for want of mules to draw it away. The Germans made ufe of their cheveux-de-frife, which were of fingular fervice; and the Portuguese horse behaved very well. Some of their squadrons were mixed with the foot, and fell upon the enemy's infantry fword in hand, as foon as ours had put them in disorder, and made a very great flaughter. It was computed the next day, that no lefs than feven thousand were killed on the fpot, befides the wounded. General Frankenberg and brigadier Lepel had rallied the horse of the left, within half a mile of the field, and would have marched them to count Staremberg; but they were feized with fuch a panic at the fight of fome straggling fquadrons, that they galloped away the fecond time, and did not ftop in three or four miles, when we overtook them in fmall parties, and made up at laft a body of about fix hundred horfe, with which we made hafte to Siguenca, left Vaillejo fhould overtake us, who followed us fo close, that we did not halt (c) Lepel's regiment is faid to behave very ill. 1710. above three hours in that city, but continued on long marches till we got to Saragoza (d). (d) The affair of Brihuega has been variously related, and general Stanhope much cenfured; but, by this account of an eyewitnefs, he was by no means to be blamed. Our author undertakes to answer the falfities published in a pamphlet called the Romance (wherein general Stanhope is introduced under the name of Celfus) particularly thofe relating to this affair. The Romance fays, Celfus was left at Brihuega by count Staremberg, with the English troops and fome battalions of the Dutch, to cover his march, as well as the cannon and heavy baggage, being himself to incamp about three leagues further, and that gave him orders to come and join him the next day. he To this our author anfwers: That Celfus was not left at Brihuega to cover the count's march, is very plain from the difpofition that was made fome days before, when it was refolved, in a council of war, that the army fhould canton upon the borders of Arragon, to fecure that kingdom. Brihuega then fell to the English for their canton, as Cifuentes did to the Germans for theirs; and the towns and villages near Cifuentes, to the troops of the other nations. That there were no battalions of the Dutch in Brihuega, is evident from this, that none of them were taken in that town with the English: neither was the cannon or heavy baggage there, both being with count Staremberg's army at the battle Staremberg of Villaviciofa; and one may eafily conclude, that, had Celfus had the English train with him, he would not have furrendered with fuch a confiderable body of English officers and foldiers, who had fignalized themselves all that campaign, and were flushed with victory and fuccefs, but would have given time to count Staremberg to have come to his relief. But the moft malicious falfhood of all is, that Celfus had orders to join count Staremberg the next day. Count Staremberg could have given no fuch orders, fince Brihuega, as I have obferved before, was the canton affigned to the whole English body of troops and artillery; and where they were to continue till count Staremberg thought fit to remove the whole army from their several cantons. The truth of this will appear from the following narration: the fame day that the troops marched into their cantons, brigadier Lepel's regiment of dragoons, which was within four or five miles of Cifuentes, and where it was left to fecure Du Bourgay's regiment from falling inte the hands of Vaillejo the parti fan, received orders from count Staremberg to march with all hafte into Cifuentes ment loft no time, and narrowly efcaped the partifan with his thoufand horfe, who fell upon fome part of the rear of the Ġermans, as they were marching into that town. The regi About Staremberg, who had fuffered so much in the action, that 1710. he was not in a condition to pursue the enemy, left the field About seven that evening, brigadier Lepel waited on count Staremberg, who told him, that he was refolved to cover the kingdom of Arragon, and fecure it from the infults of the enemy: that he had ordered the troops into feveral cantons, each nation by itself: that the English had Brihuega, and he wifhed all the regiments were there together. But, till Du Bourgay's was come up, he would fuffer Lepel's dragoons to continue with him in Cifuentes; and that, as foon as it had joined, the three regiments of Lepel, Richards, and Du Bourgay, with the train, would be able to make their way to Brihuega, without any danger from Vaillejo's party. Now let it be judged, whether this is confiftent with what the Romance tells us, That Celfus had orders to join count Staremberg the next day? Neither is there more truth in what it relates, That Celfus dispatched one of his aid de camps to count Staremberg, to let him know, that he thought proper to rest his troops one day more at Brihuega, but that he would certainly join him the day after, fince no other aid de camp was fent from Brihuega to count Staremberg, but Mr. Colby, who came to acquaint him late in the evening, that the enemy's troops had furrounded that town. It appears alfo from our author's account, why Staremberg delayed his marching to Stanhope's relief fo many hours; namely, his waiting for Du Bourgay's regiment and the train, of though he marched without them at last. Bishop Burnet indeed fays, Staremberg might have come time enough to have faved Stanhope, but he moved fo flowly, that it was conjectured he envied the glory that general had got, and was not forry to fee it eclipfed, and therefore made not that hafte he might and ought to have done. But this, as the bifhop obferves, is only conjec ture. The following letter was writ by brigadier Lepel, to the lord Dartmouth, then fecretary of ftate, concerning the Brihuega affair, and the battle of Villaviciofa: My lord, Saragoffa, Dec. 10, 1710, O. S. I think myself obliged to inform your lordship of the miffortune that has befallen her majefty's troops, in our retreat from Caftile towards the borders of Arragon. The army marched upon three columns; the generals of each nation at the head of their own people. General Stanhope led the left and the rear of all, and had with him the regiments of Harvey, Raby, Pepper, and his own; of the foot+ guards, and Harrison's, Wade's, Dormer's, Bowles's, Munden's, Gore's, and Dalzel's regiments. The enemy had detached fome fquadrons to obferve him. On Sunday the 26th of November, O. S. he got into a little walled town in the mountains of Caftile, called Brihuega, where he refolved to halt a day and refresh |