1711. in execution, under the direction of lieutenant-general Cadogan.

On the other hand, the French forces beginning about the middle of April to affemble near Cambray and Arras, the duke fet out from the Hague, and arrived in three days at Tournay, near which place the troops were incamped in feveral bodies. At a council of war, it was refolved, that thofe troops fhould join, and form the army; which was done at Orchies between Lifle and Doway. The next day the duke of Marlborough paffed the Scarpe, and incamped between Doway and Bouchain, and found, that the enemy had affembled a numerous army behind the Sanfet in a Some boats moft advantageous poft, which was judged inacceffible. Nodeftroyed by thing material happend till the 9th of May, when three the French. thoufand French, detached from Valenciennes and Condé,

attacked a convoy of forty-five boats, laden with hay and oats, which fet out for Tournay under a guard of two battalions commanded by brigadier Chambrier. But, the garrifon of St. Amand advancing to the affiftance of the guard, the enemy retired, having first fet on fire twelve of the boats, with the lofs of about an hundred men killed and wounded; and the allies loft about the fame number.

The duke of Marlborough continued in his camp, where he expected the rest of the troops, which were to form his army, and the arrival of prince Eugene. That prince was obliged to stay some days at Francfort, to concert with the elector of Mentz the neceffary measures for the fecurity of the empire, upon the unexpected death of the emperor Jofeph; after which he proceeded to the court of the elector Palatine, to regulate feveral matters with that prince, who, as one of the vicars of the empire, was to have the chief adminiftration thereof during the interregnum. By this means prince Eugene did not join the grand army till the 23d of May. The duke and prince were refolved to continue in their camp as long as poffible, in hopes that the scarcity of forage would oblige the enemy to decamp; for, after the feveral attempts, that were made at the post of Arleux, which was taken and retaken, there was no likelihood to force their lines."

In the mean time the French hoping, that the elector of Bavaria had many friends in the empire, who would declare for him; and believing, that the Germans, being deprived of their general in chief, would hearken to a neutrality, if that elector appeared in Germany at the head of

a powerful

a powerful army; refolved to fend him thither; and, to that end, reinforced their army on the Rhine from their garrifons on the Maefe and Mofelle, and likewife from their army in the Netherlands. For Villars thought his lines fo fecure and impenetrable, that he boafted, they were the Ne plus ultra of the duke of Marlborough. Thefe lines began at Bouchain on the Scheld, and were continued along the Sanfet and the Scarpe to Arras, and from thence along the Upper Scarpe and the river Ugy to the Canche, the opening between those rivers being intrenched and fortified with all poffible care by a large ditch, defended with redoubts and other works.

1711.

marches to

of Marlbo

The preparations of the enemy alarming the empire, Prince Euprince Eugene received pofitive orders from Vienna to march gene with the imperial and Palatine troops to the Upper Rhine the Rhine. for fecuring Germany. Upon this the two armies decamped, the 14th of June, and repaffed the Scarpe, prince Eugene taking his way towards Tournay, and the duke of Marlborough marching towards the plains of Lens in fight of the French, who did not offer to infult his rear. The duke The duke continued there till the 20th of July, when he advanced torough furwards Aire, to make the enemy believe, that he defigned prifes the to besiege St. Omer, or attack their lines on that fide. This French lines. obliged Villars to reinforce the garrifon of that place, and to draw all his troops to defend his lines between the Scarpe and the Canche, which both armies believed the duke defigned to attack, because of the preparations he had made. The duke, upon a view of the enemy's lines, finding it would be too hazardous to endeavour to force them, refolved upon a ftratagem. To make the enemy believe, he really intended to attack them, he ordered twelve hundred men out, to make roads and bridges in the front, and advanced, with the whole army, to Rebreuve, and from thence to Villars-Brulin, within two leagues of the lines. Here he fet all his troops to work, in making fafcines, and gave out, that he intended to attack the lines the next morning. Villars was fo fully perfuaded of it, that he fent orders to a ftrong detachment, commanded by count d'Eftain, which had been sent upon a fecret expedition, to halt at Perenne, and to the garrifons of Ypres and St. Omer, to join his army, which he drew together behind the lines. The duke, to amufe the enemy more effectually, went, the 4th of Auguft, N. S. by break of day, with feveral of the general officers and two thousand horfe, to take a nearer view of

A a 4

the

1711. the fituation of the enemy's camp; but his real defign, when he advanced from Coté near Aire, was to endeavour to get within the enemy's lines, by attempting the paffage of the Sanfet by Arleux, which he believed was ungarded, as indeed it happened to be. To this end he ordered Cadogan and Hompefch to repair, with all expedition, to Doway, and assemble some troops that were left there on purpose, which, with a detachment of that, and the neighbouring garrifons of Lifle and St. Amand, made a body of three and twenty battalions and feventeen fquadrons. Their farther orders were to march directly with their troops to Arleux, and endeavour to pass the Sanfet, while the duke himself would advance with the whole army to fupport them. And, that nothing might retard this extraordinary march, brigadier Sutton was fent beforehand with the artillery and pontons to make bridges over the Scarpe near Vitry, and over the canal of Arleux near Goulezin.

These things were managed fo privately, and the feint carried on fo well, that the confederate generals themselves thought of nothing but attacking the lines the next morning. These amufements had fo good an effect upon Villars, that he kept his troops under arms night and day, and reinforced them with all the ftrength he could poffibly draw together, on that fide, not leaving any number of troops in the pofts he had upon the Sanfet.

The confederate army, in the mean time, were expecting orders to march, which were not given till fix in the evening, The march was to begin between eight and nine, as foon as it was dark enough to strike their tents, without being feen by the enemy; but, whether the march was to be to the right or left, was not known. They were only told, that the feveral columns, which the army was to march in, fhould find an officer at the head of each, at fuch an hour, who fhould lead them the way they were to take, when the time came. About nine the whole army, to their great furprize, were ordered to march by the left, in four columns, without beat of drum; and the duke himself, with the horse of the left wing, led the van, and advanced with fuch extraordinary expedition, that, the next morning by five, he paffed the Scarpe at Vitry. Here he received advice, that Hompefch had paffed the Sanfet without oppofition, and taken poffeffion of the paffes on that river, and on the Scheld at Oify, the French, having, fome time before, withdrawn the detachments they had on that fide. The duke, upon this, haftened his march, left the

enemy

enemy fhould get there before him; and, at the same time, dispatched orders to the grand army, to pursue their march with the utmost diligence. The duke, with his van-guard of fifty fquadrons, having paffed the Scarpe, haftened towards Arleux and Bacà Bachuel, where he arrived before eight of the clock, and the heads of the columns joined him there about ten, having marched above ten leagues without halting; a thing scarce to be paralleled in history.

Villars, though he had notice of this unexpected march of the confederate army about eleven at night, was fo poffeffed with the belief that the defign was to attack his lines near Avefnes le Compte, that he waited till two the next morning for certain intelligence. Then he decamped with his whole army, and, putting himself at the head of the king's houfhold, marched all night with fuch diligence, that he appeared with the head of his line about eleven o'clock, foon after the duke of Marlborough had joined count Hompefch, and paffed with twenty fquadrons through the defile of Marquion. But, when he faw the duke was advancing with his horse to attack him, he retreated to the main body of his army, which was, by that time, advanced to the high road between Arras and Cambray. Mean while the allies advanced with all poffible diligence, and, having all paffed, the army incamped upon the Scheld between Oify and Eftrun.

Thus the confederate army entered the French lines, which they had fo vainly boasted to be impenetrable; the boldest attempt that had been made during the whole war : and the honour of it was the greater to the duke of Marlborough, as his army was not only weakened by the detachment, which prince Eugene had carried to the Rhine,, but by the calling over five thousand of the beft troops in his army for an expedition defigned by fea; fo that the enemy were fuperior to him in number. This raised his character beyond all that he had done formerly; the defign was so well laid, and fo happily executed, that, in all men's opinions, it paffed for a mafter-piece of military fkill, the honour of it falling intirely on the duke of Marlborough, no other perfons having any fhare, except in the execution.

The next day, August 6, while the allies expected the enemy lying upon their arms, advice was brought to the duke of Marlborough, that they were in motion towards the Scheld, in order to pass it at Crevecoeur, and incamp between Cambray and Bouchain, to prevent the fiege of the latter. The duke detached forty fquadrons, with orders to

1711.

fall

1711. fall upon their rear; but they found it impracticable, by reafon of the morafs that was between them: and, a council of war being called, the field-deputies of the states-general proposed to purfue the enemy, and hazard a battle, fince this furprize had put them in no fmall disorder. The duke of Marlborough was of a different opinion. He thought the attempt might be too hazardous: the army was much fatigued with so long a march, in which the cavalry had been eight and forty hours on horfeback, alighting only twice, about an hour each time, to feed their horfes. The French were fresh, having had a much nearer march within their lines, than the confederates round them; and the allies were not in a condition for action, till some time were allowed for refreshment. Befides, the duke forefaw, in case of a misfortune, their being within the enemy's lines might be fatal.

The duke having disapproved of the proposal made by the deputies, it was expected he should make another. Accordingly he propofed the befieging of Bouchain, which he thought would oblige the French to endeavour to raise the fiege; and that might give occafion to their engaging on more equal terms; or it would bring both a difreputation and a difcouragement on their army, if a place of such importance fhould be taken in their fight. But both the Dutch deputies and the general officers thought the enterprize too bold, yet they fubmitted to his judgment. It feemed impracticable to take a place fituated in a morafs well fortified, with a good garrifon in it, in fight of a superior army; for the French lay within a mile of them. There was alfo great danger from the excurfions, which the garrifons of Valenciennes and Condé might make, to cut off their provifions, which were to come from Tournay. All about the duke endeavoured to divert him from fo dangerous an undertaking, fince a misfortune in his conduct would have furnished his enemies with the advantages they waited for. All this he was fenfible of; but he had laid the fcheme fo well, that he refolved to venture on it. But, before this refolution was executed, the duke dispatched brigadier Sutton to England with the news, that he had without the lofs of a man entered thofe lines, which had coft the enemy fo much time and labour to fortify, and of the ftrength of which they had fo much boasted. The field-deputies fent alfo an account of that affair to the states-general. The news was received in Holland with an universal joy, and no encomiums were too great for the conductor of the great de