1708. their horfes ftriking against the pavement. The allies took feven officers and about forty prifoners; but what numbers were killed and blown up, could not easily be known (k). (k) The hereditary prince of Heffe-Caffel gave the following account of this affair to the States General. High and mighty lords, Whilft the first fire that fell upon their men, who were not aware of it. It is faid, that at least an hundred men perished in this manner near the gate; and it is likely this is the laft noise we heard. Between fifty and fixty troopers were killed upon the place, where they paffed the line; and it was a dreadful fpectacle to see the way ftrewed with dead carcaffes, horfes, heads, arms, and legs, half burnt. The others, who were behind, retired as faft as they could. I caufed them to be pursued, but it was impoffible to overtake them. They found, however, upon the road, for two leagues beyond the camp, facks of powder, fwords, piftols, and loofe powder, which fhews the precipitation with which they made their retreat. Our Heffian huffars fet fire to a great many facks, which they found in the Yesterday towards the evening we heard a great blow, which we fuppofed to be a mine; half an hour after another crack was heard, and at midnight fuch a blast, that the ground fhook with it. This alarmed the whole army. I went to the right, from whence the noise came (having first given order to all the cavalry under my command to faddle and mount) and found that a great detachment of the enemy, coming from Doway, had endeavoured to break through at the aperture of the line of circumvallation, on the highway between Doway and Lifle, where the Palatinate horse are incamp-road, as they returned from the ed. Part of them having paffed, purfuit. We reckon that about and our men putting themselves three hundred men got into the in a pofture to oppose them, the town, but carried too little powbags of powder, which moft of der with them to balance their the French horfe and dragoons lofs. On the other hand, it is had behind them, of about fifty plain, that ammunition, which pound weight each, took fire, is fo neceffary for their defence, which made a terrible noife. begins to fall fhort in the place. The foremost of them, upon this accident, rode full gallop towards the town: nevertheless, before they could reach it, the fame difafter befel them a fecond time, juft as they came up to the barrier, which might in all probability be occafioned by the horfes fhoes friking upon the pavement, or by the sparks of Your high mightineffes will, no doubt, have had direct advice of the advantage which the troops, lately arrived from England, fuftained by thofe general Cadogan carried with him from the army, have obtained near the canal, that goes from Oftend to Newport, over the duke of Berwick's endeavour from Oft end. Whilft these things were transacting before Lifle, the 1708. duke of Marlborough, who, on the 25th of September, returned to the camp at Lanoy, was employed in making de- The French tachments, and taking other meafures for fecuring a great to intercept convoy of ammunition that was expected from Oftend. The the convoy duke had ordered fix battalions and eight hundred horse under brigadier Lansberg, ten fquadrons under brigadier Starkerberg, and fix battalions under general Els, to guard the convoy. But having received advice, that the English troops under lieutenant-general Erle had advanced to Leffingen, on the canal between Bruges and Newport, and that the count de la Motte had been reinforced with several brigades from the French army to intercept him; he concluded that the detachment, he had ordered, would not be fufficient to oppose the enemy. And therefore major-general Webb, and brigadier count Naffau-Woudenburgh, fon to the veldtmarshal d'Auverquerque, marched the 26th, by break of day, with twelve battalions more, to join the detachment on the road between Menin and Oftend, and were ordered to advance as far as Itchtegem, in the country called le Franc de Bruges, about four leagues from Leffingen. Major-general Cadogan marched in the mean time, with a detachment of horfe and foot, to meet the convoy upon their paffing the canal of Bruges. Notwithstanding it was impoffible to take other precautions for fecuring that convoy, than those which were taken, yet the confederates were under great uneafinefs for it, upon advice that the body of troops, which the enemy had about Bruffels, were marched by Ninove to Ghent, to join the count de la Motte; and that the intercepting of that convoy was judged fo important, that the duke of Berwick was gone to Bruges to command the army affembled there. The French having concerted all the neceffary measures for difturbing the allies, and depriving them of any supplies, the count de la Motte marched from Ghent with about twenty-two thousand men, and came up with fix thousand of the confederate troops that were ordered to guard the convoy; which occafioned one of the moft glorious and remarkable actions recorded in history: of which there cannot be a better relation than what was presented by major-general Webb to the queen, on the 6th Berwick's troops that attacked them. The great convoy is arrived at Menin. I congratulate your high mightineffes upon both these accounts, and am, &c. From the camp be- FREDERIC, of 1708. of October, and afterwards published by authority, in the Battle of following manner (1): After that the detachments, which were fent to cover the Wynendale. march of the waggons from Oftend to the fiege of Lifle, had joined at Turout, the 27th of September, general Webb, who, as eldest major-general, commanded in chief, received advice, that major Savery, of the regiment of Gethem, had poffeffed himself of the poft at Oudenburgh; whereupon he fent fix hundred grenadiers, under the command of colonel Prefton ; a battalion of Orkney's, under the command of colonel Hamilton, with that of Fune, commanded by colonel Voogt; the whole under the direction of brigadier Landsberg, to reinforce that poft. The 28th, at eight in the morning, all the horse, under the command of majorgeneral Cadogan, were ordered to Hoglede, to wait the arrival of the convoy there, except a hundred and fifty horfe, which were fent the night before, under the command of count Lottum, to Oudenburg, with orders to the two battalions and fix hundred grenadiers, to guard the convoy to Cocklaer, and afterwards to rejoin the foot at Turout. About noon, count Lottum returned to Turout, with advice, that in his way to Ichtegem, he met with an advanced guard of the enemy, which he pufhed into the plain, where he observed fixteen fquadrons mounting in great hafte, on the alarm which their advanced guard gave them: whereupon he thought it neceffary to return in all hafte to give the general an account of it. On this advice all the foot, confifting of twenty-two battalions, count Lottum, with his hundred and fifty horfe, making the advanced guard, with the quarter-mafters and grenadiers that were not detached, were ordered to march immediately to gain the village of Ichtegem, by the way of Wynendale (m). As foon as the advanced guard got to Wynendale, they perceived the enemy in the opening of the plain; whereupon the quarter-masters (1) The London Gazette of the 20th and 23d of September, having, from a wrong and partial information, tranfmitted by Mr. Cardonnel, the duke of Marlborough's fecretary, given the honour of the action to major-general Cadogan, without fo much as mentioning major-general Webb, to whom it was entirely due; the latter, refent ing the affront, left the army in difguft, came over into England, and gave the queen a true relation of the affair of Wynendale. (m) Wynendale is an inconfiderable place in Spanish Flanders, adjoining to a wood, called the wood of Wynendale, eleven miles fouth-west of Bruges, and twenty-eight north of Lifle. and and grenadiers were drawn up in order of battle. Major- 1708. general Webb and count Naflau-Woudenburg, at the head of the hundred and fifty horfe, advanced to reconnoitre the enemy, giving orders at the fame time to the foot to advance, and form themselves as faft as poffible in the plain. The horse were left at the opening of the plain, under the command of count Lottum, to amuse the enemy; and, to embarrass them the more, the quarter-mafters and grenadiers were posted in a low coppice on that fide of the plain, where the enemy were expected to país. As foon as our troops paffed out of the defile into the plain, major-general Webb drew them up in order of battle, pofting them in the opening, between the wood of Wynendale and the coppice, on the other fide, where the quarter-mafters and grenadiers were pofted. We had scarce got fix battalions into the opening, when the enemy began to cannonade us with forty pieces of cannon, whereof ten were of three bores. But, notwithstanding the great fire of the enemy, the hundred and fifty horfe kept their ground; which produced the defired effect, in giving the general time to form his foot in two lines. The left wing was extended beyond the low coppice, as well to prevent the enemy from paffing that way, as to cover our flank. On our right wing was posted, in the wood of Wynendale, the regiment of Hukelom; and on our flank on the left, the regiment of the hereditary prince of Pruffia, commanded by colonel Rhador, with orders not to discover themselves, nor fire till they could take the enemy in flank. Some platoons of grenadiers were advanced forty paces upon the right and left, with the fame orders; and the quarter-mafters were also posted in a road on the left, that croffed through the forementioned low coppice. The enemy, after three hours cannonading, advanced towards us on the plain in twelve lines, whereof fix were foot, and fix horfe. Whereupon count Lottum was ordered to retire, and post himself three hundred paces behind the foot, which he did in very good order. The French continued to march ftrait up to us with forty battalions and fixty fquadrons but the general perceiving they extended themselves to their right in the coppice, he fent count Naffau to observe their motion, who immediately ordered thither the regiment of Grumkau, commanded by colonel Befchefer; and brigadier Eltz, being come up with the last regiment, was posted on the right, in the wood of Wynendale. About half a quarter of an hour before the engagement began, brigadier Landsberg, with the two battalions and fix hundred grena 1708. diers that had been detached, having advice that the enemy advanced to attack us, rejoined us juft time enough to form a third line. Some minutes after the enemy began the attack, marching within a hundred and fifty paces of our flank on the right, where the battalions, who hid themselves according to the general's orders, and who were not to fire till the French flank came oppofite to them, gave them such a warm fire, that their left wing gave into the center; and the regiment of the hereditary prince, who was posted on the flank on our left, much about the fame distance, did not mifs the opportunity of their diforder, to give them a vigorous discharge, which put their whole line in confufion. Nevertheless the enemy pushed on, and put two of our battalions into diforder. But the Swifs regiment of Albemarle, under the command of colonel Hirtgell, advancing upon their horfe that were endeavouring to penetrate, engaged them long enough to give time to the general and count Nassau, to bring up the regiments of Benfdorf, Gauvain, and Lindeboom, to supply the room of those that were preffed; which was done in a moment. However the enemy, fupported by fo many lines, made another attempt to penetrate; but our battalion rather advanced than gave way, though the general gave orders against advancing, fearing, left that might render the fire of our flanks ufelefs. This precaution had all the defired fuccefs; the regiments and grenadiers making fuch a continual fire, as forced their two wings upon their center, and obliged the whole to retire in the greatest confufion, notwithstanding all the efforts their officers could make by encouragement or violence, to keep them up; fo that they only fired at a great diftance on our lines, which ours returned, advancing by platoons, as at their exercife, with all the order imaginable. Major-general Cadogan, who came up fome time after the action began, offered to charge the enemy in their disorder with two fquadrons of horfe; the other four, which he had fent for, not being ar<rived till near feven at night. But it was not thought ad-vifeable to expose fo fmall a number to charge the enemy, who had brought up all their horfe to favour their retreat. The battle lafted two hours, and was very hot, in which we had nine hundred and twelve officers and foldiers killed and - wounded. But the enemy (as we were affured by letters from Ghent and Bruges, and by report of prisoners and deferters) loft between fix and feven thoufand men. They made their retreat in fo great confufion, that they left most of their cannon in a wood, which they did not carry off till the |