Anne. Severe reflections were likewise made upon the earl of Al1712. bemarle; but, the States having appointed fome deputies of their own, and the council of state some of their members, to examine his reafons, it was refolved, upon the report of the examination, not only to declare, that the earl had behaved with prudence and bravery in that unfortunate action, but also to return him thanks for his conduct (o).

pofts. Brodrick.

But though it be hard to determine what errors were committed either in the councils or orders, or in the execution of them, and at whofe door these ought to be laid, yet this misfortune ferved not a little to raise the duke of Marlborough's character, under whose command no such thing had ever happened.

The French The action of Denain being over, Villars ordered Broglio take feveral to inveft Marchiennes on the Scarpe, where the allies principal ftores were lodged, with above an hundred and fifty bilanders laden with artillery, and all forts of ammunition, and provisions for a whole campaign. At the fame time he commanded Albergotti to attack St. Amand, ordering other detachments to poffefs themselves of the rest of the posts on the Scarpe. Two hundred of the troops of the allies, who were in the abbey of Anchin, and at Pont-a-Roche, yielded themselves prifoners of war. At the fame time, count de l'Efparre made himself master of the abbey of Hafnon, where he took a hundred prifoners. Albergotti poffeffed himself likewise of Mortagne, at the mouth of the Scarpe, where he took an hundred men; and then of St. Amand, which was defended by eight hundred men, who yielded themselves prifoners of war. In the mean time, Broglio invefted Marchiennes, and, having viewed it, found the enterprize much more difficult than he at firft imagined; that poft being in

of France; and that if marfhal
Villars had been as popular as
fome generals, he would have
been publickly called the re-
ftorer of his country. He fur-
ther obferves, this victory was
the fafety of France, even more
than the peace of Utrecht.
P. 225.

:

(0) Prince Eugene, in a letter
to an eminent minifter, fays
"I am furprized and troubled
to hear of the injuftice people do
my lord Albemarle.- -He per-

formed all that a courageous, prudent, and vigilant general could do; and, had all the troops done their duty, the affair would not have gone as it did: But, when they run as foon as they have given one fire, and cannot be rallied, no general in the world can help it: And therefore, Sir, I doubt not that you will contribute to the difabufing those of the regency, who may have been misinformed.'

compaffed

Compaffed with moraffes and ditches full of water; fortified Anne. with feveral works; defended by brigadier Berkoffer with fix 1712. battalions and five hundred men, detached from the garrifon of Doway, and by the regiment of Schellart, consisting of three fquadrons of cuiraffiers, of the elector Palatine's troops. Thefe difficulties obliged Villars to defire the marquifs de Montefquiou to take upon him the care of the fiege. On the last day of July (Villars being returned to the fiege) the town furrendered, and the garrifon, to the number of five thousand, were made prifoners of war, and conducted to Valenciennes. The lofs of this poft was of very bad confequence to the allies; for they had there a general magazine of all forts of artillery, ammunition, and provifions, defigned for the further operations of the campaign. On the other hand, the advantage the enemy obtained by forcing the intrenchments of Denain, and by the taking of Marchiennes, were fo confiderable, that the French king wrote an account of it to the archbishop of Paris (p). After this, Doway was Doway inin- Aug. 12,

(P) The letter was as follows: the ftrength of its intrenchments)

Coufin,

The fteps I have taken to effect a general peace, and the fufpenfion, which I have agreed on with the queen of England, have not availed to determine the other allies to enter into the fame fentiments. On the contrary, they formed a defign to push on their conquefts, and befiege Landrecy. The importance of that place (the taking of which would have opened to the enemy an entrance into my kingdom) determined me to give my orders to the marshals de Villars, and de Montefquiou (who command my army in Flanders) to attack and fight the enemy, to oblige them to raife the fiege. They have acted with fo much conduct and prudence, and the fuccefs has been fo happy, that the camp, which was poffeffed by the enemy at Denain (notwithstanding

was forced and defeated with the
intire loss of seventeen battalions
which defended it, and of a
convoy of about five hundred
waggons, who were at the fame
time on the march towards the
camp before Landrecy. The
defeat of these troops incamped
at Denain was followed by the
taking of the post of Mar-
chiennes, where the enemy had
fix

battalions, five hundred foot
detached from the garrison of
Doway, and three fquadrons of
horfe, who were all made pri-
foners of war: And being ad-
ded to thofe taken in the camp
at Denain, and in fome other
pofts along the Scarpe, make
the number of above feven thou-
fand men, and upwards of four
hundred officers, prifoners; a-
mong whom are feveral of their
general officers. My troops,
who in these two actions fhewed
all poffible valour, took thirty-
feven colours, and three ftan-

dards.

vested.

Anne. invested, which obliged prince Eugene to abandon the defight 1712. of befieging Landrecy, and march to the relief of Doway.

The prince tried to raise the fiege, but did not fucceed. Indeed the States would not put things to fo great a venture after fuch loffes: So Villars profecuted the fiege with vigour, and battered fort Scarpe with eighty pieces of cannon: But, notwithstanding the garrifon of the fort confifted but of four hundred men, they defended it fourteen days, and furrendered prifoners of war on the 28th of Auguft, having repulfed the French in several attacks. After the taking of that fort, the enemy redoubled their fire against the town; and, although the garrison was but weak, general Hompefch, the governor, contrary to the expectations of the allies or the French, held out till the 8th of September, N. S. when he furrendered the garrifon prisoners of war. The enemy, during this fiege, were repulfed in feveral attacks, and loft a great number of men (especially when they took the counterfcarp and a halfmoon, which they were obliged to abandon) and, had the garrifon been numerous enough in proportion to the extent of the place, it is very probable, the French would not have retaken it. Prince Eugene had the mortification to be a fpectator of the lofs of this place; but it was not his fault, if a vigorous attempt was not made to prevent it: For, during the fiege, he used all poffible endeavours to engage the enemy; but the French had fo ftrongly fortified their camp on the one hand, and the Dutch were fo cautious of running any hazards in this critical juncture, that the prince, feeing no poffibility of coming to action, returned to his camp at Seclin, from whence detachments were made to fecure Lifle, Mons, Bethune, Aire, St. Venant, and other places. After the furrender of Doway, advice being brought to prince Eugene, that the French were advanced to Malplaquet, and posted on the fame ground, where the famous battle of that

dards. The enemy loft with
Marchiennes a great number of
cannon, and ftores of all forts of
ammunition and provifions, la-
den in above one hundred and
fifty bilanders; and their army
being weakened by fo confide-
rable a lofs, having no longer
communication with the places
they are poffeffed of towards the
Scarpe, have been forced to
raife the fiege of Landrecy, to

retire towards Mons. And as fuch an event is a visible mark of the protection of God, who knows the rectitude of my intentions, I hold myself obliged to render to him moft humbie acts of thanksgiving. I defire therefore, that you will cause Te Deum to be fung in the metropolitan church of my good, city of Paris, &c.?

дате

Quefnoy

name was fought three years before, a difpofition was made Anne. to diflodge them, and prevent the fiege of Quefnoy. But 1712. the enemy having with great diligence advanced within half a league of Quefnoy, and taken a very advantageous camp, inverted and prince Eugene thought fit to ftop his march near the wood taken. of Dour, and to encamp with the right near St. Guilain, the left at the mill of Saart near the wood of Lagniere, and the head quarters at Belian. Villars having, with the utmost care, fecured all the paffes, and fortified his camp, the neceffary difpofitions were made for carrying on the fiege of Quefnoy, which was invefted the 8th of September, N. S. The French expected to have made themselves masters of the town in eight or ten days; but major-general Ivoy, who commanded in the place, made fo good ufe of the heavy artillery, which the allies left there, after the taking of Quefnoy, that it was the 14th of October, N. S. before he was obliged to fubmit to the fame terms, on which Doway had been surrendered, that the garrison should remain prisoners of war: The French gave out, that they found in the place one hundred and fixteen heavy cannon; a great number of others of small fize; forty mortars, five hundred thousand weight of powder; a great quantity of bullets, bombs, grenadoes, and provifions of all forts; the whole being valued at three millions of livres; and that this garrifon compleated the number of forty battalions of the allies, killed or made prisoners fince the 24th of July, N. S. on which happened the unfortunate affair of Denain. The French, being re- Bouchain folved to lose no time in inlarging their conquefts, opened Oct. 10. their trenches before Bouchain; which place was fo indifferently provided, and the garrifon fo weak, that they made but a flender refiftance; for, the enemy having taken poffeffion of the covered-way, and made the difpofitions for ftorming the place, the garrison beat a parley, and furrendered at difcretion.

taken.

While the French were before Bouchain, the allies fur- Fort prized the fort of Knocque in the following manner: Briga- Knocque dier Caris, commander of Oftend, having received certain the allies. intelligence, that the garrifon of fort Knocque was very weak, Brodrick. refolved to try to furprize it. Accordingly, Caris detached Oct. 4one hundred and eighty men, under the direction of captain De Rue, a famous partifan, who, having marched with the utmoft privacy, found means to hide themfelves in three little houses, and in the governor's garden, ftanding between four draw-bridges, where they lay clofe all night. In the morning, at the opening of the gates, fome of the detachΟ

ment

Anne. ment advanced on a fudden, and made themselves mafters of 1712. the bridge neareft the fort, having killed the guard. De Rue divided his men into four bodies, and with one of them feized a gate, while two other divifions ran to the other two gates, and the fourth drew up near the Cazerns to hinder the garrifon from drawing together; which fucceeded fo well, that with the lofs of only two men killed, and one wounded, that important fort was taken. The French governor hearing the noise, leaped out of bed, and, looking out of the window, cried, Quarter and was made prisoner of war with the garrifon, which confifted of three French companies, and one of Swifs, but a great many of them were fick. De Rue,. having fecured that poft, fent out part of his men, to feize all the provifions in the neighbouring villages, and to bring the fame into the fort, before the garrifon of Ypres could be Informed of the lofs of the place. He dispatched alfo an exprefs with an account of this fuccefs to brigadier Caris, who detached forty men to reinforce the garrifon. The precautions taken by De Rue were not ufelefs; for the loss of that poft occafioned the motion of a great body of troops on each fide towards the Lys, as if the French defigned to retake it; but they found that fortrefs fo well and fo feafonably provided, that the French intirely abandoned the defign of attacking it.

The campaign in the Netherlands ended with the taking of Bouchain by the French; for, a few days after, both armies marched into winter-quarters; and prince Eugene, having ftaid fome days at Bruffels to fettle fome matters with the council of Brabant, proceeded to the Hague on the 28th of October,

The END of Vol. V.