It was not long before the allies felt the fatal effects of their Anne. being abandoned by the British forces. Villars having re- 1712. ceived orders to raise the fiege of Landrecy at any rate (m),

and his army being reinforced with part of the garrifons of Villars feveral places, he refolved to attack the fmall body of the forms a defign to pofconfederate troops incamped at Denain, which kept an open fefs himself communication between prince Eugene's army and the vil- of the camp lage of Marchiennes, through which all their artillery, am- Brodrick,

of Denain.

Anne. munition, and provifions, muft neceffarily pafs; rightly judg1712. ing, that, if he could poffefs himself of these stores, the allies would not be in a condition to carry on their fiege. To execute this defign, he paffed the Scheld, and, incamping on the Selle towards Chateau-Cambrefis, ordered one thousand five hundred men to widen and level the roads towards the Sambre, and to lay bridges over that river. Upon these motions, prince Eugene caused a great intrenchment to be made before his left, and pofted behind it general Fagel with forty battalions, and caused his right to move up nearer about three leagues, that he might be in a condition to maintain the fiege with all his forces. Mean while Villars caused the count de Broglio to advance along the Selle with forty fquadrons, caufing all the paffages of that river to be guarded, to the end that none of the parties of the allies might pass over it, to obferve the motions of the French army. At the fame time he ordered the marquis de Vieuxpont to march with thirty battalions of the left, fome artillery and pontons, and lay bridges at Neufville over the Scheld, between Bouchain and Denain. He caused him to be followed by count Albergotti with twenty other battalions, and by all the army, in four columns, and a fifth of artillery, having fome days before fent the heavy baggage to St. Quintin. Notwithstanding the marquis de Vieuxpont made all poffible expedition, he could not reach Neufville till the 24th of July, at eight in the morning, where he immediately caufed bridges to be laid over the Scheld. Broglio arrived about nine with his forty fquadrons; as did likewise Villars, who ordered him to pass over before the infantry, which he did with great difficulty, by reason of a morafs, which was beyond the bridge, which the horse and dragoons were forced to march through four a-breaft.

The precautions, which Villars had used, to conceal his true defign, and his march from the confederates, fucceeded fo well, that prince Eugene had no intelligence of either till the 24th, at seven in the morning; when being informed, that the enemy laid bridges over the Scheld, he haftened to the camp at Denain, after having given orders to the troops, which he had drawn to some distance from it, to follow him. The prince viewed the camp and intrenchments at Denain; gave the earl of Albemarle fuch directions, as he thought neceffary for the defence of that important poft; reinforced the eleven battalions, that were there, with fix more from the army; and judging, that fourteen fquadrons, which were.

alfo

alfo in the intrenchments, would be ufelefs, he caused them Anne. to retire with the baggage. After which he went away him- 1712. felf, to haften the march of his troops, in order to attempt the fuccour of the earl of Albemarle, or at least to save part of the infantry. The prince was scarce got out of the lines, The action when Broglio attacked thofe between Neufville and Denain ; at Denain, and, finding them weakly guarded, he forced them almost without any refiftance; four battalions of the Palatines, and other German auxiliaries, who were pofted there, throwing down their arms upon the first discharge. He found within these lines five hundred waggons loaden with bread for the confederate army, guarded by five hundred horse, and the fame number of foot, who were furrounded, and moft of them were either killed or taken. Upon the first appearance of the enemy on that fide, the earl of Albemarle advanced with part of his forces to defend the convoy, and sustain the four battalions; but finding, they had cowardly left that poft, and a great body of the French infantry were advancing, he returned into his camp, the approach of which was defended by twelve pieces of cannon. The French infantry having paffed the Scheld, and the lines, which Broglio had gained, Villars made the difpofitions for the attack with thirty-fix battalions, in three columns, diftant two hundred paces from each other, with a referve of fix battalions marching in a second line, and the cavalry behind to fupport them. Villars put himself at the right of the infantry, as did the marshal de Montefquiou and Albergotti at the left. The fignal being given, the whofe line advanced, and marched feven or eight hundred paces, towards the intrenchment, without firing once. When they were come within half a musket-shot, the troops of the allies, who lined the rampart, made a discharge of their cannon loaded with cartridge fhot, and three difcharges of their muskets, without disordering any one battalion. The enemy coming up within fifty paces of the intrenchment, the piquets and grenadiers leaped into the ditch, followed by the battalions, and, after a long refiftance, they entered the camp, cutting down all, who made head against them. The reft retired into the village and the abbey, where they were forced and pursued fo-clofe, that intire battalions threw themselves into the Scheld; fo that of those seventeen battalions hardly three thousand men escaped, all the reft being killed, taken, or drowned. The action was scarce over, when Albergotti and the marquifs de Nangis marched and poffeffed themselves of the redoubt and bridge, which the con

federates

Anne. federates had built at the village of Provi, by reafon of a mo1712. rafs lying over-againft Denain, in order to cut off the retreat

of the runaways, and hinder their being fuccoured by prince Eugene's army, which was feen advancing in columns on the other fide of the Scheld. Upon his arrival, the prince caused that redoubt to be attacked; but, it being defended by the regiment of Navarre, fuftained by part of the French army posted on the bank of the Scheld with artillery, he was obliged to draw off, and encamp the next day near Quefnoy and Bavory, to fupport the troops employed in the fiege of Landrecy. The lofs of the French (if we may credit their own accounts) did not amount to above four hundred men killed and wounded; among whom were no persons of distinction, befides the marquifs de Tourville, fon of the late marshal of that name, killed; the marquifs de Meufe-Choiseul dangerously wounded; the chevalier de Teffé, colonel of the regiment of Champagne, and monfieur de Gauflac, wounded, As to the confederates, it was reckoned, they had about one thoufand killed, two thoufand five hundred taken prifoners, and near one thousand five hundred drowned; among which laft was the brave count Dhona, governor of Mons; and among the flain was count Naffau-Woudenbourg, an officer of great merit, and highly esteemed by prince Eugene. Among the prisoners were the earl of Albemarle, general, the prince of Anhault (brother of the prince of Anhault-Deffen) the prince of Naffau-Seckin, lieutenant-generals; the prince of Holftein, the baron Dalbergh, and monfieur Zobel, major-generals; the colonels count de la Lippe, Tengnagel, Spaen, Kavanoch, and Greck; and lieutenant-colonels Donelly, Herbfhaufe, Heufke, Brakel, Munnick, Els, and Goumoins; and the majors Winkel, Fabrice, Bulome, Till, and Styrum; 50 captains, 121 lieutenants and enfigns; befides 4 aids de camp, and the commiflary of the artillery, Taurinus. In the camp were found twelve brass cannon, a large quantity of ammunition and provifions, a great number of horses, and a confiderable booty, which was given to the foldiers.

As it is ufual for the multitude to judge of events, efpecially those of war, by the fuccefs, and to cenfure the unfortunate, prince Eugene was blamed, both for feeming to defpife the enemy, and leaving the earl of Albemarle exposed at a great distance from the main army; and for fending him no greater reinforcement than fix battalions. As to the first, it is certain, the prince was not infenfible of the danger, which

the

the earl was in; and therefore he had proposed the removing Anne. the ftores of artillery, ammunition, and provifions, from 1712. Marchiennes to Bouchain; but it feems, the States deputies, through parfimony, were againft that council. As to the fecond point, the prince, with feveral other experienced generals, having viewed the intrenchments at Denain, could not but think feventeen battalions fufficient to defend that poft, till he came up to their affiftance with the whole army; which they would infallibly have done, had the battalions, attacked by count Broglio, performed their duty. And, if it had not been for the breaking of the bridge by the weight which was on it, fo that the reinforcement fent by the prince could not join the troops under the earl of Albemarle, Villars's attempt might have turned fatally on himself, and to the ruin of his whole army. However, the Kane's Mes prince's march to Landrecy is thought by fome to have been moirs. the greatest overfight he ever made, confidering, that, at this juncture, the French had delivered Dunkirk into the hands of the English; that Villars was greatly reinforced from the Rhine, and all the garrisons about him; and the duke of Ormond had received his orders for marching off with his troops. It is obfervable likewife, that the duke of Ormond, the very evening of the day on which he declared the ceffation of arms, fent to Denain for the pontons which he had lent the earl of Albemarle; nor could all, that either the earl, prince Eugene, or the States deputies say, prevail with him to leave them but for eight days; and the next day it was reported, that two French engineers in difguife, went with thofe who took up the pontons, and made fuch obfervations on the earl of Albemarle's works, as served their purpose. However, it does not appear, that the duke knew any thing of it; but his conduct in this affair was very much cenfured, and gave his enemies an handle to fay, that matters had been concerted between him and those fent by Villars. And it is certain, that the want of the pontons was the lofs of Denain; for prince Eugene, having fome notice of the marshal's defign, marched the evening before the action, with the greatest part of the army from Landrecy, and was up time enough to have fuccoured the earl of Albemarle; but, by the time he got to the Scheld, the bridge was broke by the crowd of baggage they had been fending over; fo that he was not able to give the carl the leaft affiftance, but looked on, and faw his fate (n).

Se

(n) Voltaire obferves, that this action was the preservation

of