Netherlands Anno Dom. 1694. OUR Last Year's History left Both Armies going into Winter-Quarters the French on their side flush'd with a considerable Victory and with the Success they had in the Siege of Charleroy with which they closed the Last Campagne and though they never had a greater Occasion to be stirring than during the last Winter-Quarters yet the French have not been so quiet all this War as they were at that time The French King knew very well that the Allies were unanimously resolved to augment considerably their Forces on all sides and to bring such Armies in the Field the following Campagne as might put a stop to the Progress of his Arms and oblige him to be now on the Defensive who before had been so Violent and so Successful an Aggressor And though Alliances are attended with great Inconveniences and that the Operations of Allied Armies cannot be so Active and Brisk as when they are the Results of one Single Wise and Absolute Head yet on the other side they have this great Conveniency and Advantage that when there is a good and perfect Correspondence between Allied Powers their very Defeats improve their Strength and they gather Power from their own Disadvantages because that makes them the more sensible of the Greatness of the Common Enemy and of the necessity of a Mutual and Vigorous Defence and the Spring and Sources of War both for Money and Men being many they can with so much the more Ease to their respective States not only recruit but augment their Forces We have had good experience of this Truth in the present War in which the Allies have kept a better Union and Correspondence than they had in any former Alliances The great Victory which the French had over Prince Waldeck in the Plains of Fleuri served to bring an Army into the Field even the latter end of the same Campagne of 70000 Men which has since oblig'd the French King to augment his Forces to so vast a Number to keep up the Credit of his successful Armies that he has entirely exhausted his Treasures and now finds himself push'd to such a non-plus that far from being able to augment his Forces as the Allies have done since the Battel of Landen he is hardly able to pay those he has now on foot and which is worst of all whereas before he supply'd the want of Money in some measure by making his Armies subsist in the Enemies Countrey he has had the Mortification this Campagne to see them eat and destroy his own Frontiers There was therefore a certain Necessity that the French should in common Prudence have undertaken something the last Winter which was the only Time they had left to keep up the Credit and Reputation of their Arms. And as there was a Necessity for them to have done something then so I may say they have not had a fairer Opportunity all this War if we consider either the State of our Army or the Posture and Condition of Affairs in this Countrey Our Army had been weaken'd by the Overthrow at Landen And though our Losses were far from being so considerable as the French made it yet no doubt it did very much disconcert our Affairs and besides the Soldiers wading thorough the Geet to make their escape and lying wet for several Days after caused many Sicknesses amongst them insomuch that our English and Scotch Forces never wanted more Recruits than they did the last Winter and they have not yet been later in bringing their Recruits over and in Compleating their Regiments so that in respect of our Army the French never had a greater Encouragement to put them upon some Action And as for the Posture and Condition of Affairs in relation to the Countrey the Death of the late Bishop of Liege and the following Dissentions of the Chapter gave the French King the happiest Opportunity he could wish for to have driven the Allies out of that Place which no doubt would have made room for the Cardinal of Bouillon's Pretensions in the following Election and would have given him a great share in the Suffrages of the Chapter And though the Pope has given so authentick a Confirmation of the Justice of the Elector of Cologne's Cause in the last disputed Election yet if the French had made themselves Masters of Liege the last Winter 't is very probable that the Cardinal of Bouillon would have found more Favour at the Court of Rome in this Suit and that the Committee of Cardinals deputed for that purpose would have found a great deal of Right on his side in the French Canon Law to have placed that Mitre upon his Head And the Cardinal de Bouillon being absolutely the French King's Creature he could then have look'd upon the Principality of Liege as in a manner his own and thus have advanc'd his Frontier to the very Gates of Maestricht which as to its Civil Government is equally divided between the States-General and the Bishop of Liege which then would have open'd to him an Inlet into the States Dominions the thing he has so much long'd for and has been so much endeavouring after all this present War As for Newport and the Frontiers in Flanders the King provided for their Safety by sending the last Winter a speedy Supply of Eight Battalions from England Tiffeny and the three French Regiments first who were quarter'd in the Camerlings Ambacht for so the Countrey is call'd about the Canal of Newport and afterwards Lloyd St. George Friderick Hamilton and Colonel Ingoldsby's Regiments which were dispos'd into Quarters for a time in Ostend and Newport but still I dare say that the rest of our Army was in no very good Condition to have taken the Field if the French had undertaken any Siege during the Winter All this being consider'd no other Reasons can be alledged why the French were so quiet all the last Winter and so contrary to their Interest which oblig'd them to some Action but these following First The Dearth and Famine that raigned in France and in the Conquer'd Countrey which was indeed greater than can be expressed or than can hardly be believ'd though the French Court and the King by his Edicts us'd all possible means to prevent it and to cover the inward Sufferings of his Kingdom We have seen in Bruges and in most of our Towns in Flanders very lamentable Instances of it where they fled from the neighbouring Parts of France and the Paiis Conquis for Bread and many of them had been so long without it that though they had Bread given them yet they could not eat it and died in the Streets They came in such Multitudes that the Magistrates have been forced to stand Centries at the Gates to hinder them from coming in But since they have had a fruitful Harvest in France his Edicts acknowledge in plain Terms what but some Months before they smother'd over with fine Words to amuse and deceive the People The French King
this Campagne which we were to open in this Countrey where the greatest Scarceness of Forage was Whilst our Garrisons were thus filing off to form the Camp by Louvain the French on their side began to leave their Winter Quarters and to March towards the Countrey between the Sambre and the Meuse where the General Rendezvous was appointed And the Marshal de Boufflers gathered together another Body made up of the Garrisons beyond the Meuse in the County of Chiney between the Bishoprick of Liege and the Paiis de Luxembourg The 24th the King came to the Camp that had been form'd near the Cloister of Terbank where His Majesty found Thirty six Battalions of Dutch Infantry and the Regiments of Churchill Trelawney and Erle that had been quarter'd the Winter at Malines And the same day the Dutch Guards left their Winter Quarters upon the Canal of Brussels to come up to the Camp His Majesty took his Quarters at the Abbey of Bethlehem where he was waited upon by the Electors of Bavaria and Cologne who had left Brussels the same day for that purpose to Complement his Majesty upon his Arrival to the Army The 26th the English Infantry under the Command of Count Nassau Sir Henry Bellasis and Major-General Ramsey pass'd the Canal of Brussels at Vilvorde and encamp'd at Stannokezeel And the Dutch Guards arriv'd at the same time at Bethlehem where they encamp'd upon the King's Quarter to mount the Guard The 27th the Eight Battalions that had been left at Ghendt under the Command of Brigadier Collier to guard the English Train of Artillery came up to Vilvorde where they encamp'd between it and Grimberg along the Canal The Artillery was sent by Water to Malines where the Artillery-Horses had been order'd to come from Holland The 28th the Body of Foot encamp'd at Stannokezeel being joyn'd by Stanley and Collingwood's Regiments from Dendermond march'd to the General Rendezvous by Louvain and encamp'd upon two Lines with the Right at the King's Quarter at Bethlehem and the Left towards Louvain Three or four Dutch Regiments encamp'd in the same Line upon the Left The 31st the King review'd all the English Infantry that was come up to the Camp in the presence of the Electors of Bavaria and Cologne who were come from Brussels to be at the Review and they appear'd in very good Order Cloaths and Accoutrements The French as we have said before had mark'd their General Rendezvous on the other side of the Sambre between it and the Meuse where by this time most of the Army was come up but still they continued canton'd upon the Country both Foot and Horse for the Preservation of Forage Which thing was very carefully look'd after on both sides The 20th the Marshals of Luxemburgh and Villeroy came to Head the Army canton'd near the Sambre and the Infantry drew out to form a Camp And the 22d the Dauphin whom the French King had appointed to make this Campagne in Flanders as Generalissimo of his Forces both to get the Knowledge and Experience of a General and also because where there are several Mareschals of France in an Army it has been a Rule generally observed by the French Court to put a Prince of the Blood-Royal over them to prevent Disputes The Dauphin was follow'd by the Dukes of Chartres and Bourbon and other Princes of the Blood And the Armies on both sides were now come to their General Rendezvous and all things ready for the Opening of the Campagne The 3d. day of June the Army decamped from Bethlehem and Terbank and pass'd the Dyle by Louvain at Havre We march'd by the Camp we had last Year at Park Abbey and the Defiles of the Bois de Merdal but all along this March we could hardly find any Corn upon the Ground but here and there it may be half an Acre The Boors had left the Countrey so bare that they boasted of Starving both Armies into a Peace The King took his Quarter after this days March on the other side of the Bois de Merdal at the Cloyster of St. Hertogendale in French Valeduc a Cloyster of Nuns-of the Order of St. Bernard not Benedictins as I said in my last Year's Account through a mistake And the Army encamp'd with the Right at Tourine Bavechein Two Parishes that have but One Curate and belonging to the Diocess and Principality of Liege though surrounded on all sides with the Countrey of Brabant The Left of the Army went by the Villages of Sluys and Meldert and reach'd as far as Hoexem within an English Mile of Tilmont The Brigade of Guards encamped upon a Line by the Cloyster of Valeduc to cover the King's Quarter The whole Army was here dispos'd into Brigades and interlin'd with a Brigade of Horse and a Brigade of Foot so that a Brigade of Foot in the Front was sustain'd by a Brigade of Horse in the Rear But because the Cavalry was not yet come up Intervals were left accordingly in both Lines till they should joyn the Army The English Horse and Dragoons upon this March left their Quarters between Brussels and Dendermond and advanc'd to the Villages between Malines Louvain and Tilmont where they canton'd as before and My Lord Athlone left the Neighbourhood of Tongres to canton the Dutch Cavalry nearer our Army between Hassel St. Tron and Leauwe The 4th we were joyn'd by the Eight Regiments under the Command of Brigadier Collier which we had left encamped at Vilvorde and and by Ten Battalions under the Command of Lieutenant-General Tettau which had march'd out of the Garrisons of Maestricht Tongres and Hassel Four of them were some of the Swiss Regiments which the States-General had rais'd the last Winter for their Service The French being informed of our March to the Camp at Valduc had just Reason to fear lest we should advance farther towards the Sambre for which Reason they pass'd this River on the 4th and encamp'd at Gemblours where the Dauphin took up his Quarter He review'd all his Forces here and dispos'd them into an Order of Battel of which you may read the List following The Order of the French Army at the Camp at Gemblours being Commanded by the Dauphin and under him by the Mareschals of Luxembourg and Villeroy RIGHT WING First Line Lieutenant-Generals Duc de Bourbon Monsieur de Rose Major-Generals Duc d'Elbeuf Duc de Roquelaure Monsieur de Gassion Commanding the Troups of the King's House Brigades Regim Squad  Grenadiers Du Roy 2 Noailles 2 Duras 2 Luxembourg 2 Lorges 2 Gensd ' armes 1 Chevaux Legers 1 Montgon Cuirassiers 3 Bourbon 2 La Feuillade 2 Villequier 2 Rottembourg Rottembourg 3 Roquespine 3 Rohan 2 Phelipeaux Orleans 2 Dauphin 3 Cravates 3   Squadrons 37 Second Line Lieutenant-General Monsieur de Ximenes Major-General Duc de Montmorency Brigades Regim Squad Praslin Royal Roussillon 3 La Valiere 3 Levis 3 La Tournelle 3 Rassent Rassent 3 Manderscheid 3 Vaillac 3 La Bessiere Aubeleterre 3
were much superiour to our Detachment for according to the French account the Marquiss de la Valette had then 15 Battalions 9 Regiments of Horse and 2 of Dragoons and besides was now joyned by the Mareschal de Villeroy Lieutenant General Tettan had 15 pieces of Cannon sent with him which was disposed in 3 several Batteries which begun to play upon the Enemy their Cannon was not come up so soon as ours but they intrenched themselves just upon the other side of the River where our Cannon did them some considerable damage Of Maulevriers Regiment by their account 1 Lieutenant was killed and 25 Men. Our own people could easily see our Cannon do execution upon them being so near one another A little after the French began to fire upon us from 2 Batteries on their side but I have not heard of any execution or damage they did us at that time The same Morning the Duke of Wirtemberg had passed the Scheld at Audenarde with the 7 Brigades of Horse and the 2 of Foot of which we have given an account already for which reason as the Mareschal de Villeroy had intrenched upon the River to hinder our passage he was also obliged to fortifie his Rear with a Retrenchment to cover himself from the Duke of Wirtemberg who upon His Majesties Orders was marching up to attack him in the Rear whilst we should force our passage in the Front I shall now leave things in this disposition upon the Scheld and return to both the Armies The 14 th we decamped from Grames and marched towards the Scheld which was now but 2 Leagues from the Right of our Army We passed not far from the foot of Mount Trinite and the Left Flank of our Columns was reckoned within 4 English Miles of Tournay We heard in the Morning upon our march great firing at this place which at first was supposed to be Signals for their Army and neighbouring Garrisons but by the regularity of the fire we found it to be rather a Salute In effect the Dauphine passed this Morning through the Town and was saluted with a triple discharge of the Cannon round the place the Army followed him which in two nights and one day had marched from Mons to this place We left them at Mons the 12 th where they were got betimes in the Morning they refreshed themselves the best part of that day except the Brigade of Guards that was sent to Condé where it was put on board of Bilanders to come down the Scheld to Tournay by water where I suppose it arrived as soon as the Mareschal de Villeroy and with him joyned the Marquis de la Valette The 12 th in the Evening the French Army left Mons and marched night and day only halting for rest now and then and so came to Tournay the 14 th early in the Morning but the Waggons of the Country were ordered all along to take up the Sick and the Weary and upon every halt there was a provision of Brandy ready to refresh the Men. The 14 th about Noon our Right Wing came up near the River but it was then too late to have undertaken to force the passage and for the Army to have gone over for which reason 't was ordered to halt and the Weather proved so bad just at that time that it would have been impossible to have undertaken it though there had been day enough left for it We had this Evening and most of the Night following a violent storm of Rain and Wind which made the wayes very deep and heavy the Army was ordered to incamp in the ground where it stood upon the halt and every Brigade to incamp the most conveniently it could without any regard to the niceness of a Line the King took his Quarters this Night at the Chateau de Cordes and the Elector at Chastelet And the Dauphine being now come up with the Body of the French Army to joyn the Mareschal de Villeroy so that though we had forced the passage of the River yet still we could not prevent the French Army from incamping between Harleber and Courtray where they covered their Country in Flanders and besides the French having drawn all their Forces in this side of the Country which gave the King way for another undertaking may be of as great consequence His Majesty did not think it convenient to attempt the passage here where there might have been a great deal of Blood shed but no advantage on our side though we had forced it because the Enemy would still have been Masters of the Camp at Courtray which equally covered their Lines on both sides of the Lys. The King therefore resolved to leave the French where they were and to pass the Scheld about two Leagues below at Audenarde The French very much magnified their speedy Marches to prevent our passage of the Scheld before them that in Four Days they should with their whole Army pass and re pass the Sambre and pass the Scheld at Tournay and be the fifth incamped on the other side of the River to oppose the passage of our Army 'T is said that the Mareschal de Luxembourg valued it more than the Battle of Landen but if he valued it more it did not cost him much less for 't is supposed that this violent March has cost him at least Three Thousand Men and his Cavalry has been almost ruined by it so far that the French King is now forced to reform his Cavalry as he did the last Year and to reduce the Troops yet to a less Number which the last Winter he had brought to Forty I have heard that he has reduced them to Twenty Five a Troop The French Army might have been followed by the Scent which they left behind of dead Men and Horses which were to be found all along the Road it went so that we may say The French have suffered as much in this March as they could have done in a Battle either in Men or Horses It has been reported that the French King has writ a Letter to the Army to be read at the Head of every Regiment by which he thanked the Dauphine the Mareschal of France the Lieutenant-General and other Generals and all the Army but more particularly the Suisse and French Infantry for the great Services they had done him in this speedy March by which they have saved his Country in Flanders from the Invasion intended by the Enemies This indeed is a very different Language from what we had last Year from him after the Battle of Landen there was nothing then but what he could expect after so considerable a Victory and there was nothing but what his Enemies ought to fear after so great a Defeat but now he seems to recant in his Letter and own that he was mistaken and thanks his Army for running as fast as they could and so fast that it has suffered as much as in a Battle to save his conquered Country from
for this Reason could not supply and fill his Stores with Corn a Thing absolutely necessary for a Winter Campagne His Subjects were Hungry and began to be Loud and Clamorous which if his Purveyors had bought up the Corn of the Countrey to fill the King's Stores might easily have been improved into a Revolt for Seditions and Tumults about it there had been many in several Provinces of his Kingdom The Second Reason was Because his own Infantry notwithstanding the Victory at Landen had been so well handled there and had been so fatigu'd in the Siege of Charleroy that his Battalions were so weak they could not be in a Condition to serve in a Winter Siege though the Misery of his Countrey supplied his Army with raw Soldiers enough to recruit them The Third was The ill Condition of his Cavalry which besides the Losses of the foregoing Campagne must be very much weaken'd by the want of Forage the necessary Consequence of the Famine at home insomuch that whereas the French Troups had before the same complement with ours yet the last Winter they were reduced to Forty a Troup which does sufficiently shew that the French King wanted Horses and that he could not re-mount his Cavalry The Fourth Reason was The want of Money which is justly called the Sinews of War and without which the best concerted Designs must miscarry And the Scarceness of Money was so great in his Army that they subsisted all the last Winter upon Credit in their several Quarters even the very Lieutenants and Ensigns were order'd to have Credit in the Publick-Houses and Vivandiers the first for a Groat and the latter for Three-pence a Day to subsist them I may write this for Truth because 't was the Report here last Winter and I enquired of Officers that were Prisoners this Summer in our Army who owned it to have been so Whilst the French King's Affairs were so at Home the Allies were encreasing their Forces and making new Levies in England the Empire Holland Flanders and Italy to endeavour to turn the Scale of the War which hitherto had turn'd so prosperously and successfully on the French King's side And the Event of this Campagne is a convincing Argument that they have not bestow'd their Money in vain That the French King has hitherto ow'd his Success more to the Number of his Troops than to their Bravery Though I do not say this to lessen the Praise and Commendation they deserve but only to fix and settle the Judgment of Things in an equal Ballance which is the right and just way of judging of Success in Military and other Affairs This was the State and Condition of Things the last Winter and towards the Opening of this Campagne about which time the King came over from England to put Himself at the Head of the Confederate Army in Flanders though later than His Majesty had done hitherto But the Settling of the Fund for the Army Navy and New Levies had drawn the Sessions of Parliament to such a length that the King could not come over sooner After the King's Arrival in Holland His Majesty having had some Conferences with the States-General and Ministers of the Allies at the Hague went for some few Days to take his usual Divertisements at Loo but Orders were sent to all Garrisons to be ready to March and take the Field though the French still continued very quiet in their Frontiers without making any Motions to form a Camp On the 17th of May Sir Henry Bellasis received Orders to March the next Day with the Garrisons of Bruges Ostend and those quarter'd upon the Canal of Newport to form a Camp by Ghendt The Cavalry march'd out some Days before to canton upon the Countrey for Forage and the Forces quarter'd in the Frontiers of Holland and the Garrison of Brussels received Orders about the same time to March and form a Camp at Bethlehem and Terbank near Louvain under the Command of the Duke of Holstein On the 18th of May Eleven Battalions marched out of the Garrison of Bruges and were joyn'd by the Four Regiments that had been upon the Canal of Newport Two Battalions from Ostend One from Damme and one from Sluys Those from Bruges were of the Scots Guards Two Battalions the Royal Regiment One Battalion the second was left in Garrison Granville Tidcomb Castleton Ingoldsby Mackay Graham Offarrell and Maitland from the Canal Tiffeny La Meloniere Belcastel and Marton from Ostend Lauder's and Ferguson's Argyle's Regiment remain'd in Garrison from Damme Lloyd from Sluys St. Amand being the Regiment lately Commanded by Count Horne These to the number of Nineteen Battalions march'd that day about half-way to Ghendt upon the Canal of Bruges being Commanded by Sir Henry Bellasis and Major-General Ramsay The next day they march'd on to Ghendt and encamp'd at Mary Kirk where the Duke of Wirtemberg and the Count de Nassau came out of the Town to see them where they halted till the 21st That day they march'd thorough Ghendt making their way to the Canal of Brussels And this same day the Garrison of Ghendt composed of Three Battalions of English Guards the Fusiliers and Seven Battalions of Danes march'd out of the Town and joyn'd them The Zealand Battalion of Danes remain'd in Garrison and Colonel Selwin was put in the Brigade Commanded by Sir David Collier The Regiments of St. George and Frederick Hamilton that had left their Garrison of Ostend to be more conveniently quarter'd near Ghendt upon the Canal of Bruges joyn'd them likewise this day and Count Nassau's Regiment from the Sas van Ghendt Count Nassau as Eldest Major-General put himself in this March at the Head of this Body of Foot and the Duke of Wirtemberg went on before to wait upon the King at his Arrival at the Camp at Bethlehem But out Train of English Artillery that had remain'd all the Winter in Ghendt was not yet ready for want of Horses for which reason Sir David Collier was left there with Selwyn Granville Tidcomb Castleton Graham Offarrel Ferguson and la Meloniere's Regiment to guard the Train when it should come up to the Army Which Brigade of Foot encamp'd on the other side of the Town upon the Way to Dendermond All the English Horse and Dragoons march'd the same day out of Ghendt being joyn'd by the Foreign Horse upon English Pay that had quarter'd in Bruges and canton'd upon the Villages between Brussels and Dendermond being Commanded by Monsieur d' Auverquerque The Dutch Cavalry did the same in the Villages between Tongres Maestricht and Hassel Commanded by the Lord of Athlone General of the Horse The Boors had suffer'd so much between Brussels Louvain and the Meuse the former Campagnes in which their Countrey had been foraged by the Armies that this Year they had neglected the Tilling of the Ground being unwilling to work in vain This obliged us to canton our Cavalry which retarded very much the Operations of
Army And the same Day we brought in Eight Prisoners and an English Officer that was a Lieutenant in the Duke de Chartres his Regiment of Foot and has served many Years in the French Army the rest of his Party made their escape and some of them were wounded This Day the Spanish and Bavarian Forces left the Neighbourhood of Louvain and march'd up along the River Dyle as far as Neer Ische The Elector of Bavaria left Brussels at the same time to come and Head his Army in this Place I shall reserve the List of these Forces till we bring them all together at the Camp of Mount St. Andre His Brother the Elector of Cologne accompany'd him the most part of this Campagne being incognito in the Field so that no Honours were paid to him by the Army The same Day Ten Drums all of the Regiment of Piemont deserted together and came in their Livery-Coats to our Camp The 25th we worked again at the Retrenchment to make some of the Breast-works higher which were found too low and yet as bad as they were I heard several Officers say that they were infinitely better than those we had last Year at Landen which were made up hastily in one Night so that they could only serve to hinder Horse from riding into our Camp but not cover our Men either from Cannon or Small-shot a Man could easily have jump'd over them Ditch and all And yet these were call'd by some to magnifie the Victory Formidable Retrenchments The 26th the Regiments of Marton and Fuhnen were sent to reinforce Matthews his Dragons to cover the Village of Cumtich The 27th the Enemy made a great Forage hard by Leauwe and because they were to come very near our Camp and to forage just under the Garrison of Leauwe they had a strong Detachment of Twelve hundred Horse and Six Pieces of Cannon which the Dauphin Commanded himself in Person to take this Opportunity of viewing the Posts between the two Armies and the Field of Battle where we fought last Year at Landen The Enemy foraged so near the Garrison of Leauwe this Day that they fired Cannon upon them to oblige them to retire but Seventy of their Maroders were made Prisoners by a Detachment of ours upon the Left When the Soldiers go out of the Camp to gather Roots Fruits or Pulse or it may be to Plunder the Boors this is call'd Maroding Lieutenant-General Dewits Commanding the Elector of Brandenburg b's Forces employed in Flanders past the Meuse much about this time at Maseick coming from the Lower Rhine and the Dutchy of Cleves to joyn our Army with Twenty Squadrons of Horse of which I shall give a List hereafter and advanced as far as Diest to be at hand to reinforce our Army when the King should have Occasion for it The 28th in the Evening we heard a firing of Cannon and Small-shot in the French Camp which we guess'd to be for the Reduction of Gironne in Catalonia Of which we were inform'd the next Day The French were so much the more glad for this Conquest because that in 1684. the Mareschal de Belfonds suffered a Disgrace before this Place and was forc'd to raise the Siege when he had made a Breach in the Place and that his Forces in a general Assault had got into it but were beaten out again with a great slaughter by the Besieged that had fortified themselves in the Parade-place But the Mareschal de Noâ—ailles got a better Bargain this Bout and the Besieged did not think fit to stay to Surrender till Things should have been brought to this Extremity The 29th our Parties brought in Two hundred and fifty French Maroders We had taken so many Prisoners by this time that the Provosts Guard and Gaols of the neighbouring Towns were full of them though the Mareschal de Luxemburg had them reclaimed as fast as he could Their Pay is so small and for this Twelve-month past so ill receiv'd that their Soldiers could not subsist but by what they could gather in the Country so that they were forced to tollerate the Soldiers going out of the Camp to get wherewithal to live This is the reason that so many fell into the hands of our Parties and that we took so many Prisoners And though the French are more given to Deserting than any other Soldiers yet Deserting was never so much known among them as 't was at the Beginning of this Campagne not only in Flanders but upon the Rhine and in Piemont where they all unanimously complained of their want of Pay so far that by this time 't was computed that above Five thousand of them had deserted from their Army here either to our Camp or to the Garrisons of Liege and Maestricht since the Beginning of the Campagne Which would be reckoned a great Loss in a Battle The 1st of this Month the French Army left their Camp at St. Tron and Brusten and marched towards the Jaar and the Meuse and encamp'd with their Right at Tongres and the Left at Fies along the Jaar which was in their Rear The Dauphin took his Quarter at Oerle upon the same River They had made great Preparations at Huy of Bombs Battering-Pieces and all other Necessaries for a Siege which now they had brought to their Camp and gave out That they designed to Bombard Liege and Maestricht And some were not content with this but would have a Formal Siege to one of these Places But though the French had heavy Cannon and Mortar-pieces brought to their Camp yet they had Bridges laid along the Jaar to pass that River Which shews That they were more afraid of being attack'd by us than of having any real Design to fall upon us We had above Forty Battalions in the Lines of Liege and a good Garrison in Maestricht and our own Army consisted now of Ninety Battalions after the arrival of the Two Regiments of Wolfembuttel to our Camp And if the French had not been cover'd by so many Rivers which we must have pass'd to come at them they had run a great risque of having been attack'd on all sides by our Army and the Liege Forces but the Nature of the Country gave Opportunity to the French of advancing so near to Maestricht having Rivers on all sides between them and us and between them and the Forces encamped in the Lines of Liege And besides there was a necessity of suffering the Enemy to consume the Forage about Liege for Reasons that we shall mention hereafter However the French made a great Noise of their Foraging under the Cannon of Maestricht The 4th the two Dominican Fryers and the Irish Priest that had been taken up in our Army for Spyes were set at Liberty The two first were found Guilty by the Court-Marshal and Sentenc'd to Die After which Judgment of the Court they were removed from the King's Quarters to the Provost's and laid in Irons But the King Pardon'd them out of his pure Mercy for the
joyn'd the Elector of Bavaria at his Camp of Neer Isthe being commanded by Lieutenant-General D' Witz and Major-General Sonsfeldtâ— the Elector of Bavaria was present and the King was very well pleased with the order they were in The grand Musquetiers made a very fine shew being all French Gentlemen Refugies very well Cloath'd with Scarlet Coats and Silver Lace and as well Mounted they behaved themselves very well the beginning of this War at the Siege of Bonne and have been no less serviceable this Campaign in that of Huy The 1 st of August the King reviewed four Regiments of Saxon Horse that had come up to the Camp the Saturday before They are included in the Line of Battle which we have incerted above Intervals had been left for them in several Brigades at our coming to this Camp which they fill'd up at their arrival so that their coming did not alter the Line of Battle above specified they are only called Saxon Regiments in the List but their Names were Rebauld Bernickow and Penhausen the fourth I have forgot The States have hired them for their service from the Elector of Saxony and notwithstanding that they had made a long march to come so soon to the Camp from their Country yet they appeared in good order The 5 th all the heavy Baggage of the Army was commanded away towards Louvain under the Escorte of Brigadier Wynnes Regiment of Dragoons which was sent to garison in Ghendt because their Horses were out of order for reasons we have before alledged A Man out of a Company was likewise detach'd for the security of the Baggage under the command of a Captain Lieutenant and Ensign out of each Brigade and the whole was commanded by Colonel Lieutenant-Colonel and Major By this time Forage began to be very scarce in both Armies which were very numerous and yet had now been above two Months in and about the Pajis de Liege The French had been in it from the very beginning of the Campaign and now had liberty of Forage but between the Meuse and the Jaar for that part of the Principality of Liege which lies on the other side of the Meuse call'd the Condros affords but little Forage 't is a Woody Country and part of the Forest d' Ardenne abounds in Coal-pits which makes firing very cheap about this Country The French for want of Forage on this side the Meuse were forced to send their Horses to feed on the other having besides the passage at Huy several Bridges upon the Meuse for that purpose I saw a Letter about this time from a Gentleman in the French Army to his Friend dated from this Camp of Vignamont wherein he complained for want of Forage and that they wish'd very much for our decamping that they might have the liberty of going to a more plentiful Camp As we have given a hint of it before there was a reason to bring the Army to this want of Forage on both sides in this Country because the King design'd to bring his Army into Flanders to make room for the undertaking that has closed up this Campaign Liege was our Frontier Town which required an Army for its Garison and the French being Masters of Huy they could not only incommode Liege very much but march and subsist with their Army as far as Maestricht as we have seen this Campaign so that above all things 't was necessary to drive the French out of Huy and establish our Frontier there But if we had march'd towards Flanders without consuming first the Forage all over this Country and without obliging the French themselves to help us in it upon our removal from this Camp and our march towards the Scheld they might have fallen upon Liege and our great Towns in Brabant which would have been as good for them as any Expedition we could have made in Flanders and which I believe they would have compassâ—d so much the sooner since these places here are weak and their Frontier Garisons in Flanders very strong The 5 th 240 Suisse Deserters were sent from Maestricht to the Camp to recruit the Suisse Regiments we had in our Army The 6 th an Order from the King was published at the head of every Regiment to forbid Foraging without order to go on Maroding or to molest Victuallers or any persons that came to the Camp with Provisions upon pain of death For what most destroys and ruines a Country are these interloping Foragers and Maroders who not only augment the scarceness in a Camp by plundering the Country people round about but often fall into the Enemies hands whereby we lose our Horses and our Men are made Prisoners The 7 th the Army had orders to be ready to march and the Artillery and Pontons were sent this day as far as Perwys under the Escorte of the Regiment of Fuknen or green Danes The French expected our march for which reason they fired several pieces of Cannon from Huy to call in all their Horses from the other side of the Meuse We had a report that the French had abandon'd it and that what we heard was the blowing up of the Works which appeared afterwards to be a story though I believe the French had once a design of doing it because the week before they had sent most of the Provisions and Stores from thence by water to Namur but upon better thoughts they found the place of such consequence to us that they resolved to use their power to keep it if possible out of our hands The French upon the news of our march which they expected this day sent several Parties and Detachments out of the Garison of Namur to observe the Flanks of our Columns upon the march and take Prisoners or Baggage if they could find any stragling from the Lines But because we did not march our Detachments were not yet drawn off from the other side of the Mehaigne so that several of the French fell into their hands who were made Prisoners among the rest a Captain of Horse of the Regiment of Tournelle This Evening orders were given to march the next day and though we had a Defile to pass between the Mehaigne and Perwys where the French might have the opportunity of attacking our Rear-guard the next day nevertheless we did not use any means to conceal our march from the Enemy it may be to intice them out of their Retrenchments at Vignamont to fall upon our Rear-guard and to ingage them to a Battle for our Rear guard was very well prepared to receive them The 8 th the Army decamped very early from Mount St. André and directed its march towards the spring of the Mehaigne and Gemblours passing by the Defile of Perwys My Lord Portland had the Rear-guard composed of a good body of Horse and the Brigade of Stuart and Alseldt of Foot which had been posted at Franquenies upon the Mehaigne and some Field-pieces The King kept with the Rear guard till he
Bavarian Foot and Dragoons to form a Camp of his own near Louvain The day following the King review'd all the Horse that had come up the day before the Electors being present And as the several Regiments were reviewed they march'd again to their respective Quarters where they had been before the English upon the Villages between Louvain Arschot and Tilmont and the Dutch towards Hassel and Leauwe and appear'd all of them both Men and Horse in very good Condition and Order We were very careful for the Conservation of Forage which was but scarce in this Countrey The Horse for this reason continued canton'd and the Foot had Orders to cut down no Corn upon pain of Death On the 8th the French march'd from Gemblours by One in the Morning to Bonef upon the Mehagine where the Dauphin had his Quarter For which reason the King ordered the Army to March the next day upon the Left towards Tilmont to be nearer to observe the French who were making their Motions between the Geet and the Jecker towards Liege Accordingly the Army march'd the next day towards Tilmont and encamp'd with the Right at Roosebeck where the King had his Quarter and the Left upon the Geet between Tilmont and Linther Our Front was cover'd upon the Left with the River Geet and the Town of Tilmont the Center with the Villages of Cumtich and the little River that runs into the Geet at Tilmont We had the little River Velpe in our Rear that falls into the Geet below Leauwe So that our Right only was open in the Camp between the Village of Cumtich and that of Roosebeck The whole Body of Foot consisting then of Eighty eight Battalions encamped upon Two Regular Lines and was dispos'd in the Brigades following Of the English and English Pay the Brigade of Guards upon both Lines Upon the First were the Brigades of Erle Collier and Alefeldt In the Second Line Stuart Offarrel and Haxhausen Of the Dutch Deden Anhalt and Heukelom In the First Line and Ratzauw Holstein-Norburg and Bernstort In the Second which made Thirteen Brigades of Foot Seven English and Six Dutch The King in the Winter had made the Brigadiers Churchill and Ramsey Major-Generals of his Forces But at this Camp the King declared Count Nassau that had been Major-General ever since His Majesty's coming over to England Lieutenant-General and the Colonels Fitz-Patrick and Offarrel Brigadiers And in the Dutch Army the Count de Noyelles was declared Lieutenant-General by the King and he made the Brigadiers Fagel Salich and l'Escluse Major-Generals in the Infantry and the Prince of Anhalt the Duke of Holstein-Norburg the Colonels Ratzauw and Dedem Brigadiers And of the Horse the Brigadiers Ittersum Warfusé Hubert and Stain were made Major-Generals and the Colonels Dompré Roo Lippe Zell Piper and Montigny were made Brigadiers In the English Dragoons Brigadier Eppinger was made Major-General and the Colonels Matthews and Wyne Brigadiers But because the Horse did not come into the Line of Battle in this Camp I shall omit the inserting the List of the Army till we come to the Camp at Mount St. André The 10th the French Army decamp'd from Bonef upon the Mehaigne and marched into the Paiis de Liege as far as St. Tron the Dauphin's Quarter with the Right at this Place the Left went along the Joar or Jecker almost as far as Warrem which River remain'd then in their Rear The same day the King review'd Brewer Lesley and Buchan's Regiments the last of our English Infantry that had come into the Field The 11th the Marshal de Boufflers whom we had left forming a small Body in the County of Chiney and who upon the Marching of the French Army into the Paiis de Liege had drawn nearer to Huy pass'd the Maes at Huy and encamp'd on the other side of the Jecker between Warrem and the Mehaigne where he flank'd the Left of the Army and cover'd the Communication with Namur which otherwise would have suffer'd very much by our Parties and Detachments which would have had very fair Play upon their Provisions which should have come to their Camp The List of his Army was as follows but I could not get it dispos'd into Brigades The Marshal de Bouffler's Army CAVALRY Lieutenant-General Monsieur de Bertillac Major-General Monsieur de Lanion Regim Squad Commissary-General 3 2 Anjou 3 La Duretiere 3 Courtebonne 3 Petitpierre 2 Royal Aleman 3 Dragons du Roy 3 de Gramont 3  Squadrons 25 INFANTRY Lieutenant-General Count de Gassé Major-General Baron de Bressey Regim Battal Poitou 2 Du Maine 2 La Reine 3 La Saar 1 Beauvesois 1 Foix 1 Nice 1 Berry 1 Arbauville 1 1 Royal Artillery 1  Battalions 15 The Gentleman from whom I had this List did not understand French so that he abused several Names in the Copy which I got rectified as much as I could by informing my self from Prisoners which I have done all to two Regiments which I could make nothing of However if there be any Mistake in the Names there is none in the Summ. By which it appears that the Marshal de Boufflers had according to our foregoing Computation 3000 Horse and 9000 Foot which amounts to 12000 Men. The Marquis de Harcourt had form'd another Body of Horse and Dragons in the Paiis de Luxembourg of between Twenty and Thirty Squadrons but I have not seen a List of them However upon the Mareschal de Boufflers's passing the Meuse he came with his Army and encamped in the Condros At the same time the Enemy formed another small Body between Harlebeck and Courtray under the Command of the Marquis de la Valette Lieutenant-General of the French Forces to cover their Line between the Lys and the Scheld in case we should endeavour to make another Attempt on that side as we had done the last Year I have had a List of this Army but with the same misfortune as the former to be a little mangl'd for want of knowing the Language however where the Names were not French or doubtful I have omitted them A List of the Army under the Command of the Marquis de la Valette Lieutenant-General CAVALRY Major-General Regim Squad  Dauriac 3  Condè 2  Bissy 3  Courcelle 3 Dragons Asfeildt Estranger 3 Sully 3   Squadrons 17 INFANTRY Major-General Count de Solré Regim Battal Orleans 2 Maulevrier 2 Anjou 2 Solré 1 Chivois 1 Fontenay 1 1  Battalions 10 Which as we have before computed must make 2040 Horse and 6000 Foot So that the French had in all of Foot in the Field in Flanders in the Dauphin Boufflers and La Valette's Army 107 Battalions which makes 64200 Foot And of Horse in these Three Armies and the Marquis de Harcourt's which we shall suppose to be 20 Squadrons which I dare say was the least 226 Squadrons which according to this Year's Computation of the French Squadrons amounts to 27120 Horse So that
observe exactly the Field of Battel and returned late in the Evening to the Camp And there scarce happen'd a Day all along the Campagne but that the King rid out towards the Enemy Such are the Pains and Care His Majesty takes for the Welfare and Prosperity of the Common Cause The 15th Seven Battalions more were detached to reinforce the Dutch Foot that had been posted near the Abbey of Linther these were drawn out of our Forces and put under the Command of Brigadier Erle viz. Erle Lesley Lloyd Mackay Meloniere Jutland and Aver The same Day the Dauphin remov'd his Quarter from St. Tron to the Village of St. Brusten to settle here an Hospital for the Sick to be near the Army The same Day the King had Advice from Maestricht that no less than Four or Five hundred Swissers had deserted the French Army and were come to that Place Upon which Orders were given That these Regiments that wanted Recruits should send an Officer to Maestricht to get them among those Deserters Many of them were of Monim's Regiment which is the same as Brigadier Stouppa had that died of the Wounds he receiv'd at the Battel of Steenkirk That Stouppa was a Protestant and had been a Minister but I was told That Colonel Noâ—im who had the Regiment after him was a Roman-Catholick and had turn'd out the Minister that belong'd to the Regiment and put a Priest in his Place Which so disgusted his Soldiers that it occasion'd a general Desertion in his Regiment The 16th the King review'd Sir Thomas Levingstom's and Colonel Cunningham's Dragons that had lately come over from Scotland they were canton'd near the Town of Arschot The same Day the Mareschal de Boufflers march'd nearer to the Dauphin's Army and passed the Jecker at Warem where he encamp'd upon the Left of the French Army Forty Suisse Deserters more came at the same time from the Enemy and our Detachment brought in several Prisoners My Lord Athlone came up likewise nearer to our Army this same Day and took his Quarter upon the Left at the Abbey of Linther On the 17th because Bouffer's had now joyn'd the Dauphin's Army and that we had only Foot in our Camp the Horse being still canton'd in the Neighbourhood which might have given the French an Occasion to attack us 't was order'd to fortifie our Camp and to make a Retrenchment from the King's Quarter at the Village of Rooseheck to that of Cumtich the only Place open in our Camp the rest was well covered as we have before described We said before that the Elector of Bavaria expected some of his own Forces which he had sent for to augment his Army this Campagne they were now come to the Neighbourhood of Louvain and consisted of Three Squadrons of Dragons of Count Philippe d' Areo Three of Monasterol Two Squadrons more of Cuirassiers of Weychel Two Battalions of his Guards Two Battalions of Riviera and One of Horthansen these joyn'd the Spanish Horse and the Bavarian Cuirassiers and made a Body near Louvain The 18th they were review'd by the Elector where the King was invited and receiv'd with Three Salutes of Cannon and Small-shot and afterwards treated by the Elector The 19th a Detachment of Danish Horse took Fifty six Prisoners and brought them into the Camp with their Officers And the same Day we had the first Forage by Order before the Horses gras'd in the Day-time in the neighbouring Fields and in Meadows and the Men cut down Hay which they brought along with them in the Evening just enough for the Horses to subsist on in the Night Standing Corn was scarce and there was a Necessity of Preserving it else we should have had no Occasion for Retrenchments The 20th a great many Deserters more came from the Enemy and indeed there hardly pass'd a Day but there came in some of them to our Camp more or less The same Day a Detachment of our Dragons brought in Seventy seven Prisoners They fired upon the Vanguard not thinking it had been the whole Detachment but the rest rid up immediately being a strong Detachment and surrounded the Wood where the French had posted themselves in Ambuscade and so they all yielded themselves Prisoners of War At the same time we took Two Dominican Fryers Prisoners and an Irish Priest that were come as Spyes into our Army A Soldier of the late King James's Guards that had deserted to us some Days before and had taken Service in our English Guards discover'd them He knew they had pass'd between both Armies several times particularly the two Dominicans and that they had engaged to debauch as many as they could of our English Soldiers to recruit the late King's Regiments in France for which they were to receive a Luy d'ore a Man for as many as they could bring over They had an Irish Young Man with them who being press'd to confess own'd the Truth and was afterwards an Evidence against them After being Examined they were Committed Prisoners severally in Tents at the King's Quarter and Centries continually set over them On the 21st a Detachment of our Foot posted at the Abbey of Linther brought in Fourscore Prisoners of which some of them were Gensd'arms and of the French King's Life-guards The Detachment from this Post did very much incommode the French Army and they seldom had a Forageday but that they brought in several Prisoners The 22nd the King review'd Brigadier Matthews and the Lord Fairfax's Dragons which had come up to the Camp the Day before Brigadier Matthews's Regiment encamped on the other side of the Village of Cumtich which was without the Retrenchment to cover Monsieur d' Auverquerque's and other General Officers Quarters there My Lord Fairfax's Dragons encamped without the Defiles of the Village of Roosebeck to cover the King's Quarter on that side The same Day several of the Enemy's Squadrons came in sight of our Camp in the Plain on the other side of Tilmont Upon which the Major of the several Regiments upon the Right had Orders to come to take the Posts of their Regiments upon the Retrenchment in case the French should come and attack us and to see if the Retrenchments of their several Posts were well made with a good defensible Breast-work I forgot to say That the Town of Tilmont the Dutch call it Tienen which in this Camp was before the Left of our Army was guarded by a Detachment of Three hundred Men under the Command of a Field-Officer and other Officers proportionably which relieved one another every other Day It is situated upon the greater Geet which comes from Judoigne and has several petty Cloysters and publick Buildings in it with an old decayed Wall and ruin'd Retrenchments about it There is no Water near it but the little River Geet and 't is commanded by the Countrey about it for which reason 't is not capable of any good Fortification The 24th One of the French King's Carabiners deserted and came to our
all makes 95 Battalions which at 600 each Battalion at first coming into the Field amounts to 51000 Foot and 31800 Horse which makes the total summe of our Army at Mount St. André to be 88800 Men and about 7000 which Count Thian had incamped under his command near Ghendt of which we have given an account before which being added to the former summe amounts to 95800 Men. This is all we had now in the Field 'T is true that we had a great many Forces in Liege of which I shall give an account to the Reader hereafter But that Town being then our Frontier it required an Army for a Garison and the condition of affairs in regard of that City did then require our special care for its safety so that what Forces we had in Liege at that time were useless as to the acting offensively whilst the Enemy were between us and the Meuse with as good an Army in the Field as ours except what it had suffered by deserters for by our computation of the French Forces above it appears that they had here and in Flanders 91320 Men which was but 4480 Men less than we had in the Field in both these places which in such a number is no great odds I put it therefore to the Judgment of Impartial Men whether the French were not in a better condition to act defensively against us this year than we to have acted defensively against them in the former Campaigns We dispos'd our Field-Pieces this March to mount to St. André upon the head of the Several Brigades of Foot each Brigade had Five Field-Pieces with Stores and Gunners proportionably The Day following Count Alefeldt was Detach'd with his Brigade to the Village of Ramelies which the Elector of Bavaria left to take his Quarter at Taviers upon the Mahaigne and this Post was committed to the Charge of Major General Ellenberg We made a Retrenchment about Ramelies and placed a great many pieces of Canon upon the height of this Village which commanded the Plain that leads to Huy The same day we rectified our Camp which had been mark'd in haste the day before to make the Line more regular and filled up the Interval that had been left by Alefeldt's Brigade The French being advised of our March towards the Mehaigne left this day their Camp between Tongres and Fies and marched near to Huy after they had passed the Jaar upon several Bridges they imcamped with their Right between the Villages of Vignamont and Walef towards the Jaar and their Left at Fenmale upon the Mehaigne The Dauphin took his Quarter at Vignamont within Two English Miles of Huy and the French which before made a shew of having some design upon Liege or Maestricht now did not think themselves secure enough in the Camp of Vignamont though strong by Situation between the Meuse the Jaar and Mehaigne but immediately upon their coming to this Camp they fortified it where it was open between the Jaar and the Mehaigne with a very good Retrenchment which they made as strong as art and leasure could do it The Right of our own Camp upon the Mehaigne was within Two Leagues and a half of Namur and within Four English Miles of the Meuse for which reason the French kept their Communications with Namur from whence they had their Provisions by Land on the other side of the River which before they had by Water and the Marquiss d' Harcourt which before lay incamped between the Paijs de Liege and that of Luxemburg was ordered to come and Post himself on the other side of the Meuse near Huy to cover the French Convoys which otherwise would have been much exposed to the Excursion of the Garrison of Liege which has an equal advantage on both sides of the River And because the French were now every much streightned in their Camp that they had already forraged all about Liege and Maestricht and that there remained but little Ground on this side of the River which they could forrage securely on the Dauphin to provide for the subsistance of his Army as long as he could ordered all the heavy Baggage of the Army to march by Huy to the other side of the Meuse This was the great Advantage of our Camp at Mount St. André That the French which before ravaged all the Countrey between Liege and Maestricht were now forced to Retrench themselves under the Walls of their own Garrison of Huy and that it put all the Countrey on this side of the Sambre under our Command so far that the French though Masters both of Namur and Charleroy yet could not hinder us from incamping in the Plains of Fleury and were themselves forced to pass and re-pass the Sambre which is a great way about to follow us into Flanders And though our Advantages were so great by this Camp yet we could not take it up sooner because the French might then have subsisted about Liege and Huy longer than we could have done upon the Mehaigne which would have exposed Liege too much to the French Power upon our March to the Scheld The 16th Stuarts Brigade was detached out of the Line to incamp at the Cense or Farm of Franquenies near the Abbey of Bonef upon the Mehaigne where they intrenched themselves and the Guard of this Post was committed to the charge of Count Nassau Lieutenant General This Village with that of Ramelies on the other side Commanded the Plain before our Right Wing where we incamped along the Mehaigne in the Campagne of 1692. where the King had his Quarter at Ramelies and our Right by Perwys and the Left at Brancon upon the Mehaigne The French were then besieging the Castle of Namur the rest of our Camp was covered in the Front by the Lesser and in the Rear by the Greater Geet The River in the Front was a great way from the Line above half of a League but a little Brook covered it nearer that went from the Village of Offus and fell into the Lesser Geet at Jauche This was the Strength and Situation of our Camp at Mount St. André the Posts that covered and the Advantages we got by it Upon our coming to this Camp and the French to Vignamont the King ordered the Forces that were incamped within the Lines of Liege to march out and form a Camp by the Citadel consisting of Dutch Brandenbourg and Liege Forces Commanded by Prince Circlaes of Tilly and the Major-General Heyden and Cohorne This was a very convenient Camp to molest the Enemy in their Forrage towards Liege and the French to be even with us Commanded a small Body of Horfe and Dragoons Commanded by Colonel Vaillat to incamp under the Walls of Namur to molest our Forragers between the Mehaigne and the Meuse who often went very near Namur The French sent besides this Detachment a Man of a Company Commanded by the Officers that had best knowledge of the Countrey to go out in Parties in which they had
pretty good success particularly between the Mehaigne and the Meuse where we lost several Horses and they took generally some Prisoners But if these were inconvenient to us from Namur our Camp near Liege was equally inconvenient to the Enemy on that side from whom they took a great many Horses and Prisoners but few Deserters came to us from this Camp though they deserted before in Multitudes because they were so closely intrenched between Rivers that it was difficult for them who had a mind to get away The 17th the King rid out very early with a strong Detachment of 4000 Horse along the Mehaigne towards the Enemies Camp and returned very late that Evening The day following we had a general Forrage on the other side the Mehaign Several of the Enemies Squadrons appeared in sight of our Forragers for which reason we fired three Pieces of Cannon from our Camp the Signal to call them in The French did forrage the same day on their side and these Squadrons were of the Detachment to Cover the Forragers who were no less surprised to see some of our Squadrons posted near them for the same reason however there was no Action on either Side though such Accidents falling out have sometimes brought two Armies to an ingagement as it happened in 1689 at Walcourt between Prince Waldeck and the Mareschal de Humieres Our Foragers nevertheless made a shift not to come into the Camp empty but we lost some Horses that tarried too long after the Signal given to come off at which time the Detachment that cover'd the Foragers were commanded back to the Camp Colonel Mathews lost 8 Horses out of his Regiment and 3 of his Men were wounded The 22 th all the Dragoons removed from the Left to the Rear of the Right by Hottemont What remained of the English and Dutch Artillery after the Field-pieces had been distributed into the several Brigades of Foot and that we had planted some others at the Village of Ramelies came to be posted here the day before from the ground between Mount St. André and Bonmale where it had incamped at our first coming here And the 24 th the Duke of St. Albans and Colonel Lutterel came to the Camp from England the first to serve as a Voluntier and the second to go to Venice and command the Irish Forces in the Service of that Republick with a Commission of Major-General This day we had another general Forage towards Wavre where the Lord Colchester now Earl of Rivers lost some Horses out of his Troop of Guards The Parties not only from Namur but from Mons and Charleroy were very frequent and came often to the very Rear of our Camp so that upon a Forage 't was very hard to prevent the losing several of our Horses either by negligent Men who did not take care to keep within the out-guards or others who for choice of Forage would venture beyond them The 26 th we surrounded a party of the Enemies in a Wood just by the Rear of our Left where they had been decoy'd by a Boor who gave notice of it to my Lord of Athlone This was a voluntary Party of dismounted Troopers that had a great mind to ride some of our Horses and to mount themselves at our own cost they got a Partisan with them who when they came near to our Camp inquir'd whereabouts our Horses grazed the Boor told them that they were every day just by the Wood and that if they would lie there in ambuscade that night they would not fail of Horses the next morning They took his advice and the Boor came immediately to advertise my Lord of Athlone of it who commanded a Detachment of Dragoons and of the two Brigades of Foot interlined in the Left to surround the Wood and to give no quarter so that they kill'd 20 of them up and down and the Partisan among the rest but at last they gave quarter to 17. Much about the same time one of our Parties composed of Soldiers of Hukelom and Carles Regiments brought in the Lieutenant-Colonel of the Dauphins Regiment and several other Prisoners which they took between Huy and Namur And though 't is none of my business to speak of the actions of Parties and Partisans which have no more to do in the main business of an Army than Privateers have in that of a Fleet the one being upon Land what the others are at Sea yet I cannot omit to speak of a considerable adventure of one of our Parties which ventured to pass the Meuse though not 30 Men and got about 50 Troopers in a defile where they took all their Horses and made every one of them Prisoners and repass'd the Meuse with their Booty which they brought safely off The 21 th Count Thian had a quiet Camp in the Neighbourhood of Ghendt where he seemed posted only to make head against the Marquis De la Valette near Courtray yet he would not remain idle there but about this time he made a Detachment of 300 Spanish Horse out of his Camp under the command of the Lieutenant-Colonel of the Prince of Chinays Regiment who in their way by Aeth took a Reinforcement of 700 Foot out of that Garison and the next day they were joyn'd with about 3 or 400 more of the same Garison These Forces attack'd the French Line about St. Ghilain and forced several of their Redoubts upon the Haine where they made 50 Prisoners they pass'd the River after this and plundered the Town of St. Ghilain where there was a small Garison which abandon'd it upon their approach and retreated to Mons they detach'd several Parties in the Countrey round about for Hostages and made a very great booty of Horses and Cattle which they brought to Aeth The 27 th the three Battalions of Guards in the Second Line had Orders to incamp upon the Kings Quarter a great deal of baggage of the Kings Horse and several both Mules and Horses were on the other side of the little River which went under the Kings Quarter and the King had information of the designs of some of the French Partisans to come and endeavour to steal away what lay on the other side of this River where it was expos'd to such attempts and besides the Kings Quarter was removed from the Line of the Army for which reason these three Battalions of Guards and the Duke of Holsteins Dragoons incamped here by the Kings Quarter the Guards on the other and the Dragoons on this side of the Geet The 28 th we had another general Forage under a good escort of 20 Squadrons of Horse commanded by Count Tilly Major-General and a good Detachment of Foot commanded by Brigadier Collier Some Horses were lost of Brigadier Mathews his Dragoons and two of his Men were kill'd by the French Parties that lay in ambuscade for a like occasion The 31 th the King took a review of the 20 Brandenburgh Squadrons of Horse that as we said above had
saw it free from any attempts of the Enemy where the nature of the Country did afford them an occasion to have fallen upon it We made a long march this day and the weather being warm made several Soldiers saint under their Armes The King took his Quarter at the Chateau of Sombref our Right went towards Fleury at St. Amand from whence it turned back almost in a right Angle to Marbais where the Elector of Bavaria had his Quarter and our Left went towards Gemblours as far as the Cense or Farm of Bretinchamp The Kings Quarter being in the Front of the Army was covered by all the English and Dutch Dragoons who incamped before it upon a Line The Enemy being sensible that they could not hinder us from this Camp and expecting our march to this place had ordered the small body of Horse and Dragoons commanded by Colonel Vaillac from Namur to march to Charleroy both to cover that place and to incommode our Foragers We halted here the next day we had made a long march and the Rear-guard could not come up till two or three of the Clock in the Morning and besides it was necessary to see what the French would do upon this march whether they would go back to Liege and endeavour to fall upon it though the want of Forage could not allow them to subsist there any longer or whether they would follow us and march upon the Sambre For if they had been obstinate to have kept on this side of the River then the Plain of Fleury was a very convenient place to try the Issue of another Battle and the odds were not so great between the two Armies but that the French if they depend so much on their boasted Bravery might very well have ventured it The Enemy out-did us in Foot by Two Battalions as it appears by the List of their Line of Battle and ours but we out-numbered them in Horse and Dragoons however it appeared by the Enemies behaviour at this time that they depend more upon the Number than the Bravery and Valour of their Soldiers The French had so many reports of our marching the day before in which they were deceived that though we made no secret of this days march yet they were not certain of it till about Noon their Right Wing of Horse was then gone to forrage The Dauphin caused several Pieces of Cannon to be fired to call them in the Resolution was taken to follow us and the Drums immediately beat the General to give notice of marching About Four in the Afternoon the Dauphin began to move with the Right Wing of Horse and Body of Foot and passed the Mehaigne at Falay directing their March up along the Meuse towards Namur The Right Wing of Horse Commanded by the Mareschal de Villeroy being returned from their Forrage followed the Dauphin about Eight that Evening and so they marched all Night and the next day that they came about the Evening between Spy and Masey and the Dauphin took his Quarter at the Chateau de Soye upon the Sambre but in leaving the Camp of Vignamont the French provided for the safety of Huy and left a Battalion to reinforce the Garrison When they were come up to this Camp we could discover part of their Left but the little River that runs from Gemblours into the Sambre covered them and remained between us However though we were so near one another and that the Plains of Fleury offered a very convenient field of battle yet the French were unwilling to hazard it but rather resolved to make a Retreat and pass the Sambre which they began that very Night The Infantry of the Kings House led the way and the next day the whole Army with the Right Wing of Horse Commanded by the Mareschal de Villeroy followed and incamped at Ausart l' Estrang about a League and a half from Charleroy between it and Namur but their Troops were so fatigued with the March which continued night and day that the Colours of their Battalions were almost left bare and Sixty Men made a good Battalion upon the March the rest being wearie stragled behind The Mareschal de Villeroy was detached from this place with a Body of Horse and Dragoons towards the Scheld where the Enemies were informed we did design to march with all speed and took his March by Maubeuge where he re-passed the Sambre and passed the Scheld the next day at Conde making all diligence to get to Tournay The Enemy upon our halt at Sombref the 9th fired several Pieces of Cannon at Charleroy I suppose for Signals of our halt but the King being informed that the French would pass the Sambre rather than venture the Issue of a Battle in the Plains of Fleury and that they did actually begin to pass it that very Night gave Orders for the Army to march the next day Accordingly the Army left the Camp of Sombref the day following and marched by Mellé towards Genap and Nivelle about noon we passed the Dyle at the Village and Chateau of Promel about Four in the Afternoon our Right was got to Arkennes upon the Senne that runs by Nivelle and Nostredame de Halte to Brusselles We incamped here this Night our Line went from Senne almost to the Dyle our Right at Arkennes the Elector of Bavaria's Quarter and our Left at Vaillantpont not far from Promel where we had passed the Dyle the King took his Quarter in the Town of Nivelle This is a neat little Town it lies in a Bottom and so cannot be made strong however it has ancient Walls and Roundels about it and is more particularly famous for the Abbey of Secular Chanonesses which are all to be Women of the first Quality of the Countrey they take no Vows but may marry if they please and leave their places In the Choice they have Robes and Furrs like Secular Canons and the Head-dress like Nuns but otherwise when they are out of the Church they dress themselves like other Ladies The design of the Foundation was for Women of the best Quality that had no considerable Fortunes to live here Honourably without incumbring the small Estate of the Family The Abbess of this Collegiate Church is Lady of the Town and the Army on both sides have been very favourable to this place for the sake of the Religious Ladies Upon this March to Nivelle the Colonel of the Dutch Train of Artillery visiting the Ammunition Waggons found a Stranger in one of them that could give no good account of himself He had got in by pretending himself to be of the Army that he was weary and could not march by which pretence and a little Drinking-Money to the Waggoner he got leave to get up in the Waggon The Dutch Colonel that came to visit the Waggons suspected him and caused him to be searched and found a lighted Match about him and besides he gave so ill an account of himself that he was soon discovered to be a Frenchman
Company They marched by Louvain Vilvor de and Ghendt and so joyned us in this place We have said before that upon our marching from Mount St. André towards the Scheld the King had ordered Major-General Cohorne with Twelve Battalions and some Liege Dragoons to march towards Ghendt which obliged the Enemy to bring all their Forces in Flanders to make head against so great an Army as we should have after the joyning of all these Forces The 15 th Major-General Cohorne came to Vilvor de with the Body under his Command and the 21 th he marched through the Town of Ghendt and incamped just without the Town upon the Canal of Bruges he had then with him Three Battalions of Swerin and the Regiments of Stockhansen Lindeboom Harsolt Ameliswert Prince Christian Lodowics Essen Vaudermeuten Churprince and Friesheim and Two Regiments of Liege Dragoons The Enemy having now left the Meuse open the King sent Orderâ— to Maestricht to prepare a Train of Artillery and all other necessaries for a Siege to send it up by water to Liege and all the Boats belonging to Maestricht and Liege were taken for the Kings Service The 22 th we made a great Detachment under the Command of Count de Noyelles Lieutenant-General towards the Right to cover Pioneers who had come up to cut ways through the inclosures we had before us and we had Bridges laid upon the Lys and upon the Scheld for the conveniency of the Army to Forage on the other side of both these Rivers and also to leave the Enemies in suspence who were now busie in fortifying of Courtray for a Winter-Quarter which way we design'd to march next whether farther in Flanders or back again towards the Meuse The 24 th the heavy Baggage was commanded back again to Ghendt and Pontons were sent to make Bridges upon the Lys at Mechlen The 25 th the Right Wing of Horse and Body of Foot was ordered to march towards the Lys except the Brigade of Guards which remained incamped at the King's Quarter and and the same Day Lieutenant-General Dewits was ordered to re-pass the Scheld at Audenarde and to march towards the Meuse with the Brandenbourg Horse under his Command The 26 th the whole Army marched and passed the Lys upon two Bridges at Mechlen We began now to come in the close Country of Flanders and this is the reason that part of the Army was ordered to march from the Camp at Wanneghem the day before because the Defiles were such here that the whole Army could not have marched from Wanneghem and pass the Lys in one day After we had passed the Lys we incamped with our Right at Caneghem where the Elector had his Quarter and the Left between Markeghem and Wacken upon the Lys the King took his Quarter at Wouterghem about Three English Miles from Deinse the Artillery and Baggage marchâ—d by Deinse and came up here to us the same Day The 29 th Count Thian march'd from Deinse and came up to joyn us he incamped before our Left at Wacken where the River Mandel that comes from Rouselar falls into the Scheld The Second Battalion of the Royal Regiment came to incamp in the Line and Colonel Lauders was ordered to joyn Count Thian in its place he was likewise reinforced with Mathars Regiment of Dragoons The 29 th the Body of Foot and the Two Brigades interlined in the Right Wing of Horse together with the Spanish Horse upon the Right and the Brigade of Life-Guards and Boncourts with Eppinger and Dopfs Dragoons upon the Left marched by Thielt and so came to Rouselar The ground being very close here and generally all over the Province of Flanders we had no occasion for Horse the Defiles were very bad and the March long and tedious The King took his Quarters at Rouselar our Right reached to Hooghleede where the Elector of Ravaria had his Quarter and our Left by Rumbek upon the River Mandel the ground upon which we incamped was all high inclosures with rowes of Trees upon all the Hedges which made the Country hereabouts so close that one Battalion could hardly see those upon the Right or Left The Town of Rouselar is called in French Roulers as most of the Towns in this Country have a French and a Dutch name which are often very different from one another and situated near the Springs of the River Mandel which falls into the Lys at Wacken The Country all about it is very even though Woody for which reason if this little River could afford more water for a good Fosse the Town might be very well fortified it is in the Chatellenie of Ipres three Leagues from thence nine from Ghendt three from Courtray four from Dixmuyde and six from Bruges this is reckoned the last place of the Pajis conquis and in time of Peace the French King had Officers to gather his Duties for Goods Imported or Exported as being his utmost Frontier The Duke of Newbourgh now Elector Palatine of the Rhine is Lord of this place but he has a bad Tenant in the French King The Foot being incamped at Rouselar all the Horse remained at Wouterghem under the Command of my Lord of Athlone aud the Two Brigades of Foot interlined under the Command of Major-General Ramsay but the Dutch Horse of the Right Wing joyned the Left Though we were incamped here in very strong and close ground yet 't was commanded by the heighth or little Hill of Hooghleede where we had our Right which is a rare thing in this level Country We made several Redoubts upon it for the security of our Camp this being the only place by which we could be attacked The French upon our March to this place made several Detachments from their Army for the security of their Country the Mareschal de Villeroy was commanded with a Body to incamp by Ipres to oppose our passage of the Canal which goes from this place by the Knock and Furnes to Dunkirk and the Marquis de la Valette had Orders to leave Pont de Espieres to come and post himself between Furnes and the Fort of Knock for the defence of these places We have given an account of both of them in our first relation for the Year 1692 to which I shall refer the Reader I must not omit to say that the Dutch Artillery upon our March to Rouselar was sent from the Camp at Wouterghem to Malines its usual Winter-quarter The King having now brought all the Enemies Forces in Flanders except the Body of Horse Commanded by the Marquis de Harcourt which was not sufficient to hinder or oppose his designs had resolved to besiege Huy for which end as we have said before great preparations of Ammunitions and all other necessaries for a Siege had been prepared at Maestricht His Majesty had sent also Lieutenant-General de Witz from the Camp at Wanneghem with the Brandenburgh Horse to joyn the Liege Forces to invest the place but the Care and Conduct of
the Siege was kept for the Duke of Holstein Ploen Velt-Mareschal General of the States Forces accordingly upon our March from Wouterghem to Rouselar the King ordered the Duke of Holstein to go and Command the Forces to be imployed in the Siege of Huy and Major-General Cohorne who had remained with his Body of which we have already given an account near Ghendt till this time was commanded to march towards Liege The 31 th the Three Battalions of Guards the first of the English Guards the second of Dutch Guards and the third the second Battalion of Scots Guards were ordered to incamp on the other side of the Town of Rouselar towards Ipres to cover the Kings Quarters for the Country being close and Woody made the Enemies Parties very bold The same day Quarter-Master-General Dopf was sent to Dixmuyde to observe the Place he had an Escorte of 600 Men Commanded by Colonel Trelawney at his return he gave His Majesty an account of the Place upon which 't was Resolved to fortifie it The Campagne being now far spent and this being like to be the last Camp before we separated into Winter Quarters the Army had Orders to put down their Tents and to make Baracques or Huts of straw which at this time was to be found in great abundance about this place for no Army had incamped near it for many Years The same day the Prisoner of which we have given an account in the March from Sombref to Nivelle that was taken in one of the Ammunition Waggons with a lighted Match was burnt alive after he had first his Right hand cut off and flung into the fire he was put to the Torture to confess his Ruin and was found guilty by the Court-Marshal of designing to blow up our Powder Waggons I have not yet seen the Copy of the Sentence and so I cannot give a farther account of his Crime and of the Persons by whom he was set on I have only heard that it was the Marquis de Grammont We had such an Accident in the Campagne of 1691. the Evening that we returned from Beaumont to the Camp at Court Sur Heure The thing was undertaken by one of the Dutch Traine he actually set fire to Two Bombs which put the whole Army into an Alarm and if the Gunners had not hazarded themselves very much to fling them out of the Waggons it would in all probability have set all our Ammunion Waggons on fire he underwent afterwards the same punishment at the Camp of St. Gerrard his Right hand was cut off and burnt before his face and was himself afterwards burnt alive with a small fire which he indured with a great deal of constancy The Third an Ensign of King James his Irish Guards left the Enemies Camp and came over to our Army and the same day one Pierce Oliver that had been a Sergeant in the Dragoons of Valencar and Native of Tournay was hanged near the Elector of Bavaria's Quarter He had deferted the Spanish Service and went over to the Enemies where he turned Partisan he was taken Prisoner the day before by a Spanish Party and was hanged the next day for a Deserter The same the Duke of Wirtemburg began the Review of the Infantry and Reviewed this day the Brigade of Guards the next day he Reviewed the rest of the Body of Foot the same day His Majesty went to My Lord of Athlone's Camp under a strong Escorte and and because this close Countrey was hardly ever without some of the Enemies Parties they suprized one of which they made Fifty Prisoners killed some and dispersed the rest The King having dined with the Lord of Athlone returned the same night to the Camp after he had ordered a Detachment of Thirty Squadrons of Horse and some Dragoons to march towards Aeth under the Command of Count Tilly Major-General This Detachment was made to cover Brusselles from the Garrison of Mons which made some Incursions to the very Canal of Brusselles and also to observe the Enemy in case they should make any Detachments towards Huy The same day the Regiments of Hackelem Dedem and Holstein Beck were sent to reinfore the Army to be imployed in the Siege of Huy they were Commanded by Brigadier Dedem and followed the next day by the Regiments of Birkenfeldt Zobel and Sparre and the 6 th by the Regiments of the Rhingrave Holstein-Norbourg Goar and Dumont under the Command of the Duke of Holstein Norbourg Brigadier the Regiment of Lowenhaupt was detached the same Day towards the Canal of Brusselles to secure it from the Attempt of Parties The 7 th the Duke of Wirtemberg's Quarter took fire which began in his Kitchin and the Wind was so high that it presently consumed above Twenty Houses to the Leeward in the Street that goes to Ghendt most of them being covered with Straw but the Duke's Servants had the time to save the best of his Baggage and Furniture for the House so that he suffered no great Dammage by it The same day all the English Horse and Dragoons and all the Cavalry upon English Pay came up to Rouselar from the Camp of Wouterghem under the Command of Monsieur d' Anverquerque and incamped that Night upon the Left between Rombeck and Inghelmonster Wynne's Dragoons that had been sent from the Camp of Mount St. André to Ghendt to get their Horses in better case being now refreshed from the Fatigues they had indured came up to the Camp along with them and the 8 th they were all sent to canton upon the Villages between our Right and Dixmuyde My Lord of Athlone left at the same time the Camp of Wouterghem and marched to canton the Dutch Cavalry and Dragoons from Nivelle to St John de Lerne upon the Lys between Deinse and Ghendt Major General Ramsay came the 8 th to the Camp with the Two Brigades of Foot under his Command and incamped upon the Left where he flanked it near Rombeck My Lord of Athlone's Camp being thus separated Count Thian was ordered to march from Wacken back to Deinse to fortifie that Place and the government of it during the Winter was given to Brigadier Off arell This Place is situated upon the Lys Three Leagues higher above Ghendt it lyes upon both sides of the River and in a convenient Post to cover Ghendt and part of the Canal of Bruges from the Enemies Parties who before would venture up to the Gates of the Town and besides our Forces now were so numerous that we could not quarter them conveniently in the Frontier Towns and Garrisons for which reason we have fortified several such Posts this Year to inlarge our Quarters and advance them as far as we could towards the Enemy's Frontier The 8th the Dauphine left the Enemy's Camp between Courtray and Menin to return to Versailles by Eight in the Morning he parted from Courtray being saluted by a Triple Discharge of the Enemy's Cannon by Twelve he arrived at Lisle and
was made and that he hoped in a very short time to be Master of the place The Cannon when once we were Masters of the Two Forts did so much annoy the Besieged in the Castle that a Centinel did not dare to shew himself upon the Ramparts of it The 19 th the Army had Orders to Forage all the Churches and Cloisters before us in the Chatellenie of Ipres and to take out the Corn they had there The Town of Rouselar was not spared and the Cloister of the Augustines was Foraged as well as the rest the Country before being the Frontier of the Pajis conquis 't was thought convenient to destroy the Corn and Forage about the Enemies Garrisons as much as possibly we could and the Enemy by our incamping here being kept within their own Garrisons were no less inconvenient to the Country round about They had incamped between Courtray and Menin since the 18 th of the last Month insomuch that though they had agreed with the Chatellenie of Lisle to excuse it from Forage yet we kept them so long here that they were forced to break the bargain and not only the Chatellenie of Lisle was forced to send Forage to the Army but the Towns and Villages much more remote from the Enemies Frontiers were obliged to do the same thing The 19 th day Count Tilly Major-General of the States Forces that had been commanded with a Detachment of Thirty Squadrons of Horse and Dragoons towards Aeth had the misfortune to be taken Prisoner in his own Quarters at Mafle between Aeth and Mons by the treachery of one of his own Domestick Servants who run away to Mons and informed the Enemy of the condition of the Major-Generals Quarters what Guard it had upon it and how it might be surprized who accordingly sent immediately a strong Party of Dragoons that surprized his Quarters made him Prisoner and carried him to Mons This is the same Gentleman that had the misfortune last Year to be attacked by a strong Detachment of the Enemies Horse all of the French Kings House near Tongres where he was posted with Nine or Ten Squadrons of Horse with which he was to joyn our Army he was forced to retreat towards Maestricht with the loss of some of his Baggage and not Count Cerclas now Prince of Tilly as I said last Year by a mistake The 20 th early in the Morning the King left the Army to go by Liege and Maestricht to Loo and so to the Hague in order to repass the Sea His Majesty was attended out of the Camp by the Elector of Bavaria and all the General Officers of the Army and had an Escorte of Fourscore Men out of each Battalion Commanded by the Prince of Anhault Brigadier the Detachment out of the Kings Forces was Commanded under the Prince of Anhault by Colonel Titcomb Lieutenant-Colonels Peyton and Corbet and Major Sabine they conveyed the King to Deinse where a strong Detachment of Horse out of my Lord of Athlone's Forces which were quartered thereabouts attended to conduct the King farther on His way His Majesty passed through the Town of Ghendt incognito and lay that Night at Overmeere between Ghendt and Dendermond and so His Majesty went on His Journey towards Liege good Escortes being laid by relays all along the way The King just at his going out of the Camp had by an Express from the Duke of Holstein an account that the Castle of Huy had Capitulated the 17 th and that the Garrison was to march out of the breach the next Day with Drums beating Colours flying and other marks of Honour but without Artillery to Namur Thus far the account of Huy as we have had it in the Camp but because it has been the most remarkable Action of this Campagne I shall here incert the Journal of this Siege The Journal of the Siege and taking of the Town and Castle of Huy with the several Forts belonging to it by the Confederate Army Commanded by His Highness the Duke of Holstein Ploen Velt Mareschal General of the Armies of the States-General of the Vnited Provinces WE have said above that the King pursuant to the resolutions he had taken of laying Siege to Huy had ordered the Duke of Holstein Ploen from the Camp at Wouterghem to march towards the Meuse with the Body of Foot and Dragoons incamped near Ghendt under the Command of Major-General Cohorne that the Garrisons of Liege and Maestricht had Orders at the same time to be ready to march The Train of Artillery and Mortars and all things necessary for a Siege were ready at Maestricht with Boats to carry them up the River and expected only the junction of the Forces to form the Siege to be sent up to Huy The 5 th Prince Cerclas of Tilly marched out of Liege to possess himself of several Posts in the Neighbourhood of Huy with the Cavalry of the Diocess He was followed the next Day by the Duke of Holstein who was now joyned by the Dutch and Brandenburgh Forces and the Cavalry Commanded by Lieutenant-General de Witz which in going back to the Meuse from Audenarde had marched almost the same way we came to it The 7 th all these Forces being joyned together posted themselves at all the avenues leading to the place and formally invested it Brigadier Swerin passed the Meuse with his Brigade of Foot to post himself on the opposite side of the River to the Town of Huy I refer the Reader for the description of this place to what I said of it in my last Years History I shall only add that the Fort Picard which was then imperfect was quite finished by the French and besides that they had made the Fort Rouge for the greater security of the place When Huy was invested our Army before the place consisted of the Forces following The List of the Confederate Army before Huy Duke of Holstein Velt-Mareschal General Prince Cerclas of Tilly General De Witz Lieutenant-General Heyden Cohorne and Sonsfeldt Major-Generals Swerin Lindeboom c. Brigadiers Dutch Infantry Brandenburgh Foot Brandenburgh Horse Regim Battal Regim Battal Regim Squad Du Thei l 1 Electors Guards 3 Dorfling Dragoons 4 Cohorne 1 Electoral Prince 1 Sonsfeldt Dragoons 4 Lindeboom 1 Prince Phillipe 1 Auspach Dragoons 2 Dutch Infantry Brandenburgh Foot Brandenburgh Horse Regim Battal Regim Battal Regim Squad Swerin 3 Prince Louis 1 Horse-Granadiers 1 Stockhausen 1 Dorfling 1 Grand Musquetiers 1 Friesheim 1 Altholstein 1 Gens d' Arms 1 Ameliswert 1 Denhof 1 Life Regiment 3 Essen 1 Barfus 1 Churprince 3 Churprince 1 Heyden 1 Fleming 3 Prince Phillipe 1 Brand 1 Dorfling 3 Harsolt 1 Lottom 1 Du Hammel 3 Prince Louis 1 Doua 1 Litwits 3 Anhaltdessau 1 Slabendorf 1 Schlipenback 3 Knoring 1 Anhalt 1 Â Â Obergen 1 Hult 1 Â Â Vandermuklen 1 Horne 1 Â Â Battalions 18 Battalions 18 Squndrons 38 Â Â Liege Battalions 4 Â Â We had by this List Forty
till the Bishop Elect had his Confirmation from Rome The Dean and Chapter of Liege had likewise Te Deum sung in the Cathedral Church of St. Lambert and a triple discharge of all the Canon round the Town to express their joy for the reduction of this place to the Government of Liege But before I part with the Siege of Huy I cannot omit to shew the importance and consequence of it to the Allies We have already spoken of the great inconveniences we suffered by having Liege for our Frontier Garrison which being a very large place situated amongst Hills requir'd a good Army for its defence so that whilst Liege was our Frontier we could not well act defensively against the Enemy because it took up those Men within it for its defence which should have been required elsewhere That very Army which the Duke of Holstein had before it was but the Garrison of Liege and some Regiments of Maestricht and though we exceeded the French Army by much including these Forces of Liege yet as long as the French had Huy they could still hinder the junction of these Forces with us or else the Town of Liege must be left exposed to them But we having advanc'd our Frontier by the taking of this place a small Garrison will serve Liege and as much as will keep the Citadels will be sufficient so that by the taking of Huy we can without raising One Man have above Twenty Battalions more in the Field the next Campagne This is sufficient to shew the Consequence of Huy and of what Importance it is to either side It is now time to return from the Siege of Huy to our Camp at Rouselar and to bring things to the conclusion of the Campagne The King as we have said left the Army here the 20 th and went that day by Deinse and Ghendt to Overmeere where His Majesty lay that night but at his passing by my Lord of Athlones Quarters where the Dutch Cavalry was canton'd the King order'd Major-General Hubert to go and command the Body of Horse and Dragoons we had by Aeth in the absence of Count Tilly who as we have said before had been taken Prifoner from his very Quarters by a Detachment of the Enemies from the Garrison of Mons. The 21 th the First Troop of Guards Commanded by my Lord of Scarborough was sent to quarter at Breda and the Horse-Granadiers to Bois le duc and now some Regiments went off daily from the Camp to go into Winter-Quarters The 22 th we made a Detachment to cover our Soldiers who went to marode up and down the Country which before occasioned many of them to be taken Prisoners by the Enemy for the Country hereabours abounded in all manner of Fruits but Roots especially as Turnips Parsnips and Potatoes but when they began to grow scarce near the Camp the Soldiers could not be hinder'd from going farther to gather them which was the cause that the Enemies Parties daily took a great many Prisoners for which reason 't was thought convenient to have set days upon which the Soldiers should have liberty a Man of a Tent to go and gather Roots and Fruits and a Detachment was order'd out of the Army to cover them but some greater inconveniencies happened by this way for which reason 't was since left off If the Camp at Rouselar was strong and secure so that we could make what Detachments we pleased from thence yet in other cases 't was very inconvenient the Country all about it was close and Woody which shelter'd the Enemies Parties which were so frequent that our Sulters underwent great hazards to get Provisions for the Camp and our Bread-Waggons were several times attackâ—d by these Parites for the Train of the Bread-Waggons and Sutlers who took the opportnnity of Convoys made a Line of such length through the narrow ways of this Country that 't was impossible for our Detachments to cover them all along so that the Enemies Parties which lay in the Woods would often sally out when they saw their opportunity and take the Horses from the Waggons which was all they look d for and so run away with their booty as fast as they could about this time a Party of the Enemy attack'd our Bread-Waggons but part of our Detachment which was near hindered them from stealing any Horses yet being in close Ambuscade they fired upon our Men where Captain Sacheverel of Colonel Titcombs Regiment that commanded this part of the Detachment had the misfortune to be wounded mortally which is the only Officer of our Army I have heard of that has been killed this Campagne by the Enemy The 23 th the King who had left the Camp at Rouselar the 20 th came to Liege the 23 th about Noon His Majesty was waited upon by Deputies from the Chapter to Complement Him upon his arrival to this place and by Prince Cerclas of Tilly the Liege General and the Cannon was fir'd all round the Town His Majesty did not go into the place but only rid round the Lines and Works to see the condition they were in and how far His Majesty could depend upon them whereby to take His Measures for the next Campagne That Evening the King went to Maestricht and lay in the Duke of Holstein-Ploens house the Governour which had been prepar'd for His Majesties reception and the next day the King went on to Loo where His Majesty arrived the 26 th to take his usual Divertisements after the closing of the Campagne The 25 th we sent a reinforcement from the Camp at Rouselar of Thirty Gunners and Matrosses with Stores to Dixmuyde The 26 th the Elector of Bavaria and Prince Vaudemont left the Army early in the Morning to go to Brussels 16 Men being commanded out of each Battalion by Two in the Morning to Escorte his Electoral Highness as far as Deinse from whence relays were ready upon the Road by Ghendt to Brussels The Command of the Army remain'd now to the D. of Wirtemberg who had thereupon the Honours paid him which are given to a General in Chief The same day the Army had Orders to forage all the Churches and Cloisters in our Front towards the Enemy and to take all their Corn as we had before to leave the Enemies Country hereabouts as bare as we could The 28 th the Bavarian Foot and Dragoons marched away from the Camp to go into Quarters they were incamped upon the heighth of Hooghleode where they flank'd our Right and cover'd the Electors Quarters but because this Hill commanded our Camp 5 Battalions of the Brigade of Rantzow and Dedem were sent the same day to incamp in their places to defend the Redoubts which we had made at our first coming to fortifie this Hill against the Enemy The same day the Barracks of the Battalion of the Second Regiment of English Guards whereof my Lord Cuts is now Colonel in the room of the late Lieutenant-General Taldmash took fire the