turn out upon call Prince Vaudemont tho' very much indispos'd came by Three of the Clock in the Morning in his Coach and stood at the Head of the English Guards notwithstanding that he had kept his Bed Three or Four Days before and had then a Feaver upon him the whole Army turn'd out an Hour before Day We form'd our Battalions and Squadrons in a readiness and the King came at the same time to see us in a posture of defence and went in Prince Vaudemont's Coach to conferr with him upon the present Conjuncture The Weather was very thick and foggy so that we could hardly see 50 Yards before us but we had Out-guards all along beyond our Retrenchments to prevent any surprize nevertheless we were very much concern'd at the unseasonableness of the Fog tho' 't was as inconvenient to the Enemy as to us In the Morning the Brigade of Guards was commanded to the Right at St. Denis under the Command of Major General Churchil to form a Reserve and sustain the Eight Regiments that had been posted here under Brigadier Fitspatrick which were all fresh and had not been concern'd in the Siege of Namur This was the most convenient Passage in our Camp and 't was expected that the most vigorous Attack of the Enemies would be here therefore there was a great deal of Care taken to fortifie all the Avenues and Church-yard of this Village The Brigade of Guards continu'd the Retrenchment from the Village within the Hedges and a marshy bottom by which they continu'd it to the Hesse Retrenchment And we had now provided so well for the defence of this Passage that we had no great Apprehension of the Enemies coming here The Hessians had made very good Batteries upon their Retrenchments cover'd with Gabions from whence they commanded the whole Plain There was another Passage to the Left of St. Denis about an English Mile before our Right Wing of Horse which we retrench'd and fortify'd and Sir David Collier was posted here with his Brigade and some Artillery We retrench'd all the Rising Ground within Masy and Golsines and so to the Woods we had upon our Right This was the Posture of our Camp this Day The Enemies had made several Motions the Night before and this Morning sending several Bodies sometimes to their Right and sometimes to their Left and their whole Camp was under Arms most part of the Night before and this whole Day About Noon the Weather began to clear up upon which Villeroy advanc'd to St. Denis to observe our Posts and our Army We had barricaded the way through the Wood with several Trees we had cut down and the Boughs being thick and green and there being a large Barn hard by he came by this way through the Wood and took the opportunity of this Cover to come up close to this Retrenchment As soon as he was perceiv'd all our Men within the Retrenchment took the Alarm and stood to their Arms expecting it to be the Van-guard of the Enemies Army The King was at Dinner in his Tent which was pitch'd hard by for that purpose who immediately got on Horse-back to observe the Enemy But Villeroy finding himself discover'd retir'd immediately having seen enough to convince him that 't was not fit to meddle with us here The Day being pass'd without any Action and the Time pressing for now we began to wait in our Camp the King thought it not convenient to deferr the Assault of the Breaches of the Terra nova and Cohorne any longer wherefore a Detachment was made this Evening 19th of 36 Grenadiers per Company out of those Regiments of His Majesty's Forces which had not been concern'd in the Siege and 18 out of those that had been employ'd in it The Grenadiers of the Brigade of Guards were commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Evans Captain of Grenadiers in the first Battalion and the rest by Colonel Epping Colonel of one of the Danish Battalions But before I proceed to give an Account of this Assault it is necessary to continue the Affairs of the Siege to this time The 15th as we have said it before we took the Half-moon of the Sambre which would otherwise have flank'd our Trenches if we had not beat the Enemies from it and likewise our Assault upon the Breach of Terra nova The 16th being Masters of this Half-moon we began to work at a Pattery of 10 Pieces of Cannon upon the Left of our inferiour Trench between it and the Half-moon which fir'd upon the inward Face of the small Bastion at the Foot of the descending Courtin of Terra nova Our Batteries from the Town could only fire upon the outward Face towards the Sambre and besides this Battery firing more perpendicular upon the Breach of Terra nova had yet a better effect than those from the Town Captain Hart of Colonel Courthop's Regiment was killed this Day in the Trenches In the Evening his Majesty left the Siege to put himself at the Head of the Army upon Villeroy's Approach Major-General Lindeboom reliev'd the Trenches this Night with the Prince of Holstein Norbourg Brigadier and Colonel Mackay of our Forces This Night we advanc'd our Trenches between the side of the Cohorne and the Sambre The Descent of the Hill from the Cohorne to the Sambre being steep this gave the Enemies opportunity to make use of a Machine to hinder our Work they fill'd some Casks with Powder Bombs and Grenades with a Fuzee at each end of the Cask which they tumbl'd down the Hill upon our Men but the Bombs and Grenades being too heavy in the Casks for the Powder caus'd an unequal Motion of the Machine which hinder'd its Effect for it could not roul down strait but inclin'd either to the Right or to the Left and if it fell per chance among our Workmen they only open'd to the Right and Left and let it run down the Hill tho' at first it put them into some disorder but the Machine made more Noise than Mischief The 17th early in the Morning our Battery of 10 Pieces of Cannon upon the Left of our inferior Trench began to play with very good success and contributed very much to level the Breach of the Terra nova for a more easie Assault By this time most of the Enemies Cannon were dismounted except some great Pieces upon the Cavalier of Terra nova which could not bear low enough upon us that attack'd from the bottom of the Hill and so did us no harm but their Drakes were still troublesome which being light they could easily draw up and down where they were most convenient for them In the Afternoon we discover'd a Party of the Enemies of 20 Troopers from the Garrison of Dinant which had posted themselves in Ambuscade just by our Line of Circumvallation towards the Meuse where a Detachment of the Elector's Guards were posted who attack'd them killing 6 of the Enemy and made the Lieutenant Prisoner and 7 more of his Party
Lieutenant d' Aneau kill'd in Seymour's Lieutenant Campbel kill'd in Columbine's Captain Cummins kill'd Lieutenant Twinhoe wounded in the Fusiliers Captain Groves and Lieutenant Rainsford wounded in Tidcomb's Lieutenant Sowell wounded in Stanley's Lieutenant Mordant kill'd in Ingoldsby's Captain Parry kill'd in Saunderson's Lieutenant Midlemore kill'd in Maitland's Lieutenant Arthurs wounded All these were Officers of Grenadeers There were yet some others of the same whose Names I could not get The Loss of the Four Regiments concern'd in the Attack was as follows In Colonel Courthop's Regiment the Colonel Captain Coot and Lieutenant Evans kill'd Sir Matthew Bridges Lieutenant-Colonel who now has the Regiment wounded Captains Wolf and du Bourguay Lieutenants Disbordes and Ash Ensigns Foncebran Eyres and Denis with 101 Soldiers kill'd and 149 wounded In Colonel Friderick Hamilton's Regiment Lieutenant-Colonel Ormsby Captains Purefoy Pinsent and Carteret Lieutenants Fitsmorris and Ramme Ensigns Fettyplace Blunt Baker and Hayter kill'd Captain John Southwel and Ensign Lister dead of their Wounds Colonel Friderick Hamilton Captains Kane du Roure Seymour and William Southwel Lieutenants la Planche Brereton Hybert Arphaxad Râ—leston Ensigns John Gifford Ormsby and Blackney wounded Soldiers kill'd 86 wounded 185. In Colonel Mackay's Regiment Captain Catenberg Ensign Macdoâ—gal kill'd Major Cunningham Captains Cunningham Mackenzy Camerone and Bruce Lieutenants Macleod Monro Dickson and Wilson Ensigns Neil Macleod Monro John Macleod Macdonald Gordon and Martyn wounded Sergeants and Soldiers kill'd 73. wounded 166. In Colonel Buchan's Regiment Captains Johnston Baily and Wear Lieutenant Bailly kill'd Lieutenant-Colonel Guilliams Captains Dalham Cassin and Orach Lieutenants Levingston and Windram Ensigns Gordon Lesley and Urguhart wounded Soldiers and Sergeants kill'd 65 wounded 140. The Loss in these 4 Regiments of Officers and Soldiers kill'd and wounded being join'd together amounts to 1028. besides the Grenadiers which I 'm sure had near 300 kill'd and wounded So that the whole Loss of His Majesty's Forces concern'd in this Action amounted to about 1400 Men tho' most Prints that speak of this Business make the whole Loss of the Allies to come to little more than this 'T is true that the other Forces concern'd in the Attacks of the Cohorne and Casotte did not suffer near so much as we did or rather their Loss was but inconsiderable except the Dutch and Bavarians employ'd in the Attack of the Breach of the Cohorne under Major-General Rivera who had many both Officers and Soldiers kill'd and wounded and if the Loss of all the rest of the Allies put together be suppos'd equal to that we sustain'd we must have had in all kill'd and wounded in this Action near 3000 Men. We had a great many Voluntiers to signalize themselves in this Occasion If I could have got a List of all these worthy Gentlemen I would have mention'd them in this Place What Loss the Enemies sustain'd particularly in this Attack is not known no more than in any of the others but we need not doubt but such an Attack which lasted so long and where our Bombs play'd at the same time incessantly in their Works must destroy them a great many Men. This Night 30th Major-General Arnheim had the Trenches with the Prince of Anhalt Brigadier We work'd all Night to strengthen and fortifie the great Lodgment we had made the Day before To return to the two Armies in presence of one another the one to endeavour to relieve the Besieged and the other to cover the Besiegers Villeroy had been the Day before to visit our Posts at St. Denis and though he began then to apprehend the great Difficulty there was to attack us in our strong Posts and the apparent Hazard of a Battel yet to endeavour all Ways possible to relieve the Place he order'd the Army in the Morning 20th to march upon the Left towards Perwys to try a Passage at the Springs of the Mehaigne the Country being more open thereabouts The King who expected this Motion of the Enemies order'd in the Morning our Cavalry of the Right under the Command of Velt-Marechal Fleming and Count d' Arco with Lumley's Brigade to march on upon the Right towards the Mehaigne The Hesse Troops made the same Motion and they all encamp'd with a Wood upon their Right their Left towards the Village of Du and that of Ypigny's before them Lieutenant-General la Forest was detach'd at the same time with 20 Squadrons of Horse to Taviers and Bonef upon the Mehaigne to observe the Enemies March who came early in the Afternoon to their Camp near the Mehaigne Lieutenant-General la Forest continu'd in his Post till the Left Wing of the Enemies Horse which upon this March had the Van of the Army was come up to the Ground which extended it self along the River between Ramelies and Harlue and Taviers upon the Mehaigne As soon as the Left Wing was come up they detach'd about 40 Squadrons of Horse and Dragoons to beat us out of the Post of Bonef But la Forest who was here posted had Orders not to dispute it but only to observe the Enemies March and abandon it the Enemies being so near and so much superior to him in number this occasion'd some disorder in his Retreat The Detachment of Dopf and Eppinger's Dragoons that had been posted in some Hedges to make good our Retreat were forc'd out of it and the Enemies having gain'd the Pass endeavour'd to flank our Horse which march'd off in two Columns and to surround them with their Line of Squadrons However after some Skirmishes on both sides our Cavalry made their Retreat good Major Crowther commanded a Squadron of Brigadier Lumley's Regiment in this occasion with which he fac'd about in the Retreat and with some others skirmish'd with the Enemies The French expected that this would bring both Armies to a Battel and the Princes of the Blood put themselves at the Head of the Cavalry to shew a good Example in so important an Action The Duke du Maine had a Horse kill'd under him the Marquis de Villequier was dangerously wounded On our side the Major of Eppinger's Dragoons was kill'd and Lieutenant Alexander of Brigadier Lumley's Regiment was made Prisoner and we lost about 10 Horses The French made much of this inconsiderable Success an Express was immediately dispatch'd to give an Account of it to Court They had already broke in upon our Right Wing of Horse and nothing less was expected by the next Courier than the Defeat and Rout of our Army and the Relief of Namur nay the thing was thought so sure that 't was immediately communicated to Foreign Ministers as 't is credibly reported This also contributed very much to the Oppression of our Dixmuyde and Deinse Prisoners who were now very ill treated and abused though afterwards the Pretext was for Reprisal of their Sick and Wounded in the Town of Namur which they pretended were not well us'd among us Some of the most hot-Headed of our National Enemies abroad would then tell the Soldiers
Life 2 Lorges Guards 2 Villeroy 2 Gen d' Armes 1 Chevaux legers 1 Grand Monsquet 2 Mongon Cuirassiers 3 Bourgogne 3 Roquepine 3 Rotâ—â—mbourg Rottembourg 3 Berry 2 Cravats 3  Squadrons 39 Second Line Montrevel Lieutenant-General Montmorencey Luxembourgh and Pracontal Major-Generals Brigades Regim Squad Blanchefort Royal Alleman 3 Anjou 2 Bourbon 2 Cosse 2 Tiessenhausen Furstemburg 2 Fiates 3 Imecourt 3  Dauriac 3 Sully 3 Pujols 3 Massot Melun 3 Bissy 3 Massot 3  Squadrons 35 Body of FOOT First Line The Prince of Conti and the Duke of Berwick Lieutenant-Generals Messieurs d' Artagnan and Crequi Major-Generals Brigades Regim Battal Lux Piedmont 3 Provence 2 Charôt Bourbonnois 2 Vermandois 2 La Marche 1 Dantin Crussoll 1 Languedoc 2 Monroux 1 Cadrieux Humiers 2 Toulouse 2 Fourille Guards French 4 Guards Swisse 3 Thâ—â—y Du Maine 2 Rousillon 2 Bourbon 1 Villeroy Chartres 2 Royal Italien 1 Lyonnois 1 Surville du Roy  4 Guiche Guiche 2 Navarre 3  Battalions 43 Second Line Rubantel and Feuquieres Lieutenant-Generals Solrâ— and Albergoty Major-Generals Brigades Regim Battal Surlaubâ— Poitou 2 Surlaube 2 Saint Second 1 Greder Greder Alleman 2 Angoulesme 1 Montferrat 1 Tessé 1 Surbeck Swisse Reynold 4 Surbeck 4 Courtin 2 Reynold Artois 1 Lionnois 1 Perigeux 1 Royal Savoy 1 D'ormesson Berry 1 Irish Guards 2 Orleans 2  Battalions 29 LEFT WING First Line The Dukes of Bourbon and Du Maine Lieutenant-Generals The Duke of Elbeuf and Monsieur de Vandeuil Major-Generals Brigades Regim Squad Souternon Du Roy 3 Chartres 2 Toulouse 2 Villeroy 2 Prâlin Royal Roussillon 3 Villequier 2 Villars 3  Carabiniers 8 Cheladet Rohan 2 Du Maine 2 Orleans 2 Mestre de Ca Gen. 3 Dauvray Drag Frontenay 3 Dauvray 3 La Reine 3  Squadrons 43 Second Line Lieutenant-General Busca Major-General Count 〈◊〉 Brigades Regim Squad  Clermonâ— 3 Manderscheid 3 Saint Lieu 3  Vaillac 3 Quadt 3 Champlin 3 Lagny Conflans 3 Lagny 3 La Reine 3  Squadrons 27 With the Artillery Three Battallions viz. Royal Artillery 2 Bombardiers 1 Battallions 3 Total of Battallions 75 Of Squadrons 147 According to this List the Mareschal de Villeroy had at the General Rendezvouz of his Army 147 Squadrons which at 120 per Squadron Horse and Dragoons one with another makes 17640 Horse and 75 Battalions at 600 a Battalion makes 45000 Foot in all 62640 Men. Besides this Monsieur de la Mothe who Commanded in the New Lines had a body of Men to defend them but I have not heard the strength of it however when the Mareschal de Villeroy march'd in the Lines being reinforced by this Body he was then computed to be near 90 Battalions strong besides the Army Commanded by Monsieur de Montal and 't was then supposed that all these Armies added together made about 98850 effective Men. They had left â—0 Battalions in Namur which with the Body Commanded by the Marquis de Harcourt in the Frontier of the Pais de Luxâ—mburg they thought sufficient to make head against the Brandenburg Forces towards the Mâ—use So that if we include the strong Garrison of Namur there could not be 20000 Men difference between their Armies and ours Thus having made as just an estimation as possibly I could of the Forces on both sides which considering that I cannot get all the Liâ—ts of the Enemies Forces I must confess can't be so exact of their side as 't is of ours but I compute their Strength according to the general Rules at the beginning of a Campagne I shall now return to our Camp at Arseel and proceed to give an account of the Actions of these mighty Armies Though the King ordered the general Rendezvouz of his Forces in this place and that the Elector himself advanced towards the Scheld yet it is very reasonable to think that at the very beginning of the Campagne the Kings real design was to besiege Namur and to act towards the Meuse For the Elector of Bavaria had Orders to detach my Lord of Athlone with 40 Squadrons of Horse towards Louvain and Flanders of this side of the Lys being a close Woody Country which made Horse not so necessary to us as it was to the Elector at Ninove the Marquis de la Forest was commanded the First of June with she Brigades of Schack Boncourt and Montigny which made our Left Wing of Horse to reinforce the Elector of Bavaria's Army June and the Brigades of Coy and Hompes were ordered from the Right to the Left Wing in their place The same day Brigadier Erle was commanded with a Detachment of 1700 Men to Rouselar and Rombeck our Pioneers had made the way for the Army to march by Inghelmonster and Mulenbeck and this Detachment was made to cover our March the next day and to keep in the Parties of Ipre and Menin In the Evening we were joyn'd by the Regiments of Lauder and Offerrel from Deinsâ— and the Regiments of Strathnaver and George Hamilton remained there in Garrison under the Command of Brigadier Offerrel being reinforced by a Detachment from our Army Commanded by a Colonel The â—d the Army march'd in four Colomnes from Arseel to Rouselar dividing from the Center The Right of Horse and Foot marched upon the Right in two Colomnes The first left Thielt upon the Right and so march'd on by the Villages of Petâ—em Hardoye and Baveren The second march'd through Thielt and so by the Villages of Ayeghem and Colscamp and the High Road from Bruges to Rouselar The Left of Foot and Horse marched likewise upon the Right in two Colomnes the first led by the Regiment of Noyelles and the second by that of L'Ecluse The first Colomn of the Left marched by the cut ways upon the Left of the High Road by Denterghem Mulenbeck and Rouselar along the Mandel and the second kept the High-way The Artillery and Baggage marched in the Rear of the first Colomn of the Right by Thielt Ardoye and Baveren and so the Army came to the Camp at Rouselar where the King took his Quarter our Right at Hooghleed and our Left near Rombeck as the last Year only we were more advanced towards Ipre and Orders were given to march the next day The third the Army marched to Becelar near the Enemies Line between Ipre and the Lys. The first Line upon the Right by Roosebeck Passendal and the Abbey of Sonnebeck and the second upon the Left by the High Road from Râ—uselar to Moorsleede We made a Detachment of Four Hundred Dragoons towards Menin which was not far from our Left Flank to cover our March They met with a Party of the Enemies Dragoons which they pursued to the very Palissades of Menin and brought back Twenty Three Prisoners Captain Stanhop a Voluntier in this Campagne had a Horse shot under him in this occasion The Army marched in this order in the Enemies Countrey without any loss and incamped with our Right near the Abbey of Sonnebeck
our Left made an elbow from the Center at the Village of Becelar towards Moorsleede and Dadyseel So that our Camp faced from the Right to Becelar towards the Line between Ipre and Comines and from Becelar to the Left towards the Lys and Menin The Dragoons of the Left faced to Moorsleede covering the Kings Quarter which was at the Baron de Becelars House and St. Pauls Brigade which had the Rear-Guard in this March incamped also at the Kings Quarter with some of the Life-Guards and Dragoons Upon our coming to this Camp in the Evening the King went to view the Enemies Line being about three English Miles from our Camp with a good Escorte of Horse Commanded by Brigadier L'Etang and all the Granadiers that were then come up for the Second Line was still marching into the Camp Commanded by Major-General La Meloniere and the English by Colonel Ingoldesby and Lieutenant-Colonel Rook. Villeroy was not then come up and what Forces the Enemy had in the Line which were Commanded at first by Monsieur de la Mothe were now under the Commaâ—d of Lieutenant-General Rosen who with a Detachment of Villeroys Army had March'd before to reinforce the Line which was very well Palissaded and the Parapet very thick and strong flank'd with good Redoubts and Cannon mounted for the defence of them The King returned late to the Camp and our Artillery Baggage and Rear-Guard was not all come up by Midnight Orders were given to be ready to March the next Day The Mareschal de Villeroy March'd from his Camp between Blaton and Quievrain the 27th of May to Leuze and the 29th he March'd nearer to the Scheld having his Head Quarter at Cordes to be nearer to observe our Army at Arseel according to its motions if it passed the Lys or Marched on towards Rouselar The 3â—th he made the Detachment of which we have now spoken to reinforce the Lines and upon our motion to Rouselar and so towards their Line between Ipre and Comines he passed the Scheld and the Lys with all diligence and incamped with the main Body of his Army that very Night we came to Becelar within the Line with his Right at Sulebeck near Ipre his Left at Comines and the Head Quarter at Houthem near the Lys. The French had provided in the Winter for such quick Marches by making Royal Ways as they call them where a Squadron can march a breast from Mons to the Sea to facilitate the Marches of the Army cutting and pulling down all they met without any regard to Houses or Villages if they happened in the Line of the Royal Way At the same time that the Mareschal de Villeroy March'd with the Main Army towards Ipre to make head against our Forces the Mareschal de Bouflers who was incamped at Gosselies near the Sambre March'd with the Body under his Command to St. Guilain to observe the Elector of Bavaria who incamped near Ninove The 4th in the Morning the General beat for the Army to be ready to March and the King went again very early with a strong Detachment to observe the Enemies Countenance within their Line Colonel Lauder Commanded the English His Majesty found the Main Body of the Enemies Army incamped within the Line which had passed the Lys in the Night at Comines and came to incamp between Houthem and Sulebeck Upon the Kings approach to their Line with so considerable a Detachment the Enemy thought that it had been the Vanguard of our Army coming to attack their Line for which reason they all immediately stood to their Arms But Villeroy being come with his Army within the Line the King returned to the Camp and our Army did not stir from Becelar But though there was no probability of success in forcing the Enemies in their Lines yet it was convenient for our further designs to oblige them to bring all their Forces for the defence of them for which reason the Elector of Bavaria decamped from Ninove the 4th and March'd that Day to St. Lievens Houthem towards the Scheld The 5th His Electoral Highness passed the Scheld below Audenarde and incamped near this place The 6th he March'd with his Army and incamped near the Enemies Line between the Lys and the Scheld with his Right at Tighem towards Courtray and his Left between Veermande and Kirkhove and his Quarter at Castres Monsieur de Montrevel Lieutenant-General had been left here with a Body of Foot for the defence of the Line from Courtray to the Scheld but upon this March of the Electors the Mareschal de Bouflers who had advanced from Gosselies to St. Guilain upon Villeroys passage of the Scheld in order to observe the motions of the Electors Army March'd with his Body of Horse and Dragoons to Tournay where he passed the Scheld and so went on to the Line where he found a Reinforcement of Foot sent him by the Mareschal de Villeroy and took his Quarter at Clare So that the Enemies had now all their Forces in the Field except Harcourts Camp volant from the Scheld to the Neighbourhood of Dunkirk for the defence of their Lines The Mareschal de Bouflers Commanded between the Lys and the Scheld Villeroy with the Main Army observed ours between the Lys and Ipres Monsieur de la Mothe cover'd the Canal from Ipre to the Kenoque and from thence to Furnes and Dunkirk Montal Commanded and Monsieur de Capestan was put into the Kenoque for the security of that place Besides this the Enemies reinforced the Garrison of Ipres where they doubled the Posts and took a particular care for the Sas of Bonsingue which is a Sluys strongly fortified upon the Canal about a League below Ipres which if once master'd all the Water about Ipres which adds very much to its strength may be drawn away by letting loose this Sluys This being the disposition of the Enemies within their Lines I shall return to speak of our own Affairs at our Camp at Becelar The 5th Major-General Dopf Quarter-Master General of the Army was sent with a strong Detachment to mark a Camp at St. Janstein cappelle which made us expect that the Army should have March'd towards Dixmuyde or the Canal of Ipres but I believe it was to order the March of our design'd Detachments to Dixmuyde The same day the Second Troop of Guards Commanded by the Duke of Ormond came to the Camp having been in Winter-Quarters at Breda and Canton'd upon the Country to refresh their Horses after having Escorted His Majesty from Breda to Ghent The same day our Bread-Waggons were attack'd by a Party upon the way to Bruges but the Party was repulsed and Five and Twenty of the Enemies made Prisoners The Country all along till you come near Bruges was so close and woody and so convenient for lurking Parties that our Convoys never missed but they were attack'd by some Party or other which though they could gain nothing but still had the worse yet that incommoded our Camp very
we were in some trouble and pain at this time about Prince Vaudemont For the Marechal de Villeroy who had advanced as far as the Scheld at Pottes and Escanaffe expecting Orders to have march'd to the relief of Namur or to undertake some Siâ—ege for a Diversion received Orders to repass the Lys to attack Prince Vaudemont in his Camp at Woutergâ—em which if it had succeeded would have been an effectual way to raise the Siege of Namur 'T is a very easie thing to find Miscarriages and Faults in ill Success and when an Enemy has come to the worse by taking wrong measures t is no hard matter to tell how he might have done better The Attempt upon Prince Vaudemont was doubtful for either Villeroy may come to the worse or the Prince may retreat But if whilst Villeroy was advanced as far as the Scheld the French King had undertaken the Siege of At h or Ardenard one of these two places must of necessity have fallen into his Hands whilst we were besieging Namur or we must have raised the Siege to have hindred it However whether it was that the Enemies who had no other designs but to act defensively had not prepar'd themselves for a Siege or whatever other reason there was for it Villâ—roy easâ—d us of the Jealousie we were in for At h and Aâ—denarde and received orders to repass the Lys For this end he made his Army as strong us possibly he could and order'd Monsieur de Ximenes Lieutenant-General and Pracontal Major-General who were near Mâ—ns with a good Detachment of Horse to come and join him Being reinforced with these Troops he ordered Bridges to be made upon the Lys the 2d at night at Vive St. Eloy where he pass'd that River the 3d. and encam'd at St. Barbon Montal at the same time had Orders to march with the Body under his command from the Neighbourhood of Kenoque towards Thielt Prince Vaudemont being informed of this motion of the Enemy's made a movement of his Camp at Wonterghem to bring his Right more to the Rear to take up the rising Ground of Arseel which he thought more defensible This was the third in the Evening the Prince ordered then Retrenchments to be made upon the Left towards VVacken and the Lys and the 4th the Army retrench'd and fortified upon the Right all the rising Ground of Arseel and the Regiments of Strathnaver and George Hamilton with Brigadier O Farrel came from Deinse to the Camp to reinforce our Army the Garrison being supplyed by Detachments Prince Vaudemont had then about fifty Battallions and fifty one Squadrons of Horse and Dragoons and with these Forces he was then resolved to expect the Marechal de Villeroy and to venture the issue of a Battle in his Retrenchments which he had made very strong though Villeroy had near the double of his number and that Prince Vaudemont had not above 36000 men Whilst we were working at our Retrenchments at Arseel the French Army commanded by the Marechal de Villeroy was marching in the morning towards our Camp with their Left upon our Right near Caneghem and their Right towards our Left at Beâ—â—â—ghem and VVacken We had a Dutch Major posted with two hundred Foot at Inghelmonster upon the River Mandel the Castle or Gentleman's House was pallâ—saded and moted from whence he interrupted the Enemy's march for some time who had a Colomne to march by this place His Post being strong and palissaded he would not surrender till they brought Cannon against him and then he surrender'd himself and Detachment Prisoners of War Some of the French Officers would have had him made an Example for pretending to hinder the march of a Royal Army with a handful of men but on the contrary the Marechal of Villeroy approved of his Courage and Bravery and was pleas'd to applaud it The Mareschal de Villeroy came early enough in presence of our Army that day to have attack'd it and to have decided the Fate of our Army by a Battle But whether it was that he found our Camp strongly fortified and that he would not then hazard it or that he had orders to stay till Montal bad taken the Posts in the Rear of our Right between Arseel and VVirk to attack us there and that he thought it more sure and expedient to stay till then He remained in presence of our Army that Evening expecting to have attack'd the Pâ—ince very early the next morning and in a manner to have caught him in a Net by invironing him upon the Right Prince Vaudemont was informed of this motion of Monsieur de Montal's Our Army was then posted in the Retrenchment expecting the Enemy and though Montal had already pass'd Thielt and was drawing near to Caneghem Prince Vaudemont chang'd Resolution and thought it very hazardous to venture a Battle which promis'd the total ruin of his Army and then though the time was urgent and pressing he immediately with a most admirable Judgment resolv'd upon and contrivâ—d a Retreat The Prince had very wisely provided for such an Accident in the morning by ordering all the Baggage to load immediately and to march by Deinse to Gâ—ent that it might not embarrass the motions of the Army The Prince order'd first the Cannon to be drawn off the Batteries and to march towards Deinse which was done so secretly that the Enemies did not perceive it He had wisely ordered the Artillery to be moving from Battery to Battery all the Afternoon so that when it went clear off the Enemies thought it had been but the ordinary motion After the two Lines of Foot march'd upon the Left along the Retrenchment To cover this march of the Foot the Prince ordered a Body of Horse to come and post in the Retrenchment as 't was quitted by the Foot The Foot march'd with their Pikes and Colours trailing to conceal their march neither did the Enemies perceive this motion till the Cavalry mounted again and abandon'd the Retrenchment and then the Infantry was already got in the bottom between Arseel and VVouterghem marching towards Deinse At the same time that the Foot were filing off from the Retrenchment the Prince ordered Monsieur d Auverquerque with the Right Wing of Horse interlinâ—d with Colliers's Brigade of Foot to make a Line facing towards Caneghem extending himself from the Windmill of Arseel towards Winck This motion was to make Montal believe that this Line was design'd to oppose his Attempt upon the Rear of our Right but his secret Orders were to march off by Winck to Nevel and so to Ghent At the same time that the Foot marchâ—d by Wouterghem and Deinse my Lord Rochford who was posted with the Left Wing of Horse and two Battallions towards the Lys made the Reer Guard towards the Left with a Line of Foot upon one side and three Squadrons of Eppinger upon the other All this was so contriv'd by the Prince from the Right to the Left that the Army disappear'd all at
once just as if it had vanished out of the Enemy's Sight The Prince and the Duke of Wirtemberg and other Generals kept to the Retrenchments till all was marched off forming with themselves Domesticks and Attendants a little Body of Horse still to impose upon the Enemy and followed the Army as soon as 't was all got off The Enemies finding themselves cheated did what they could to overtake and fall upon our Rear Montal particularly endeavoured to fall upon that Body commanded by Monsieur d' Auverquerque which march'd off by Winck to Nevel He overtook the Rear with some Squadrons of Horse and Dragoons But our Defilés were good and Brigadier Collier had ordered all the Granadiers of his Brigade to the Rear of all to face the Enemy from time to time as they advanced in their Defilès which was so well contrived that the Granadiers with their Fire kept the Enemies at a distance and made the Retreat good and Montal could not do us the least harm When they had fail'd here they endeavoured to fall upon the Rear of our body of Foot which was brought up by Count de Noyelles Lieutenant-General They ordered a Line of Foot to advance with some Horse and Dragoons but the Foot was got already so far that they could not hurt them However two Squadrons of their Dragoons put green Boughs in their Hats which is our sign of Battle and spoke some French and some English as if they had been some of our own Reer-Guard It was then the dusk of the Evening and with this Stratagem they were suffered to come up close to our Rear of Foot and marched with them a little way till they came to a convenient place that they fir'd upon our Rear and then fell in with their Swords This put the first Battallion in great disorder but the other immediately facing about oblig'd the Enemies to retire They kill'd us several Men and made some Prisoners The Lunenburgh Regiment of Luck suffered most in this occasion And this is the only loss we receiv'd from the Enemy in this great and renowned Retreat which is as fine a piece of the Art of War as can be read of in History and which can hardly be parallell'd in it which has shew'd more the Art Conduct and Prudence of a General than if the Prince had gain'd a considerable Victory And this is the Sense his Majesty was pleas'd to express of it in a Letter he writ to Prince Vaudemont upon this occasion By this Prince Vaudemont bafled all the Enemy's Designs which aimed at no less than the loss of Flanders by the ruin of his Army and for this Reason had laid aside all thoughts of besieging At h or Audenarde to get Newport 〈◊〉 so to have a passage free within our Canals which cover the Spanish Flanders This would not only have been the Consequence of the Prince's defeat but likewise the raising of the Siege of Namur must have follow'd it The Prince having made his Retreat in this order and the Army being pass'd Deinse and got as far as Nevel in the way to Ghent 't was ordered to halt and rest there for that night But Prince Vaudemont as he himself afterwards said it remembred a Maxim of that Great General Charles IV. Duke of Lorrain his Father That when an Army is upon the Retreat it must be sure to retreat out of the Enemy's reach for which Reason he sent Orders to Sir Henry Bellasis to march immediately with the Foot to Ghent and the Army came to Mary-Kâ—rk that night under the Walls of Ghent without Bruges-Port and it was all got here by six a Clock the next morning Whilst the Army was upon the halt at Nevel Major-General Churchill being just by the House where he had his Quarter the last Spring when we form'd a Camp between Deinse and Ghent as the Enemies were working at their new Lines went in to rest himself and ordered a Sergeant and twelve Men of the next Regiment for a Guard upon it But as the Army marched on the Regiment did not send to call off the Sergeant and his twelve Men and the whole Regiment and Army march'd without their knowledge they still expected to have found the Army by them the next morning Major General Churchill being fatigu'd went to sleep Lieutenant-Colonel Godolphin of Sir Bevil Granville's Regiment was with him and Major Negus of the Major-General's Regiment and Captain Lloyd his Aide de Camp The next morning very early as they were getting up they found that the Army was marched on and the Centries gave notice that a French Party was just upon theâ— They call'd in the Sergeant and six men the rest being dispers'd Centries into the House It prov'd that it was no Party but Maroders of the Army who came to plunder the Country The six Soldiers being got into the House and the Doors shut up fir'd upon the French which made them retreat In the mean time the Major-General made all haste to endeavour to make his escape and being got out of the House the French Maroders had rally'd with their Camarades to force the House so he fell in the Hands of two of them who plunder'd him took his Gold his Watch his Coat and Cravat but being jealous of one another they were for dividing immediately the Spoil and so they spoke to the Major-General to set down by a Hedge and that if he offered to stir they were so many about the House that they would certainly shoot him They got on the other side of the Hedge to share that which they would not trust with one another Whilst they were busie at this work the Major-General seeing no body to observe him slipp'd to the other side of another Hedge hard by and so having two Hedges between him and them he got out of their sight He pass'd by one of their Centries who took him for one of the French Army and ask'd him which way the Army march'd to which the Major-General answer'd accordingly and so made his escape and got to our Army at Mary-Kirk having marched most on Foot in his Boots As for Lieutenant-Colonel Godolphin Major Negus and Captain Lloyd which were still in the House they had not so good Fortune but the House was soon invironed The Maroders came with a Drum to make them believe they had an Officer with them and so these Gentlemen expecting good Treatment from an Officer yielded themselves Prisoners of War But as soon as the Door was open the mobb of Soldiers got in and fell on plundering There was a great deal of Baggage in the House as Saddles and Furniture for Horses and in the Barn suveral good Horses Those that got in first minded only the Plunder others follow'd who finding no other Booty stripp'd Colonel Godolphin naked and had him away Prisoner in this condition Major Negus and Captain Lloyd were not treated quite so ill having some of their Cloaths left them But they were all carried
Prisoners to the Marechal de Villeroy who made some Excuses for their ill Treatment and was himself very civil to them He gave them immediatly their Liberty and desired they should stay no longer but to refresh themselves He invited them to Dinner the next day and so sent them back without Ransom The Mareschal de Villeroy having slipp'd this opportunity of falling upon Prince Vaudemont by his wise and happy Retreat marchâ—d with the French Army to Rousselar and Prince Vaudemont who had march'd all night as far as Mary Kirk under the Walls of Ghent halted here till nine of the Clock in the morning that he judged all the Straglers were got up to the Army and so marched through Ghent and incamp'd without Brussels Port. And as Prince Vandemont foresaw that the Enemies having missâ—d this opportunity would march towards Newport so twelve Battallions had orders not to pitch their Tents but to be ready to march under the command of Sir Henry Bellasis Lieutenant General but the Army marching through Ghent and the Baggage this Detachment could not repass the Town to march towards Bruges till the next day early in the morning Brigadier Offerrel was left in Deinse and a Swedish Regiment besides a Detachment Prince Vaudemont had writ a Letter the 4th to the King to give him an account of his Circumstances and of the motions of the Enemy to attack him which made us very anxious before Namur for the success of that Affair The next day in the morning he sent an Express to the King to give his Majesty an account of his successful Retreat which the King received at night which good News caus'd an universal Joy before the Town and dissipated all the Apprehensions we had for the safety of Prince Vaudemont's Army This brings me back again from Flanders to speak of the progress of the Siege of Namur The 4th the English Army employed in this Siege were like to lose all their money coming from Louvain under an Escorte of about 100 Horse and 50 of Dopf's Dragoons Mr. Hill the Pay-master-general of his Majesty's Forces was with them They met by Perwys at a Defilé with a good Party of the Enemy's Horse and Dragoons from Charleroy which at first made ours give way thinking them stronger than really they were The Pay-masters of the Regiment had put their money into a Waggon which the Enemy overthrew and were taking out the Horses In the mean time the Officer commanding our Party who before had done his best to make his people stand rallyed them again who finding that the Enemy were not so strong as at first they apprehended them came on upon them and so the Enemy were obliged to retire in their turn But the Waggon being over-turned several Regiments lost their money in the confusion some taken by the Enemy and some by our own Troopers However the Enemy being near our Camp and afraid of another Party went off as fast they could to Charleroy their Garrison having no great occasion to brag of their Booty which they quitted as easily as they got it Mr. Hill was in a Coach but he made his escape upon a Led-Horse The same day Lieutenant-Colonel Billing of Sâ—lwyn's Regiment was commanded with 300 men to take Post upon the rising Ground of this side the Sambre over-against the House of the other side called the Ballance where the Enemy had a good Guard to defend the Passage of the River This was in order to make some Batteries upon the side of this Hill to dislâ—dge the Enemy from the Ballance and the Abbey of Salsen This Post was pretty warm at first being exposâ—d to the â—ire of the Battery of two upon the end of the Enemyâ—s Line of which we have before given an account But our men soon put themselves under Cover and this Post was daily relieved with a Lieutenant-Colonel and 300 men till we had gainâ—d the Passage of the Sambre At night Mâ—jor-â—eneral Hâ—uklom commanded the Trenches The 5â—h or about this time Baron Fleming Velt Mareschal-General of the Elector of Brandenburgh's Forces came to the Camp before Namâ—â—â— and took his Quarter on the other side of the Meuse with the Brandenburgh Troops under his Command which hitherto had been commanded by the Lieutenant-General Baron Heyden The same day it was resolved that the English Forces incamp'd at Tâ—empâ—oux should open the Trench upon the Right of the Enemys Retrenchment directing their Approaches towards the old Tower of Cocklé That three English Regiments should mount the Trenches here and three Dutch upon the Left towards the Meuse where they had opened the Trench near the Village of Bouge Accordingly in the Evening my Lord Cutts Brigadier was commanded with the Regiments Royal Selwyn and Trelawny for this Work and Major-General Salisch had the Trenches The Enginier missed in the night the Ground where we were to begin to work which was in a bottom upon the Right of the Enemy's Rettenchment or covered way And so these three Regiments returned without breaking Ground The 6th Major-General Lindeboom mounted the Trenches and Brigadier Fitzpaterick with the Regiments of Seymour and Columbine being that lately commanded by the Marquiss de Rada Son to the Marquiss de Montpouillan who dyed of a Fever at Bruges the beginning of the Campagne and the Regiment was given to Lieutenant-Colonel Columbine Captain of the Guards who had been Lieutenant-Colonel to it in the time of Colonel Babington the third was the Regiment of Fusiliers This night these Regiments opened the Trench before the Enemy's covered way upon the Hill of Bouge taking the opportunity of the hollow ground to begin their work very near the Enemy Captain Thilips of Selwyn's Regiment was wounded with the Workmen Thus the Trenches were mounted upon the Right by the King's Forces three Battallions commanded by a Brigadier and by the States Forces three Battallions upon the Left commanded by a Dutch Brigadier making two Attacks upon Right and Left under the Command of a Major-General 200 men were commanded every night upon each Attack with two Captains and other Officers proportionably to work and advance the Trenches whilst the Regiments of the Trenches covered their Work which they did under the shelter of Wooll-sacks with their Fire which generally continued more or less the whole Night The 7th Major-General Heukelom had the Trenches with my Lord Cutts's Brigadier upon the Right and the Battallions of Tidcomb Stanley and Collingwood I could not get a List of the rowling of the Dutch Brigadiers and Regiments upon the Left so that I must pass it over Captain Gaubet of Colonel Ingoldesby's Regiment and Enginier and another Enginier of la Meloniere's Regiment were killed in the Work this night The 8th several of the Regiments encamp'd at Temploux had Orders to march in the Lines of Circumvallation being the first Battallion of the Royal Regiment the Fusiliers Ingoldesby Saunderson Maitland and Lauder We continued still to fire with our small Battery upon the
ours had not join'd us neither and so there had still been the same Proportion between the two Armies Though we began to want at this time yet our Soldiers suffer'd it with a great Constancy and few or none deserted to the Enemies Upon the Maréchal de Villeroy's posting himself near the Mehaigne a Re-inforcement of Horse and Foot was sent to Lâ—uvain from our little Army at Brussels commanded by the Marquis de Bedmar Lieutenant-General Bellasis and Count Tilly to watch after the Security of this great and defenceless Place which was now wholly expos'd to the Enemies The 22th in the Morning the Thunder of our Canons continued against the Castle and we were working hard to bring our Mine to perfection under the breach of the Cohorne when about Noon the Besieged beat a Parley to bury the Dead which had been killed in the Assault the 20th which began to stink and incommode them very much A Cessation was agreed upon for Two Hours to bury the Dead But the Besieged finding that the Marechal de Villeroy could not relieve them that they had already sustain'd a desperate Assault that we had made a great Lodgment upon the Cover'd way of the Cohorne and Casotte that the Cohorne could not hold out anothet Assault and the breach of the Terra Nova which was wholly commanded by it was not then defensible that the Soldiers were reduc'd to eat Horse-Flesh For though at the beginning when Athlone was marching to invest the place they had brought in all the Cattle of the Countrey round about yet it being Salted in hast and in the Heat of Summer when they came to make use of it in the Siege of the Castle it was so corrupted that they were forced to throw it away and to prefer Horse-Flesh before it and that the whole Garrison was extreamly fatigu'd by their long Service in this Siege and by the fury of our Boombs which fell in their Works without ceasing For these reasons they resolv'd to Capitulate and Surrender the Place The Count de Guiscard came upon the Breach a little before the Cessation was over and called for the Major General of the Trenches who was then Lindeboom and told him that he desir'd to speak with the Elector Count Verita one of the Gentlemen to his Electoral Highness was then in the Trenches and he immediately gave notice of it to the Elector who thereupon came to the Breach Count de Guiscard at first offered to surrender the Cohorne but the Elector refu'sd to Capitulate for any part but for the whole The Count de Guiscard replyed that the Marechal de Boufflers Commanded in the Castle and that he would let him know it and in the mean while desired the Cessation to be continued The Marechal de Boufflers consented to surrender the whole upon Honourable Terms and the Count de Guiscard came back to the Breach of the Cohorne to acquaint the Elector with it The White Flag was immediately put up upon the Breach and Hostages exchanged which for the Besieged were Monsieur de l' Abadie Brigadier and the Count de Monthron Colonel of the Dauphin's Regiment of Foot and for us Major General La Cave and Colonel Frederick Hamilton who had been lightly wounded in the Assault and Baron Meyer one of the Electors Ministers was sent in to manage the Capitulation An Express was immediately dispatch'd to give Notice of it to the King at Ostin But His Majesty was then coming to the Siege with Prince Vaudemont in his Coach to order a second Assault and the Express met His Majesty in the way The Capitulation was agreed upon and Sign'd that very Night The Count d' Guiscard obliged the Marechal d' Boufflers to Sign it because he had Commanded in the Castle during the Siege but the Count de Guiscard had only Commanded in the Cohorne and Out-works and so could not Sign for the Surrender of the Castle and this I believe is the first Capitulation that has been Sign'd by a Marechal of France which was as follows Articles propos'd for the Capitulation of the Castle of Namur to His Electoral Highness of Bavaria joyntly with the Allies by the Marechal de Boufflers 1 THAT the said Castle with the Lower Town shall be delivered up to the Troops of the Allies the 10th of this Instant September in case it be not reliev'd And that during the said time no Act of Hostility shall be committed between the Besieged and the Besiegers 2. That on the said 10th of September the Outer-gate of the said Castle towards the Countrey shall be given up to the Troops of the Allies where a Guard of the Troops of the Garrison shall be likewise plac'd to prevent the Troops mixing together and all disorders The outward Fortifications viz. The Fort of Cohorne the Redoubt with a Casematte the Casotte and the Horne-work of Bulé shall be deliver'd up to Morrow Morning being the second Instant at 9 of the Clock 3. That the Marechal de Boufflers the Count de Guiscard Lieutenant General of the Kings Armies and Governour of Namur with all the General Officers and Officers of the State-Major of the place the Officer and Guards of the Marechal all the Troops as well French as Foreigners the Officers of the Artillery and all others whatsoever that are in the Castle in the most Christian Kings service shall march the 12th of this Moneth out of the Breach with their Arms Baggage and Horses Drums beating lighted Match and Colours flying with 12 Pieces of Great Canon and Mortars as the Besieged shall chuse with their Carriages and Arms and Ammunitions for Twelve Shot to each Piece in order to march altogether to Givet the nearest way along the Meuse and in two or three days at the choice of the Besieged without being obliged to go any other way under any pretence whatsoever And they shall have a Convoy given them by the Allyes as well for the security of the Garrisons as for that of the Equipages They shall march out the 5th of this Moneth at Seven in the Morning with Two Twenty-four Pounders Two Twelve Pounders and Two Six Pounders and Two Mortars The rest of the Article is granted 4. That for transporting the said Twelve Pieces of Canon and Morters the Equipages of the Troops and the sick and wounded of the said Garrison a Hundred Draught Horses with their Harnesses besides a Hundred Wagons drawn each by Four Horses and Fifty great Boats of the Meuse shall be furnished by the Allies at their own charge with a sufficient Number of Watermen and Horses to bring them to Givet all which shall be provided by the 10th of this Moneth that so they may load them time enough to go out with the Garrison and to take the same way that they may arrive together at Givet 5. That the sick and wounded remaiing in the Town of Namur who are in a Condition to go out with the Garrison of the Castle may do it at the
THE HISTORY OF THE CAMPAGNE IN FLANDERS For the Year 1695. WITH An ACCOUNT OF THE Siege of Namur By EDWARD D'AUVERGNE M. A. Rector of St. Brelade in the Isle of Jersey and Chaplain to His Majesty's Regiment of Scots Guards LONDON Printed for Mat. Wotton at the Three Daggers and John Newton at the Three Pigeons in Fleetstreet 1696. Where are to be sold the Histories for the Years 1692 1693 1694. Written by the same Author TO HIS GRACE The DUKE of ORMOND Lieutenant-General OF His Majesty's Armies c. MY LORD WHAT my Worthy Friend did when he publish'd one of my precedent Histories I beg leave now to do my self and to make use of the Opportunity which my Presence in England at this time affords me to present these Sheets to YOUR GRACE The End my Friend had in that Dedication was to procure me the Protection of YOUR GRACE to whom it was then my Misfortune to be unknown But now I am so sensible of YOUR GRACE's unmerited Favours that this small Offering proceeds from Gratitude tho' common Prudence were enough to have induc'd me to shelter this Work under the Patronage of a Name known and valued by all Europe a Name worthily born by YOUR GRACE the deserved Heir of a Race of Heroes That Great and Warlike Spirit which YOUR GRACE inherits from a long Descent of Renown'd Ancestors takes You from that soft Rest and Ease You might enjoy at home and carries You abroad into the Field of Fame and Glory there to hazard both Life and Fortune the one for the Safety the other for the Honour and Reputation of England And 't is That attracts the Hearts of all Nations even of our Enemies and inclines them to love admire and respect You witness what we saw in that Great Day of Landen wherein Your Heroick Courage vanquish'd our Victorious Enemies even then when you fell into their Hands dy'd in Your Noble Blood Your Valour amaz'd them but Your Civil Generous Deportment charm'd them and has made the Celebrated Name of ORMOND Reverenc'd and Esteem'd among all the High Officers of the Armies of France if I may not say Fear'd without disrespect to a Brave and Valiant Enemy They are great Judges of Martial Worth and Merit and therefore at the same time that they applaud and admire it in YOUR GRACE they cannot but be apprehenâ—ive of it in an Enemy especially when they consider it lodg'd in One born to Command and whom the Greatest Monarch and General now in the World has tutor'd through all the Steps and Degrees of Experience before he made him Lieutenant-General of his Armies tho' it were a Commission antecedently due to so Illustrious a Person His Majesty would have YOUR GRACE to be the chief Sharer with him in all the Toils and Dangers to which he has so undauntedly expos'd himself for the Common Good of the Cause he heads 'T was You He would have daily with him in the Trenches during the most Famous and Important Siege of Namur to give YOUR GRACE all the Advantages of the Best and the most Perfect Knowledge in the several Arts of War that He may one Day confide the Leading of his Armies to the DUKE of ORMOND But MY LORD I forget that I venture upon an Attempt in which the ablest Pens may miscarry YOUR GRACE has been so often regal'd with Epistles Dedicatory from the most Ingenious Persons who look upon You as the great Patron of Mars and of the Muses that even at the best I can but make an Eccho to their Endeavours in setting forth YOUR GRACE's due Praise This Consideration bids me be silent and only desire leave to subscribe my self May it please YOUR GRACE YOUR GRACE's Most Faithful Most Humble and Most Obedient Servant E. D'Auvergne To the Reader SOme People will wonder why this Account comes out so late I rather complain that it comes out too soon As late as 't is publish'd the Reader may easily perceive by the negligence of the Style and the many Faults of the Press that it hath been both writ and printed in hast The great variety of Action in the Last Campagne has swell'd this History to a considerable bulk which therefore has requir'd some time to compose as well as to print The Booksellers to make the more hast have put it into several Hands to have it printed which is the reason of the difference found in the spelling of several Words besides other Faults which I hope the Courteous Reader will pardon I have only corrected those Errors of the Press which alter'd the sense of the Phrase the reâ—t I must leave to be amended by the Judicious Reader Indeed an Account of this nature should not be publish'd without being first perus'd by some of the General Officers concern'd But such a just and necessary Circumspection would keep the Work too long from the Publick which loves to have things New therefore it must e'en be content to have it attended with several Mistakes and I may say worse Faults 'T is what obliges me to beg the Excuse of those Great and Worthy Gentlemen whose noble Feats and Actions make up the subject of this History for the several Faults and mistakes of this Book which if more exact would be more just to their deserv'd Honour and Praise In so glorious an Action as the Siege of Namur where every Regiment concern'd has perform'd Wonders it was very difficult for me to do express Justice to all and therefore I hope that when I offend in this respect their generous Nature will incline them to Pardon A dry Journal may be made in the Camp but I think that an Historical Account wherein a Man must specifie the Connexion and Coherences of the several Matters of Fact their relation to and dependance from one another requires the Calm and Leisure of a Winter-Quarter to compose it I have lately receiv'd from Maestricht the Plan of the Siege of Namur and of the Lines of Circumvallation done by an ingenious Hand with several other Particulars relating to the Siege which are come too late to be inserted in my Book but I have added at the end of it as much as I could viz the List of the Hesse and Brandenbourgh Forces and of those encamp'd in the Line of Circumvallation As for the Plan my Undertakings meet with so little Encouragement that the Booksellers could not go to the Charge of having it engrav'd and join'd to this History I have given it to Mr. Morden at the Atlas in Cornhill where the Curious may have it to explain and illustrate my Account of this Great and Famous Siege Such Discouragements may convince the World that I do not write for Profit My End and Design is to satisfie the Curiosity of English Men so much concern'd in the Interest and Charges of this War and as much as lies in my Power to give them a true Relation of Things If I had not more regard to the Satisfaction of my
Nevel our Right reach'd towards the Abbey of Drongen and our left was at Deinse and our whole Army consisted of about Seventy Battallions being a Detachment of Five Hundred Men aâ— Battallion so that our Strength was computed to be about 35000 Foot The Garrisons of the Meuse did not stir nor those in Holland but the Garrison of Dixmuyde and those quarter'd in or about Newport had orders to be ready to march being reinforced with the Regiments of St. Amand and Soutlandt from Sluys The Cavalry drew out 30 Men of a Troop from the same Garrisons so that our Army at Deinse consisted of near Fifty Thousand Men but the Season was yet so early that the Ground produc'd no Forrage which was so much the more retarded by reason of the rigour of the precedent Winter and the Troops were subsisted with dry Forrage from the Magazines of Ghent Whether 't was to make a diversion to oblige the Enemies to draw off some of their Forces from the defence of their new Lines to facilitate the forcing of them by our Army at Deinse or whether we were jealous of Dixmuyde that the Enemies might have some design upon it whilst the main Body of our Army was Incamp'd near Deinse I cannot determine but whil'st the Enemy were working very busily at their New Lines a Train of Artillery was sent from Ghent to Bruges with an Escort of Five Hundred Dragoons April which was followed the next day with all sorts of Ammunitions Convoy'd by Five Hundred Dragoons more and the â—est of our English and Scots Dragoons which had been quarter'd in the Winter between Ghent and Sasvan-Ghent marched the same way some days after and went to Dixmuyde where the Forces Quarter'd in the Camerlings Ambacht or Countrey about the Canal of Newport had orders to repair upon a Minutes warning with the Regiments of St. Amand and Soutlandt that had marched from Sluys to Newport But the Enemies who were resolv'd not to be interrupted in their Work but to bring it to perfection order'd all their Garrisons in Flanders to draw out and the Brigade of Foot-Guards both French and Swissers marched with all expedition from Paris to joyn the Army near Courtray so that at the same time that we form'd our Army near Deinse they had their Main Body with the Mareschal de Bouflers at Belleghem and sufficient Detachments to cover the Kenoque and the New Line they were making between Ipre and Comines upon the Lys. Of our â—ide we made a Bridge upon the Lys below Deynse to pass that River in case the forcing of the Enemies Work should be judg'd â—eâ—sible But because 't was now the beginning of the Spring and that it was very dangerous to hazard a Battle which at the best must ruine our Army though we should succeed in beating the Enemy from their Work and hinder it from any other Action of the Campagne but if beaten and repuls'd then the Enemies would have remain'd Masters of the Field with the advantage of a whole Campagne before them For this reason 't was not judg'd safe for the Interest of the Allyes to hazard a Battle to endeavour to force the Enemies Work but to remain incamp'd at Deinse whil'st the Enemies should keep the Field to cover our own Garrisons which Reasons were sent to and approv'd of by the King who was still in England expecting the Conclusion of the Sessions of the Parliament in order to pass the Sea and put himself at the Head of his Army Thus the Enemies were suffered to go on quietly with their Work which they advanc'd with all Expedition having above Twenty Thousand Pioniers imploy'd which they had summoned from the Chatellenies of Lisle Ipre and Courtray and from the Paiis d' Artois and having succeeded in this Work they thought they had provided effectually for their defence and reckon'd that this advantage wouâ—d draw the whole success of the following Campagne after it and considering that their design was to act Defensively they made as much of this Affair as if they had got a Victory or had taken some considerable Town because they suppos'd that what they had done contributed in spight of our attempts to their Wishes and Designs For now they had a very strong barriere from Dinant to the Sea every where cover'd either with a River or a Line which being provided with good Troops we must either force the passage of a River or their Lines to get into their Countrey Namur clos'd up the Meuse and the Sambre from Thuin on the Sambre to the Haine they had another Line to cover the Countrey between Mons and Maubâ—uge which River running by Mons falls into the Scheld at Condé The Scheld from Condé to Bossu between Audenard and Tournay is a very good defence which Nature has provided for the Enemies Countrey on the other side and their New Line which they have made this year Incloses all their Countrey from the Scheld to the Lys at Courtray From Comines upon the Lys they have continued their Line to Ipre and from Ipre they have a Canal which goes by the Kenoque to Furnes and so to Dunkirk fortified with good Redoubts and Forts from place to place So that if we consider the strength of the Enemies Barriers and the weakness of our Frontiers it must very much add to the Honour and Glory of a Conquest of our side and we need not much wonder at the Enemies Conquests whilst we have acted defensively and have been so considerably inferiour to them in Number in some of the foregoing Campagnes The Marquis de la Valette Lieutenant General who Commanded the Old Lines being dead of an Apoplexy the last Winter at Courtray the French King gave the Command of the New Lines to the Count de la Mothe Mareschal de Camp which they have made so much stronger than the lâ—st that they have not the Conveniencies of Water to fill the â—ossé for which reason they have made the Ditch so much the larger and the Breast-work equal to standing Fortifications with Redoubts â—alissâ—ded and Stockaded as well as the Angles Saillants or â—oints of the Line which flank it As soon as the Enemies had brought this work to some perfection they began to dismiss their Troops back into Quarters except such a Number as should be necessary for the defence of their Lines with orders to be ready at first warning and it being so early in the Year that our Forces could not subsist but at the Charges of dry Forrage all the Cavalry was sent back into Quarters and the Infantry of the Neighbouring Garrisons The Elector left the Field as soon as there appeared no probability of attempting the Enemies Line and went for Brussels the 16th together with the Prince de Vaudemont The Duke of Holstein Ploen return'd to Malines and Maestricht the 23th and the 25th the Garrisons of Ghent Bruges Ostend and Dendermond were sent back to their respective Quarters till we should take
this fear and that they saw His Majesty coming to put Himself at the Head of the Army and that His Enemies could not hinder the peace and quiet of His Kingdoms which His Majesty committed to the prudent and faithful care of the Lords Justices And though the King had already made that day a long Journey from Breda to Ghent yet He only tarried there to refresh Himself and came that very Night about Twelve of the Clock to the Camp at Arseel and the next day His Majestyâ—Dined with Prince Vaudemont The 29th the King review'd the first Line of Foot the Regiments march'd in Battallion before His Majesty and not single Companies which would have taken up too much time They appear'd in very good order and very full and extremely well Accoutr'd The same day the Cavalry came to the Camp the English Incamp'd upon the Right towards Caneghem and the Dutch upon English Pay with the Dutch Brigade of Montigny Incamp'd upon the Left towards the Lys being all commanded by Monsieur d' Auverquerque Eldest Lieutenantâ—General The 30th the King review'd the second Line of Foot which march'd in Battallion as the first and appear'd in the same order The 31th in the Morning the King review'd our English Cavalry all which Incamp'd upon the Right Wing which made a very gallant shew the Horses being in very good order and the Men very well Cloath'd and Arm'd In the Afternoon His Majesty review'd the Left Wing of Horse made up of the Dutch the Cavalry march'd in Squadrons before the King as the Foot had done in Battallion and all the Cavalry in general was in an extraordinary good Condition I shall Insert here our Line of Battle at this Camp according to the Review made before the King Line of Battle at the Camp of Arsoil May 30th 1695. Commanded by the King and under His Majesty by Prince Vandemont RIGHT WING First Line Auverquerque Lieutenant-General Rivers Major-General Brigades Regiments Squad Matthews Eppinger's  Dragoons 5 L' Etang Horse Granadiers 1 Scarborough 1 Ormond 1 Rivers 1 Auverquerque 1 Vaudemont 1 Coy Wood 2 Galloway 3 Coy 2 Leveson 2  Squadrons 20 Second Line The Duke of Ormond Lieutenant General Eppinger Major General Brigades Regiments Squad Matthews Livingston Drag 4 Mirmont 1 Lumley Lumley 3 Carabiniers or  Wyndham 2 Schomberg 2 Langston 2 Hompes Nassaw Vriesâ—andt 3 Keppel last Year 2 Lippo Holland  Nassaw Sarbruck 2  Squadrons 21 Body of FOOT First Line Duke of Wirtembergh General of Foot Count Nassaw Lieutenant-General Count Noyelles Lieutenant-General Churchil and Mirmont Major-Generals Brigades Regim Battal Brigade of Guards English Guards first Regiment 1 Eng. Guards Coldstr 1 Dutch Guards 1 Scots Guards 1 Erle Royal 1 Selwyn 1 Churchill 1 Trelawney 1 Stanley 1 Erle 1 Fitspatrick Fairfax Lloyd 1 Fusiliers 1 Collingwood 1 Fredr Hamilton 1 Ingoldesby 1 La Meloniere 1 Packmoer Nassaw 1 Packmoer 1 Fuhnen 1 Zeelandt 1 Prince George 1 Prince Frideric 1 Danish Guards 1 Ransaw Noyelles 1 Ransaw 1 Milune 2 Prince Philip 1 Torsay 1 Bernstorf Wymberg 1 Churprince 1 Luc 1 Bernstorf Zell 1 Arents 1 Brigadâ— Bernstorf 1 Birkenfeldt 1  Battalions 36 Second Line Sir Henry Bellasis Lieutenant-General La Meloniere and Ramsay Major-Generals Brigades Regim Battal Brigade of Guards English Guards first Regim 1 Dutch Guards 1 Scots Guards 1 Collier Royal 1 Seymour 1 Rada 1 Granville 1 Saunderson 1 Collier 1 Offerrel Lauder 1 Mackay 1 Offerrel 1 Marton 1 Strathnaver 1 George Hamilton 1 St. Paul Woffembuttel Gua. 1 Hering 1 Huisen Lewen haupt 1 Cinqvilles 1 St. Paul 1 Hanover Guards 1 Banniere L'Ecluse 1 Holstein Beck 1 Weldern Bulo 1 Tcharner 2 Banniere 1 Anhalt Zerbst Weed 1 Heyden 1 Schrettenback 1 Dona Rhingra 1 Gohr Zobel 1 Anhalt Zâ—rbst 1 Slagenberg 1  Battalions 34 LEFT WING First Line Portland Lieutenant-General Major-General Dopf Brigades Regim Squad Montigny Montigny 2 Turken 2 Boncourt Boncourt 2 Seestadt 2 Wirtemberg 2 La Forest 2 Hompes Portland 3 Wynne Wynne Dragoons 4 Essex 4  Squadrons 23 Second Line La Forest Lieutenant-General Brigades Regim Squad Montigny Ohr 2 Zeulen 2 Schack Schack 2 Vittinghoff 2 Rochford or 2 Zuylenstein  Wynne Dopf Dr. 4 Cunningham 4  Squadrons 18 Though the Regiments of Lauder Offerrel Strathnaver and George Hamilton are inserted in this List yet they were not in the Camp at Arseel they remained in their Quarters at Deinse under the Command of Brigadier Offerrel neither were the Horse-Granadiers nor the Life-Guards of Ormond and Auverquerque yet come up however they were daily expected and the Garrison of Deinse was at hand so that the Kings Army at Arseel consisted of 70 Battalions which at 600 a Battalion makes 42000 Foot and 82 Squadrons whereof 26 were Dragoons whose complement is 100 a Squadron which makes 2600 Dragoons and 56 Squadrons of Horse at 150 per Squadron which makes 8400 Horse all which being added together amounts to 53000 Men which was then the whole of the Kings Army But to give a just Estimate of the Forces we had then in the Field in Flanders I shall here insert the Line of Battle of the Army commanded by the Elector of Bavaria as it passed Review before his Electoral Highness at Ninove and the List of the Little Camp we had at Dixmuyde LIST of the Electors Army at Ninove Commanded under Him by the Duke of Holstein Ploen RIGHT WING First Line Spaniards 8 Squadrons Arco Lieutenant-General Rivera Major-General of the Bavarian Foot Brigades Regim Battal Bavarians Bavar Gua Foot 2 Squad Arco Dragoons 2 Arco Cuirassiers 5 Second Line Spaniards 7 Squadrons Brigades Regim Battal Bavarians Bavar Gua. Fo. 1 Rivera 1 Squad Monasterol Drag 3 Weickel Cuirass 5 First Line Nassau Weilbourg Major-Gen Brigades Regim Squad Pyper Erbach 2 Horenberg Stein 2 Montpouillan 2  Squadrons 21  Battalions 2 Second Line Brigades Regim Squad Pyper Nassau Weilbourg 4  Squadrons 19  Battalions 2 Body of FOOT First Line Tettau Lieutenant-General Salisch Major-General Brigades Regim Battal Lindeboom Holstein Ploen 1 Lindeboom 1 Essen 1 Lottom 1 Harsolt 1 Gohr Hanover 1 Carles 1 Sparr 1 Heukelom Braha 1 Oxenstern 1 Friesheim 1 Ameliswert 1 Dumont 1 Heukelom 1 Tettau 1  Battalions 15 Second Line Major-Generals Fagel and Suerin Brigades Regim Battal  Salisch 1 Suerin 3 Prince Lodowick 1 Knoring 1 Hasfert 1 Holstein Norburg Capol 2 Marquet 1 Obergen 1 La Mothe 1 Holstein Norburg 1 Fagel 1  Battalions 14 LEFT WING First Line Athlone General of Horse Ittersom Lieutenant-General Hubert Major-General Brigades Regim Squad Chauvirè Athlone 2 Warfusé 2 Vocht 2 Chauvirá 2 Ittersom 2 Rohr Wirtemberg 2 Saxe Heilberg 2 Flodorp 2 Iselstein Hubert 2 Bois David 2 Vrichappel 2 Prince Philippe 2 Holstein Ploen 2  Squadrons 26 Second Line Lieutenant-Generals Opdam and Count Tilly. Major-General Brigades Regim Squad Lippe-Zell Tilly 2 Saxegotha 2 Arco 1 Bernikow 2 Lippezell 2 Rohr
much by the great Detachments we were still obliged to make being then Eight Leagues from Bruges and Eleven from Ghent so that at first Provisions were not plentiful among us but that was soon taken care of by having regular Convoys from the Camp to Bruges Besides the Boors of the Country had Orders to bring in Provisions upon pain of being plunder'd which they did very willingly not looking upon us as Enemies but Friends being very desirous to be freed from the French Yoke under which they have been ever since the Treaty of Nimeguen that Ipres with its Chatelleniâ— was quitted to the French Our Camp was not above a League and a half from Ipres between Ipres and Menin so that our Patrouilles of Horse went sometimes to the Palissades of the Town We heard that though the Enemies had provided for the defence of this place as well as their Line yet they were apprehensive of a Bombardment and began to unpave their Streets which we could as easily have done before Villeroys face as he afterwards Bombarded Brussels in the presence of Prince Vaudemont of which Exploit they brag'd so much in France But though the French Kings Manifesto charges us with making it our principal glory of late to Bombard his Maritime places without any other advantage but that of doing mischief yet if that had been the Temper of the Allies as much as it is of our Enemies I believe that Ipres might have felt the malignity of our Temper as well as Brussels did that of the French The 7th the Duke of Wirtemberg with Colonel Gohr of our Train of Artillery went Very early in the Morning with a good Escorte to Dixmuyde and the same day Bannieres Brigade was detach'd to the Right to incamp near the Abbey of Sonnebeck to guard the Avenues from Ipres to our Camp and keep in the Enemies Parties The 8th Major-General Churchill and Brigadier Bernstorf were commanded with Eight Battallions to March and reinforce the Duke of Wirtembergs Army near Dixmuyde The Regiments were the First Battallion of Dutch Guards Churchill Granville Ingoldesby Danish Guards Prince Philippe Gohr-Holland and Bernstorf upon which motion of Wirtembergs to Dixmuyde the Mareschal de Villeroy sent a Reinforcement to the Kenoque expecting an attempt upon that place and Montal himself came with his Body to Loo between Furnes and Kenoque to be at hand for the defence of it The 9th by break of day a Detachment of Three Hundred of the Enemies Granadiers and Six Squadrons of Horse came with a design to surprize our advanced Guard at the Windmill of Geluvelt between Becelar and Comines We had here an Out-guard of Four Squadrons of Horse and a Detachment of One Hundred Foot but in the Night the top of the Hill being open and exposed to the Enemy they retir'd to some Houses and Defiles in the bottom to prevent the Enemies designs This Detachment of the Enemies finding their design frustrated retired to their Lines and Two of them deserted over to us taking this opportunity to make their escape for though desertion is very common among the French yet being incamped within their Lines the passages were so kept that they could not desert but by such shifts and these were the first that came in since our being at Becelar so near the Enemies The same day Brigadier Fitspatrick Colonel of His Majesties Fusiliers came to the Camp from England where he had remained ever since the Battle of Landen where he was dangerously wounded and in the Evening our Voluntiers went to joyn the Duke of Wirtembergs Army design'd to make an attempt upon the Kenoque The Duke of Wirtemberg who had left our Army at Becelar the 7th very early in the Morning arriv'd at Dixmuyde by Nine of the Clock immediately after his arrival he Muster'd the Forces incamped near this place consisting as we have said before of Nineteen Battallions and Two Squadroâ—s of Horse and Eight of Dragoons and immediately after the Review he ordered them to march towards the Fort of Kenoque and gave the plunder of the Boors between Dixmuyde and this place to the Soldiers in revenge of some which they had barbarously murder'd In the Evening the Duke came with his Army near Kenoque which is but a good League and a half from Dixmuyde and incamped before the place having his Quarter at New Cappelle his Right upon the Canal that goes from Kenoque to Loo and Furnes and his Left upon the Canal from Kenoque to Dixmuyde This is a very strong hold situated at the meeting of the Canal of Loo which goes to Furnes and Dunkirk and the Canal of Dixmuyde and Ipres which makes as 't were the figure of a â— Just upon the point of the joyning of these Canals there is a very strong Bastion in the very middle with the water cut about it making a very large and deep Fossé The Canals of Dixmuyde and Loo towards Dixmuyde and of the other side towards Bruges has very good counter-guards which defend the approach of the Digue near this Bastion and of the French side between Furnes and Ipres this Bastion is covered with a sort of Horn-work with a boggy Morass before it so that there is no coming into the Fort but by a way made upon the top of the Digue The other side of the Canal toward Bruges is covered with a Morass and standing water which makes it inaccessible The most accessible side where the Duke of Wirtemberg was between the Canal of Loo and Dixmuyde has besides the Counter-Guards of which we have now spoken which cover the Bastion several Retrenchments all along the Digue of the Canal till you come to a Draw-Bridge towards Loo But however this is nothing to resist an Army unless there is a Body of Men of the Enemies side of the Canals to hinder the taking of the Posts about it which would then be soon beaten to pieces This is a great passage into the Enemies Countrey it being open from this to St. Omer besides it commands the Communication between Ipres and Dunkirk and would secure Furnes in our hands which consequently would make Dunkirk a Frontier and expose it to a Siege Every body knows the consequence of it if we should take it and therefore the Enemies will still use their utmost endeavours not to hazard it by keeping this Post and Furnes in their hands This place upon the approach of the Duke of Wirtemberg with his Army was commanded by Monâ—ieur de Capestan a Major of Foot And that which confirmed the Enemies of our real design against this place was that we had taken care before to have a Plan of it some Ingeniers having been sent on purpose to Dixmuyde the last March who went with a good Detachment from that Garrison Commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel and Major to observe it The Garrison of Kenoque sallied out upon them and attacked that Post where Major Rapin of Belcastels Regiment had been placed and he had the
misfortune to be killed in the action but this Detachment being reinforced from the Neighbouring Posts the Enemies were obliged to retire after having lost a Captain and some other Officers wounded besides Soldiers And this little place was then so unprovided for such engagements that they were forced to send a Drum to Dixmuyde for a Surgeon to dress their wounded Men because this Garrison consisted only of Detachments from Ipres relieved from time to time and so they had no Surgeons Upon the Duke of Wirtembergs arrival here the 7th we began to make Trenches to cover our selves being incamped almost within Musket-shot of the Enemies Works and we mounted our Guards towards the Enemy with Two Thousand Five Hundred Men upon the several Posts Commanded by a Brigadier and other Officers proportionably This Army was divided in Four Brigades Two of English Commanded by Colonel Tiffeny and Sir James Lesley who acted as Brigadiers being eldest Colonels the third by Brigadier Haxhausen composed of Danes and the Regiments of Auer and Belcastel and the fourth of Dutch Commanded by Brigadier Bernstorf who came here with Major-General Churchill The 9th in the Morning the Enemies fired very briskly upon our Men but without any damage In the Afternoon Major-General Churchill came to the Camp with his Eight Battallions having passed through Dixmuyde that Morning In the Evening the Duke of Wirtemberg ordered an attack to beat the Enemies from a Retrenchment and some Houses upon our Right near the Canal of Loo the whole was Commanded by Colonel Tiffeny as Brigadier and the Granadiers by Colonel Maitland Colonel Tiffeny was upon the Right and the Enemies fired very hard upon him from a Fort of the other side of the Canal which he returned very bravely He himself was wounded through the Hand with a Musket-shot and Major-General Churchill who was willing to have a share in the Action escaped very narrowly being shot through the crown of his Hat with a Musket-ball Colonel Maitland who was to dislodge the Enemy with his Granadiers did it with all the Success and Conduct that could be wish'd and the Men went on with a great deal of Bravery and Courage and drove the Enemy from their Post which they endeavour'd in vain to recover two or three times successively coming on with Sword in hand We had several Granadiers killed and wounded Colonel Tiffenys and Fergusons Regiments lost most in this Action Of Colonel Fergusons Regiment Captain Trumbal was killed Major Bruce of Maitlands wounded and an Ensign killed I have not seen the List of Colonel Tiffenys but it was generally computed that our whole loss in this Action amounted to about Four Hundred Men killed and wounded but they grew almost to Thousands by that time they came in the Paris Gazette which certainly could not fall without some slaughter among the Enemies We had three small pieces of Cannon which played during this Attack which is the onely Cannon we fir'd against the place The small Shot was indeed very brisk on both sides the whole Night and we could hear it very plain from our Camp at Becelar And though it does not appear that we had any real design against this place but only to amuse the Enemy yet it was necessary for us to make this Attack because the Posts from whence we drove the Enemy were very inconvenient to us upon our Right The Duke of Wirtemberg had some Artillery from Dixmuyde with Morter-pieces and Bombs but 't was never taken out of the Boats to mount upon the Batteries except the three Field-pieces now mentioned This Artillery had been sent by Water from Sas van Ghendt besides a great quantity of Ammunitions with the rest of our English battering pieces which remained under the Walls of Ghendt without being sent any farther Monsieur de Montal upon this motion of the Duke of Wirtembergs had advanced between the Canal of Loo and that of Ipres to defend this place and to hinder our passage of the Canals to invest it so that nothing could be undertaken without the bringing of both Armies to wrangle about this Post and ours to attack upon very disadvantageous terms So that after this attack of the 9th there happened nothing extraordinary before the Kenoque but only in the Night they generally fired pretty briskly to hinder our Men from making any approaches and their Artillery played ten times to our once hovvever the Duke of Wirtemberg still continued there to keep the Enemies in suspence As for what passed of the Elector of Bavaria's side which we have left incamped before the Enemies Line between Courtray and the Scheld with his Head Quarter at Castres between Tighem and Kirkhove he made upon his arrival here great preparations of Fascines as if he had designed to attack the Line And the 8th he went with Three Thousand Horse and Dragoons to observe the Enemies Works They had an out-post at a Mill without their Line near St. Denis which hindered our approach which Major-General Fagel was ordered to attack with the Bywacht of the Army that is a Captain Lieutenant and Ensign and Sixty Men of every Regiment which are still ready to march out upon any occasion with Field-Officers proportionably and with the Granadiers The Enemies had here a good Detachment commanded with a Lieutenant-Colonel and the Post was strong and they disputed it some time but at last were forced to abandon it Count Volkerstein of the Elector of Bavaria's Guards was killed upon this occasion As for the loss of both sides I have not seen an account of it The Elector of Bavaria after this Action continued in his Camp at Castres and we at Becelar still leaving the Enemies in doubt whether we should attack them in their Lines whilst matters were preparing for an important undertaking Whilst we continued in our Camp at Becelar Forrage vvas not very plentiful nothing being to be had here but Grass The Country hereabouts is altogether Woody with little Arable Land and yet most of that remained untill'd some said by order to hinder the subsisting of our Armies near this place The 10th the Enemy who had hitherto Forrag'd within their own Lines ventured to forrage without which occasioned some deserting among their Men who wanted that opportunity within their Lines The 11th the Fourth Troop of Guards Commanded by Monsieur d' Auverquerque with the Horse Granadiers came to the Camp the first having been in Winter-Quarters at the Hague and the last at Boisleduc The 13th our Cavalry forrag'd towards Ipres and this being a close Country and just by an Enemies Garrison the Troopers went on foot to cut down their Forrage which was guarded by a Detachment from the Infantry and then the Horses were brought from the Camp to fetch the Forrage ready made up inâ—Trusses by which precaution we forrag'd thus almost to the Gates of Ipres without losing One Horse and indeed though this Country is very convenient for such designs and that our Camp was
whence Lieutenant-Colonel Macartney was sent to the King to receive further Orders and the 26th we marchâ—d to Perwys Lieutenant-Colonel Macartney returned with Orders to halt the next day We were then reinforc'd by the Regiments of Tidcomb Stanley and Maitland besides the First Battallion of Dutch Guards which had come strait from Dixmuyde and marchâ—d this day to the Camp before Namur The same day Brigadier St. Paul came up to Perwys with the Hanover Regiments of â—t Paul Cinqvillâ—s and Hulsen They had left Prince Vaudemoâ—ts Camp the 22th The 28th Count Nassau and Major-General Ramsay march'd to Temploux with the Body under their command within a League and a half of Namur not far from the Sambre The day before the King had remov'd his Quarters from La Falise nearer the Town to the Farm of the Maison rouge upon the Hill near the Village of Flavennes on the Samâ—â—â— And the same day we began to work at our Line of Circumvallation tracing the Ruins of that which the French had made when they besieged this place July which we found ready cut out to our hands except at Maulx where we made it run a little more out than the French had done before Upon Count Nassaus arrival to Temploux the two Dutch Regiments of Aâ—entz and Weed which had march'd with the English Detachment march'd and took their Post with the Dutch in the Line of Circumvallation and the same day a Major a Captain and 2 Lieutenants of the Dragoons within Namur were made Prisoners endeavouring to get in and were sent to Huy Hitherto the French were not much disturbed by us in the Town of Namur for we had not yet broke ground before the place and the Water of the Meuse was so low that we could not get our Cannon up so soon as we expected for when they were come up to Huy the River was found so shallow that we were forced to unload our Cannon and put them in lesser Vessels to bring them which as it requir'd time so consequently it retarded very much the vigorous prosecution of the Siege Nevertheless the King with the Elector went every day to visit the Posts near the Town and among the rest July 1st as the King was riding near the Town to observe the Enemies works a Lieutenant and Cornet of Dragoons deserted from the Enemy and came to the King pretending themselves to be of Liege and that they would not serve against their own Forces and the Allies of their Prince The same day my Lord Cuts came to the Camp at Temploux with six Battallions the Second of the First Regiment of Guards his own or the Coldstream Battallion of Guards with the Regiments of Trelawney Ingoldesby Nassau and Heyden The last being Dutch went into the Line of Circumvallation My Lord Cuts had been detach'd from Prince Vaudemonts Army the 24th of June with ten Battallions but at Vilvoâ—de he received Orders to send back Mackays Regiment and three more Dutch to Aâ—ost From Alost Colonel Mackays and Count d'Oâ—nas Regiments went back to Prince Vaudemont but the other two went to reinforce the Garrison of Aeth For upon our undertaking of this Siege the Mareschal of Villeroy whom we have left incamped near Courtray without the Line had passed the Scheld near Pottes and Escanaffe lying with his Army on both sides the River to be in readiness to follow the Orders of the French Court in this important conjuncture and At h being now exposed to the Enemies Army these two Regiments were commanded from Alost to reinforce that Garrison and besides the Prince of Anhalt Brigadier was sent with two Battallions more from Prince Vaudemonts Army to command there where he got with some difficulty We were so long before Namur without breaking ground against the Town that people began to talk very variously about this Siege as if we had not design'd it but rather having lodg'd a strong Garrison in this place to undertake an easier work and besiege Charleroy for from the 23th of June that the Town was invested to this time we had done nothing but work'd at our Line of Circumvallation and made our Bridges of Communication one upon the Sambre between Flavennes and the Abbey of Malogne the second upon the Meuse above Namur towards Dinant and the third upon the Meuse below Namur towards Huy But the true reason of our slowness proceeded from our want of Cannon part of which came up the last day of June and then we opened the Trenches the day following being the 1st day of July The Dutch broke ground at night near the Village of Bouge upon the Plain before the Retrenchments and cover'd ways the Enemies had made upon this Hill from whence the Town is commanded Major-General Fagel had the Trenches with six Dutch Battallions We did not advance our work very far this night because the Trench was flank'd from the Castle which could easily fire over the Town here for which reason we were obliged to make Traverses in the Trench to cover our selves from the Cannon of the Terra Nova so that the Work could not be so far advanced as it would have been if we had been obliged only to make a simple Trench The Enemies fired very briskly to hinder our Workmen particularly from an old Tower which they had just before their cover'd way called la Tour de Cocklé The Brandenburgs of t'other side of the Meuse work'd to make a Battery upon the height of St. Barbe to beat in reverse upon the Enemies within their covered way upon the Hill of Bouge The 2d Major General Salisch had the Trenches and Major General Fagel had the misfortune to be shot in the Neck as he was dismounting but without danger We work'd at a little battery of three pieces of Cannon near the Village de Bouge to play upon the Tower of Cocklè and this night we advanced considerably our Trenches and in both these nights we had not above 16 Men killed and wounded The 3d the King declar'd Brigadiers Lindeboom and Heukelem Major Generals and the Colonels Frisheim and Heyden Brigadiers in their places The same day one of the Electors Chaplains was returned to the Kings Quarter by the Enemies They had made him Prisoner the day before near their Line between the Sambre and the Meuse where his Curiosity had carried him This day our Cannon began to play a Battery of three pieces of Cannon from the Village de Bouge against the old Tower and from the edge of the heighth of St. Barbe being a Brandenburgh Battery of six or seven pieces of Cannon which fir'd over the Meuse in reverse within the Enemyâ—s Retrenchments upon the Hill of Bouge At night the Enemy lessened their Fire and we advanced our Work considerably The 4th early in the morning Brigadier St. Paul was detachâ—d back from Count Nassau's Camp at Temploux to reinforce Prince Vaudemont with the Hanover Guards the Batallions of St. Paul Cinqvilles Hulsen and Zeelandt and indeed
Battalions including Mackay and Torsay that lay Incamped upon his Right to defend the passage of the Canal of Sasvan-Ghendt at Mulenstein and 22. Squadrons of English Horse and 7. Dutch all the Dragoons were with the Duke of Wirtemberg near Bruges Villeroy was Encamped with the French Army since the taking of Deinse near Ghendt with his Right at Nevel and his Left at Gothem upon the Lys where he remained five or six days but before we attend his Army from hence to Brabant we must not forget the Barbarities and Inhumanities which the French Soldiers Committed in this Desolate Country which was all at their devotion of the French side of the Canal of Bruges They Plundred all the Inhabitants and stripp'd a great many naked and not only the Villages and Country People felt the Barbarous Usage of the Soldiers but the Churches and Cloisters and nothing though never so Sacred and Holy could escape their Sacrilegious Hands They stole all the Chalices that they could find either in Churches or Priests Houses without any regard to their God and Saviour whom they pretend to be in it and Robbed the Transubstantiated Sacrament of his Dwelling and Habitation At Torhout a considerable Borough they Ruined the Place Plundered the Inhabitants stripping the best of them naked and their beastly Fury carried them to the very Cloister Ravishing without distinction the Nuns as well as other Women And yet these are the Men whom the French pretend to be the only Defenders of the Catholick Cause as if the Emperor and King of Spain were the greatest Betrayers of this Interest by their Alliance with the King and the States of Holland Whereas not only those whom they brand with the name of Hereticks but the very Turks and Barbarians would scarce be guilty of so much disrespect to their Holy Places This is a short Account of the crying Mischiefs the Enemies committed in Flanders whilst it was exposed to the Licentious Fury of their Soldiers and no doubt they could have done more they could have Crown'd this Master-piece of Cruelty by the Bombarding of Ghendt and Bruges but the French King thought it would make more noise in the World and more Mischief in the Spanish Netherlands to Bombard its Metropolis the Seat of its Governors its chief place of Wealth and Trade and the dwelling of the Court and of its chiefest Nobility and then afterwards to Raise the Siege of Namur and command or give as they term it Peace to Europe 'T is in the pursuit of this important Attempt that we must now follow Villeroy and his Army Prince Vaudemont having Intelligence of the Enemy's Designs to pass the Scheld and march towards Brabant drew Sir David Collier with his eight Battalions from the Guard of the Canal of Bruges and the Dragoons from the Duke of Wirtemberg's Army who joyn'd him back again at Oostackre the day before he marched to Dendermonde The 26th the Marâ—echal de Villeroy re-passed the Lys at Wacken and Incamped near the Scheld within the Line Prince Vaudemont having notice of this Motion of the Enemies decamped the same day from Oostackre having then 26 Battalions with him and all the English Horse and Dragoons except the Dragoons of Rosse and Cunningham which remained with Lieutenant-General Bellasis and those which went with the King of which we have given an Account making in all 48 Squadrons he passed the Scheld this day about a League above Dendermond upon a Bridge of Boats with the Foot which Encamped along the Scheld as far as this place the Horse and Dragoons passed the Scheld at Dendermond and encamped between Dendermond and Baesrode The next day the Prince had information that Villeroy was re passing the Lys which made him suspect that Villeroy had made the motion the day before only to send him towards Brabant and in the mean while to come back and pass the Canal of Bruges to put the Paijs de Waes under Contribution for which Reason the Prince was hastning back again to his former Camp of Oostackre and had re-passed the Scheld when he received a more certain Account of Villeroy's Motions that he was then passing the Scheld to march towards Brabant the Prince then caused the Columnes of the March to Face to the Right-about and march back towards the Scheld where the Horse and Foot passed as they had done the day before and so went with all speed towards Brussels having then a good Account of Villeroy's Orders and Designs The Army marched the whole night except a halt it made of two or three hours about the middle of the night but the Baggage still continued loaded and the Soldiers rested upon their Arms. The halt being over the Army march'd on towards the Canal of Brussels which it pass'd the next Day the Foot at Vilvorde and the Horse at Burnt Bridge and so gain'd that Evening being the 28th the Camp of Deghem having march'd two Days and one Night about Thirty six Hours and notwithstanding the feeble and valetudinary Disposition of the Prince yet in so long a March he was very often on Horseback taking care of every thing his Zeal for the Cause and Affection for the Service overcoming all the Infirmities of his Body which seem'd to make prodigious Efforts to execute the wise Orders of his Mind By this great March he gain'd the Advantage of the Enemy to get between them and Namur tho' he could not hinder the Bombarding of Brussels At the same time that Prince Vaudemont left the Camp of Oostackre to march towards Derdermond the Duke of Wirtemberg left the Neighbourhood of Bruges to follow the Prince with all speed in order to join him with the 12 Battalions under his Command and march'd the same Day being the 26th to Ghendt Villeroy who had pass'd the Scheld the same Day at Escanaffe march'd with his whole Army to Lessines upon the River Dender below Aeth which being a considerable March to pass the Scheld and advance thus far oblig'd him to halt the next Day and to stay till all the Artillery Baggage and Stragglers were come up Montal was left in the Lines with no more Men than was just necessary to do the Duty of a Guard upon them Sir Henry Bellasis who encamp'd at Placendal whilst the Duke of Wirtemberg was at Bruges came up to this Place upon the Duke's marching to Ghendt and the Regiments of Tiffany and Buchan were detach'd from his Body to re-inforce Prince Vaudemont's Army so that Sir Henry Bellasis had at Bruges under his Command 10 Battalions and 2 Regiments of Dragoons having drawn off the Regiments of Strathnaver and George Hamilton from Newport and Belcastell from Ostend The 29th Prince Vaudemont march'd through Brussels from Deghem and encamp'd without Halleporte and Fort de Monterey with his Right upon the Hill that lies just over the River Senne and his Left at the Namur Port where he immediately order'd the Army to retrench and fortifie this Rising Ground which
was very strong and where it had been very difficult for Villeroy to have forc'd even this small Army The high Ground near the Senne this River and the Fort de Monterey fortified his Right besides the Retrenchments in the Front it was cover'd by the Bois de Sogne which came up close to the Left and Brussels remain'd just in the Rear Prince Vaudemont could have taken the Camp of Anderleck where he could being join'd by my Lord of Athlone and Count Nassau have prevented the Bombarding of Brussels but then the Enemies would have had the Advantage of us in marching towards Namur so that it was impossible at the same time to cover the Siege of Namur and to prevent the Bombarding of this Place The Foot only of Prince Vaudement's Army encamp'd within the Retrenchment between Halle Porté and that of Namur the Cavalry and Dragoons being re-inforc'd with the 22 Squadrons detach'd from the Siege of Namur with Count Nassau Weilbourg encamp'd at Scarbeck between Deghem and Brussels to guard the passages of the Canal being commanded by Monsieur D' Auverquerque But Prince Vaudemont being extreamly fatigu'd with the long March to Deghem was forc'd to keep his Bed at Brussels Villeroy who halted the 28th at Lessines for all his Army to come up march'd the 29th to come nearer to Brussels and at the same time to receive a Convoy of Provisions of Artillery Mortars and Ammunitions from Mons pass'd the Dender at Lessines and encamp'd with his Right near Steinkirk and his left towards Enghein and here he halted the next day for the Convoy from Mons which was escorted by the Marquis de Harcourt who had pass'd the Sambre some days before to join and re-inforce the Maréchal de Villeroy My Lord of Athlone with the Horse and Count Nassau with the Foot whom we have brought to the Camp of Genap the 29th halted here the next day The Enemies being then at Enghien and Steinkirk we had not one Piece of Cannon and we were very much afraid that Villeroy instead of going to Brussels should have march'd to Nivelle for then we must have retreated from Genap which is but a League from Nivelle to the Camp of Masy And Prince Vaudemont being encamp'd at Brussels the Enemies from Nivelle would have hinder'd his Passage by the Bois de Sâ—gne and Genap so that he must have march'd about by Louvain to come to Namur which consequently would have given the Enemies the Advantage of a March for the Relief of the Siege But Villeroy had Orders to Bombard Brussels and he must execute them which has lost the French the best opportunity they could have to relieve the Siege of Namur The 30th Prince Vaudemont was re-inforc'd by the Duke of Wirtemberg who came up to Brussels this Day with the 12 Battalions under his Command and encamp'd within the Retrenchment between the Gates of Halle and Namur where we had now by this junction 38 Battalions And this is the mighty Army in whose presence Villeroy bombarded Brussels which as the Paris Gazetteer boasted dar'd not attack the French Army which sought by this undertaking an occasion of fighting and to bring us to a Battel The French being now Masters of all the Country between Brussels Ghendt and Dendermond Sir Henry Bellasis sent Sir Bevil Granville's Regiment to re-inforce the Garrison of Dendermond where the Lunenbourgh Regiment of Luck had been order'd before and march'd himself with the Body under his command to Ghendt The 31st the Maréchal de Villeroy being expected before Brussels my Lord of Athlone had Orders to march from Genap to come nearer to Brussels to be ready to join Prince Vaudemont if Villeroy should offer to attack him in his Retrenchment Accordingly my Lord of Athlone pass'd the little River Dyle below Genap upon two Bridges and encamp'd with his Right at Waterloo in the Skirts of the â—â—is de Sâ—gne where the Marquis de Gastanaga has built a very pretty Chapel made in the Figure of Four Demi-Domes join'd together and one in the Centre rais'd upon them This Chapel was dedicated by him to the Virgin Mary to interceed for Issue to the King of Spain My Lord of Athlone's Left was at Braine Alleu and here he had his Quarter in the House where Prince Vaudemont was born The Causey between Brussels and Genap remain'd in the Rear Upon our March to this Place we had 12 Pieces of Cannon sent by Prince Vaudemont Besides this Count Nassau-weilbourg was order'd by the Prince to post himself with about 30 Squadrons of Horse along the way through the Bois de Sogne to make the Communication good from the Army at Brussels to that at Waterloo In the Evening his Majesty came from the Camp before the Castle of Namur with a good Escorte of Horse to Waterloo where his Majesty lay that Night to conferr with Prince Vaudemont upon the present Conjuncture of Affairs who waited the next Day tho' still indispos'd upon the King The same Day 31. the Maréchal de Villeroy march'd from Enghien and Steinkirk in order to execute the Commands of his Master against Brussels and encamp'd with his Right within two English Miles of Anderlecht and his Left at Halle My Lord of Athlone commanded a good Guard at Braine le Chasteau to defend the Passage from Halle to his Camp and the same Evening Rantzaw's Brigade was commanded from the Army within the Retrenchment to encamp between Anderlecht Porte and that of Flanders for the Defence of the Town on this side being the only Place where the Enemies could make an Attack The Magistrates upon the first News of the Enemies coming towards them had stopp'd up all the Sluces of the River Senne which run under the Walls of this Town and through the lower part of it which by degrees o'erflow'd all the bottom from the Canal before the Gates of Flanders and Anderlecht quite to that of Halle and all the Meadows near the Banks of the Senne from Brussels to Anderlecht But the Country between Anderlecht Porte and that of Flanders being pretty high and the bottom near the Ramparts but narrow the Water could not so overflow here but that the Enemies cou'd make their Batterie of Cannon and Mortars just by the Place and near enough to ruine afterwards the best and the most wealthy part of the Town The first of August the French advanc'd to come close to Brussels August and encamp'd this Day with the Right towards the Canal of Brussels and the Left beyond Anderlecht towards Halle The Marquis de Harcourt was left at Halle to make the Communication good between Monâ— and the Army All this being join'd together Villeroy was suppos'd to have full â—00 Battalions and about 220 Squadrons for besides the Regiments he had from Montal's Army to encrease his own the French King had order'd out of his Frontier Garrisons all the Regiments he could possibly spare to make up a formidable Army So far that I have heard
Reason that his Majesty has sent me an Order to come and bombard Brussels and at the same time to declare that 't is with Reluctancy that the King has put himself upon it and that as soon as he shall be assur'd that the Sea-Ports of France shall be no more Bombarded the King likewise will not bombard any Places belonging to the Princes against whom he is at War reserving nevertheless the liberty on both sides to do it in such Places as shall be besieg'd His Majesty has resolv'd upon the Bombarding of Brussels with so much the more Pain that the Elect'ress of Bavaria is there If you will let me know in what part of the Town she is the King has commanded me to forbid to fire there I shall stay for your Answer till Five of the Clock in the Evening after that I shall obey the Orders the King has given me without delay The Prince of Berguâ—s having receiv'd this Letter communicated it to the Elector and immediately after sent the following ANSWER dated at Brussels the 13th of August New Style 1695. SIR THE Declaration you have sent me of the Orders you have from the King your Master to Bombard the Town of Brussels and the Reason which his said Majesty does alledge upon which you demand an Answer it cannot be given by his Electoral Highness who is just now arriv'd since it regards the King of Great-Britain who is before the Castle of Namur but his Electoral Highness will acquaint him with it to have an Answer in 24 Hours if you agree to it As for the Consisideration his most Christian Majesty has for the Elect'ress she is â—â—t the King's Palace A Manifesto of the same Nature was publish'd in the Paris-Gazette only with this difference That it magnifies more the French King's Reluctancy to such Undertakings and his Abhorrence of such Executions as if he knew nothing of the Matter before till the Inhumane Allies taught it him at Dieppe Havre-de-Grace St. Malo's Granville and Calais Besides That the Allies had hitherto made it their principal Glory to bombard Places which had no other share in the War but their Sighs Wishes and Prayers to see an end of it Alas poor People they have had no other share in the War but their Wishes for Peace they have not done the least Prejudice to the English and Dutch Commerce and Navigation their Privateers have not infested our Coasts and enrich'd themselves by the Spoils of our best Merchant-Ships No these poor innocent harmless People have had no share in the Mischiefs of this War they have remain'd quiet at home praying for Peace The Gentleman adds That it has been in the King's Power to bombard the Towns belonging to the Allies but that he had hitherto avoided it expecting that the Allies themselves would put a stop to such Proceedings but now that he was forc'd to it by way of Reprisal witness Liege 't is true that he could have bombarded Ghendt and Bruges this Campaign but the bombarding of Brussels would make more noise of the invincible Monarch's Power and then the Castle of Namur was press'd and the French were resolv'd to attempt the Relief of it so that we need not thank the French King's Goodness if Ghendt and Bruges escap'd At last the Manifesto concludes with magnifying the Greatness of the Action that it was done in the Face of Prince Vaudemont's Army who did not dare to prevent the Bombarding of this Place by hazarding of a Battel whereas Villeroy's Army only look'd for an occasion of fighting And here he tells a Truth which he all along seem'd to conceal Before the Bombarding of Brussels was for a Reprisal to return the Mischiefs upon this Town which the English and Dutch did to the Sea-Ports of France but now at last it is to bring the Allies to a Battel that they attempt the bombarding of Brussels They thought the Allies would have hazarded any thing rather than suffer the burning of this Town but they have been mistaken and Namur taken their coming before Brussels has not reliev'd it as they expected As for Villeroy's Letter it is more a Wonder that such Reasons should be alledged for the bombarding of it than that the French King should bombard it at all For the ways of the French are so well known that without pretending to alledge any thing to justifie their Proceeding I dare say no body wouâ—d have been surpriz'd at it But to pretend to bombard Brussels with Pain and Reluctancy as if they were forc'd to it by way of Reprisal and as if his Most Christian Majstey abhorr'd such Proceedings is such incoherent Stuff that the whole World knows the contrary If a Man red this Letter that knew nothing of the Actions of the fore-going Years he would believe the French to be the most merciful People in the World and that they did not know what Bombarding was till we had taught it them Whereas this barbarous Treatment of Towns is wholly due to them and 't is they themselves that have first practis'd it in the World They began first with Argiers and 't is 12 Years since they began to treat Christians in the same manner as they had chastis'd this Nest of miscreant Pyrates Genoua Audenarde and Luxembourg above all Places should not read the Maréchal de Villeroy's Letter But in this War the French have more openly practis'd their incendiary Trade they have not only bombarded Liege the last Campaign was Four Years but at the beginning of this War they have more cruelly and barbarously destroy'd Towns that were in their own Possession and that rely'd upon the publick Faith of their own Capitulations Some Reason may be alledg'd to justifie the bombarding of an Enemy's Town We have bombarded their Sea Ports because they doe us all the Mischief they can But what Reason can be given for the burning of so many Towns in the Palatinate that had deliver'd themselves up to the Dauphin's Army as Worms Spire Openheim and Frankendal Manheim and afterwards Heidelberg In short if the Enemies publish'd these Reasons to fling Dust in the Eyes of the Allies they have been mightily mistaken and whereas they would have thrown the original Cause of the bombarding of Brussels upon the King of England to animate the People of this Country against him their Mine has sprung backwards and has rather serv'd to encrease their Hatred against the French They know that we have bombarded those Nests of Privateers that interrupt and spoil our Trade to the utmost of their Power but they expected better Treatment to a Town that had never done the French the least harm but had rather in a manner a free Trade with them so far the bombarding of Brussels has done a great deal of Mischief to the French King 's own Subjects who had vast Effects in this Town and several have been ruin'd by it but Mischief must be done to magnifie an invincible Monarch's Power in ' spite of the Siege
of our side However the French did not stir which made some People believe they design'd to exchange their Batteries and bring them towards the Lacker Porte and the Canal to burn the King's Magazines of Hay which were of the other side and see how far their Bombs would reach in the Town this way But I suppose their Bombs were spent and the King's Magazines which were very great were sav'd The farthest Bomb the Enemies shot from before Anderlecht Porte reach'd just below Prince Vaudemont's House belonging to the King and just by the Court it broke in the fall before it came to the Ground and a piece of the Shell kill'd an English Woman in the Street She was dress'd like a Gentlewoman and had a considerable quantity of Gold and Silver in her Pocket but I have never heard who she was The 6th the Enemies having drawn off the Day and Night before all their Cannon and Mortars tho' not without Loss for the Cannon from the Town still fir'd upon them the Afternoon before during their Work they sent them back again to Mons before with a strong Detachment and their Army was ready to follow them The 7th the Maréchal de Villeroy withdrew his Army from before Brussels and march'd back and encamp'd between Halle and Enghien The same Day the Two Battalions that had been detach'd from my Lord of Athlone's Army at Braine Alleu to Brussels under Major-General Heukelem march'd back through the Bois de Sogne and rejoin'd my Lord of Athlone who had now chang'd his Camp with his Right before Braine Alleu and his Left towards Bois-Seigneur-Isaac to be nearer to defend the Passage from Halle to Namur at Braine le Chasteau This Night the Artillery march'd from Prince Vaudemont's Army and the Baggage towards Genap and the next Day Prince Vaudemont follow'd with his Army marching upon one Line through the Bois de Sogne My Lord of Athlone likewise march'd from his Camp at Braine Alleu and the Cavalry from Scarbeck commanded by Monsieur D'Auverquerque which march'd through Brussels and the Bois de Sogne and so both Armies join'd in one Line of Battel encamping with the Left at Genap and the Right at Waterlo with the Causey of Brussels before us Prince Vaudemont had his Quarter at a House call'd the King's House upon it And this is the first time since the Siege of Namur that we had an Army to oppose the Maréchal de Villeroy which consisted of 182 Squadrons and 70 Battalions including that of Buchan which had not yet join'd us from Malines where he had been sent to Garrison during the Bombarding of Brussels And the Elector of Bavaria went back this Day from Brussels to the Siege of Namâ—r Villeroy was now encamp'd between Enghien and Steinkirk epecting the Rhine Detachment the Remainder of the King's House and some Battalions from the Coast to march to the Relief of Namur which they made sure of and so to give as they boasted Peace to Christendom The Rhine Detachment was already arriv'd at Rocroy the 7th having march'd through Lorrain Luxembourg and Champagne being now upon the Frontiers of Hainault were Monsieur de Pracontal Major-General was sent to march them up to Villeroy's Army This Detachment consisted of 12 Battalions 3 of Champagne 2 of Anjou 2 of la Châtre 1 of Thiange 2 of Lorrain and 2 of Blaisois and 4 Regiments of Dragoons of 3 Squadrons each in all 12 Squadronsâ— being the Regiments of Gobert Estrade Brâ—toncelle and Sailly At the same time that the Enemies had made this Detachment from the Rhine the Prince Lewis of Baden made another for Flanders to counterballance it the King having writ to the Prince before that if the French King order'd a Detachment from the Rhine to the Low-Countries he should send another to reinforce our Army and make head against all the united Forces of Villeroy This Detachment consisted of 10 Battalions of the Troops of Lunenburg and Hesse and 22 Squadrons commanded by Count de Lippe Velt-Maréchal of the Landtgrave of Hesse's Forces but the Landtgrave himself who is extreamly affection'd to the common Cause of the Allies but more particularly to his Majesty's and the Protestant Interest came himself to command in Person He arriv'd at the Camp before Namur the 5th of August with the Prince his Son his Army follow'd him having march'd from Prince Lewis's Army upon the Neckre to the Rhine at Coblentz from whence the Foot came down by Water to Cologne and by this time they were got between Aix la Chapelle and Liege The 8th Prince Vaudemont decamp'd from between Genap and Waterlo and march'd upon the Left to Sombref passing the Dyle at old Genap upon four Bridges laid over this little River two for each Column and so on between the Abbey of Villers Perwijs upon our Left Flank and Melle upon our Right the Artillery and Baggage by the Causey We came late to the Camp by reason of some Desilés which interrupted our March between these two Places Prince Vaudemont had his Quarter at Sombref with our Left here and our Right at Marbais and the Plains of Fleury before us The 10th we march'd still on upon the Left to take up the strong Camp of Masy Buchan's Regiment join'd us upon this March from Malines We encamp'd at Masy our two Lines in the Figure of a Semicircle the Convex part of it at Masy our Right before Temploux and the Cense or Farm de Boquet and our Left between Spy and Melmont towards the Sambre Prince Vaudemont took his Quarter at Golsines an old ruinous Castle formerly the dwelling-Place of the Counts of Namur Fitspatrick's and Selwyn's Brigades encamp'd before the Prince's Quarter at Bessire to take up a high Ground which forms a Tongue of Land towards Masy something steep towards Sombref and cover'd with thick Woods Some Horse and Dragoons encamp'd upon the left of these two Brigades close to the Village of Bessire and two Regiments of Dragoons at the Prince's Quarter And because this is the Camp that must decide the Fate of the Castle of Namur I shall give a short Description of it There is a little River that has its spring about Gemblours and falls into the Sambre which contributes very much to the strength of this Camp for in its short course to the Sambre it runs along a narrow Valley with Hills upon each side which makes the Passage of it difficult and so much the more that the side of the Hills towards the River is cover'd with thick Trees At Masy the Ground is more level on both sides of the River which makes this a considerable Passage being the only one from Gemblours to the Sambre that is convenient for an Army Beyond Masy as this River comes near the Sambre by Melmont it runs at the Foot of a steep Hill cover'd with thick Trees which made our Left between Spy and Melmont inaccessible to the Enemy Our Right was cover'd from Bessire and Golsines the
the King's Quarter at Malogne and the Hills that command it For tho' there was no probability that the Body of the Army could march this Way to relieve the Place being all close Woods between the Sambre and the Meuse yet this was necessary to prevent the surprisal of flying Detachments which having pass'd the Sambre could have march'd by the Abbey of Floreff to this Place which is in the way between Floreff and Namur Prince Vaudemont's Army being now so near Namur which we have brought to the Camp at Masy we shall leave the Account of the Siege for a while to speak of the Proceedings of the Prince's Army and of that of the Enemies commanded by the Maréchal de Villeroy Prince Vaudemont came to the Camp of Masy the 10th his Army consisting then of 70 Battalions and 182 Squadrons The 11th the second Battalion of Scots Guards and the second of Dutch Guards which hitherto had not been concern'd in this Siege were commanded to the King's Quarter at Malogne to relieve the Battalion of the Coldstream Regiment of Guards and the first Battalion of Dutch and the Regiments of Couâ—thop Mackay Friderick Hamilton and Buchan reliev'd those of Seymour Columbine Stanley and Lauder imploy'd in the Siege so that we still kept the same Complement of â—0 Battalions The 12th in the Morning all the heavy Baggage of the Army was commanded away to draw up at the Bridge of Communication upon the Meuse below Namur We expected now the Enemies and as we were then to be still in Motion to observe them the heavy Baggage was sent away to make the Marches of the Army easier less difficult and quicker and besides Forrage was not plenty in our Camp after so long a Siege and such Armies which the Horses belonging to the Baggage could find more conveniently here having the liberty of both sides of the Meuse The same Morning Count Tilly Lieutenant-General was detach'd with Pyper's and another Brigade of Horse by Louvain to Brussels where the Marquis de Bedmar Mestre de Camp General of the Spanish Infantry commanded a small body of Spanish Horse and both these Generals were join'd and re-inforc'd at Brussels by Lieutenant-General Bellasis who upon Villeroy's Motion towards Namur march'd hither with the 10 Battalions under his Command to cover either Louvain or Brussels which our Army being now at Masy were both expos'd to the French Army The same Day 12th the Regiments of Sparre and Knoring and that of the Marquet join'd us at the Camp of Masy having been detach'd from the Siege I cannot tell whether others were sent from the Camp to the Siege in their Place The 15th being inform'd that the Maréchal de Villeroy who after the bombarding of Brussels had retir'd to Soigny had pass'd the Senne above Nivelle to join the Rhine Detachment and the other Troops he expected from the Coast and the Remainder of the Houshold of France which was all commanded away from Versailles and that he was incamp'd with his Right at Seneffe and his Left towards Arkiennes and Feluy in order to march to the Plains of Fleury For this Reason our Right Wing of Horse which encamp'd towards Temploux turning back from the Line was order'd to march up and rectifie our Camp and possess the Woods and Avenues between Gemblours and our Camp Collier's Brigade was detach'd at the same time to interline the Right Wing of Horse The Hesse and Lunenburgh Troops that had been detach'd from the Rhine by Prince Lewis of Baden commanded by the Count de Lippe which we have left in their way in the Neighbourhood of Aix la Chapelle and had pass'd the Meuse some Days before between Liege and Maestricht and had halted to refresh themselves between Huy and Namur came up this Day and incamp'd upon our Right at St. Denis a Village situated in the Skirts of a Wood near the Springs of the Mehaigne The Landtgrave of Hesse who had come before to wait upon the King in this Siege put himself at the Head of his Troops here which were in a very fine and serviceable Condition both Foot Horse and Dragoons but especially the Foot which made extraordinary good Battalions very well Cloath'd and very good Men. At their coming they work'd at a very good Retrenchment to cover the narrow Plain between the Wood of St. Denis upon the Right and that of Meux upon their Left Villeroy as we have said just now encamp'd the 15th between Seneff and Arkiennes upon the River Senne with Nivelle before his Left He was join'd here by the Rhine Detachment which we have brought in their way as far as Rocroy where they arriv'd the 7th and being headed by the Maréchal de Camp Pracontal who was sent from Villeroy's Army to meet them he march'd them towards the Sambre which they pass'd at Maubeuge and join'd the Maréchal de Villeroy this Day And now having all the Reinforcements he expected and having a prodigious Army consisting of 119 Battalions and 235 Squadrons 't was resolv'd to march the next Day to the Plains of Fleury in order to attempt the Relief of Namur The French having such an Army spoke of it as of a certain thing and began to maltreat strangely our Prisoner-Garrisons of Dixmuyde and Deinse to force them from our Service as if our Army had been lost 'T was given out that the Maréchal de Villeroy had express and positive Orders to attack us and the Devotions of the People were requir'd to implore the divine Blessing And here I cannot forbear mentioning the Preface the Dean and Chapter of Paris put to their Mandate for the Prayers of 40 Hours to be us'd in that Diocess the See being now vacant That as God punishes Princes who make War only to attack their Neighbours and make themselves great so he blesses those who act only for the defence of their People and to procure Peace Certainly People must be very much put to it for want of a Preface who made this the French King's Case For 't is a very plain Matter of Fact that he himself has been the Aggressor in this War by attacking the Emperor and the States and if other Princes have enter'd into an offensive and defensive Alliance with them it has been for their own necessary Safety and Preservation which had such a certain and visible dependance upon that of the Empire and States of the United Provinces I do not know any Places where the French King's Subjects have been attack'd but by our Sea-Bombardments and in this case he has taken more care to maintain his Conquests than to defend his People If this Character is or has been due to any Princes engag'd in War it is certainly to our King who was now engag'd in the Siege of Namur for no other Interest but to establish the Liberties of Christendom oppress'd by the ambitious Greatness of our Enemies who were still incroaching upon their Neighbours and had lately ravish'd this important Place out of the
King of Spain's Hands He does not aggrandize his Dominions by it and has no other Interest in it but the glory of doing so much Good to the World in general and of establishing the Welfare and Security of his Subjects in particular by the Reduction of this strong Key of the Spanish and United Provinces Thus much for this Preface I believe the French depended more upon the strength and greatness of their Army than upon any Hopes the Dean and Chapter 's Preface could give them The 16th the Maréchal de Villeroy left the Camp of Seneff and Nivelle He commanded all the heavy Baggage away to Mons and march'd with the whole Army to the Plains of Fleury where he encamp'd with his Right between St. Amand and Fleury and his Left towards Sombref the head Quarter was at Marbais At Night he caus'd about 50 Pieces of Cannon to be drawn at the Head of his Camp upon the Causey that goes to Namur which were discharg'd round to give the Besieged notice of his Arrival who now made every Night some Signals from the top of the Cavalier of the Terra nova with lighted Torches sometimes Four and Three and Two which we suppos'd to signifie the time of the Resistance they could make The Besieged did not answer Villeroy's Signal and as 't was told after the Siege did not hear it the Wind being contrary tho' 't was a still Night The King upon Villeroy's Approach with the French Army left his Quarter at Malogne and the Siege of the Castle to the Elector of Bavaria and the Duke of Holstein Ploen and took his Quarter that very Night at the Castle of Bovesse a Gentleman's House in the Rear of our Right Wing of Horse but most of His Majesty's Domesticks remain'd at the more convenient Quarter in the Abbey of Malogne The next Day the King was very early with Prince Vaudemont at his Quarter at Golsines being then indispos'd which hinder'd him from waiting upon the King at his own Quarter Measures were then taken for the Security of our Camp by making Retrenchments where they were requisite The King brought with him from the Siege Velt-Maréchal-General Fleming and Count d'Arco General of the Bavarians to command our Right-Wing of Horse and Lumley's Brigade of English Horse was detach'd from the Left to the Right Wing which was most expos'd to the Enemy to re-inforce it They encamp'd at St. Denis between the Hesse Troops and the Right of our Army which we advanc'd yet farther in the Front and drew our Line closer to the Woods and the Avenues between them The same Day 17th the second Battalion of Dutch Guards and the second of Scots which had reliev'd some Days before my Lord Cuts his Battalion and the first Battalion of Dutch Guards were countermanded back to the Camp and 12 Battalions more of the Elector of Brandenbourgh's and States Forces besides more of the Horse imploy'd in the Siege so that 't was computed we had this Day 97 Battalions and 237 Squadrons to oppose to the Maréchal de Villeroy besides about 30 Battalions which continu'd the Siege and Six in Garrison in the Town This is the true state of our Forces in this great Conjuncture and at this time 500 Men is the most that we can rate a Battalion at one with another and 110 each Squadron in either Armies I leave the Calculation to the Reader and the difference of the two Armies will appear upon it This Day we began to work at our Retrenchments to fortifie the House and Bridge of Masy we made a Retrenchment at Bossire before Fits-patrick and Selwyn's Brigades which had before Prince Vaudemont's Quarter at Golsines in their Rear and Bossire upon their Left but upon the approach of Villeroy they chang'd their Ground and encamp'd with their Right at the Prince's Quarter and Left towards the little River which runs by Gemblours and Masy to the Sambre and Bossire in their Rear their Line being perpendicular to the Line of our Army This Retrenchment defended the Plain which runs with a Wood upon the Right and another upon the Left towards Conroy and Gemblours Farther towards Conroy we cut down Trees to barricade the High-ways and plac'd there a Captain and 60 Men detach'd out of the two ' fore-said Brigades with Orders to maintain the Post as long as possibly they could to give notice of the Enemies Approach These two Brigades were then under the Command of Major-General Ramsay The same Day 17th Brigadier Fitspatrick was detach'd with 8 Battalions 3 whereof were Maitland Tiffeny and Ferguson the rest Dutch and Germans to the Village of St. Denis which lying upon the skirt of a Wood they fortified very strongly The Hessians were more to the Right where they defended with a good Retrenchment the little Plain between St. Denis and Meux situated on the skirts of another Wood more towards the Mehaigne Velt-Maréchal Fleming and Count d'Arco with Lumley's Brigade and the Brandenbourgh Horse and Bavarian Cuirassiers were order'd more to the Right between the Wood of Meux and the Village of Du where they made another Retrenchment over the Plain from the Wood upon the Left to Du upon the Right The Mehaigne has several little Springs and some in this Place This was the Disposition of our Affairs the 1â—th in the Army As for the Enemies they did not march this Day but continued in their Camp between Fleury and Sombref they had made a considerable March the Day before with such a vast Body that they halted this Day to compleat their Army to Forrage and give out Bread to the Soldiers The 18th they march'd more upon their Left towards Gemblours to come nearer to our Right which was the most open part of our Camp our Left towards the Sambre being very strongly encamp'd as we have describ'd it above They encamp'd with their Right at Gemblours and Left at Grandléz the head Quarter at Saunier Upon which Motion of the Enemy Orders were given in our Army not to stir out of the Camp and every Body to be ready at a Minute's warning which should be given by the firing of three Pieces of Cannon The same Day 18th 22 Grenadiers per Company out of his Majesty's Forces were order'd to be ready to march and make an Assault upon the Breach we had made in the Terra nova jointly with the rest of the Besiegers who were to attack the Breach of the Cohorne and other Out-works But his Majesty expecting the Enemies should attack us the next Day thought it more convenient to deferr the Assault longer and in the mean while to widen and applanish the Breaches with the usual violence of our Cannon these Grenadiers being more necessary in our Camp at this time The Maréchal de Villeroy intended to attack us the next Day the King was inform'd of it and the Army expected it for which Reason all Officers and Soldiers were order'd to lie in their Cloaths with their Arms ready to
to terrifie them That they must not expect to be treated as Prisoners of War but as Rebels But this was making a Triumph before the Victory as it prov'd to their Confusion The King being inform'd of the Enemies March upon their Left towards Perwys order'd the Army to march upon the Right at the same time that our Besiegers were engag'd in the Assault against the Castle and Outworks The King took his Quarter this Day at a Gentleman's House call'd Ostin near the Village of Du. The Brigade of Guards being now in the Reserve encamp'd upon the Right of the King's Quarter in a third Line near the Hesse Troops Our Body of Foot encamp'd within the Retrenchment of Du and our Cavalry encamp'd behind them to sustain the Foot in the defence of the Retrenchments We abandon'd the perpendicular Retrenchment at Bossire between Masy and Gemblours Livingston's Dragoons with the Regiment of Foot of Holstein Ploen was left to guard the Post of Masy my Lord George Hamilton Brigadier was left to guard the Retrenchment of Golsines with three Battalions This was made upon the quitting of the Retrenchment of Bossire leaving Golsines Prince Vaudemont's Quarter before it who was Quarter'd at Ostin in the same House with His Majesty Brigadier Fitspatrick continu'd with his Eight Battalions at St. Denis We had a good Body of Horse posted at Ypignies before our Right At our coming to this Ground we saw the Enemies encamp'd with their Left near the Mehaigne between Ramelies and Taviers and their Right stretching towards Orbais with Perwys before them and Malevre in their Rear At Night we continu'd our Retrenchment from Du to the Wood upon our Right to be defended by the Hesse Troops and some of the Body of Foot The 21st we continu'd our Fire against the Castle with the usual Fury to make all Things ready for another Assault We began to apply the Miner to the Breach of the Cohorne for our Cannon firing from the Town and the other side of the River up the Hill could only break down the upper part of the Work whilst the Foot of it remain'd entire under the Shot of our Cannon and besides having gain'd the Counterscarp of this Work our Cannon could not play against the Cohorne without doing harm to our own Men And this I suppose was the Reason why we design'd in the last Attack to carry the Counterscarp and Breach all at once At Night Major-General Lindeboom mounted the Trenches with Brigadier Dedem The same Day the Maréchal de Villeroy pass'd the Mehaigne with a good Body of Horse and advanc'd as far as Ypignies The grand Guard we had here retreated to the Camp upon his Approach their Orders being not to engage The Maréchal de Villeroy left the main of his Body of Horse and rid on full speed with two Squadrons of Hussars whose Horses are very fleet and fit for such a purpose close to our Retrenchments upon our Right to view our Works and to observe our Camp He continued here wheeling sometime to the Right and sometime to the Left near a little Hedge that cover'd him We brought down some Pieces of Cannon to fire upon him which as soon as he perceiv'd it he rid off full speed with his two Squadrons under the shelter of a Wood we had before the Hesse Retrenchment At the same time that we brought down our Cannon we drew up several Regiments of Foot within our Line expecting the Enemies but no Action happen'd only some pickeering as they term it that is when single Men detach themselves voluntarily from both sides to meet and fire upon one another and then retire to their several Bodies again The Maréchal de Villeroy having observ'd the Posture of our Camp and our strong Retrenchments rid back again full speed with his Hussars to the main Body of Horse he had left at the heighth of Ypignies We detach'd some Squadrons after him the grand Mousquetaires of Brandenbourgh being one of them but without any other Action than the former Pickeering Villeroy having found us so well posted in this Place would yet try to find out a Passage for the Relief of Namur between our Right and the Meuse and therefore he went with his Detachment of Hussars towards the Village of Verderin where there is another narrow Plain upon the skirt of a thick Wood which from hence continues to the Meuse The Dragoons of Dopf and Eppinger were posted here where they made a Retrenchment and the Cavalry of the Right was commanded this Day with Lumley's Brigade to join these Dragoons for the Defence of this Post with Collier's Brigade which hitherto had continu'd in the little Retrenchment in the Wood between St. Denis and Golsines Thus Villeroy found all the Passages guarded before the Town from the Sambre where the River of Masy falls into it by all these Villages we have mention'd round to the Meuse below Namur at our Bridge of Communication making with Woods Rivulets and Retrenchments a kind of an outer Line of Circumvallation near Twelve English Miles in length And this was thought a better Defence than to have disputed the Passage of the Mehaigne to the Enemies when they came to Perwys Although Villeroy had now lost all Hopes of doing any thing for the Relief of the Castle for he found that he could not attack us without hazarding the Loss of his whole Army and that ours was in a good Condition and strongly posted and indeed our Strength was such that I believe had not the Siege of the Castle depended upon the Issue of a Battel we should hardly have put a Spade in the Ground to have made a Retrenchment yet the Enemies Presence at Perwys was very inconvenient to our Army which was now shut up in a kind of a Line of Circumvallation where Forage was very scarce They had cut off all Communication with Brussels and Louvain from whence we had our Provisions They were now Masters of the River-side between Namur and Liege so that we could have nothing from thence by Water but must be brought by Land on the Dinant side through a difficult Country But the Maréchal de Villeroy had secur'd his Communication with Charleroy and Mons by leaving the Marquis de Harcourt with a small Army near Fleury From whence it appears that if the French had not left the Castle to the last Extremity before they came to Relieve it it might have prov'd of a very dangerous Consequence to our Army which would have been in a manner depriv'd of Subsistance for Man and Horse But they must bombard Brussels first and so they came too late and I cannot imagine the Reason of this Proceeding unless they believ'd all the Reports of our Losses publish'd in the Paris Gazette and so to let the Siege run on to shatter our Army and then to come at last with their Army to give the finishing Stroke to our Ruine If they say their Rhine Detachment was not yet come up
and Horse-Granadiers were ordered to their Winter-Quarters the first to Breda and the last to Boisleduc The 23th the Dutch Artillery march'd to Malines its usual Winter Quarter under the Convoy of the Regiments of Seymour and Collingwood to be quarter'd there and some Dutch Regiments going to the Frontiers of Holland Colonel Collingwood's Regiment afterwards was sent to Ghent and Colonel Trelawnyes to Malines where it had been formerly This day the Elector had notice that the French Army had broke up the day before not to go yet into Quarters but to Canton in the Villages between the †A little River which falls into the Scheld at Escanaâ—â—e Ronne and the Scheld Villeroy having his Quarter at Cordes upon which the Garrisons of Ghendt and Bruges Ostend Camerlings Ambacht and Canal of Bruges march'd the 24. towards their respective Winter-Quarters with the remainder of the English Train of Artillery and Foot under the Command of the Duke of Wirtemberg Count Nassau c. the Horse under the Command of Monsieur d' Auverquerque We incamp'd this day upon the Dender which we passed at Alost at Arenbodeghem The 25th at Mallem near Ghent where the Artillery and Garrison began to march into Quarters the next day The Garrisons of Bruges Ostend c. march'd on under the Command of Major General Ramsay to their Winter-Quarters as the Ten Battallions of Foot and Two of Dragoons Incamp'd at Bellem upon this Canal had done some days before Sir Henry Bellasis who Commanded them went to the Hague to receive His Majesties Instructions about the Tryal of the Officers concern'd in the Capitulations of Dixmuyde and Deinse being appointed President of the High Court Marshal to try them For about this time the foresaid Garrisons were set at liberty by the French Kings Order and come to Ghendt but the Officers Commanding the respective Regiments of these Garrisons were either Confin'd in Ghent or sent Prisoners to the Sas van Ghendt Major-General Ellembergh Governour of Dixmuyde was among the last These Garrisons were sent back with the usual Fidelity of the French they still retain'd those whom by their ill usage and infraction of the Cartel and Capitulation they had forc'd to take on in their Service 'T is true as 't is said that they publisht by Beat of Drum in several of their Frontier Garrisons that those who had so been Listed among them had liberty to return but they took care that none of the Parties concern'd should have any benefit by it however many of these forc'd Soldiers have deserted back to us this Summer as English Scots and Danes and do Desert dayly The 26th the Elector left the Army at St. Quintin Linneck to go to Brussels and the 27th the Duke of Holstein Ploen and the rest of the Army here separated into Winter Quarters The same day His Majesty came from Loo to the Hague with Prince Vaudemont and the 28th the Elector of Brandenbourgh who had been retarded at Cleves by some extraordinay Business and so could not come to Loo The State of our Army in Flanders was resolv'd upon here for the next Campagne and to Augment considerably our Forces whereby notwithstanding the great preparations of the Enemies and their new Levyes we may still be proportionably Superiour to them in the Field and pursue that Success which it has pleased God to give us the last Summer over our Enemies to advance the great and necessary work of asserting our Liberties and the Liberties of all Christendom the only end of our Just and Righteous Cause and thereupon to ground a firm lasting and happy Peace which if we maintain that Power over our Enemies it has pleas'd God to give us the last Campagne we need not doubt of effecting very speedily One thing is certain That if the Allies Money holds out as long as that of the French Kings as 't is very reasonable to think it should his Forces must fail before ours for he has only France and his Conquests with part of Switzerland to recruit his Forces and to make new Levyes but the Allies have all the rest of Christendom for an Inexhaustible Supply to make up their Armies The King having spent some days in Conferences with the Elector of Brandenbourgh and States-General concerning this Important Work Sailed the 9th for England where His Majesty Arriv'd the 10th at Margate and lay that Night at Canterbury and so His Majesty came the next day to Kensington being every where receiv'd by His good and loving Subjects with all the demonstration of the greatest Joy imaginable for the preservation of His Sacred Person amidst all the Dangers to which the King has expos'd Himself and for the great Success of his Arms during the Campagne which next under God is due to His Majesty Though our Armies were separated into Winter-Quarters Octob. yet the Enemies still continued to Canton up and down the Countrey near their Lines to cover their new Works here and at Courtray The First of October the French Army Quarter'd along the Ronne passed the Scheld and canton'd along their Lines between the Lys and the Scheld and the 2d they passed the Lys by Courtray to Canton between the Lys and the Mandel where they continued till about the 18th of October that the Merechal de Villeroy went to Court and the Army into Quarters but upon their passage of the Lys to Canton along the River Mandel they made a Detachment of all their Forces design'd to quarter near the Sea to form a Body near Furnes which gave us some Jealousie for Newport and upon this Motion the Duke of Wirtemberg drew out 125 Men out of every Regiment of Foot of our Forces besides the Regiments of Fairfax Danish Guards and Packmore intire which made a Body of about Ten Thousand Men and Incamp'd with a small Train of Artillery sent from Ghent for that purpose upon the Sandhills near Newport for the safety of that place But it does not appear that the Enemies had any other design than to make some new Works about Furnes and Kenoque which the Marechal de Villeroy came to view and the Fortifications of Dunkirk before his going to Court The Weather was extraordinary fair and favourable more than is usual at this time of the Year which I suppose kept the Enemies out so much the longer The 22th the Duke of Wirtemberg with the Detachment under his Command returned from the Neighbourhood of Newport back into Winter-Quarters after the Enemies had separated on their side Sir Henry Bellasis having receiv'd His Majesties Instructions at the Hague came to Ghent the beginning of October to be President of the Council of War appointed for the Tryal of the Commanding Officers in the Garrisons of Dixmuyde and Deinse which sat at the Golden Apple a great Inne in Ghent where all the said Officers were brought and detain'd Prisoners The Council of War began to sit the 9th Composed of Sir Henry Bellasiss Lieutenant-General
to invest Namur Six Battallions of Brandenburghs had had their Winter-Quarters at Liege and some at Aix la chapelle but the Cavalry and the rest of the Foot had Winter'd in the Diocess of Cologne and at Cleves and Wesel in the Lower Rhine so that they did not Rendezvouz by Liege till near the middle of June that they marched with the Liege Forces Commanded by Prince Cerclas of Tilly and incamped at Falais upon the Mehaigne between Liege and Namur waiting for His Majesties farther Orders And my Lord of Athlone with his Forty Squadrons of Horse and Dragoons who had been detached from the Elector of Bavaria's Camp at Ninove for the same design had marched to Tilmont to be ready to joyn them In the mean while Prince Vaudemont who Commanded the Army at Rouselar since the King left it to take care of the Siege of Namur marched the 20th to draw nearer to Ghent The Army marched upon the Left siding the River Mandel which we had upon our Right Flank in two Columns by the ways we had made when we were at the Camp at Arseel by Mulenbeck and Inghelmonster and so we came to the Camp at Wouterghem our Right at Dentherghem and Left at Grammon towards the Lys We had the Mandel before us and the height of Arseel behind our Right Some French Parties fell upon our Maroders near the Lys and made some Prisoners Prince Vaudemont staid near Denterghem to see the Army march into the Camp and every Battallion saluted passing by him as Commander in Chief of the Army At our Marching into this Camp we could see the French in their Camp upon a rising ground t'other side of the Lys by Harlebeck being computed near three Leagues from our Camp The Mareschal de Villeroy had passed the Lys at Comines immediately upon our March from Becclar to Rouselar and the 19th had marched without the Line at Courtray and incamped near this place to be ready to pass the Scheld if he was ordered to march towards Namur We have left the Brandenburg and Liege Forces incamped at Falais upon the Mehaigne and my Lord Athlone at Tilmont where he was reinforced with Dompres Brigade of Horse from Bilsâ—n But now they had Orders from the King to invest Namur Accordingly my Lord Athlone marched the 17th with the Body of Horse under his command and incamped between Malevrâ— and Perwys The 18th between la Falise and Temploux where he was joyned by the Brandenburg Troops The 19th he left a good Body of Horse at the Post of La Falise and marched with the Main Body towards Charleroy This motion put the Enemies in suspence whether we should attack Namur or Charleroy Whereupon the Marquis de Harcourt who had passed the Meuse at Dinant and was now posted between Charleroy and Philippeville reinforced the Garrison of Charleroy with a Body of Dragoons But my Lord of Athlone having passed the Sambre at Chasselet below Charleroy marched again down the Sambre towards Namur and pressed all the Boats upon the River to make a Bridge of Communication which were brought down to the Abbey of Floref upon the Sambre two Leagues above Namur Thus my Lord of Athlone took the Posts from the Sambre to the Meuse of the Town side about La Falise and t'other side of the Sambre from the Abbey of Floref to the Meuse But all the other side of the Meuse in the Pais de Condros remained open This was the 21th I do not know whether my Lord of Athlones Troops were not judged sufficient to invest the whole Town which taking a vast Circumference and divided by so many Rivers might have exposed any one quarter to be forced to put a Reinforcement into the Town or whether my Lord of Athlone had Orders to take no other Posts and to stay for the Elector to do the rest However the other side of the Meuse lying open it gave opportunity to the Mareschal de Bouflers to throw himself into the place This was with Eight Regiments of the best Dragoons in the Army He had left his Camp at Clare within the Line the 18th the same day that the Elector repassed the Scheld to march towards Namur and took along with him the Kings Dragoons the Dauphins those of Caylus Grammont St. Hamines de Ganges and du Barreau having Orders from the French King That if my Lord of Athlone had invested Namur with the Brandenburg Troops and the Horse under his Command to force his way in at any rate But t'other side of the Meuse remaining open he was not put to it The same day Bouflers repassed the Scheld at Tournay and marched up along this River as far as Mortaigne The 19th he came to Condé The 20th he passed the Sambre at Thuin The 21th he came to Dinant where he passed the Meuse and the 22th he got into Namur He sent back all the Dragoons Horses except those of the Kings and Asfeldt Estranger which he kept in the Town having made very great diligence to get in before my Lord of Athlone should be joyned by the Elector of Bavaria His getting into the place did chagrine us at first because that as we expected would render the taking of the Town very difficult by an obstinate resistance but as it has since proved it has added extreamly to the Glory of the Siege and has made it one of the boldest and finest undertakings of this Age. I dare say that if the French King had believed that we could have taken Namur with the strong Garrison that was in it he would never have commanded a Mareschal of France to put himself into it to defend it to add thereby so much the more Honour and Glory to the Enterprize being it may be the first that has been defended by a Mareschal of France with order from the King The Mareschal de Crequi defended Treves but every body knows how he was forced into it by the loss of a Battle and this was a place of Refuge where he made his escape and where he resolved to regain his Honour by a desperate defence My Lord of Athlone with the Dutch and Baron Heyden with the Brandenburg Forces having received Orders to take the Posts near Namur the Elector of Bavaria and the Duke of Holstein Ploen marched with all speed from their Camp near the Enemies Line to form the Siege of this strong and important place Accordingly the 18th the Electors Army decamped from Castres between Veermarde and Tighem and repassed the Scheld below Audenarde and marched that day as far as St. Lievens Houtheim The 19th this Army passed the Dender at Ninove where it incamped that night and the Elector went to Brussels to visit the Electoress The 20th the Army marched to Halle The 21th it passed the Senne and marched to Genap and Promell where the Elector returned to the Camp from Brussels The 22th the Elector passed with his Army the little River Dyle at Genap and marched as far as Masy within
Two Leagues of Namur which was a very great March to pass so many Rivers from the Enemies Line between the Lys and the Scheld clear to the Sambre in five days The same day the King came to the Camp near Namur and took his Quarter at the Chasteau de la Falize within Four English Miles of this place having left his Army at Rouselar the 19th and that day His Majesty passed through Ghent and lay at Diselbergh in the way to Dendermonde The 20th through Dermonde and so to Grimberg near Brussels where the King has a House of his own The 21th by Vilvorde and Louvain to the Abbey of Parc◠and the 22th to La Falise Brigadier L' Etang marched after with easier Journeys escorting the Kings Domesticks and Baggage The 23th the Elector passed the Sambre with his Foot and some Spanish Horse with the Dutch Brigades of Holstein Norburg and Dedem and took his Quarter at the Abbey of Malogne upon the Sambre and the Brandenburg Forces Commanded by Lieutenant-General Heyden passed the Meuse and took their Post on the other side of this River upon the height of St. Barbe before the Fauxbourg de Jambe The Duke of Holstein Ploen remained of this side of the Sambre and Meuse with the King and the rest of the Dutch Forces And now the Posts being taken all about Namur before the Town and the Castle and the other side of the Meuse 't is from this day 23 that we must reckon the investing of it This place has very much changed condition since it fell into the French Kings hands who spares no Charges to put his Frontier Garrisons in the best condition of defence When the French took it the Town was but weak being absolutely commanded by a steep Hill which hangs just over it from the Porte de Fer to that of St. Nicholas near the Meuse so that they had the liberty to bring down their Batteries at first upon the descent of this Hill and to open their Trenches at the foot of it near the Meuse and so in four or five days time they were lodged upon the Counterscarp of St Nicholas his Gate and the Town capitulated the 26th of May the Trench having been opened the 19th But now to add a considerable strength to this weak part of the Town the French had made a detach'd Bastion upon the ascent of the Hill just before St. Nicholas's Gate all of Stone-work with a Casematte upon it that is a Corps de Garde Bomb proof the Counterscarp of the Fosse of Free-stone and the covered way the same which pointed just upon the top of the Hill so that no Cannon could bear upon this Work from the Plain upon this Hill but we battered it in revers from the other side of the Meuse at the Brandenburg Batteries which required some time before we could bring these Batteries to the Water-side Upon the Right of this towards the Porte de Fer they had made two other detach'd Bastions of the same work just upon the brow of the Hill and at the foot of the Hill before the Porte de Fer and between the Hill and the Brook of Verderin they had a fourth which hindered the Avenues between the Hills to this Gate The Brook of Verderin runs along a narrow Valley between these Hills by a Sluyce fortified just at the Porte de Fer. It is by this Sluyce that the Fossé of the Town is furnished with Water from this Gate to that of St. Nicholas where it 's stop'd up from running into the Meuse by a Stone Digue above Ten Foot broad For this River is so shallow and inconsiderable that it could not otherwise fill the Fossé The Plain upon these Hills is fortified with a double cover'd way palissaded to defend these detach'd Bastions towards the Village of Bouge and when we attack'd the place they were working at a third nearer to the brow of the Hill just before these works so that this Town which before was weak was really strong by the addition of them and held out longer than the Castle The French attack'd the Castle and Cohorne upon the top of the Hill between the Sambre and the Meuse and this they took care to fortifie afterwards so as to leave it almost unattackable the same way they had took it before The Cohorne or Williams Fort fell into their hands by driving their Trenches round the work along the bottom between it and the Terra Nova or upper Castle which work being embraced and all manner of Communication cut off was forced to surrender The French to prevent such a method of proceeding another time built a strong Stone Redoubt just upon the top of the Hill between the Cohorne and Terra Nova with a Casematte upon it Bomb proof and this work commands all this bottom to the Sambre Before this work they have made a very good cover'd way palissaded from the Angle of the Gorge of the Cohorne to the brink of the Hill upon the Meuse They have besides this made a very good Half-Moon upon the courtin of the Horn-work of the Terra Nova They have fortified the Devils House which flanks the side of the Cohorne towards the Meuse with a strong Stone Redoubt which they have called the Casotte This House when the Spaniards had it had but a simple Retrenchment about it and yet it held out four or five days From the upper point of the Cohorne which is towards the Meuse they have made a very good cover'd way which goes about before the Casotte to the edge of the Hill upon the Meuse And beyond all this to cover the whole from the Sambre to the Meuse they had undertaken a prodigious Line cut into the very Rock all along the top of the Hill near an English half Mile in length terminating upon the edge of the Hill towards the Sambre and the same Hill towards the Meuse with two Redoubts at each end The Line was finished and the Redoubt towards the Meuse was very forward but that towards the Sambre was but just begun which they made up with Fascines upon our arrival before this place This Line had a very fine Gate in the middle such as they use to make for the coming in to their Towns but 't was not finished It would have been very difficult to have forced this Line from without but the passage of the Sambre at the Ballance not being fortified by the Enemy it made way for us to attack this Line within which made it but a cheap bargain as we shall tell hereafter However to add as much strength to it of this side as the time of the Siege would allow them they made a Battery of two pieces of Cannon upon the reverse of the end of the Line towards the Sambre to fire upon the pass of the Ballance and some Coupeures or Traverses to fortifie the inside of their Line and a Perpendicular Line of Communication to the cover'd way of