Company They marched by Louvain Vilvor de and Ghendt and so joyned us in this place We have said before that upon our marching from Mount St. André towards the Scheld the King had ordered Major-General Cohorne with Twelve Battalions and some Liege Dragoons to march towards Ghendt which obliged the Enemy to bring all their Forces in Flanders to make head against so great an Army as we should have after the joyning of all these Forces The 15 th Major-General Cohorne came to Vilvor de with the Body under his Command and the 21 th he marched through the Town of Ghendt and incamped just without the Town upon the Canal of Bruges he had then with him Three Battalions of Swerin and the Regiments of Stockhansen Lindeboom Harsolt Ameliswert Prince Christian Lodowics Essen Vaudermeuten Churprince and Friesheim and Two Regiments of Liege Dragoons The Enemy having now left the Meuse open the King sent Orderâ— to Maestricht to prepare a Train of Artillery and all other necessaries for a Siege to send it up by water to Liege and all the Boats belonging to Maestricht and Liege were taken for the Kings Service The 22 th we made a great Detachment under the Command of Count de Noyelles Lieutenant-General towards the Right to cover Pioneers who had come up to cut ways through the inclosures we had before us and we had Bridges laid upon the Lys and upon the Scheld for the conveniency of the Army to Forage on the other side of both these Rivers and also to leave the Enemies in suspence who were now busie in fortifying of Courtray for a Winter-Quarter which way we design'd to march next whether farther in Flanders or back again towards the Meuse The 24 th the heavy Baggage was commanded back again to Ghendt and Pontons were sent to make Bridges upon the Lys at Mechlen The 25 th the Right Wing of Horse and Body of Foot was ordered to march towards the Lys except the Brigade of Guards which remained incamped at the King's Quarter and and the same Day Lieutenant-General Dewits was ordered to re-pass the Scheld at Audenarde and to march towards the Meuse with the Brandenbourg Horse under his Command The 26 th the whole Army marched and passed the Lys upon two Bridges at Mechlen We began now to come in the close Country of Flanders and this is the reason that part of the Army was ordered to march from the Camp at Wanneghem the day before because the Defiles were such here that the whole Army could not have marched from Wanneghem and pass the Lys in one day After we had passed the Lys we incamped with our Right at Caneghem where the Elector had his Quarter and the Left between Markeghem and Wacken upon the Lys the King took his Quarter at Wouterghem about Three English Miles from Deinse the Artillery and Baggage marchâ—d by Deinse and came up here to us the same Day The 29 th Count Thian march'd from Deinse and came up to joyn us he incamped before our Left at Wacken where the River Mandel that comes from Rouselar falls into the Scheld The Second Battalion of the Royal Regiment came to incamp in the Line and Colonel Lauders was ordered to joyn Count Thian in its place he was likewise reinforced with Mathars Regiment of Dragoons The 29 th the Body of Foot and the Two Brigades interlined in the Right Wing of Horse together with the Spanish Horse upon the Right and the Brigade of Life-Guards and Boncourts with Eppinger and Dopfs Dragoons upon the Left marched by Thielt and so came to Rouselar The ground being very close here and generally all over the Province of Flanders we had no occasion for Horse the Defiles were very bad and the March long and tedious The King took his Quarters at Rouselar our Right reached to Hooghleede where the Elector of Ravaria had his Quarter and our Left by Rumbek upon the River Mandel the ground upon which we incamped was all high inclosures with rowes of Trees upon all the Hedges which made the Country hereabouts so close that one Battalion could hardly see those upon the Right or Left The Town of Rouselar is called in French Roulers as most of the Towns in this Country have a French and a Dutch name which are often very different from one another and situated near the Springs of the River Mandel which falls into the Lys at Wacken The Country all about it is very even though Woody for which reason if this little River could afford more water for a good Fosse the Town might be very well fortified it is in the Chatellenie of Ipres three Leagues from thence nine from Ghendt three from Courtray four from Dixmuyde and six from Bruges this is reckoned the last place of the Pajis conquis and in time of Peace the French King had Officers to gather his Duties for Goods Imported or Exported as being his utmost Frontier The Duke of Newbourgh now Elector Palatine of the Rhine is Lord of this place but he has a bad Tenant in the French King The Foot being incamped at Rouselar all the Horse remained at Wouterghem under the Command of my Lord of Athlone aud the Two Brigades of Foot interlined under the Command of Major-General Ramsay but the Dutch Horse of the Right Wing joyned the Left Though we were incamped here in very strong and close ground yet 't was commanded by the heighth or little Hill of Hooghleede where we had our Right which is a rare thing in this level Country We made several Redoubts upon it for the security of our Camp this being the only place by which we could be attacked The French upon our March to this place made several Detachments from their Army for the security of their Country the Mareschal de Villeroy was commanded with a Body to incamp by Ipres to oppose our passage of the Canal which goes from this place by the Knock and Furnes to Dunkirk and the Marquis de la Valette had Orders to leave Pont de Espieres to come and post himself between Furnes and the Fort of Knock for the defence of these places We have given an account of both of them in our first relation for the Year 1692 to which I shall refer the Reader I must not omit to say that the Dutch Artillery upon our March to Rouselar was sent from the Camp at Wouterghem to Malines its usual Winter-quarter The King having now brought all the Enemies Forces in Flanders except the Body of Horse Commanded by the Marquis de Harcourt which was not sufficient to hinder or oppose his designs had resolved to besiege Huy for which end as we have said before great preparations of Ammunitions and all other necessaries for a Siege had been prepared at Maestricht His Majesty had sent also Lieutenant-General de Witz from the Camp at Wanneghem with the Brandenburgh Horse to joyn the Liege Forces to invest the place but the Care and Conduct of
Bavarian Foot and Dragoons to form a Camp of his own near Louvain The day following the King review'd all the Horse that had come up the day before the Electors being present And as the several Regiments were reviewed they march'd again to their respective Quarters where they had been before the English upon the Villages between Louvain Arschot and Tilmont and the Dutch towards Hassel and Leauwe and appear'd all of them both Men and Horse in very good Condition and Order We were very careful for the Conservation of Forage which was but scarce in this Countrey The Horse for this reason continued canton'd and the Foot had Orders to cut down no Corn upon pain of Death On the 8th the French march'd from Gemblours by One in the Morning to Bonef upon the Mehagine where the Dauphin had his Quarter For which reason the King ordered the Army to March the next day upon the Left towards Tilmont to be nearer to observe the French who were making their Motions between the Geet and the Jecker towards Liege Accordingly the Army march'd the next day towards Tilmont and encamp'd with the Right at Roosebeck where the King had his Quarter and the Left upon the Geet between Tilmont and Linther Our Front was cover'd upon the Left with the River Geet and the Town of Tilmont the Center with the Villages of Cumtich and the little River that runs into the Geet at Tilmont We had the little River Velpe in our Rear that falls into the Geet below Leauwe So that our Right only was open in the Camp between the Village of Cumtich and that of Roosebeck The whole Body of Foot consisting then of Eighty eight Battalions encamped upon Two Regular Lines and was dispos'd in the Brigades following Of the English and English Pay the Brigade of Guards upon both Lines Upon the First were the Brigades of Erle Collier and Alefeldt In the Second Line Stuart Offarrel and Haxhausen Of the Dutch Deden Anhalt and Heukelom In the First Line and Ratzauw Holstein-Norburg and Bernstort In the Second which made Thirteen Brigades of Foot Seven English and Six Dutch The King in the Winter had made the Brigadiers Churchill and Ramsey Major-Generals of his Forces But at this Camp the King declared Count Nassau that had been Major-General ever since His Majesty's coming over to England Lieutenant-General and the Colonels Fitz-Patrick and Offarrel Brigadiers And in the Dutch Army the Count de Noyelles was declared Lieutenant-General by the King and he made the Brigadiers Fagel Salich and l'Escluse Major-Generals in the Infantry and the Prince of Anhalt the Duke of Holstein-Norburg the Colonels Ratzauw and Dedem Brigadiers And of the Horse the Brigadiers Ittersum Warfusé Hubert and Stain were made Major-Generals and the Colonels Dompré Roo Lippe Zell Piper and Montigny were made Brigadiers In the English Dragoons Brigadier Eppinger was made Major-General and the Colonels Matthews and Wyne Brigadiers But because the Horse did not come into the Line of Battle in this Camp I shall omit the inserting the List of the Army till we come to the Camp at Mount St. André The 10th the French Army decamp'd from Bonef upon the Mehaigne and marched into the Paiis de Liege as far as St. Tron the Dauphin's Quarter with the Right at this Place the Left went along the Joar or Jecker almost as far as Warrem which River remain'd then in their Rear The same day the King review'd Brewer Lesley and Buchan's Regiments the last of our English Infantry that had come into the Field The 11th the Marshal de Boufflers whom we had left forming a small Body in the County of Chiney and who upon the Marching of the French Army into the Paiis de Liege had drawn nearer to Huy pass'd the Maes at Huy and encamp'd on the other side of the Jecker between Warrem and the Mehaigne where he flank'd the Left of the Army and cover'd the Communication with Namur which otherwise would have suffer'd very much by our Parties and Detachments which would have had very fair Play upon their Provisions which should have come to their Camp The List of his Army was as follows but I could not get it dispos'd into Brigades The Marshal de Bouffler's Army CAVALRY Lieutenant-General Monsieur de Bertillac Major-General Monsieur de Lanion Regim Squad Commissary-General 3 2 Anjou 3 La Duretiere 3 Courtebonne 3 Petitpierre 2 Royal Aleman 3 Dragons du Roy 3 de Gramont 3  Squadrons 25 INFANTRY Lieutenant-General Count de Gassé Major-General Baron de Bressey Regim Battal Poitou 2 Du Maine 2 La Reine 3 La Saar 1 Beauvesois 1 Foix 1 Nice 1 Berry 1 Arbauville 1 1 Royal Artillery 1  Battalions 15 The Gentleman from whom I had this List did not understand French so that he abused several Names in the Copy which I got rectified as much as I could by informing my self from Prisoners which I have done all to two Regiments which I could make nothing of However if there be any Mistake in the Names there is none in the Summ. By which it appears that the Marshal de Boufflers had according to our foregoing Computation 3000 Horse and 9000 Foot which amounts to 12000 Men. The Marquis de Harcourt had form'd another Body of Horse and Dragons in the Paiis de Luxembourg of between Twenty and Thirty Squadrons but I have not seen a List of them However upon the Mareschal de Boufflers's passing the Meuse he came with his Army and encamped in the Condros At the same time the Enemy formed another small Body between Harlebeck and Courtray under the Command of the Marquis de la Valette Lieutenant-General of the French Forces to cover their Line between the Lys and the Scheld in case we should endeavour to make another Attempt on that side as we had done the last Year I have had a List of this Army but with the same misfortune as the former to be a little mangl'd for want of knowing the Language however where the Names were not French or doubtful I have omitted them A List of the Army under the Command of the Marquis de la Valette Lieutenant-General CAVALRY Major-General Regim Squad  Dauriac 3  Condè 2  Bissy 3  Courcelle 3 Dragons Asfeildt Estranger 3 Sully 3   Squadrons 17 INFANTRY Major-General Count de Solré Regim Battal Orleans 2 Maulevrier 2 Anjou 2 Solré 1 Chivois 1 Fontenay 1 1  Battalions 10 Which as we have before computed must make 2040 Horse and 6000 Foot So that the French had in all of Foot in the Field in Flanders in the Dauphin Boufflers and La Valette's Army 107 Battalions which makes 64200 Foot And of Horse in these Three Armies and the Marquis de Harcourt's which we shall suppose to be 20 Squadrons which I dare say was the least 226 Squadrons which according to this Year's Computation of the French Squadrons amounts to 27120 Horse So that
the Total of the Enemy's Forces in Flanders both Foot and Horse made 91320 fighting Men Which is a very great Army though inferiour to what they had the last Year The French King having sent his Fleet into the Mediterranean to make some considerable Conquest in Catalonia had left his Coasts destitute of any Defence from the Sea for which reason he was obliged to have some Forces dispers'd up and down the Provinces of Britany and Normandy to prevent a Descent and the Insults of our Fleet. Which he did effectually at the Bay of Camaret though he had not the same Success in other Places The French King likewise foreseeing that the Allies would have such an Army in Flanders the Campagne following as would hinder any more Conquests on that side thought it more convenient to make a considerable Detachment both of Horse and Foot the last Winter towards Catalonia where the ill Posture of the Spanish Affairs gave him the Prospect of keeping up the Credit and Reputation of his Arms by some Conquests And 't is very probable that he would have possess'd himself of the whole Principality of Catalonia if the King had not provided for its Safety by sending our Fleet under the Command of Admiral Russel into the Streights Which so much thwarted the French Designs that they were forced to content themselves with the Taking of Palamos and Gironne and to omit the more important Siege of Barcelona This is the reason that though the French had a very good Army in the Field this Campagne in Flanders yet it was very much inferiour to what they had at the Opening of the other Campagne This Digression may be forgiven since it serves for a better understanding the Affairs of Flanders with relation to former Campagnes To oppose this little Army of the Marquis de la Valette of which we have now spoken the Allies formed another of almost an equal strength which encamped at Mary Kirk upon the Canal of Bruges just by the Walls of Ghendt under the Command of the Count de Merode Thian Serjeant-General de Battaille of the King of Spain's Forces which consisted of Seven Battalions encamp'd viz the Second Battalion of the Royal Regiment which as we have said before had remain'd in Bruges at our going out to take the Field And Argyle's Regiment which was left at Ostend besides the Regiments of Strathnaver and Colonel George Hamilton and Three Dutch viz. Holle Weed and Grave John Van Horne the Count de Thian had besides Three Terces that is Regiments of Walloon Foot quarter'd upon the Villages thereabouts viz. the Marquis de Deinse the Count de Grobendonk and the Baron de Winterfelt which were very well Cloathed and in very good Order both for the Number of Men and their Accoutrements and in a much better Condition than is usual with the Spanish and Walloon Terces in this Country As for the Count de Thian's Cavalry it consisted of Six or Seven Squadrons of Spanish Horse and Dragons whose List I cannot tell Having given this short Account of the State of the French Army and the Two little Armies They and We had in Flanders under the Command of the Marquis de la Valette and the Count de Thian we must return to the Two Main Armies towards the Meuse The 11th in the Evening we heard three Discharges of Cannon and Small-shot from the Enemy's Camp which we heard the next day had been a Feu de Joye for the Taking of Palamos in Catalonia The 12th sixteen Hussars deserted from the French Camp and came to our Army These are Hungarian Horse the Emperor has several Regiments of them upon the Rhine and one of their Chief having deserted the Imperial Army about two Years since so many were debauched by his Example and for want of Pay that the French King made a Regiment of these Deserters of which he sent a Squadron which I believe was the whole Regiment to serve this Campagne in Flanders where they were farther from their Comrades in the Imperial Army and where the French King thought they would have a less mind of deserting back again But they found the French Pay so much less to their Satisfaction than that of the Emperor's that they were at last weary of the French Service and I believe that most of them have deserted this Summer from his Army To which they were much encouraged by the Duke of Holstein who receiv'd them all into his Service and made a Troup of them which he added to his Regiment of Dragons and he generally had a Detachment of them for his Guard when he went abroad Their Hungarian Horses are little but very swift and endure a great deal of fatigue and they themselves are very dexterous Horse-men though they make but an ill Figure on Horse-back They have a little Saddle cover'd with Cloth and a Houssen cut like a Swallow's Tail that hangs very low on both sides of the Horses Legs They ride like the Orientals very short with their Knees almost to the Pomel of the Saddle and when they gallop they raise themselves up learning forwards with their Heads upon the Horses Necks They have round Furr Cups with a long Head hanging behind their Backs and Cloaks a l'antique that hang down to their Heels and the Capes to their Waste They have under that a short Wastcoat and their Breeches and Stockings of a piece and little Russia Leather Boots that come up half way their Legs They have a very heavy Sabre or Scimiter which gives an effectual Stroak when it hits but if they miss those that have a light Sword have much the advantage of them for 't is then difficult to recover themselves Their Officers have for all Distinction Brass Feathers sticking up an end in their Caps just over their Foreheads They are very good for Pursuits and Parties and have generally had very good Success in this way against the Turks The Heydukes are the Hungarian Foot dress'd the same way except the Cloak I thought it convenient to give this Description of them because their Names occurr very often in the Gazettes and it may be few know what they are that read it The 12th Fourteen Battalions of the Dutch were detached from our Line to encamp Half a League to the Rear of the Left to possess and defend the Pass of the Abbey of Linther upon the Geet between Leauwe and Tilmont which was a very convenient Post not only to defend the Avenues to our Camp but also to incommode the Enemy's Forage This Detachment was put under the Command of a Dutch Major-General The 13th the King rid out very early in the Morning to observe the several Posts between his Camp and the Enemy's The King had with him a strong Detachment of Horse with which he pass'd both the Geets and came very near the Enemy's Camp His Majesty went over the Ground where we fought last Year at Landen which he rid over several times to
Army And the same Day we brought in Eight Prisoners and an English Officer that was a Lieutenant in the Duke de Chartres his Regiment of Foot and has served many Years in the French Army the rest of his Party made their escape and some of them were wounded This Day the Spanish and Bavarian Forces left the Neighbourhood of Louvain and march'd up along the River Dyle as far as Neer Ische The Elector of Bavaria left Brussels at the same time to come and Head his Army in this Place I shall reserve the List of these Forces till we bring them all together at the Camp of Mount St. Andre His Brother the Elector of Cologne accompany'd him the most part of this Campagne being incognito in the Field so that no Honours were paid to him by the Army The same Day Ten Drums all of the Regiment of Piemont deserted together and came in their Livery-Coats to our Camp The 25th we worked again at the Retrenchment to make some of the Breast-works higher which were found too low and yet as bad as they were I heard several Officers say that they were infinitely better than those we had last Year at Landen which were made up hastily in one Night so that they could only serve to hinder Horse from riding into our Camp but not cover our Men either from Cannon or Small-shot a Man could easily have jump'd over them Ditch and all And yet these were call'd by some to magnifie the Victory Formidable Retrenchments The 26th the Regiments of Marton and Fuhnen were sent to reinforce Matthews his Dragons to cover the Village of Cumtich The 27th the Enemy made a great Forage hard by Leauwe and because they were to come very near our Camp and to forage just under the Garrison of Leauwe they had a strong Detachment of Twelve hundred Horse and Six Pieces of Cannon which the Dauphin Commanded himself in Person to take this Opportunity of viewing the Posts between the two Armies and the Field of Battle where we fought last Year at Landen The Enemy foraged so near the Garrison of Leauwe this Day that they fired Cannon upon them to oblige them to retire but Seventy of their Maroders were made Prisoners by a Detachment of ours upon the Left When the Soldiers go out of the Camp to gather Roots Fruits or Pulse or it may be to Plunder the Boors this is call'd Maroding Lieutenant-General Dewits Commanding the Elector of Brandenburg b's Forces employed in Flanders past the Meuse much about this time at Maseick coming from the Lower Rhine and the Dutchy of Cleves to joyn our Army with Twenty Squadrons of Horse of which I shall give a List hereafter and advanced as far as Diest to be at hand to reinforce our Army when the King should have Occasion for it The 28th in the Evening we heard a firing of Cannon and Small-shot in the French Camp which we guess'd to be for the Reduction of Gironne in Catalonia Of which we were inform'd the next Day The French were so much the more glad for this Conquest because that in 1684. the Mareschal de Belfonds suffered a Disgrace before this Place and was forc'd to raise the Siege when he had made a Breach in the Place and that his Forces in a general Assault had got into it but were beaten out again with a great slaughter by the Besieged that had fortified themselves in the Parade-place But the Mareschal de Noâ—ailles got a better Bargain this Bout and the Besieged did not think fit to stay to Surrender till Things should have been brought to this Extremity The 29th our Parties brought in Two hundred and fifty French Maroders We had taken so many Prisoners by this time that the Provosts Guard and Gaols of the neighbouring Towns were full of them though the Mareschal de Luxemburg had them reclaimed as fast as he could Their Pay is so small and for this Twelve-month past so ill receiv'd that their Soldiers could not subsist but by what they could gather in the Country so that they were forced to tollerate the Soldiers going out of the Camp to get wherewithal to live This is the reason that so many fell into the hands of our Parties and that we took so many Prisoners And though the French are more given to Deserting than any other Soldiers yet Deserting was never so much known among them as 't was at the Beginning of this Campagne not only in Flanders but upon the Rhine and in Piemont where they all unanimously complained of their want of Pay so far that by this time 't was computed that above Five thousand of them had deserted from their Army here either to our Camp or to the Garrisons of Liege and Maestricht since the Beginning of the Campagne Which would be reckoned a great Loss in a Battle The 1st of this Month the French Army left their Camp at St. Tron and Brusten and marched towards the Jaar and the Meuse and encamp'd with their Right at Tongres and the Left at Fies along the Jaar which was in their Rear The Dauphin took his Quarter at Oerle upon the same River They had made great Preparations at Huy of Bombs Battering-Pieces and all other Necessaries for a Siege which now they had brought to their Camp and gave out That they designed to Bombard Liege and Maestricht And some were not content with this but would have a Formal Siege to one of these Places But though the French had heavy Cannon and Mortar-pieces brought to their Camp yet they had Bridges laid along the Jaar to pass that River Which shews That they were more afraid of being attack'd by us than of having any real Design to fall upon us We had above Forty Battalions in the Lines of Liege and a good Garrison in Maestricht and our own Army consisted now of Ninety Battalions after the arrival of the Two Regiments of Wolfembuttel to our Camp And if the French had not been cover'd by so many Rivers which we must have pass'd to come at them they had run a great risque of having been attack'd on all sides by our Army and the Liege Forces but the Nature of the Country gave Opportunity to the French of advancing so near to Maestricht having Rivers on all sides between them and us and between them and the Forces encamped in the Lines of Liege And besides there was a necessity of suffering the Enemy to consume the Forage about Liege for Reasons that we shall mention hereafter However the French made a great Noise of their Foraging under the Cannon of Maestricht The 4th the two Dominican Fryers and the Irish Priest that had been taken up in our Army for Spyes were set at Liberty The two first were found Guilty by the Court-Marshal and Sentenc'd to Die After which Judgment of the Court they were removed from the King's Quarters to the Provost's and laid in Irons But the King Pardon'd them out of his pure Mercy for the
till the Bishop Elect had his Confirmation from Rome The Dean and Chapter of Liege had likewise Te Deum sung in the Cathedral Church of St. Lambert and a triple discharge of all the Canon round the Town to express their joy for the reduction of this place to the Government of Liege But before I part with the Siege of Huy I cannot omit to shew the importance and consequence of it to the Allies We have already spoken of the great inconveniences we suffered by having Liege for our Frontier Garrison which being a very large place situated amongst Hills requir'd a good Army for its defence so that whilst Liege was our Frontier we could not well act defensively against the Enemy because it took up those Men within it for its defence which should have been required elsewhere That very Army which the Duke of Holstein had before it was but the Garrison of Liege and some Regiments of Maestricht and though we exceeded the French Army by much including these Forces of Liege yet as long as the French had Huy they could still hinder the junction of these Forces with us or else the Town of Liege must be left exposed to them But we having advanc'd our Frontier by the taking of this place a small Garrison will serve Liege and as much as will keep the Citadels will be sufficient so that by the taking of Huy we can without raising One Man have above Twenty Battalions more in the Field the next Campagne This is sufficient to shew the Consequence of Huy and of what Importance it is to either side It is now time to return from the Siege of Huy to our Camp at Rouselar and to bring things to the conclusion of the Campagne The King as we have said left the Army here the 20 th and went that day by Deinse and Ghendt to Overmeere where His Majesty lay that night but at his passing by my Lord of Athlones Quarters where the Dutch Cavalry was canton'd the King order'd Major-General Hubert to go and command the Body of Horse and Dragoons we had by Aeth in the absence of Count Tilly who as we have said before had been taken Prifoner from his very Quarters by a Detachment of the Enemies from the Garrison of Mons. The 21 th the First Troop of Guards Commanded by my Lord of Scarborough was sent to quarter at Breda and the Horse-Granadiers to Bois le duc and now some Regiments went off daily from the Camp to go into Winter-Quarters The 22 th we made a Detachment to cover our Soldiers who went to marode up and down the Country which before occasioned many of them to be taken Prisoners by the Enemy for the Country hereabours abounded in all manner of Fruits but Roots especially as Turnips Parsnips and Potatoes but when they began to grow scarce near the Camp the Soldiers could not be hinder'd from going farther to gather them which was the cause that the Enemies Parties daily took a great many Prisoners for which reason 't was thought convenient to have set days upon which the Soldiers should have liberty a Man of a Tent to go and gather Roots and Fruits and a Detachment was order'd out of the Army to cover them but some greater inconveniencies happened by this way for which reason 't was since left off If the Camp at Rouselar was strong and secure so that we could make what Detachments we pleased from thence yet in other cases 't was very inconvenient the Country all about it was close and Woody which shelter'd the Enemies Parties which were so frequent that our Sulters underwent great hazards to get Provisions for the Camp and our Bread-Waggons were several times attackâ—d by these Parites for the Train of the Bread-Waggons and Sutlers who took the opportnnity of Convoys made a Line of such length through the narrow ways of this Country that 't was impossible for our Detachments to cover them all along so that the Enemies Parties which lay in the Woods would often sally out when they saw their opportunity and take the Horses from the Waggons which was all they look d for and so run away with their booty as fast as they could about this time a Party of the Enemy attack'd our Bread-Waggons but part of our Detachment which was near hindered them from stealing any Horses yet being in close Ambuscade they fired upon our Men where Captain Sacheverel of Colonel Titcombs Regiment that commanded this part of the Detachment had the misfortune to be wounded mortally which is the only Officer of our Army I have heard of that has been killed this Campagne by the Enemy The 23 th the King who had left the Camp at Rouselar the 20 th came to Liege the 23 th about Noon His Majesty was waited upon by Deputies from the Chapter to Complement Him upon his arrival to this place and by Prince Cerclas of Tilly the Liege General and the Cannon was fir'd all round the Town His Majesty did not go into the place but only rid round the Lines and Works to see the condition they were in and how far His Majesty could depend upon them whereby to take His Measures for the next Campagne That Evening the King went to Maestricht and lay in the Duke of Holstein-Ploens house the Governour which had been prepar'd for His Majesties reception and the next day the King went on to Loo where His Majesty arrived the 26 th to take his usual Divertisements after the closing of the Campagne The 25 th we sent a reinforcement from the Camp at Rouselar of Thirty Gunners and Matrosses with Stores to Dixmuyde The 26 th the Elector of Bavaria and Prince Vaudemont left the Army early in the Morning to go to Brussels 16 Men being commanded out of each Battalion by Two in the Morning to Escorte his Electoral Highness as far as Deinse from whence relays were ready upon the Road by Ghendt to Brussels The Command of the Army remain'd now to the D. of Wirtemberg who had thereupon the Honours paid him which are given to a General in Chief The same day the Army had Orders to forage all the Churches and Cloisters in our Front towards the Enemy and to take all their Corn as we had before to leave the Enemies Country hereabouts as bare as we could The 28 th the Bavarian Foot and Dragoons marched away from the Camp to go into Quarters they were incamped upon the heighth of Hooghleode where they flank'd our Right and cover'd the Electors Quarters but because this Hill commanded our Camp 5 Battalions of the Brigade of Rantzow and Dedem were sent the same day to incamp in their places to defend the Redoubts which we had made at our first coming to fortifie this Hill against the Enemy The same day the Barracks of the Battalion of the Second Regiment of English Guards whereof my Lord Cuts is now Colonel in the room of the late Lieutenant-General Taldmash took fire the
THE HISTORY OF THE CAMPAGNE IN THE Spanish Netherlands Anno Dom. 1694. WITH The Journal of the SIEGE of HVY By EDWARD D'AUVERGNE M. A. Rector of St. Brelade in the Isle of JERSEY and Chaplain to Their Majesties Regiment of Scots Guards LONDON Printed for Matt. Wotton at the Three Daggers and John Newton at the Three Pigeons near Temple-Barr in Fleet-street 1694. Imprimatur Novemb. 20. 1694. EDWARD COOKE To the Honourable MAJOR-GENERAL RAMSAY Colonel of Their Majesties Regiment of Scots Guards c. SIR I Need not make an Apology for Presenting the Account of the Last Campagne to You for since Custom will have every Trifle that is publish'd attended with an Epistle Dedicatory I should be very Ungrateful if I did not embrace this Occcasion to acknowledge to the World the many Obligations I have to You Though to acquit my self of it I must put your Honourable Name to a Piece in which I am sensible You must find a great many Faults For 't is impossible that a Man should judge so Justly and Equally of the Affairs of War as to give an Account of them free from any Mistakes unless he has as great a share in the Management of them as You have However I am very glad it gives me the Opportunity to express in some measure my Gratitude for Your Favours When the Dean of Winchester whom I must acknowledge for the Author of my Happiness in belonging to You recommended me to be Chaplain to Your Regiment I cannot forget how willing you was to Receive me as if you had been long expecting an Opportunity of Doing Good to a Friend though I was then a Stranger to You This Favour was indeed more than I could expect But Your Generosity stopt not here You have treated me ever since with so much Civility and Obliging Kindness that I cannot be silent but must own the Thankful Sense I have of it as publickly as I can I must yet value Your Favours the more that they come from a Person of so much Worth and Merit that you excuse and free me from the common Fault of others in swelling an Epistle with Praise and Commendations the whole Army knows more of it than my mean Rhetorick can express Those who have been at the Siege of Maestricht and the Battel of St. Denis repeat with Pleasure to this day the early Proofs You gave of Your Martial Conduct and Courage Your Vertue and Valour has ever since encreas'd with Your Honour and this present War has done you Justice in raising You to such Considerable Posts in the Army as have given a better Light to Your Merit I could speak with Pleasure of Your Exploits in the Battle of Steenkirk where the Brigade under Your Conduct and Command did such Considerable Service And in that of Landen where You fought with so much Vigour and Bravery that notwithstanding the Inequality of the Number You often Regain'd Your Post and Repuls'd several times the victorious Enemy Your Brigade was then in the Right Wing where the Elector of Bavaria was a joyful Witness of Your Valour and Conduct which He express'd in the kindest and the most endearing manner But I remember I am writing an Epistle and not your History I shall say no more but That You are a Soldier of the KING 's Own Making and that You have been Train'd in His Service from Your Infancy His Majesty is an Excellent Judge of Merit which is the Standard by which He measures His Favours So that though Your Birth is Great and Noble yet 't is Your Own Personal Worth that has Rais'd You to be Major-General of Their Majesty's Forces If You owe a Noble Birth to the Earls of Dalhousy You sufficiently repay the Nobility of Your Extraction with Your Great Vertues and Accomplishments which make You now the Ornament of Your Family May You Live long to enjoy these Rewards of Your Worth and Vertue and whatever else is laid up in the Stores of a Great Just and Bountiful Monarch May You live to enjoy them for Their Majesty's Service the Comfort of Your Vertuous and Excellent Lady the Prosperity of Your Family the Joy of Your Friends and the Honour and Credit of Your Nation These are the Hearty Prayers and Wishes of SIR Your Most Obliged Humble and Obedient Servant Ed. D'Auvergne TO THE READER THIS being the Third Account I publish of this kind I would venture it without the Ceremony of of a Preface if I was not obliged to excuse some Faults which may happen in the Impression For I Write so ill my self that I have been forc'd to get it Copy'd to make it legible I could not get the same Hand that Transcrib'd the last It has now been Copy'd with some Faults which I could not Correct without making it as difficult to Read as the Original But I have recommended it to Friends who cannot only Correct the Faults of the Copyer but my Own too Which Favour I beg from them since my own Affairs here will not permit me to be in England to see it Printed I shall only add That I have us'd all possible Diligense to give an Exact and Impartial Account of Affairs to inform the People of England that have so great a share in the Burden of this Present War of the Truth and to disabuse them of many Stories impos'd upon them some by the Enemies of the Present Government and Friends to the French Interest and others by some Bigotted National People who do their utmost to foment Hâ—aâ—s and Animosities between the several Nations concern'd in the Common Cause who therefore are as great Enemies to it as the Open and Profess'd Enemies of the Government I cannot excuse this nor any of the former Accounts from several Mistakes When a Man is stinted to a Time for the Publishing such Matters which would otherwise be out of season after so long Consulting of Friends which it may be would inform me better Errors in such a Case cannot be avoided But where I have been guilty of Mistakes I shall not think it shame but my Duty to own it I dare say this Present War now is drawing near to a happy End and if God grants me Life to have my share in the Blessings of Peace I will publish all the particular Accounts together of the several Campagnes I have seen in Flanders exactly Corrected and Amended with the Draughts and Planes of the Battles and Sieges and I will use my best Endeavours to free them from all Errors and Mistakes by a diligent Search into Authentick Papers and a strict Enquiry among all the Knowing Persons of the Army the Honour of whose Friendship and Kindness I may pretend to several of them having been very willing to assist me in what I have already done and I need not doubt of the same Favour when there shall be Time and Leisure to bring the Work to Perfection BRUGES Novemb. 5 15. 1694. THE HISTORY OF THE CAMPAGNE IN THE Spanish
Netherlands Anno Dom. 1694. OUR Last Year's History left Both Armies going into Winter-Quarters the French on their side flush'd with a considerable Victory and with the Success they had in the Siege of Charleroy with which they closed the Last Campagne and though they never had a greater Occasion to be stirring than during the last Winter-Quarters yet the French have not been so quiet all this War as they were at that time The French King knew very well that the Allies were unanimously resolved to augment considerably their Forces on all sides and to bring such Armies in the Field the following Campagne as might put a stop to the Progress of his Arms and oblige him to be now on the Defensive who before had been so Violent and so Successful an Aggressor And though Alliances are attended with great Inconveniences and that the Operations of Allied Armies cannot be so Active and Brisk as when they are the Results of one Single Wise and Absolute Head yet on the other side they have this great Conveniency and Advantage that when there is a good and perfect Correspondence between Allied Powers their very Defeats improve their Strength and they gather Power from their own Disadvantages because that makes them the more sensible of the Greatness of the Common Enemy and of the necessity of a Mutual and Vigorous Defence and the Spring and Sources of War both for Money and Men being many they can with so much the more Ease to their respective States not only recruit but augment their Forces We have had good experience of this Truth in the present War in which the Allies have kept a better Union and Correspondence than they had in any former Alliances The great Victory which the French had over Prince Waldeck in the Plains of Fleuri served to bring an Army into the Field even the latter end of the same Campagne of 70000 Men which has since oblig'd the French King to augment his Forces to so vast a Number to keep up the Credit of his successful Armies that he has entirely exhausted his Treasures and now finds himself push'd to such a non-plus that far from being able to augment his Forces as the Allies have done since the Battel of Landen he is hardly able to pay those he has now on foot and which is worst of all whereas before he supply'd the want of Money in some measure by making his Armies subsist in the Enemies Countrey he has had the Mortification this Campagne to see them eat and destroy his own Frontiers There was therefore a certain Necessity that the French should in common Prudence have undertaken something the last Winter which was the only Time they had left to keep up the Credit and Reputation of their Arms. And as there was a Necessity for them to have done something then so I may say they have not had a fairer Opportunity all this War if we consider either the State of our Army or the Posture and Condition of Affairs in this Countrey Our Army had been weaken'd by the Overthrow at Landen And though our Losses were far from being so considerable as the French made it yet no doubt it did very much disconcert our Affairs and besides the Soldiers wading thorough the Geet to make their escape and lying wet for several Days after caused many Sicknesses amongst them insomuch that our English and Scotch Forces never wanted more Recruits than they did the last Winter and they have not yet been later in bringing their Recruits over and in Compleating their Regiments so that in respect of our Army the French never had a greater Encouragement to put them upon some Action And as for the Posture and Condition of Affairs in relation to the Countrey the Death of the late Bishop of Liege and the following Dissentions of the Chapter gave the French King the happiest Opportunity he could wish for to have driven the Allies out of that Place which no doubt would have made room for the Cardinal of Bouillon's Pretensions in the following Election and would have given him a great share in the Suffrages of the Chapter And though the Pope has given so authentick a Confirmation of the Justice of the Elector of Cologne's Cause in the last disputed Election yet if the French had made themselves Masters of Liege the last Winter 't is very probable that the Cardinal of Bouillon would have found more Favour at the Court of Rome in this Suit and that the Committee of Cardinals deputed for that purpose would have found a great deal of Right on his side in the French Canon Law to have placed that Mitre upon his Head And the Cardinal de Bouillon being absolutely the French King's Creature he could then have look'd upon the Principality of Liege as in a manner his own and thus have advanc'd his Frontier to the very Gates of Maestricht which as to its Civil Government is equally divided between the States-General and the Bishop of Liege which then would have open'd to him an Inlet into the States Dominions the thing he has so much long'd for and has been so much endeavouring after all this present War As for Newport and the Frontiers in Flanders the King provided for their Safety by sending the last Winter a speedy Supply of Eight Battalions from England Tiffeny and the three French Regiments first who were quarter'd in the Camerlings Ambacht for so the Countrey is call'd about the Canal of Newport and afterwards Lloyd St. George Friderick Hamilton and Colonel Ingoldsby's Regiments which were dispos'd into Quarters for a time in Ostend and Newport but still I dare say that the rest of our Army was in no very good Condition to have taken the Field if the French had undertaken any Siege during the Winter All this being consider'd no other Reasons can be alledged why the French were so quiet all the last Winter and so contrary to their Interest which oblig'd them to some Action but these following First The Dearth and Famine that raigned in France and in the Conquer'd Countrey which was indeed greater than can be expressed or than can hardly be believ'd though the French Court and the King by his Edicts us'd all possible means to prevent it and to cover the inward Sufferings of his Kingdom We have seen in Bruges and in most of our Towns in Flanders very lamentable Instances of it where they fled from the neighbouring Parts of France and the Paiis Conquis for Bread and many of them had been so long without it that though they had Bread given them yet they could not eat it and died in the Streets They came in such Multitudes that the Magistrates have been forced to stand Centries at the Gates to hinder them from coming in But since they have had a fruitful Harvest in France his Edicts acknowledge in plain Terms what but some Months before they smother'd over with fine Words to amuse and deceive the People The French King
Imecourt 3 Fiene 3 La Bessiere 3   Squadrons 33 Body of FOOT First Line Lieutenant-Generals Prince of Conti Duke of Berwick Major-General Marquis de Crequi Brigades Regim Battal Dantin Navarre 3 Languedoc 2 Surville Du Roy. 4 Cadrieux Dauphin 3 Thoulouse 2 Albergoti Humieres 2 Royal Italien 1 La Marche 1 Caraman Gardes Françoises 3 Gardes Swisses 2 Charots Vermandois 2 Haynaut 1 Motroux 1 L'Abadie Guiche 2 Gardes Angloises 2 Villeroy Lionnois 2 Roussillon 2 De Lux Provence 2 Piedmont 3   Battal 40 Second Line Lieutenant-Generals Feuquieres Rubantel Major-General Monsieur de Castres Brigades Regim Battal Pompane Bourbonnois 2 Artois 1 Chartres 1 La Marre 1 Reinold Suisse Stouppa 4 Reinold 4 Monim 2 Zurbeck Suisse Zurbeck 4 Greder 4 Cavoye Cavoye 1 Soissonois 1 Blesois 1 Bugey 1 Senneterre 1 Greder Greder Aleman 2 Angoumois 1 Periguex 1 Lignieres 1 Tulles 1 Surlanbe Royal Danois 2 Surlanbe 2 Crussol 2   Battal 40 LEFT WING First Line Lieutenant-Generals Duc du Maine Monsieur de Montrevel Major-Generals Count de Marsin Monsieur de Vandeuil Brigades Regim Squad Souternon Du Roy 3 Bourgogne 3 Thoulouse 2 Furstemberg 2 Du Mesiul Carabiners 16 Chaludes Villeroy 2 Du Maine 2 Berry 2 Maistre de Camp General 3   Squadrons 35 Second Line Lieutenant-General Busca Major-General Count de Nassau Brigades Regim Squad Lagny Lagny 3 Pujeol 3 St. Lieu 3 Thisenhausen Lully 3 Villers 3 Melun 3 Cossé 2 Massot Quadt 3 Clermont 3 Massot 3 Chartres 2   Squadrons 31 Body of RESERVE Due de Chartres General Major Generals Messieurs de Bezons de Mailly Brigades Regiments Squadrons  Hussars 1 Mousquetaires gris 2 Mousquetaires noirs 2  Dragons  Cailus Colonel-General 3 Cailus 3 Chenteran 3 Battalions  Royal Artillery 2 Artillery consisting of 66 Pieces of Cannon besides Mortars  Regiment of Bombardiers besides Gunners and Matrosses 1  Dragons  Davaret La Reine 3 Davaret 3 St. Ermine 3 Asfeldt Fimarçon 3 Asfeldt 3   Squadrons 29   Battalions 3 So that according to this List the Dauphin had Sixty and Nine Squadrons in the First and Second Line of his Right Wing of Horse and Sixty and Six in the Left and Twenty and Nine Squadrons of Dragons Hussars and Mousquetairs in the Reserve which makes in all 164 Squadrons And because the French had reformed their Troups of Horse last Winter to Forties we must compute each of their Squadrons to be at their coming in the Field of 120 Horse-men which makes the Total of the Horse and Dragons of this Army to be 19680. The Foot consisted of Forty Battalions in the First Line and Thirty Nine in the Second and Three in the Reserve which makes in all 82 Battalions which at 600 Men each Battalion at the first coming into the Field amounts to 49100 Men. So that the Total of this Army Commanded by the Dauphin and under him by the Marshals of Luxembourg and Villeroy came to 68880 Men besides what belonged to the Artillery as Gunners and Matrosses Miners c. We shall not make a Computation of all the Forces the French had in Flanders till we come to speak of the Bodies Commanded by the Marshal de Boufflers the Marquis de Harcourt and the Marquis de la Valette which shall be in their proper Places The Dauphin being come with this Army to Gemblours within a Day 's March from ours likewise there being but little Forage about our Camp which hinder'd the Cavalry from subsisting in it the King for this Reason order'd to make a Retrenchment to cover our Body of Foot in case the Enemy would have come to attack us Our Right was cover'd by the Villages of Tourine and Bavechein the first being just upon the brow of a Hill below which runs a small Current which has its Spring at Bavechein and so goes by Ham and other Villages into the River Dyle The Brigade of Guards encamped upon another Hill separated from the Right of the Main Body by this Current and cover'd the King's Quarter The Left was cover'd by deep hollow Ways and other Defiles of the Villages of Sluys and Meldert and a little Brook which rises at Meldert and so runs by Hoexem Oirbeck and Cumtick to Tilmont The Ground was Plain between the Villages of Bavechein upon the right and Sluys upon the left for about an English Mile and an half upon the Center of our Line which Plain went from the Village of Bossu and the Abbey of Florival cross our Camp towards Tilmont and again on the other side of the Villages of Sluys and Meldert towards Judoigne The French took up this Camp last Year when we were encamped at Park stretching their Line along the Plain from the Abbey of Florival towards Tilmont with the Villages of Tourine and Bavechein in their Front and Sluys and Meldert in their Rear where they had their Head-Quarter And the Year before we encamped one Night in this Plain stretching our Left another way towards Judoigne and the King's Quarter at Meldert and our Right near the Bois de Merdal which now at this Camp of Hertogendale remained in our Rear This was the Situation of our Camp so that nothing remain'd open to the Enemy but the Plain upon our Centre which the King upon the coming of the French to Gemblours orderd to be fortified with a Retrenchment from Bavechein to Sluys and Meldert We had several Parties toward the Sambre to observe the Motions of the French and upon their March to Gemblours they took many Prisoners which had straggled from the Army among which were some of the late King's Guard The 5th the Three Second Battalions of Guards and Eppinger's Dragons were ordered to encamp on the other side of the King's Quarter between it and the Bois de Merdal to cover it from Parties skulking in the Wood. The 6th the English Artillery came up from Malines under the Escort of Brewer Lesley and Buchan's Regiments which joyn'd us this Day These Three Regiments with those of Strathnaver and Hamilton had come but lately from Scotland they were put in Quarters at Leer and Malines to put themselves in a Condition to take the Field and Strathnaver and George Hamilton were sent to Ghendt Our English Train of Artillery consisted of Sixty Pieces of Cannon and Six Mortars Four Companies of Gunners and Matrosses and One Company of Miners all of One Hundred Men each This same day we were also joyn'd by the Cavalry who came up only to be review'd and encamp'd by Brigades in the several Intervals that had been left for them as we have said before The King review'd the same day the Eight Regiments which had come up to the Camp the 4th under the Command of Brigadier Collier in the presence of the Electors of Bavaria and Cologne who had left Brussels to come to Louvain to be nearer the Army where His Electoral Highness expected his own
observe exactly the Field of Battel and returned late in the Evening to the Camp And there scarce happen'd a Day all along the Campagne but that the King rid out towards the Enemy Such are the Pains and Care His Majesty takes for the Welfare and Prosperity of the Common Cause The 15th Seven Battalions more were detached to reinforce the Dutch Foot that had been posted near the Abbey of Linther these were drawn out of our Forces and put under the Command of Brigadier Erle viz. Erle Lesley Lloyd Mackay Meloniere Jutland and Aver The same Day the Dauphin remov'd his Quarter from St. Tron to the Village of St. Brusten to settle here an Hospital for the Sick to be near the Army The same Day the King had Advice from Maestricht that no less than Four or Five hundred Swissers had deserted the French Army and were come to that Place Upon which Orders were given That these Regiments that wanted Recruits should send an Officer to Maestricht to get them among those Deserters Many of them were of Monim's Regiment which is the same as Brigadier Stouppa had that died of the Wounds he receiv'd at the Battel of Steenkirk That Stouppa was a Protestant and had been a Minister but I was told That Colonel Noâ—im who had the Regiment after him was a Roman-Catholick and had turn'd out the Minister that belong'd to the Regiment and put a Priest in his Place Which so disgusted his Soldiers that it occasion'd a general Desertion in his Regiment The 16th the King review'd Sir Thomas Levingstom's and Colonel Cunningham's Dragons that had lately come over from Scotland they were canton'd near the Town of Arschot The same Day the Mareschal de Boufflers march'd nearer to the Dauphin's Army and passed the Jecker at Warem where he encamp'd upon the Left of the French Army Forty Suisse Deserters more came at the same time from the Enemy and our Detachment brought in several Prisoners My Lord Athlone came up likewise nearer to our Army this same Day and took his Quarter upon the Left at the Abbey of Linther On the 17th because Bouffer's had now joyn'd the Dauphin's Army and that we had only Foot in our Camp the Horse being still canton'd in the Neighbourhood which might have given the French an Occasion to attack us 't was order'd to fortifie our Camp and to make a Retrenchment from the King's Quarter at the Village of Rooseheck to that of Cumtich the only Place open in our Camp the rest was well covered as we have before described We said before that the Elector of Bavaria expected some of his own Forces which he had sent for to augment his Army this Campagne they were now come to the Neighbourhood of Louvain and consisted of Three Squadrons of Dragons of Count Philippe d' Areo Three of Monasterol Two Squadrons more of Cuirassiers of Weychel Two Battalions of his Guards Two Battalions of Riviera and One of Horthansen these joyn'd the Spanish Horse and the Bavarian Cuirassiers and made a Body near Louvain The 18th they were review'd by the Elector where the King was invited and receiv'd with Three Salutes of Cannon and Small-shot and afterwards treated by the Elector The 19th a Detachment of Danish Horse took Fifty six Prisoners and brought them into the Camp with their Officers And the same Day we had the first Forage by Order before the Horses gras'd in the Day-time in the neighbouring Fields and in Meadows and the Men cut down Hay which they brought along with them in the Evening just enough for the Horses to subsist on in the Night Standing Corn was scarce and there was a Necessity of Preserving it else we should have had no Occasion for Retrenchments The 20th a great many Deserters more came from the Enemy and indeed there hardly pass'd a Day but there came in some of them to our Camp more or less The same Day a Detachment of our Dragons brought in Seventy seven Prisoners They fired upon the Vanguard not thinking it had been the whole Detachment but the rest rid up immediately being a strong Detachment and surrounded the Wood where the French had posted themselves in Ambuscade and so they all yielded themselves Prisoners of War At the same time we took Two Dominican Fryers Prisoners and an Irish Priest that were come as Spyes into our Army A Soldier of the late King James's Guards that had deserted to us some Days before and had taken Service in our English Guards discover'd them He knew they had pass'd between both Armies several times particularly the two Dominicans and that they had engaged to debauch as many as they could of our English Soldiers to recruit the late King's Regiments in France for which they were to receive a Luy d'ore a Man for as many as they could bring over They had an Irish Young Man with them who being press'd to confess own'd the Truth and was afterwards an Evidence against them After being Examined they were Committed Prisoners severally in Tents at the King's Quarter and Centries continually set over them On the 21st a Detachment of our Foot posted at the Abbey of Linther brought in Fourscore Prisoners of which some of them were Gensd'arms and of the French King's Life-guards The Detachment from this Post did very much incommode the French Army and they seldom had a Forageday but that they brought in several Prisoners The 22nd the King review'd Brigadier Matthews and the Lord Fairfax's Dragons which had come up to the Camp the Day before Brigadier Matthews's Regiment encamped on the other side of the Village of Cumtich which was without the Retrenchment to cover Monsieur d' Auverquerque's and other General Officers Quarters there My Lord Fairfax's Dragons encamped without the Defiles of the Village of Roosebeck to cover the King's Quarter on that side The same Day several of the Enemy's Squadrons came in sight of our Camp in the Plain on the other side of Tilmont Upon which the Major of the several Regiments upon the Right had Orders to come to take the Posts of their Regiments upon the Retrenchment in case the French should come and attack us and to see if the Retrenchments of their several Posts were well made with a good defensible Breast-work I forgot to say That the Town of Tilmont the Dutch call it Tienen which in this Camp was before the Left of our Army was guarded by a Detachment of Three hundred Men under the Command of a Field-Officer and other Officers proportionably which relieved one another every other Day It is situated upon the greater Geet which comes from Judoigne and has several petty Cloysters and publick Buildings in it with an old decayed Wall and ruin'd Retrenchments about it There is no Water near it but the little River Geet and 't is commanded by the Countrey about it for which reason 't is not capable of any good Fortification The 24th One of the French King's Carabiners deserted and came to our
Elector of Bavaria would have had them Hang'd and sent them to the Archbishop of Malines to have that Town for a Prison during the War But the Irish Priest alledg'd That he was going to his own Countrey That he took only the Opportunity of the two Fryers Company to come to our Camp and so to go for Ireland Which appearing to be Truth he was Acquitted and set this Day at Liberty The 7th Lieutenant-General Dewits that Commanded the Brandenburgh Forces that we left at Diest march'd to joyn the Elector of Bavaria at the Camp of Neer-Ische The 10th the King review'd My Lord of Essex and Brigadier Wynne's Dragons the latter wanted Two Troops that had been left in England and his Horses very much fatigu'd in twice crossing the Sea the last Winter and their continual Motion thorough Ireland and England to come over to this Countrey My Lord of Essex's appear'd in very good Condition and Order The same Day Two Irish Officers left the French Army and came over to us one of them had been in the late Queen's Regiment and the other in Colonel Talbot's both of them in Savoy And Prince Vademont that had come Post from Italy to make the Campagne in Flanders came to Salute the King at his Arrival His Majesty receiv'd him with a great deal of Joy and with the greatest Demonstration of Friendship He is a very Wise General and has been with the King in all his Campagnes except the last that he was in Italy both in the former and this present War and is very zealous and affectionate for His Majesty's Interest Orders were given this Day to be ready to March The 11th One of our Parties came to the Camp with a Colonel Lieutenant-Colonel Major and two Captains and several Soldiers which they had taken in the Passage-Barge between Namurr and Huy The Officers were treated very civilly in our Camp especially the Colonel who had the liberty of his Sword and to ride with the Army in the following March to have a full View of it With which he was very much pleas'd The 12th the Battalions we had posted upon the Left near the Abbey of Linther left that Place to come up to the Army to be in a readiness to March And the Seven Battalions under the Command of Brigadier Erle encamp'd upon the Right upon the Ground that remain'd between it and the Village of Roosebeek which cover'd the King's Quarter Some Squadrons of Horse had encamp'd here at the beginning but upon the making of the Retrenchments they were sent back to the Village for their more convenient Subsistence This same Day Major-General la Forrest was sent with a great Detachment of Horse to observe the Enemy and Orders were given to load all the heavy Baggage and to march that Night without any precedent Beat of Drum but to take our Motions from the Right Accordingly the 13th by One of the Clock in the Morning the Army began to March upon several Columns The First consisted of the Brigade of Guards and the Seven Regiments that had been detached under Brigadier Erle This Column was led by the Duke of Wirtemberg and Count Nassau and passed the Geet between Tilmont and Judoigne The Two Lines had the General Officers upon their respective Divisions and the First march'd thorough Tilmont by the Gate of Louvain out of the Gate of Judoigne The Second march'd thorough the Town by the Gate that leads to Leauwe and went out by the Gate of St. Tron The Artillery and Baggage follow'd the Column led by the Duke of Wirtemberg Very early in the Morning we were got on the other side of the Town into the Plain which made room enough to subdivide the Two Lines into Six Columns for a more speedy and convenient March The Elector of Bavaria march'd at the same time from his Camp at Neer-Ische to joyn us this Day and all the Cavalry had the same Orders We made a long March between the two Geets and by the Town of Judoigne towards the Mehaigne And though we owe all the following Advantages of the Campagne to this Camp and that we made no Secret of our March for as we said just now Orders had been given two Days before to be ready to March yet the French did not think it convenient to hazard a Pattle to dispute this Camp which it may be was the King's Design by making no Secret of his March We made a Halt about Judoigne to stay for the Elector's Forces which were to pass the Geet here and about the Evening the Right of our Army got to the Mahaigne The Quarter-Masters had remain'd in this March with the Army because the Ground we were going to could have been disputed by the Enemy and so we mark'd our Lines after we were come up to our Ground The King's Quarter was mark'd in the Order of the March at Bonmale and the Elector's at Tavâ—ers upon the Mahaigne But the King took his Quarter upon our coming to this Ground at Mount St. Andre and the Elector at first had his at Ramelies Our Right was at Harlue and Taviers upon the Mehaigne and the Lest stretched out beyond the Villages of Marilles and Molembais which we left in our Rear The Line made a small kind of an Elbow by the Village of Henieux Heddin which we had here in our Front the Right of this Camp was a Plain and the Left went into narrow and close Grounds All the Cavalry joyn'd us here The Brigades of Rantzaw and Dedem were interlin'd in the Right Wing of Horse under the Command of Major-General Fagel and the Brigades of Collier and Offarrel in the Left under the Command of Major-General Ramsay And because this is the First Camp where all our Army got together and where we form'd our Line of Battle 't is here that I shall insert the List of our Army I have had an Authenick List of it which is as follows But the Reader is to observe That I assign no Post upon the Line either to the King to the Elector of Bavaria the Duke of Holstein or the Prince de Vaudemont General of the King of Spain's Army in Flanders Because being Generals in Chief they have none I was guilty the last Year of this Mistake Note That the Regiments to which I give Two Names with Olim before the Second that the Second is the Name the Regiment had last Year The List of the Confederate ARMY in Flanders under the Command of His Majesty of Great-Britain and the Elector of Bavaria RIGHT WING     First Line  Lieuten Generals Major-Generals Brigad Regim Squad     Spanish Horse DUKE of HOLSTEIN General of the Spanish Horse Lieutenant-General Du Puy  The Spaniards have none Neither have I seen the List of their Generals de Battuille which answer to our Major-Generals Valençar Dragons 1 Elector's Life-guards 2 Prince Vaudemont and the Duke of Holstein 1 Guards 1 De Bay
all makes 95 Battalions which at 600 each Battalion at first coming into the Field amounts to 51000 Foot and 31800 Horse which makes the total summe of our Army at Mount St. André to be 88800 Men and about 7000 which Count Thian had incamped under his command near Ghendt of which we have given an account before which being added to the former summe amounts to 95800 Men. This is all we had now in the Field 'T is true that we had a great many Forces in Liege of which I shall give an account to the Reader hereafter But that Town being then our Frontier it required an Army for a Garison and the condition of affairs in regard of that City did then require our special care for its safety so that what Forces we had in Liege at that time were useless as to the acting offensively whilst the Enemy were between us and the Meuse with as good an Army in the Field as ours except what it had suffered by deserters for by our computation of the French Forces above it appears that they had here and in Flanders 91320 Men which was but 4480 Men less than we had in the Field in both these places which in such a number is no great odds I put it therefore to the Judgment of Impartial Men whether the French were not in a better condition to act defensively against us this year than we to have acted defensively against them in the former Campaigns We dispos'd our Field-Pieces this March to mount to St. André upon the head of the Several Brigades of Foot each Brigade had Five Field-Pieces with Stores and Gunners proportionably The Day following Count Alefeldt was Detach'd with his Brigade to the Village of Ramelies which the Elector of Bavaria left to take his Quarter at Taviers upon the Mahaigne and this Post was committed to the Charge of Major General Ellenberg We made a Retrenchment about Ramelies and placed a great many pieces of Canon upon the height of this Village which commanded the Plain that leads to Huy The same day we rectified our Camp which had been mark'd in haste the day before to make the Line more regular and filled up the Interval that had been left by Alefeldt's Brigade The French being advised of our March towards the Mehaigne left this day their Camp between Tongres and Fies and marched near to Huy after they had passed the Jaar upon several Bridges they imcamped with their Right between the Villages of Vignamont and Walef towards the Jaar and their Left at Fenmale upon the Mehaigne The Dauphin took his Quarter at Vignamont within Two English Miles of Huy and the French which before made a shew of having some design upon Liege or Maestricht now did not think themselves secure enough in the Camp of Vignamont though strong by Situation between the Meuse the Jaar and Mehaigne but immediately upon their coming to this Camp they fortified it where it was open between the Jaar and the Mehaigne with a very good Retrenchment which they made as strong as art and leasure could do it The Right of our own Camp upon the Mehaigne was within Two Leagues and a half of Namur and within Four English Miles of the Meuse for which reason the French kept their Communications with Namur from whence they had their Provisions by Land on the other side of the River which before they had by Water and the Marquiss d' Harcourt which before lay incamped between the Paijs de Liege and that of Luxemburg was ordered to come and Post himself on the other side of the Meuse near Huy to cover the French Convoys which otherwise would have been much exposed to the Excursion of the Garrison of Liege which has an equal advantage on both sides of the River And because the French were now every much streightned in their Camp that they had already forraged all about Liege and Maestricht and that there remained but little Ground on this side of the River which they could forrage securely on the Dauphin to provide for the subsistance of his Army as long as he could ordered all the heavy Baggage of the Army to march by Huy to the other side of the Meuse This was the great Advantage of our Camp at Mount St. André That the French which before ravaged all the Countrey between Liege and Maestricht were now forced to Retrench themselves under the Walls of their own Garrison of Huy and that it put all the Countrey on this side of the Sambre under our Command so far that the French though Masters both of Namur and Charleroy yet could not hinder us from incamping in the Plains of Fleury and were themselves forced to pass and re-pass the Sambre which is a great way about to follow us into Flanders And though our Advantages were so great by this Camp yet we could not take it up sooner because the French might then have subsisted about Liege and Huy longer than we could have done upon the Mehaigne which would have exposed Liege too much to the French Power upon our March to the Scheld The 16th Stuarts Brigade was detached out of the Line to incamp at the Cense or Farm of Franquenies near the Abbey of Bonef upon the Mehaigne where they intrenched themselves and the Guard of this Post was committed to the charge of Count Nassau Lieutenant General This Village with that of Ramelies on the other side Commanded the Plain before our Right Wing where we incamped along the Mehaigne in the Campagne of 1692. where the King had his Quarter at Ramelies and our Right by Perwys and the Left at Brancon upon the Mehaigne The French were then besieging the Castle of Namur the rest of our Camp was covered in the Front by the Lesser and in the Rear by the Greater Geet The River in the Front was a great way from the Line above half of a League but a little Brook covered it nearer that went from the Village of Offus and fell into the Lesser Geet at Jauche This was the Strength and Situation of our Camp at Mount St. André the Posts that covered and the Advantages we got by it Upon our coming to this Camp and the French to Vignamont the King ordered the Forces that were incamped within the Lines of Liege to march out and form a Camp by the Citadel consisting of Dutch Brandenbourg and Liege Forces Commanded by Prince Circlaes of Tilly and the Major-General Heyden and Cohorne This was a very convenient Camp to molest the Enemy in their Forrage towards Liege and the French to be even with us Commanded a small Body of Horfe and Dragoons Commanded by Colonel Vaillat to incamp under the Walls of Namur to molest our Forragers between the Mehaigne and the Meuse who often went very near Namur The French sent besides this Detachment a Man of a Company Commanded by the Officers that had best knowledge of the Countrey to go out in Parties in which they had
saw it free from any attempts of the Enemy where the nature of the Country did afford them an occasion to have fallen upon it We made a long march this day and the weather being warm made several Soldiers saint under their Armes The King took his Quarter at the Chateau of Sombref our Right went towards Fleury at St. Amand from whence it turned back almost in a right Angle to Marbais where the Elector of Bavaria had his Quarter and our Left went towards Gemblours as far as the Cense or Farm of Bretinchamp The Kings Quarter being in the Front of the Army was covered by all the English and Dutch Dragoons who incamped before it upon a Line The Enemy being sensible that they could not hinder us from this Camp and expecting our march to this place had ordered the small body of Horse and Dragoons commanded by Colonel Vaillac from Namur to march to Charleroy both to cover that place and to incommode our Foragers We halted here the next day we had made a long march and the Rear-guard could not come up till two or three of the Clock in the Morning and besides it was necessary to see what the French would do upon this march whether they would go back to Liege and endeavour to fall upon it though the want of Forage could not allow them to subsist there any longer or whether they would follow us and march upon the Sambre For if they had been obstinate to have kept on this side of the River then the Plain of Fleury was a very convenient place to try the Issue of another Battle and the odds were not so great between the two Armies but that the French if they depend so much on their boasted Bravery might very well have ventured it The Enemy out-did us in Foot by Two Battalions as it appears by the List of their Line of Battle and ours but we out-numbered them in Horse and Dragoons however it appeared by the Enemies behaviour at this time that they depend more upon the Number than the Bravery and Valour of their Soldiers The French had so many reports of our marching the day before in which they were deceived that though we made no secret of this days march yet they were not certain of it till about Noon their Right Wing of Horse was then gone to forrage The Dauphin caused several Pieces of Cannon to be fired to call them in the Resolution was taken to follow us and the Drums immediately beat the General to give notice of marching About Four in the Afternoon the Dauphin began to move with the Right Wing of Horse and Body of Foot and passed the Mehaigne at Falay directing their March up along the Meuse towards Namur The Right Wing of Horse Commanded by the Mareschal de Villeroy being returned from their Forrage followed the Dauphin about Eight that Evening and so they marched all Night and the next day that they came about the Evening between Spy and Masey and the Dauphin took his Quarter at the Chateau de Soye upon the Sambre but in leaving the Camp of Vignamont the French provided for the safety of Huy and left a Battalion to reinforce the Garrison When they were come up to this Camp we could discover part of their Left but the little River that runs from Gemblours into the Sambre covered them and remained between us However though we were so near one another and that the Plains of Fleury offered a very convenient field of battle yet the French were unwilling to hazard it but rather resolved to make a Retreat and pass the Sambre which they began that very Night The Infantry of the Kings House led the way and the next day the whole Army with the Right Wing of Horse Commanded by the Mareschal de Villeroy followed and incamped at Ausart l' Estrang about a League and a half from Charleroy between it and Namur but their Troops were so fatigued with the March which continued night and day that the Colours of their Battalions were almost left bare and Sixty Men made a good Battalion upon the March the rest being wearie stragled behind The Mareschal de Villeroy was detached from this place with a Body of Horse and Dragoons towards the Scheld where the Enemies were informed we did design to march with all speed and took his March by Maubeuge where he re-passed the Sambre and passed the Scheld the next day at Conde making all diligence to get to Tournay The Enemy upon our halt at Sombref the 9th fired several Pieces of Cannon at Charleroy I suppose for Signals of our halt but the King being informed that the French would pass the Sambre rather than venture the Issue of a Battle in the Plains of Fleury and that they did actually begin to pass it that very Night gave Orders for the Army to march the next day Accordingly the Army left the Camp of Sombref the day following and marched by Mellé towards Genap and Nivelle about noon we passed the Dyle at the Village and Chateau of Promel about Four in the Afternoon our Right was got to Arkennes upon the Senne that runs by Nivelle and Nostredame de Halte to Brusselles We incamped here this Night our Line went from Senne almost to the Dyle our Right at Arkennes the Elector of Bavaria's Quarter and our Left at Vaillantpont not far from Promel where we had passed the Dyle the King took his Quarter in the Town of Nivelle This is a neat little Town it lies in a Bottom and so cannot be made strong however it has ancient Walls and Roundels about it and is more particularly famous for the Abbey of Secular Chanonesses which are all to be Women of the first Quality of the Countrey they take no Vows but may marry if they please and leave their places In the Choice they have Robes and Furrs like Secular Canons and the Head-dress like Nuns but otherwise when they are out of the Church they dress themselves like other Ladies The design of the Foundation was for Women of the best Quality that had no considerable Fortunes to live here Honourably without incumbring the small Estate of the Family The Abbess of this Collegiate Church is Lady of the Town and the Army on both sides have been very favourable to this place for the sake of the Religious Ladies Upon this March to Nivelle the Colonel of the Dutch Train of Artillery visiting the Ammunition Waggons found a Stranger in one of them that could give no good account of himself He had got in by pretending himself to be of the Army that he was weary and could not march by which pretence and a little Drinking-Money to the Waggoner he got leave to get up in the Waggon The Dutch Colonel that came to visit the Waggons suspected him and caused him to be searched and found a lighted Match about him and besides he gave so ill an account of himself that he was soon discovered to be a Frenchman
and that he was come from the Enemies to endeavour to set fire to our Ammunitions For which he was sent to the Provoste where we shall leave him till we come to give an account of his Punishment suitable to the Enormity of the Attempt The 11th Major-General Fagel was detacht with the Two Brigades of Foot of Rantzaw and Dedem interlined in the Right Wing of Horse to go by Lessines to Audenarde and the Artillery went with a good Escorte another way to joyn us in the the Plains of Cambron because the Defiles were too difficult in the two following days March for the Artillery to go along with us we were got into the Country of Hainault which is generally very close and woody The same day the Army marcht from Nivelle and passed the Senne over several Bridges above and at the Village of Arkennes and so we came to Soignies We lost upon this March some of our Pontons or Tin-Boats and some Baggage taken by the Enemy which as 't is said perswaded the Men that looked after them to go a more convenient way pretending themselves to be Dragoons of our Army and so got them out of the Line of the Baggage they made the Men Prisoners and took the Horses from the Pontons and Waggons they rifled the Baggage and took what they thought good and left the rest they blew up holes in the Pontons with powder and so left them The Army being now come up by several Defiles to Soignies our Right was at Horrues and Neufville where the Elector had his Quarter the Left stretched out a little beyond Court Aubois and the King had his Quarter at Soignies an old Town in the Chatelleine of Mons and within three short Leagues of it As soon as the French had made themselves Masters of Mons they Summoned the Burgh-Masters and Inhabitants to come and swear Allegiance to the French King and since are reckoned in the Paijs Conquis We heard firing of Cannon at Mons this Evening which as we had information the next day was for the Dauphine's Arrival at that place where the whole Army followed him that very Night Upon our march from Sombref towards the Scheld the French made their utmost diligence to prevent any designs we could have upon their Lines or Towns in Flanders for which reason they marched on the 11 th from Ausart L' Estrang though their Army was already fatigued by their March night and day to get to that side of the Sambre they went by Ham Sur Heure and so repassed the Sambre at Bussiere which was already a good March But the Mareschal de Luxemburg finding it necessary to get as far as Mons that very Night that he may come to the Scheld as soon as we ordered all the Infantry to fling away their Snap-sacks and march with nothing but their Arms and all the Baggage was ordered to stay behind he caused likewise all the Waggons of the Countrey to be summoned to follow the Army with the Soldiers Snap-sacks and to take up the wearied Soldiers who could not march and bring them after to the Camp The Enemy made a halt at Bussiere after they had re-passed the Sambre to refresh themselves the Prince of Conti who Commanded the Infantry as first Lieutenant-General told them That they had suffered but little for the King's Service that Campaigne That the King's Service did now require a quick and a speedy March and therefore that such who loved His Majesty's Service should shew it and follow their Colours He then caused 400 Pistols-worth of Brandy which had been brought from the neighbouring Towns for that purpose to be given to the Infantry to drink and so the Colours were ordered to march on and all the Foot that were come up endeavoured to shew their Zeal for the King's Service by marching along with them but all along Waggons were provided to take up those who could not march and Brandy upon every halt The Enemy came very early by break of day near Mons to which place the Dauphine was got the night before I cannot say that they incamped here because all the Soldiers Tents were left behind for a more expeditious march but here they lay down upon the ground to rest themselves The 12 th the Army marched towards Aeth we passed the River of Cambron at Lens and so got into the Plain of Cambron where we incamped with our Right at Irchonwetz within half an English mile of Aeth where the Elector of Bavaria had his Quarters and the Left at Lens the Abby of Cambron remained in the Rear of the Left We had the Town of Chievres before the Right where the King took his Quarters This is an old ruined Town where the Spaniards had once a Garison but the French upon pretence that it was within the Chatelleine of Tournay beat them out of it and no Garison has been in it since There is hardly a finer place in all the Seventeen Provinces for an Army to incamp upon than the Plains of Cambron where the strength and scituation equals the beauty and conveniency of the Plain which reaches from the Village of Irchonwetz to Lens upon the little River that runs by Cambron about five English Miles in length with a small rising over against Chievres from whence we could have a perfect prospect of the Camp from the Right to the Left Our Right was covered by the Dender and Irchonwetz which runs through Aeth where 't is joyned by the River of Cambron and our Left and Rear by the River which from Lens went round the Rear by Cambron Abbey and so to Aeth Our Front was covered by a Wood and close Defiles which are between this place and Mons. The Artillery which we had sent from Nivelle another way because of the narrowness of the Defiles we were to march through came up to us this day But we could not long injoy the commodiousness of this Camp the King was hastening his march to the Scheld and so orders were given to march on the next day The 13 th in the Morning the Duke of Wirtemberg was commanded with seven Brigades of Horse one of them under the command of Brigadier Lumley to pass the Scheld at Audenarde where he was to joyn the two Brigades of Foot commanded by Major Fagel detach'd from the Camp at Nivelle of which we have given an account before An Express was sent likewise to Count Thian to march up from Ghendt with the body under his command towards Audenarde and to send the three Terces of Walloon Foot to garison in Bruges and to leave Brigadier Holles Regiment in Deinse The same day the Army marched the first Line passed the River of Irchonwetz above Aeth the second with the Cannon and Baggage marched through the Town This Town as it appears by what we have said before is scituated at the confluence of two small Rivers the Dender and that of Cambron which pass through the Town it was
were much superiour to our Detachment for according to the French account the Marquiss de la Valette had then 15 Battalions 9 Regiments of Horse and 2 of Dragoons and besides was now joyned by the Mareschal de Villeroy Lieutenant General Tettan had 15 pieces of Cannon sent with him which was disposed in 3 several Batteries which begun to play upon the Enemy their Cannon was not come up so soon as ours but they intrenched themselves just upon the other side of the River where our Cannon did them some considerable damage Of Maulevriers Regiment by their account 1 Lieutenant was killed and 25 Men. Our own people could easily see our Cannon do execution upon them being so near one another A little after the French began to fire upon us from 2 Batteries on their side but I have not heard of any execution or damage they did us at that time The same Morning the Duke of Wirtemberg had passed the Scheld at Audenarde with the 7 Brigades of Horse and the 2 of Foot of which we have given an account already for which reason as the Mareschal de Villeroy had intrenched upon the River to hinder our passage he was also obliged to fortifie his Rear with a Retrenchment to cover himself from the Duke of Wirtemberg who upon His Majesties Orders was marching up to attack him in the Rear whilst we should force our passage in the Front I shall now leave things in this disposition upon the Scheld and return to both the Armies The 14 th we decamped from Grames and marched towards the Scheld which was now but 2 Leagues from the Right of our Army We passed not far from the foot of Mount Trinite and the Left Flank of our Columns was reckoned within 4 English Miles of Tournay We heard in the Morning upon our march great firing at this place which at first was supposed to be Signals for their Army and neighbouring Garrisons but by the regularity of the fire we found it to be rather a Salute In effect the Dauphine passed this Morning through the Town and was saluted with a triple discharge of the Cannon round the place the Army followed him which in two nights and one day had marched from Mons to this place We left them at Mons the 12 th where they were got betimes in the Morning they refreshed themselves the best part of that day except the Brigade of Guards that was sent to Condé where it was put on board of Bilanders to come down the Scheld to Tournay by water where I suppose it arrived as soon as the Mareschal de Villeroy and with him joyned the Marquis de la Valette The 12 th in the Evening the French Army left Mons and marched night and day only halting for rest now and then and so came to Tournay the 14 th early in the Morning but the Waggons of the Country were ordered all along to take up the Sick and the Weary and upon every halt there was a provision of Brandy ready to refresh the Men. The 14 th about Noon our Right Wing came up near the River but it was then too late to have undertaken to force the passage and for the Army to have gone over for which reason 't was ordered to halt and the Weather proved so bad just at that time that it would have been impossible to have undertaken it though there had been day enough left for it We had this Evening and most of the Night following a violent storm of Rain and Wind which made the wayes very deep and heavy the Army was ordered to incamp in the ground where it stood upon the halt and every Brigade to incamp the most conveniently it could without any regard to the niceness of a Line the King took his Quarters this Night at the Chateau de Cordes and the Elector at Chastelet And the Dauphine being now come up with the Body of the French Army to joyn the Mareschal de Villeroy so that though we had forced the passage of the River yet still we could not prevent the French Army from incamping between Harleber and Courtray where they covered their Country in Flanders and besides the French having drawn all their Forces in this side of the Country which gave the King way for another undertaking may be of as great consequence His Majesty did not think it convenient to attempt the passage here where there might have been a great deal of Blood shed but no advantage on our side though we had forced it because the Enemy would still have been Masters of the Camp at Courtray which equally covered their Lines on both sides of the Lys. The King therefore resolved to leave the French where they were and to pass the Scheld about two Leagues below at Audenarde The French very much magnified their speedy Marches to prevent our passage of the Scheld before them that in Four Days they should with their whole Army pass and re pass the Sambre and pass the Scheld at Tournay and be the fifth incamped on the other side of the River to oppose the passage of our Army 'T is said that the Mareschal de Luxembourg valued it more than the Battle of Landen but if he valued it more it did not cost him much less for 't is supposed that this violent March has cost him at least Three Thousand Men and his Cavalry has been almost ruined by it so far that the French King is now forced to reform his Cavalry as he did the last Year and to reduce the Troops yet to a less Number which the last Winter he had brought to Forty I have heard that he has reduced them to Twenty Five a Troop The French Army might have been followed by the Scent which they left behind of dead Men and Horses which were to be found all along the Road it went so that we may say The French have suffered as much in this March as they could have done in a Battle either in Men or Horses It has been reported that the French King has writ a Letter to the Army to be read at the Head of every Regiment by which he thanked the Dauphine the Mareschal of France the Lieutenant-General and other Generals and all the Army but more particularly the Suisse and French Infantry for the great Services they had done him in this speedy March by which they have saved his Country in Flanders from the Invasion intended by the Enemies This indeed is a very different Language from what we had last Year from him after the Battle of Landen there was nothing then but what he could expect after so considerable a Victory and there was nothing but what his Enemies ought to fear after so great a Defeat but now he seems to recant in his Letter and own that he was mistaken and thanks his Army for running as fast as they could and so fast that it has suffered as much as in a Battle to save his conquered Country from
believe that the whole Army was not there but at hand between it and Courtray to observe our Motions General Tettan was Posted just on the other side of the River with his Detachment and Field-Pieces but the Caunon was silent on both sides From Escanaffe we marched all along the Scheld towards Audenarde and incamped with our Right at Melde by Audenarde where the Electot had his Quarter and the Left at Escanaffe over-against the Left of the French Army Our Left was here close under the Cannon of the Enemy so that in the Evening when we were come to our Ground the French Cannon plaid very briskly upon our Left where our Two Brigades of Foot Commanded by Major General Ramsay and our English Horse most Exposed yet I have not heard of any Men killed but we lost fourteen or fifteen Horses but the French used their greatest Endeavours to do mischief to Tettan when he came off with his Detachment and Field-Pieces from under their very Retrenchments on the opposite side of the River where he lay under cover but could not get off without Exposing himself very much to the Enemies Cannon He remained quietly in his Post for this reason all the day and took the opportunity of the Evening to come off which he did without any loss The King at this Camp before the Scheld took his Quarter at Berghem upon the very Bank of the River where it was very much Exposed to the Enemies Cannon The Rear-Guard which was brought up by the First Battalion and the Battalion of the Second Regiment of English Guards and the First Battalion of Dutch Guards which had incamped upon the King's Quarters at Cordes which was a considerable way from the Line of the Army could not come up before the next Morning for which reason there was no Orders given over-night to march the next day The 16 th in the Morning the French began to play again upon our Left with their Cannon where they killed some of our Men and our Generals Quarters were very much exposed here being just upon the River but none of them suffered any damage Besides the Batteries the French had against our Left we perceived that they were bringing of Cannon down along the River to take up the length of our Line and have Batteries from Right to Left one of their General Officers came up in the Morning to view the Wind-mill between Peteghem and the River which absolutely commanded our Right but to hinder the Enemies bringing Cannon down any farther we had Batteries made upon our side from the Kings Quarters along our Left to hinder the Enemies from advancing any further The Cannon played on both sides all the Morning but without any considerable execution that I have heard of The King rid out early to observe the countenance of the Enemy part of their Army was making a motion towards their Left which gave us reason to suspect that they design'd to march and take up the Camp of Peteghem a high ground in the way from Audenarde to the Enemies Lines from whence they might have Canonaded the Duke of Wirtemberg who upon His Majesties resolution of passing the Scheld lower at Audenarde was countermanded under the Cannon of this place from whence likewise the Enemy would have very much incommoded our passage of the Scheld even here for which reason His Majesty immediately order'd the Four Brigades of Erle Stuart Alfeldt and Haxhausen and the Two Battalions of Scots Guards to march and leave their Tents standing to joyn the Duke of Wirtemberg and take up the high ground between Poteghem and Audenarde these Brigades were Commanded by the Count de Nassau and Major-Generals Churchill La Meleniere Miremont and Ellenberg We passed the Scheld at Audenarde the same Morning and the Two Battalions of Scheltinga and Prince Charles of Brandenburgh came out of the Garrison to joyn us The French upon this motion were afraid they were coming to surround them for which reason they immediately left their Camp at Hauterive and Avelghem and marched directly to Courtray where they incamped between it and Harleber but a Party of Thirty Men of the Enemies that had advanced too near Peteghem were all made Prisoners Upon the removal of the French from Hauterive and Avelghem the Army that had passed the Scheld was ordered to halt and to incamp upon the ground where it stood every Brigade to take the most convenient way of incamping for it self About half of the Infantry of the Army had passed the River being now Six Brigades of Foot under the Command of the Duke of Wirtemberg We said above that Count Thian when the Duke of Wirtemberg was commanded before to Audenarde had Orders to come up with his Body from Ghendt and joyn him here He came up accordingly and incamped not far from Audenarde between it and Deinse but upon the March of the French to Courtray and Harleber he was sent back to Deinse where he had left Holles's Regiment for the security of the Pass The 16 th the rest of the Army passed the Scheld at Audenarde and below it upon a Bridge of Boats The Scheld above Audenarde makes a great kind of a Lake which being reduced in a narrow Channel to run through the Town does make the best and the chief defence of it and generally all along between Audenarde and Tournay the banks of the Scheld are low and the ground about it a Morass so that it is not passable by an Army at many places and the passage may be defended with a little opposition The Army marched this day between the Lys and the Scheld the King took his Quarter at Wanneghem our Right made an angle from Cruyshoutem the Elector of Bavaria's Quarter towards Deinse and the Lys our Left stretched out towards the Scheld by Peteghem our Front was covered all along with close ground and Defiles for which reason we could not incamp upon a Line but some Brigades more advanced and some less our Front running between the Lys and the Scheld faced exactly the Enemies Lines which we attacked last year which were not above Three Leagues from our Camp The Enemy upon our incamping did not think it convenient to remain upon the same side of the Lys with us at Harleber but on the 18 th they passed the River at Courtray and incamped with their Right at this place the Dauphins Quarter and their Left at Moorselle towards Menin where they were posted equally to defend their Lines between the Scheld and the Lys and their Towns between the Lys and the Sea but the Marquis de la Valette was posted at Pont de Espieres to defend their Lines towards the Scheld however the French by this motion left the Country open before us and gave us liberty of Foraging to their very Lines The 19 th our heavy Baggage came up to the Camp it had been sent away the 5 th under the Convoy of Brigadier Wynnes Dragoons and a Man of a
the Siege was kept for the Duke of Holstein Ploen Velt-Mareschal General of the States Forces accordingly upon our March from Wouterghem to Rouselar the King ordered the Duke of Holstein to go and Command the Forces to be imployed in the Siege of Huy and Major-General Cohorne who had remained with his Body of which we have already given an account near Ghendt till this time was commanded to march towards Liege The 31 th the Three Battalions of Guards the first of the English Guards the second of Dutch Guards and the third the second Battalion of Scots Guards were ordered to incamp on the other side of the Town of Rouselar towards Ipres to cover the Kings Quarters for the Country being close and Woody made the Enemies Parties very bold The same day Quarter-Master-General Dopf was sent to Dixmuyde to observe the Place he had an Escorte of 600 Men Commanded by Colonel Trelawney at his return he gave His Majesty an account of the Place upon which 't was Resolved to fortifie it The Campagne being now far spent and this being like to be the last Camp before we separated into Winter Quarters the Army had Orders to put down their Tents and to make Baracques or Huts of straw which at this time was to be found in great abundance about this place for no Army had incamped near it for many Years The same day the Prisoner of which we have given an account in the March from Sombref to Nivelle that was taken in one of the Ammunition Waggons with a lighted Match was burnt alive after he had first his Right hand cut off and flung into the fire he was put to the Torture to confess his Ruin and was found guilty by the Court-Marshal of designing to blow up our Powder Waggons I have not yet seen the Copy of the Sentence and so I cannot give a farther account of his Crime and of the Persons by whom he was set on I have only heard that it was the Marquis de Grammont We had such an Accident in the Campagne of 1691. the Evening that we returned from Beaumont to the Camp at Court Sur Heure The thing was undertaken by one of the Dutch Traine he actually set fire to Two Bombs which put the whole Army into an Alarm and if the Gunners had not hazarded themselves very much to fling them out of the Waggons it would in all probability have set all our Ammunion Waggons on fire he underwent afterwards the same punishment at the Camp of St. Gerrard his Right hand was cut off and burnt before his face and was himself afterwards burnt alive with a small fire which he indured with a great deal of constancy The Third an Ensign of King James his Irish Guards left the Enemies Camp and came over to our Army and the same day one Pierce Oliver that had been a Sergeant in the Dragoons of Valencar and Native of Tournay was hanged near the Elector of Bavaria's Quarter He had deferted the Spanish Service and went over to the Enemies where he turned Partisan he was taken Prisoner the day before by a Spanish Party and was hanged the next day for a Deserter The same the Duke of Wirtemburg began the Review of the Infantry and Reviewed this day the Brigade of Guards the next day he Reviewed the rest of the Body of Foot the same day His Majesty went to My Lord of Athlone's Camp under a strong Escorte and and because this close Countrey was hardly ever without some of the Enemies Parties they suprized one of which they made Fifty Prisoners killed some and dispersed the rest The King having dined with the Lord of Athlone returned the same night to the Camp after he had ordered a Detachment of Thirty Squadrons of Horse and some Dragoons to march towards Aeth under the Command of Count Tilly Major-General This Detachment was made to cover Brusselles from the Garrison of Mons which made some Incursions to the very Canal of Brusselles and also to observe the Enemy in case they should make any Detachments towards Huy The same day the Regiments of Hackelem Dedem and Holstein Beck were sent to reinfore the Army to be imployed in the Siege of Huy they were Commanded by Brigadier Dedem and followed the next day by the Regiments of Birkenfeldt Zobel and Sparre and the 6 th by the Regiments of the Rhingrave Holstein-Norbourg Goar and Dumont under the Command of the Duke of Holstein Norbourg Brigadier the Regiment of Lowenhaupt was detached the same Day towards the Canal of Brusselles to secure it from the Attempt of Parties The 7 th the Duke of Wirtemberg's Quarter took fire which began in his Kitchin and the Wind was so high that it presently consumed above Twenty Houses to the Leeward in the Street that goes to Ghendt most of them being covered with Straw but the Duke's Servants had the time to save the best of his Baggage and Furniture for the House so that he suffered no great Dammage by it The same day all the English Horse and Dragoons and all the Cavalry upon English Pay came up to Rouselar from the Camp of Wouterghem under the Command of Monsieur d' Anverquerque and incamped that Night upon the Left between Rombeck and Inghelmonster Wynne's Dragoons that had been sent from the Camp of Mount St. André to Ghendt to get their Horses in better case being now refreshed from the Fatigues they had indured came up to the Camp along with them and the 8 th they were all sent to canton upon the Villages between our Right and Dixmuyde My Lord of Athlone left at the same time the Camp of Wouterghem and marched to canton the Dutch Cavalry and Dragoons from Nivelle to St John de Lerne upon the Lys between Deinse and Ghendt Major General Ramsay came the 8 th to the Camp with the Two Brigades of Foot under his Command and incamped upon the Left where he flanked it near Rombeck My Lord of Athlone's Camp being thus separated Count Thian was ordered to march from Wacken back to Deinse to fortifie that Place and the government of it during the Winter was given to Brigadier Off arell This Place is situated upon the Lys Three Leagues higher above Ghendt it lyes upon both sides of the River and in a convenient Post to cover Ghendt and part of the Canal of Bruges from the Enemies Parties who before would venture up to the Gates of the Town and besides our Forces now were so numerous that we could not quarter them conveniently in the Frontier Towns and Garrisons for which reason we have fortified several such Posts this Year to inlarge our Quarters and advance them as far as we could towards the Enemy's Frontier The 8th the Dauphine left the Enemy's Camp between Courtray and Menin to return to Versailles by Eight in the Morning he parted from Courtray being saluted by a Triple Discharge of the Enemy's Cannon by Twelve he arrived at Lisle and
was made and that he hoped in a very short time to be Master of the place The Cannon when once we were Masters of the Two Forts did so much annoy the Besieged in the Castle that a Centinel did not dare to shew himself upon the Ramparts of it The 19 th the Army had Orders to Forage all the Churches and Cloisters before us in the Chatellenie of Ipres and to take out the Corn they had there The Town of Rouselar was not spared and the Cloister of the Augustines was Foraged as well as the rest the Country before being the Frontier of the Pajis conquis 't was thought convenient to destroy the Corn and Forage about the Enemies Garrisons as much as possibly we could and the Enemy by our incamping here being kept within their own Garrisons were no less inconvenient to the Country round about They had incamped between Courtray and Menin since the 18 th of the last Month insomuch that though they had agreed with the Chatellenie of Lisle to excuse it from Forage yet we kept them so long here that they were forced to break the bargain and not only the Chatellenie of Lisle was forced to send Forage to the Army but the Towns and Villages much more remote from the Enemies Frontiers were obliged to do the same thing The 19 th day Count Tilly Major-General of the States Forces that had been commanded with a Detachment of Thirty Squadrons of Horse and Dragoons towards Aeth had the misfortune to be taken Prisoner in his own Quarters at Mafle between Aeth and Mons by the treachery of one of his own Domestick Servants who run away to Mons and informed the Enemy of the condition of the Major-Generals Quarters what Guard it had upon it and how it might be surprized who accordingly sent immediately a strong Party of Dragoons that surprized his Quarters made him Prisoner and carried him to Mons This is the same Gentleman that had the misfortune last Year to be attacked by a strong Detachment of the Enemies Horse all of the French Kings House near Tongres where he was posted with Nine or Ten Squadrons of Horse with which he was to joyn our Army he was forced to retreat towards Maestricht with the loss of some of his Baggage and not Count Cerclas now Prince of Tilly as I said last Year by a mistake The 20 th early in the Morning the King left the Army to go by Liege and Maestricht to Loo and so to the Hague in order to repass the Sea His Majesty was attended out of the Camp by the Elector of Bavaria and all the General Officers of the Army and had an Escorte of Fourscore Men out of each Battalion Commanded by the Prince of Anhault Brigadier the Detachment out of the Kings Forces was Commanded under the Prince of Anhault by Colonel Titcomb Lieutenant-Colonels Peyton and Corbet and Major Sabine they conveyed the King to Deinse where a strong Detachment of Horse out of my Lord of Athlone's Forces which were quartered thereabouts attended to conduct the King farther on His way His Majesty passed through the Town of Ghendt incognito and lay that Night at Overmeere between Ghendt and Dendermond and so His Majesty went on His Journey towards Liege good Escortes being laid by relays all along the way The King just at his going out of the Camp had by an Express from the Duke of Holstein an account that the Castle of Huy had Capitulated the 17 th and that the Garrison was to march out of the breach the next Day with Drums beating Colours flying and other marks of Honour but without Artillery to Namur Thus far the account of Huy as we have had it in the Camp but because it has been the most remarkable Action of this Campagne I shall here incert the Journal of this Siege The Journal of the Siege and taking of the Town and Castle of Huy with the several Forts belonging to it by the Confederate Army Commanded by His Highness the Duke of Holstein Ploen Velt Mareschal General of the Armies of the States-General of the Vnited Provinces WE have said above that the King pursuant to the resolutions he had taken of laying Siege to Huy had ordered the Duke of Holstein Ploen from the Camp at Wouterghem to march towards the Meuse with the Body of Foot and Dragoons incamped near Ghendt under the Command of Major-General Cohorne that the Garrisons of Liege and Maestricht had Orders at the same time to be ready to march The Train of Artillery and Mortars and all things necessary for a Siege were ready at Maestricht with Boats to carry them up the River and expected only the junction of the Forces to form the Siege to be sent up to Huy The 5 th Prince Cerclas of Tilly marched out of Liege to possess himself of several Posts in the Neighbourhood of Huy with the Cavalry of the Diocess He was followed the next Day by the Duke of Holstein who was now joyned by the Dutch and Brandenburgh Forces and the Cavalry Commanded by Lieutenant-General de Witz which in going back to the Meuse from Audenarde had marched almost the same way we came to it The 7 th all these Forces being joyned together posted themselves at all the avenues leading to the place and formally invested it Brigadier Swerin passed the Meuse with his Brigade of Foot to post himself on the opposite side of the River to the Town of Huy I refer the Reader for the description of this place to what I said of it in my last Years History I shall only add that the Fort Picard which was then imperfect was quite finished by the French and besides that they had made the Fort Rouge for the greater security of the place When Huy was invested our Army before the place consisted of the Forces following The List of the Confederate Army before Huy Duke of Holstein Velt-Mareschal General Prince Cerclas of Tilly General De Witz Lieutenant-General Heyden Cohorne and Sonsfeldt Major-Generals Swerin Lindeboom c. Brigadiers Dutch Infantry Brandenburgh Foot Brandenburgh Horse Regim Battal Regim Battal Regim Squad Du Thei l 1 Electors Guards 3 Dorfling Dragoons 4 Cohorne 1 Electoral Prince 1 Sonsfeldt Dragoons 4 Lindeboom 1 Prince Phillipe 1 Auspach Dragoons 2 Dutch Infantry Brandenburgh Foot Brandenburgh Horse Regim Battal Regim Battal Regim Squad Swerin 3 Prince Louis 1 Horse-Granadiers 1 Stockhausen 1 Dorfling 1 Grand Musquetiers 1 Friesheim 1 Altholstein 1 Gens d' Arms 1 Ameliswert 1 Denhof 1 Life Regiment 3 Essen 1 Barfus 1 Churprince 3 Churprince 1 Heyden 1 Fleming 3 Prince Phillipe 1 Brand 1 Dorfling 3 Harsolt 1 Lottom 1 Du Hammel 3 Prince Louis 1 Doua 1 Litwits 3 Anhaltdessau 1 Slabendorf 1 Schlipenback 3 Knoring 1 Anhalt 1 Â Â Obergen 1 Hult 1 Â Â Vandermuklen 1 Horne 1 Â Â Battalions 18 Battalions 18 Squndrons 38 Â Â Liege Battalions 4 Â Â We had by this List Forty
wind drove the flame to the Left where it chanced to be advanced forward to the Front of the Dutch Guards or else the fire might have done more mischief in our Straw-Camp which is very dangerous when an Army is thus hutted all along in Straw The 29 th the D. of Holstein-Ploen came back from the Siege of Huy to the Camp to command the Army he was Complemented by all the Generals upon his arrival and the good success he had at Huy the Mareschal de Luxemburgh sent him a Complement of 2 very fine Mules The D. of Holstein at his coming away from Huy dispersed the Troops imployed in the Siege The Baron de Heyden was sent to incamp near Liege by the Ourte which rises in the Pajis de Luxemburgh and passes through the Dutchy of Bouillon and bois d' Ardenne and so falls into the Meuse at Liege Lieutenant-General de Witz was sent with the Brandenburgh Horse and Dragoons towards the Pajis de Luxemburgh to raise Contributions in the Enemies Country and the Dutch Foot commanded by Major-General Cohorne remained incamped by Huy till the Breaches were repaired of which six Battalions and two of the Liege Foot were sent into the Town and Castle to keep a strong Garrison in the place which is now our Frontier to the Enemy The 30 th the Second Troop of Life-Guards commanded by the D. of Ormond and the Third by my L. Rivers marched out of the Camp towards their Winter-Quarters at Breda The French which now wanted Forage very much by their long continuance in their Camp between Courtray and Moorselle made a considerable Detachment to the other side of the Scheld between Mons and Tournay commanded by the Mareschal de Bouflers to subsist them more conveniently there and Major-General Hubert who commanded our Detachment of Horse and Dragoons near Aeth was now marched towards Wavre and Genap It may be the Enemy suspected some design against Charleroy by this motion for which reason the Mareschal de Bouflers was commanded with this Body towards Mons. October 1. All our heavy Artillery was sent to Ghendt and none remained but the light Field-pieces under the Convoy of the Battalion of the Second Regiment of Guards whose Barraques had been burnt for which reason they were now sent to Winter-Quarters at Ghendt and the Regiments of Tettan Salisch and Bieck which marched to Maestricht Colonel Titcomb had this day the same misfortune the Second Regiment of Guards had some days before The 3 d our Bread-Waggons were again set upon by the Enemies Parties and as they made a false attack upon the Center of the Waggons where our Detachment came for relief they had the opportunity to steal several Horses from the Front Our Camp was so far towards the Enemies Frontier Garrisons that Courtray was nearer Ghendt from whence we had our Bread than Rouselar This with the closeness of the ground in our Rear made the Enemies Parties very successful who had all the advantage they could desire for such undertakings But if the Camp of Rouselar was a perfect Wood when we came to it insomuch that any Regiment could not discover the Line upon the Right or Left yet before we parted with it we made it a Plain for above half an English Mile in the Front and Rear The Soldiers cut down the Wood and Hedges to build their Huts and afterwards to burn and make fires withal 'T was really pity to see many fine Trees and stately Oaks cut down and yet these are the least inconveniencies a Country suffers that is the unhappy and miserable seat of War This reflection ought to make us set the greatest value in the World upon our domestick Peace and to let War be any where else whatever it may cost us rather than have it at home and if the mischiefs of War are so great that when David was put to his choice of Punishments for his Sin he chose rather the Pestilence or to be chasten'd by the hand of God than to have a War at home Certainly those are to be look'd upon as the most unnatural monsters in the world who would disturb the Peace of our Government under any pretext whatsoever and yet so much the more when 't is only to satisfie their own ambitious revenge or discontent The 5 th the Regiments that were to be Quartered at Audenarde marched out of the Field to go to their Garrison The 6 th the whole Army began to separate in order to march into Winter-Quarters the Garrisons of Bruges Ostend and Sluys marched away under the command of Major-General Ramsay and all the heavy Baggage of the remainder of the Army was sent away under the Escorte of the Regiments of Noyelles Oxensterne St. Paul and Marquet which marched to Brussels and the next day the whole Camp broke up at Rousetar We had a good Rear-guard to cover our March but the Enemy did not appear to disturb it and so all the Regiments marched towards their several Quarters that had been assigned them The 9 th the Mareschal de Luxemburgh came to view our Camp at Rousclar with the Mareschal de Villeroy and 4000 Horse of the French Kings Houshold 't was supposed his design was to disturb the Quarters of our English Cavalry canton'd about Dixmuyde but my L. Auverquerque gave such Orders for the defence of their Quarters that the Mareschal de Luxemburgh did not think convenient to attack them and so he went back again to his Camp at Courtray to give Orders for the separation of the French Army into their Winter-Quarters which tho' they had been now above 7 weeks in this Camp yet they could not stir from it till our Army had left the field My L. of Athlone marched with the Dutch Cavalry from his Quarters near Deinse towards Ninove to cover the Works we made at this place and Gramont upon the Dender to make them serve for a Winter-Quarter and to lodge our Troops as near as possibly we could to the Enemies Frontiers The D. of Holstein after the separation of our Army went to wait upon the King at the Hague where His Majesty arrived the 13 th from Loo and the General Officers to their respective Quarters where they command The 14 th and 15 th the French Army left the Camp of Courtray to go into Winter-Quarters and the Mareschals of Luxemburgh and Villeroy went away for the Court but the Mareschal of Bouflers staid to take possession of his New Government of Lifle and the French Flanders About the 16 th all the Cavalry and Dragoons left the Villages where they were cantoned to go into their Quarters and Dixmuyde being in a condition of defence not only the English Horse and Dragoons marched into Quarters but the five Regiments that had their Quarters assigned them in the Comerlings Ambacht which had been sent here to forward the Work of the Fortification Count Thian separated his Army from Deinse which was now fortified and Four Regiments
being invaded by the Enemies who last Year were to fear every thing after the loss of the Battel of Landen This is a very different Note from the first and would make but a very ill concert with it Such a thing must make his Subjects sensible either that the state of Affairs is very much altered to their disadvantage or that their King is strangely transported with success Whether this Letter was read or no at the Head of every Regiment I cannot tell but such a Letter has been Published at Paris Because the French made so quick and diligent a March to prevent our passage of the Scheld it has given occasion to several Men who are generally rash in giving their Judgments of things to extol very much the Enemies Conduct in this Occasion and as much to blame our own without examining the different circumstances of the one and of the other What I shall say at present is not to lessen the Wisdom and Conduct of our Enemies or the Commendation they deserve for their March was as wisely contrived and managed with as little loss as the great diligence they used was capable of I shall only shew that considering our circumstances and those of the Enemy 't is no wonder they could make such diligence as to get before us to defend the passage of the Scheld and it could be no want of Conduct on our Side if they could make so much larger Marches than we as to be able to be there before us for the French had wholly the advantage of the Country on their side From the Meuse to Audenarde we met with no Garrison of ours upon the March but that of Aeth the French they had in their way Namur Charleroy Mons Conde Valencionnes and Tournay and unless when we passed by the Plain of Cambron and the Town of Aeth we marched upon the Enemy's Country but the French still near their own numerous Garrisons From whence the Enemy had this advantage over us for a speedy March that the Boors were all fled to their Garrisous with their Effects from whence they could not onely get Supplies of Refreshments for their Infantry upon every halt but also Waggons to bring the Baggage the Sick and the wearied Soldiers after them in so much that though their Battalions were not of One Hundred Men each at their coming up to a Camp or Halt yet still by Night all the rest were brought up in Waggons who could not march and follow the Army and the Soldiers Bagagge being carried in the same Waggons they marched only with their Arms so much lighter than ours This is a conveniency the French had and which 't is plain we wanted Besides the French marching by so many of their Garrisons could be supplied with fresh Battalions which had suffered no Fatigues in the Field but could hasten with so much the more ease to the Scheld Another conveniency the French marched without their Baggage which was brought up afterwards by the Waggons of the Countrey who had retired generally to to the neighbouring Garrisons but our Baggage must march with us or be left to the Enemies over whose Country we marched or it must have been sent so far about that we must have laid many more Nights than the French without Tent or Cover The French had no occasion to march with their Artillery being to act upon the defensive They had a sufficient Train ready at Tournay to defend the Passage of the Scheld so that they left their Train in their Garrisons to come up leasurely after them but we were obliged to have our Train along with us and to proportion our Marches to the Fatigues the Artillery Horses could endure or else leave them exposed to the Enemies Garrisons by which we passed The French had another great advantage of the Scheld for when once they were come up between Mons and Condé they could send down by water from Condé to Tournay upon the Scheld any thing that might incumber the March of their Army or any Detachment of Forces which they thought sufficient to oppose our passage of the Scheld till they themselves could come up they sent this way the Brigade of Guards according to their own account and may be more which sail'd down the River night and day till they had joyned the Mareschal de Villeroy and the Marquiss De la Valette Now any impartial Reader must own these to be great advantages which the French had over us in this March and such as may very well equal the difference there was between the way the French had to go to the Scheld and we which at most cannot amount to one part in three which the Reader may observe if he will be pleased to consult the Map Nothing can be alledged against our diligence but the Halt we made at Sombref the 9 th but of that we have given an account above And at last these who so willingly pass their Judgments upon the Conduct of our Army don't know whether their was at bottom any other Design but to bring the French from the Meuse to the Scheld to make room for the Siege of Huy whith as it shall hereafter appear was a place of great consequence to us and if it was so then the French by their speedy March helped our very Designs instead of opposing them Or if the French would keep a Body near the Meuse for the conservation of Huy then that would have made way for some Siege in Flanders because the French were not able to act defensively on both sides Whatever was the design it appears that we did what we could to make the French believe it was upon Flanders because upon our March from Mount St. André Major-General Cohorne was commanded from Liege with Twelve Battalions and Six Squadrons of Liege-Dragoons to march by Brusselles towards Ghendt This was sufficient to give the French the Alarm in Flanders and accordingly they left Huy open to a Siege rather than leave their Countrey in Flanders exposed to an Invasion Thus I have endeavoured to state as justly as possibly I could the account of this great March which has made so much noise in the World and in which the French have so much applauded their diligence I shall now return to both the Armies which we have left on both sides of the Scheld Our Army as we said before had incamped the 14 th with the Right near the Scheld the Elector's Quarter upon the Right at Chastelet and the King 's at Cordes The Dauphine having passed the Scheld this Day at Tournay could not be hindred of the Camp of Courtray and besides the Evening proved so bad that though we would then have endeavoured to have passed the Scheld at Hanterive yet we could not The next day the Army was ordered to march towards Audenarde We came at Escanaffe in presence of the French Army incamped with the Right at Hanterive and the Left at Avelghem all along the Scheld though I