every Brigade in the Army with a proportionable number of Men being commanded to guard it and Orders were likewise given this Evening for the Army 's marching the next day The Army marcht to Meldert making our way towards the Mehaigne as well in order to joyn the Elector of Brandenburgh's Forces and those of the Bishop of Liege under the Command of Baron Fleming Velt-Mareschal General to his Electoral Highness and of Count Cerclaes of Tilly the Bishop of Liege's General which Junction the French Army could otherwise have hinder'd if we had marcht the direct Road to Namur these Forces coming from the Paiis de Juliers and that of Liege so that the French would have remained between them and us As also because the French Army had destroy'd all the first Forrage about Gemblours where they incamp'd for a considerable time This Day His Majesty by a Second Express which came to him upon the March receiv'd the Particulars of our Sea-Engagement together with the Account of Admiral Russel's having burnt Thirteen Men of War at the Hogue and Sir Ralph Delaval the Royal Sun and his Two Seconds at Cape Wyke which good News His Majesty was pleas'd to order those about the Court to disperse about the Army that Day which was likewise confirm'd to Prince Vaudemont in several Letters from France to the Princess his Wife Daughter to the late Duke of Elboeuf of the House of Lorrain The Army having decamp'd from Meldert marcht to Lissam where the King first form'd the Corps de Reserve ordering in the March Twelve Squadrons and Six Battalions to encamp in the Rear of the Line which at that time cover'd His Majesty's Quarters at Lissam this Corps de Reserve as I have now said consisted of Twelve Squadrons of Horse and Dragoons and Six Battalions viz. Churchil Bath Saxe Gotha Two Battalions Friesem and Anhalt this Body was then put under the Command of Count de Lippe the Landtgrave of Hesse's General who before the opening of the Campaigne upon the Rhine had come to offer his Service to His Majesty as a Voluntier who had Baron Wartensteben for his Lieutenant-General and for Brigadier the Prince of Anhalt This Day we were joyn'd by the Brandenburg and Liege Forces about 14000 strong under the Command of Baron Fleming and Count Cerclaes of Tilly for which reason the Army made a motion to bring them within the Line as also the Spanish Forces under his Electoral Highness of Bavaria which hitherto had made a Camp apart marching still as we did and incamping at a small distance upon our Right the Army therefore to bring these Forces within the Line mov'd towards the Left In this motion we could perceive that the French Army under the Command of Mareschal de Luxemburg was marching towards the Mehaigne as well as we by the great Dust it rais'd in the Air it being now dry and hot Weather thus by the joyning of these Forces our Line of Battle was form'd we being computed about Fourscore thousand strong the King commanding the Main Body the Elector of Bavaria the Right Wing and Prince Waldeck the Left and Orders were given for our marching the next Day without Quarter-Masters to go before and mark out our Camp we being then too near the Enemy We marcht on towards the Enemy and about Two of the Clock in the Afternoon we came in sight of one another the Mehaigne remaining between us our Left Wing which in this March had the Van being something more forward than the Right of the French Army upon our coming near the Mehaigne we immediately possess'd ourselves of all the Posts upon the River so far as our Lines reach'd in order to pass it over as soon as the Bridges could be made But the French on the other side were possess'd of two Villages about a quarter of a Mile from the River which were surrounded with strong Hedges and Thickets between which Villages was a small Plain not half a Mile broad where several French Squadrons had advanc'd themselves coming very close to the River-side but we having rais'd a Battery of Cannon on our side we soon dispersed them and oblig'd them to retreat to their Body which kept out of Cannon-shot at the same time we planted Batteries of Cannon at all those Posts upon the River as we had possess'd ourselves of placing an Officer and a proportionable Guard at every Post by which means we were so far Masters of the River that the French Soldiers could not come for a drop of Water The King during this Camp took his Quarter at Villeer otherwise Ville an old rotten Village not far from Hannuy a decay'd Market-Town surrounded with ruinated Ramparts in the Evening His Majesty gave Orders for the building of Bridges over the Mehaigne in order to pass it the next Day to attack the Enemy the Picquet-Guard of the Army being drawn out to cut down Trees and Timber and such other Materials as they could find in the Woods Barns or Houses fit for that purpose every Regiment as they stood first and second in the two Lines being to build a Bridge for to go over that thus the whole Army might pass the River in a Front and at the same time Tho' things were so well dispos'd to attack the Enemy the next Day yet this glorious Undertaking was soon hinder'd by the great Rains that begun that very Evening this being St. Medard's Day it being an observation among the People of this Country that when it Rains upon this Day it holds more or less for the Forty Days following which prov'd not altogether false this Year for whilst we were incamp'd in this place for eight Days together it rain'd almost continually the Wind blowing at the same time very boisterously which quickly swell'd this little River so that though it be very deep and pretty high Banks yet it soon overflow'd the neighbouring Meadows so that as we could not keep our Bridges over the River so at the same time the ways by the excessive Rains became impracticable for our Cannon This River Mehaigne has its Spring about Gemblours a Mile or so W. N. W. and is there but a little Brook as a Man may very easily leap over but by the help of several other little Brooks which fall into it particularly from that side of the River which lies towards Namur after a course of four or five Miles it makes a very deep tho' narrow River and at length falls into the Meuse about a League higher than Huy The Left of our Line in this Camp reach'd as far as Lattine within five Miles of Huy which being flank'd by the Corps de Reserve the General Count de Lippe had his Quarter in this Village From this Village as far as the Meuse the Mehaigne runs between very steep Hills which renders it impassable below this place as the Meuse lies between Namur and Liege The Line of our Army extended itself from this
Village very near six Miles upon the Right having left a Bottom empty behind a rising Ground where our Troops could not have been seen from the Enemies Camp therefore to make our Line appear the longer to the Enemy we left in this place an Interval in the Second Line which prov'd almost between the Body of the Army and the Left Wing of Horse by this Method the Left of our Line outwing'd considerably the Right of the French Whilst the two Armies were thus facing one another the Mehaigne lying between us abundance of Deserters came daily from the Enemies Camp sometimes Two or Three hundred a Day not only Forreigners as Suissers Germans and Montferrins but a great many of their own Native Troops all complaining of a general want of Forrage and Provisions in the French Camp for they had laid so long already about Namur that they had consum'd most of the first Forrage and their Provisions coming to them from Mons Maubeuge and Philipville and Dinant they were daily molested by Parties from the Garrison of Charleroy so that they could not come but very seldom and that under the Escorte of very strong Convoys We were likewise told That the Mareschal de Luxemburg to make his Army the greater and in a condition to oppose ours drew out all the Troops that were in the Lines at Namur relieving the Lines of Circumvallation and Trenches from his own Army from time to time the Left being not far from Namur so that tho' our Army was so strong and numerous yet Luxemburg out-did us in number As for our side very few Deserters went over to the Enemy whether it was that we so master'd and commanded the River that they could not pass or their own inclinations that kept them in their Duty for deserting is a very common thing on both sides when Armies are near one another Whether it was true or not that Provisions were so scarce in the French Army however they soon had plenty by the surrender of the Town of Namur which was yielded to the French during this Storm of Rain and windy Weather which had hinder'd us from doing any thing for its Relief and before they were oblig'd to it by any stress of their Condition but the commanding Officers thinking that they could make a longer Defence in the Castle if they did not harrass their Forces in the defence of the Town were induced by this Consideration to deliver it to the French and to withdraw all the Garrison in the Castle for its defence the Condition upon which the Town was surrender'd to the French was that a kind of Neutrality should be observ'd between the Town and the Castle whilst the French attack'd the letter place that is that the French should not annoy the Castle from the Town nor the Besieg'd to do any prejudice to the Town from the Castle The yielding of this place prov'd at last the loss of the Castle for tho' the Besieg'd might be in a better condition to make a vigorous defence in the Castle by yielding the Town yet that depriv'd us even of a possibility of doing any thing in which we could expect success to relieve the Castle whereas the relieving the Town was not a Work so difficult but might have been done by our Troops who all shew'd a very great eagerness to be with the Enemy for whilst the French besieg'd the Town they had very large Lines of Circumvallation to keep which were likewise commanded by several Eminencies about the Town which they must either yield to us if we had attempted to raise the Siege or defend with their own Troops which would have lessen'd the Number of the Enemies Army we should have had to engage and if we had beaten the Siege must have been rais'd of course so that by yielding of the Town Luxemburg had all those Troops which were employ'd in the Lines at Namur to reinforce his Army which now cover'd the Siege of the Castle where the French King was in Person to Command taking his Quarter at the Abbey of Salsen upon the Sambre The Castle of Namur being built upon that Nook of Land which is made by the meeting of the Sambre and the Meuse is a Fortification consisting of three parts within one another going up from the meeting of the Rivers till you come to the Descent of the Hill on the other side which makes almost the Figure of Three Horn-works within one another Towards the Sambre lies an Eminency or little Hill which because it was so near the Castle that it could be very prejudicial to it in case of a Siege Colonel Coehorne commanding a Dutch Regiment in this Garrison fortify'd it lately with a Horn-work which was called William's Fort or the Coehorne and brought it within the Communication of the Castle by a cover'd way beyond all this towards the Boys de Marlagne lay a kind of Redoubt or Block-house call'd the Devil's House that side of the Castle which lies upon the Mues being a meer Precipice is liable to no Attempt upon that side either for taking or relieving of it Much about the same time Count de Lippe the Landtgrave of Hesse's General and Lieutenant General Baron Wartensteben left the Command of the Corps de Reserve to go to their proper Command upon the Rhine the Confederates beginning now to take the Field there and making two separate Bodies the one commanded by the Landtgrave of Hesse and the other by the Marquess of Brandenburgh Barieth Count de Lippe having left the Corps de Reserve Brigadier Iselsthein had the Command of it Prince Waldeck being indispos'd went from this Camp to Maestricht whereof he is Governour being but six Leagues from this place The Army march'd this day upon the Right as far as Perteys the King taking his Quarters at Ramely otherwise Ramey and our Left extending it self to the Pass of Brancon upon the Mehaigne the French marching at the same time on the other side of the River halted with us to form their Camp on that side of the River When we came both to our respective Grounds the Left of our Army and more particularly the Corps de Reserve which was just upon the Pass of Brancon which it had upon the Right slanking the Left of our Line was almost within Masquet-Shot of the Enemy's Right but when they came to pitch their Camp they retreated considerably towards a Wood that was in their Rear His Majesty coming this Evening to view the Lines found the Infantry of the Corps de Reserve too much expos'd to the Enemies Canon particularly Brigadier Churchill and the Earl of Bath's Regiments which were encamp'd just upon the very River side order'd them to decamp in the Night and to march on the other side of the Grand Causey which they had just upon their Left this being a Causey-way that goes as 't is said from Cologne by Maestritcht to Mons and Cambray and so to Paris This Causey-way being
left behind by order at the Camp at Hall About Nine or Ten in the Morning our Vanguard came to the Advanc'd Posts of the Enemy the Mareschal of Luxembourg as the Paris Account gives it having been informed of our Design by Monsieur de Tracey who commanded a Detachment of Horse that Night between the Enemies Camp and ours had taken care to possess himself of the most considerable Posts in the Defilés but notwithstanding our Vanguard oblig'd the Enemy to retreat from them all till they came to a little Wood just upon the Right of the Enemies Camp except a small Guard in a Village upon the Left of our Columns almost a League from the Enemy's Camp who upon the March of our Army were all made Prisoners of War their number about Thirty Men and an Officer Between Ten and Eleven of the Clock in the Morning our Advanc'd Guards under the Command of Prince of Wirtemberg lodged themselves in the Wood that fronted the Right of the Enemy's Army the Danes and the Battalion of Guards taking their Post upon the Left in the Wood and Sir Robert Douglas Fitzpatrick's and O Farrel's upon the Right of them on the other side of the Wood was the Enemy's Camp a little Valley remaining between and a great many Hedges which the Enemy resolved to maintain with all Vigour possible though they yielded so easily their Advanced Posts Prince Wirtemberg planted upon a little Rising on the Left of the Wood a Battery of Canon which began to play about Eleven of the Clock and another upon the Right by Sir Robert Douglas his Battalion Captain Macrackan of the same Regiment who afterwards was killed pointed a Canon from this Battery so successfully that it put a whole Battalion of the Enemies in disorder sweeping almost an entire Rank before it Whilst Prince Wirtemburg was playing upon the Enemy with these Batteries of Cannon the Army marcht up to the Head of the Defile about half an English Mile from the Wood where it open'd in a little Plain upon our Right not above half a League over which terminated upon the Right of the Wood where our Van-Guard was and at the Right of our Army upon several Rows of high Trees which seem'd planted in great order as if 't was the Avenue of some Person of Quality's House which being towards Enghien makes me suppose that they may belong to the Duke of Arschot's House where these famous Gardens be as are said to be the Pattern of Versailles through these streight before us on the other side of the Plain we could see the French Infantry drawn up in two Lines and making towards their Right to defend the Post upon the Wood. Upon the Right of this Plain not far from these Groves and Rows of Trees there was a pretty considerabâ—e Farm which soon after the Engagement was set on fire by the Enemy to cover as 't is said several of their Battalions by the Smoak who were order'd this way and was afterwards engag'd with Fagel's Brigade between this House and the Wood where our Advanc'd Guard was posted From the Head of our Defile upon the Left of the Plain there went for almost half a Mile in length a deep hollow way with high Trees and Hedges upon the Banks of it which reach'd as far as the Wood where the Van-Guard was posted and where it branch'd itself in three other deep ways one going through the Wood upon the Left to the Danes Attack and to that of the Guards one almost streight forwards and the other upon the Right going along the outside of the Wood between these two last was the place where Sir Robert Douglass Col. Fitz-Patrick's and O Farrel's Regiments were posted On the other side of the deep way as went from the Head of our Defile to the Post where was our Van-Guard went several narrow Fields which lay between it all along and a part of the Wood which reach'd as far as from our Advanc'd Guards to our Defiles When the Army was come up to the Head of these Defiles and just entring into the small Plains they were order'd to halt except the English Life-Guards and Horse and Dragoons which were commanded upon the right skirts of the Wood where was our Van-Guard and my Lord Cutts's Lieutenant-General Mackay's Sir Charles Graham's and Earl of Angus's Regiments which being interlin'd with the English Horse were commanded at the same time to the outside of the Wood on this side of that way as branch'd upon the Right which made the Figure of the Arch of a Circle as the skirts of the Wood did here before us these four Regiments were posted here to be ready to second the Attack of our Van-Guard Prince of Hesse's Col. Lauder's and Earl of Leven's Regiments who were also interlin'd with the Left Wing of Horse were likewise posted upon the side of the Wood. Things being thus dispos'd and our Army continuing on the halt Prince Wirtemberg after he had Cannonaded for above two Hours begun the Attack with the Danes upon the Right which was immediately follow'd by the other four English Regiments as compos'd our Van-Guard and seconded by Cutts Mackay Angus Graham Lauder the Prince of Hesse and Leven's Regiments Certainly never was a more dreadful and at the same time bolder firing heard which for the space of two Hours seem'd to be a continu'd Thunder and equall'd the Noise even of the loudest Claps our Van-Guard behav'd in this Engagement to such wonder and admiration that tho' they receiv'd the Charge of several Battalions of the Enemies one after another yet they made them retreat almost into their very Camp so far that the Second Battalion of the First Regiment of Guards possess'd themselves of a Battery of the Enemies Cannon which the Enemy were oblig'd to quit by the vigour of our Charge and Colonel Wacup who commanded the Battalion and who behav'd himself extreamly well in this occasion plac'd a Serjeant and Guard upon it but the French having cut off the Traces and taken away the Horses we could not bring them off but were oblig'd afterwards to leave them Sir Robert Douglass with his first Battalion charg'd several of the Enemies and beat them from three several Hedges and had made himself Master of the fourth where going through a Gap to get on the other side he was unfortunately kill'd upon the spot all the other Regiments performing equal wonder and behaving with the same Bravery and beating the Enemies from their Hedges so far that in this Hedge-fighting their fire was generally Muzzle to Muzzle we on the one side and the Enemy on the other But to return to our Army As soon as we were come to the Head of the Defile it was order'd to halt particularly our Left Wing of Horse that the Foot that were interlin'd with them which were most English and Scotch and which I have before mentioned might march up through the Horse we were oblig'd to this halt tho' it was
the loss of the day because the Ground was so streight and the Enemy had such Hedges Copses and little Woods to cover them that there was nothing to do for the Horse so that when the Van-Guard began to engage they had none but part of the Infantry interlined with the Left Wing of Horse to second them the Body of the Infantry being almost a Mile in the Rear however as soon as the Action began the King made all diligence possible to get the Infantry up ordering a Brigade to march up to the Wood and forming a Line of Battel in the Plain with that Infantry as could come up the Soldiers shew'd such eagerness to come to the Enemy that they ran to the Relief of those as were engag'd even so fast that they put themselves into some disorder which was the reason that they took more time to form their Battalions than was at that time convenient this was the case of those Battalions as were sent to the Wood to the Relief of our Van-Guard so that when they came up our Van-Guard and Infantry of the Left Wing being over-powr'd by the vast many Battalions of the Enemy as charg'd them successively one after another and lastly by the survening of Boufflers's fresh Troops they were forc'd to retreat in great disorder and to leave the Wood in which they had lodg'd themselves entirely to the Enemies possession The Baron of Pibrack's Regiment of Lunenburgers being in great disorder in the skirt of the Wood and the Baron their Colonel lying dangerously wounded upon the place which he got in rallying of his Regiment the Earl of Bath's one of the Regiments that was commanded towards the Wood the other English being Brigadier Churchil's was order'd by Prince Casimir of Nassaw to their Relief two Sergeants of this Regiment rescu'd the Colonel who lay wounded almost in the Enemies hand and brought him off in spight of their fire upon these Orders of Prince Casimir of Nassaw Sir Bevil Granville who commanded the Earl of Bath's Regiment march'd up to the Relief of this Lunenburg Regiment bearing the Enemies fire before he suffer'd any Platton of his Battalion to discharge once by which method the Regiment lodg'd itself in the Trench or deep way that lay upon the skirt of the Wood which it maintain'd till it was commanded off again by the same Prince of Nassaw The King having form'd a Line of as many Battalions as cou'd come up in this little Plain the Enemy upon their Right and our Left of the Wood as wefac'd planted a Battery of about ten Pieces of Cannon to put them in disorder by their fire we at the same time brought another against it and thus continued firing one upon another for a considerable time What mischief we did to the Enemy by our Cannon then I cannot tell but theirs kill'd several of our Soldiers some in the Regiment of Fuzileers and some in the Battalion of the Second Regiment of Guards but the most considerable loss we sustain'd by it was Col. Hodges who was shot with a Cannon-ball at the Head of his Regiment of which he soon after dy'd There was likewise a Skirmish between some of the French and some of our Battalions between the Wood and that Farm which was fir'd by the Enemy but it did not last long what Regiments they were I cannot tell but I suppose they were some of the Dutch interlin'd in the Left Wing of Horse commanded by Brigadier Fagel The Van Guard being thus disorder'd for want of a timely Relief which was occasion'd by the narrowness of the Ground and consequently beaten out of their Post in the Wood Luxemburg being likewise joyn'd by the Marquess of Boufflers's fresh Troops who came time enough to compleat the Defeat of our Van-Guard with his Dragoons and besides the Night drawing on the King order'd the Army to retreat which was done with admirable Order for tho' the French did follow us for some time yet they did not fire a shot such was the order of our Retreat that they did not dare venture upon it the English Grenadiers brought up the Rear and whenever the French mov'd towards us they fac'd to the Right about and presented themselves to the Enemy then the Enemy would halt and so our Rear-Guard then march'd on this halting and facing and then marching continu'd for some time till the Night put an end to the Enemies farther motion And thus the Army came back to Halle on Munday Morning about Three of the Clock We lost in this Action several Pieces of Cannon some taken by the Enemy and some we could not bring off the Horses being tired we likewise blew up some of our Powder-Waggons in the Retreat which we could not bring off some having their Carriages broken and others their Horses tir'd The English lost two Colours and the Dutch likewise some we had about Two thousand Men kill'd and about Three thousand wounded in which number we comprehend the Prisoners taken by the French disabled by their Wounds to come off being about 8 or 900. Of the English and Scotch twelve Battalions engag'd viz. The Second Battalion of the First Regiment of Guards the First Battalion of Sir Robert Douglass's Col. Fitz-Patricks and Col. O Farrel's in the Van-Guard Cutts Hesse Mackay Graham Angus Leven and Lauder interlin'd in the Left-Wing of Horse Of the Body of the Infantry the Earl of Bath's Of the Danes Battalion of Guards the Queen's Battalion Prince Christians and the Finland Battalion Of the Dutch Waldeck Fagel Noyelles Torsey L'Fcluse Nassaw commanded by Colonel Goz. Lunenburgers in the States Service Boisdavid and Pibrac besides Epingers and Fitzhardings Dragoons and the Horse Granadiers who charg'd on Foot Officers killed of Note were Lieutenant General Mackay Sir John Lanier Lieutenant General of Horse mortally wounded who died few days after at Brussels Sir Robert Douglas Earl of Angus Colonel Hodges my Lord Mountjoy who had been two or three years in Prison in France and came upon his Liberty to serve the King as a Voluntier he was killed with a Canon Ball at the Head of Colonel Godfrey's Regiment Lieutenant Colonel Fullerton Foxon Hawley Wacup and Hamilton Major Carre of Angus's Regiment wounded mortally and died soon after Chief Officers wounded my Lord Cutts Colonel Mackay Lieutenant Colonel Eaton Courthop Major Fox of Fitzpatrick's Prisoners of Note Colonel Lauder Lieutenant Colonel Eaton Bristol and Courthop Several Officers of the Danes killed wounded and some Prisoners whose Names I cannot Insert As likewise of the Dutch Lietenant General Tetteau wounded Colonel Goz Commandant of Prince Casimir of Nassaws Guards and Colonel Moor Commandant of Torsey's Regiment both killed This is an Impartial Account of the Business of that Day of which the French notwithstanding their Te-Deum have no great reason to brag All as Impartial Men can say of their Advantage is that we attack'd them in their own Camp and that they repuls'd us though with the greater Loss both of
Account of it to my Lord of Athlone Du Mont gave an Account of this Design much at the same time to the Duke of Zell who likewise gave Notice of it to the King which as it was an Argument of his Sincerity in discovering of it and likewise upon the Duke of Zell's Intercession he was also pardoned The said Du Mont came up afterwards to the Army to give his Evidence upon the Assurance his Highness of Zell gave him of a safe Conduct This Du Mont having given Grandval the meeting at Endhoven not far from Bois-leduc upon Levendael's Discovery my Lord Athlone sent a Detachment of 110 Horse thither who seized both the Prisoners I mean Levendael that discover'd it and Grandval and carried them to Boisleduc to the Prince of Nassaw Sarbruck Governour of the Place Grandval at first made as if he were very ignorant of the matter and altogether innocent but when the Prince of Nassaw Sarbruck ask'd him if he knew one Du Mont at the Court of Zell the other own'd the matter and reply'd That his Life was in his Majesty's Power The French King having at last invested Namur opened the Trenches before the Town attacking of it with all the Vigour imaginable and the Besieged on the other side making a stout Resistance This Town is situated upon the Brabant-side of the Sambre The Castle is very strongly seated upon the Ascent of a Hill which makes a Nook of Land caus'd by the meeting of the Sambre and the Meuse looking towards the Town and opposite to the Castle on the other side of the Meuse as you go up to Dinant is a small Suburb of Old Houses This Garrison was compos'd of Ten Dutch and Brandenburgh Battalions which had been there all Winter in Quarters besides some Spanish Regiments between which there happen'd during the Siege some Discord which forwarded very much as 't is said to the yielding of the Place 'T is very probable that the French King design'd this Siege very early in the Spring if the foul dirty Weather that follow'd the Rigour of the last Winter had not prevented it or even in the Winter it self if it had not been so severe for he had gain'd in his Interest the Baron de Bersé Lietenant Governour of the Place a Gentleman if I may call a Traytor so born in the Franche-Conté and who had been as is reported Forty Five Years in the King of Spain's Service The Inhabitants of Namur rely'd very much upon him and indeed more than the Prince of Brabançon their Governour whom they suspected because a great part of his Estate lay in the French Conquests between the Sambre and the Meuse This Lieutenant Governour was so much trusted that he took care of all the Magazines Provisions and Ammunitions that were in the place and such Care that he left them almost unprovided Whether it was that things were ripe for the Design if a kind Season had seconded it or that he saw that he had gone so far that he could stay no longer in the place for fear of being discovered he took occasion one day to go and visit some Out-posts and by this Pretext got himself intercepted by a Party of the Garrison of Dinant where he was carried Prisoner to cover the Plot but his being so easily perswaded to take the French Service does very plainly prove that his being taken Prisoner was but a Sham. It is said he did very great Service in this Siege in directing the Attacks where he thought they would be must convenient who knew so well the State of the Fortification Upon this Treacherous Governour 's deserting of the Place which gave reason to suspect some Design the Magazines were immediately visited and found in a very had Condition upon which Orders were sent to the Governour of Maestricht to send forthwith a Convoy of all sorts of Ammunition as Powder Ball Match c. and Seven Pieces of Canon which was sent under the Escorte of a very strong Detachment of the Garrisons of Maestricht Liege and Huy and Quarters thereabouts being commanded by Count Cerclaes of Tilly who safely got the Convoy into Namur about the latter end of February or the beginning of March last But to return to our Army Whilst we were incamp'd at Bethlehem the Elector of Bavaria with the King of Spain's Troops lay incamp'd within two Miles of us on the way between Louvain and Brussels which afterwards with his Bavarian Curiassers made our Right Wing of Horse that being still the Elector's Post of Command The King early in the Morning had by an Express the happy News of our Victory at Sea by Admiral Russel over the Count de Tourville the French Admiral which tho' it gave but a confus'd Relation as yet of the French loss and our advantage over them the Express being sent immediately after the French Fleet began to make off yet it was a Victory of such consequence that in the Evening the King caus'd all the English Artillery which had joyn'd us but little before if not that very day to be drawn upon the top of a Hill upon the Right of our Army looking towards Namur the Dutch Artillery was likewise plac'd on the same Hill upon the Left of ours and Orders were given for the drawing out of the whole Army in the Evening to express our Joy for the Victory by the triple Discharge of our Artillery and Small-shot and at the same time to give Notice of it to the French who were very busie in prosecuting the Siege of Namur the Wind standing very fair for that purpose The whole Army in expressing their Joy for this Victory shew'd such an alacrity and eagerness to be with the Enemy to second this great Success of our Fleet and not to be behind-hand with our Maritime Forces that we had all the reason in the World to expect great Matters if they had been set on the Enemy This day we were likewise joyned by the Danish Troops commanded by Prince Wirtemberg consisting of Eight Battalions of Foot and a proportionable number of Horse Col. Earl's Regiment came in likewise the same Day and Orders were given out this Night for our marching the next Morning We marcht from Bethlehem to Park another Abbey on the other side of Louvain as you go to Namur in this March the Second Line mov'd through the First because we marcht upon the Right and fronting another way at Park towards the Enemy The Second Line by this motion remain'd in the Rear when we came to our ground where we halted the next Day in which we were joyn'd by the Bavarian Curiassiers about 1400 strong who took their Post in the Right Wing of Horse immediately upon the Right of the English Foot-Guards The King resolving to use his utmost endeavour to raise the Siege of Namur gave Orders this Day for all the heavy Baggage of the Army as Carts Waggons and Coaches to be sent away to Arschot a Captain of
very high in this place cover'd then very well the Corps de Reserve The French having their Camp in this place upon a rising Ground making a Descent from their Front towards a River and in their Rear towards the Wood made a Motion one Afternoon which made us believe they had a Design to March upon which Orders were immediately given for the drawing out of the Piquett Guard of our Army and the whole Army to be in readiness to march but we found quickly that it was but a Faint their Design being only to retreat on the other side of the Rising Ground towards the Wood to remove their Camp out of our sight that thus they might march when they pleas'd without our Knowledge They left in this Motion Five or Six Squadrons upon their Right facing towards our Camp as if it had been their Rear-guard upon this March Whereupon my Lord of Athlone was commanded with 10 Squadrons to pass the River at Brancon and to observe them being accompanied by the Dukes of Ormond and Richmond my Lords Portland Overkirk Essex Hide Dalkeith c. as Voluntiers Ours and the French Squadrons faced one another a quarter of an hour wheeling sometimes one way and sometimes another But the Earl of Atholne finding that the French Army was encamp'd just on the other side of the Rising Ground did not think it fit to charge the French Squadrons and thus commanded back his Ten Squadrons to our Camp no Act on happening in this business except the firing of a Carabine or two At the same time as Luxembourg made this Motion we observ'd that the French were very silent about the Castle of Namur their Fire having ceased this day which inspir'd us with very different Passions of Hope and Fear of the Sieges being rais'd or the Castle surrendred but we heard afterwards that the reason was because they had chang'd their Attacks upon the Coehorne or William's Fort as it afterwards prov'd in a more successful place The Garrison of Charleroy hearing that a great Convoy of Bread Meal Oxon and Sutlers went from Mons and Maubeuge to the Enemy's Army made a very strong Detachment which fell so successfully upon the Convoy that they took most of the Waggons loaden with Wine Meal and other Provisions and about 150 fat Oxen making a very considerable Booty The French Army having march'd upon the Left towards Gemblours their Right which is made up of their best Troops being then not far from the Right of our Army and the Mehaigne being here very narrow and inconsiderable the King order'd the Infantry of the Corps de Reserve to interline in the Right Wing of Horse under the Duke of Bavaria's Command to re-inforce it A day or two after we heard a very terrible Blow at Namur like a Clap of Thunder and a great Smoak rising afterwards gave us reason to fear the blowing up of some of the Besieged's Magazines This day the Army march'd to Sombref going through the Right of that Ground in which the French had encamp'd the Day before and leaving in this March Gemblours upon the Left Flank of our Columns where a Brandenbourg Trooper shot a French Safeguard that Luxembourg had given to the Abbey of this place which as it was an Infraction of the Rules of War it was reported that his Majesty would send the Trooper to the Mareschal of Luxembourg to punish him as he pleas'd In this March we heard that the French had made themselves Masters of the little Fort call'd the Devil's House We rested at Sombref the next day nothing happening extraordinary This Day the Army march'd from Sombref to Mellé having Fleury upon our Right where the Elector of Bavaria took his Quarter About this time the Coeborne or William's Fort was yielded to the French by a special Capitulation the like may be having been hardly heard of before that an Outwork should make a particular Capitulation for it self which indeed was not very honourable the Troops that were in it being to go to Ghendt but making a long turn thro' most of the Frontier Garrisons as Dinant Philipville Maubuge and Mons as so many Triumphs to proclaim the French Kings Glory Colonel Coehorne being very much indispos'd by his continual Fateigues in the Defence of his own Work refus'd to Sign this Capitulation The Besieged say for themselves in this business That the French having cut off the Communication between this Fort and the Castle they were obliged to make this separate Capitulation For the French finding all their Attacks unsuccessful upon this Horn-work chang'd them upon the cover'd way that made the Communication between the Castle and the Fort and at length after many Assaults they lodg'd themselves between the Fort and the Castle and forc'd by this means the Coehorne to surrender We made a considerable Detachment from our Army to cover our Foragers who went about Tresigny on the Sambre and we made this Detachment so much the stronger that the next in which we had some other Designs than to cover our Foragers should give no suspicion to the Enemy Captain Luke of Brigadier Churchill's Regiment being in this Detachment had the Misfortune to be taken Prisoner he was posted with a Guard upon the Wood in which it seems there was a French Party who beat both the English and Scotch March as if they had been some of our own Detachments One of their Soldiers came and when he was challeng'd by the Sentry he desir'd in English to speak with the Officer Whereupon Captain Luke coming to him he was thus drawn in an Ambuscade that made him Prisoner just by his Guard and was afterwards carried to Namur This Evening we heard a great Firing in Luxembourg's Army the meaning whereof we soon suspected that it was for the Surrender of the Castle of Namur which capitulated this day very early in the Morning Capitulation of the Castle of NAMUR June 20 30 1692. Articles propos'd by the Prince of Brabançon in behalf of the Garrison and Inhabitants I. THat His Most Christian Majesty shall maintain the Burgers and Inhabitants in all their Priviledges II. That the Prince of Brabançon shall have twenty four hours time to let the Elector of Bavaria know the State of the place after which time if he is not reliev'd he shall deliver one of the principal Ports to the King's Troops III. That he shall have two days time to put the Garrison in a readiness to evacuate the place IV. That the Garrison compos'd of Walloons Spaniards and Brandenburgers shall leave the place the Infantry to march out of the Breach Drums beating c. and to be conducted the nearest way to Louvain under a sufficient Escorte to secure them from all Insultations and Hostilities V. That the Garrison shall have granted them a sufficient Number of Waggons of six Horses each for the carrying away their Baggage Effects and all other Equipage VI. That those Effects shall not
Douglas himself and the Party that made him Prisoner and they came to Town between Three and Four in the Morning Sir Robert Douglas and the other two Prisoners being come to Mons were treated with a great deal of Civility the Governour coming himself to give them a Visit and took them afterwards with him in his Coach to Dinner after he had given them the Liberty both of their Swords and the Town but they could not make much use of the latter by reason they were so much taken up in the Civilities of the Governour Intendant and Major that they had scarce time to see it but yet they saw enough to find that the Garrison was not in that case as had been represented that there was but two Swisse Companies in the place and five or six French Regiments that it was true that whilst we were upon the Mehaigne the Garrison had been weak but re-inforc'd upon our March to Mellé Whilst we were in this Camp six or seven days before we left it our heavy Baggage which we had sent to Arschot from the Camp at Park came to us under the Convoy of a Detachment of Horse and Dragoons that had been sent for that purpose The Corps de Reserve was order'd to march to Genap to guard the Train of Artillery which was sent before because the ill Weather which continued hitherto had made the ways so bad that 't was impossible for the Army and Artillery to march in the same day The whole Army follow'd the next day and incamp'd in the little Plains of Genap a very difficult and therefore strong Ground by reason of the Woods that are upon the Right and Left and the Bois de Sogne in our Rear and the Ground itself very unequal by reason of the many little Hills that are in some places very steep as we had in this Camp the Bois de Sognes in our Rear so we had the little River Dyle in our Front which rising something higher than this place goes through Genap and so to Louvain and Macklen and at length falls into the Scheld The King had his Head-Quarter at Genap our Right reaching to the Castle of Bromel where the Elector had his Quarter and was flank'd by the Corps de Reserve which fac'd thus to the Duke of Bavaria's Quarter the Left of the Army reaching to Boutauneuf At the same time as the Army march'd from Mellé to Genap Baron Fleming with the Brandenburg Forces and Count Cerclaes of Tilly with those of Liege were sent back to pass the Meuse to cover the Paiis de Liege which now lies quite open to the Enemy since the taking of Namur however by the Junction of the Newbourg Troops and those of the Elector of Cologne which were sent to joyn Fleming the Bishop of Liege's Country hath been so far secur'd that the French have not been able to undertake any thing in it and that we have possess'd ourselves of all the Winter-Quarters there by which means we shall be able to put Huy the next Garrison upon the Meuse in a good posture of defence against the next Campaign This day His Majesty took a Review of the Fifteen English Battalions of the Army in the Elector of Bavaria's Presence with which his Electoral Highness as well as His Majesty seem'd to be very well satisfied The English Battalions were Two of the First Regiment of Guards One of the Second Two of the Dutch Guards Churchil's Trelawney's Fufileers Bath's Hodges's Fitz-Patricks Castleton's Earl's Cutt's and the Prince of Hesse's Sir Robert Douglas came likewise to the Camp this day having his Liberty by paying his Ransom as likewise Col. O Farrel and Captain Sterling having been but three days Prisoners if Gentlemen can be call'd so when they were treated with so much Civility by the Governour of Mons and the Intendant of the place The next day His Majesty review'd the Danes and other Forreign Forces upon the English Establishment This day a Detachment was order'd of ten Regiments and a proportionable number of Horse under the Command of Count Horne General of the Dutch Artillery who march'd to Brussels and from thence to the Pais d' Alost and so to Ghendt where he incamp'd for some time just out of the Town towards the Canal of Bruges till we came to the Scheld this motion was made as is suppos'd to secure the Forrage of this Country for the latter end of the Campaigne This day likewise in the afternoon His Majesty in the Elector's Presence review'd the Scotch Infantry which consisted of ten Battalions viz. Two of the Guards two of Sir Robert Douglass's Lieutenant-General Mackay's Sir Charles Graham's Col. O Farrel's Earl of Angus's Earl of Leven's and Col. Lawder's most of them appearing very strong and full After that the French King had made himself Master of the Castle of Namur Luxemburg who with the Army under his Command had observ'd us to hinder our doing any thing for its Relief pass'd the Sambre not only to consume the Forrage there but also because we lay between him and Mons and therefore it was necessary that he should pass the Sambre to get between Mons and us where after he had incamp'd some time at St. Gerard and some other place he repass'd the Sambre above Charleroy at Bussiere and came to Soignes not far from Mons. We being to forrage this day the French made a Detachment from their Army to molest our Forragers thô others say that it was Boufflers who with his Camp volant was going back to repass the Sambre to observe Fleming whatever it was an advanced Detachment of theirs of about forty Men falling unawares amongst part of our Detachment that covered the Forragers who thereupon were all taken Prisoners their Design was discover'd and the Forragers were all immediately order'd to return home empty most of them not having yet forrag'd and those that had had Orders to fling down their Trusses to remove the quicker out of the Enemies way Notice being given of this to His Majesty he immediately got on Horseback and order'd the Pickquet of the whole Army to be drawn out under Arms and to Rendezvous at the Hermitage on the other side of the River Dyle to be ready to second our Detachment that guarded our Forragers in case they had met with the Enemy but nothing else happening they return'd home The French Parties were indeed very busie this Camp because of the Woods that lay particularly upon our Right where they could come and shelter themselves so that very often we had Horses taken by them grazing just by our very Camp but once we having Notice that one of their Parties lay in a Wood just by our Right not far from the Elector of Bavaria's Quarters a Detachment was made from the Corps de Reserve to go and clear the Wood of them 't is very probable that they had all been taken Prisoners for when we had discover'd them and that
we came near them they all cry'd Quarter but the Germans firing immediately upon them that dispers'd them so up and down the Wood and Thickets that they made their escape The Elector of Brandenburg having removed his Court this Summer to Cleves to be nearer his Forces te give them such Orders as he thought convenient pass'd the Meuse at Roermoade and came as far as Vrecklen not far from Louvain to conser with His Majesty upon the present State of Affairs where His Majesty went to meet him about the middle of this Month being guarded by a strong Escorte of Horse and Dragoons After the Conference the King return'd to the Camp at Genap and the Elector went to view his Forces that were now incamp'd on the other side of the Meuse near the River Outre not far from Liege and afterwards his Electoral Highness having pass'd by Maestricht return'd to Cleves Much about the same time the Elector of Bavaria went to Brussels having a very strong Escorte all along the way that goes thro' the Bois de Sogne to Brssuels this Wood being generally very full of French Parties and more particularly at this time that they expected the Duke of Bavaria's going to Brussels to the Procession of the Bloody Host where the Governors of the Spanish Netherlands are still us'd to assist This bloody Host is kept in the great Church of Brussels it was stabb'd by a Jew as they say in contempt of our Saviour and immediately there fell from it some Drops of Blood which remain upon the Host to this day The Elector return'd the same day in the Evening after the Procession to Brussels having as is said escap'd many dangerous Ambuscades in this Bois de Sognes by his quick and speedy Riding This day the Army decamp'd from Genap and made a great March as far as Nostredame de Hall having passed by Nivelle the Abbey of Bois Seignerer Isaac and a very bad Defile at Brain le Chateau it rain'd also most part of this day which made the ways very difficult and deep particularly for the Rear of the Army by this long March which lasted from Morning till Night we assur'd ourselves of the Camp at Halle where otherwise the French might have been before-hand with us and thus have hinder'd by possessing themselves of this Pass the Subsistence of our Army in this unforrag'd Country and afterwards in Flanders We encamp'd this day our Right upon the Senne our Corps de Reserve flanking it and fronting towards Halle and our Left extended itself as far as Brain le Chateau we pass'd this day through the Ground that was mark'd for the Hanouer Troops to encamp that day they marching up in all hast to joyn us The next day the Army pass'd the Senne in several Columns one with the Corps de Reserve going through the Town the others upon several Bridges of Boats that were laid above it the King took his Quarters at the Castle of Lembeck and the Elector in the Town of Halle a place famous for the Devotions made to an Image of our Lady given about Four hundred Years since by Elizabeth Queen of Hungary and a Daughter of the House of Flanders which as the Legend of it pretends hath wrought abundance of Miracles Pictures being hung all about the Church that represent them but none of later date than the Fifteenth Century I don't know whether 't is because it has not that Faculty at present or whether the Reformation has not put a stop to several of their pious Cheats This Church is of late given and impropriated to the Jesuites that have a very pretty little Colledge by it The Town of Halle when we had pass'd the Senne and pitch'd our Camp remain'd in the Rear of our Right Wing of Horse where the Hanover Troops afterwards took their Post In this Camp likewise the Infantry of the Corps de Reserve was commanded in the Body of the Army Brigadier Churchill's and the Earl of Bath's Regiments taking their former Posts amongst the English We were likewise joyn'd this Day in the Afternoon by the Hanover Troops computed to be between 7 and 8000 strong Horse and Foot and all very fine and gallant Troops particularly the Horse of his Highnesses Guard of which there was two Troops the one upon Grey and the other upon Bay Geldings which being very well accouter'd and incomparably well mounted made a very fine and martial shew His Troop of Dragoons du Corps did almost equal his Life-Guard in fineness and goodness of Equipage and in their Horses The next day we were also joyn'd by two English Regiments of Horse namely Colonel Langston's and the Marquess de Ruvigny now Lord Gallaway the first of the two was afterwards some few days after the Engagement at Steenkirk broke into our other Regiments to augment their Complement the Officers being remov'd according to their Posts into those Vacancies as were in other Regiments and what remain'd being allow'd Subsistence till they are provided for the same way in the Evening Orders were given out for Six Battalions to be ready to march an hour before day and to parade at the Head of Prince Waldeck's Regiment The Battalions were the Second of the first Regiment of Guards the first of Sir Robert Douglas's Col. Fitz-Patrick Col. O Farrels a Battalion of the Danish Guards and the Queens Orders were likewise given for Seventeen Men of each Battalion in Churchill's Brigade to be ready at the same time and place and to be commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Manwayring their business being to make the ways through the Defilés they were all to receive a Ducat a Head for their Labour and as they were to joyn with the Vanguard in time of business they carried their Arms with them as well as Hatchets and Spades All this Detachment was to be commanded by the Duke of Wirtemberg as the Vanguard of our Army Orders were likewise given for the whole Army to march very early in the morning the General to beat at break of Day and the Army to be ready to march at Sun rising All these Preparations were in order to attack the French the next day in their own Camp at Enghein who the same Day as we march'd from Gennap to Hall decamp'd from Soignes and made all haste to Enghein lest we should get that Ground from them and thus oblige them to get farther to their own Conquests Luxembourg's Right being at Steenkirk and his Left at Enghien he took his Quarters at Hove According to Orders the Six Battalions paraded at the Head of Prince Waldeck's Regiment and the Detachment of 17 Men per Battalion of Churchill's Brigade and received the Commandment of Prince Wirtemberg and very early in the Morning the whole Army followed them making their way to the Enemies Camp through nothing but Defilés being close Ground all the way and no other way but such as was made by our Detachment for that purpose the Baggage being
to hold a Garrison for Winter-Quarters It is about the bigness of Ostend and has in it a Parish-Church a Collegiate Church of Secular Priests the Dean whereof is a French-man two Cloysters of Nuns one of Capucins and an Abbey of White Monks of Premonstré or the Order of St. Norbert and is in the Diocess of Ipres Lieutenant-General Talmash with the Detachment under his Command march'd from Newendam and came to Furnes in Dutch called Vuernes and encamp'd close by it and a day or two after the Boars that had been summon'd about Ghendt and Bruges with their Spades and Shoovels and other Instruments to remove the Earth and had been commanded hither began to work about the Fortifications being about 2 or 3000 Col. Cambon being Engineer nothing new was added to the Fortifications but only we renewed those Works as the French had ruin'd when they left it the beginning of this Campaigne The Duke of Leinster came likewise with the Transport-Troops and encamp'd at Oost Dunkirk about a Mile from Talmash's Detachment and at the same time he was joyn'd by a Detachment from the great Army of about thirty Squadrons of Horse under the Command of Brigadier Boncourt so that now we made a Body of about Sixteen thousand Men besides the Garrison of Furnes We made Detachments and Parties almost every Night towards Dunkirk but without meeting any of the Enemy's and assoon as we had put the Body of that place in a condition to hold an Assault pallisadoed it and cleans'd the Ditch we left the Boars to repair the rest of the Works under the cover of the Garrison we likewise left some Artillery to put upon the Ramparts and so march'd to Dixmuyde the Battalion of Guards Selwyn's and the Fuziliers and some other Regiments having been sent over Night to possess themselves of the place which was put per Interim under the Command of Brigadier Ramsey Upon our March the Fort of Knock fir'd three Pieces of Cannon suppos'd to give Notice to the French of our march that way This is a little square Fort scituated upon the River that comes to Dixmuyde about a League and a half and is very advantagiously posted upon a considerable Pass between Ipres Dixmuyde Furnes Berg and Dunkirk the Canals between Ipres and those places meeting all here so that the taking of this Fort would have cut off the Communication between Ipres Berg and Dunkirk and would have cover'd very much our Garrison of Dixmuyde which did lie now very open by the Neighbourhood of this Fort. 'T was suppos'd we had a Design to attack it since our Train of Artillery Mortar-pieces and other things necessary for an Attack were brought by Water from Newport to Dixmuyde and that my Lords Portland and Auverquerque were sent from the King to the Duke of Leinster here which looked like a Consultation about some considerable Enterprize Besides Col. Cambon our Engenier was sent to view the place under the Escorte of a good Detachment of Horse The Fort fir'd upon them with their Canon but without any loss on our side But the French upon our March this way soon made a considerable Detachment from their Army to cover this place who encamp'd close under the Fort. When we came to Dixmuyde we encamp'd just by it in two Lines having our Right at Caeskirk where the Duke of Leinster had his Quarter our Left upon the Town and our Rear cover'd by the River Tser upon which this Town is scituated and which falls into the Sea at Newport This Town since the growing Power of France has suffer'd many Revolutions it was first taken for the French as I have been told by some ancient People of the Town by the Mareschal de Rantzaw before the Siege of Dunkirk and surrendred afterwards by Treaty to the Spaniards It was then of a far larger Extent than 't is now For in the Wars of 1672. the Count de Monterey then Governour of the Spanish Netherlands caused the Out Parts of the Town to be pulled down to bring it in a more convenient Compass for a Fortification and for a place of Defence and so fortify'd it after the manner as we find it now But sometime after the Spanish Garrison finding themselves very weak and the Enemy not far from them they quitted the Place I was told by the Inhabitants that it was about that time as Luxembourg was besieged All this War the French have had it in their Hands making a Garrison of it every Winter which with Furnes pressed Newport very much the Garrison making their Incursions upon the Canals and sometimes to the very Gates of Bruges Every Summer as they took the Field they pull'd down their Pallisadoes and sent them by Water to Ipres This Town has in it a Parish Church in which there is a Dean and some Secular Canons a Cloister of Recollects and two Nunneries and is in the Diocess of Ipres Just out of Ipres Port was formerly a Nunnery of the Order of St. Bernard which the Count de Monterey caused to be pulled down when he brought the Town in the Precinct of that Fortification it has now and gave the Nuns another Cloyster in exchange for it in Bruges We felt an Earthquake which lasted about two Minutes and shook the Earth very violently it was felt at the same time all over Flanders in many parts of England and France and in other places of Europe We had it about Two of the Clock it caus'd a great Consternation in our new Garrison of Dixmuyde some thinking at first that the French had undermin'd several parts of the Town and were in Ambuscade going to blow them up The same day the Duke of Leinster caused the Army to intrench which was mark'd out by Col. Cambon our Left and Rear being cover'd by the Town and the River Our Retrenchments were drawn from the Bridge upon the River along the Front of the Army and round our Right Wing till they came to joyn the River again Boufflers marching towards the Knock this Precaution was taken in case he would have endeavour'd to interrupt our Fortification of Dixmuyde About as many Boors were immediately upon our coming employ'd to repair the Works of this place as we left at Furnes We did not find the Fortification of this Town so far ruin'd as at Furnes and followed in it as there those Works as the Ruines prescribed without altering or making any new We only made the Ditch next the Body of the place larger to make our Bastions of a better height This Town has five Bastions on that part as is expos'd to an Attack that is from the Windmil between Ipres port and tho River to the Gate as leads to Bruges The West side of the Town is cover'd by the River to which it joyns by a Causey-way that leads to it where it has a Bridge cover'd on the out-side by a good Bastion and the inside with a square Sconce both ditch'd and
Soldiers and considerable Officers on their side If it had pleased God to have given us the Victory we must have been Masters of their Camp and great part of their Baggage whereas the Consequence of the Disadvantage on our side was not nor could not be so And therefore what ever Honour the French may assume to themselves in the Repulse yet it can't be deny'd us in the Attack And indeed the French Officers whatever the Paris Gazette may romance are just in this respect and are not unwilling to give the Honour due to the English and the rest of the Kings Forces who engag'd in this Attempt What Loss the French sustain'd or what Forces engag'd we cannot so just tell the Pavis Gazette says That the whole Body of our Infantry engag'd and insinuates That the French Infantry did the same since it says that it gave that day very good Proofs of Courage though they were not before valued by their Enemies Whether our whole Infantry engag'd as the Account published at Paris as sent to the French King I leave the Reader to judge I am sure none of the Body of Foot engag'd but three of the Four English and Scotch Regiments detach'd upon the Vanguard and the Earl of Bath's Regiment all the rest being interlin'd with the Left Wing of Horse except the Four Danish Battalions But by all the Informations that I could get from Officers who were taken Prisoners and who have been some time in their Hands both at Mons and Valenciennes who relate nothing but what they have had from French Officers above Fifty of their Battalions charg'd that day besides Seven or Eight Regiments of Dragoons Nay their Infantry was so harrass'd by our Fire that they seem'd unwilling at last to come to the Charge so far that the most considerable Princes in the Army of the Blood and others were oblig'd to head them and to lead them on by their Examples and Exhortations in which Action the Duke of Chartres receiv'd a Contusion in the Shoulder the Prince of Conti had two Horses shot under him and the Prince of Turenne receiv'd a Mortal Wound of which he dy'd afterwards at Enghien But the coming of Boufflers renewed their Efforts and his fresh Troops soon put our Vanguard in Disorder who had been sufficiently harrass'd for want of Relief The French lost on their side a Standard belonging to the Dauphin's Dragoons taken by those of Epinger and we made some Captains a Cornet and some other Officers Prisoners They have owned themselves to our English Officers that have been Prisoners amongst them that they have had 9000 Men killed and wounded Of the wounded a vast many dy'd afterwards because our Arms are stronger and carry better Balls than theirs I can't give an Account of their considerable Officers that they lost since I have not seen a List What I can remember of the Paris Gazette are the Prince of Turenne the Marquess Tilladet both Lieutenant Generals kill'd and likewise the Marquess de Bellfords and Collonel Polier There are great many others both kill'd and wounded whose Names I can't remember But before I quit this Relation of the Engagement I can't omit the generous Charity of the Princess of Vaudemont at Brussels I wish that all those of her Communion as the Popes have Canoniz'd had as good a Title to be Saints For the number of our wounded being greater than could be contain'd in the Hospital which the King had at Brussels a great many on the Monday in the Evening were lying with their Wounds up and down the Streets whereupon this excellent Princess moved with a Christian Principle of Charity went in her Coach attended with a great many Flambeaux up and down the Streets to find them out and had them conducted to the great Hall of her Palace where she saw them dress'd of their Wounds her self by her Surgeons she and the Ladies of her Attendance giving Linnen and other Necessaries for that purpose And here she maintained them till they could either be remov'd to the other Hospitals or till they were in a condition to go abroad themselves The Day following the Mareschal de Luxembourg sent a Trumpet in our Camp to give leave to Officers Servants to go to the place of Battel to take care of their Masters Bodies as were kill'd upon the place and likewise to assure that care would be taken of all such wounded Prisoners as they had But Orders were given out in our Army only for Field-Officers Servants to go and bring off the Bodies of their Masters as lay dead upon the place by which means the Bodies of Sir Robert Douglas and Lieutenant Colonel Fullerton were brought off and buried in our Camp at Halle As for my Lord of Angus his Governour went but could not find his Body amongst the Dead nor hear of him amongst all the Prisoners He had a Pass on purpose to go to the French Army to enquire for his Lord. Our Army Forag'd towards Haute Croix and a Detachment of Horse under the Command of Lieutenant General Sgravenmoor sent to cover our Foragers met with a considerable Detachment of French Horse and was oblig'd to retreat The Alarm came quickly to our Army and it appeared immediately under Arms but there was no considerable harm done of either side in the two Detachments This day one Chevalier de Millevoix so called for his Excellency in Singing and a great Master in Musick who by it had got himself to be one of the Elector of Bavaria's Domesticks and was very much consider'd of him insomuch that he had a very good Pension and made a very great Figure was hanged upon a Tree in the Front of our Right Wing of Horse for a Spy and for having given and endeavoured to give Intelligence to the Mareschal of Luxembourg which was intercepted by the Elector The Boor he employ'd bringing two of his Letters one after another to his Electoral Highness and pretending to Millevoix that he had fallen amongst some of our Detachments and had been oblig'd to fling them away His true Name was Jaquet born at Lisle in the French Conquests in Flanders The King being advertised that the French Army march'd from Enghien to Gislenhem the King march'd with all the Army except those had been harrass'd at Steenkirk to charge them in the Rear but the Advertisement having been given too late his Majesty could not overtake them The French decamp'd in great Secresie without any general Beating before or any Beat of Drum upon their March and their Pikes trail'd which sufficiently shews they did not care notwithstanding their Victory for a Second Brush They left all our wounded Prisoners behind them at Enghien who were sent the next day in Carts to Brussels His Majesty this day went as far as Enghien and had full view of the place of Battle of the Enemies Camp as it was before they march'd off and before we engag'd Our Army not being able to
overtake the Enemies Rear returned the same day to Halle We Forag'd this day and the Detachment was put under the Command of my Lord of Athlene who being informed that several of the Enemy lay in Ambuscade in a Wood to steal our Horses he ordered a Party to beat the Wood where Captain Rowland Maikenzy of that Regiment as was Sir Robert Dowglas's now my Lord George Hamilton's made Twenty Prisoners who begg'd very eernestly for Quarter though Orders had been to give none This day the Chevalier de Grandval Knight of Malta Bartholomew Lanier by Name born at Liniere in Picardy was Hang'd Drawn and Quarter'd according to the English Punishment for Traytors in the midst of our Camp for having conspir'd to assassinate the King with Du Mont and Levendael the first having discovered the business as we have said before to the Duke of Zell and the second to his Brother in Holland They were confronted as Witnesses of the Fact which Grandval himself confessed and own'd This Grandval had before kill'd the Mareschal de Humiere's Nephew in a Duel and as there is no mercy in France for such Men he was oblig'd to fly to the Duke of Savoy's Country for shelter where in the beginning of the War he took Service But Monsieur de Catenat finding this Grandval Serviceable to the Duke of Savoy represented it to the French King and desired him to give him his Pardon being assured under-hand that he would quit the Duke's Service if he had it Accordingly upon Catinat's Request Grandval had the Kings Pardon and thus left the Duke of Savoy and came to Catinat's Army where he was immediately preferr'd to be Major of Dragoons and Adjutant General Du Mont having been formerly an Officer in the States Service and disoblig'd I think cashier'd by our King he was resolved to attempt a Revenge by the assassinate of his Sacred Person accordingly he made the Motion to the then Marquess de Louvois and this was designed to be executed in 91. when the King was in the Field either upon the March of our Army or at some other time when the King rid abroad to view some Posts The Marquess de Louvous pitched upon this Grandval to bring the Assassin off who was to command a Detachment of some stout desperate Fellows for that purpose For Louvois thought this Man fit for the purpose since he had been so desperate as to fight a Duel contrary to the strictest Orders of the French King and in which there was no hopes of Mercy and also because he had been so much obliged by the French King in having his Pardon in a case in which the French King had never pardoned before and therefore he lay under some Obligation to undertake this honourable Employment But Du Mont and Grandval missing of their Design that Campaign and the Marquess de Louvois dying some time after it was laid by and Du Mont retired to Hanover Barbesieux however finding this Project in his Fathers Papers would not let it fall but sent for Grandval who accordingly entred into a new Negotiation with Du Mont by Letters at Hanover and took with him a third Associate Levendael at Paris and appointed their meeting to execute their Enterprize at Endhoven near Boisleduc I need not say any more Particulars I refer my self to the Factum printed in several Languages by Authority to let the World know so horrible a Villany and what the French Court will not attempt though it be never so base and unworthy to rid themselves of a powerful Enemy and far more base and horrible than those Designs laid against the Life of William I. Prince of Orange his Sacred Majesty's Glorious Ancestor as this was carried with a Hellish Secresie whereas the King of Spain had by a publick Proscription laid a Price upon the Prince's Life These Traytors were invited to this more than Hellish Conspiracy by the Prospect of vast Rewards promised them both by the late King and Barbesieux as has appeared by their own Confession and Grandval's own Letter to Mademoiselle Juré wherein he desired her to wait upon the Archbishop of Rheins to acquaint him that he had obeyed the Marquess de Barbesieux's Orders at the Expence of his Life My Lord of Athlone General of the Dutch Horse was President at the Council of War where he was Try'd assisted by Sgravenmoor Sir John Lanier and Talmash and Mackay Lieutenant Generals La Forest de Weede Noyelles Zobell Major Generals Churchill and Ramsey Brigadiers But the business of Steenkirk cut off two of the General Officers present at the Council of War before the passing of Sentence so that their Names are not Sign'd in it viz. Lanier and Mackay The Sentence was passed and read Monday the 11 th of August at the Camp at Lembeck and Executed the Wednesday following This day the Army decamp'd from Nostredame de Halle and marched to St. Quinten Lenneck a place remarkable only for the Retrenchments which remain there which Prince Waldeck caused to be made sometime before the Army's breaking up in 1690. and the next day we came to Ninove the first Town in Flanders scituated upon the River Dender which passing by Alost falls into the Scheld at Dendermond The French were at the same time encamp'd between Grammont in Dutch Geersberg and Lessines both upon the same River about two Leagues higher The King took his Quarter in the Abbey of the Town of the Order of Premonstre or St. Norbet and the Elector at a Gentlemans House not far from the Town The Kings Quarter lying something too open in this Camp in the Front of our Army all the English and Scotch Granadiers were order'd to encamp about the King's Quarters to cover it The day before this last March viz. the â—th the Second Battalion of the first Regiment of Guards my Lord Cutts's and the Prince of Hesse's Regiments were sent to Mecklen having suffer'd very much in the late Engagement Three Dutch Regiments who suffer'd at the same time were commanded towards Maestricht All the heavy Baggage of the Army was commanded towards Ghendt under the Convoy of Four Danish Battalions who had suffered at Steenkirk and were ordered there to quarter They were the Battalion of Danish Guards the Queens Prince Christians and the Finland Battalions This was in order to the Armies marching the next day towards the Scheld The Ways being difficult and the Defilés many the heavy Baggage was ordered to Ghendt The next day being St. Lewis's day the Army march'd from Ninove The French at the same time decamp'd from Grammont and Lessines to pass the Scheld as soon as we this being their Patron Saint and reckoned amongst them as a Fortunate day Our Left Flank laid very open all this day's March if they had pleased to attack it but they thought it not convenient and so we came and encamped in very close Grounds at St. Levinus Haltheim a pretty large Village and considerable chiefly for