Hollanders fighting like Lions we took one of their Ships of sixty Guns another was sunk and a third burnt besides there were twelve more of their best Ships so much disabled in their Masts and Riggings that not being able to carry them off they were forc'd to sink and to burn them The Count de Tourville pursu'd them for two days after and would in all probability have destroy'd their whole Fleet if the Wind had not turn'd against him which gave the Enemy opportunity to bring the rest of their Ships into a place of security This disgrace put the Enemies into no small consternation forasmuch as they had flatter'd themselves that they were much superiour to us at Sea and that no body hitherto had been bold enough to dispute with them the Sovereignty of the Sea The Prince of Orange King Willian III. laying the cause of this disaster to the mismanagement of the English Admiral he was tryed and acquitted of what was laid to his charge But whilst the English and Dutch made heavy complaints on both sides laying the loss of the Battle at one anothers Doors the French obtain'd another signal Victory about five Weeks after being the eighteenth Day of August For the Spanish Auxiliaries Defeat of the Duke of Savoy with a good Body of Imperial Troops having joyn'd the Duke of Savoy he took the Field and after several marches and counter-marches encamped boldly within sight of the French Army being cover'd on the Right by a large Wood on the Left by boggy Grounds and having in the Front a small Rivulet Both the Armies were near equal in number that of the Allies being Commanded under the Duke of Savoy by some of their best Officers The Sieur de Catinat Commander in Chief of the French in those parts appear'd the first time in this Campaign at the Head of a great Army He was descended from a Family that ow'd its Off-spring to the Gown but by his many Services render'd himself not inferiour to any of our age that have rais'd their Families by the Sword This wise General having taken a view of and found a passage thro' the Boggs attack'd the Enemy on that side with incredible bravery that their left Wing was brought immediately into confusion the right Wing held it out for some time after but being likewise broken at last a great slaughter ensued most of their Infantry being cut to pieces and their Cavalry sav'd themselves by repassing the River Po leaving the Field and their whole Artillery except one piece of Cannon which was thrown into the River with I all their Ammunition and many Colours and Standards to the mercy of the Enemy Four thousand of them were kill'd upon the spot whereas on our side we had not above an hundred and fifty dead and four hundred wounded Men. The Conquest of Savoy which with some part of Piedmont submitted immediately after to our King was the first Fruit of this Victory For Saluzzas open'd its Gates the very next Day after the Battle The Town and Castle of Suza surrender'd soon after so that we remained Masters of the Field and all the flat Country till the time of withdrawing our Forces for the conveniency of our Winter-Quarters As we had been successful even beyond hopes near the Alps so there pass'd nothing of moment near the Rhine the Germans being very careful in avoiding an Engagement For no sooner had they receiv'd intelligence that the Dauphin had passed the Rhine but they intrench'd themselves so strongly on the other side the River Neckar that it was impossible to force them in their Post or to bring them to an Engagement Thus this Campaign would have prov'd as successful as any since the beginning of the War if the French Troops in Ireland under the Command of the King of England had met with the same success on that side For after the Prince of Orange King William III. Battle fought in Ireland near the Boyne in July had taken a resolution to pass over into that Island in Person to reduce it to his Obedience he gave Battle to the Irish within twenty Days after his arrival near the River Boyne Seven thousand French seconded by the Irish Horse who behav'd themselves very well sustain'd for some time the whole power of the Enemy but the Irish Foot being immediately brought into confusion the rest were entirely routed The loss of this battle put the whole Kingdom into such a consternation that the King of England not thinking himself secure there immediately repass'd the Seas and arriv'd safely at Brest The Marshal and Duke of Schomberg who had acquir'd immortal Glory whilst he was in our King's Service was kill'd in the Engagement His obstinate perseverance in the Calvinism had oblig'd him to quit France and to engage himself in the Service of the Prince of Orange King William III. who also receiv'd a slight hurt About five Weeks after the Battle he besieg'd Limerick The Garrison of the Town consisted of near six thousand French under the Command of Monsieur de Boisleleau Captain of our King's Guards who had after the last Engagement thrown themselves into the Place The Siege was carried on with the utmost Vigour but by the bravery of the Garrison and the help of fresh Supplies brought into the Place together with the scarcity of Forage continual Rains and sickness that had infected the Camp the Prince of Orange King William III. was oblig'd to raise the Siege After his return into England he appli'd all his care to make the necessary preparations for sending a considerable Body of his Troops into Flanders Campaign in 1691. and to appear at the Head of them in Person for fear least some of the Allies might in his absence enter upon a separate Treaty with France He was met at the Hague by the Electors of Bavaria and Brandenburgh by the Landtgraves of Hesse three Dukes of the House of Brunswick Congress at the Hague besides thirty other Princes by the Governor of the Spanish Netherlands the Emperor's Envoy those of Spain and several other Electors and of the Duke of Savoy and all the General Officers who were at this Council of War to concert measures concerning the operations of the next Campaign But whilst they spent their time in debates they receiv'd the unexpected News that the City of Mons had been invested by the French on the fifteenth of March and that the King was expected in the Camp by the twentieth or one and twentieth of the same Month. This sudden News like a Thunderclap dispers'd the whole Congress Most of the Princes there present return'd straightways into their respective Countries either because they did not think it convenient to be Spectators of the taking of the Place or to hasten their Troops to march to the relief of it The City of Mons is situate upon a rising ground surrounded with Boggs and consequently strong both by Art and Nature It is a very large
the French shoar The King being not ignorant of this Design to encourage his Subjects and take all necessary Precautions the King ordered a good Army to serve as a Guard of his Sea-Costs under the Command of his only Brother the Duke of Orleance The precaution as it was founded upon a sure Maxim of Prudence so it prov'd useless in its Consequence For all these vast Preparations and Threats vanished into Smoak the Troops design'd for this pretended Expedition being sent into Flanders which was only made use of to oblige our King to remove part of his Forces from the Frontiers to defend his own Coasts But this Amusement which was not carried on without vast Expences turn'd but to a very slender Account on the Enemies side without reaping any other Advantage by it than to Alarm our Sea-Coasts with the danger of an Invasion which being soon vanished the People took fresh Courage and were prepared to encounter it with less Surprize for the future For the King was so far from shewing the least Fear upon this Occasion that he attack'd the Enemies with new Vigour on all sides The Marshal de Noailles besieged Roses in Catalonia which place Roses taken tho' considerable for its Strength he took in eight days after opening of the Trenches to wit on the 29th of July Smyrna Fleet intercepted by Tourville The Marshal de Tourville was ordered towards the Streights to intercept the Smyrna Fleet of the English and Dutch of which he on the 29th of June betwixt Cadiz and the Bay of Lagos took burnt and sunk above fourscore Merchant men The rest were dispersed and the Squadron of Men of War which serv'd for a Convoy made the best of their Way towards the English Coast For many Years before neither of these two Nations had received such a Check in their Trade their Loss being esteem'd at thirty Millions of Livres In the beginning of this Spring our King appearing in Person in Flanders it was the general Rumour that he aim'd at Liege but after having given his final Orders concerning the Operation of the Campaign and detach'd near thirty thousand Men under the Command of the Dauphin to reinforce his Army near the Rhine he return'd into France The Mashal de Lorge had in the Month of May Heidelbergh taken and rased by the French made himself Master of Heidelbergh the Capital City of the whole Palatinate before the Enemy could march to its Relief and after having rased the Fortifications both of the City and Castle was marched directly against the Prince of Baden who Commanded the Confederate Army on that side and at the approach of the Marshal retreated before him but after the arrival of the Dauphin with the beforementioned Detachment he entrenched himself strongly at a Pass which he knew impossible to be forced chusing rather to undergo the Inconveniencies of Famine and many Distempers which afflicted his Troops in these inaccessible Places than to hazard a Battle or to decamp before the Dauphin for fear he should force him to come to an Engagement The Prince of Orange K. William III. did not entrench himself but kept the open Field in Flanders yet so as to avoid all Occasions of Fighting The Duke of Luxenburgh who had positive Orders from the King to engage him fained to march towards Liege to attack the Lines and Redoubts which surround that great City This succeeded according to expectation for the Confederate Army advancing near to the Duke to be ready to succour the City the Duke marched directly towards them and arrived in sight of their Camp about six or seven a Clock at Night The Prince of Orange K. William III. was not a little surprised at the suddenness of his March but finding himself under a Necessity to stand an Engagement the next Day he improv'd those few Hours he had to his best Advantage in putting his Troops in Order of Battle raising Batteries in convenient Places in fixing Pallisadoes at the Avenues leading to his Camp he caused two Villages which covered his Right and Left to be Fortified and lin'd the Houses and circumjacent Hedges with his best Infantry and strengthned his Front which reached to and took up all the Ground betwixt these two Villages He employed a great number of Pioneers all the Night long in making a Ditch six Foot broad and three quarters of a League long strengthned without with good Pallisadoes and defended within by a good Line and Redoubts upon which were mounted near a hundred pieces of Cannon The main Body stood behind this Entrenchment sustained by the Cavalry which was posted behind them in two Lines They were the finest Troops that could be seen On the other hand is it possible to imagine that our Soldiers could be so courageous or rather Fool-hardy enough to attempt the attacking of sixty thousand brave Men guarded by such strong Entrenchments The great Artillery began to play at break of Day Battle of Neerwinden 29. July on both sides without intermission till four a Clock in the Afternoon That of the Enemies did great Execution among us being placed upon an Eminency which commanded the Plain The oldest Officers did acknowledge never to have seen Cannon to play with so much Fury and at so little a distance for so long a time together which at a distance resembled more a Sea-Engagement than a field-Field-Battle The Enemies fired more frequently than we and their Artillery did much more Execution so that this Victory must be meerly ascribed to the invincible Courage of our Soldiery and it must be acknowledged that Philip Duke de Chartres the Duke of Bourbon and de Maine the Prince of Conty and the Count de Thoulouse had a great share in the Success of this Day There was not a Battallion in both the Army 's but what was Engaged in the Battle but the chief Attack was at a Village call'd Neerwinden which covered the Right Wing This Village was taken and retaken twice with great Slaughter till at last our Troops having maintained and strengthned themselves in this Post they entred the Plain and attacked the Enemy both in Front and Flank who received us very Courageously especially the English in the main Body who Charged six times with incredible Bravery but their Cavalry being brought into Confusion and drove into a River the whole Army begun to disperse and to quit the Field by whole Troops and Companies leaving the Victorious Enemy Master of the Field with threescore and sixteen pieces of Cannon eight Mortars nine Patteroons twelve pair of Kettle-Drums abundance of Arms threescore Standards two and twenty Colours and above two thousand Prisoners among whom were two hundred Officers The French lost above three thousand Men killed and four thousand wounded The Loss of the Enemy amounted to near twenty thousand Men both in the Engagement and Flight there being a great number drown'd in endeavouring to Ford the River which for a considerable time after was rendred
passable by the Bridges made by the dead Carcasses of Men and Horses This vast Army was dispersed in such a manner that they could not get together in a Body again till six days after when being reinforced with fresh Troops and especially with the Detachment commanded by the Prince of Wirtembergh they appear'd again in the Field It is to be taken notice of here that since the beginning of this War our King had ordered certain Lines or Entrenchments to be made from Mabeuge to the Sea-side to serve as a Barricado to cover his Conquests on that side The Duke of Wirtembergh having been detached from the main Army with a Body three times stronger than the French that guarded these Lines to attack them had forced these Entrenchments and was just then preparing to ravage the Country when receiving the News of this Defeat he was forced to turn back in order to join with all speed the Prince of Orange King William III. Within two Months after Victory of Marsaglia the 4 October the Marshal de Catinat obtained another no less compleat but less bloody Victory over the Confederate Army in Italy under the Command of the Duke of Savoy The said Marshal's Army had hitherto been much inferior in Number to the Allies which was the Reason that he had not undertaken any thing of moment but only to observe the Enemies Motions and to harress them with Marches and Countermarches The Duke and Spaniards willing to improve this Opportunity resolved to besiege Pignerol but being discouraged by the Resistance they met with in the Taking of St. Brigitt which being built but a Year before at some distance from the Town commanded the chief Avenues leading to it and had held out fifteen days before it was taken they altered their Resolutions contenting themselves with throwing a vast number of Bombs and red hot Bullets into the Place Whilst they were flattering themselves with the hopes of either reducing or destroying the City of Pignerol by Fire Messengers after Messengers came to bring the sad News to the Duke of Savoy that not only the French had burnt one of his Country Houses but that also the Marshal de Catinat having received a Considerable Reinforcement had made himself Master of the Plains The Duke immediately directing his March towards those Plains he was met by the Marshal The Battle began about nine a Clock in the Forenoon the right Wing of the Enemy was brought into confusion at the first Encounter the left follow'd not long after the Example of the right Wing yet they Rallyed and return'd to the Charge twice or thrice but without any great Effect for their Cavalry being entirely routed the rest were cut to pieces except those who saved themselves by flight and to fly with the less Inconveniency threw away their Arms enough to Arm sixteen thousand Men. The flying Enemy were pursued to the very Gates of Turin the whole Plain being covered with dead Carcasses and in some places with entire Battallions especially of the Spaniards and Hugonots The Enemies lost nine thousand Men in this Engagement besides two thousand taken Prisoners a hundred Colours forty five Standards and thirty four pieces of Cannon We had twelve or fifteen hundred killed and wounded on our side The Gens d'Arms behaved themselves to a miracle Our Infantry fought with their Bayonets in their Fuszees and Sword in hand After the Loss of this Battle the Duke being reinforced with the German Troops that block'd up Casal yet durst not appear in the Field so that the Marshal de Catinat without opposition over-run all the flat Country and carried away a prodigious quantity of Provision The King received the News of this Victory and of the Surrender of Charleroy in one day This place is situate betwixt Mons and Namur and was besieged in November when the Prince of Orange K. William III. was just ready to pass over into England Siege of Charleroy but upon the News of this Siege return'd into Flanders and advanced with an Army as far as Brussels but did not attempt the Relief of the Place which tho' considerable for its strength was forced to surrender in six and twenty days About the end of the same Month English Expedition against St. Malo an English Squadron was sent towards St. Malo to attempt the destruction of that Place not so much by their Bombs as a certain Engine by which they hoped to blow up that City or to lay it in Ashes This Engine was a three Deck'd-Ship of about four hundred Tuns lined and vaulted within with Brick-Work Betwixt each of these Decks there were placed many Barrels with Gun-powder mixt with a certain Composition of Tarr Pitch and Rosin a great number of Bombs Carcasses and other Casks fill'd with all sorts of Combustible Matter It was a fair and clear Night very calm and Spring-tide when this infernal Engine came swimming up with the Tide but by good Fortune was forced upon a Rock within Pistol-shot of the Walls of the City The Engineer who had the management of this Vessel perceiving that she took Water was so over-hasty in setting her on Fire that both He and his Attendants were blown up in the same moment before they had time to get out of reach The springing of this Engine made a most dreadful Noise and shook all the circumjacent Ground for three or four Leagues The whole City felt a most violent Confusion and in a moment all the Streets were covered with Slates and Tyles which like a Shower of Hail powred down from the tops of the Houses This was the whole Loss sustained by this dreadful Engine which carried along with it more Terror than Damage there being not one House in the whole City that receiv'd any further Damage neither was there one single Person kill'd or wounded For the Powder having taken vent and being besides that spoil'd by the Water did not answer the pretended Effect in throwing the Bombs and Barrels full of Combustible Matter into the Air. At low Water near seven hundred Bombs were taken up from the Sands and abundance of Powder out of the Wrack of the Vessel We could scarce have wish'd for a more prosperous Campaign on our side than the last Campaign in 1694. but as there is no human Felicity without some mixture of Adversity so when the State suffers within all its outward Prosperity appears to be but superficial I say we could not have wished for a more glorious Campaign if a general Scarcity had not almost ruined several Provinces in the Kingdom but especially the City of Paris with the circumjacent Parts France is a very fertile Country abounding especially in Wheat so as to be able to furnish its Neighbours with a considerable Quantity of this useful Commodity which for several years before had been so cheap that the common People liv'd easie enough tho' by reason of the long War and the decay of Trade there was but slender Gain
lost the Kingdom of Ireland which was Conquer'd by one of the Prince of Orange's King William III. Generals who had taken Limerick and oblig'd the French Forces to return into France In recompense of this loss he was buoyed up the next following Spring of being suddenly restor'd to his Throne There were many of his Adherents and Creatures left in England besides a good many of his old Servants who being employ'd in bringing over the Officers of the English Army and Fleet to their side perswaded themselves to have managed matters with so much dexterity that it was impossible to fail in the Enterprise Full of these hopes this Prince craved assistance from our King who granted him a good Fleet and a sufficient number of Land-Forces to be transported into England Then he marched with his Troops into Normandy expecting the success of our Fleet which under the Command of the Count de Tourville Vice-Admiral of France was gone to Sea in quest of the Enemy But we found our selves soon mistaken in our fond expectations for the English were so far from running before us or to declare for the King of England as we had been perswaded they would that they gave Tourville a very warm reception Loss of fifteen Fr. Men of War in May. The French Fleet was much inferiour in number to the Enemies consisting only of forty four Men of War for the Line of Battle whereas the Confederate Fleet was fourscore and ten strong Notwithstanding this great inequality the French Attack'd them so briskly that for three hours together they had the advantage over the Enemies who were extreamly damnified in their Masts and Rigging lost one of their Ships which was sunk and most of their Fireships whereas we lost not one Ship during the whole Engagement Both Fleets being separated by a thick Fog and the Night Tourville fearing not without reason that considering the inequality of their Forces he should not be in a condition to cope with the Confederate Fleet a second time thought it most advisable to take this opportunity of making the best of his way towards the French Coast But his Fleet being separated by the darkness of the Night one and twenty of his biggest Ships gain'd the Port of St. Malo where they were sufficiently secur'd against any attempt of the Enemy But fifteen others not being able to steer the same course by reason of the contrary Winds were so closely pursued that being in danger of being taken they run a-shoar and after having taken out all their Cannon and most of their Rigging the French set fire to them rather than to leave them a prey to the English and Dutch Nothing is more common in the World than to lay the ill success of an Enterprise at the Door of him who has had the supream Direction and Management of it most People looking upon a disaster of this nature to proceed chiefly from the ill Conduct of the General whereas they attribute the happy success of a Battle merely to Fortune But it must be confess'd that Tourville had the satisfaction to hear his Enemies give him this Character That he had acquitted himself upon this Occasion as a great Commander But the taking of Namur did surprise the Confederacy and all Europe in such a manner Siege of Namur by the French that our success in Flanders soon effaced the remembrance of the disgrace received at Sea Namur is situated at the confluence of two Rivers the City lies in a Plain the Castle is built upon a Rock both are very regularly fortified this being one of the most considerable places in all Flanders for its Situation and of such consequence that in the last Age this being the only Place in the Netherlands remaining in the Spaniards Hands they by the help of it recover'd all the rest of the Low-Countries which have been in their possession since The several Works belonging to the Castle were like so many Citadels each of them being provided with its Out-Works Ditch a particular Garrison and Commander In the Fort William alone was a Garrison of two thousand Men and a train of Artillery sufficient to defend a great City These Forts being built upon an assent which reaches up to the body of the Castle command one another And defend the avenues leading to it At the time when it was besieged by the King the Place was provided with a Garrison of eight or nine thousand Men with great store of Ammunition and Provision of all sorts under the bravest and most expert Officers among the Confederates The Prince of Orange King William III. was at that time in Flanders and the Confederates were so numerous on that side that they could bring together an Army of an hundred thousand Men. But all these obstacles were not capable of altering the King's resolution who after every thing was in a readiness for the carrying on of so great an Enterprise ordered two separate Armies to take the Field in Flanders the less numerous of the two was employed in the Siege the other to cover it against any attempt of the Enemy These two Armies consumed every Day two hundred and fifty thousand Rations of Bread and thirty thousand French bushels of Oats allowing half a bushel for each Horse a Day And the King had taken such sure measures as to all the necessary Supplies that as long as the Siege lasted there was always in both Camps no less than for fifteen Days Provision Twenty thousand Pioneers were employed in making the Lines of circumvallation and contravallation and the Trenches were opened in three Days after The City made at first a vigorous Defence but capitulated on the eighth Day finding it self not in a condition to sustain a general Assault The surrender of the City made the Enemy fear that the Castle tho' accounted impregnable might follow the example of the City for which reason the Prince of Orange King William III. Count Waldeck General of the Dutch Forces and the Elector of Bavaria who had lately been made Governour of the remaining part of the Spanish Netherlands advanced and posted themselves near the Banks of the River Meheigne These three Bodies made together an Army of near an hundred thousand Men which was continually in motion to intercept our Convoys or to endeavour to force our Quarters if they should find an opportunity The Marshal de Luxemburgh not inferiour in number to the Confederates being encamped on rising Ground on the other side the Meheigne at about half a Leagues distance from the River expected them in good order there being a large Plain betwixt them and the Enemy But the Prince of Orange King William III. had either no inclination to hazard a Battle or else could not meet with a favourable opportunity to put his design in execution for he caused five or six several times Bridges to be laid over the River but they were immediately broken down again Thus these two great Armies encamped within sight
Capitulate After the taking of Besancon the King laid Siege to Dole the Fortifications of which place being not quite brought to perfection it did hold out not above nine Days Salins defended it self seven Days and the strong Castle of St. Anne which was hitherto esteemed inaccessible beat a Parly as soon as a Battery erected upon vast Wooden-Piles began to thunder against it Thus the King conquered the whole Franche Compte in four or five Weeks After the Conquest of this Province he divided his Army one part being sent into Germany to reinforce the Viscount of Turenne and the greatest part into Flanders to joyn the Army commanded by the Prince of Conde Then he returned into France to suppress by his Presence some Cabals which it was suspected had been set on foot by the Allies in some of the Maritime Provinces The Kingdom was at that time threatned on all sides it was in no small danger of being Invaded on the German side The Allies had three Armies in the Field in Flanders and Spain another in Catalonia and to make sure Work the Dutch threatned either to make a Descent upon us or at least to Bombard some of our Seaport-Towns But all these vast Designs vanished into Smoak for our Frontiers remained unattempted all this Campaign and the King had taken such sure Measures that the Allies had nothing else to boast of but of their own Disgrace having been defeated by the King's Troops much inferiour in number to theirs They were no less than threescore Thousand effective Men in Flanders all select and old well-disciplin'd Troops whereas the King's Army commanded by the Prince of Conde Battle of Seneff did consist only of forty Thousand Men. The Enemy advanced towards him but he was so advantageously posted that they did not judge it advisable to attack him thus failing in their aim they decamped The Germans cammanded by the General de Souches had the Van-guard the main Battle was made up out of the Dutch Forces under the Command of the Prince of Orange the Spaniards Commanded by the Count de Monterey Governour of the Spanish Netherlands had the Inner Guard being covered in their March by a Body of five Thousand Horse detach'd from the several Bodies of the three Nations The Prince of Conde who was advised that in their March they were obliged to pass several Lanes judged not without reason that as they pass'd through these Defiles they must march at such a distance as not to be able to second one another timely enough in case of an Attack Looking therefore upon it as a most favourable opportunity to fall in with them he was resolved not to let it slip out of his Hands Having therefore suffered the Imperialists and Hollanders to pass the Defiles unmolested he charged the Spaniards so furiously that he absolutely routed them taking many Standards and Colours and a great many Prisoners among whom were several of Quality This first Victory did not cost the King above an Hundred or an Hundred and fifty Men whereas the Enemy lost above three Thousand a happy Days Work if the Prince could have been contented with his good Success But having afterwards Attack'd the main Body and likewise brought them in Confusion matters seem'd to tend to a total Rout if the Imperialists had not found means to come to their relief The Flying Enemy having got leisure in the mean while to Rally and the three Generals to put their several Bodies in order of Battel upon an Eminency being cover'd with Bushes Hedges and Ditches and Cannon planted on all the Avenues the face of Affairs began to change and the Fight was renewed with more obstinacy and fury than before The Enemies were posted in such a manner that it was impossible to come to Handy Blows with them without sustaining the Fire of their whole Infantry but the greater the Danger the greater the Honour all this it seems was not sufficient to startle the Invincible Courage of the Prince of Conde nor to terrifie his Soldiers flush'd with Success but being resolved to compleat this Days Work by a third Victory they fell on with incredible Bravery As Despair is the most powerful Motive to inspire Courage even in the Faint-hearted so the Enemy defended themselves with great Obstinacy the Engagement lasted from Noon till Night and the Slaughter did not cease on both sides till Moon-light about Ten or Eleven a Clock at Night The Enemy took few of ours Prisoners and among them scarce any Body of note but we lost abundance of brave Men and Officers seven or eight Standards and had about five or six Thousand killed and wounded The loss of the Enemy amounted to above seven or eight Thousand we took near five Thousand Prisoners among whom were four Princes of the Empire a great number of other Persons of Quality many of their Colonels and two Hundred Officers an Hundred and seven Standards and Colours three Field-pieces two Mortars several Kettle-Drums Pontons three Thousand Waggons with all their Ammunition and three hundred Thousand Crowns in ready Money design'd for the Payment of their Armies About a Month after Siege of Oudenarde they laid Siege to Oudenarde but no sooner had they got notice that the Prince of Conde was marching to its relief but they quitted the Siege with so much Precipitation that they left behind them in their Trenches part of their Baggage and Ammunition besides most of their Utensils used in carrying on of the Trenches Another Army composed of the Dutch Forces Siege of Grave and joyn'd by some Brandenburgh Troops were for two Months together busied in the Siege of Grave The City of Grave is considerable for its strength and was at that time very well provided with Ammunition a good Artillery and a numerous Garrison but the Besiegers being surrounded on all sides by their own Country had great plenty of every thing in their Camp and the place being but small there was little appearance it should hold out long the Place being given over for lost by the French without the least hopes of being able to relieve it The Dutch had made many Attacks upon their out-works but with so little success that they were repulsed without being able to maintain themselves in any of these Posts The Besieged made continual Sallies nail'd up their Cannon fill'd up their Trenches kill'd abundance of their Men and carried a great many Prisoners into the Town Their bravery and resolution in undergoing with undaunted constancy all the Fatigues of War the continual thundring of their Cannon and their frequent Mines which for the most part did great execution had struck such a terror among the Besiegers that they Deserted by whole Troops and got into the Town To revive in some measure the drooping Courage of the rest the Prince of Orange marched to their assistance with a Body of ten thousand fresh Men who being also repulsed in several Attacks it was the general Opinion that
the Dutch would in all likelihood have been forced to quit the Enterprise if the Governour the Marquiss of Chamilly had not received Orders from our King to Capitulate who after he had given a thousand Proofs of his Conduct and Courage surrendred upon such Conditions as he himself thought fit to propose the Prince of Orange being willing enough to grant him any thing partly in consideration of his Bravery partly for fear lest the Siege by the obstinate Defence of the Besieged should protract till Winter when the Season would oblige them to raise it The Garrison was extreamly diminished not so much by the Enemies Swords as by Sickness and tho' they were streightned for Provisions yet were they resolved to have endured all the extremities and bury themselves under the Ruins of the Place if the King who would not suffer that so many brave Men should Sacrifice themselves for the defence of a Place which he judged of no great consequence to his Affairs had not sent them his Orders to Capitulate The King had at the beginning of the War made himself Master of this Place without the loss of one single Man but the Dutch did not take it till after a Siege of three Months with a prodigious Charge and the loss of twelve thousand Men besides they run no small hazard of coming off with disgrace But they were less successful in their Expedition at Sea this Year they had near an hundred and fifty Men of War and after the Peace with England were become absolute Masters of the Ocean the King having sent most of his great Ships into the Mediterranean One part of this great Fleet was sent to endeavour the Conquest of the French Plantations in the West-Indies the rest were to be employed in making a Descent upon our Coast but the best concerted measures prove not always infallible For Admiral Ruiter did not succeed in his Enterprise against the Isle of Martinico and Admiral Trump who for four or five Months threatned our Coasts with a desent did no other feats but to Land in a small Island from whence he carried away some Cattel and plunder'd a certain Abby The ill success of the Allies in this Campaign seem'd to be very ill presages to the League especially if it be taken into consideration that the King's Arms were Crown'd with the same success in several other places for Frederick Duke of Schomberg had beaten the Spaniards in the Plains of Russilion as the Vicount of Turenne had been Victorious over the Germans in three or four several Encounters For after he had prevented the Duke of Lorrain from passing the Rhine and consequently secur'd the King's Conquests on that side he receiv'd Orders to hinder if possible the conjunction of the Duke with a Body of Imperialists commanded by the Imperial General the Count of Caprara Pursuant to these Orders he marched three Days and Nights without intermission and on the fourth came within sight of the Enemy whom he found so advantageously posted that it seem'd impossible to attack them without the greatest hazard in the World For they were drawn up in order of Battle upon a rising Ground being secured in the Front by a small Town with a deep Rivulet and many Hedges and Ditches all which must be pass'd before they could be attack'd But what is so strong or inaccessible to a Man who has an equal share of Conduct and Courage To be short the Town was taken in less than two Hours and the Enemies Infantry which defended it either cut in pieces or taken Prisoners But this was only the Introduction to the rest our Troops were extreamly fatigued with so long a March and the heat of the Season besides that the Enemy having the advantage of the Wind they were incommoded with the Smoak and Dust which almost choak'd them as they advanc'd towards the Enemy where the Enemy stood ready to receive them Notwithstanding all these disadvantages they were resolute in attacking them the Viscount of Turenne's Army consisted of nine or ten thousand Men and that of the Duke of Loerain was near equal in number to his with this difference only that the last had more Horse the other exceeded in Foot The first attack was made with equal bravery on both sides there being not a Squadron but what charged four or five times and the Dukes Forces rallied and return'd to their charge seven or eight times neither were they put to the rout till after a bloody and obstinate Fight of eight Hours About three Weeks after the Prince of Bourneville General of the Imperial Forces being with a Body of seven or eight thousand Men joyn'd to the broken remainders of the Confederate Army July 6th The Viscount of Turenne passed the River Neckar at Ladenburgh in sight of them and followed them so closely that he fell in with their Rear which he put to the rout forcing their Infantry to seek for shelter among the neighbouring Woods and Mountains but their Horse being briskly pursued by the French did not face about till they came to Franckfort twenty Leagues from thence where being cover'd by the River Maine the Viscount could not pursue them any further but they were scatter'd to that degree that they were not in a condition to appear again in the Field till being reinforced with fresh Supplies and Troops from the Emperor from the Elector Palatin the Elector of Cologne Bishop of Munster Duke of Wolfenbuttel and all the neighbouring Circles they made up an Army of thirty five or thirty six thousand Effiective Men. But this great Body was commanded by five Generals independant from one another who being swayed by so many different Interests did not agree in what measures to take one being for the attempting the recovery of the Dukedom of Lorrain another for the Siege of Treves or Philipsburgh another for attacking the Viscount of Turenne with their joynt Forces thereby to retrieve their former disgrace The French Army was at that time not above fifteen thousand strong but the renown of their General and their late Victories had made them so dreadful to the Enemy that they durst not attempt to attack them With this small Army he kept them in play for two Months together in the Lower Alsace till having at last receiv'd a reinforcement of some Regiments he march'd directly against the Allies to give them Battle before they could be joyn'd by the Elector of Brandenburgh's Forces and those of the Duke of Brunswick The Name of the Viscount of Turenne famous by so many Victories was become so terrible to the Enemy that most were of opinion they would scarce care to face him but beyond all expectation they receiv'd him with all imaginable bravery so that the fight was very obstinate and dubious for some time till at last Victory of Entsheim Octob. 4. having brought them into confusion they were forc'd to quit the Field with the loss of three thousand Men ten pieces of Cannon
Victory and their entire submission in relinquishing the Fruits of their Bravery The whole Garrison which consisted still of two thousand eight hundred Men were made Prisoners of War but the Citizens had their chiefest Privileges confirm'd to them In the Afternoon every thing appear'd as quiet in the City as if they had not chang'd their Master A most remarkable Victory where a handful of Men in half an hours time carried several strong Works by Assault passed four or five Ditches and made themselves Masters of one of the strongest and most populous Cities in all Flanders and that with the loss only of Forty Men on our side The taking of Valenciennes did like a dreadful Thunderclap make the whole Country round about tremble for fear there being scarce one City tho' never so strong in those parts which did not dread to undergo the same Fate To raise their drooping Courage the Prince of Orange march'd at the Head of an Army of thirty thousand Men composed of the Dutch Forces to endeavour the relief either of Cambray or St. Omer which were besieg'd both at the same time the first by the King in Person the other by the Duke of Orleans his Majesty's only Brother Cambray being of such a strength and advantageous Situation that it was reported the Spaniards made more account upon it than all the rest of Flanders it was generally believ'd the storm would fall that way but beyond all expectation the Enemy rather chose to relieve St. Omer than Cambray partly because they might with less difficulty possess themselves of some advantageous Posts near St. Omer partly because they had flatter'd themselves with this Opinion that without much resistance they might force our Quarters on one side where they were not very well secur'd The Enemies march was so far from causing the least disturbance among our Soldiers that both Sieges were carried on with the same Vigour as before there being such an Emulation among the Soldiery that one strove to out-do the other in performing their duties the more because they were plentifully provided with every thing necessary for their subsistence For it is to be observ'd that the King took always this sure Maxim to have his Magazins every Year very well provided during the Winter with all manner of Provisions to be in a condition to prevent his Enemies designs and to appear as early in the Field as he judg'd it convenient Cambray was so furiously attack'd by the King Cambray surrender'd April 5. that the City was forc'd to Capitulate within six days after opening of the Trenches the next following Day the King order'd a Detachment of nine Battallions to march with all possible diligence to joyn the Duke of Orleans before the Enemy could force his Lines or engage him This Prince had in the mean while advanc'd so briskly in the Siege of St. Omer that at that very time he had made himself Master of the most considerable Fort near the Place and on which depended hitherto the whole safety of the Town It was at that very instant he received certain intelligence that the Enemy were advanced within six or seven Leagues in order to relieve the Place His Troops were much harass'd and less numerous than the Prince of Orange's but having receiv'd the King's Orders to march against them he marched out of the Lines and having left only a Body of Militia with some regular Troops to guard the Trenches and Works directed his march towards Cassel being confident that the King had taken his measures so surely as that the expected reinforcement would come time enough to his assistance neither did he find himself in the least mistaken in his hopes the above-mention'd Battallions having joyn'd him at the very nick of time as he expected and so a propos that if they had come sooner they would have been less useful The Duke of Orleans strengthen'd by this reinforcement and finding himself not inferiour in number to the Enemy sought only for an opportunity to execute the King's Commands in order to which with a generous resolution he passed the next Day with his Army a small Brook which separated the two Armies and attack'd the Enemy with great fury Battli of Cassel April 11. The first Encounter was the most terrible that had been seen in the memory of Man both sides fighting with an equal bravery so that the success remain'd doubtful for some Hours just as if Fortune had taken a particular delight to see so many brave Men dispute Victory to the utmost of their power But after the Enemy had stood their ground bravely for three Hours they were at last forc'd to give way and soon after being broken on all sides to seek for their safety in their Heels leaving as a pledge of their defeat to the mercy of our Soldiers all their Ammunition and Baggage seventeen Standards four and forty Colours thirteen pieces of Cannon three thousand Prisoners and the Field all cover'd with dead and wounded Men Six thousand of them were counted to be fallen upon the spot the rest sav'd themselves under the favour of the Hedges and Defiles the approaching Night and the vast number of small Channels in which the Country abounds serving them for a safeguard against their Enemies who durst not pursue them but with a great deal of caution The Duke of Orleans acquir'd immortal Glory in this Action having shewn himself as great a General in the disposition of his Army as he behav'd himself a brave Soldier during the whole Engagement having receiv'd two Shot in his Armour as he was rallying some Battallions and leading them on again to Charge the Enemy he continued with his Army for 2 Days after near the Field of Battle the better to give his Orders for the pursuit of the Enemy and to see whether perhaps they might be in a condition to try their Fortune and attempt the relief of the Place a second time but having received certain intelligence that they were retreated far into the Country he return'd with his Troops to the Lines to continue the Siege of St. Omer without any further interruption In two Days after his new Batteries began to Play against the Body of the Place and the Trenches were carried on to the Glacis The Counterscarp being taken St. Omer taken a wide Breach was made the Ditch fill'd up in Order to give a General Assault the Town Capitulated after having defended it self with a great deal of Gallantry and Resolution Three days before the Citadel of Cambray had likewise been forc'd to a Surrender by the King The Garrison was composed of seven old Regiments whereof two were Spaniards two Lorrainers and three Walloons under a Governor who had an equal share of bravery and skill in Martial Affairs The Place was well provided with every thing for its Defence and of such a strength that its Fortifications were look'd upon as impregnable Every thing seem'd to concur for a Vigorous Defence
against the King's Forces who were not above nine or ten thousand strong This seem'd to be a very slender Force and little suitable to the greatness of the Enterprise but the King by his Presence Vigilancy and Example did animate his Soldiers to that degree that redoubling their Courage and Activity they in spite of the continual Fire and frequent Sallies of the Besieged carried all the Out-Works in nine or ten Days time Our Cannon having soon after made a Breach in one of the Bastions of the Place large enough for thirty Men to mount a-Breast the Governour despairing of being able to hold out the Assault demanded a Capitulation It would have been no difficult matter for the King to have oblig'd him to surrender at discretion but being free to shew Mercy to one that had behav'd himself so Gallantly The Citadel of Cambray surrender'd he agreed to certain Articles to serve him as a comfort in his present affliction pursuant to which the Garrison marched out at the Breach with Drums beating Colours Flying and two pieces of Cannon The Conquest of these three important places and the Battle of Cassel put the Affairs of the Confederacy into such a confusision that it was a considerable time before they could recollect themselves For it was not till three Months after that they held a Congress at Wesel to deliberate concerning some Enterprize of moment by which they might in some measure recover their former Reputation and Hopes The Elector of Brandenburgh the Duke of Nieuburgh who had lately declared against France the Ambassador of the King of Denmark the Pensionary of Holland Admiral Trump and the Envoys of the King of Spain and several other Electors were present at this Conference where the Siege of Charleroy was resolved upon and the execution thereof committed to the Management of the Prince of Orange No sooner was the Place invested with threescore thousand Men but the King's Army posted themselves betwixt the Enemy and those Cities of Flanders from whence they must draw their Provisions so that their Convoys being intercepted they were in a manner block'd up and began to want Provisions in two Days time There was no other remedy left than either to fight us or to quit the Siege but the Confederates not judging it for their purpose to hazard a second Battle they decamped not without some Confusion before eight Days were expired laying the fault upon one another and consuming what Forage they could meet with in the Country without shewing any great inclination to oppose the King's Forces who ravaged the Country and exacted great Contributions The King's Arms were attended with the same success in other parts Victory in Catalonia Philip de Montaut Duke de Nouailles had ravaged the whole Lampourdan and defeated ten Thousand Spaniards as they were repassing the Pyrenean Mountains there were three Thousand five Hundred of the Enemies killed upon the place and eight Hundred made Prisoners with the loss of only two Hundred Men on our side In Germany the Troops of the neighbouring Circles commanded by a Duke of Saxony In Germany had been worsted in several Encounters and were at last forced to seek for shelter in one of the Islands of the Rhine But what they intended for their Preservation had very near proved their total Destruction being in eminent danger of perishing either by Famine or the Enemies Sword if upon the intercession of the Magistrate of Strasburgh the King had not granted them a Passport to retreat from thence in security under condition that they should not bear Arms against the King the same Campaign The Passport being signed by the Marshal de Crequy who commanded at that time on the Rhine the abovementioned Forces with their Saxon General were marching homeward being conducted by a strong Guard their main security against their Enemies when Prince Charles of Lorrain came in timely to their Assistance to deliver them from so ignominious a Retreat But it was not long before he paid dearly for the Glory of having rescued the Germans for within few Days after the Cavalry of his Right Wing was totally routed and cut to pieces This Prince was Heir and Nephew to the old Duke of Lorrain who died in the Year 1675. After his Death the Emperour to bring him over to his Interest made him General over his Army on the Rhine promising to give to him in Marriage his Sister the Queen Dowager of Poland and to make use of all his Power and Interest to put him into the Possession of Lorrain which belonged to him by right of Succession His projected design succeeded but ill in the Year 1676. But at the beginning of the Campaign in the Year 1677 he thought himself so sure that he puts this Motto upon his Standards Maintenant ou jamais that is Now or Never Full of these fair hopes he passed the Saar and advanced as far as Mouson but the Marshal de Crequy followed him so closely upon the Heels that he scarce ever miss'd any opportunity to intercept his Convoys and thereby to cut off his necessary Supplies of Provisions he kept his Army in continual Alarm and by his Marches and Counter-marches harrass'd them to that degree that he broke all the Duke's Measures who was at last forced to repass the Rhine without having been able to do any thing of moment all that Campaign The Germans had no sooner repass'd the Rhine Friburgh taken but the Marshal de Crequy invested Friburgh the Capital City of Brisgau This City is of a considerable bigness and its Citadel very strong both by its Situation and several good Works notwithstanding which the Marshal attack'd it so briskly that he became Master of it in less than eight Days time before Prince Charles of Lorrain could come to its relief About a Month after St. Gillian besieged and taken the King caused St. Gillian to be Besieged this Place is situate in the midst of the Province of Heinault of very good strength and well provided with every thing necessary for its defence The Soldiers were not only to fight against the Enemy but also against the cold Season it being in the Month of December notwithstanding all these Difficulties they carried the place in nine Days a convincing Instance that the King's Troops were used to outbrave all the Rigours of the Season These frequent Losses and continual Disappointments made the People of Holland wish as much for a Peace as the Prince of Orange had reason to oppose it For it being the Interest of that Prince to keep in his Hands as long as possibly he could that great power wherewith he was invested as long as he was supream Commander both over their Sea and Land Forces he left no Stone unturn'd to prevent the States from making either a general or particular Peace with France But this small and troublesome War which had already lasted four Years having exhausted all the Parties concerned both of Men
the reputation and strength of the whole Confederacy that the same appear'd terrible in the Eyes of all the World except to our King who was so far from being terrify'd by this unhappy conjuncture that by his indefatigable care and activity he surmounted all these difficulties which afterwards serv'd only as an Augmentation of his Glory He receiv'd the King of England with all the imaginable testimonies of generosity and demonstrations of honour and respect alloting both to the King and the Queen his Spouse a sufficient allowance to keep a most magnificent Court and shewing a great readiness upon all occasions to satisfie them in any thing they could desire and to find out means to afford tâ—em seasonable comfort in their affliction A great part of the Kingdom of Ireland remaining as yet stedfast in the Interest of their King our King without any delay French Forces sent into Ireland sent thither a good number of Troops in the Year 1689 with a sufficient quantity of Arms Ammunition and other necessaries The King of England having put himself at the head of these Troops in conjunction with the Irish Forces that had taken up Arms for him he advanc'd against the Enemy with indifferent success there happening nothing of moment all that Campaign as there was no great action in other parts the Prince of Orange King William III. judging it more for his advantage at that time to establish himself in England by his Presence and our King having taken a resolution to be upon the defensive this Campaign the better to enable himself to send more powerful Supplies into Ireland and to try whether perhaps by some means or other the Confederacy would not dissolve it self against the next Campaign It is easie to be imagin'd that among Princes of so many different Inclinations and Interests the War is generally not carry'd on with the same Vigour as it is undertaken there being frequent Examples that the strictest Alliances have been broken with as much ease as they were made For near the Alps there scarce appear'd any Armies in the Field The Duke of Noailles took Campredon in Catalonia which was demolish'd quickly after The Armies in Flanders did nothing but look upon one another there having been scarce any Action there abouts all that Summer but the Assault made upon Wall-Court This being a place of small defence the Marshal d'Humiers thought to have carri'd it by Storm without making a Breach but the Euemies who were retir'd before the Marshal having posted themselves upon some eminencies behind the Town so as to keep a communication with one of the Gates they sent from time to time as many fresh Forces as were requisite to defend the Place so that the Marshal was repuls'd with the loss of five hundred Men killed and wounded among whom were thirty or forty Officers and many brave Volunteers who paid with their lives for the mistake of the Marshal who had been misguided by his Spies The Allies Forces near the Rhine consisted of threescore and ten thousand Men divided into three several Bodies under the Command of Prince Charles of Lorrain and the Electors of Bavaria Saxony and Brandenburgh To prevent the Enemies taking up Winter-Quarters too near our Frontiers we were oblig'd to ravage all the Country of Wirtemberg and the whole Palatinate and to lay all desolate as far as Strasburgh The Cities of Spires and Worms were laid in ashes and all the other Places thereabouts of which we had taken possession the Year before were demolish'd except Mayence Bonn Philipsburgh and Keyserwaerth the last of which being a small Town of little strength upon the Rhine was by Frederic II. Elector of Brandenburgh Son to the Famous Frederic William who died in May in the Year 1688 taken in four or five Days The City of Mayence was Besieg'd by the Imperialists Siege of Mayence under the Command of Prince Charles of Lorrain the Electors of Bavaria and Saxony who joyn'd their Forces with the others This Place was the Year before when the Elector of the same name receiv'd a French Garrison into the Town so inconsiderable in its Fortifications that tho' a great number of Workmen were employ'd all the Winter long to put them in a state of defence they could scarce bring the Out-works to perfection It s chiefest strength at that time consisted in a good Garrison of nine or ten thousand Men all resolute brave fellows who unanimously resolv'd to hold it out to the last extremity If it was Attack'd with all imaginable Vigour there has not been a Place in the memory of Men defended with more bravery In forty eight days after opening of the Trenches the Besiegers had only made one Lodgment upon the utmost point of the Counterscarp The Besieg'd made frequent Sallies at Noon-day with their Colours flying and Drums beating sometimes three or four times in one Day within two hours of one another They marched out sometimes with a Body of two or three thousand Men in order of Battel engag'd the Enemy cut in pieces those that guarded the Trenches nail'd up their Cannons fill'd up their Works and once drove the Enemies back at such a distance from the Place that their main Horse-guard took Post at the very Head of their Trenches The Confederates having often felt the effects of the desperate resolution of the Besieg'd resolv'd to Attack and carry the Counterscarp let it cost what it would Pursuant to this resolution all their Batteries play'd most furiously by break of Day and thus continu'd till by the throwing of certain Bombs the Signal was given for the Assault In a few moments you might have seen the Ground cover'd with dead Carcasses the Cannon of the Besieg'd their Hand-Grenadoes and Bombs their Fire-Arms but especially their Swords made such havock among the Enemy as is rather to be conceiv'd than to be express'd The Assault lasted five Hours when the Besieg'dbeing at last over-power'd by the great number of their Enemies who without intermission seconded their Men with fresh Troops were forc'd to give way and to leave them Masters of the Counterscarp but with the loss of four thousand Men on the Confederate side The Besieg'd having besides this lost during the Assault all their Ammunition by a Bomb which blew up their Magazin they offer'd to try the next Day to regain the Counterscarp with their Swords in Hand but the Marquis d'Uxelles their Governor being unwilling to Sacrifice so many brave Fellows in the attempt beat a Parley and the Allies being not backward in granting him very Honourable Conditions the Garrison march'd out of the Place with their Colours flying and six pieces of Cannon Whilst they were busied in the Siege of Mayence the Elector of Brandenburgh Siege of Bonn. who commanded a separate Body Invested Bonn. The Place was batter'd for two Months together with an Artillery of an hundred pieces of Cannon and most of their Houses and some of their Out-Works were laid
level with the Ground by the Bombs notwithstanding which the Besieg'd defended themselves with a great deal of resolution endeavouring to out-vye the Garrison of Mayence in the defence of this Place they were very successful in their Sallies in one of which they miss'd but narrowly of the Elector himself who being left by his Guards was in great danger of having been carried Prisoner into the Town After the taking of Mayence the Prince of Lorrain march'd with a considerable reinforcement to Besiege the Place in due form but could not make himself Master of it till a Month after the brave Governour Bidal Baron of Asfelt refusing to hearken to a Capitulation till all the Out-works were taken and that he had neither Provision nor Ammunition left nay not so much as room enough to make new Entrenchments behind the ruin'd Bastions These two Sieges cost the Enemies near twenty thousand Men and the remainders of their Army were so harass'd by these continual Fatigues that they were forc'd to seek for Winter-quarters in October following in their own Territories The bravery the French had shewn in the vigorous defence of these places made such a noise in the World Campaign of 1690. that most People began to alter their opinion concerning the success of the Confederacy who had been forc'd to buy their Conquests at so excessive a rate But all the World stood amaz'd when they saw the King's Arms Crown'd with Victories on all sides in the next following Campaign The Confederate Army in Flanders consisted at that time of forty thousand Men under the Command of the Count of Waldeck an old General and in great esteem among them The Duke of Luxemburgh General of the King's Army at the same time in Flanders Commanded a Body not inferiour in number to the Confederates and being come within sight of them prepar'd to Attack them according to the King's Orders at Noon-day being the first of July Victory of Fleurus The Enemy having posted themselves as advantageously as the time and ground would give them leave with their Infantry in the Center cover'd on both sides by their Horse they fir'd prodigiously on us for a whole Hour their Cannon charg'd with Cartruches making most terrible havock among our Troops as they were advancing against them but this was their main effort For their right Wing being broken at the first Onset the left did not hold out long the Cavalry soon gave way but their Infantry charg'd three times with a great deal of Bravery till they were put to the rout in the fourth when what escap'd the Sword retir'd and shelter'd themselves in the adjacent Woods The loss of the Enemy amounted to six thousand kill'd upon the spot and five thousand wounded and near eight thousand that were made Prisoners of War among whom were nine hundred Officers We took from them forty nine pieces of Cannon fourscore and twelve Standards eight pair of Kettle Drums and an hundred and fifty Waggons loaden with Ammunition We had on our side three thousand killed or wounded among whom were many Persons of note who were much lamented After the loss of this Battle the Elector of Brandenburgh came with a strong reinforcement to joyn the broken remainders of this Army but they did nothing further this Campaign than to pillage Flanders Victory at Sea which after this Battle became a prey both to Friends and Foes Scarce ten Days were expir'd after this Victory when the King's Arms were bless'd with another at Sea over the Confederate Fleet of the English and Dutch In the Reign of Henry IV. there was not one Galley or Man of War in all the Ports of France King Lewis XIII was the first who began to settle our Maritime affairs which yet he left but in a very indifferent condition The present King immediately after his accession to the Crown spar'd no costs to draw into France from the Neighbouring Countries as many able Seamen and good Officers as he could notwithstanding which his Naval strength was for a considerable time much inferiour to the English or Dutch till in the Year 1681 he gave such effectual Encouragement to the Seamen that in the same Year threescore thousand of them were Registred of whom twenty thousand are in their turns employ'd in the King's Service and the other forty thousand in Merchant-Men His next care was to encourage the building Men of War to keep his Ports in such a condition as to be able to contain a good number of stout Ships and to erect Magazins in convenient places with all sorts of Naval Stores in all which he succeeded so well that without reckoning thirty Galleys which he always maintain'd in the Mediterranean he had a Fleet of an hundred Men of War for the line of Battle in the Year 1690 in the Ocean so well equip'd and provided with every thing that there were some who affirm'd that one of ours was equivalent to three of the Enemies The King had no sooner receiv'd intelligence that the English and Dutch Fleets were joyn'd in the Channel but he immediately dispatch'd his Orders to the Count of Tourville Vice-Admiral in the Levant to fight them The Count de Tourville is a younger brother of a Family in Normandy a Man of Fortune The Count de Tourville but who in lieu of an Estate had all the Qualities belonging to a great Commander so that even in his younger days he gave all the imaginable hopes of becoming one Day one of the best Sea Commanders this Age has produc'd since the Death of de Ruiter and Duquesne and his gallant Actions have been most evident demonstrations to the World that if he did not surpass them he alone did not fall short of them both The Enemies Fleet consisted of thirty Fire-ships as many Frigats and fourscore Men of War The French Fleet was not above threescore and fifteen Men of War for the Line of Battle besides twenty Fireships six Frigats and twenty other Ships loaden with Provisions and other necessaries The Enemies had the Wind of us for seven days together but shew'd no inclination to come to an Engagement but not being able to avoid it at last Engagement at Sea with the English and Dutch they made towards us being favour'd by the Tide They were receiv'd by the French with an unparallell'd bravery the Count de Tourville and all the rest of the Sea-Commanders shewing upon this occasion their utmost skill in the management of a Sea-Engagement which lasted seven hours and did not cease till the Enemies bore away towards their own Coast The loss on our side was very inconsiderable one of their Bombs carried away the Stern of one of the King's Ships the rest receiv'd very little damage There being not one among them that had lost her Masts The Enemies had at least four thousand Men kill'd in this Action The English bearing away in good time came off without much loss on their side but the
of one another for a whole Month exactly observing and following one another's motions frequently saluting one another with their Cannon without coming to handy-blows In the mean while the Siege was carried on with all imaginable vigour the King not only giving his Directions upon all occasions of moment but also seeing them put in execution Being seiz'd with the Gout when they were just ready to attack a covert way he caused himself to be carried in a Chair to a certain Place from whence he could see all what passed and give the necessary Orders as occasion should require Here it was that Lewis Alexander Count of Tholouse was wounded by his side It was observable that there did not appear the least change in this young Prince's Countenance at this mishap a happy presage of those many courageous Actions he has since that time given such eminent proofs of in the following Campaigns The King's Forces being animated by his Presence and Example never behaved themselves so well in any Siege whatever giving every Day innumerable demonstrations of their Courage and Patience for the besieged fired without intermission The weather was extreamly bad during the whole Siege the Soldiers being continually fatigu'd by the Rains and Tempests besides which they met with so many Rocks in the carrying on of the Trenches that they could advance but slowly and with a great deal of difficulty they being forc'd to carry them round about several great Hills and large Valleys which took up a vast compass But all these obstacles served only to augment the Patience and Courage of our Soldiers It was next to a prodigy to see some of them crawl up boldly to the Breaches and to endeavour to keep their Post only with their Swords in Hand against a vast number of Enemies who powered whole showers of small-shot at them whilst they return'd them as many Hand-Granadoes as they were able to throw The first and the bravest Action that happened in the whole Siege was near a certain Eminency where the Enemy having strongly Entrenched themselves we were forc'd to drive them from that Post before we could open our Trenches before the Castle The King's Troops attack'd them with Sword in Hand and Bayonetts in their Fusees They fired very briskly from their Entrenchments which our Troops having sustained with great bravery the Enemy at their approach quitted the Post after they had lost two or three hundred Men. Within six Days after we forc'd their retrenchments and redoubts of the Hermitage The Fort William defended it self ten Days On the tenth we carried the Covert-way not without great slaughter on both sides when the Dutch Garrison came immediately to a Capitulation This done there was remaining as yet the Castle with all its Out-works This was the most difficult task but by the King's presence the Works were carried on so vigorously that in five Days time we made an Assault upon the Counterscarp The Besieged defended themselves with all the courage imaginable but were at last forced to way to the numbers of the Besiegers who were from time to time seconded with fresh Troops soon after all their Cannon being dismounted one of their chief Magazins blown up by two of our Bombs and another being fallen into the great Cistern which furnished the Castle with Water and our Mines ready to spring under one of the Bastions of the Horn-work what with hunger and thirst what with fear of not being able to sustain a General Assault for want of Sleep occasioned by the continual throwing in of Bombs they were necessitated to hearken to a Capitulation notwithstanding that the body of the Castle was entire and that they had as yet a Horn-work left which would have cost us no small trouble to take Out of eight or nine thousand Men of which the Garrison of Namur consisted at the beginning of the Siege there were but twelve hundred left in the Fort William and two thousand five hundred in the Castle when they marched out The rest perished either by sickness or were killed by our Bombs or in the several Attacks and Sallies The taking of Namur in the sight of an Army of an hundred thousand Men put all the Spanish Netherlands under a most terrible consternation the common people being extreamly dissatisfied that the relief of a place of such consequence had not as much as been attempted by the Confederate Army affronted nay assaulted the Dutch at Brussels and several other places and did not stick to grumble at the Prince of Orange King William III. who to appease them and to raise their drooping Courage resolved within a Month after to give us Battle Every thing seem'd to conspire for his advantage Battle of Stenkerk Aug. 3. He was now thirty thousand Men stronger in Insantry than the Duke of Luxemburgh who labour'd also under another inconveniency that his Cannon was left behind his Artillery not arriving till the Night before the Engagement The Grounds on that side where the Enemy intended at Attack us being full of small Bogs and Rivulets with very thick Hedges and large Ditches was only fit for the Infantry to Engage in Here it was that the Troops of the King's Houshold were posted who being cover'd by one single Brigade the rest of the French Infantry were at least a League 's distance from thence the Prince of Orange King William III. did not in the least question but they would soon be over-powered by the whole English Infantry that were to begin the Attack all the circumstances appearing so favourable on his side that he thought himself assured of Victory To amuse the Enemies Spies he issued out his Orders the Night before the Engagement that they should go a Foraging the next Day which done he kept all the General Officers of the Army with him in his Tent till ten a Clock at Night when having sent them back to their respective Posts the march was begun about half an hour after to be within sight of the French Camp at break of Day There appear'd so much satisfaction and joy both in his Countenance and Words that when they arriv'd at the appointed place without being discovered by the French he spoke out a loud to his Soldiers that they were going to an assured Victory not to fight but to cut to pieces their Enemies tho' many were of Opinion that this assurance he gave to his Soldiers of an undoubted Victory was rather done with an intention to enflame their Courage than to express his own sentiments it being unquestionable that it was always consider'd as one of the chiefest qualifications belonging to a General to know how to inspire his Soldiers with a seasonable assurance of Victory It is more than probable that if at that instant he had led his Army towards the Enemy his design would have succeeded but whilst he stayed for the coming up of the Elector of Bavaria and Count Waldeck who stayed above an Hour longer than was expected the French
had leisure given them to put themselves in a posture to receive them It is in vain to chose ones time unless it be improved to the best advantage For in the mean time the Duke of Luxemburgh order'd his best Battallions to advance with all speed who being posted where the Enemy must Attack us sustained by the Troops of the King's Houshold and these again by several other Bodies of Horse The Pass was so narrow that not being able to extend our Lines in Front we were forced to double them For the first two hours they fir'd most terribly on both Sides the Battallions advancing so near that they discharged their Musquets cross one another The Enemy fir'd more briskly than we for some time they got Ground of us and made themselves Masters of four of our Pieces of Cannon but the French perceiving that their Musquets were not likely to do the Work threw them down and being led only by their Officers but esspecially by the Princes the Duke of Chartres the Duke of Bourbon the Prince of Conty Duke de Maine and others charged the Enemy with their Swords in hand so furiously that they forced them to retreat many of whom were cut in pieces the rest saving themselves in an adjacent Wood. They were pursued for an hour after and the Field of Battle for a League together was covered all over with dead Carcasses which in some places lay six Foot high upon one another This Victory cost us two or three Thousand of our best Men among whom were many Persons of Merit and Quality especially the Prince of Turenue eldest Son to the Duke of Bovillon who died the day after the Battle of his Wounds The loss of the Enemy amounted to nine Thousand kill'd upon the spot and as many wounded We took nine Colours and ten pieces of Cannon but only thirteen hundred Prisoners the English refusing to ask Quarter It was much about the same time that the Duke of Savoy made an Irruption into the higher Dauphine The Duke of Savoy invades France in August where he lost abundance of his Men without striking a stroke The Confederates had for a considerable time before formed a Project of entring Dauphine and Provence flattering themselves with hopes that the new Converts would revolt and join them from all Parts of France To put their so long projected Design in execution the Governour of Milan and the Imperial General Caprara joined with their Troops the Duke of Savoy They carried along with them Arms for thirty Thousand Men and were provided with Ministers who in all places through which they passed endeavoured in their Sermons to sow the Seed of Rebellion and Calvinism among the People But they found themselves entirely mistaken in their Expectation the new Catholicks being so far from shewing the least Inclination for a Revolt that they were the most forward upon all Occasions to do what Mischief they could to the Enemy by drawing them into Ambushes and killing without Mercy all such as they met with stragling or otherwise detach'd from their main Body This was the Reason why the Confederates made but little Progress and their proposed Conquest turn'd to a very slender Account They took Guillestre in three days Ambrun held out six Gap being only provided with ten Men to keep the Gates receiv'd them without the least Resistance Guillestre is at present no more than a Country Town without any other Defence but two old ruin'd Bastions Ambrun is indeed a small City but defended only by a single Wall But the Besieged supplying the defect of their Fortifications by their own Courage defended the Place so well that the Enemies nemies were not Masters of it but with the Loss of above fisteen hundred Men. Thus ended this Expedition of the Duke of Savoy who being faln ill and finding his Army considerably diminished by Sickness and Fatigues repassed the Alpes carrying no other Spoils along with him but the Bells of Ambrun and Gap In the same Month the Marshal de Lorge obtained a Victory over six thousand German Horse in the Country of Wirtembergh if the Pursuit of a flying Enemy vanquish'd without effusion of Blood may be dignified with that Name For no sooner did the German Horse perceive the Vant. Guard of the King's Army but they betook themselves to flight The Germans routed near Phortzheim towards the latter end of August nine hundred of them were kill'd in the pursuit and six hundred taken Prisoners among the last was the Duke of Wirtembergh who commanded this Body in Chief The City Phortsheim was taken the next day by our Forces where they had laid up all their Provisions for the rest of the Compaign The Landgrave of Hesse was at that time taken up with the Siege of Eberenburgh a small Place fortified by the French for the conveniency of their Magazines but as soon as he received the News of this Defeat and the approach of the Marshal de Lorge in order to relieve the place he raised the Siege with so much precipitation that they left behind them some of the Cannon with all their Ammunition and all other Necessaries belonging to a Siege Most people were of Opinion that these frequent Distasters would have both exhausted the Strength and Hatred of the Confederates but flattering themselves with these vain hopes Campaign of 1692. that these Conquests would at last turn to the destruction of France they resolved to abate nothing of their Resolution in vigourously prosecuting the War and remaining steadfast in the Confederacy especially since the Prince of Orange K. William III. did not cease to insinuate to them by his Ministers that this was the only way left for their mutual Preservation since if they were not able when joyn'd together to ballance the Power and Success of our King's Arms it would be no difficult Task for him to vanquish them singly whenever he should take a Resolution to dispossess them of their Estates after the breaking of the League Both sides therefore made all imaginable Preparations to prosecute the War with more vigour than ever The Confederates to defend themselves against the Power of France our King to attack them afresh in the next Campaign This Campaign was opened in Flanders in the Month of January Furnes taken by the taking of Furnes its Garrison consisted of four thousand English and the Elector of Bavaria made all the necessary Preparations to Relieve it but it was surrendred in fifteen Hours being a Place of great Consequence to us to cover our Frontiers and to disappoint the Confederates in their Design of Besieging Dunkirk The Prince of Orange K. William III. had at several times promised the Allies to make a Descent in France which he now being resolved to put in Execution ordered a Fleet to be Equipp'd for that purpose provided with a good number of Flat-bottom'd Vessels for the Conveniency of Landing his Forces which were drawn together near the Sea-side opposite to
among them But the Harvest in the Year 1693 both for quantity and quality of the Corn prov'd so excessive bad that it was sold for four times the Price than before In this unhappy Conjuncture the King sent a great number of Ships both to the North and the Coast of Barbary Dearth in France to supply our Wants he obliged the Corn-Merchants to carry their Stores to Market to furnish the Country with Seed for the next following Year he caused a great quantity of Bread to be destributed to the poorer Sort at half the price it cost him and gave every Week a good Sum for the Sustenance of the Poor of each Parish To these Supplies and human Aids he join'd the Prayers of the Church and God was pleased so to bless his Endeavours that his Subjects were soon Reliev'd and freed from their present Misfortunes the next Harvest proving so plentiful that within five Weeks time the Price of Corn fell to such a degree that it was sold at the same rate as before the time of the Dearth This general Scarcity however the constant fore-runner of a great Mortality was a sufficient In ducement to perswade the Prince of Orange K. William III. that this was the most seasonable Juncture that could offer to Invade the Kingdom of France The Confederates encouraged by the hopes of Success augmented their Forces on all sides with fresh Troops and the English who ever since the beginning of this War had not been sparing of their Money being now more liberal than ever in granting new Supplies he Equipp'd two Fleets to back his Design But the Success was in no wise answerable to these vast Preparations For in Piedmont the Campaign passed without any Siege or Action of Moment In Germany the Confederate Army had passed the Rhine in order to ravage the Lower Alsace but no sooner did the Marshal de Lorge march against them but they re-pass'd the said River without any further Action The Dauphin Commanded at that time in Flanders attended by the Flower of all the French Nobility his Army was composed of the best Troops but did not exceed fifty thousand Men. The Confederate Army consisted of fourscore thousand Men under the Command of the Prince of Orange K. William III. and the Elector of Bavaria and it was given out that they intended to Besiege Namur and Dunkirk but notwithstanding the inequality of their Number there passed not any thing of Moment all this Campaign Towards the latter end of the Month of August the Confederate Army decamped from about Liege directing their March towards our Lines in hopes to force them and to put our Conquests under Contribution and to open the way for some Enterprize of more moment To put the Design in Execution they advanced towards the Shelde in hopes to be able to lay their Bridges over that River without much opposition there being not above seven or eight thousand Men as they imagined to guard our Lines But their Astonishment was such as is pass'd all Expression when they saw on the other side of the River several Batteries mounted with Cannon and the Dauphin's Army ranged in Battle-Array ready to receive them It was a good while before they could believe their own Eyes thinking it impossible that whereas they had got two days march before the Dauphin and the Road they had taken was by one half shorter they should be prevented by the French Army which had many Defiles and four Rivers to pass For no sooner had the Dauphin receiv'd Intelligence of their March but he immediately dispatch'd his Orders to get every thing in readiness upon the Road which might conduce towards the hasty March of his Army to prevent if possible the Enemies Design His Orders were so strictly observed that in all places through which they passed they found Forrage Provisions and all other Refreshments in abundance many Bridges were laid ready over the Rivers great Numbers of Waggons and Boats attended every where to carry the Soldiers that were unable to follow the rest or to convey these with more Expedition who were intended to be the first that should join these Forces that kept the Guard of the Lines Never were any Solders seen to March with more Alacrity Neither the Weight of their Arms nor the Heat of the Season nor the Fatigues of so long and Expeditious a March did abate the least of their Vigour and Activity they strove on the contrary to out-viegh one another in their March aiding and encouraging those who staid a little behind This generral Emulation prov'd so successful that the whole Army with their Cannon and Baggage march'd forty large Leagues in less than four days time The Confederate Army was so much surprised at this unexpected Sight that they retired immediately without attempting any thing further that Campaign But before they went into Winter quarters they sent a strong Detatchment towards Liege which in conjunction with the Forces of that Bishoprick took the Town and Castle of Huy in six days a small place and one of those that commonly fall to the share of those who are Masters of the Field Threescore pieces of Cannon and thirty Mortars were made use of in this Siege an Expence suitable to a much greater Enterprize but scarce worth the taking of a Place of so little Consequence The Conquest of Huy seem'd to be but a slender Recompence to the Allies for the disappointments of this Compaign which had passed without any Action of moment and for the loss of a Battle and four considerable Places in Catalonia For the Marshal de Noailles having immediately after his arrival in those Parts received the King's Orders to find out and fight the Enemy he found them entrenched to the number of sixteen or seventeen thousand on the opposite shoar of the River Ter which is pretty broad but fordable in many places The French Army was not inferior to that of the Enemy Battle near Ter. 27 May. consisting of twelve thousand regulated Troops the rest of the Militia Several Squadrons of Granadiers and of the Carabiniers having thrown themselves with break of day into the River some with only their Swords in hand the rest with their Fuscees and Bayonets the Enemy fired very furiously upon them notwithstanding which they advanced with an undaunted Courage and attack'd them with so much Bravery that they entring Pall-mall with them in their Camp forced them to quit their Entrenchments In the mean while the best of the whole Army having passed the River advanced in good Order to give them Battle The Spanish Horse received them with an extraordinary Courage whereby their Infantry got leisure to retire The Cavalry was brought several times into confusion and Rally'd as often till at last being quite broken most of them were cut to pieces they being pursued for three Hours together to the Defiles A good part of the Infantry underwent the same Fate so that we obtained a compleat Victory with