French Army was above 40000 strong Luxemberg having drawn a great Number out of the Frontier Garrisons and having been reinforced 3 days before by a Detachment of the Marquess de Boufflers consisting of 18 Batallions 45 Squadrons and the flying Camp commanded by the Count de Gournay The Prince indeed had some Notice of this Conjunction but it was very uncertain and some say the Governour of Namur gave notice of it by a Letter but that it was not to be believed upon any good Grounds However it were the Fight being resolved upon the Command of the Right Wing was assigned to the Prince of Nassau General of the Horse accompanied by Lieutenant-General d' Huby a Spaniard and the Prince of Birkenfield with his Brigadiers the Prince of Nassau Governour of Friezland and Mareschal de Camp and the Lieutenant-Generals d' Alva and Webbenum had the Charge of the Left Wing and the main Battle Some Horse also before the Fight-began were sent to line the Right Wing of the Army which lay in a good Post but whether none were sent to line the Left or that they who were commanded thither did not do their Duty they did not perceive that the Enemy slipped several Troops behind a rising-rising-Ground and a small Wood next the Sambre who posted themselves behind the 2d Line of the Left Wing which constrained them to face about and turn their Backs to the Line whereby being much weakened some Batallions of the Right Wing were sent to secure their Flank and assist to keep their Ground Which was no sooner observed by the Duke of Luxemburg but he said to the Duke of Main who was then next him Do you see what the Enemies are doing I foretel they will be beaten In short the Left Wing was attack'd at the same time in Front Rear and Flank the 1st Line from which as has been said one Batallion was taken to reinforce the 2d after they had fought some time were forced to give Ground Whereupon the Enemy who knew how to make use of that Opportunity advanced to the 2d to fall upon their Rear Now that Line was already advanced to make head against the Cavalry which they had before them and which they had routed and drove back in disorder upon the French Infantry But the French had 3 Lines so that no sooner was one over-turned but fresh Batallions renewed the Fight and with more ease repelled the Dutch quite tired with the Brunts they had already sustained Prince Waldeck perceiving the Left Wing in that Condition and that the Horse weary of such hot Service had for the most part given Ground sent to their Relief the Horse of the 2d Line of the Right Wing from whence the Foot had been already drawn for the same Reason While this was doing on that side the 1st Line of the Right Wing was also engaged with the Enemy and had bravely routed them several times and General du Puy who charged them in Flank had gained 10 of their Cannon But the Enemy having 3 Lines on that side also and being continually relieved by fresh Numbers the Dutch Cavalry were dispersed and broke to that Degree that the whole Body could never be rallied again However the Count of Flodorp got together about a 1000 or 1200 about an hours riding from the Camp and brought them on again but then it was too late for that the Infantry were retreated But however Matters went with the Dutch Cavalry in this Action they have had the Misfortune to be esteemed ever since the worse Horse among the Confederates And certainly if they had behaved themselves as well as the Infantry did upon this Occasion I think there had been no room left to doubt of their attaining a compleat Victory For it may be truly said without any Exaggeration That never Foot performed greater Wonders for after they were forsaken by the Horse they alone sustained the Charges of the French Cavalry and Infantry both being charged in Front Flank and Rear at the same time and yet could not be broken They let the Enemies Squadrons approach within Pistol-shot of them and then let fly with such an unconcern'd and steddy Aim that the whole Squadron together seemed to sink into the Ground at once hardly 30 of the whole Number getting off and this Course they so accustomed themselves to observe that at length they laughed at their Enemies crying out Let them come on we will give them their Belly full The French on the other side were so dasht with the Execution done upon them that they fled as soon as they saw them but once present their Musquets nor durst they any more come near them but suffered them to retreat in good Order without ever offering to pursue them Which made the Duke of Luxemberg say That they had out-done the Spanish Infantry at the Battle of Rocroy Where notwithstanding the Spaniards performed Wonders Adding withal That it was for Prince Waldeck to remember the French Horse and for himself never to forget the Dutch Infantry But what-ever some have said in Justification of the Dutch Horse the Deputies of the States General when they took a View of the Army at Hawn to see the Damage they had sustained seemed to be of another Opinion for as they went from Company to Company in every Regiment they gave every Foot Soldier a Piece to the Value of 3 Franks as a Reward of their Bravery but gave the Horse nothing at all as being accused of faâ—ling in their Duty This Battle was very bloody on both sides the Dutch themselves owning they lost 4600 Men upon the Place a great many wounded and near 3000 taken Prisoners besides part of their Cannon which they needed not to have done had not the Waggoners cut their Harness to facilitate their Flight And yet of them the Garrison of Charleroy brought off 25 Pieces and 3 of the Enemies two days after The most remarkable Persons among the slain were the Prince of Saxon Masquerg the Count of Stirum one of the young Counts of Nassau the Baron de Heide and several Colonels Captains and inferiour Officers And however Prince Waldeck might have been mistaken as to his Intelligence concerning the Constitution of the French Forces before the Fight yet 't is certain he did all that could be expected from a General of his Age and so unweildy as he was during the Battel and retreated that Evening with the rest of the Army in very good Order to Nivell and next day to Bruxells as the Duke of Luxemberg did to Villain and from thence to the Place where the Prince encamped before at Pieton having put all the Country round about under Contribution which besides the Honour of a Victory was some amends for the many Men he lost in the Battel some computing them to 12000 slain wounded and made Prisoners though themselves would never own nothing near the Number But what Inequality soever there was in the strength of the Armies when they engaged
a Regiment of Curassiers and one of Dragoons and moved up the Drave towards the Fort which the Imperialists had over that River near Siclos near unto which he arrived July 1 sending at the same time some Detachments out to scowr the Fields and discover the Posture of the Enemy of whom they could get no certain Intelligence Yet the Duke failed in his Expectation of passing the River there also which was so overflown that there was no Possibility of it So that he sent Troops up along the same to try if there was no other place where he might do it and resolved that in case it was impossible to imploy his Army in the Siege of Sigeth But the Time spun out to the 5th of the Month when General Dunwald who came from the other side of the River with between 〈◊〉 and 4000 Men Horse and Foot was ordered by the Duke to post the Heydukes upon the Hills in order to facilitate the Passage of the Troops while in the mean time 9 Bridges were finished that had been ordered to be laid over Morasses So that on the 6th some Companies of Foot and Dragoons were wasted over in Boats with Orders to incamp on the other side of the Drave and there to intrench themselves which they did with great Diligence being â—assisted therein mightily with 1200 Peasants brought thither for that Purpose And notwithstanding the variety of different Reports that were spread concerning the Enemies Army the whole Army Horse and Foot together with their Artillery and Baggage passed the Drave by the 13th when the Elector of Bavaria came into the Camp having left his Troops some Leagues of which got up towards the Evening and then a Review was taken of the Army which was found to be 55000 Men. From the foresaid Place the Army marched towards the Enemy and on their Way heard divers uncertain Reports concerning their Number Strength and Design but they moved on and the Elector of Bavaria who Commanded the Van guard did on the 17th place himself at the Head of some Squadrons and 2 Battallions with some Dragoons and 2 Field-Pieces in Battel Array as well as the Ground would admit in a Plain interlain with Wood and faced on the other side with a Morass and in this Posture found 3000 of the Enemies Horse advantageously posted at the Entrance of the Defiles whom he charged with that Bravery that they quitted their Post which 2 of his Battallions took possession of The Army at the same time moving forwards through the Defiles the Duke of Lorrain lead the Van on the 18th and after very great Difficulty from the Badness of the Ways and Firings of the Enemies Detachments who killed a great many of the Christians they were by the 20th draws up in Battel Array in the Form of an Half-Moon about half a League from the Turkish Camp The Duke of Lorrain did all that was possible to draw the Turks to a Battel and sent several Detachments to skirmish to the very Head of their Retrenchments but all to no Purpose So that the Christians perceived by the Enemies Countenance they were not disposed to fight tho' they made great use of their Ordinance all the while But it was not thought at all expedient to attack them there seeing they were so strongly intrenched and that since the coming up of the Grand Visier their Number was computed to be near 80000 Men. â—esides all which the Christians beginning to want Forage Provisions and Ammunition it was resolved after 24 Hours stay in a Council of War to decamp from thence which was done on the 21st and the Retreat made in very good Order the Turks not concerning themselves much to hinder it only they contented themselves vigorously to change a Guard that had been out off if the Elector of Bavania at the Head of a Neuburg Squadron had not succoured them so that the Army on the 23d repassed the Drave but had like to have perished first For some Traytors holding Intelligence with the Grand Visier had undertaken to cut the Cables that held the Bridges but the Design was happily discovered and one of the Officers seiz'd and immediately Empaled his wicked Accomplishes having by their Flight escaped the Punishment So that in short the Army by the 29th was got near to Mahatz where they were reinforced with the Swabian Troops amounting to 8000 Men which enabled the Duke besides a Detachment sent under Veterani to reinforce the Blockade of Agâ—ia and another towards Croatia to send a strong Body of 8000 Men under General Dunwald to cover Syclos and Five Churches while himself with the main Army designed to direct his March towards Felixmarton But that Resolution was quickly changed upon his receiving Information on the 31st That the Grand Visier had the Night before passed the Bridges near Esseck with his whole Army who spent Aug. 1 in intrenching themselves which yet did not hinder the Duke to advance towards them to engage them if possible to a Battel and to give that gallant Man his due he neglected nothing on his part that might induce them to it though with little appearance of Success Till at last being vex'd with the Loss of Time he resolved to make the Army fall back as well to get at some distance from a Wood whence the Tartars disturbed his Foragers as to induce once more the Grand Visier to quit his Camp and to follow him This Retreat was done on the 8th but without Success neither which put the Imperialists upon making a shew as if they would take away the Garrisons of Syclos and Five Churches and abandon those Places and accordingly they continued a slow March that way And thus Things continued to the 12th when the Grand Visier possibly at last presuming that the Christians declined Fighting caused the greatest part of his Troops to advance and about 2 in the Afternoon 10000 Spahi's and 5000 Janizaries were seen directly to march upon the Left Wing of the Imperialists where the Duke of Bavaria with Prince Lewis of Baden Commanded They were led on by some Bodies of Horse whose Charge General Dunwald vigorously stood the Brunt of after which he retreated upon the first Line when in a Moment after a Body of Janizaries posted themselves upon a rising Ground with some Pieces of Cannon laden with Chain-shot which fired upon the Left of the Imperialists to endeavour to put them into Disorder This and the advancing of the 10000 Spahi's made the Duke of Bavaria to order the Front of the Left Wing to be enlarged according as he perceived that of the Enemy to do which yet could not hinder Time enough the Regiments of Savoy and Commercy to be attacked both in Front and Flank with extraordinary Fury who stood as firmly to it till the Elector hasted thither to assist them where he received a slight Wound by a Bullet in his Hand But while Things passed thus on the Left the Duke of Lorain had formed
Walls and Hedges adjoyning and it is reported that St. Ruth seeing the English Horse draw that way and beginning to scramble over a place where two could only go a Breast and that not without great Difficulty asked what they meant by it and being answered That they would certainly endeavour to pass there and attack them on the Left he was said to reply with an Oath They are brave Fellows it is pity they should be so exposed However the Horse made good the Pass and my Lord of Oxford's Ruvigni's Langston's and Bierly's Regiments together with Levison's Dragoons repulsed and beat the Enemy several times making their Party good on that side tho' not without Loss But the English Foot all this while laboured under very great Disadvantage in the Center which being observed by the brave Major-General Talmash he hasted to their Relief with some fresh Men and gave Orders to the broken Regiments to halt and face about which they did immediately and bravely charged the Irish who had advanced upon them to the Center of the Bog killed above 300 of them before they could retreat out of it and then marched boldly up to their old Ground again from whence they had been lately beaten Major-General Mackay had at the same time fallen upon the Enemy with a good Body of Horse on their Left while Major-General Ruvigni went along the side of the Bog with another Party of Horse who did very great Service and bore all down before them but then the Horse and Foot of the English Right and the Irish Left being mixed there was nothing but a continued Fire and a very hot Dispute all along the Line the Irish doing all they could to defend their Ditches and the English to beat them out from thence But the thing was not doubtful much longer for tho' Monsieur St. Ruth when he saw the English Foot in the Center repulsed in a great Extacy told them about him That he would now beat the English Army to the Gates of Dublin yet seeing the Horse press over towards the Castle he ordered a Brigade of his own Horse to march up then riding to one of his Batteries and giving Orders to the Gunners where to fire as he was marching toward the place where he saw the English endeavour to go over he was killed with a great Shot from one of their Batteries as he rid down the Hill of Kilcomodon the place where the main stress of the Battle was fought being just under the Irish Camp When the General fell one of his Retinue threw a Cloak over his Corps and soon after removed him behind the Hill his Guard going off at the same time which the Irish Horse perceiving a great many of them drew off also and in a short time their Army was driven to the Top of Killcomodon Hill where their Camp had laid which being levelled and exposed to the English Shot more openly they began now to run down-right the Foot towards a great Bog behind them on their Left and the Horse on the high way towards Loughreah But during all this Action in the Right Wing and Center of the Army those towards the Left that first engaged kept their Ground and little hapned on that side for near 2 Hours and neither did the Danish Horse and Foot that were on the Left of all disturb the Enemy as yet but stood opposite to several Bodies of Horse and Foot that faced them on the other side of the small Brook But then perceiving Mackay's Battalions to drive the Enemy before them least these Bodies that faced them should fall back to the relief of the flying Party they engaged them and for about half an Hour it was hot work But the Irish being then upon the decline they all fled out of the Field their Foot being miserably slaugter'd by the English Horse and Dragoons and their Horse pursued nigh 3 Miles yet the Night coming on with a thick Misty Rain prevented the English from getting between them and a very advantageous Pass near Loughreagh which gave many of them an opportunity to escape However it was computed there were no less than 7000 of them slain upon the Spot and of the English 600 Soldiers killed besides 73 Officers and 960 wounded to which number if we add Officers they will amount to near 1100 in all which still makes this Battle to be the more considerable since the English Army did not make up above 17000 Horse and Foot and the Irish about 20000 Foot and 5000 Horse and Dragoons The English Army lay upon their Arms all that Night but then taking some days of Refreshment the General having received divers Informations concerning the State of Galloway the most considerable place now left in the Hands of the Irish next to Limerick resolved to direct his March thither when he had posted his Troops he sent in a Trumpet to summon the Garrison who was answered by the Lord Dillon the Governour that Monsieur d' Vssone who commanded in chief was of the same opinion with himself and the rest of the Officers that they were resolved to defend the place to the last But for all this Resolution when the English had passed part of the Army over the River and taken the Fort the Irish were building they beat a Parley and Hostages were exchanged But the Irish demurring upon the manner of Surrendry made the General impatient who sent once or twice to hasten their Resolutions and at last Lieutenant Colonel Burk one of the Hostages was permitted to go in whom Major-General Talmash being as was believed inclined to lay the Treaty aside desired When they were ready to begin again to give the English a sign by firing a Gun into the Air but the other replied That they would not fire from within till the other provoked them to it from without And so after some time the Articles were agreed on and the Town surrendred on the 20th of July into the hands of the English the consequence whereof was the Submission of Baldarick O Donnel who had a considerable number of Men under his Command and in some time after the marching of the English Army towards Limerick with a full intention by the Conquest of that place to compleat that of Ireland There they arrived on the 25th of Aug. where my Lord Tyrconnell died some Days before and that same day possess'd themselves of Ireton's and Cromwel's Forts which were now ordered to be called Mackay's and Nassau's because gained under those Commanders Two days after Castle-Connell and another called Carruk a Gunnel standing upon the River 3 Miles below the Town were attacked by Detachments from the Army and the Garrisons of both made Prisoners of War and at the same time the English Ships came up the River and fired some Shots into the Irish Horse Camp that was then near the River which put the Irish out of Countenance who till then were made to believe that either the English
by the next Morning The Town in the mean time was set on fire the Night before and a great part of it burnt down before the Fire could be quenched which yet did not apparently discourage the Turks who on the 9th made a great Sally and did considerable Damage to the Besiegers but they were at last repulsed And tho' on the 13th the Duke commanded a Lodgment to be made on the Breach yet the Enemy stood so bravely to it that it could not be effected and the Besiegers in that Attack lost near 1000 Soldiers besides Officers and 50 Voluntiers whereof were several Noblemen and among others divers English Men of Quality However they continued the Siege obstinately and made a considerable Progress therein by the 22th when the Turks sallied out upon the Bavarian Quarter and did considerable Execution nailing up a Battery of Cannon and 2 Mortars and then retired with little Loss But about an Hour after the Enemies principal Magazine blew up which stood near the Castle that looks towards Pest by which a great part of the Wall was demolished which upon the viewing of it seemed so great to many of the Generals that they were for storming the Place without delay This the Duke of Lorain did not think yet practicable but sent next Day a threatning Summons to the Governour to surrender who answered in short That he thought His Highness would justifie him that he had hitherto done like a brave Man and that he was resolved to continue so doing and that God punisheth the Vain-glorious Hereupon the Duke ordered a general Assault to be made on the 27th and after much Bravery and obstinate fighting on each side the Germans fixed their Lodgment upon the first Wall and prepared their further Approaches On the 30th they sent another Summons to surrender which was answered the Day following in a Letter to the General wherein the Besieged let him know That the Town was in the Hands of GOD and that they could not give it up but if they would receive another Place in lieu of it they would treat thereupon The Duke not satisfied herewith ordered 2 Mines to be sprung under the second Wall but they had not the desired Success However that Evening the Enemy sent two Messengers to the Elector of Bavaria who thereupon sent them 2 Hostages and the firing ceased on both sides The Basha proposing to surrender the Town if they would conclude a Peace upon it which he said he had Power to do But the Elector answering That he had no such Commission but that he would do what Service he could towards the furthering of one the Firing was renewed On the 3d of Aug. the Besiegers made a general Assault upon the second Wall but came off with considerable Loss and they were also allarmed about this time with the Noise of the Turkish Succours that were marching up which indeed proved a Reality and that before the Christians made any considerable Progress more in the Siege tho' they attempted another general Assault on the 12th For the very next Day towards Evening the Duke of Lorain received certain Intelligence that the Enemy to the Number of 90000 Men advanced towards his Camp with a resolute Design to force one of his Quarters and to put Succours into the Town Hereupon in Concert with the Elector of Bavaria he caused all the Horse and Foot to march out of the Lines except 20000 Men that were left to continue the Attacks and guard the several Posts and Avenues of the Camp and drew up the Army in order of Battel Next Day being the 14th of Aug. he being informed that the Grand Visier had detached from his Army a Body of 6000 Janizaries and 4000 Spahi's all chosen Men who descending from the Hills to the Plain which separated his Camp from the Germans had passed it without Opposition and gained the Hills which commanded the Imperialists Lines on the Right and perceiving the Grand Visier's Design was to force a Passage into the Town that way while himself drew up his Army in the Plain to attack the Christians Left Wing or in case they failed therein to retrench themselves upon the Hills and from thence to incommode the German Camp with their Cannon He kept the main Body of his Troops to oppose those of the Grand Visier and about 7 Regiments of Horse with some few Hungarians to make head against the Detachment upon the Hills who entertained the Christians with several Vollies of their Cannon and the Janizaries made so furious a Fire upon them that the Hungarians and Croats who had the Van-guard fell into disorder Upon this the Regiment of Taffe advancing came timely to their Assistance and with the Help of the other Horse forced the Enemy-headlong down the Hill with so great Fury and Slaughter that near 3000 of the Janizaries were slain upon the Spot and the rest chose rather to retire towards the Bridge of Esseck than re-join their main Army The Germans brought back with them 8 Pieces of Cannon about 30 Colours and Standards with near 300 Prisoners and perhaps a more vigorous Action was never performed by Horse alone with those Disadvantages of Ground and Number Having thus regained their first Post and shortned their Pursuit of the Enemy for that they did not know but that the main Body were engaged the Hills separating them from the Sight of what passed on the Left They found the Grand Visier had drawn up his whole Army in the Plain to which the Duke of Lorain opposed his but that they both stood at a respectful Distance from one another However now after this victorious little Body of Horse had rejoined the Right Wing of the Christians the Turks began to make several Motions which shewed more their Uneasiness and Irresolution than any Design they had to attack the Christians and having by degrees withdrawn all their Infantry to the Foot of their own Hills the Right Wing of the Imperialists received Orders to advance towards some Bodies of Horse that approached to them But proportionably as the Germans advanced the others withdrew till finding themselves at the Foot of the Hill and seeing that the Christians Right Wing had by much out-marched the rest of the Army they charged a small Body of Hungarians on the Left who yielding before them had like to have laid open the German Flank and wrought some Disorder Yet by the Firmness of the German Troops and Conduct of their Officers who immediately fronted some Squadrons that way and covered their Flank the Turks retired the Christians at the same time it being already late having Orders to withdraw and return into their Lines which they did accordingly The Grand Visier also moved towards Alba Regalis and he ordered the Basha who brought him the News of the said Defeat to be strangled for saying That they charged the Christians like Lions but that they received them again like Devils But to return again to the Siege
upon them which being done also by the Turks posted on the other side of the River this manner of Treatment forced the Fugitives to renew the Charge But alas that served only to augment the Confusion that was already very great in the Ottoman Army For the Christians taking advantage of the disorders flew upon the Enemy from all parts who then betook themselves to their Heels not knowing whither to fly So that only Night protected them from the fury of the Victors But several of them in seeking to save their Lives in the Dark not being able because of that to find the way to the Bridge adventured in hopes to pass the River to escape by swimming but the stream was so rapid that most of them were drowned insomuch that of all the Turkish Cavalry there were but very few that escaped In their Camp the Imperialists found great store of Utensils for Pioneers 30 Pieces of Cannon of an extraordinary bigness of which some were four square a great Number of Carcasses Glass Granadoes Bisquet Barley Rice Meal Oats Tobacco Camels and other things but of all the Plunder the Prince of Baden reserved only for himself the Serasquier's Tent which was very magnificent and which had been sent him by the Grand-visier in regard he had lost his own in the former Battel After the Army had pillaged the Camp they entred Nissa without opposition where they found Provisions enough for the Subsistence of the whole Army for 5 or 6 Weeks and took above 3000 Horses and Mules and what still made this Victory the more considerable was the smallness of the Imperialists loss there being not above 300 killed and not many more wounded whereas the Turks were computed to have been worse for this Battle by 8000 Men. The Prince still to pursue this great advantage dispatcht away the very next day 3000 Horse under the Command of Picolomini to look after the fugitive Turks with orders to advance as far as Sophia and view the Country who returned the 13th of Sept. without having been able to meet with any of the Enemy but reported the Countrey was very good having suffered but little by the War that he had put Garrisons into Pio and Mussa Pafora which the Turks had quitted upon his Approach and that he understood by some Prisoners he had taken that the Infidels were retired to Sophia where they endeavoured to rally their broken Troops This Intelligence moved the Prince to fortifie Nissa and so much the rather because the Country People who came in great Numbers to implore his Protection assured him that the Country was good and â—ertile and if preserved sufficient to furnish an Army with all necessary Provisions and when he had done he made Count Pic lomini Commander of the Place and the adjacent Country depending on it and soon after Couâ—t Tekeley who had some time before possessed himself of Orsâ—wa thought convenient to quit it but he first set the Town on fire and then retired to Silistria Mean while the Prince of Baden not willing to conclude this glorious Campaign with this last Action set forward Oct. 6th with his Army for Widin another important Place with a good Castle upon the Danube and upon the 11th arrived at Breslau where he staid one Day in expectation of the Baggage and from thence sent a Detachment of Germans and Hungarians to view the Country and to get some intelligence of the Enemy These returned next Day with some Prisoners and reported that the two Bassa's were retired near Widin with their Forces and that Tekeley had taken the Road to Sophia Hereupon the Prince re-sumed his March and on the 14th by 10 in the Morning got to the Plains of Widin when the Enemy who knew nothing of the Army's March were strangely surprized to see the Imperial Foragers foraging very near their Camp and their Consternation was so great that before they could recover themselves the Prince his right Wing had passed the great stone Bridges that were built upon the Moras and was drawn up in Battle-array expecting the coming up of the left Wing which passed immediately after Neither did the Enemy endeavour to hinder them which gave the right Wing an opportunity to take up their Posts very near the City and to secure themselves with the Danube The Turks seemed at first very couragious but they were charged with so much bravery by the right Wing where the Prince of Baden was in Person that they were driven to an Intrenchment they had made about the Town upon whom however the Imperial Cavalry advanced receiving the Fire of the Janizaries which killed some Horse-men and made the rest recoil Yet they presently rallied again behind a rising Ground and advanced within 40 Paces of the Enemy's Moats where they stood their Ground till the rest of the right Wing had planted themselves near a Church-yard that was there In the mean time General Veterani who commanded the left Wing ordered 200 Dragoons to alight and attack the Enemâ—'s Intrenchments which they did so well that they entred in a short time the City pell-mell and were soon seconded by the Cavalry and the rest of the Forces killing in the whole of this Action near 2000 Turks with the loss of 400 of their own Men. Those of the Turks that could not save themselves on the Barks that lay upon the Danube or with that part of the Cavalry that fled to Sophia retired to the Castle of Widin where they resolved to hold out a formal Siege which made the Prince send to Semendria for his great Cannon In the mean time he ordered his Men to begin to open the Trenches that all might be ready upon their Arrival for widening a Breach and storming the Place But the besieged upon better Thoughts would not stay for the Cannon and therefore upon the 18th of Oct. they capitulated to march out of the Place with Arms and Baggage and were conducted by Water to Nicopolis with which the Prince of Baden concluded this long and most glorious Campaign distributing his Army into Winter-quarters in Transilvania and Vallachia sore against the Will of the Hospodar who could not help it and then he returned to Vienna But while these things were transacted in the Field the Ottoman Embassadors at Vienna for some part of the time pressed very much the Negotiations of Peace wherein they found the Emperour but little disposed Yet having at length received some dispatches from the Grand-Seignior they themselves grew much more remiss in their instances The reason whereof the Emperour and his Allies could not well penetrate into And therefore to sound them the more it was thought fit the Pretensions of the Allies should have been imparted to them to see whether they had any orders to conclude upon those Conditions which Proposals were 1. That the Kingdom of Hungarry should be restored with all its Dependances and the Principality of Bosnia in such a manner that the
the Bog so scared the Enemy that they retreated in great haste towards Duleek which was no sooner observed by Count Scomberg but he fell in among their Foot with his Horse and killed a great many The King who knew not the disadvantages of the Ground but computing the time when he thought his Right Wing might well get over ordered his Foot to attack the Pass at Old Bridge During all this time a great part of the Enemies Army were marching towards Slane and though our Cannon plaid upon them all the while yet they kept their Order The Blue Dutch Guards being to the Right were the first that took the River at Old Bridge they beat a March all the while till they got to the River side and then the Drums ceasing in they went some 8 or 10 a-brest and found themselves almost up to the middle presently in the Stream The Enemy who had lined the Houses Hedges and Breast works on the other side did not fire till our Men were got towards the midst of the River and then a whole Peal of Shot came from all Quarters upon them yet there was but one only observed to fall He that was foremost was a Lieutenant of Granadiers who as he got footing on the other side drew up 2 Files of Men and then stoop'd and they briskly fired over him at the next Hedge which made the Irish quit it with which the other were discouraged and so all of them left their Posts and were followed by a Volley of Shot from our Men advancing upon them The Irish Foot ran scattering into the next Field and before the Dutch could get well over they were charged very bravely by a Squadron of Irish Horse yet they were quickly beat off again But by this time there appeared a great many Battalions and Squadrons of the Enemies all of a sudden from behind the little Hills that were there However the Dutch stood stoutly to it as did also 2 French Regiments and Colonel St. Johns who passed the River about the same time as the other had done a little lower For tho' Lieutenant General Hamilton who commanded at the Pass advanced with a Party of Foot to the very River and himself and some others went into it giving Orders at the same time that my Lord Antrim's Regiment and some more should go and flank Sir John Hanmer's and Count Nassau's Regiments who were also passing about 200 Yards still further Yet neither would his Men stand the brunt nor could the other be perswaded to come within the smell of Hanmâ—r's However â—â—s Hamilton retreated a Squadron of their Horse charged our French so bravely that about 40 of them broke quite thro' Monsieur La Calimot's Regiment and wounded himself mortally But they hapned to over-do their Work at this time for being obliged either to go back the same way or else to pass thro' the Village and so to wheel to the Left to recover their own Men they chose the latter but were so paid off by some of the Dutch and Inniskilling Foot that not above 6 or 8 of them got beyond the Village most of their Horses stragling up and down the Fields The Dutch and the rest of our Foot advanced all this while so that the Irish Foot quitted a second Hedge they were perswaded to rally to when another Body of Horse came down upon the Dutch who neglected the Hedges and met them bravely in the open Field but kept so cloâ—e that it was impossible to break them And as the Enemy came on begun to fire by Platoons and both flanked and fronted them and so killed a great many of them before they drew off yet not without some loss to themselves By this time some of the French and Inniskilliners were got into the Field from whence the Irish had disturbed our Troops with their Cannon the Day before who obliged a fresh Squadron of Horse that was coming down upon the Dutch to retreat with considerable Loss All our Horse went over to the Right and Left except one Squadron of Danes who passed the River whilâ—t our Foot were engaged and advancing to the Front Hambleton sent out 60 Horse who charged the Danes so vigorously that they retreated much faster than they went on some of them never looking behind them till they had crossed the River again The want of Horse was so apparent in this place that the very Countrey People cried out Horse Horse which might have proved a fatal Mistake for the Word going towards the Right and they mistaking it for Halt stopt the Right Wing for near half an Hour for that time well spent might have done great Service This and the Irish breaking thro' the French Regiment hapned much at a time which was thought was the Occasion of the Duke of Schomberg's going over so unseasonably For in this Hurry he was killed near the little Village beyond the River He received a mortal Wound thro' his Neck and was cut in two places over the Head besides and fell down from his Horse without speaking one Word Captain Foubert being also shot in the Arm as he was getting him off Dr. Walker likewise met with his Death's Wound near the same place and was immediately stripp'd for the Sâ—otâ—h-Irish that followed the Camp were got thro' already and took off most of the Plunder This Action bâ—gan about a Quarter past 10 and was so hot for above an Hour that a great many old Soldiers said They never saw brisker Work But then the Irish retreated to a rising Ground and there drew up again in Order desâ—gning to renew the Charge Whilst this lasted at the Pass the Left Wing of our Horse consisting of Danes Dutch with Colonel Wolsley's Horse and Dragoons passed the River at a very difficult and unusual Place whilst the Danish Foot with my Lord Cuts and some others went over a little above them The King during all these Transactions was almost every where before the Action began he rid between his own Army and theirs with one only Dragoon and had ordered every thing in all other Places as well as might be before he passed the River which he did with the Left Wing of Horse and that with as much difficulty as any other whatever For his Horse was bogged on the other side and himself forced to alight till a Gentleman helped him to get his Horse out But as soon as the Men were got upon the other Bank and put into order he drew his Sword which yet was troublesome to him his Arm being stiff with the Wound he had received before and march'd at the Head of them towards the Enemy who were coming on again in good order upon our Foot that had now got over the Pass and were advancing bravely towards the Irish tho' they were double their Number But when theâ—e 2. Bodies had got almost within Musket-shot of one another the Enemy espy'd the Left Wing of our Horse moving towards them at which they
Enemies from the Hedges so far that in this Hedge-fighting their firing 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 they 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 thro' the Horse they were obliged 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 shewed such eagerness to come to the Enemy that they ran to the Relief of those that were engaged 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 that 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-powered by the vast many Battalions of the Enemy as charged them successively one after another and lastly by the survening of Boufflers's fresh Troops they were forced to retreat in great Disorder and to leave the Wood in which they had lodged themselves entirely to the Enemies Possession The Baron of Pibrack's Regiment of Lunemburgers 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 ordered by Prince Casimir of Nassau to their Relief two Sergeants of this Regiment rescued the Colonel who lay wounded almost in the Enemies Hand and brought him off in spite of their Fire Upon these Orders of Prince Casimir of Nassau Sir Bevil Granville who commanded the Earl of Bath's Regiment march'd up to the Relief of this Lunemburg Regiment bearing the Enemies Fire before he suffered any Plattoon of his Battalion to discharge once by which Method the Regiment lodg'd it self 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 said Prince of Nassau The King having formed a Line of as many Battalions as could come up in this little Plain the Enemy upon their Right and our Left of the Wood as we fac'd planted a Battery of about 10 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 a considerable time What Mischief our Men did to the Enemy by our Cannon then I cannot tell but theirs killed 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 sustained by it was Col. Hodges who was shot with a Cannon-ball at the Head of his Regiment of which he soon after died There was likewise a Skirmish between some of the French and some of our Battalions between the Wood and that Farm which was fired by the Enemy but it did not last long what Regiments they were I cannot tell but 't is supposed they were some of the Dutch interlined in the Left Wing of Horse commanded by Brigadier Fagel The Van-guard being thus disordered for want of a timely Relief which was occasioned by the narrowness of the Ground and consequently beaten out of their Post in the Wood Luxemburg being likewise join'd by the Marquess of Boufflers's fresh Troops who came â—ime enough to compleat the Defeat of our Van-guard with his Dragoons and besides the Night drawing on the King ordered his Army to retreat which was done with admirable Order for tho' the French did follow â—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 Granadiers brought up the Rear and when-ever the French moved 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 marched on This halting and facing and then marching continued for some time till the Night put an end to the Enemies farther Motion And thus the Army came back to Hall on Monday Morning about Three 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 tired The English lost two Colours and the Dutch likewise some We had about 2000 Men killed and about 3000 wounded in which number we comprehend the Prisoners taken by the French disabled by their Wounds to come off being about 8 or 900. Here it was that brave General Mackay Sir John Lanier and divers other gallant Officers lost their Lives and surely the French notwithstanding their Te Deum for this pretended Victory had nothing to boast of since their Loss according to the Confession of divers of their Officers rather exceeded that of the Confederates and they had not come of so cheap neither had it not been for the Chevalier de Millevoix one of the Elector's Domesticks his having given and endeavoured to give further Intelligence to the Mareschal de Luxemburg of the King's Motion and Designs for which he was fairly hanged upon a Tree on the Right Wing of Horse And now this Business is over it is time we should come to the Particulars of Granvalle's forementioned Conspiracy as published in that time by Authority and it was briefly thus Upon the 11th of Aug. the Sieur de Granvale was brought to his Tryal before a Court Martial at Lembeck for the horrid Conspiracy by him entred into against the Life of his Majesty of Great Britain Where it appeared by Informations intercepted Letters and other Authentick Pieces that some of the greatest Ministers in the French Court had laid a Design to assassinate his Majesty of Great Britain and made Choice of Bartholomew Liniere Sieur de Granvale for their Instrument to manage the Enterprize and find out fit Persons to assist him To this purpose Granvale understanding that one Anthony
Lordships on the 3d instant That the Infantry of his Royal Highness's Army marched on the 2d from before Pignerol to join the Cavalry which they did the same day at Marsiglia after having blown up the Fort of St. Bridget and set fire at Piscina to all the Bombs and Ammunition which they could not carry away The Army was presently drawn up in Battalia The Marquess de Leganez commanded the Left Wing composed of the King of Spain's Troops as well Horse as Foot and of the Regiments of Commerci Taff and Scrutenbagh commanded by the Prince de Commerci His Royal Highness and under him the Count de Caprara commanded the Right Wing which was covered by the rest of his Imperial Majesty's and his Royal Highness's Cavalry In the Right Wing and the Corps de Battaille was posted the Foot of his said Imperial Majesty of his Majesty of Great Britain and of his Royal Highness The Corps de Battaille was commanded by Prince Eugene of Savoy who had under him the Marquess de la Parelle and the Count de las Torres The Army being disposed in this order march'd on Saturday the 3d into the Neighbourhood of Orbassan from whence we perceived the Enemies Army towards the Hills between Orbassan and Piosasque The Enemy seeing us thus advanced made a shew of moving to us in order of Battel but the Night coming on the two Armies marched off to a greater distance from each other to suffer the Troops to repose themselves At Midnight we sent away all the Baggage and put our selves into a Posture to receive the Enemy who we perceived by the Ground their Army took up were much more numerous than we At break of day the Enemy advanced towards us making use of the Advantage they had in the Ground which was full of Woods and Vineyards They threw some Dragoons into the Village of Piosasque situate upon a Hill to cover their Right Wing and began to play all their Artillery upon our Left Wing which did us some Damage But our Cannon being likewise very well posted and well served did great execution among their Cavalry About half an hour after Eight they fell upon our Left Wing with about 20000 men without firing a Shot having their Bagonets at the end of their Fusils and their Swords in their Hands but they were repulsed and driven back with great vigour They renewed their Attack and took in Front and Flank the Neapolitan and Milaneze Horse who after having courageously withstood the Fury of the Enemy were at last over-powered by their Numbers and pushed upon the German Horse who being thereby put into disorder and being at the same time charged by the little Gendermerie were no longer able to keep their Ground and fell upon the Infantry which was put also into Disorder The second Line being brought on to repulse the Enemy while the first Line rallied the Horse gave way by which means the said second Line not being able to withstand the Efforts of the Enemy was obliged to give ground likewise But while things passed thus in our Left Wing the Enemy were thrice repulsed with great loss by our Corps de Battaille and our Right Wing and we had all along the Advantage on that side until the Enemies Horse which had made our Left Wing give way attack'd our Infantry behind and in Flank who had no longer any Horse to cover them on their Left and were at the same time attack'd by the Enemies Foot Our Troops resisted them with extra-ordinary Courage made their Cavalry give way by the means of our Cannon which was employed to very good purpose and repulsed them with a great Effusion of Blood This Resistance and Effort of our Horse in the Right Wing quite disheartned the Enemy but they being 10000 Men stronger than we and receiving a farther Reinforcement attacked our Troops anew So that being environed by their Cavalry and very much fatigued and without hopes of being succoured by our Horse we were obliged to retire at Four in the Afternoon leaving the place of Battle to the Enemy with 10 or 12 Field-pieces the rest being saved Orders were given for our Troops to rally at Moncalier where in the Evening most of the Foot passed the Po. Last Night and this Day a great many Soldiers came hither the Enemy did not make the least shew of pursuing us All the Troops fought very well and the Action was very sharp on both sides The Troops of his Majesty of Great Britain which were in the Corps de Battaille did particularly distinguish themselves and the Duke of Schomberg who commanded them fought on foot at the head of his own Regiment and would not take any other command The Count de las Torres desired him after the Enemies third Attack to take upon him the Command and cause a Retreat to be made by the Foot of the Corps de Battaille and the Right Wing which had not yet sustained any great damage but the Duke of Schomberg told him That it was necessary first to have his Royal Highness's Order and until it came they would bear the Enemies Fire adding That he found things were gone so far that they must now overcome or die The Valour of the said Duke is to be greatly admired he had the Misfortune to be wounded in the Thigh one of his Serants who waited upon him in his Chamber saved his Life for he seeing the Duke fall run to him and called for Quarter but before he could be heard was killed upon the Spot The Duke at the same time was taken Prisoner but Monsieur Catinat sent him back upon his Parole and he arrived here this Day I had already desired a Trumpet of his Royal Highness who came hither yesterday about 5 in the Evening to go and demand him I cannot yet exactly tell your Lordships how many are killed on our side 'T is thought that the Spanish Troops have sustained the greatest loss The Regiments of his Majesty of Great Britain have likewise suffered very much and there is not a Third of them left Of the Regiment of Schomberg 18 Officers are taken many of which are mortally wounded and of the others proportionably We have yet no News of Collonel Montauban l'Isle Marais Lieutenant-Collonel is taken Prisoner The Baron de Viskoute Lieutenant-Collonel of the Regiment of Schomberg is also taken and wounded De Loches Lieutenant-Collonel is kill'd or taken with several Captains There are 3 or 4 Captains of the Regiment of Miremont killed Collonel Monbrun has 4 dangerous Wounds his Major is killed and his Lieutenant-Collonel is killed or Prisoner Of the Troops of his Royal Highness the Marquiss de la Suse Lieutenant of his Life-Guards is killed the Count de Chalaus Collonel of the Regiment of Mondovi is likewise killed Of the Troops of his Imperial Majesty the Prince de Comerci is wounded in the Shoulder and the Son of the Count de Palfi killed The Enemies loss is at
or Upper Castle which Work being embraced and all manner of Communication cut off was forced to Surrender But the French to prevent such a Method of proceeding another time built a strong Stone Redoubt just upon the top of the Hill between the Cohorn and Terra Nova with a Case-mott upon it Bomb-proof and this Work commands all this Bottom unto the Sambre before which Work they had also made a very good Covered Way pallisadoed from the Angle of the Gorge of the Cohorn to the Brink of the Hill upon the Meuse Add to this a very good Half-moon they had made upon the Curtain of the Horn-work of the Terra Nova besides their fortifying of the Devil's House which flanks the sides of the Cohorn towards the Meuse with a strong Stone Redoubt which place when the Spaniards had it had but a simple Retrenchment about it and yet it held out 4 or 5 Days From the upper part of the Cohorn which is towards the Meuse they had made a very good Covered Way that goes about before the forementioned Redoubt to the Edge of the Hill upon the Meuse they had undertaken a prodigious Line cut into a Rock all along the top of the Hill near an English Mile in length terminating upon the Edge of the Hill towards the Sambre and the same Hill towards the Meuse with two Redoubts at each end The Line was finished and the Redoubt towards the Meuse very forward but that toward the Sambre was but just begun which they made up with Fascines upon the Arrival of the Confederates before the Place And in short the Castle was so strongly fortify'd upon the top of the Hill with all these Outworks that it would have been a very tedious piece of Work for the Confederates to have attack'd it this way But the weak side of the Castle and Cohorn was towards the Sambre and the Town and the French had not provided for an Attack on that side so that all those prodigious Works fell into the Confederates Hands in less time than the French had taken this Place before tho' then far inferiour to what it is now in Strength and Fortifications To which if you add the Strength of the Garrison being computed at near 14000 Men and most of them the best Troops of France headed by a Mareschal of France and assisted by Major General de Megrigny one of the ablest Engineers in Europe it would look little less than a Wonder that the Confederates should carry it But now its time to come to some Particulars After the Place had been invested the King ordered the Earl of Athlone with most of the Cavalry to the Plains of Flerus and so to the Pieton to consume the Forage that was there and a good Reinforcement from the Army under Prince Vaudemont to march towards Namur where on the 27th of June the Besiegers began to work on the Lines of Circumvallation traceing the Ruines of that which the French had made when they besieged the place but for want of their Cannon coming up they did not open their Trenches till the first of July which was done without considerable Disturbance from the French But by the 3d their Cannon began to play from a Battery of 3 Pieces of Cannon from the de Bouge against the Old Tower and from the Edge of the Height of St. Barbe On the 4th a Detachment was sent to reinforce the Prince de Vaudemont upon an Information that the Duke de Villeroy designed to attack him who to that end had made his Army as strong as possible and passing the Lys advanced to St. Barbon of whose Motion the Prince being aware he made a Movement of his Camp at Woutergaem to bring his Right more to the Reer to take up the rising Ground of Arseel which he judged more defensible and then ordered Retrenchments to be made upon the Left towards the Lys and Walken as they also fortified all the rising Grounds upon the right of Arseel The Prince had then with him about 50 Battalions of Foot and 51 Squadrons of Horse and Dragoons and with these Forces he was then resolved to expect the Mareschal de Villeroy though the latter had near double the number with which he was marching upon the 4th of July towards him and came up early enough to have attacked him But whether it was that he found the Prince's Camp so strongly fortifyed or that he would not then hazard a Battle or that he had Orders to stay till Montal had taken his Post in the Reer of the Prince's Right Wing between Arseel and Wirk to attack him there he remained in sight of them that Evening expecting to have fallen upon the Prince very early in the Morning and in a manner to have caught him in a Net by invironing him on the Right But the Prince being informed of Montal's Motion and finding he had already passed the Thielt wisely changed his Resolution of Fighting and though the time was very urgent and pressing he immediately with a most admirable Judgment resolved upon and contrived a Retreat and as he is a Person of very great foresight he had wisely provided for such an Accident in the Morning by ordering all the Baggage to load immediately and to March by the way of Deinse to Ghent that it might not embarrass the motion of the Army First the Prince ordered the Cannon to be drawn off of the Batteries and to March towards Deinse which was done with that Secrecy that the Enemy did not perceive it for he had cunningly ordered the Artillery to be moving from the Batteries all the Afternoon so that when it went clear off the Enemy thought it had been but the ordinary Motion Then marched the two Lines of Foot upon the Left along the Retrenchment to cover which the Prince ordered a Body of Horse to go and post themselves in the Retrenchment as it was quitted by the Foot the Foot at the same time marching out with their Pikes and Colours trailing to conceal their going off Neither did the Enemy perceive this Motion till the Cavalry mounted again and abandoned the Retrenchment By which time the Infantry was got into the Bottom between Arseel and Wouterghem marching towards Deynse But while the Foot were filing off from the Retrenchment the Prince ordered Monsieur Overkirke with the Right Wing of the Horse interlined with Collier's Brigade of Foot to make a Line falling towards Caneghem extending himself from the Wind-mill of Arseel towards Wink And this Motion was in order to make Montal believe that this Line was designed to oppose his Attempt upon the Rear of the Prince's Right but his secret Orders were to march off by Wink to Nivelle and so to Ghent At the same time that the Foot marched by Wouterghem and Deynse the Earl of Rochford who was posted with the Left Wing of Horse and two Battalions towards the Lys made the Rear-Guard towards the Left with a Line of Foot upon the one
rest were hasting to pass it All this while the Imperialists could not imagine that the Infantry could stay alone on this side the River because that the Night before they had done no more than only begun to make a second Retrenchment according to the Report of the Bassa and other Prisoners This obliged Prince Eugenius to advance with the Cavalry and some Artillery within an Hours March of Zenta receiving divers Confirmations in his March of what had been reported The Prince being come to the Place before-mentioned staid there for the Foot which being arrived he drew up the Army in Battle-Array the Right Wing was secured by the Theysse the Left was extended as far as the Men could take up any Ground the Left Flank was reinforced with a Second Line In this Order he made a Halt till 3 of the Clock and half an hour past at what time the Army marched in Battle-Array Being come near Zenta they could perceive but Two Thousand of the Enemies Horse The Van Courriers also reported That they viewed the Turks Bridge over which Troops were continually passing insomuch that there was a great deal of Confusion upon the Bridge Upon which Prince Eugenius took three Regigiments of Dragoons out of both the Wings and two more out of the second Line of the Flank with some Pieces of Cannon and putting himself at the Head of that Detachment advanced towards the Enemy with all the Speed he could giving Order for the rest of the Army to follow him in order of Battle All this while the Enemy's Horse made over the Bridge as fast as they could so that the Prince could easily perceive the Confusion that was upon the Bridge there being a World of Baggage still on this side Being thus advanced within Cannon-shot of the Enemy's Detachments the Turks began to play upon the Imperialists with their great Guns which the Christians answered while the Army still advanced and the six Regiments which had been detached were ordered to their Stations in the Army In this Order the Army advanced within half Cannon-shot of the Enemy's Entrenchments there remaining no more than two Hours of Day-light The Right Wing was then as it were lin'd by the River together with some Regiments of the Flank of the Left at what time they perceiv'd the Enemy's Horse were endeavouring to slide between them and the River and so fall upon that Wing but they found that impossible In the mean time they planted some Pieces of Cannon upon that Wing with which they plaid continually against the Bridge and the same Order was observed in the Right Wing and immediately after the Fight began on every side I have already told you that the Turkish Cavalry endeavour'd to slip between the River and the Left Wing which the Imperialists perceiving and observing that there was a Space of Ground between 30 and 40 Paces broad between the Enemy and the River from whence they might fall upon the Enemy's Rear they planted some Cannon there with all speed and ordered the Enemy to be attack'd by the Infantry of the Flank and the Left Wing some time before the main Body and the Foot of the Right Wing could do it This succeeded 〈◊〉 notwithstanding the thick Fire of the Enemy with their great Guns laden with Cartouches and the continual Vollies of their Small-shot so that the Infantry of the Left Wing broke in upon them and then the Army as well Horse as Foot fell on at the same Instant that the Enemy was already in some Disorder by reason of those who had already fallen upon their Backs There were two Entrenchments one behind another besides a Barricado of Waggons and they were so good that it is not easie to apprehend how the Foot could force them The Victors passed them both in half an Hours time during which there was nothing but Fire and Smoak on both sides The Horse also advanced at the same time with the Infantry to the Moat of the Entrenchment where they stood the Enemy's Fire and charged in the same manner as the Foot which perhaps was hardly ever seen before So soon as the Infantry of the Left Wing had broken into the Entrenchments all the Army acted together with equal Force nor was it possible to restrain the Soldiers One part of the Cavalry alighted from their Horses and passed the Moat over the slain Enemy In the mean time the Germans of the Left Wing and Flank cut off the Turks way to the Bridge whence followed a most horrible Slaughter as well within the Entrenchments as upon the Bridge and in the River into which they threw themselves to escape the Imperialists For the Soldiers were so eager after Blood that they gave Quarter to no Body neither Bassa's nor Officers tho' they promised large Ransoms Hence it came to pass that so few Prisoners were taken and those only such as were found among the Slain or in the Barks that composed the Bridge By those it was understood that all the Turkish Infantry was in the Fight there being not any on the other side of the River but about 2000 Men for the Grand Seignior's Guard Whence it may be concluded That the Foot were all destroy'd and that several Thousands were slain The Fight ended with the Day nor can we sufficiently set forth the Valour and Courage of the Generals the Officers and Soldiers from the highest to the lowest but principally the Skill and Dexterity of Prince Eugenius is to be extolled who tho' much inferiour to the Enemy knew so well how to watch his Opportunity that he made himself equal to him in some sort by falling upon him at a time that but one part of his Army could fight the other being on the other side of the River and not able to succour those that were distress'd All the Imperialists retreated out of the Trenches after two Hours within Night and spent the rest of it as well as they could However it were so order'd that the greatest Number was posted along the Theysse but it was impossible to rally them all again under their proper Colours Some were appointed to Guard the Bridge beyond which was set an advanced Guard The next day being the 12th a Camp was marked out for the Army and it was found that the Action was much more advantageous than it was thought as well for the Number of the Slain as the Number of great Guns the vast quantities of Bombs Carcasses Granadoes Ammunition and Provision besides great and small Cattle by reason of the Enemy's Camp beyond the River which was half a League wide and which the Turks had quitted The Fugitives reported That the Grand Seignior fled in great Consternation to Temeswaer In their Camp were found all their Tents with that of the Grand Seignior's himself several Camels and other Beasts heavy Artillery Bombs Carcasses and other Ammunition besides a prodigious quantity of Provision and about 6000 Waggons on both sides the River and some Men
to my Affairs But howsoever it pleases over-ruling Heaven to dispose of Me and Mine or into whatsoever Recess I may be thrown I can assure your Majesty That I shall always preserve to the last Gasp of my expiring Breath that due Acknowledgment which I still retain of your Favours and constant Friendship Nor can any thing more contribute to my Consolation than to hear as I hope to do when I have wholly quitted your Dominions of the quick Return of all your wonted Triumphs both by Sea and Land over Your Enemies and Mine when my Interest shall be no longer intermixed with yours I am Monsieur my Brother Yours c. JAMES REX While we are now thro' the Blessing of God secure from any Foreign Invasion by the good Success of our Fleet against the French there was a Conspiracy as dangerous and of a much baser Nature contrived abroad by one Granvale a French Officer to assassinate his Majesty's Person who when he came to the Camp at Bethlehem-Abby about the 28th of May was inform'd of the Design and the foresaid Person secured for the present but of this you will hear more by and by when we come to his Tryal In the mean time how unsuccessful soever the French Fleet had been at Sea that King was bent upon keeping up the Reputation of his Arms by Land by making some further Progress this Campaign in the Spanish Netherlands tho' now in a much better state than formerly since the Elector of Bavaria became Governour as he did the beginning of this Year And therefore on the 22d of May he invested Namur a strong Frontier-Garrison in Person before which the Trenches were opened on the 1st of June and tho' upon the News of our Sea-Victory King William caused all the English Artillery to be drawn in his Camp at Bethlehem to the top of an Hill upon the Right of the Army that looked towards Namur and placed the Dutch Artillery upon the same Hill to the Left and that the whole Army was drawn out to express their Joy for the same by a triple Discharge of all the Cannon and small Shot yet it was said the French King took so little notice of it that he should say Here is a mighty pudder indeed about burning 2 or 3 Ships But how light soever he might seem to take it the Consequence shewed it was the unhappiest Blow that befel that Nation in the whole Course of the War who never after durst look our Fleet in the Face and hereby left all their Sea-Coast to be insulted by us as we pleased I shall not enter into the Particulars of the Siege of Namur which was carried on with great Vigour and which King William was no less sollicitous to relieve resolving if possible to fight the Duke of Luxemburg who covered the Siege and who upon Information that the King moved towards the River Mehaign marched that way likewise and upon the 8th of June the two Armies which were very strong and pretty equal as to number the Confederates being reckon'd at 80000 Men came in sight of one another the River remaining between them The Confederates possessed themselves of all the Posts upon the River on their side as the French did of two Villages surrounded with strong Hedges and Thickets on theirs but the Confederates by Planting of Batteries at all their Posts were so far Masters of that River that the French Soldiers could not come for a drop of Water to it And that same Evening the King gave Orders to build Bridges over the Mehaign in order to pass it the next day to attack the Enemy which was so ordered that the whole Army might pass in a Front at the same time but the great Rains that begun that Evening and held on for several days that it broke the Bridges made it unpassable for the Cannon and rendred this glorious Undertaking abortive the Consequence whereof was the Surrender of the Castle of Namur on the 30th of June for the Town had been given up before which considering the Strength and Importance of the Place with the shortness of the Siege made most People believe there was some fellow-feeling in the Case However it were some did then report who pretended to understand the Affairs of the Court of Brussels That the King had desired the Elector of Bavaria to withdraw the Prince of Brabaâ—â—son from his Government of Namur and gave him his Reasons for it and that it was thereupon agreed the Prince should make the Campaign with the Elector And this went on so far that the Prince was at Brussels in order to it But the French threatning to sit down before Namur before the opening of the Campaign on the Elector's side he could not refuse his going to his Government when the Prince desired it lest he should discover the Mistrust he had of him However the Elector at the same time ordered the Count de Thian to accompany him in this Siege and gave him some particular Instructions therein The King's Camp was at Melle when Namur was given up where he formed a Design to surprize Mons and was very near being executed when the Enemy having Information of it took care of their own Preservation From Melle the Army march'd to Genap thence to Notredame de Hall and on the first of August passed the River Senne in several Columns when they were joined by the Hanover Troops to the number of 8000 all fine Men. The French encamped at the same time at Engheim with their Right extended to Steenkirk and where the King resolved to attack them In the Evening Orders were given out for 6 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 2d of the 1st Regiment of Guards the 1st of Sir Robert Douglass's Col. Fitz-Patrick Col. O Farrel's a Battalion of the Danish Guards and the Queens Orders were likewise given for 17 Men in each Battalion in Churchil's Brigrade to be ready at the Time and Place and to be commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Manwayring their business being to make the Ways through the Desiles they were all to receive a Ducat a Head for their Labour and as they were to join with the Van-guard 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 Van-guard 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 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 Luxemburg's Right
being at Steenkirk and his Left at Enghein he took his Quarters at Hove According to Orders the 6 Battalions paraded at the Head of Prince Waldeck's Regiment and the Detachment of 17 Men per Battalion of Churchil's Brigade and received the Command of Prince Wirtemberg and very early in the Morning the whole Army followed them makign their way to the Enemies Camp thro' nothing but Defiles being close Ground all the way and no other way but such as was made by our Detachment for that purpose the Baggage being left behind by order at the Camp at Hall About 9 or 10 in the Morning our Van-guard came to the advanced Posts of the Enemy the Mareschal of Luxemburg as the Paris Account gives it having been informed of our Design by Monsieur 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 Defiles But notwithstanding this our Van-guard 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 Enemies Camp who upon the march of our Army were all made Prisoners of War their number being about 30 Men and an Officer Between 10 and 11 in the Morning our advanc'd Guards under the Command of the Prince of Wirtemberg lodged themselves in the Wood that fronted the Right of the Enemies Army the Danes and the Battalion of Guards taking their Post upon the Left in the Wood and Sir Robert Douglas Fitz-patrick's and O Farrel's upon the Right of them On the other side of the Wood was the Enemies Camp a little Valley remaining between and a great many Hedges which the Enemy resolved to maintain with all Vigour possible tho' they yielded so easily their advanced Posts Prince Wirtemberg planted upon a little Rising on the Left of the Wood a Battery of Cannon which began to play about 11 and another upon the Right by Sir Robert Douglas his Battalion Captain Macrackan of the same Regiment who afterwards was killed pointed a Cannon from his Battery so successfully that it put a whole Battalion of the Enemies in disorder sweeping almost an entire Rank before it Whilst Prince Wirtemberg was playing upon the Enemy with these Batteries of Cannon the Army marched up to the Head of the Defile about half an English Mile from the Wood where it opened 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 seemed planted in great order as if 't was the Avenue of some Person of Quality's House which being towards Enghein makes my Author suppose that they might belong to the Duke of Arschot's House where those famous Gardens be as are said to be the Pattern of Versailles Thro' these strait before us on the other side of the Plain they 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 considerable 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 ordered this way and was afterwards engag'd with Fagâ—l'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 hallow 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 branched it self in 2 other deep ways one going thro' 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 out-side of the Wood between these two last was the Place where Sir Robert Douglas 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 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 ordered 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 out-side 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 4 Regiments were posted here to be ready to second the Attack of our Van-guard Prince of Hesse's Col. Louder'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 in their Halt Prince Wirtemberg after he had connonaded for above 2 Hours begun the Attack with the Danes upon the Right which was immediately follow'd by the other 4 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 2 Hours seem'd to be a continued Thunder and equalled the noise even of the loudest Claps our Van-guard behaved themselves in this Engagement to such wonder and admiration that tho' they received 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 on 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 obliged afterwards to leave them Sir R. Douglas with his first Battalion charg'd several of the Enemies and beat them from 3 several Hedges and had made himself Master of the 4th where going thro' a Gap to get on the other side he was unfortunately killed upon the Spot all the other Regiments performing equal Wonder and behaved themselves with the same Bravery and beating the