the loss of the day because the Ground was so streight and the Enemy had such Hedges Copses and little Woods to cover them that there was nothing to do for the Horse so that when the Van-Guard began to engage they had none but part of the Infantry interlined with the Left Wing of Horse to second them the Body of the Infantry being almost a Mile in the Rear however as soon as the Action began the King made all diligence possible to get the Infantry up ordering a Brigade to march up to the Wood and forming a Line of Battel in the Plain with that Infantry as could come up the Soldiers shew'd such eagerness to come to the Enemy that they ran to the Relief of those as were engag'd even so fast that they put themselves into some disorder which was the reason that they took more time to form their Battalions than was at that time convenient this was the case of those Battalions as were sent to the Wood to the Relief of our Van-Guard so that when they came up our Van-Guard and Infantry of the Left Wing being over-powr'd by the vast many Battalions of the Enemy as charg'd them successively one after another and lastly by the survening of Boufflers's fresh Troops they were forc'd to retreat in great disorder and to leave the Wood in which they had lodg'd themselves entirely to the Enemies possession The Baron of Pibrack's Regiment of Lunenburgers being in great disorder in the skirt of the Wood and the Baron their Colonel lying dangerously wounded upon the place which he got in rallying of his Regiment the Earl of Bath's one of the Regiments that was commanded towards the Wood the other English being Brigadier Churchil's was order'd by Prince Casimir of Nassaw to their Relief two Sergeants of this Regiment rescu'd the Colonel who lay wounded almost in the Enemies hand and brought him off in spight of their fire upon these Orders of Prince Casimir of Nassaw Sir Bevil Granville who commanded the Earl of Bath's Regiment march'd up to the Relief of this Lunenburg Regiment bearing the Enemies fire before he suffer'd any Platton of his Battalion to discharge once by which method the Regiment lodg'd itself in the Trench or deep way that lay upon the skirt of the Wood which it maintain'd till it was commanded off again by the same Prince of Nassaw The King having form'd a Line of as many Battalions as cou'd come up in this little Plain the Enemy upon their Right and our Left of the Wood as wefac'd planted a Battery of about ten Pieces of Cannon to put them in disorder by their fire we at the same time brought another against it and thus continued firing one upon another for a considerable time What mischief we did to the Enemy by our Cannon then I cannot tell but theirs kill'd several of our Soldiers some in the Regiment of Fuzileers and some in the Battalion of the Second Regiment of Guards but the most considerable loss we sustain'd by it was Col. Hodges who was shot with a Cannon-ball at the Head of his Regiment of which he soon after dy'd There was likewise a Skirmish between some of the French and some of our Battalions between the Wood and that Farm which was fir'd by the Enemy but it did not last long what Regiments they were I cannot tell but I suppose they were some of the Dutch interlin'd in the Left Wing of Horse commanded by Brigadier Fagel The Van Guard being thus disorder'd for want of a timely Relief which was occasion'd by the narrowness of the Ground and consequently beaten out of their Post in the Wood Luxemburg being likewise joyn'd by the Marquess of Boufflers's fresh Troops who came time enough to compleat the Defeat of our Van-Guard with his Dragoons and besides the Night drawing on the King order'd the Army to retreat which was done with admirable Order for tho' the French did follow us for some time yet they did not fire a shot such was the order of our Retreat that they did not dare venture upon it the English Grenadiers brought up the Rear and whenever the French mov'd towards us they fac'd to the Right about and presented themselves to the Enemy then the Enemy would halt and so our Rear-Guard then march'd on this halting and facing and then marching continu'd for some time till the Night put an end to the Enemies farther motion And thus the Army came back to Halle on Munday Morning about Three of the Clock We lost in this Action several Pieces of Cannon some taken by the Enemy and some we could not bring off the Horses being tired we likewise blew up some of our Powder-Waggons in the Retreat which we could not bring off some having their Carriages broken and others their Horses tir'd The English lost two Colours and the Dutch likewise some we had about Two thousand Men kill'd and about Three thousand wounded in which number we comprehend the Prisoners taken by the French disabled by their Wounds to come off being about 8 or 900. Of the English and Scotch twelve Battalions engag'd viz. The Second Battalion of the First Regiment of Guards the First Battalion of Sir Robert Douglass's Col. Fitz-Patricks and Col. O Farrel's in the Van-Guard Cutts Hesse Mackay Graham Angus Leven and Lauder interlin'd in the Left-Wing of Horse Of the Body of the Infantry the Earl of Bath's Of the Danes Battalion of Guards the Queen's Battalion Prince Christians and the Finland Battalion Of the Dutch Waldeck Fagel Noyelles Torsey L'Fcluse Nassaw commanded by Colonel Goz. Lunenburgers in the States Service Boisdavid and Pibrac besides Epingers and Fitzhardings Dragoons and the Horse Granadiers who charg'd on Foot Officers killed of Note were Lieutenant General Mackay Sir John Lanier Lieutenant General of Horse mortally wounded who died few days after at Brussels Sir Robert Douglas Earl of Angus Colonel Hodges my Lord Mountjoy who had been two or three years in Prison in France and came upon his Liberty to serve the King as a Voluntier he was killed with a Canon Ball at the Head of Colonel Godfrey's Regiment Lieutenant Colonel Fullerton Foxon Hawley Wacup and Hamilton Major Carre of Angus's Regiment wounded mortally and died soon after Chief Officers wounded my Lord Cutts Colonel Mackay Lieutenant Colonel Eaton Courthop Major Fox of Fitzpatrick's Prisoners of Note Colonel Lauder Lieutenant Colonel Eaton Bristol and Courthop Several Officers of the Danes killed wounded and some Prisoners whose Names I cannot Insert As likewise of the Dutch Lietenant General Tetteau wounded Colonel Goz Commandant of Prince Casimir of Nassaws Guards and Colonel Moor Commandant of Torsey's Regiment both killed This is an Impartial Account of the Business of that Day of which the French notwithstanding their Te-Deum have no great reason to brag All as Impartial Men can say of their Advantage is that we attack'd them in their own Camp and that they repuls'd us though with the greater Loss both of
Account of it to my Lord of Athlone Du Mont gave an Account of this Design much at the same time to the Duke of Zell who likewise gave Notice of it to the King which as it was an Argument of his Sincerity in discovering of it and likewise upon the Duke of Zell's Intercession he was also pardoned The said Du Mont came up afterwards to the Army to give his Evidence upon the Assurance his Highness of Zell gave him of a safe Conduct This Du Mont having given Grandval the meeting at Endhoven not far from Bois-leduc upon Levendael's Discovery my Lord Athlone sent a Detachment of 110 Horse thither who seized both the Prisoners I mean Levendael that discover'd it and Grandval and carried them to Boisleduc to the Prince of Nassaw Sarbruck Governour of the Place Grandval at first made as if he were very ignorant of the matter and altogether innocent but when the Prince of Nassaw Sarbruck ask'd him if he knew one Du Mont at the Court of Zell the other own'd the matter and reply'd That his Life was in his Majesty's Power The French King having at last invested Namur opened the Trenches before the Town attacking of it with all the Vigour imaginable and the Besieged on the other side making a stout Resistance This Town is situated upon the Brabant-side of the Sambre The Castle is very strongly seated upon the Ascent of a Hill which makes a Nook of Land caus'd by the meeting of the Sambre and the Meuse looking towards the Town and opposite to the Castle on the other side of the Meuse as you go up to Dinant is a small Suburb of Old Houses This Garrison was compos'd of Ten Dutch and Brandenburgh Battalions which had been there all Winter in Quarters besides some Spanish Regiments between which there happen'd during the Siege some Discord which forwarded very much as 't is said to the yielding of the Place 'T is very probable that the French King design'd this Siege very early in the Spring if the foul dirty Weather that follow'd the Rigour of the last Winter had not prevented it or even in the Winter it self if it had not been so severe for he had gain'd in his Interest the Baron de Bersé Lietenant Governour of the Place a Gentleman if I may call a Traytor so born in the Franche-Conté and who had been as is reported Forty Five Years in the King of Spain's Service The Inhabitants of Namur rely'd very much upon him and indeed more than the Prince of Brabançon their Governour whom they suspected because a great part of his Estate lay in the French Conquests between the Sambre and the Meuse This Lieutenant Governour was so much trusted that he took care of all the Magazines Provisions and Ammunitions that were in the place and such Care that he left them almost unprovided Whether it was that things were ripe for the Design if a kind Season had seconded it or that he saw that he had gone so far that he could stay no longer in the place for fear of being discovered he took occasion one day to go and visit some Out-posts and by this Pretext got himself intercepted by a Party of the Garrison of Dinant where he was carried Prisoner to cover the Plot but his being so easily perswaded to take the French Service does very plainly prove that his being taken Prisoner was but a Sham. It is said he did very great Service in this Siege in directing the Attacks where he thought they would be must convenient who knew so well the State of the Fortification Upon this Treacherous Governour 's deserting of the Place which gave reason to suspect some Design the Magazines were immediately visited and found in a very had Condition upon which Orders were sent to the Governour of Maestricht to send forthwith a Convoy of all sorts of Ammunition as Powder Ball Match c. and Seven Pieces of Canon which was sent under the Escorte of a very strong Detachment of the Garrisons of Maestricht Liege and Huy and Quarters thereabouts being commanded by Count Cerclaes of Tilly who safely got the Convoy into Namur about the latter end of February or the beginning of March last But to return to our Army Whilst we were incamp'd at Bethlehem the Elector of Bavaria with the King of Spain's Troops lay incamp'd within two Miles of us on the way between Louvain and Brussels which afterwards with his Bavarian Curiassers made our Right Wing of Horse that being still the Elector's Post of Command The King early in the Morning had by an Express the happy News of our Victory at Sea by Admiral Russel over the Count de Tourville the French Admiral which tho' it gave but a confus'd Relation as yet of the French loss and our advantage over them the Express being sent immediately after the French Fleet began to make off yet it was a Victory of such consequence that in the Evening the King caus'd all the English Artillery which had joyn'd us but little before if not that very day to be drawn upon the top of a Hill upon the Right of our Army looking towards Namur the Dutch Artillery was likewise plac'd on the same Hill upon the Left of ours and Orders were given for the drawing out of the whole Army in the Evening to express our Joy for the Victory by the triple Discharge of our Artillery and Small-shot and at the same time to give Notice of it to the French who were very busie in prosecuting the Siege of Namur the Wind standing very fair for that purpose The whole Army in expressing their Joy for this Victory shew'd such an alacrity and eagerness to be with the Enemy to second this great Success of our Fleet and not to be behind-hand with our Maritime Forces that we had all the reason in the World to expect great Matters if they had been set on the Enemy This day we were likewise joyned by the Danish Troops commanded by Prince Wirtemberg consisting of Eight Battalions of Foot and a proportionable number of Horse Col. Earl's Regiment came in likewise the same Day and Orders were given out this Night for our marching the next Morning We marcht from Bethlehem to Park another Abbey on the other side of Louvain as you go to Namur in this March the Second Line mov'd through the First because we marcht upon the Right and fronting another way at Park towards the Enemy The Second Line by this motion remain'd in the Rear when we came to our ground where we halted the next Day in which we were joyn'd by the Bavarian Curiassiers about 1400 strong who took their Post in the Right Wing of Horse immediately upon the Right of the English Foot-Guards The King resolving to use his utmost endeavour to raise the Siege of Namur gave Orders this Day for all the heavy Baggage of the Army as Carts Waggons and Coaches to be sent away to Arschot a Captain of
to hold a Garrison for Winter-Quarters It is about the bigness of Ostend and has in it a Parish-Church a Collegiate Church of Secular Priests the Dean whereof is a French-man two Cloysters of Nuns one of Capucins and an Abbey of White Monks of Premonstré or the Order of St. Norbert and is in the Diocess of Ipres Lieutenant-General Talmash with the Detachment under his Command march'd from Newendam and came to Furnes in Dutch called Vuernes and encamp'd close by it and a day or two after the Boars that had been summon'd about Ghendt and Bruges with their Spades and Shoovels and other Instruments to remove the Earth and had been commanded hither began to work about the Fortifications being about 2 or 3000 Col. Cambon being Engineer nothing new was added to the Fortifications but only we renewed those Works as the French had ruin'd when they left it the beginning of this Campaigne The Duke of Leinster came likewise with the Transport-Troops and encamp'd at Oost Dunkirk about a Mile from Talmash's Detachment and at the same time he was joyn'd by a Detachment from the great Army of about thirty Squadrons of Horse under the Command of Brigadier Boncourt so that now we made a Body of about Sixteen thousand Men besides the Garrison of Furnes We made Detachments and Parties almost every Night towards Dunkirk but without meeting any of the Enemy's and assoon as we had put the Body of that place in a condition to hold an Assault pallisadoed it and cleans'd the Ditch we left the Boars to repair the rest of the Works under the cover of the Garrison we likewise left some Artillery to put upon the Ramparts and so march'd to Dixmuyde the Battalion of Guards Selwyn's and the Fuziliers and some other Regiments having been sent over Night to possess themselves of the place which was put per Interim under the Command of Brigadier Ramsey Upon our March the Fort of Knock fir'd three Pieces of Cannon suppos'd to give Notice to the French of our march that way This is a little square Fort scituated upon the River that comes to Dixmuyde about a League and a half and is very advantagiously posted upon a considerable Pass between Ipres Dixmuyde Furnes Berg and Dunkirk the Canals between Ipres and those places meeting all here so that the taking of this Fort would have cut off the Communication between Ipres Berg and Dunkirk and would have cover'd very much our Garrison of Dixmuyde which did lie now very open by the Neighbourhood of this Fort. 'T was suppos'd we had a Design to attack it since our Train of Artillery Mortar-pieces and other things necessary for an Attack were brought by Water from Newport to Dixmuyde and that my Lords Portland and Auverquerque were sent from the King to the Duke of Leinster here which looked like a Consultation about some considerable Enterprize Besides Col. Cambon our Engenier was sent to view the place under the Escorte of a good Detachment of Horse The Fort fir'd upon them with their Canon but without any loss on our side But the French upon our March this way soon made a considerable Detachment from their Army to cover this place who encamp'd close under the Fort. When we came to Dixmuyde we encamp'd just by it in two Lines having our Right at Caeskirk where the Duke of Leinster had his Quarter our Left upon the Town and our Rear cover'd by the River Tser upon which this Town is scituated and which falls into the Sea at Newport This Town since the growing Power of France has suffer'd many Revolutions it was first taken for the French as I have been told by some ancient People of the Town by the Mareschal de Rantzaw before the Siege of Dunkirk and surrendred afterwards by Treaty to the Spaniards It was then of a far larger Extent than 't is now For in the Wars of 1672. the Count de Monterey then Governour of the Spanish Netherlands caused the Out Parts of the Town to be pulled down to bring it in a more convenient Compass for a Fortification and for a place of Defence and so fortify'd it after the manner as we find it now But sometime after the Spanish Garrison finding themselves very weak and the Enemy not far from them they quitted the Place I was told by the Inhabitants that it was about that time as Luxembourg was besieged All this War the French have had it in their Hands making a Garrison of it every Winter which with Furnes pressed Newport very much the Garrison making their Incursions upon the Canals and sometimes to the very Gates of Bruges Every Summer as they took the Field they pull'd down their Pallisadoes and sent them by Water to Ipres This Town has in it a Parish Church in which there is a Dean and some Secular Canons a Cloister of Recollects and two Nunneries and is in the Diocess of Ipres Just out of Ipres Port was formerly a Nunnery of the Order of St. Bernard which the Count de Monterey caused to be pulled down when he brought the Town in the Precinct of that Fortification it has now and gave the Nuns another Cloyster in exchange for it in Bruges We felt an Earthquake which lasted about two Minutes and shook the Earth very violently it was felt at the same time all over Flanders in many parts of England and France and in other places of Europe We had it about Two of the Clock it caus'd a great Consternation in our new Garrison of Dixmuyde some thinking at first that the French had undermin'd several parts of the Town and were in Ambuscade going to blow them up The same day the Duke of Leinster caused the Army to intrench which was mark'd out by Col. Cambon our Left and Rear being cover'd by the Town and the River Our Retrenchments were drawn from the Bridge upon the River along the Front of the Army and round our Right Wing till they came to joyn the River again Boufflers marching towards the Knock this Precaution was taken in case he would have endeavour'd to interrupt our Fortification of Dixmuyde About as many Boors were immediately upon our coming employ'd to repair the Works of this place as we left at Furnes We did not find the Fortification of this Town so far ruin'd as at Furnes and followed in it as there those Works as the Ruines prescribed without altering or making any new We only made the Ditch next the Body of the place larger to make our Bastions of a better height This Town has five Bastions on that part as is expos'd to an Attack that is from the Windmil between Ipres port and tho River to the Gate as leads to Bruges The West side of the Town is cover'd by the River to which it joyns by a Causey-way that leads to it where it has a Bridge cover'd on the out-side by a good Bastion and the inside with a square Sconce both ditch'd and
pallisado'd The Canal of Newport goes through the South part of the Town and joyns the River a little below and being a perfect Morass on this side it does not require much Fortification The Town is environ'd with a double Ditch and cover'd way and the Faces of each Bastion are cover'd with a Half-Moon besides good spacious Ravelins upon the Curtins This is what we had to repair and to go on with the more Speed a Detachment of a hundred Men per Battalion except the Guards were commanded to work under the Inspection of a Captain Lieutenant and Ensign each so that we had Soldiers and Boors very near 5000 Men on work every day The six Regiments that were in Town came out and encamp'd and six others were order'd in their places viz. Princess Ann's the Earl of Bathe's Lord Castleton's Col. Venner's Col. Mackay's and Earl of Leven's and encamp'd within the Ramparts of the Town where besides the ordinary Guard a Re-inforcement of the Bewarke mounted every Night at each Port towards the Enemy This day the ordinary Detachments of the Earl of Bathe's Regiment and Fusiliers being at work at the Bastion by Ipres part in enlarging the Ditch found an old hidden Treasure which quickly stopt the Soldiers working who fell all a scrambling in a heap one upon another some bringing off a very good Booty some Gold and some Silver several Jacobus's and Sovereins being found by the Soldiers and a great many old Pieces of Silver of Henry the Second Charles the Ninth Henry the Third Henry the Fourth's Coyn which are now hardly to be found in France The People of the Town suppose that this Money belong'd to one Elfort a Gentleman dead many years ago who bury'd his Treasure when the Mareschal de Rantzau took the Town in the Bernardine Nuns Garden this Ground where the Money was found having been formerly in that Garden which Count de Monterey caused to be demolished and they think that there might have been about 900 Pound Groot which makes the value of Four Hundred and Fifty Guineas English This Elfort left it by Will to his Children and the Marks where to find it but his Children could never discover it 'T is a wonder that it has not been found till now since the French have work'd every Winter this War and several times before in repairing the Works of this Fortification 't is very likely that we should have gone without it too if we had not enlarg'd the Ditch at this time Count Horne Master of the Dutch Artillery who has had the Command both of Furnes and Dixmuyde given him came to this place with Five Dutch Regiments and Colonel Lauders to Garrison there this Winter and the other six Regiments that were there marched out and encamped with the Army But the Works being now pretty well repair'd these six Regiments were ordered to march towards Newport under the Command of Major General Sir Henry Bellassis who encamp'd at a Village call'd St. George about half a League from Newport and on the Mondny following the Duke of Leiuster came to the same place with the rest of the Forces under his Command The Train of Artillery was order'd back to Newport under the Escarte of Sir Henry Bellassis's Detachment where it was put on board our Transport Ships The Horse likewise march'd away to joyn each Detachment their proper Body in the great Army All the English and Scotch Battalions as were to Winter in the Country march'd towards their Winter-Quarters under the Command of Lietenant General Talmash towards Bruges and were Canton'd that night upon Oudenbourg and the next day they Canton'd in the Villages about Bruges Lieutenant General Talmash having his Quarter at the Abbey of St. Andrew where the rest of the English and Scotch that were to have their Winter Quarters at Bruges were detach'd from the great Army to joyn him viz. First Battalion of Scotch Guards Lord George Hamilton's two Battalions Col. O Farrel's and Col. Monro's the other Troops under Lieutenant General Talmash's Command as were to go to Winter Quarters to Ghendt and Mecklen marched on through Bruges and Canton'd some days upon the Canal viz. Lieutenant General Talmash's Battalion of Guards Col. Trelawny and the Fusiliers But upon the Enemy's Motion about Charleroy they joyn'd the great Army again at Drongen The Earl of Bathe's Regiment was ordered to Damme for Winter Quarters a strong little Garrison between Bruges and Sluys scituated upon a Canal that goes to Bruges having such Sluces under its Command that it can overflow all the Country about where the Regiment came the 4 14th of October The rest of the Troops Canton'd about Bruges came to Garrison one after another as fast as Quarters could be made ready for them Col. Beveredge's and Stanley's Regiments remained behind at Dixmuyde for some time to re-inforce the Garrison till others came to relieve them and then they were ordered to Ostend for their Winter Quarters As for the most remarkable Transactions in the great Army since we had left it they continued encamp'd at Deynte and Grammen whilst his Majesty remain'd in the Field and some days after we had been detach'd from thence the King was inform'd that a Party of French was made of about 500 Men to come and surprize one of our Out Quarters and order'd thereupon a suitable Detachment to lie in Ambuscade to receive them but upon the Approach of the Enemy some of ours spoiled the Design by firing too soon and so the French retir'd only with the Loss of Two Men. His Majesty left the Field on Friday the 16th of September O. S. and went to Breda and afterwards to Loo where His Majesty remain'd between a Fortnight and three Weeks whereby the Command of the Army remain'd in the Elector of Bavaria's hands who sometimes after march'd nearer to Ghendt part encamping about Drongen on the Lys and part at Gavreon the Scheld making a Line of Communication between them the distance being but small the Elector took his Quarters at Drongen a very fine and noble Abbey of White Monks of the Order of St. Norbert and about a League from Ghendt afterwards his Electoral Highness remov'd towards Alost where 't was design'd to separate into Winter Quarters but the Count de Montal having joyn'd the Marquess de Boufflers on the other side of the Sambre and both making a considerable Body march'd towards Charleroy with a Train of Artillery Bombs and Mortar-pieces with a design to attack it this oblig'd the Elector to march with his Army towards Brussels and afterwards to advance as far as Waterloo and Genap to be ready to relieve it in case of an attack Baron Fleming with the Brandenburg and Liege Troops having repass'd the Meuse at Huy march'd up to Fleury to joyn his Electoral Highness The Marquess de Boufflers finding Affairs in so good a posture contented himself to bombard the Lower Town of Charleroy which lies on