to Haneff, while the forces under monfieur Auverquerque, 1705. marched at the fame time to Theys upon the Jaar. The enemy, having notice of this march, decamped in hafte, and, as it were, fled into their lines, having fent away most of their heavy baggage the day before.

The French having thus fecured themselves within their lines, the confederate generals thought fit to undertake the fiege of Huy, before they proceeded further; and, to that end, made a detachment under general Scholten, to invest that place on the 6th of July, while the duke of Marlborough and monfieur Auverquerque made each a small motion to cover the fiege. Two days after, the batteries began to play against fort Picard; and, the difpofitions being made for attacking it, the allies foon made themselves mafters of the covered way, and were refolutely climbing up the fort, which the enemy perceiving, fled into the caftle, having quitted the Red Fort two hours before. The next day, July the 11th, a battery was brought to play against the caftle, and another was erected in Fort St. Jofeph; fo that, a confiderable breach being made, the enemy beat a parley, and demanded to march out, and be conducted to Namur ; which being refused, they furrendered upon the fame conditions, as had been granted to the Dutch two months before, the governor and garrifon being made prifoners of war. The garrifon confifted of five hundred men, commanded by monfieur de St. Pierre, a brigadier-general in the French fervice; befides whom, there was a governor appointed by the elector of Cologne. They marched out of the place on the 12th, to the number of four hundred and fifty men, befides the fick and wounded, and were conducted to Maeftricht.

66

After the reduction of Huy, the duke of Marlborough was refolved to undertake fome more confiderable action; and, as nothing appeared more advantageous in its confequence, than the attacking the enemy's lines, he fent general Hompefch to propofe it to the States-General, who returned anfwer, That, having an intire confidence in his "conduct and prudence, they left it intirely to him to do "whatever he should think fit, for the good of the common "caufe." Upon this, the duke held a general council of war, wherein that undertaking was debated; but, nothing being concluded the first time, a fecond council was called, when fome of the Dutch generals oppofed it; but monfieur Auverquerque, the prince of Hefle, count de Noyelles, and

fome

3

1705. fome others, gave unanswerable reasons, why it ought to be undertaken; fo the attack was refolved on.

July 17,
N. S.

The enemy were pofted along their lines with near a hundred battalions, and a hundred and forty-fix fquadrons; and the allies having ninety-two battalions, and a hundred and fixty fquadrons, the two armies were pretty near equal. It was refolved therefore to make a feint, to divide the enemy's forces; and, accordingly, the army under monfieur Auverquerque made a motion on the other fide of the Mehaigne, and the duke of Marlborough made another at the fame time, as if he intended to fupport him in the attack of the lines about Meffelen, where they were not fo ftrong as in other parts. This ftratagem fucceeded to the wishes of the two generals; for these motions, particularly the paffing the Mehaigne, gave great jealousy to the French, fo that they bestowed their chief attention on that fide. Whereupon the duke made the following difpofition, in order to march with the whole army, in the night, between the 17th and 18th of July.

Lieutenant-general Scholten having rejoined the army with ten battalions and ten fquadrons only, thirteen fquadrons more out of the right of the duke's fecond line were added to them; and five of thofe fquadrons were given to colonel Chanclos, who, being perfectly acquainted with the lines and the nature of the ground, was ordered to march at the head of all. Eleven battalions, and all the horse of the right wing of the duke's army, to the number of twentyfour fquadrons, were alfo detached in order to march at the head of the first line; and those two detachments were to be commanded by count Noyelles, general of the infantry, having under him the lieutenant-generals Lumley, Hompefch, Scholten, and count d'Ooft Frife; the major-gene. tals Wood, Rofs, Erbach, Welderen, prince of HeffeHomburg, and Weeck; and the brigadiers Hey, Palmo, Baldwin, Sackin, Gravendorf, Poforn, Meredith, and Hamilton. On the 17th, about four in the afternoon, the duke gave orders for the whole army to get ready to march; that all the baggage should assemble at fix near Tourine, behind the camp, under the guard of a colonel, with four thousand foot, and a hundred horfe; that, at nine in the evening, count Noyelles fhould advance with the two bodies abovementioned, filing off by their right, that which affembled before their firft line to the left, and that of lieutenantgeneral Scholten to the right, marching through the route which the guides would fhew them, directly towards Wan

gen

gen and Elixheim, which two pofts they were to attack, if 1705. the pofture of the enemy would permit. That the duke's army fhould march likewife at ten o'clock, following the fame route, which the two detachments took: That the artillery should move at the fame time on the right of the army: That monfieur Auverquerque's artillery fhould follow the fame way: That, an hour before the army marched, all the horse of the left wing of the duke's army should move along the two lines, and repair to the right of the infantry: That at the fame time the body of horse commanded by the earl of Albemarle fhould advance forwards from their camp: That monfieur Auverquerque's army fhould repafs the Mehaigne over the twelve bridges made there for that purpofe, and fhould join, with the right of his foot, the left of the duke's army: That, when monfieur Auverquerque should begin to move, he fhould detach a party of dragoons towards Gerbife, to give the alarm in the enemy's line on that fide; and that the detachment commanded by the lord Albemarle fhould bring up the rear of all. This difpofition being made, and the gun, which is ufually fired for the tattooe, being now the fignal for taking down the tents, the two armies began their march between ten and eleven in the evening, filing off by their right in two columns, leaving Cortis, Montenaken, Houtein, and St. Gertruydenland, to their right; and the villages Troyne, Cras, Auvergne, Baudwin, Reitfhoven, Over-Winden, and Neer-Winden, to their left; and marching directly towards their line, where the two firft detachments were to attempt to force their paffage at Elixheim, the caftle of Wangh, and the villages of Wangh, Neer-hefpen, and Ooftmalen.

The darkness of the night fomewhat puzzled the guides, who conducted thefe detachments, fo that it was half an hour paft four in the morning, and broad day, before they came near the abovementioned pofts, which, according to information, were found to be but thinly guarded. Count Noyelles caufed the caftle of Wangh, which defended a stonebridge, that was there on the Geete, to be attacked; but the French immediately abandoned that poft, and gave an opportunity to the grenadiers, who were ordered on that fervice, to march forwards, and attack the barrier of that line, which the guards did not defend much better than the other had done the castle, and fo the troops entered the line on that fide with little or no oppofition, altho' the enemy had twelve fquadrons of dragoons incamped behind Ooftmalen (within a cannon-fhot of the place where the first

detach

1705

detachment entered) who immediately mounted their horfes, but durft not advance to defend their barriers. At the fame time three battalions poffeffed themselves of the bridge and village of Heilisheim, a quarter of a league from Wangh on the left, which was done with as little oppofition. Nor did lieutenant-general Scholten meet with greater refiftance at the villages of Over-hefpen and Neer-helpen, fo that, being mafters of those bridges and barriers, and having made feveral other bridges, the horfe went over them, and immediately ranged themfelves in order on the eminence, extending their right towards the village of Hackendoren, and fome battalions drew up along the line, and behind the horse.

While the pioneers were bufy in making paffages through the line, ten of the enemy's fquadrons, and four battalions, were perceived between the villages of Gouchancourt and Eftmale; but they gave time to the confederate forces to extend themselves, endeavouring only to advance to the village of Elixheim. Count Noyelles caufed all the troops, which he had with him, to go over as faft as poffible; and thereupon, the duke of Marlborough arriving with his whole army, his cavalry went over the line with extraordinary expedition, as the reft had done, and fo they all made up towards the enemy, who by this time were reinforced to the number of fifty fquadrons, and twenty battalions, and advanced with great refolution behind the hollow way, that goes from Elixheim to Tirlemont. This obliged the confederate horse to make a stand a few minutes, till fome battalions advancing, lined the hollow way, and firing upon the enemy's horfe, obliged them to retire out of the reach of their mufkets, and to form themfelves before their infantry, which gave an opportunity for the confederate horse to pass the hollow way. In the mean time, the French caufed eight pieces of cannon with treble barrels to advance, with which they made a terrible fire on the confederate horse. But the duke of Marlborough being come in perfon at the head of fresh fquadrons, and feeing, that the enemy were continually receiving reinforcements, and that their infantry was going to join them, he refolved to charge them with horfe only; which was done with that ardour and courage, that, the cavalry of the two crowns being foon broken and put to flight, they went to rally themselves behind their infantry, whilft his victorious horfe poffeffed themselves of the cannon and ammunition-waggons. The enemy, being joined with fome fquadrons, and having interlined fome battalions with them, moved again towards the confederates; but the

latter,

latter, being likewife reinforced, and fuftained by their infantry, made advances to receive them.

The right of the confederate horfe, coming too near the hedges of the village Eftmale, which were lined with French and Bavarian foot, were fomewhat difordered by their fire, and obliged to fhrink back. But, having foon after extended themselves more towards the right, to make way for fome battalions, that marched against the enemy's foot, they both charged with that bravery and brifkness, that the enemy's horfe was foon defeated and cut in pieces, and their infantry, left alone in the plain, with great difficulty got away in diforder between the villages of Heilifheim and Gerfhowen, where they met with the reft of the army, and formed themselves as well as they could. In the mean time, the duke of Marlborough caufed all the reft of the troops to enter the lines, and extended the right of his army towards the Great Geete before Tirlemont, in which town they took the battalion of Monluc, which, upon the firft fummons, furrendered at difcretion.

In this action the marquis d'Alegre and count de Horne, lieutenant-generals, a major-general, two brigadiers, and feveral other officers of all ranks, befides abundance of private men, were made prisoners. All the troops of the allies behaved themselves with great bravery and resolution; but, amongst the horse, the regiment of brigadier Cadogan diftinguished themselves, having had the honour to charge firft, which they did with fuch fuccefs, that they defeated four fquadrons of Bavarian guards, drove them through two battalions of their own foot, and took four ftandards, and all this with the lofs of only lieutenant Austin and some few men. Nor was the lofs of the other troops greater in proportion. The duke of Marlborough, having very much exposed himself in the action, was in great danger of his life; for, as he was leading on feveral fquadrons, a French or Bavarian officer quitted his poft, and advanced fword in hand to attack him; but, as he was raifing himself upon his ftirrups to reach him, he fell off his horse, and was prefently killed. The Bavarian horfe, which confifted of twentyfour fquadrons, offering to oppofe the confederates, was almoft intirely ruined; as were likewife the two regiments of Alface and la Marque.

The body of troops, commanded by monfieur d'Alegre, being thus defeated, the elector of Bavaria and marfhal de Villeroy confulted for the fafety of the rest of the army; and, decamping in the fight of the confederates, paffed the

Geete

1705.