AN EXACT JOURNAL OF THE SIEGE OF Namur c. AN EXACT JOURNAL OF THE SIEGE OF NAMUR Giving a Particular ACCOUNT Of the several Sallies and Attacks and other most remarkable Passages from the first Investing of the Place TOGETHER WITH The ARTICLES of Capitulation both for the Surrendring the City and Castle LONDON Printed for I. Whitlock near Stationers-Hall 1695. AN EXACT JOURNAL OF THE SIEGE OF Namur c. FOR the better understanding the Motions of both Armies so soon as they took the Field of the Confederates striving to amuse the Enemy and cover their main Design and of the French deluded by those Amusements and endeavouring to defend themselves from the feign'd Attempts of the Confedeâ—ates 't is necessary that we should make a Repetition of the Movements on both sides from the beginning of the Campagne since they all tended to a Siege of which Posterity as well as the present Age will be glad to have an Exact Account The Maâ—shal de Villeroy was no sooner arriv'd in the French Army but that he might win the Affection of so many great Officers over whom he was to command he told the chiefest among 'em that he had in his Stables a Hundred Horses which they might make use of when they had occasion That he would also keep Three Tables where they would do him a kindness to come and Eat and that his Purse was still at their Service After these Complements the French General having visited all the Army that lay in different Quarters from Furnes to the Meuse caus'd those Troops that lay about Kièvraine to pass the River Haisne the 3d of June in order to encamp at Blaton Two Leagues from Condè The 6th about Four in the Afternoon he order'd the whole Army to march and take up their Post in the Camp at Leuse The same Day also M. de Bouflers encamp'd with his Army at Gosseliers upon the Pieton Two Leagues from Charleroy In the mean time the King of England who arriv'd at Gaunt the 6th of June departed the same day for the Army which lay at Aerseel near Thielt under the Command of the Prince of Vaudemont and the Duke of Wirtembergh The next day his Majesty visited all the Posts round about the Camp The Marshal de Villeroy being inform'd of the King's Arrival in the Army upon the 8th by Five in the Morning Decamp'd from Leuse and marching all that Day and the next upon the 10th encamp'd at Cordes between Tournay and Oudenard The same day he visited the Lines between the Lys and the Scheld and between Ypres and the Lys and order'd the raising of some new Bastions from Ypres to Commines and to furnish 'em sufficiently with great Guns Upon the 10th the King took a review of the Horse and upon the 11th detach'd away Twelve Squadrons under the Marquess de la Foret Lieutenant General who pass'd the Lys at Machelen over Three Bridges with Orders to joyn the Elector of Bavaria who lay encamp'd with his Army at Ninove The same day also the King decamp'd and to the End he might draw nearer to the Lines encamp'd at Rousselare over against Commines and Ypres and advanc'd the 13th to Bekelar a League or thereabout from the Enemies Lines Now in regard this Movement threatned the very Center of 'em as well as Menin Ypres la Kenoque Furnes the Canal d' Eauve and Boasingue Villeroy seem'd to be at a great puzzle not knowing well what effectual Course to take for the Preservation of so many Places at a time Thereupon he forthwith issued out several Orders he caus'd great Numbers of Men to march several ways under several Commanders and chang'd the Posts of several M. de Rosen who lay at Eschem to defend the Line from Courtrai to the Scheld pass'd to Ypres to defend the whole on that side M. de Montrevel was sent to Eschem in the Place of M. de Rosen M. de Capestan was appointed to command at Kenoke the Count de la Motte to command at Ypres and M. de Pracontal at Comines M. de Caraman commanded to Ypres and M. Davejan to Courtray and M. de Montal lay next to Dunkirk The Marshal also order'd several Pieces of Canon to be planted upon the Rising Grounds of Hollebeck where he had rais'd new Works as having observ'd that part to be weaker than any of the rest During these Motions the Elector of Bavaria who lay encamp'd at Ninove departed from thence the 14th pass'd the Dendre and encamp'd at St. Stephens The 15th he arriv'd at Ename upon the Scheldt a League below Oudenarde and the 17th encampt at Castre within half a League of the Enemies new Line On the other side the Marshal de Bouflers who lay with the Body of an Army at St. Guilain to observe the Electors Motions being inform'd of these Movements departed the 15th and encamp'd near Tournai The 16th he drew near the Scheld and the 17th encamp'd under the Lines of Courtrai where he receiv'd a Reinforcement of Horse and Foot that Villeroy sent him At the same time that the Elector encamp'd at Ninove the Count of Athlone was detach'd from his Army with Two and Twenty Squadrons of Horse and Nine of Dutch Dragoons and some Bavarian Troops to march toward Louvain and joyn if it were necessary with the Troops of Brandenburgh and Liege that lay quarter'd at Hologne about a League from that City and where they were joyn'd with the Brigadier Damprè with Four Regiments of Dutch Horse and from whence they decamp'd the 18th in order to march to Mehaigne All which time the Count de Harcourt lay with a Volant Camp of French Horse in the Condros to observe the Confederates on this side Marshal de Villeroy being inform'd that the King of England drew near the Lines between Ypres and Warneton decamp'd from Cordes and march'd all Night of the 13th and 14th The Foot being led by the Prince of Conti and the Horse by the Duke of Bourbon and the whole Army encamp'd at Houthem in Two-Lines the first all of Infantry the Second all of Cavalry Till the 19th the French wrought hard to secure their Works rais'd all along the Lines they also press'd forward the finishing of the New Works and distributed Ammunition among the Soldiers All the care of the French having been by these Motions to retrench the more safely and so to order it that they might not be constrained to come to a Fight a Proof sufficient that the Confederates were Superior to 'em in Number Upon the 17th the King detach'd away the Duke of Wirtembergh with 3000 Men and some Artillery with Orders to advance toward Kenoque to the end he might draw the Enemy that way and make 'em believe that there was a real Design upon that Fort But before they could get thither there was a Post that stood in their way about half a League from the Fort of which it behov'd 'em to make themselves Masters This Post was defended by above
Guiscard Governor of Namur No sooner had the Confederates made themselves Masters of the Town of Namur which they had bravely and fairly won in a manner by Inches but the unhappy Tidings arriv'd that Dixmude and Deinse were both shamefully deliver'd up to the French and the Garrisons made Prisoners of War the one by the Treachery of Major General Ellenbergh the other by the perfidiousness of Colonel Ofarrel Ellenbergh after he had done his business retir'd to Paris to receive the Rewards of his Villany and Ofarrel shelter'd himself in Cambray Upon the 12th of August at Night the Besiegers broke Ground in order to make their Approaches to the Castle and carrying on their Trenches about 150 Paces before Cohorn Fort toward the Sambre made a very good Lodgment The 13th they advanc'd their Trenches about 200 Paces farther and that Afternoon one of the Besiegers Bombs fell into one of the Enemies Magazines wherein lay about 500 Granados and some Powder which blew up and did them considerable Damage The 14th the Besiegers continu'd their Works with good Success The Night following the Enemy made a Sally upon Six Hundred of the Besiegers commanded by Colonel Seymour who were posted near the Palisados of the French to secure the Pioneers that wrought in the Trenches but the French were repulsed and several of them Slain and the Besiegers Works were still carried on a Hundred and Fifty Paces farther On the Besiegers side Four Men were Slain out-right and Twelve Wounded among whom Colonel Seymor's Major and one Captain 'T was said that Marshal Bouflers design'd to have taken the advantage of that Sally and to have forc'd his way out with his Horse but that finding the Besiegers had so well posted their Troops to receive him he thought it not convenient to put his Design in Execution at that time The 15th the Besiegers made a new Trench of about Three Hundred Paces in the Plain of Salsine behind the other which they had raised before and ran a Line from their Lodgment as far as the old Trench at the Foot of the Mountain to secure themselves against Sallies During which time the Enemy were so thrifty of their Firing that the Besiegers had only Five or Six Men Wounded The 16th the Besiegers advanc'd their Trench in the Plain of Salsine and enlarged and mended that at the Foot of the Mountain which had been much endamag'd by the Rain The 17th they advanc'd their Trench at the Foot of the Hill above a Hundred Paces and carried on that in the Plain of Salsine in order to meet it The next Night the Enemy fir'd thick and three-fold with their Small-shot and Great Guns and made Two Sallies to disturb the Pioneers but were presently beaten in again Ten private Soldiers being Kill'd outright and a Colonel who commanded in the Trenches and some others being Wounded Upon the 28th of August about Eleven a Clock at Night the Enemy made a Sally with about 200 Dragoons Mounted and 500 Granadiers The First made an Onset upon the Right Hand with 160 Granadiers where they were soon repuls'd by the Count of Ribera who was visiting the Night Posts After that they made an Attack upon the Left Hand where the Lord Cutts had posted his advanc'd Guards to secure the Workmen at what time a Hundred Dragoons came upon Lieutenant Sutton a Lieutenant of Colonel Seymor's Regiment who being posted in the Plain of Salsine with 35 Fusiliers suffer'd 'em to advance within a few Paces of him and then discharging all his Fire upon 'em retreated to his main Body after which the Dragoons pressing hard upon him he gave 'em a Second Volley at what time the Spanish and Bavarian Horse who were posted in the Plain of Salsine to second the Infantry fell in pell mell with the Enemy and pursu'd 'em to the very gate of the Castle In which Action the Enemy confess'd that they had one half of their Dragoons kill'd together with the Officer that commanded them Upon the 25th came Letters to Whitehall that His Majesty having receiv'd Information that Villeroy was upon a full March to Fleurus thought it convenient to leave the Camp before Namur to the Conduct of the Elector of Bavaria and the Duke of Holstein Pleon and join the Army commanded by the Prince of Vaudemont taking up his Quarters at Bonesee near Mazy The next Day the Enemy made a Halt at Fleurus being joyn'd by the Detachment from Germany and the other Troops commanded by the Count de Harcourt In the Evening of the same Day the French marched to Gemblours and seem'd to prepare themselves for a pitch'd Battel for they lest their Tents and advanc'd toward the King of England as near as the Ground would permit Upon which His Majesty drew out his Army with a Resolution to engage And in that posture the whole Army continu'd all that Day his Majesty staying in the Field in Person from Four a Clock in the Morning till Eight in the Evening in which condition the Confederates stood ready to receive the Enemy whenever they thought it convenient to begin And it seem'd that Villeroy had either a real intent to relieve the Besieged or else to try what a Bravado would do For he caus'd several Pieces of Canon to be discharg'd which were suppos'd to be a Signal and which were answer'd by the Besieged with Lights from the Highest part of the Castle In the mean time the Works before the Castle went on very well and the Canon had made great Breaches as well in the Castle as Coehorn insomuch that all the Discourse was of a General Assault Upon the 29th of August came an Express from his Majesties Camp to Whitehall giving an Account That a General Storm had been made upon the Castle of Namur that still it held out which Assault was order'd in the following manner The Lord Cutts was appointed to attack the Counterscarp and Breach of the Terra Nova with a Detachment of Granadiers and 4 Regiments of Infantry Count Rivera a Major General in the Spanish Service was order'd to storm the Coehorn Fort on that side next the Terra Nova with 3000 Spaniards and Bavarians M. General la Cave was assign'd to attack the Coehorn on the Right Hand of the Spaniards with 2000 Brandenburghers while M. Gen. Swering attack'd the Casotte with 2000 Dutch Infantry and another Colonel attack'd the Lower Town with about 2000 Men more The English advanc'd with great Order and Resolution and had gain'd the top of the Breach forcing their way through Fire and Smoke on every side but they found the Enemy so advantagiously posted and entrench'd behind the Breach and the Ground on their side so very bad that they could not get Ground in front but were forc'd to retire Count Rivera was Slain among the foremost upon their first Approaches to the Coehorn however the Bavarians posted themselves upon a Saliant Angle of the Counterscarp and kept firing furiously upon the Enemy who endeavour'd
400 Dragoons who were attacqu'd with such an undaunted Bravery as surpriz'd the Enemy themselves M. de la Motte who commanded on that side sent a Reinforcement to his own so that there was brisk Firing on both sides But at length the French were forc'd to give way and the Assailants made themselves Masters both of the Post and the Mote on that side They also lodg'd themselves there and made a Battery of Two Pieces of Canon in the same Place It was the common Opinion that in this Action the Duke of Wirtemberg lost about Two Hundred and the Enemy near Four Hundred Men. In the mean time the Count de la Motte caus'd another Battery to be rais'd in Opposition to that which the Confederates had erected and they began to play one upon another with great Fury The French also made all the haste they could to entrench themselves beyond the Yser casting up the Earth before the River because the Moat which they possessed lay lower than that which was opposite to it the Ground being Marshy They were also Masters of part of another Moat which lay under the Canon of la Kenoque And they shelter'd themselves besides by means of a Parapet which they rais'd all the length of the Ground which look'd toward the Consederates and which they cut in two or Three Places to render the Access more difficult Upon the 20th in the Afternoon the Duke of Wirtemberg being strengthned with some new Reinforcements Villeroy who had notice of it sent away from the Left Wing of his Army Eight Battalions and a Brigade of Horse under the Marquis of Feuquieres Lieutenant General The Night of the 20th to the 21st was spent in continual Skirmishes and there was a Report spread Abroad that la Kenoque was assayl'd in Military Forms But that was almost impossible and it was sufficiently apparent that the Assaylants had no design to do it but only to draw down all the strength of the Enemy to that side of Flanders by feigning the Seige of la Kenoque and thereby cause the French to run at the wrong Deer For it was a most difficult Task to pass the Yser by reason of the Works which the French had cast up and there was no attacquing the Fort without passing that River And though the Confederates had pass'd it there lay beyond the broken Bridge a great Quagmire with a Road about Thirty Foot broad wherein the French had made several Entrenchments one behind another Besides Montal commanded with his Volant Camp from Dunkirk to Fintelle His Forces stretching themselves from Furnes to this Place which is a Considerable Post well furnish'd with Men because that they who would pass the Yser must take it before they can come at Furnes While these things were thus Acting on this side the Elector of Bevaria lay not Idle Upon the 17th of June the Horse and Foot had orders to prepare Facines or Faggots to be lay'd before the Regiments The 19th the Elector riding with between three and four thousand Horse to View the Ground about the Lines found that the French had posted themselves at the Mill of Belleghem which is not above half a Quarter of a League from Fort de Clar and the Lines In this Place were posted five hundred Foot and eight or ten Squardrons Therefore M. General Fagel was sent away with some Troops to make himself Master of the Post The Onset was Rude and Obstinate for they charg'd and return'd to the Charge several times But the French were constrain'd to give way and retreated into their Lines the best they could and in great disorder being closely pursu'd by the Confederates The Mill being thus taken the Victors entrench'd themselves upon the Place and maintain'd their ground By this time some part of June being spent in all these Attacks and having sufficiently fatigu'd and remov'd the Enemy at a distance from the Place where the Attaque was really design'd private Orders were given to the Brandenburghers the Earl of Athlone to the Army of the Elector of Bavaria and the King of Englands Forces to set forward in Order to put in Execution the Design which had been lay'd some time before For all this while the Confederates i◠order to what they cheifly propos'd to themselves had made great Preparations at Leige of Great Guns Ammunition and Provision Pickaxes Spades Shovels and other Utensils for Seiges which were conveigh'd by Water down the River Meuse They had got together a great Body of Men compos'd of the Troops of Munster Cologn Leige Brandenburghers and others who were advanc'd as far as Falaise upon the Mehaigne These were all order'd to march directly for Namur and the Earl of Athlone decamp'd from Bethlem's tending his march to the same Place He encamp'd at Roesbeck the 22d where he made a Halt one day then marching three days together and crossing the Famous Plain of Fleurus he encamp'd the 29th at Mellé within an hour and a half 's march of Charleroi While the Brandenburghers got before and advanc'd still nearer to the Samber And upon the 2d of July he cross'd the Samber and invested Namur on that side next Condros In the mean time the Elector of Bavaria decamp'd from Castre about the 28th at night and came the next morning to St. Lievens Hauten and the 30th encamp'd at Ninove The 1st of July he came to Hall and the next day to Masy within two leagues of Namur The 3d he made his Approaches nearer to the City cross'd the Samber posted his Men and took up his Head Quarters in the Abby de Maloigne The Baron of Heiden General of the Brandenburghers who had pass'd the Samber below Charleroi took his Post next to Morlaigne and sent a Detachment over the Meuse on that side next to Condros While the Earl of Athlone posted himself on this side the Meuse with his Cavalry And thus Namur upon the 3d of June was invested on every side His Majesty of Great Britain upon the 27th of June sent away the heavy Baggage the Suttlers and the Artillery from the Camp at Bekelaer And the 28th by five a clock in the morning the whole Army decamp'd in two Colums and marching on both sides of the Road with the Artillery encamp'd at Rousselaer In the mean time the Duke of Wirtemberg having demolish'd the Post which he had made himself Master off retreated to Dixmude with the Body under his command The 29th his Majesty having left the Army to the Conduct of the Prince of Vaudemont departed with a Detachment of Granadiers and the Guards of his Body and took the Road of Vilvorde However ten thousand Men of that Army had orders to march to Brussels through Deinse Gaure and Alost His Majesty lay the 30th at Grimbery and the 1st of July at the Abby of Parc near Lovain The 2d he arrived near Namur about a eleven a clock in the forenoon and took up his Head Quarters at Coutoix le Chasteau He held a