side as many of our scatter'd Horse and Foot as cou'd get over which did some Service to those who were still on this side of the River ready to pass The King did what he could to remedy this Disorder in our Right Wing of Horse he rid to the Left to bring up the English Horse for the relief of our Right But the Enemy who were now Masters of our Retrenchment had got another Body of Horse in our Camp more to their Right of Villeroy under the Command of the Duke d' Elboeuf Mareschal de Camp followed by Lieutenant-General Vatteville with the Right of the Second Line The Duke de Montmorency who hitherto had been with the Mareschal de Luxembourg his Father repaired to his Post here as Mareschal de Camp and put himself at the Head of the Brigades of Rotembourg and Presle these fell upon the Right Flank of the Dutch Horse and put them in disorder before that the English Horse which were led on by the King could come up and form their Squadrons so that they were forc'd to Charge the Enemy in the same order they rid up to them and most of them had rid as fast as the Horse could Gallop however that did not hinder several of them from doing extraordinary Service that day The King Charg'd at the Head of them himself and Luxembourg's Account says the same thing of his Majesty that he Fought at the Head of my Lord Galloway's Regiment which distinguished its self very much this day Colonel Wyndham Charg'd several times through and through the Enemy's Squadrons Colonel Langston was made Prisoner The Duke of Ormond Charged at the Head of one of Brigadier Lumley's Squadrons that had the opportunity to form it self in Order and Fought amongst the thickest of the Enemies with an incomparable Bravery such as became the Son of the Great Ossory and the Heir of the Virtues as well as of the Wealth of a Family of Hero's His Horse as he was Ingaged in the crowd of Enemies was shot under him and a Villain was offering to Stab him which he already had endeavour'd by a push of his Sword down the upper part of his Breast after he had first cut him upon the Wrist when a Generous Enemy a Gentleman of the French King's Guards perceiving such an air of Virtue and Quality rid up and stopt the bloody Villain 's Hand and asked his Name and Quality of which he gave immediate notice to the Duke d' Elboeuf who as we have now said Headed the Horse in this place He received the Duke of Ormond with very great Civility gave him the ablest Surgeons to dress him and sent him in his Coach to his Quarter The King who saw now that the French Horse was got in every where that they had overthrown our Right Wing which already pass'd the River in great disorder and that 't was impossible to resist order'd our Infantry to retreat to Dormal upon the Brook of Beck which Post had hitherto been kept by the Dragoons of the Left Wing who had nothing to do this day The Left of this Wing of Horse pass'd at Osmal a little below and so they went by the King's Orders to Lewe The King who had stay'd so long to give Orders for the Retreat till he found that the Enemies were surrounding him on all sides and had already taken several Prisoners almost by his Majesty's Person resolved to repass the River at the Bridge that had been made at Neerhespen 'T was with very great difficulty that the King gained this Pass There was now nothing but Confusion and Disorder in our Camp all those which could not get the Passes for the Retreat being pressed by the Enemy were forced to fling themselves into the River in our Rear this was the fate of our Right Wing of Horse and part of the Left and of the Foot that had Ingaged at Neerwinden and Lare where the Enemy had cut off the Communication with our Left A great many of both Horse and Foot were drowned in the River where the opposite Banks were generally so very steep and high that when they were got to t'other side yet even then they found 't was very difficult for them to save themselves especially the Horse My Lord of Athlone narrowly escap'd being drowned The Cannon and Artillery Waggons made up so fast to the Passes upon the River that they meeting from all sides besides Horse and Foot were generally so wedged in that 't was almost impossible to get either one way or t'other which is the reason that so many of our Cannon were taken and only that escaped which went off with the Infantry by Dormal to Lewe If the Enemy's Horse were so brisk to Charge those who could retreat no where but by the River where our People were in the greatest Confusion imaginable they were as cautious to meddle with those who could observe the least Order in their Retreat Lieutenant-General Talmash had the care to bring off the English Foot of the main Body by Dormal which he did with as much Prudence as he had before fought with Bravery in the unequal dispute of the Retrenchment where he had a Horse shot under him He had Sir Henry Bellasis Major-General along with him who signaliz'd himself very much this day As the Enemy offer'd to trouble his Retreat he made the Battalions face and Present to them and then they halted unwilling to feel any more the fire of our Foot and thus he brought them off safely to Lewe this is the cause that so many Battalions of his Majesty's Forces of the Body of Foot suffer'd so little that day When the King had passed the River at Neerhespen he joyn'd part of his Foot Guards and of the Horse of the Left Wing and what had passed of Ramsey's Brigade with which he joyned the Elector of Bavaria and those Forces that he had brought off along with him and retreated to Boutechem near Tillemont and the rest of the Army that had retreated by Dormal to Lewe marched on and Incamp'd at Diest There were some whom the disorder of the day sent as far as Breda All our Baggage had been sent to Lewe the over-night where 't was safely brought off in respect of the Enemy but generally Plunder'd by our own People As soon as the King came to his Quarters that Night at Boutechem notwithstanding the perpetual Fatigues of the day and that he had been on Horseback from Three in the Morning yet he dispatched Thirty Expresses with his own hand to the several Princes and States our Allies to give them notice of what had happen'd one to the Duke of Wirtemberg who was then Incamp'd almost under the Walls of Lisle where we have left him A Man may safely challenge History to produce all its Hero's and see not only if any King but if any General has ever exposed his Person so much as his Majesty did this day who shared the hazards of it equally with any
Officer or Soldier in the Army His Majesty was every where where there was any Action in the midst of the Enemy's Fire both with the Horse and with the Foot whom he led on himself several times to the Enemy and all this while without Armour which the King would not put on to be better able to resist the Fatigues and Labours of the day which his Majesty foresaw would be very great and 't was a Special or rather Miraculous effect of the goodness of God that then preserved his Majesty which can never be too much acknowledg'd by his People The King narrowly missed three Musquet shots one through his Periwig which made him deaf for a while another through the Sleeve of his Coat which did no harm the third carried off the Knot of his Scarf and left a small confusion on his Side His Majesty got this day even the Respect and Admiration of his Enemies who proclaimed louder his Majesties Heroick Valour than we can do our selves 'T was the common saying amongst them That they wanted but such a King to make them Masters of Christendom The Prince of Conti in his intercepted Letter to the Princess his Wife mentions that he saw the King every where present where there was any Action expâ—sing himself to the greatest dangers and that so much Valour deserved very well the quiet possession of the Crown he wore I do not say this out of a principle of Flattery His Majesty is above it and I so much below that the most I can say cannot amount to it but I have said this only to disabuse many of the King 's good Subjects who may be imposed upon by ill minded malicious People I dare say not only that no General but even no Officer nor private Sentinel can be produced out of ancient or modern History that for his Age has been expos'd to so many dangers as the King that has seen so many Warlike Actions and that has been present at so many Battels and Sieges and therefore 't is certainly a wonderful blessing of God and a singular token of the Care he takes of his Majesty's Person that his Majesty has hitherto escaped So that we may reasonable expect that as God had so wonderfully rais'd him to a Throne so he will still preserve him for some greater Work and that notwithstanding the present prosperity of the Enemy's Arms yet he is still reserv'd when once our Sins will not be more prevalent than our Arms for a Curb to check the French Power and Greatness and to protect his People As soon as Luxembourg was Master of our Camp he contented himself to pursue his Victory no farther than the Banks of the River in our Rear and the best part of our Foot had retreated in Order as we have said before in spight of their Success to Lewe When the Camp remained clear and that most of our Troops had repass'd the River the Mareschal de Luxembourg order'd the Cannon that had been taken from us to be drawn upon a Line which was fir'd thrice in token of their Victory their small Shot both Horse and Foot drew up and did the same and remain'd encamp'd about Landen that night Luxembourg dispatched post immediately Monsieur d' Artagnan to the French King to let him know the advantage he had got over our Army for which good News the French King gave him the Government of Arras vacant by the death of Lieutenant General Count de Montchevreüil kill'd in this Engagement He likewise order'd the Te Deum to be sung in the Cathedral Church of Nostre Dame at Paris and writ the following Letter to the Arch-Bishop of the Place which for the Pomp and Greatness of its Stile considering the truth of the matter 't will not be amiss to Insert here The French King's Letter to the Arch-Bishop of Paris COUSIN THe Army which the Enemies had in Flanders made up of the choicest of their Troops and Commanded by the Prince of Orange in Person was attacked in its own Camp the 29th of the last Month by my Cousin the Mareschal Duc de Luxembourg in pursuance of the Orders I had given him The Enemies who did foresee his design left nothing undone that could secure them and tho' their Camp was already very advantageous by its situation yet they had fortified it with Formidable Retrenchments and with an Incredible Work nevertheless they have been forced in it and put to flight Part of their Army is remain'd upon the Place part drowned in the River and the rest dispersed many of their General Officers and a great number of others kill'd or taken Prisoners 76 Pieces of Canon 8 Mortars 9 Pontons left in the Field of Battel 12 Kettle-Drums 60 Standards and 22 Colours either taken by force or left by the dying Men. There is nothing but what my Enemies ought to fear after so terrible a Defeat there is nothing but what I have a right to expect but I restrain all my Wishes to the good of my Subjects and I desire no other fruits of so great a Victory but that my Enemies may at last open their Eyes and prove attentive to their true Interest and think of a solid and durable Peace which I have still offer'd them in the midst of my greatest Prosperity 'T is to ask it of God and to render him thanks for so many Blessings that I desire you wou'd cause the Te Deum to be sung in the Cathedral Church of my good Town of Paris at the day and hour which the Grand Maître or Master of the Ceremonies shall tell you from me and so Cousin I pray God to have you in his good and holy keeping Given at Marly the 7th of August in the Year 1693. Signed Louis and beneath Phelypeaux Indors'd To my Cousin the Arch-Bishop of Paris Duke and Peer of France and Commander of my Orders Tho' the advantage the French had this day was considerable enough to order the Arch-Bishop of Paris to sing the Te Deum in his Cathedral Church yet Truth is stretched to such a heighth in it that the Stile of it is altogether Romantick 'T is observable that the French King says in this Letter That our Army was Commanded by the King in Person which is as much as to say That the King generously expos'd his Person in all the dangers of the day when Luxembourg attack'd his Army but the French King 's Imperious Greatness would not allow him to do the King Justice in so explicit Terms Next the Letter says that we had foreseen the design and had omitted nothing that was necessary for our security that tho' the situation of our Camp was very advantageous yet we fortified it with a Formidable Retrenchment and an Incredible Work and that nevertheless we were forced in it c. Certainly a Man that knows nothing else of the Matter would think by this that the Allies had known of the design at least several days before hand and that
order'd a great quantity of Fascines to be brought into his Camp as if he had persisted in the resolution to Attack Liege and at the same time to send a Detachment to the Païs Conquis to make a head against the Duke of Wirtemberg for which reason the Count de Montchevreüil was order'd on the 16th with a considerable Detachment both of Horse and Foot to encamp a little way off upon the Left of their Army at Hellick of which the King had notice whereupon the King continu'd encamp'd at Neerhespen where we had greater plenty of Forage than about Tillemont or Louvain On the 17th Luxembourg design'd to march to Attack the King and Montchevreüil had orders to joyn him but the Rain that happen'd that day hinder'd his march The 17th in the Evening he gave Orders for Forrage and about Midnight the whole Army had Orders to pack up Baggage and to march forthwith in the Resolution to come and Attack us in our Camp at Neerhespen distant six or seven Leagues from Hellick and Montchevreüil had Orders to joyn Luxembourg The Army march'd as soon as 't was day upon four Columns the Foot upon two in the Center and the Horse upon two in the Right and Left for the greater Expedition upon so long a March and so the Army pass'd the Jecker part about its Spring and part above between Warem and Latine upon the Mehaigne The Mareschal de Luxembourg at first had put himself at the Head of the Left Wing commanded by the Mareschal de Joyeuse which made upon this March the Right Column When he was come as far as Warem he learn'd by his Spies that the Allies still continued in their Camp at Neerhespen and so order'd a halt to give time to this Column to pass the River Jecker The Mareschal then left the Command of the Left Wing to Joyeuse and advanced to the Right Wing Commanded by the Mareschal de Villeroy which made the Left Column and having march'd above the Springs of the Jecker was got before as far as Avernas whilst the Foot pass'd the Jecker upon several Bridges Commanded by the Prince of Conti July 18. the Duke of Berwick and Rubantel Lieutenant Generals Luxembourg advanc'd as fast as he could with the King's Houshold and the rest of the Right Wing of Horse to come in sight of our Camp to charge our Rear-Guard in case we had resolv'd to repass the Geet upon the Enemies approach but Luxembourg found that he was not to have so cheap a Bargain From Avernas he marched along the Plain between the Geet and Beck and about four in the Afternoon he was got as far as Reithoven in sight of our Camp and forthwith posted two Regiments of Dragoons in the Villages of Gertruydenland and Overwinden which were soon after relieved by several Battalions of Montchevreüil's Detachment which having encamp'd apart upon the Left the night before was for that reason more advanc'd than the rest of the Infantry of their Army The King who still continu'd in the Camp of Neerhespen to know the certainty of the Enemies designs before he went off farther from the Meuse sent out daily some Parties of Horse to get intelligence of the Enemy and the same day that Luxembourg came up to us one of our Parties return'd which gave His Majesty an account that they cou'd not go beyond Warem because they had met there with a great Party of French Horse for which reason they had gone no farther which Body of Horse was indeed the Left Wing of their Army upon the March As soon as the King had notice of the Enemies approach he got on Horseback with the Elector of Bavaria and chief Officers of the Army His Majesty found by the Enemies Countenance that 't was the Vanguard of their whole Army that was coming up to attack him in his own Camp whereupon the King immediately order'd to Arms and to draw in Battel in order to expect the Enemy And this His Majesty chose rather than expose his Rear in repassing the Geet to the Enemies Charge and to certain ruine and so to make the best advantage of the Ground he had and to venture a Battel notwithstanding the vast disproportion between the two Armies Besides the French were now as near our great and defenceless Towns of Brabant as we were unless their proceedings had been stopt by venturing the Engagement And as the advantages of a Victory were great so upon the worse supposition of the event we had still Prince Wirtemberg's Army ready to make up the Breaches of our own an advantage which the Enemy had not then so ready on their side Our Right in this Camp was at Heylyssem and Wangen upon the River Geet and reach'd as far as Neerwinden being cover'd with a small Brook several Hedges and hollow ways The Elector of Bavaria had his Quarter at VVangen the Body of Foot and Left Wing of Horse reach'd from thence as far as Dormal upon the Brook of Beck where Lewe remain'd in our Rear There are hereabouts two Rivers both which have the name of Geet the Greater and the Less The Greater Geet comes from Iudoigne to Tillemont the Lesser which did run upon the Right and part of the Rear of our Camp at Neerhespen has its Spring about Lens-les-Beguines and so runs to Hannuy and several other Villages to both the Heylissems to Neerhespen and so to Lewe The little River or rather Brook of Beck has its rising about Putsay and Avernas from thence runs to Landen and so to Lewe July 18. where it joyns with the lesser Geet and all these three small Rivers joyn in one about half a League below Lewe which continues its course to the River Rupel about a League higher than Diest from whence 't is conveyed by Arschot and Mecklin to the Scheld About six in the Afternoon the Mareschal de Joyeuse came up with the Left Wing of Horse and the Body of Foot about eight of the Clock which for more expedition the Prince of Conti had order'd to march after they had pass'd the Jecker upon four Columns with the best part of the Train of Artillery As 't was then too late to begin so great a Work as the Enemy had now in hand Luxembourg contented himself to order the disposition of the Army to the several Posts in order to begin early the next day For this end he possess'd himself of the Village of Landen upon his Right where he order'd the Marquis of Crequi Mareschal de Camp with the Brigades of Bourbonnois and Lyonnois to which the Marquis of Feuquieres Lieutenant General joyn'd afterwards the Brigade of Maulevrier besides between this Village of Landen and that of St. Gertrudenland he order'd the Brigades of Navarre Anjou and Artois under the Command of the Count de Solre Mareschal de Camp with the Dragoons of Caylus and Finmarcon and the Regiments of Asfeldt Berwick and Rubantel both Lieutenant Generals the Baron of Bressey and Sarsfield
they had been all this time fortifying themselves in their Camp in order to a vigorous resistance nay that they had almost as good Works as those about a Fortified Town to cover them else what is the meaning of Formidable Retrenchments and an Incredible Work and yet it appears by their own Relation sent to Court of which the French King was not therefore ignorant that when first they came in presence of our Camp 't was open and had no other strength but what the nature of the ground afforded and that the Retrenchment was made in very few hours in the night before the Engagement and 't is certain the order was but for 30 Men per Battalion to work at it Let any Man judge therefore whether in five hours time at most they could make a Retrenchment so formidable as 't is here represented But the advantage they have had over us wanted reality to make it so great a Victory and therefore the Author of the Letter has supply'd it with words As for the particulars of our Losses as Colours Standards Kettle-Drums Cannon Mortars and Pontons for the most part 't is but an imaginary advantage and so far as there is a real loss in it 't is what can be easily recover'd but all the Soldiers the brave Generals and other good Officers which the Freach King has lost this day is what he cannot so soon recover and here his loss does very much exceed ours And now therefore is there so much reason to say that there is nothing but what the Allies have reason to fear from him after so terrible a defeat The latter end of the Campagne is a sufficient testimony to the contrary But however to comfort the Allies in their Losses his most Christian Majesty is very compassionate and notwithstanding so great an advantage which gives him reason to hope every thing yet he expresses the greatest tenderness imaginable for their Interest and desires no other Fruits of so great a Victory but that the Allies would be made sensible of their true Interest which so far I pray God they may and enter into the sentiments of a solid and durable Peace which he had so often offer'd to them in the midst of his Victories that is for all Europe to put on his Fetters which indeed is the way to make a lasting Peace when no body shall be able to resist him This kindness for the Allies Interest notwithstanding so great a Victory is I suppose the reason why after our Defeat and that our Army as his Letter says was intirely dispers'd yet the French King would not take Brussels Louvain and Malines c. which now if our Army was dispers'd did lye open and defenceless to his victorious Forces that likewise he did not insult the City of Liege which had so Insolently refus'd the Neutrality and that he has only Besieged Charleroy after so great an overthrow which place we were not in a capacity to relieve whether we had fought or no. This is sufficient to convince Impartial Men that the Victory was far from being so great and so advantageous in reality as 't is in this Letter to the Arch-Bishop wherein there is more of the Te Regem than Te Deum Laudamus which at last only comes in by the by Luxembourg's Letter to the French King sent by Monsieur d' Artagnan as it has been published is a piece much of the same Stile only he gives the Allies their due commendation saying That they did Wonders But this comes in only to Inhance the Glory of the Victory and to pass a greater Compliment upon his Forces who as he says did better i. e. did more than those who did Wonders in their defence It should rather have been said that they were double the number and by that means overpower'd the bravery of their Enemies He adds That the Princes of the Blood out did themselves in this Action that as for his part he had no other share in the Action but only to take Huy to attack the Prince of Orange and to beat him which is as much as to say that all this is no great matter for the Mareschal de Luxembourg as His Majesty had expresly Commanded him But not a word of God nor the least expression of Thankfulness to him for the Victory If we read former Histories we shall find as great Hero's that have done as great Exploits but have been more humble in their success The French make their loss very little and inconsiderable about 2000 kill'd and 3000 wounded but that the Allies had about 20000 Men Kill'd Wounded and Prisoners but I believe 't will appear by and by that when they reckon'd our Losses 't was rather their own and that if we transpose them 't will be near the truth of the matter 'T is certain that we have taken from them 19 Colours and 37 Standards which considering the proportion of Forces is more than they gain'd from us particularly as to the number of Colours for besides that the French had double our number of Foot that their Battalions never have but three Colours at the most in each our Brandenbourg and Hanouer Foot have as many Colours as there are Companies in every Battalion insomuch that some Battalions have a dozen and therefore 't is more for us in proportion to have taken 19 Colours from them than if they had taken 50 from us by which the Reader may judge which suffer'd most this day the French Infantry or ours They have had a prodigious number of Officers Kill'd and Wounded of all sorts and Ranks but the chiefest are these Officers Kill'd The Count de Montchevreüil Lieutenant General Marquis de Lignery Lieutenant of the Life-Guards and Major General The Counts of Montfort St. Simon and Montrevel Brigadiers Brigadier Quoadt Brigadier Bohle Colonel of the Royal German Regiment the Duke d' Vzés Colonel of the Regiment of Crussol Prince Paul of Lorrain Son to the Prince of Lislebonne Count de Gassion Officer of the Life-Guards and Governour of Rochel Marquis of Chanvallon of the Guards Chevalier Rosen Count de St. Mark Son to the Lieutenant General and Colonel Messieurs Chassenet Gaviat Vauroüy c. Captains of the Guards Du Guay and Dongy Majors Micheli Commandant of one of Reynolds Battalions Dead of their Wounds Sarsfield Lord Lucan Major General at Huy Marquis of Rebé Brigadier and Colonel of the Regiment of Piemont The Marquis d' Allegre Colonel of the Regiment of Peronne both at Namur The Count de Canisy Captain of the Guards at Huy and Sir Carles Murray Officers Wounded Mareschal de Joyeuse Prince of Conti and Ximenes Lieutenant Generals Duke de Montmorency Major General the Dukes of la Rochegayen and Bournonville Count de Lux second Son to the Mareschal of Luxembourg and Brigadier Count d' Immecourt Brigadier The Marquises of Rochefort Sillery and Tracey Officers of the Life-Guards de Saillant of the Foot Guards Count de Grandpré the Chevalier
one Lieutenant two Ensigns Prisoners Major Peyton Captain Salusbury's Lieutenant three Ensigns Trelawney Kill'd Captain Crofts Lieutenant Woodcock Wounded Captains Carryl and Wharton Lieutenant Cole Prisoners Captain Carryl Lieutenant Cole Fuziliers Kill'd Lieutenant-Colonel Whaley Lieutenants Fairbrother Cooper and Blackmore Wounded Colonel Fitz-patrick Major Wilson Captains Heart Ruthvin dead of his wounds Betsworth and Withers Lieutenant Fletcher EARLE'S Brigade Tidcomb Kill'd Captains Vanbrugh Cassin and Heniosa Lieutenant Worley Wounded Captains Devaux and Stannix Lieutenants Nicholson dead of his wounds Campbel Forbes Petitpierre Ensign Revison and Perrot Lieutenant-Colonel Graham Prisoner Collingwood Kill'd Captain Louther Lieutenant East Ensign Wood. Stanley Kill'd Captain Cole Ensign Johnston Ensign Campion Prisoner Earle Wounded Brigadier Earle who being sick of a Fever at Louvain and hearing the Armies were going to engage rode sick as he was to the Camp and came time enough to Command upon his Post where he behaved himself very gallantly and was dangerously wounded Graham Kill'd Lieutenants Ramsey Swenberg Ensign Maul Wounded Captains Boyd Mushet Ensign Forbes RAMSEY'S Brigade Offerrell Wounded Captain Campbel Captain Strayton Lieutenants Douglas Dunbarre Adjutant Walle Captain Paterson Prisoner Mackay Kill'd Lieutenant-Colonel Mackdougal Captain Puchter dead of his wounds Lieutenants Mackay and Southerland dead of his wounds Wounded Colonel Mackay Captains Lamie and Maccloud Lieutenant Maclean Ensigns Stevenstone Maccloud Mackenzie Leven Kill'd Captain Denholme Ensign Adam St. Clair Wounded Ensign John Gordon Prisoners Captains Bruce Gordon Cadour Maxwell Ensigns Hamilton Bruce Lundy Gordon Monroe Wounded Captain Stuart Ensign Hutchinson Prisoners Captains Alexander Campbel Fullerton and Monroe Lauder Kill'd Lieutenant-Colonel Balfour Sir James Erskin Captain-Lieutenant Charles Bruce Senior Wounded Captain Murray dead of his wound Ensign Nisbet Prisoners Colonel Lauder Captains Levingstone and Cunningham Lieutenant Peter Bruce We have said before that the King after the Fight of Landen or Neerwinden for so 't is differently call'd had retreated with what Forces both Horse and Foot he had rally'd on to'ther side of the River where he joyned the Elector of Bavaria with the Troops he had rally'd 20th The next day the King marched on to Louvain and the 21th he Incamped at Eppeghem our Right at Burntbridge upon the Road to Brussels and our Left near Malines The Elector with the Spanish Troops came nearer Brussels and Incamp'd at Scarbeck The 24th the Infantry that had retreated by Leuwe to Diest with what Horse had followed them joyned us here Commanded by Lieutenant-General Talmash Sir Henry Bellassis Major-General and Brigadier Churchill under him Some few who had gone as far as Breda came up about the same time and now we found that we had not suffer'd so much as 't was at first imagin'd We have left Prince Wirtemberg with the Body under his Command Incamp'd at Anapes within two small English Miles of Lisle but before we bring him off from thence we must not forget to mention that he order'd a Ducat per Man to be distributed to all the Pikemen that carried Fascines at the Attack of the Lines to all the Granadiers and besides to all those who had the Van Guard at the Attack of Pont a Tresein whereby several Soldiers had two Ducats in their Pockets to comfort them in their Fatigues which incourag'd them very much On the 20th the Duke of Wirtemberg gave Orders for the Army to march early in the Morning July and repass the Marck at Pont a Tresein 'T was then supposed we were going upon some farther Enterprize and the French were so jealous of Menin that Monsieur de Vauban had been order'd there to assist Monsieur Pertuys in the defence of it but 't was rather believ'd we were going to chase the French out of Courtray who still kept that part of the Town situated on the other side of the Lys and to have fortified it for a Winter Quarter As Pont a Tresein is a very difficult and narrow Pass and that we left one of the Enemy's best Garisons in our Rear so Prince VVirtemberg was very circumspect in the ordering of it our Vanguard went off first then the Baggage Cannon Pontons c. The Infantry march'd in Battel the Front made the Flank towards the Enemy where all the Officers marched in the mean while our Rear-guard of Horse drew up their Squadrons in the Plain fronting Lisle three or four pieces of Cannon were order'd to remain at the Bridge for the defence of it Our Van-guard and Quarter-masters just as they had pass'd the Bridge met with a Party of 60 Horse of the Enemy's and they took most of them Prisoners with their Horses in this order we repass'd the Bridge The Cannon order'd there came off with the Rear-guard and when they were all pass'd except one or two Squadrons some Squadrons of the Enemies rid down full speed upon them these had been sent out of Lisle on purpose but 't was too late they did us no other harm but they put the last Squadron in disorder by their so great haste in getting over Not long after we had repassed Pont a Tresein the Duke of VVirtemberg had an Express from the King that the French were come before his Camp and that the Armies were just going to Ingage and so we march'd to our former Camp of Esquermes near Tournay where in the Evening the Duke had a Letter from the King which gave him an account of our Defeat at Landen and withal order'd him to make all the haste he could to joyn him whereupon Prince Wirtemberg made the next day a very great march from Esquermes within a mile and a half of Tournay to Peleghem about the same distance from Audenarde which is in all about six Leagues march We repass'd the Lines at Pont d' Espiers We found that the Boars had pull'd down the Line all along and ruin'd the Fortification of this place The 22th the Prince march'd and repass'd the Scheld at Audenarde and Incamp'd that day at Aldereghem on the little River Swalme that falls not far from hence into the Scheld The 23th he made another great march to reach to Alost where he Incamp'd that Night Orders were given to march the next day to joyn the King as soon as possible but that night the Duke of Wirtemberg had an Express from the King to let him know that there was no necessity of pressing his march that he found his Army in a better condition than he expected and so order'd him to remain there till he should repass the Canal of Brussels We left the two Walloon Regiments in their Garison of Audenarde One or two of ours were sent into Garison but afterwards countermanded so that Prince Wirtemberg had a Body of about 40 Squadrons and 24 Battalions ready to reinforce the King's Army whereas he had brought from thence no more than 13 Battalions Tho' the French were not in a condition after they had so much boasted their Victory and that our Troops as they said were
moveable Goods and Effects that are in the Town but they shall not have the same liberty neither for their moveable Goods nor immoveable that are without the said Town X. That his Majesty shall continue to the Inhabitants and Burgers of the Town the same Liberties and Exemptions which they enjoy'd formerly when 't was under his Dominion XI That the Officers Receivers of the Victuals and Forage shall in no wise nor under any pretext whatsoever be responsable for the Impositions that have been laid upon the plain Country in Money Hay Oats or other things XII That the Besieged shall deliver this Evening after the Capitulation Sign'd Bruxells-Port to his Majesty's Troops which shall not suffer any body to come into the Town till the Garison has left it four Officers of the Ordinance and four Commissaries of War excepted who shall come in with a Pass from the Mareschal de Luxembourg or Monsieur de Bagnoles to make an Inventory of the Provisions both of War and Mouth XIII The Garison shall go out of the Place the 13th at Ten in the Morning upon these foresaid Conditions XIV If there be any of his Most Christian Majesty's Subjects that are Hostages in the Town for Contributions they shall be set at liberty Vpon these Conditions the Place shall be deliver'd bonâ fide in the King's Possession with all its Dependencies if it has any XV. Hostages shall be given on both sides for the due Execution of these Articles Given at Charleroy the 11th of Octob. 1693. Thus Charleroy is fallen once more into the French King's hands after a very fine defence which the besieged have made and after a Siege of 26 days from the opening of the Trench and 32 from the time that 't was Invested Monsieur de Vauban had promis'd to make it the French King 's own within 15 days at farthest but he has found that he can mistake sometimes in his Calculation when he has to deal with brave Men who will resolve upon a stout and vigorous Defence This is but a small Place and much inferiour to the Castle of Namur for Strength and yet we find that it has made twice the resistance But the French King to save his Honour in the Letter to the Archbishop of Paris to order the Te Deum to be Sung in his Cathedral for the Reduction of this Place says That 't was not so much the Resistance of the besieged as his own care for the preservation of his Men that has drawn the Siege to such a length which is a very unjust assertion to rob the besieged of the Honour due to them for their brave defence rather than to let the World think any thing can resist the vigour of the French Arms. I do not know how much they spared their Men but 't is plain they did not spare Cannon Bombs nor Ingeniers since a great many of the latter have left their Bones before this Place and 't is certain that as soon as they have been able to make themselves Masters of the Outworks that cover'd the Glacis and Counterscarpe of the Place they were not very sparing of their Assaults to carry the Counterscarpe where they have been several times repuls'd by the bravery of the besieged But whether the French King has been so sparing of his Subjects in this Siege or no yet this makes the face of Affairs look quite otherwise than 't was represented after the Fight of Landen for then there was nothing but what the Allies ought to fear from him after so great a Defeat there was nothing but what he might expect after this Success And yet after all these Rodomontado's this Letter to the Archbishop of Paris to Sing the Te Deum for the taking of Charleroy does ingeniously own that the French King could not better end this Campagne than by the Siege of this Place and the Author is very careful not to insinuate in the least that 't is a fruit of this so great Victory which gave the French King reason to expect so very great Matters and therefore if it was so the Allies are very much oblig'd to him that he would undertake no more after so important a Victory than the Siege of Charleroy and that too so late in the Year when it must close the Success of this Campagne Whereas if the French had so prodigious an advantage at Landen what is the reason they did not set down before this small Place sooner for then they would have had time to besiege either At h or Audenarde afterwards which would have given the World some proofs of the great advantage they had at Landen 'T is plain therefore that the reason why they did not was because they were not then able and their Army which then outdid ours by 45 Battalions and above 100 Squadrons had been too well paid off there After the reduction of Charleroy the French King bestowed this Government upon Monsieur Boisselot the late Governour of Limerick And now Winter drawing on the Armies began on both sides to File off towards Winter Quarters On the 3d. of this Month a Party of French came by our Camp at Ninove and took some of the Elector's and other Horses that were grazing on the other side of the Dender below the Windmill but upon immediate notice a Detachment was made of the Elector's Guards and Dragoons who took all the Horses back again and made several Prisoners On the 4th we heard a Triple discharge of the Enemy's Fire for the advantage the Mareschal de Catinat had got the 24th of September over the Duke of Savoy and his Allies in the Plains of Marsaglia We had the News of it the Night before by way of France which made the Defeat as great and as terrible as could be but we judged of the truth of the matter by what they had publish'd of the Battle of Landen On the 5th our Army began to separate and to go into Winter Quarters Part of the Garison of Bruges and Ostend was detach'd under the Command of Brigadier Ramsey to march towards the Canal of Bruges and got the 7th into their Quarters The 6th the Army decamp'd from Ninove and repass'd the Dender between it and Alost and so the Foot continued to march off towards Quarters The remainder of the Infantry of the Garison of Bruges and Ostend left the Camp under the Command of Sir Henry Bellassis the 7th and the rest of the Foot marched off to Brussels Ghendt Louvain Malines Dendermond Leer and Maestricht c. the Horse continued canton'd up and down the Country between Brussels and Ghendt till the beginning of November but the Elector as soon as the Foot had broke up left the Army and went to Brussels the place of his residence The Mareschal de Boufflers remain'd in the Condros to consume the Forrage That part of Luxembourg's Army that was to Quarter between the Scheld the Sambre and the Meuse was sent to Garison but the rest
that was to Winter from the Scheld to the Sea came near Courtray to Fortifie that Town which they have a mind to put in a Condition to hold a formal Siege They made another Detachment towards Dixmuyde to Fortifie that Place for a Winter Quarter and are since separated in their several Quarters all along as near our Frontier as possibly they can in order not to be idle this Winter if the Weather proves kind and favourable and they will be so much the more pressing and urgent to undertake something that they know the Allies are all resolved to make new Levies this Winter to be in a better Condition the next Campagne to resist the French Greatness than they have yet been during this War Both the Mareschals of Luxembourg and Villeroy are gone to the French Court to concert Matters for some undertaking and the Mareschal de Boufflers remains to Command in Flanders And now that Bouffler's Detachment of 12 Battalions from the Rhine is Quarter'd in the Pays de Luxembourg that besides they have now in Flanders the Troops that Guarded the Coasts of Normandy and Britanny 't is not doubted but that they will be able to do us some considerable Damage this Winter unless the Allies are very quick both in the recruiting and augmenting the Forces they have here 'T is wholly their Interest and by what hath hitherto appear'd in this War 't is reasonable to think that it would not be done in vain since the advantage that the French have hitherto had in this War has not proceeded so much from their Bravery as from their Numbers for in all the Rencounters which the Allies have had with them this War it has plainly appear'd that they do owe their Success meerly to the prodigious greatness of their Armies Therefore if it be true that all the Allies put together have more Men and Money than the French King I am of opinion they must attribute the ill Success of this War to nothing else but their unseasonable Parcimony which has rather serv'd to augment the French King's Power than answer'd in the least the design'd ends of the present League So long as we do all ease our Shoulders of the Burden 't is reasonable nay 't is necessary the French should have Success Their efforts are vigorous and ours are faint and languishing We make the War as cheap as possibly we can and that onely serves to make it last the longer and the Charges must be the same at long-run but they are far from being so much to our advantage as when our efforts are great tho' for the present more burdensome The Allies had as good fling their Money into the Sea as think to continue the War with Forces so unequal to those of our Enemy's for whilst they continue on this Foot we onely ruine and weaken our selves to no other purpose than to increase the French Power Whatever success the Enemies have had hitherto yet still the Iron is hot for the Allies to strike if they will but go to the expence of augmenting their Forces The French has made very great efforts this War and his Treasures are not inexhaustible It appears rather by the uncertain value of Coin which is hardly the same two Months together in France that he is reduc'd to very great shifts to replenish his Coffers which were so exhausted the latter part of this Campagne that Money was very scarce in his Armies and Garisons The Colonels had only Bills assign'd them for the payment of their Troops upon which they were to get ready Money as well as they could In their Garisons the Officers were generally so poor that they gave Notes under their hands for want of Money to pay for their Subsistance I have heard of one of our Soldiers that was two Months in their Service after they had made him a Prisoner and deserted over to us again that for the time he was amongst them he received no more than one French Half-Crown of pay All this that I say I have from Gentlemen that have been among them and whom I ought to believe else I should take care not to publish this Besides there reigns a very great Famine and scarceness of Corn all over France and in their Conquests their daily Edicts are authentick proofs of it tho' in the Preface of those Edicts they endeavour'd to throw dust in the Peoples Eyes but words do not feed hungry Bellies And we hear daily in this place what misery the People suffer at Lisle and in other parts of the French Conquests 'T is true this helps the French King to make his Recruits and to encrease his Forces since his Subjects must either be Soldiers or starve but still I dare say that the French King does not love to see his Kingdom in so universal a Desolation when those who are Soldiers rather than Starve leave the Plough and thus only augment the Famine and the publick Calamity In short I may safely affirm that we are all weary of this War the French King as well as the Allies and therefore what the Allies have to do is to raise such an Army for the next Campagne as may put them in a condition to treat of a Peace upon advantageous terms and not be forced to accept of such an one as will only put the French King after a little breathing and that he has replenished his Stores into a better capacity to enslave Christendom which Peace is worse than the worst of Wars And the Allies have this to encourage their vigorous Prosecution of this War I speak particularly as to England and Holland that they have a King who does yet venture his precious Life for the advantage of the common Cause more freely than they can venture their Purses Let the King 's greatest Enemies consider but impartially His Majesty's Conduct and Circumstances and they must be convinc'd that what the King does is not out of any Interest of his own but in an uprightness and sincerity of Conscience to do good to Europe in general and to us his Subjects in particular God has not blest His Majesty and us with an Heir therefore he does not seek the aggrandizing of a Family What then can be the reason that the King does so freely and so often expose his Sacred Person to the greatest Dangers but only a publick Christian King-like Spirit of doing good to his Allies and to his People and to procure a firm and lasting establishment of Christ's true Religion in its ancient and primitive Purity in his Kingdoms and in the Dominions of his other Protestant Allies And since we have follow'd His Majesty in this History from the Field which he left on the 15th to Loo where he arriv'd on the 17th we ought to see him safe in England among his good People before we finish the account of this Campagne The King remain'd at Loo to divert himself after the Fatigues of the Field in Hunting till the 1st of Octob. that he arriv'd at the Hague where His Majesty spent some time in Conferences with the States General and Council of State who have consented to a new Levy of 15000 Men besides the 4000 Suissers rais'd last Summer and to augment proportionably their Maritime Forces The Plenipotentiaries of the other Allies at the Hague have consented to the same Resolution according to their different proportions The King was now hastening over to meet his Parliament in England but he was detain'd by Storms and contrary Winds till the 28th that His Majesty sail'd from Oranie Polder and arriv'd safely the day following about three in the Afternoon at Harwich and so went on to London to the great joy and satisfaction of his good People to see His Majesty safe amongst them after all the great Dangers to which he had expos'd his Person this Campagne The Repartition of the English and Scots Infantry's Quarters for this Winter GHENDT The three Battalions of English Guards the Regiments of Selwyn and Fuziliers BRVGES Scots Guards Royal Regiment Bathe Tidcomb Castleton Graham Offerrel Mackay and Leven MALINES Dutch Guards Churchil Trelawney and Earl DENDER MOND Collingwood and Stanley OSTEND Lauder Ferguson Argyle All the English Horse are Quarter'd at GHENDT except the Life Guards that have their Quarters at BREDA FINIS Errors of the Press PAg. 29. line 1. for Swiming r. Swimming p. 44. l. 14. for and so came the Palisado's r. and came to the Palisado's p. 44. l. 30. for Obscure r. Observe p. 56. l. 21. dele from p. 115. l. 24. for Village r. Siege p. 118. l. 19. for into r. in
Bag and Baggage to Newport consisting of five Battalions As I remember they were Count Horne's own Battalion Noyâ—lle's Sâ—heltinga Wey and Marquet Dixmuyde which was now hardly tenable by the Neighbourhood of the French on both sides at the Knocke and at Furnes was abandon'd by the Dutch Commandant in the absence of Count Horne who had both Governments The Garison of this Place consisted of Siâ— Battalions of which Colonel Lâ—â—der's was one which Regiment afterwards went to Garison in Ostend The French continu'd very quiet in their Quarters the remaining part of the Winter and tho' 't was expected they wou'd be very busie in the beginning of the Spring yet it pass'd without any undertaking till both Armies took the Field We did at least expect that the French would Form the Siege of Charleroy very early and before the beginning of the Campagne to pull this Thorn out of their Foot which Place did most Incommode them whilst their Armies were in the Field by the frequent Attacks it made upon their Convoys and very often successful So that for this particular Consideration we may conclude this Siege wou'd have been more for their Advantage if it had been the Prelude of a Campagne Doubtless the reason why it was not Attack'd in the Spring must be because of the great Rains we had then which hinder'd their Troops from so early taking the Field but why they did let it alone at the beginning of this Campagne and why they did let it remain in our Hands to plague their Convoys when the French King came to Head his two numerous Armies no other reason can be given but that the French King had greater Designs in undertaking this Journey than the reduction of the weak Garison of Huy or the taking of Charleroy As the French King's Designs upon this Country were very great for this Campagne and far greater than the Success he has had in it So our Indefatigable Monarch has been no less Active and Vigilant to thwart and oppose them To this end His Majesty came over from England the latter end of March to the Hague to conferr before the beginning of the Campagne with the Plenipotentiaries of the Allies and to settle with them the most effectual Methods for opposing the French Power that the Forces the Allies had then on foot cou'd afford whose Number is far from being so great as we cou'd wish it for the Benefit of the Common Cause Afterwards his Majesty went to Loo to take the usual Divertisement of the Season but still ready to take the Field upon the first opportunity of the Weather or as soon as the French began to make their Motions in order to take the Field The French made very great Preparations this Campagne to attack the Remnant of Flanders with all Vigour and greater than they had made hitherto during this War His most Christian Majesty prepared two Powerful Armies to invade this Country which besides himself in Person and the Dauphin were to be commanded by four Mareschals of France viz. Luxembourg Boufflers Joyeuse and Villeroy The first of these two Armies had its Rendezvous at Givry between Mons and Binch under the Command of the Mareschal Duc de Luxembourg with the Mareschals of Joyeuse and Villeroy The second commanded by the Mareschal de Boufflers had its first Campment between Antoing and Mount Trinité within a Mile of Tournay At the same time the Confederate Army began to rendezvous in several Bodies the most considerable at Degham between Brussels and Louvain and within half a Mile of Vilvorde which place with the Canal of Brussels remain'd in our Rear On the 12th of May the King who had left Loo to come to Breda arriv'd at the Camp where his Majesty was met by the Elector of Bavaria who conducted him to Brussels where they held a Conference with Prince Vaudemont and Chief Officers about the present State of Affairs and some days after Prince Vaudemont who is very much troubled with the Gout left his Command in Flanders by the King of Spain's leave to go to the Bathes in Italy where the Physicians gave him hopes of a better Health And his Majesty took his Quarters near Degham in a Castle belonging to the Prince of Tassis Master-General of the Post-Office at Brussels At the same time that part of our Army rendezvous'd at Degham another Body gather'd together near Ghendt under the Command of the Duke of Wirtemberg and Lieutenant-General Talmash consisting chiefly of the Garisons of Ghendt Bruges and Ostend where they were very well posted to observe the Mareschal de Boufflers in case he would have attempted any thing in Flanders My Lord of Athlone commanded likewise a Body of Horse between Tongres and Maestricht drawn out of our Garisons upon the Meuse As for the Infantry they remain'd in Quarters for the Conservation of our Towns upon that River and such a Body was left in Liege for the Guard of that place that the French tho' they were so big with their Expectations upon this City yet they have not thought it convenient to insult it Lieutenant-General Tettau was left to Command in Maestricht with a considerable Garison such was the Care that was taken for the Safety of our Towns upon the Meuse Most of our English Infantry encamp'd near Ghendt except what quarter'd at Mecklen and the two Battalions of the Royal Regiment Sellwyn's and Stanley's which joyn'd the Army at Degham The French May. who had rendezvous'd in two several Bodies began to move and Boufflers who commanded the Second march'd the 20th from the Neighbourhood of Tournay to Leuze the 22d to Cambron the 23d to Oboure The French King who had left Versailles the 5th to come in Person to Command his Armies in Flanders arriv'd at Quesnoy the 15th where he was stopp'd some few days by reason of an Indisposition for which he was twice let Blood but upon his recovery he joyn'd the Mareschal de Boufflers the same day at Oboure and the same day saw the Army march before him The next he review'd those Troops which the Mareschal had there under his Command Upon this Motion of the Mareschal de Boufflers from the Scheld towards Mons to joyn the Army commanded by the Mareschal de Luxembourg the Army near Ghendt under the Command of the Duke of Wirtemberg and Lieutenant-General Talmash had Orders to march to come and joyn our main Body which continu'd encamp'd at Degham and accordingly they came the 20th to Dendermond and after they had march'd the 22d to Stanhoff and the 23d to Hamme on the 25th they pass'd the Canal of Brussels at Vilvorde and encamp'd in a separate Body between it and our main Army The same day the French King had made a review of his Army under the Command of Boufflers Luxembourg decamp'd with his Army from Givry and continu'd his march towards Nivelle and encamp'd at Falay the day following and the French King who now headed Boufflers's Army
came the 26th and encamp'd at Herlaymont-Capelle upon the River of Pieton between Mons and Charleroy and within two or three Leagues of the latter 'T was now expected that the French King would not suffer this Garison to molest any more the Convoys that came to his Army and that he would set down before it but he had greater Designs in his Head than the reduction of this small Place and so march'd on to Gemblours where both his Armies joyn'd and made a formidable Body of 119700 Men both Horse and Foot computing as 't is always done the first opening of a Campagne every Battalion to consist of 600 effective Men one with another and every Squadron of 150 Maîtres one with another Boufflers had in his Army 52 Battalions 117 Squadrons Luxembourg 78 Battalions 161 Squadrons Total of Battalions 130 which makes 78000 Foot Total of Squadrons 278 which makes 41700 Horse Total of Horse and Foot 119700 Men which made more than double the Number of our Army So that if it had not been for the special Care of His Majesty and the Elector of Bavaria the disproportion between our Forces and the Enemies was so great that the French King cou'd think of nothing less than the forcing the Bishop of Liege to a Neutrality the making himself Master of Brabant and the overthrow of the Allies There have been a great many Lists of this numerous Army printed both in England and Holland according to the Original published at Paris nevertheless because a particular List may very much contribute to the understanding of the following Account especially that of the Battel at Landen 't will not be amiss to insert it here where it has its most proper place Note That those Regiments that are mark'd with an Asterism * are those which were detach'd afterwards towards the Rhine with the Mareschal de Boufflers under the Command of the Dauphin The Mareschal de Luxembourg's Army Right Wing of Horse Mareschal de Villeroy First Line General Officers under him Lieutenant General Fenquiers Rohan Mareschal de Camp i. e. Major General Duc de Roquelaure Second Line General Officers under him Lieutenant General Vatteville Mareschal de Camp Duc de Monmorency Brigades Regim Squad Grammont Dragoons Colonel General 4 De Grammont 4 Roussy Gensd'armes * 8 Dalon Cavalry Du Roy 4 Bourgogne 4 Bourbon 4 Villeroy 4 Chalons 4 St. Simon Cavalry Gournay 2 St. Simon 2 Orleans 4 Cravattes du Roy 4   Total 48 Brig Regim Squad Massot Dragoons Massot 4 Lomaria 4 Rotembourg Cavalry Lavaliere 4 Rotembourg 3 Fienne 4 Levi 4 Presle Cavalry Nassau 4 Presle 4   Total 31 Body of FOOT Mareschal de LUXEMBOURG First Line Lieutenant Generals The Prince of Conti The Duke of Berwick Mareschal de Camp The Count de Mailly Second Line Lieutenant General Rubantel Mareschals de Camp Count de Solre Sarsfield Lord Lucan Brig Regim Batt Navarre Navarre 3 Humieres 2 Lyonnois Lyonnois 2 Maulevrier 2 Bourbonnois Bourbonnois 2 Provence 2 Crussol Crussol 1 Greder Allemand 2 Lauzonois 1 Guiche Guiche 2 Royal Ital. 1 Beavoisois 1 Thià nge La Couronne * 2 Thià nge 2 Rousillon Rousillon 2 Vermandois 2 Haynaut 1 Orleans Orleans 2 La Saure 1 Foix 1 Piemont Chartres 1 Piemont 3   Total 38 Brig Regim Batt Anjou Anjou 2 Royal Danes 2 Nice Nice 1 Pugey 1 Perigueux 1 Moulin 1 Artois Artois 1 Solre 1 Berry 1 Blaisois 1 Montenay 1 Harbauville La Marche 1 Charoloys * 1 Harbauville 1 K. Jam. Guar. 2 Reynauld Suisse Reynauld 4 Scheilberg 2 Salis Suisse Greder 4 Salis 4 La Châtre Limoge 1 Launois 1 La Marche 1 La Châtre 2   Total 37 Left Wing of HORSE Mareschal de Joyeuse First Line Lieutenant Generals The Duke of Bourbon Marquiss de la Vallette Mareschals de Camp Conte de Marsin The Duke d' Elbeouf Second Line Lieutenant General Ximenes Mareschal de Camp Pracontal Brigades Regim Squad Montfort Curassiers 4 Roussilon 4 Chartres 2 Furstemberg 2  Carabiniers 8 Phelipeaux Celainvillier 2 Pralin 2 Dauph Strang. 4 Mestre de Camp-General 4 Precontal Drag Bretoncelle 4 Fimarton 4   Total 40 Brig Regim Squad Rassaut Rassant 4 Pracontal 4 Manderscheid 4 La Bessiere La Bessiere 4 Chatillon 4 Montreüil Drag Dignon 4 Count Tesse 4 Montreüil 4   Total 32 Reserve  Dragoons Squadr Bellegarde 4 Asfeld 4 St. Fremond 4 St. Hermine 4  Total 16 Battal * Royal Artillery 3 One Battallion with the Dauphin A List of the Mareschal de Boufler's ARMY Right Wing of HORSE First Line Lieutenant General Duc de Maine Mareschals de Camp Lanion Lignery Second Line Lieutenant General Tallard Mareschal de Camp Vaudeville Brig Regim Squad Cailus Drag Regim Royal 4 Cailus 4 Chantreau 4 Reneville Granadiers 1 Life-Guards * 12 Gensdarmes 2 Chevaux legers 2 Blainville Carabiniers * 5   Total 34 Brig Regim Squad Blanchefort Anjou 2 Bouflers * 4 Bezons 4 Courtehonne Clermont 4 Glisy 4 Courtebonne * 4   Total 22 Note That there were Three Squadrons of the Life-Guards and Two of the Carabiniers onely detach'd with the Dauphin Body of FOOT The Mareschal de Boufler's First Line Lieutenant General Count de Montchevreüil Mareschal de Camp Marquis de Crequi Second Line Lieutenant General Monsieur de Gasse Mareschal de Camp Baron de Bressy Brig Regim Batt Champagne Champagne * 3 Boufler's * 2 Cadricus Dauphin * 3 Poulouse 2 Guards French Guards 6 Suisse Guards 4 Chavaux La Reine * 3 Perigord * 1 Du Roy ou Turville Le Roy 4   Total 28 Brig Regim Battal Cavois Poitou 2 Cavois 1 Dantin Languedoc * 2 Montroüy 1 Fontenay * 1 Zurbeck Suisse Stouppe 4 Zurbeck 4 Surlaube Surlaube 2 Lignery * 1 Sauterre 1 Theroy Du Pas 1 Theroy 1 Du Maine * 2   Total 23 Left Wing of HORSE First Line Lieutenant-General Maurevers Mareschal de Camp La Motte Second Line Lieutenant-General Busca Mareschal de Camp Nassaw Brig Reg. Squad Bole. Royal Allemand 3 Berry 2 Condé 2 Roguespine 4 Villequier 2 Conat Rohan 2 Aubusson 2 Conat 3 Du Maine * 2 Commis Gen. 4 D'Asfeld D'Asfeld 4 Drag Dauphin 4   Total 34 Brig Reg. Squad Immecourt Langallerie * 4 Immecourt 4 Courcelle * 2 Rozel Valay 4 Melac * 4 Rozel * 4   Total 22  Reserve Squad * 1. Musqueteers 2 2. Musqueteers 4   6 Bombardiers 1 Battalion Note That of the Reserve of the Grand Musqueteers three Squadrons were detach'd with the Dauphin I have in this List given the Names to many of the Brigades not as they are in the printed List of the Army but as we find them in the Relation of the Battel of Landen printed at Paris to make it more Intelligible and tho' the Dauphin's Detachment did no doubt very much alter the Disposition of the several Brigades in the French King's Army from what 't was at first when this List was published
yet you shall find most of the Brigades by Name that the Author of that Relation makes mention of in this List This was the numerous Army which the French King came to Head in Person in Flanders strong enough to have better answer'd the Designs of his Voyage considering how inferiour we were to them in Number if it had not been for the Care His Majesty and the Elector took to thwart his ambitious Designs by their prudent ordering of Business upon the Maes and in our little Army a handful of Men I may say in comparison of our Enemies Forces which the Reader may compare by the List of our own Army when at Park-Camp which we shall hereafter insert The King made such Diligence to possess himself of Park-Camp by which he cover'd equally Brussels Louvain and Malines that He entirely broke the French King's Designs upon Brabant unless the Enemy had ventur'd to force us in our strong Camp at Park which indeed would have been a deciding of the Business and worth the undertaking of so great a Monarch as the French King's considering the prodigious Army he had and that success in such an Attempt promis'd him no less than all the great and rich Towns in Brabant as Brussels Louvain Antwerp and Malines and consequently the remainder of the Spanish Netherlands which wou'd have been a more effectual way of bringing the Allies to a Peace than sending a Detachment in Germany under the Dauphin But the French King did not think it fit to hazard either his Person or his Army at that time 'T was on the 26th of May that His Majesty decamp'd from Degham to possess himself of this strong Post which bauk'd the designs of our numerous Enemies and whereas His Majesty generally made two Marches from Degham to Parck the first to Bethlehem yet upon this pressing occasion the Army march'd it in one day which prov'd so hot Weather that several Soldiers fell down dead under their Arms. Our Right at this Camp was at Havre a House belonging to the Duke of Arschot where the Elector took his Quarter cover'd by the River Dyle Louvain and the little Brook that runs from the Bois de Merdal to Parck-Abbey and so to Louvain remain'd in our Rear Our Left was cover'd by the strong Defiles of the Bois de Merdal which from thence cover'd the Front of our Army to the River Dyle making with our Left Wing an acute Angle There remained between the Bois de Merdal and the River Dyle a little space of open ground which cou'd give Passage to the Enemy in our Camp but this being commanded by the heights of Birbeck His Majesty caus'd afterwards several Battalions to Incamp there as we shall hereafter tell you which were sustained by a perpendicular Line of Horse and Dragoons between this place and the Center of our Left Wing The Body under the Duke of Wirtemberg and Lieutenant General Talmash join'd us in this March and Incamp'd in the Line We were likewise join'd with the Body of Horse under my Lord of Athlone who had advanc'd as far as Tillemont in order to joyn us upon this March He encamp'd a part in the Rear of our Left Wing of Horse to make the Body of Reserve so that our Army consisted then of the Forces following A List of the Confederates ARMY at Parck-Camp Note That Count d' Egmont General of the Spanish Horse has not serv'd at all this Campagne by reason of Sickness of which he dy'd at Brussels last September for which reason he is omitted in the List of the General Officers Right Wing of HORSE Elector of BAVARIA General Officers under him were The Marquis de Bedmar Mestre de Camp or Colonel General of the Spanish Horse Lieutenant Generals The Electoral Prince of Hanouer Du Puy Count d' Arco Lieutenant General of the Bavarian Cuirassiers Baron d' Offener Lieutenant General of the Hanouer Horse Du Mont Lieutenant General of the Hanouer Foot Major Generals Prince Charles of Brandenbourg Counts de Brouay de Thian de Soye Bouche Oorh First Line Regim Squad Spanish Valençar 2 Drag Fourna 2 Guards of Bavaria 2 Guards of Egmont 1 Guards of Vaudemont 1 Guards du Puy 1 Brancaccio 1 Chimay 1 Hartman 1 Bavar Arco 2 Cuir Weickel 2 Hanou. Bulau 3 Drag  Hanou. Offner 3 Horse  Hanou. Du Mont 1 Foot St. Paul 1 Guards 1 Montigny 2 Hanou. Prince Elector  Horse de Hanouer 1 Gua. d'Hanouer 1  Total Horse 26  Foot 3 Bat. Second Line Regim Squad Prince of Steenhuy's Dra. 2 Vaudemont 1 Du Puy 1 Moncade 1 Bettencourt 1 Don Augustino 1 Ximene 1 Spinosa 1 Prince Char. of Lorrain 1 Pignatelli 1 Bavar Arco 2 Cuir Weickel 2 Hanou. Breitenbachk 2 Horse Tarkenheel 2 Hanou. Cordon 1 Foot Koningsmark 1 Breemer 1 Hanou. Oorh 2 Horse Voght 2  Total Horse 23  Foot 3 Bat. Body of FOOT His Majesty of GREAT-BRITTAIN General Officers under Him Prince Cassimir of Nassau Velt Mareschal General of Foot Count Solmes General of Foot Lieutenant Generals Duke of Wirtemburg Talmash Prince of Birkenfeldt Major Generals Count Nassau Sir Henry Bellasis Wymbergh Noyelles Ellembergh Brigadiers of the King 's own Forces Churchil Ramsey Earl Count d' Alfeldt of the Danes Note That where the Line is stop'd by a stroke thus so far reaches the Body of Foot in the King's Pay First Line Battal English Guards 1 Reg. 1 English Guards 2 Reg. 1 Dutch Guards 1 Scots Guards 1 Royal Regiment 1 Pr. George or Churchil 1 Fuziliers or Fitzpatrick 1 Collingwood 1 Stanley 1 Earle 1 Scotch Fuzil or Offerrel 1 Mackay 1 Monroe 1 Second Line Battal English Guards 1 Reg. 1 Dutch Guards 1 Scotch Guards 1 Royal Regiment 1 Selwyn 1 The Queens or Trelawney 1 Bathe 1 Tidcomb 1 Graham 1 Lauder 1 Leven 1 Argyle 1 Queen of Denmark 1 First Line Battal Danish Guards 1 Prince Frederick 1 Prince George 1 Jutland 1 Nassaw 1 Oork lately Greben 1 Suerin 1 Rhingrave 1 Noyelles 1 Wymberg 1 Tersay 1 Nassaw Friesland 2 Total 26 Second Line Battal Prince Christian 1 Zeeland 1 Finland 1 Packmoer 1 Buwer 1 Swerin 1 Anhalt 1 Aylica 1 L' Ecluse 1 Bernstorf 1 Fagel 1 La Motte 1 Nassau Groningue 1 Total 26 Left Wing of HORSE Prince of NASSAU SARBRUCK Velt-Mareschal General of Horse Lieutenant Generals Earl of Portland Auverquerque Opdam Scravenmore Major Generals Lord Galloway Duke of Ormond Earl of Scarborough my Lord Colchester La Forrest Zuylestein Brigadiers of the King's Forces Boncourt Letang Lumley First Line Squad Lipzel 2 Warfusé 2 Saxe-Goth◠2 Darmstadt 2 Ryswick 2 Athlone 2 Queens or Lumley 3 Langston 2 Wyndhant 2 Leinster 2 Galloway 3 Berkley 2 Life-Gu Auverquerque 1 Life-Gu Colchester 1 Life-Gu Scarborough 1 Hesse Marowitz Dutch 3 3 Dra. 3 3 Fitzharding Eppinger Total 41 Second Line Squad Nassau Friesland 3 Brendick 2 Dompré 2 Welfembuttel 2 Lippe Holl. 2 Opdam 2 Hombourg 2 Monpoüillan 2 Zuylestein 2
Suissers reckon'd to go through Brussels for Holland where they have been entertain'd in the Suisse Regiments which the States have rais'd besides their own Native Troops which deserted as well as Forreigners On our side 't was never known that the King's Subjects deserted so much as they did in this Camp but most of them were Irish Roman Catholicks who were debauch'd from the Service by the Irish Priests at Louvain who when our Army is near this place are very busy to alienate the Soldiers affections from his Majesties Service There were daily Executions in both Armies to deterr Soldiers from it and to hinder them from running away by Cabals His Majesty publish'd a Proclamation to promise a reward of 100 Guilders or Ten pounds Sterling to any Soldiers that would discover such as had a mind to Desert besides their Disâ—â—arge if they ask'd for it which afterwards hinder'd them from deserting in Companies The Mareschal de Luxembourg put forth an Edict for the same purpose promising a reward of 30 Crowns besides their Discharge to such Soldiers as would discover their Contrades that had a mind to desert On the 14th of this Month at night there was a very great Storm of Thunder and Rain which caus'd a great deal of mischief in both Armies All those Battalions which encamp'd in lower Grounds were overflow'd with the Torrents of Water their Tents and Baggage swimming but the greatest mischief was at the King's Quarter among the Sutlers and Toy-Shops which being under Banks of sandy Ground that made the hollow Way the Banks broke in upon them and buried a great many of them and all the Ground about the Abby of Park remain'd under Water where besides those that were kill'd by the fall of the Banks many were drown'd in it Whilst we were in this Camp we sent weekly Detachments to Arschot Diest and Leuwe to hinder the French from Foraging on the other side of the River Rupel particularly that at Leuwe which was still commanded by a Field-Officer being pretty near the Right of the French Army very much incommoded their Forragers and daily took either Men or Horses On the 20th we made a considerable Detachment from the Garison of Charleroy where we had sent some Horse and Dragoons for such Expeditions This Detachment consisted of 500 Horse under the Command of Colonel de Bay 400 Dragoons under the Prince of Steenhuys with 50 Granadiers sustain'd by 500 Foot of that Garison commanded by Colonel Heyden which forced afterwards the Line between Mons and Maubeuge took first the Redoubt Vieuxreng defended by several Suissers of whom they put 50 to the Sword and afterwards they forc'd six other Redoubts where they made 200 Prisoners amongst which were three Captains three Lieutenants and three Ensigns After they had forced this Line they enter'd the Enemies Country and rais'd Contribution as far as Maubeuge and brought back with them a great many head of Cattle besides Hostages for such Contributions which had not been paid in ready Money We made another Attempt some days following from the same Garison of Charleroy where we had not equal success The French had prepared at Beaumont a great Convoy of Money for the payment of their Army for six Weeks besides Ammunition and Provisions Lieutenant-General du Puy who had been commanded from the Army with a Detachment of Horse and Dragoons to assist the Garison of Charleroy in their Attempts upon the Enemies Convoys made with the same Colonel de Bay a small Body in order to attack it upon the way to the French Army The Enemies Convoy was escorted with a Detachment from the Garisons of Namur Mons and Maubeuge under the Commands of the Counts de Guiscard Vertillac and Ximenes their respective Governours Du Puy and de Bay who had advanced with their Horse and Dragroons fell upon the Convoy at Bossu where the dispute was hot for some time but the French Convoy being too strong for them they were forc'd to retreat to their Body of Foot which was not yet come up after which the French left off the pursuit content to have sav'd their Convoy and tho' reinforc'd with our Foot yet du Puy did not think himself strong enough to Rally for a second Attempt Many were kill'd and wounded in this Skirmish on both sides The Allies lost three Officers and a good number of Soldiers On the French side many were kill'd but their most considerable loss was of the Count de Vertillac Governour of Mons who was wounded mortally and dy'd soon after The French King has since dispos'd of his Government to Monsier de Lubanie Mareschal de Camp and Commandant of Calais The French whilst at Meldert had still several small Parties which sculk'd up and down the Bois de Merdal to be ready to pass out of the Wood upon occasion to steal our Horses which we often ventur'd to graze thereby upon scarceness of Forrage They have taken a great many of our Horses that way but particularly on the 25th of June several Horses of my Lord of Bathe's Regiment grazing thereabouts with a Serjeant and ten Men to look after them a Party of the French sallied out of the Wood and wounded three of the Soldiers The French after they had taken four of Sir Bevil Granville's Horses retir'd into the Wood the wounded Soldiers were brought off and two of them are since dead of their Wounds The French and we whilst our respective Camps of Meldert and Park seem'd to try who cou'd keep them longest On our side we were very much put to it for want of Forrage and the French on theirs suffer'd great want of Provisions for besides that Namur was then their nearest Garison from whence they cou'd have subsistence their Convoys that brought them Provisions were not very safe for the Neighbourhood of Charleroy unless they had a very strong Escorte which they cou'd have but seldom 'T was their Interest to endeavour by their long stay at Meldert to force us to leave the Camp at Park for want of Forrage that Louvain remaining open to them might fall into their Hands and also to consume as much Forrage as they cou'd hereabouts and between this and the Maes to hinder our Army from marching that way when they should attempt any thing thereabouts His Majesty lost the French by their obstinacy shou'd cause an universal want of Forrage in our Camp order'd Hay and Oats and other dry Forrage to come from Holland for the subsistence of the Army at Park rather than be oblig'd to decamp first for want of it The French perceiving that there was no likelihood of our decamping first and their Army suffering very much for want of Provisions resolv'd at length to quit first their Camp at Meldert which accordingly they did the 28th The Right Wing march'd by one of the Clock in the morning and the rest follow'd with all the secresie possible lest we shou'd make some attempt upon their Rear-Guard And we were
deliver up the Place into the Enemies hands The same day that the Marquis de Harcourt had Invested Huy the Enemy began to batter the Town with their Cannon and the 10th it Surrender'd upon Condition that the Governour and Garison should have liberty to retire into the Castle Afterwards they Summon'd the little Fort Picard to Surrender which is a New Work that had been made upon the point of a Rock but not yet finish'd The Officer that Commanded agreed to yield it upon Condition he should have the liberty to retire into the Castle with his Garison which the Enemy refus'd upon which he resolv'd to defend himself till the 13th that 't was Surrender'd at discretion and the Garison made Prisoners of War The same day the Enemy fir'd their Bombs and Cannon into the Castle In the Evening the Granadiers of the Regiment of Orleans made themselves Masters of an old Tower within 100 Paces of the Castle which commanded the Way to the Breach which the Enemy's Cannon had begun to make upon the Place and the next day the 14th the Governour Capitulated The Conditions agreed upon were that he should be conducted safely to Liege with his Garison But the French contrary to the Capitulation retained them upon pretence of Moneys due to the Cardinal of Furstemberg who is one of the Canons of Liege His Majesty having been inform'd that the French had Invested Huy resolv'd to march nearer to the Meuse to watch after the security of Liege and accordingly on the 10th the Army march'd from Parck where we had hitherto remain'd Incamp'd to Tillemont and the over-night all our heavy Baggage was order'd to be ready to march the next day to Diest The 11th the Army continu'd its march from Tillemont to Neerhespen after it had pass'd both the Geets and halted the next day 13th the Army march'd on to Vellem having the Town and Abbey of St. Tron in the Rear and the day following the King advanc'd as far as Hupertingue our Right near St. Tron and our Left near Tongres where his Majesty heard of the sudden Capitulation of the Castle of Huy whose weak Defence the Bishop of Liege has so much resented that he has since order'd the Baron de Renesse to be Tried by a Council of War with a great many other Officers of the Garrison The Baron de Renesse has been condemn'd thereupon to three Months Imprisonment and to be suspended from his Employments for the space of one Year Of the other Officers some have been Suspended and some Absolved but one who had broke Prison and fled has been order'd to be hang'd in Effigie After the taking of Huy the Mareschal de Luxembourg drew nearer to Liege and Incamp'd at Hellick as if he had some Design upon that Place of which the King being inform'd detach'd 10 Battalions to reinforce the Garrison under the Command of Brigadier Swerin who underwent very great Dangers and Hazards but at length got safely into the place After the King had made this detachment for Liege and 3 to Maestricht he march'd back on the 15th to the Camp at Neerhespen The Mareschal of Luxembourg being Incamp'd at Hellick and his Right not very far from Liege sent to the Bishop to offer him a Neutrality upon which the Bishop call'd a Chapter where 't was deliberated by them and rejected almost unanimously except by two or three Cannons in the French Interest who endeavour'd to raise a Mutiny among the People to compass their end whereupon they were taken into Custody and sent Prisoners to Maestricht The first Bishop of this Diocess according to their History was St. Maternus one of St. Peter's Disciples who preached the Gospel here and had his See at Tongres then a very big and populous City where it continued till St. Servatus upon some disgust with the Inhabitants translated it to Maestricht from whence 't was afterwards transferr'd to Liege upon this Occasion St. Lambert Bishop of Maestricht was Murder'd about that place where the Cathedral of Liege dedicated to him does now stand St. Hubert who at first was a Heathen that lived by Hunting in the Forrest d' Ardenne being by a Miracle as their Legend gives out converted to the Christian Faith grew into such a reputation of Sanctity that he was chosen for the Successor of St. Lambert that had been Murder'd at Liege This Bishop was afterwards advertiz'd in a Dream to transfer his See from Maestricht to Liege with the Bones of St. Lambert where he afterwards began the Cathedral Church and dedicated it to his Predecessor There are three Orders of Secular Cannons in this Church 1 The Cannons of St. Lambert who are always chosen out of the best Families of Liege France or Germany and in Ceremony at Church are cloath'd in Purple Furr'd Robes whereas other Cannons are onely cloath'd with Black Robes lin'd with Furr The Cardinals of Bouillon and Furstemberg are both at this time Cannons of St. Lambert in this Church 2 The Cannons of St. Maternus and 3 those of St. Servatus first Bishop of Maestricht whom we may call Petty Cannons His Majesty has the rich Barony of Herstal just without the Gates of the Town towards Maestricht which he holds immediately from the Emperour so call'd quasi stabulum Domini and they say that King Pepin of France kept his Court sometimes at this Place who was a great Benefactor to the Bishop of this Diocess as well as to that of Rome We shall at present leave Luxembourg at his Camp at Hellick and the King at Neerhespen just entring upon the most Important Action of this Campagne to speak something of our Affairs within the Lines where we have brought the Duke of Wirtemberg to the Camp of D'Otignies On the 12th of this Month Prince Wirtemberg left the Camp at D'Otignies and march'd by the Pass of St. Leger over a Bridge of Boats and so came to Esquermes our Left then within a good English Mile of Tournay Upon which two Regiments of Dragoons that had been at the defence of the Lines got into the Town that very Evening to reinforce the Garison This Town has undergone several Revolutions and was once in the hands of the French in the Reign of Francis I but was retaken by the Emperour Charles V and so it continued in the possession of the Kings of Spain till that great Irruption which the French made in Flanders in the Year 1667 after the death of Philip IV King of Spain upon pretence of a Right which the Queen of France had to these Countries immediately after the death of her Father The Spaniards who thought themselves secure by the Sacredness of the Pyrenean Treaty had left all their Frontiers unprovided and so in one Year the French King made himself Master of Lisle Tournay Douay Courtray At h Audenarde and Charleroy c. which were all again restor'd to the King of Spain by the Treaty of Aix la Chappelle except Lisle Tournay and Charleroy The
he leads them to engage their Enemies At Sun-rising we found the Enemies drawn up within Cannon-shot which then began to play upon them with good success They sustain'd it with an admirable Constancy and tho' our Cannon made great execution being very well posted upon several Batteries on the Right and Left and all along within the Retrenchment yet the Enemies Horse remain'd as firm and immovable as so many Rocks without offering to make any motion for about two hours together till about six of the Clock that they made a motion to draw nearer to our Retrenchment but they found our Cannon so inconvenient that they quitted the middle of the Plain and made their Infantry march off some to our Right towards the Villages of Neerwinden and Lare and to our Left towards the Village of Neerlanden Luxembourg who found that to make his way into our Camp he must first make himself Master of the Villages of Lare or Noerwinden order'd about eight of the Clock the Attack of this Left Village after this manner Lieutenant-General Rubantel commanded the Right of the Attack with the King 's and Crussol's Brigades Montchevreüill the Left with the Brigades of Salis Suissers and Arbouville The Duke of Berwick the Center with the Brigades of Piémont and Orleans These three Lieutenant-Generals had under them Baron Bressey and Sarsfield Lord Lucan for Major-Generals Thus far the French Account To sustain the Attack made by these six Brigades as we have before told it we had only the six Battalions of Hanover and three of the Guards The Sieur Reynold had at the same time Orders to joyn the Reserve with his Brigade and the Sieurs Ximenes and Pracontal with their Body of Horse and to attack the Village of Lare where Brigadier Ramsey commanded with his five Battalions besides the Battalions of Churchill and Trelawney that had been sent off from the Left at Neerlanden where they had been posted the night before to re-inforce Ramsey upon the Right The Enemy made their Attack with all the Vigour possible and the success was various for some time The First Battalion of Guards was at first broken and then rally'd again with the Second after the loss of a great many Officers and Soldiers The French were forc'd to give way but the Duke of Bourbon came to their relief with the Brigade of Guiche which renew'd their Vigour and then ours on their side began to make way Brigadier Ramsey was attack'd very vigorously with the whole Reserve of Dragoons besides the Regiment Colonel that had re-inforc'd it with Reynold's Brigade The Brandenbourg Battalions who lin'd the Hedges and Way between Lare and Neerwinden had their share between these two Attacks The Dispute was hot at Lare and the Fire very violent but our People at last gave way by which the Enemy had the opportunity to come in upon the Right and charge our Horse but the Elector of Bavaria received them with such Vigour that he drove them back again with a great slaughter Brigadier Ramsey rally'd his Brigade and they charg'd the Enemy that had possess'd themselves of the Village of Lare with such Fury that they beat them out again regain'd their Post and made great slaughter among the Enemies The Brandenbourg Battalions with Prince Charles became again Masters of their Post and the King rallied the Hanover and his own Battalions at Neerwinden and made them Charge the Enemy again where they had now as appears by their own Account which I have inserted seven Brigades Crussoll the King 's Salis Arbouville Piémont Orleans and Guiche under the Command of three Lieutenant-Generals besides the Duke of Bourbon who had come to the Relief with the last Brigade nevertheless our handful of rallied Men charg'd them with such Vigour that they made them retreat tho' they cou'd not so entirely beat them out of this Village but that they continued Masters of some of the outermost Hedges The French Account to cover this says that we were then considerably reinforc'd both at Lare and Neerwinden from our Body of Foot but 't is certain there was no such thing 't was only the same Forces rally'd that had the Credit of re-gaining their former Post and of beating back their numerous Enemies that had taken it from them What remain'd of our Infantry was but enough to line the Retrenchment that cover'd us to the Plain and 't was not thought fit to bring one Battalion from thence to re-inforce our Troops at Neerwinden lest we should have left the most dangerous way into our Camp open to the Enemy The Duke of Berwick who had been very busie and eager at this Attack push'd so far as to fall in amongst our Men with his Aid de Camp Acmoughty They were undistinguish'd for some time till Brigadier Churchill came near and heard them cursing the Suissers for not having done their Duty The Brigadier remember'd Acmoughty's Face and tho' he did not see the Duke of Berwick's yet by Acmoughty's Employment he guess'd at the Person and so made them both his Prisoners The French tried their Fortune after this at Neerlanden to see if they cou'd have better success upon our Left than they had upon our Right The King as we have said before had in the morning sent off from this Post the Battalions of Churchill and Trelawney to re-inforce Brigadier Ramsey upon the Right so that there remain'd but four Battalions for the Defence of this Place viz. The First Battalion of the Royal Regiment Selwyn's Prince Frederick's and Fagel's The four Regiments of Dragoons of Cailus Finmarcon and two of Asfeld had pass'd the Brook of Beck between this and Landen to come and attack us upon our Flank in this Post The Marquis de Crequi who commanded the Brigades that had been posted the overnight at Landen order'd them down to Charge us at the same time in Front on this side of the Brook The Brigades were Bourbonnois Lyonnois Anjou and Artois King James his Guards being then amongst them 'T is true the Post we had to defend was not weak but 't was attack'd with a great disproportion of Forces and the Fire was very smart on both sides The King who was every where where there was any Action rid from the Right here to the Left as soon as the Enemy attack'd this Post The First Battalion of the Royal Regiment was after a sharp dispute forc'd to retire but after sustain'd by Selwin's who observing a Passage in this place where Horse could come in upon his Rear order'd Trees to be cut down and stop it up We caus'd likewise that House to be set on fire where Hamilton's Granadiers had before been posted But both these Regiments were at last sustain'd by Prince Frederick's and Fagel's and after a sharp Dispute of about two hours had the advantage the Enemy were intirely beaten off and pursu'd quite out of our Defilé into the very Plain so that they attempted this Place no more The King who was
present most part of the time with Selwyn's Regiment was an Eye-witness of this Action and beheld them pursuing the Enemies The French Account pretends that we were beaten from this Post quite into our Retrenchment and that because Luxembourg found that this was not a place where Horse cou'd pass into our Camp he order'd them to leave it but the truth is they left it because we beat them from it Hitherto the success of the Day was visibly on our side and both our Artillery and small Shot had done wonders And the French who continu'd still a faint fire at Neerwinden seem'd to have their Belly full 'T is said that most of the General Officers were of Opinion to retire but Luxembourg who had still the Brigade of the French and Suisse Guards and the Suisse Brigades of Zurlaube and Zurbeck as a Reserve of fresh Men resolv'd with these to try t'other Onset and to see if they could not carry the Village of Neerwinden by this their very last effort The Prince of Conti came at the Head of these Brigades to make the Attack The Enemies had remain'd Masters of the outermost Hedges of this Village as we have said before and our rally'd Forces tho' they had the advantage in the last Charge to make the Enemy give way considerably yet they could not intirely clear the Village of them The Prince of Conti with these three fresh Brigades and the best Foot the French had in their Army charged our People so vigorously who had been engaged here from the beginning to this time which was now between two and three of the Clock and wearied with so long service that they were forced at last to give way and the French remained Masters of the Avenues of this Village Immediately upon this success the Mareschal de Luxembourg came to observe the Passages that led to our Camp for the Horse to march in He found a very narrow one however the Mareschal de Villeroy undertook to bring in Horse this way and so he order'd five Squadrons of the King's House to file off upon the Left which was the nearest to the Pass to come into our Camp The Light-Horse first then the Gens d'Armes and after three Squadrons of Life-Guards As this Body of Horse came into our Camp they extended themselves upon their Left and form'd their Squadrons under their Infantry Count d'Arco General of the Bavarian Curassiers charged them with such Vigour that he repulsed them quite within their Foot notwithstanding their brave resistance The Duke of Chartres who charged at the Head of the French Horse found himself inviron'd with our Forces and narrowly escaped being made Prisoner 'T was then that we endeavour'd to regain once more this Post of Neerwinden The Elector upon the Right order'd two Battalions to Charge the Enemy in Front whilst three others should Charge them upon their Left Flank but the first Brigades of Piemont the King 's Crussol Guiche Arbouville and Orleans upon the Advantage the Brigade of Guards and Suissers had now gained at this place Rally'd and reinforced them so that the Attempt became impossible They fell upon two Battalions of Hanouer and made them quite give way The two Battalions one of Dutch and t'other of Scots Guards which the Elector had commanded to Charge the Enemy in the Front had spent all their Ammunitions by their continual Fire for so many hours The Elector order'd to have Ammunition brought them but it could not come time enough to do business The King who had left Neerlanden upon the Enemy's fresh Attempt upon this Place led twice the English Battalions to the Charge up to the right of the Retrenchment which was now Flanked and under the Enemy's Command where they Fought with very much bravery as they had done every where else In the mean while Luxembourg who had found a more convenient Passage for the Horse between the Posts of the King 's and Zurbeck's Brigades came in himself with the Prince of Conti and the Count de Marsin into the Plain of our Camp with the Carabiniers and several other Regiments whilst the Mareschal de Joyeuse and the Duke of Bourbon who had left the Brigade of Guiche to Post himself upon his Wing of Horse pass'd with the Count Nassau Mareschal de Camp more to his Left between the Villages of Neerwinden and Lare with the Mestre de Camp 's Royal Roussillon and Cuirassiers Brigades The first that had come in with Conti joyn'd with the King's House that had Rally'd behind their Foot where they had been repuls'd by the Count d' Arco and fell on upon the Hanouer Horse and broke them The Sieur Ximenes the Count de Guiscard the Chevalier Bezons and the Sieur Pracontal came in upon their Left with part of the second Line of Horse and the Reserve along the Hedges of Lare The Marquis of Harcourt who had been sent for from Huy with his Detachment of 22 Squadrons came time enough to have his share of the day He joyn'd these and made his Dragoons alight to chase our Foot out of the Village of Laer. The Duke of Villeroy came in upon our Right of the Retrenchment with the Sieur Rosen and the Marquis de Feuquieres and the Sieur Busca Lieutenant-Generals and the Duke of Roquelaure Mareschal de Camp with the rest of the King's House however this Place was disputed with a great deal of Bravery by our Right of the English Foot Posted here They were Flank'd by the Enemy's Foot now Masters of the Village of Neerwinden and in Front by the Brigades of Vermandois Nice Roussillon and la Sare They came off and Rallyed several times and went on again with a great deal of Courage notwithstanding the Enemy's continued Fire both Front and Flank but at last the Enemy overpower'd them so much that they remain'd Masters of this part of the Retrenchment which they levell'd to make room for this Body of Horse to come in However they did not come in upon so easy Terms but that the first Troop of Life-Guards whereof the Mareschal de Luxembourg is Colonel lost their Standard which was taken by a Soldier of Talmash's Battalion of Guards The Fusiliers suffer'd very much in this Action After the Hanover Horse had been broken by the Enemy the rest of our Right Wing of Horse being cut off from our Body of Foot was soon overthrown by them who now had the opportunity to Charge us both Front and Flank The Elector of Bavaria did what he could to resist the numerous Multitude of the Enemy's Horse that Charg'd him thus but finding it impossible he with the Advice of his Generals resolved to Retreat and made the Cuirassiers by a Counter-march face the Enemy but the Enemy had already so far overpower'd them that the Retreat was difficult The Enemy Charging on all sides mingl'd themselves with the Horse that had got to the River The Elector with some difficulty and hazard passed the Bridge and Rally'd on t'other
totally routed and dispers'd to do us any harm either in Liege or Brabant yet because they would make some noise after it the Mareschal de Luxembourg detach'd Lieutenant-General Rosen with 10000 Horse to go and make Incursions in the Mayerie of Bois le duc and raise Contributions upon the States Country on this side of the Meuse but the King took care he should not go so far Upon the first notice he detached my Lord of Athlone with about 7000 Horse to march that way Baron Lubeck who commanded the Neubourg Troops between the Rhine and the Meuse had orders to advance between Aix la Chappelle and Maestricht to be ready to pass that River and joyn the Earl of Athlone upon which Lieutenant-General Rosen retreated to the Army after he had rais'd Contributions only in the County of Horne and some neighbouring Villages of the Mayerie of Bois le duc And then the Earl of Athlone had orders to come back to our Army Prince Wirtemberg remained still in his Camp at Alost expecting the King's Orders to march which he received the 31th in the Night and the next day he march'd towards the Canal and Incamp'd between Mertom and Mellem The day following August the 2d both Armies marched the King pass'd the Canal with his at Vilvorde and so we joyned at VVemmel where the King took his Quarter Our Right reach'd beyond Grimberg and our Left at Lacker The Elector with the Spanish Troops marched from Scarbeck passed the Canal at Lacker and Incamp'd upon our Left at the Abby of Dilleghem And now our Army after this junction was stronger by many Battalions than it had been all this Campagne August Myn Heer Heynsius Pensionary of Holland and Deputy from the States-General of the United Provinces came to this Camp to wait upon the King and to congratulate his safe Deliverance from those many and great Dangers to which he expos'd his Sacred Person for our common safety He brought along with him Bills for two Millions of Guilders which the States-General sent to his Majesty as a Token of the intire Satisfaction and Confidence they had in him He had orders likewise to assure the King that they were ready to venture the very last Stake for the defence of their Liberties under his Majesty's Conduct and that they would unanimously concur to increase their Forces both by Land and Sea so as to be able to check for the future the exorbitant Power of our Enemies And this was the States resolution when we thought our selves that our Affairs were in a far worse posture than we found them afterwards for which generous Resolution they can never be too much commended and for the great Respect and Affection they have express'd in this occasion to his Majesty Major-General Zuylestein who had been Prisoner at Namur since the last Action came likewise to this Camp and I cannot omit the great Compliment and Civility he receiv'd from the Mareschal de Luxembourg who when Zuylestein took his leave of him to come to our Camp express'd the greatest Respect for the Person of our Monarch and we may say that the King 's Heroick Valour was so signally conspicuous that day that he Conquer'd the very hearts and affections of his Enemies who unanimously proclaimed his Praise and Commendation 'T was Luxembourg's expression to Zuylestein That their two Masters deserv'd to share the World between them On the 5th the King review'd the Army which drew out of the Camp upon two Lines and as it would have been too much work for one day to have view'd the Regiments by single Companies as the King rid by the Commissaries took only an Account of the Number and Depth of the Files in each Regiment and the whole Army appear'd in a very good condition and stronger than it had hitherto been this Campagne The same day three Battalions were detach'd to Charleroy for the reinforcement of that Garison under the command of the Marquis de Castillo General of the Spanish Ordnance who was sent to command the Garison there Colonel Potbus's Regiment of Suedes in the King of Spain's Service was one he was pleas'd to grumble and to express his disgust for this command up and down Brussels for which the Elector of Bavaria order'd him to be put in Arrest there On the 7th the Army marched from VVemmel to Nostre dame de Halle Our Left reached considerably beyond Tubise and our Right beyond Halle so that we seem'd to take up more Ground this Year than we did the last before the Action at Steenkirk The King took his Quarter at the same place where he had it last Year viz. at Lembeck a House belonging to the Prince of Steenhuys The Mareschal de Luxembourg who hitherto had Incamp'd quietly at Warem since the Fight at Landen began to move on the 5th and march'd that day to Bonef upon the Mehaigne and the next day to Sombref where he halted the 7th The 8th he marched on to Nivelle and had his Right at Bois Seigneur Isaac and tho' 't was now a more favourable Season to have formed the Siege of Charleroy yet Luxembourg's Army had been so disorder'd at Landen that tho' they had then double our Army yet now Luxembourg was not in a condition to Besiege Charleroy till he had been reinforced considerably with the Troops that Guarded the Coasts of Normandy and Brittany who were order'd forthwith towards this Country and with the Body the Marquis de la Valette commanded in Flanders The same day that we marched from Wemmel to Halle Lieutenant-General Scravenmoor came from Namur and joyned us upon this march where he waited upon the King to give him an account of his Imprisonment and what he had learned with the Enemies On the 10th Brigadier Churchill's Regiment was order'd to Garison at Malines this Regiment had suffer'd very much at Lare where 't was sent to reinforce Brigadier Ramsay but more particularly in the loss of their Colours which were taken by the Enemy two of the Ensigns that carried them were kill'd and the third taken Prisoner On the 16th the Duke of Ormond came to Brussels with the English and Scotch Officers and Soldiers that had been taken Prisoners at Landen He was Treated very civilly at Namur the Count de Guiscard Governour took him into his own House where he was attended with all the care and respect they could express to a Person of so much worth and of so great Quality and the ablest Physicians and Surgeons of the Army were sent to Namur to look after him His Grace took at this time the greatest care imaginable for his Majesty's Interest for tho' he was so ill for the two first days after his arrival at Namur that the ablest Surgeons doubted of his Life notwithstanding the illness of his condition he sent for the Officers that were Prisoners there and made them come into his Chamber and told them that whatever Money they wanted either for themselves or for the
a very indifferent one is seated on the other side of the Sambre and the Fortifications are very weak 'T was Bombarded last Year by the Mareschal de Boufflers for two days together But the strength of Charleroy is on this side of the Water situated upon a Hill that commands the River and a great part of it rocky Ground where 't is very difficult to make any Trenches Tho' 't is a perfect Hill towards the River yet on t'other side of the place 't is much plainer and is somewhat commanded by several Neighbouring heights In the Year 1666 this place was but an inconsiderable Village call'd Charnoy but because it commanded this Pass upon the Sambre the Spaniards Fortified it and call'd it Charleroy for their King's sake who is nam'd Charles but the French King call'd it Charlamoy to jest upon the Name which Jest soon after prov'd a very true one for he took it the Year following and kept it by the Treaty of Aix la Chappelle 'T was Besieged the latter end of the Year 1672. by our King then Prince of Orange who us'd a very cunning Stratagem to get the Count de Montal the Governour out of it He was Governor both of Tongres and this place The King made a Feint to Besiege Tongres which made the Count de Montal leave Charleroy for the defence of that Place whereupon the Count de Marsin who Commanded a small Body was order'd by the King to Invest Charleroy and he at the same time left Tongres to go and Besiege it Montal was very much concern'd to be so trick'd out of the place and that made him so desperate that he forced his way into it in the middle of the Night and got in through the Besiegers Camp with about 100 Horse along with him however if the Weather had been more favourable the King would have carried it before any Relief cou'd have come to it but the Weather prov'd so unkind for such an Attempt that the French had the time to make up their Army and upon their advancing the King rais'd the Siege The French whilst this place was in their possession Fortified it very well and made all the Bastions and Half-Moons with Brick and Free-stone and some of the last have very good Counter-Guards to cover them They have a great many Redoubts round the place at the foot of the Glacis under the defence of the cover'd way all very strong and built with Brick and Free-stone This place was restor'd to the King of Spain by the Treaty of Nimeguen in a far better condition than it had been before in the hands of the Spaniards they have since this War added very little to the Fortification of Charleroy except some few Mines under the Glacis and Angles of the cover'd way and undermost of the Works of the Town to blow them up when taken by the Enemy There is a large Pond of Water that covers part of the place between Brussels Port and the way to Fontaine l'Evesque with a good Redoubt in the very middle of it and another for the defence of the Sluce cover'd by a Horn-work The French brought a prodigious Train of Artillery and Mortar-Pieces before the Place and soon reduc'd the Houses and Barracks in it to Ashes They fir'd their Cannon perpetually whole Batteries at a time and likewise Mortar-Pieces which they fir'd together by Batteries in the Besieged's Works to dislodge them On the 2d the French began to trace out their Lines and the 3d. they put 12000 Pioneers on Work about them the 4th they prepar'd two Attacks and the 5th at Night the Duke of Roquelaure Mareschal de Camp open'd the Trench before the place with the Regiment of Navarre Six Battalions of the French and Suiss Guards and the King's Regiment mounted the Trench and the Rain and a Fog which happen'd then made the Air so thick that the Enemies work'd three hours before the Besieged perceived it The French at the same time attack'd an Out-Post call'd the Warren-House and carried it after a vigorous resistance and several men kill'd and wounded on both sides a Captain of the Guards was wounded in this Action and the Enemy lost about 40 men in carrying on the left Attack The next day the Besieged made a Sortie upon the Enemies kill'd many among the rest the Count de Broglio the Son who was kill'd just by the Marquiss de Crequi one of their Inginiers was Wounded and Grandcomb Brigadier of the Inginiers made Prisoner and the Marquis of Rochefort and a Captain Wounded On the 7th the Elector of Bavaria was detach'd from our Army at St. Quintin Linneck towards Flanders with a Body of 30 Battalions and 50 Squadrons 16 of these Battalions were English and Scots viz. The Second Battalion of the First Regiment of Guards Talmash's Battalion Two Battalions of Scots Guards and these mounted the Guard upon his Electoral Highness whilst he commanded this Body two Battalions of the Royal Regiment Bathe Tidcomb Castleton Graham Offerrel Mackay Leven Lauder Ferguson and Argyle Six Danes viz. The Guards the Queens Prince Frederic Prince Christian Prince George and the Jutland Battalions two Dutch viz. Count Horne and Bernstorff and the six Brandenbourg Battalions in the King of Spain's Service These were detached as 't was suppos'd to attack Furnes to recompence by this the loss of Charleroy which would have given great ease to Newport For the French had muster'd all their Forces to make this Siege and expected besides the Mareschal de Boufflers from the Rhine to re-inforce them with twelve Battalions and fourteen Squadrons so that besides this small Body which they expected with Boufflers they had above 100 Battalions to besiege and cover the siege of Charleroy and if their Battalions were most of them weak none of ours were very strong and Sickness had sent a great Number into the Hospitals particularly of the King's Troops which weakn'd them extreamly besides the French had eaten up all the Forrage between Brussels and the Sambre except what they cover'd for the subsistence of their Troops so that there was no possibility for our Army 's marching that way to attempt its Relief even if it had been in a better Condition As therefore there was no prospect of relieving Charleroy the Elector of Bavaria commanded this Body for some enterprize in Flanders and march'd this day as far as Ayegem Capelle after he had pass'd the Dender at Ninove with a good Train of Artillery and the next pay he marched to Gavre upon the Scheld The Ways were so bad and deep that the Artillery could not come up till the next day and several Waggons and Carriages came to damage Orders were given to be ready to march but we halted the next day The French had left Furnes in a good Posture of Defence with about 5000 Men in Garison and we found the Ways such that 't was very difficult and hazardous to draw our Artillery And besides the Mareschal de Luxembourg
upon the News of this Detachment march'd from his Camp at Herlaymont-Capelle to Estines nearer to Mons and to the King's Army which was now but small after so great a Detachment upon which the King did not think it safe to venture this Detachment any further thereby to give Luxembourg the opportunity to have fallen upon him therefore this Body was countermanded But before the Elector marched back he detach'd Horne's and Bernstorf's Regiments to the Garison of Newport and the same day Offerrel's and Ferguson's Regiments were sent to Winter Quarters the first to Bruges and the latter to Ostend On the 11th which was the day following the Elector march'd with the Body under his Command to St. Levinus-Haltheim in order to rejoyn the King at Ninove who had march'd hither from St. Quintin-Linneck the day before and in leaving this Camp the King order'd to Louvain the Regiments of Ecker and Fagel and those of Aylua Anhalt and Oxenstierne to Brussels The 12th the Elector rejoyn'd the King at Ninove On the 13th about 900 English Recruits came up to the Camp 300 of them were for the Guards and the other six that had been drawn out of the Princess Ann's Sir David Collier's Hasting's Prince of Hesse's St. George's and Tiffeney's Regiments were divided by Lot amongst the English Regiments that had suffered most at Landen On the 14th the King 's Domesticks left the Camp to go to Loo and the day after the King seeing that nothing could be done for the relief of Charleroy and that the Campagne drew near to an end left the Command of the Army in the Elector's Hands and went by Breda to Loo in order to repass soon after the Sea to meet his Parliament in England and prepare Matters for a more vigorous Prosecution of the War according to the Resolution taken by the rest of the Allies and the King's Guards did after Duty upon the Elector and gave him the same Honours that they are oblig'd to shew to the King The 18th the two Battalions of Friesland Guards to Prince Casimir of Nassau were sent to Garison in Louvain In the mean while the French pursued very vigorously the Village of Charleroy and the Garison between 4 and 5000 strong commanded by the Marquiss de Castillo Master of the Spanish Ordnance Colonel Pimentel the Governor and Bulau Brigadier of the Dutch made as brave and noble resistance The French fir'd continually their Cannon and Mortars to make the Place as uneasie as possibly they could to the besieged They batter'd to Pieces the Redoubt or detach'd Bastion that is without Brussels Port but it was so Min'd that the Enemies would not venture to take it They changed their Attack to the Horn-work that cover'd the Sluce of the Pond and to the Redoubt that was in the middle of it and the Enemies had now advanc'd their Works within ten or twelve paces of the outer Angles of the cover'd Way towards the Pond and on the other side beyond the Point of the Horn-work upon its Flank The Enemies Cannon had fired hitherto so furiously that they had dismounted all the Cannon the besieged had but on the 12th the Besieged made a shift to refit two or three Pieces and in the Night they kill'd and wounded about 100 of the Enemies among whom were some Officers De Pont an Ingenier was wounded mortally The 13th the besieged fired a Bomb which fell in the Magazine of Powder upon one of the Enemies Batteries kill'd six Men and dismounted two of their Cannon The French continu'd their fire upon the two Redoubts that without Brussels Port and that in the Pond in this last a Spanish Captain with 50 Men was posted for its defence and besides the Batteries of Cannon they fir'd against it they threw twice more Bombs into the Place than there were Men to defend it They fir'd their Mortars here by Batteries so that the Soldiers had ten or twelve Bombs sometimes about their Ears On the 14th in the Afternoon Monsieur de Vauban order'd six Pontons to be fasten'd together upon which a Detachment was sent for the Assault of the Redoubt in the Pond The Spaniards were now reduc'd to little above half the Number notwithstanding they made a good resistance but at last were forc'd to Capitulate The same Day the Duke of Luxembourg who had advanc'd as far as Mons upon our Detachment towards Flanders return'd to the Camp by Charleroy after he heard that the Elector had rejoyn'd the King at Ninove He left the King's House conton'd near St. Guislain for the conveniency of Forage and generally all the Horse between Mons Valenciennes and Maubeuge The French and Suisse Guards remain'd at Estines and another Body at Givry The 15th the Besieged made a very brave Sortie they levell'd part of the Enemies Works and kill'd many of the Enemies a Captain was kill'd and the Marquis of Charrost wounded On the 16th in the Evening the Enemies attack'd the Work that cover'd the Sluce of the Pond 120 Men defended it very bravely but at last the French made themselves Masters of it after they had lost 50 Men in the Attack a Captain and two Ingeniers wounded When the Enemies had made themselves Masters of the Redoubt in the Pond and of the Work that cover'd the Sluce they began to drain it The 19th the besieged made a very brave and vigorous Sortie they beat the Enemies from a great part of their Works which they destroyed and levell'd and kill'd the Enemies a great many Men. The 22d the Besieged made another Sortie upon the Enemies which proved not so successful as the former They wounded a Lieutenant-Colonel and five Ingeniers and in the Afternoon one of their Bombs fell among some Magazines of the Enemies Granades but they took such care that it did them no great damage The 23d the Besieged continu'd their Sortie but were repuls'd The same Day we made a very great Detachment of 28 Men per Battalion from our Army at Ninove with a proportionable number of Horse under the Command of Lieutenant-General Opdam to Escorte a Convoy of 250 Waggons and seven Pieces of Cannon into Ath. The Waggons were loaded with all manner of Provisions and Ammunitions which got safely into the Place that Evening Wey's Regiment was sent at the same to re-inforce the Garison of this Place Lieutenant-General Opdam upon his return found that the Country-people about Lessines had made a great quantity of Beer expecting that the French Army would come and Encamp there as usually it did every Year and because they had not brought it to be sold in our Camp the Convoy Waggons that return'd empty from At h had orders to take all this Beer away and to bring it into our Camp at Ninove We made much about the same time a good Detachment out of all our Dragoons and 't was reported that their Design was to steal a Relief into Charleroy that Jacob Son to the Major that Commands into the Bois
Lord Lucan Mareschals de Camp were order'd to march with the Brigades of Piémont the King 's Crussol Orleans and Reynold to the Village of High-VVinden where they joyn'd the Brigades of Salis and Arbouville which had been posted here before by the Lieutenant General Montchevreüil Note That the late King James's Guards were in this Brigade of Arbouville but not being detach'd with Montchevreüil upon the pretended design of the Lines they were afterwards put in some of the Brigades which were posted upon the Enemies Right at Landen and between that and St. Gertruydenland of which we have now given an account and which afterwards charg'd us at Neerlanden where they were vigorously repulsed of which more hereafter Between these two Villages where the foresaid Infantry had been posted viz. Landen and Overwinden Luxembourg order'd a Line of Horse of 7 Squadrons of the Kings House of the Mestre de Camp or Colonel General of Horse's Regiment of the Regiments of Dauphin Stranger and that of Bourbon with the Mareschal de Villeroy and the Sieur Rozen Lieutenant General and the Duke of Roquelaure Mareschal de Camp He order'd a second Line made up of the Brigades of French and Suiss Guards and that of Guiche Commanded by the Prince of Conti A third of Horse made up of the rest of the Houshold the Brigades of Bolen Carabiniers and the Regiment of Praslin which remain'd of the Mestre de Camp Generals Brigade The Marquis de Feuquieres and the Sieur Busca both Lieutenant Generals the Duke of Elboeuf and the Count of Nassau Mareschals de Camp had the Command of this Line After he order'd a fourth Line of Foot consisting of the Brigades of Vermandois Zurbeck and Zurlaube Suissers Nice Royal Roussillon and la Sarre The rest of the Horse Commanded by Lieutenant General Vateville made up several other Lines as the Ground wou'd permit and the whole disposition of the Horse was made according to the Orders received from the Duke of Chartres who commanded it The Chevalier de Bezons Mareschal de Camp with the Reserve was posted behind the Village of Overwinden and Lieutenant-General Ximenes and Mareschal de Camp Pracontal were commanded to the same place with several Brigades of Horse drawn both from the Right and from the Left The Reserve was made up here with three Squadrons of the Grand Mousquetaires the Regiments of Dragoons of Bellegarde St. Fremond St. Hermine each consisting of four Squadrons besides two Battalions of the Fuziliers This is the Order in which the French Army remain'd this Night As soon as the Enemy drew up by our Camp the King order'd Brigadier Ramsey with his Brigade then compos'd of five Battalions viz. Offerrell Mackay Lauder Leven and Monroe to the Right of all before our Right Wing of Horse to guard some Hedges and hollow Ways which there cover'd our Right just upon the Right of the Village of Laér The Brandenbourg Battalions were posted at this Village and to the Left of it and more to the Lest the Infantry of Hanover Prince Charles of Brandenbourg as Major-General commanded the six Battalions of Brandenbourg and Lieutenant-General Du Mont those of Hanover with whom he was to defend the Village of Neerwinden that cover'd part of our Camp between the Right Wing of Horse and our main Body These were afterwards reinforc'd by the First Battalion of the First Regiment of Guards the Second Battalion of Dutch Guards and the Second Battalion of Scotch Guards Upon the Left at Neerlanden his Majesty order'd the First Battalion of the Royal Regiment Churchill's Selwyn's and Trelawney's Prince Frederick's Battalion of Danes and Fagel's to possess this Vilage that cover'd the Left of our Body of Foot which upon the Enemies approach had wheel'd from the Left to the Right to bring up their Left to the Brook of Beck where 't was cover'd by this Village of Neerlanden The Ground was open between Neerwinden and Neerlanden whereupon his Majesty order'd a Retrenchment to be made in the night from the one to the other to cover our Body of Foot which indeed was but a slight Breast-work as a Man may judge by the time they had to make and the number of Men that worked about it viz. 30 Men per Battalion and yet the French King is pleas'd to call this in his Letter to the Archbishop of Paris a formidable Retrenchment which Hyperbolical Epithet would certainly have been more becoming a Poet 's licencious way of writing who to render the least things admirable is allowed to heigthen their Idea's with pompous and high-flown Epithets than the Honour and Credit of a King who one would think shou'd be oblig'd in such a Case to the strictest Rules of Truth particularly when 't is to set forth his own Praise What remain'd of the Body of Foot was drawn up in one Line within this Retrenchment to defend it Our Dragoons upon the Left were order'd to the Village of Dormal to guard that Pass upon the Brook of Beck and from thence our Left Wing of Horse reached to Neerlanden where 't was cover'd by this Brook and from thence turn'd off to the Right behind our Body of Foot where it made as 't were the Figure of an Elbow The King July 19. who hitherto had been on Horseback continually till late in the Evening to order the disposition of his Army to visit and secure the Posts that cover'd us and to see how our Retrenchment went on at last order'd his Coach to be brought up to the Rear of Stanley's Regiment where his Majesty went in to take a little rest and at the same time to be ready upon every Occasion The King repos'd in his Coach two or three hours and early in the morning his Majesty whose Piety is as unparallel'd as his Valour sent for Doctor Menard one of his Chaplains into the Coath to pray with him suitably to the Occasion and to beg a Blessing upon his Majesty's Arms but above all that God would be pleas'd to preserve his precious Person as he had hitherto done in the most evident Dangers under the Wings of his Almighty and Gracious Providence And tho' the King who is Pious without Ostentation or Hypocrisie would not have his Devotion publish'd out of his Closet yet I thought my self oblig'd to publish this for an Example to our Officers and Soldiers that they may be sensible that the most Heroick Valour is that which is grounded upon a good Conscience and a true Christian Piety that they are mightily mistaken who think that Piety at such a time does express a dejectedness and fear of Mind which indeed is true in those who are never Pious but then and that Men cannot express how undaunted and unconcern'd they are at such an hour but by bellowing out their Oaths and telling Stories of their filthy and infamous Debaucheries Would to God his Majesty's Forces would as readily propose to themselves the King's Example in this Case as they are willing to follow him when