1 VIII. rough to May 26, I can't say I have the same prophetic spirit I used to CHAP. have; for in all the former actions I never did doubt of success, we having had constantly the great blessing of 1710. being of one mind. I cannot say it is so now, for I fear some are run so far into villanous faction, that it would Marlbomore content them to see us beaten ; but if I live, I will Godolphin, be watchful that it shall not be in their power to much hurt. The discourse of the Duke of Argyll is, Marlbothat when I please there will then be peace. I suppose Duchess, his friends speak the same language in England; so 1710. Coxe, that I must every summer venture my life in a battle, Berwick's and be found fault with in winter for not bringing home ed. Petitot. peace. No, I wish for it with all my heart and soul.”1 do and June 2, 1710. rough to the June 12, v. 197. Mem. 161 39. Douai, Villars having retired without fighting, the operations of the siege were resumed with redoubled vigour. On Fall of the 16th June, signals of distress were sent up from the June 26. town, which the French marshal perceived, and he made in consequence a show of returning by the right bank of the Scarpe, to interrupt the siege; but his movements came to nothing. Marlborough, to counteract his manœuvres, repassed the Scarpe at Vitry, and took up a position directly barring the line of advance of the French marshal, while Eugene prosecuted the siege. Villars again retired without fighting. On the 19th the Prince of Orange made an assault, under the eyes of Eugene and Marlborough, on two ravelins and a halfmoon; but, after a desperate struggle, he was repulsed 2 Marlbowith the loss of seven hundred men. The attack was rough to renewed by the Prince on the 24th, and the breach June 26, carried in spite of the explosion of several mines, which v.54. Rousblew up with terrific effect. The Prince of Anhalt, on the Hist. de same day, carried another ravelin.2 On the 22d the fort 206. of Scarpe was breached, and the sap was advanced to Godolphin, 1710. Des. set, ii. 294. Marlb. iii. CHAP. VIII. 1710. 40. are unable to reach Arras, but besiege Bethune, July 15. the counterscarp of the fortress, the walls of which were violently shaken; and on the 26th, Albergotti, who had no longer any hope of being relieved, and who saw preparations made for a general assault, capitulated with the garrison, now reduced to four thousand five hundred men. This siege was the most bloody, next to that of Lille, of any in the war, for it cost the Allies eight thousand men. On the surrender of Douai, the allied generals intended The Allies to besiege Arras, the last of the triple line of fortresses which on that side covered France, and between which and Paris no fortified place remained to arrest the march of an invader. On the 10th July, Marlborough crossed the Scarpe at Vitry, and, joining Eugene, their united forces, nearly ninety thousand strong, advanced towards Arras. But Villars, who felt the extreme importance of this last stronghold, had exerted himself to the utmost for its defence. He had long employed his troops on the construction of new lines of great strength on the Crinchon, stretching from Arras towards the Somme, and he had here collected nearly a hundred thousand men, and a hundred and thirty pieces of cannon. This position was selected with great ability, so as entirely to prevent the siege of Arras; and at the same time it was in itself so strong, and so strengthened by the resources of art, as to render it extremely hazardous to attempt an attack. After reconnoitring this position, the allied generals concurred in thinking that it was equally impossible to force it, and to undertake the siege of Arras while the enemy, in such strength and so strongly posted, lay on its flank. Their first intention, on finding themselves * "Our project was to have attacked Arras as soon as the siege of Douai was over; but the French having drawn together many more troops than we could have imagined, which gives them certainly a great superiority as to Hesden on the enemy no strong CHAP. VIII. But the skilful 1710. baffled in this project, was to seize Canchec, which would have left the place between them and the coast. dispositions of Villars, who on this occasion displayed uncommon abilities and foresight, rendered this design abortive, and it was therefore determined to attack Bethune. This place, which was surrounded with very 1 Coxe, v. strong works, was garrisoned by nine thousand men, Rousset, ii. under the command of M. Puy Vauban, nephew of the sid. sur la celebrated marshal of the same name. But as an attack 1710, par on it had not been expected, the necessary supplies for Hist. de a protracted resistance had not been fully introduced 214, 215. when the investment was completed on the 15th July.1 292-294. 296. Con Camp. de Villars, 172. Marlb. iii. with which averted the France on sion. Fall Villars, upon seeing the point of attack now fully 41. declared, moved in eight columns upon Hobarques, near Great skill Montenencourt. Eugene and Marlborough upon this Villars assembled their covering army, and changed their front, invasion of taking up a new line stretching from Mont St Eloi to this occaLe Comte. Upon advancing to reconnoitre the enemy, of Bethune, Marlborough discovered that the French, instead of August 28. advancing to raise the siege, were busy constructing a new set of lines, which stretched across the plain from the rivulet Ugie, towards the Somme, and the centre of which, at Avesnes le Comte, was already strongly fortified. It now appeared how much Villars had gained their numbers, which will make another siege impossible till we have obliged them to send some of their troops into garrisons, or decided the fate of Europe by a battle. I thank God I have my health; but what I hear from your side of the water gives me so much uneasiness that I am not so fully pleased with those sanguine thoughts as formerly, that God would protect and bless us but with all my soul I pray He may, and shall very freely venture my life that we may have success, which is necessary not only for preventing the ruin of England, but of all Europe: for should the French get the better, you may depend upon it that Holland is so alarmed by our divisions in England that they would consent to whatever France should insist upon."— Marlborough to Godolphin, June 2, 1710; COXE, v. 196. VIII. 1710. CHAP. by the skilful measures which had diverted the Allies from their projected attack upon Arras. It lay upon the direct road to Paris. Bethune, though of importance to the ultimate issue of the war, was not of the same present moment. It lay on the flank on the second line, while Arras was in front, and was the only remaining fortress in the last. By means of the new lines which he had constructed, the able French marshal had erected a fresh protection for his country, when its last defences were well-nigh broken through. By simply holding them, the interior of France was covered from incursion, time was gained not only for raising fresh armaments in the interior for its defence, but, what was of more importance to Louis, for waiting the issue of the intrigues in England, which were soon expected to overthrow the Whig cabinet. Villars, on this occasion, proved the salvation of his country, and justly raised himself to the very highest rank among its military commanders. His measures were the more to be commended that they exposed him to the obloquy of leaving Bethune to its fate. In 1 Villars' truth, Villars' men were so discouraged that it was to the 119-125. last degree hazardous to attempt anything with them. rough to "Lacouture," said he, " called money the star of gaiety,' Godolphin, Aug. 29 and but unhappily that star does not shine very bright in our Des. v. 116, firmament. The bread of the soldiers, too, is execrable; Mem. ii. Marlbo 30, 1710. Coxe, v. de Marlb. iii. 216. 294. Hist. the desertion is great: one reason is, that in winter the soldiers die of famine, and in summer are killed: it is not surprising that such a life is not very popular." 1 42. fall of Be The trenches were opened before Bethune on the night Siege and of the 23d July. Fagel conducted the attack on the thune, Aug. bastion of St Ignatius, where there was only one coveredway; Schulemberg on the gate of Aire, where there were two. The confederates sustained a severe loss the next 28. night from a sortie of the garrison, which cost them eight CHAP. hundred men, besides having all their works levelled with VIII. the ground. Schulemberg, however, pushed his approaches 1710. with vigour and success. On the 12th August, a reinforcement of six, on the 20th of twelve battalions, strengthened the besiegers; and although the besieged made two vigorous sallies, which were only repelled with a loss of a thousand men, their progress was very perceptible. Fagel, on his side, had pushed the sap up to the palisades of the outworks; Schulemberg had made himself master of the counterscarp, and battered in breach the rampart. The besiegers were preparing to fill up the ditch. The garrison, weakened by its long and gallant defence, had nearly exhausted its ammunition and provisions; balls even were awanting for the guns. In these circumstances, M. de Vauban, after thirty-five days of open trenches, beat the chamade-" the sad signal," says the French annalist, "which terminated all the sieges undertaken by Marlborough ;" and the garrison, now reduced to fifteen hundred men and nine hundred wounded, was conducted, with the honours of war, to St Omer. When the white flag was hoisted, and the firing ceased, the French governor appeared on the ramparts; Marlborough Rousset, hastened to the counterscarp, and from thence the two Hist. de commanders saluted each other with mutual marks of 218-221. respect and admiration.1 1 ii. 296, 297. Marlb. iii. 43. animosity rough in Notwithstanding the loss of so many fortresses on the endangered frontier of his territory, Louis XIV. was SO Increasing much encouraged by what he knew of the great change to Marlbowhich was going on in the councils of Queen Anne, that, England. expecting daily an entire revolution in the ministry, and to besiege the overthrow of the war party in the cabinet, he resolved on the most vigorous prosecution of the contest. He He intends Calais. |