CHAP. VII. 1709. 1 Kausler, v. 59, 60. Rousset, i. 95, 96. Hist. de selves over the plain, cutting down the fugitives in every direction. Meanwhile the guns on the summit of the works which had been carried wheeled round, opened a tremendous fire on the dense masses of the French in their rear, who had no defence against the fire of intrenchments by which they expected to be protected. Confusion, accordingly, prevailed in the rear; the retiring infantry got mingled with the reserve cavalry, and the grape-shot fell with unerring effect on both. Marlborough, upon seeing this advantage, instantly gave the grand battery of forty cannon in the Allied centre orders to advance. With the utmost rapidity the guns were limbered up, and moving on at a quick trot. They soon passed the intrenchments in the centre, and, facing to the right and left, opened a tremendous fire of canister and grape on the dense masses of the French cavalry which stood in the rear of the infantry, who were almost all in front among the works. These noble troops, however, 789. Coxe, bore up gallantly against the storm, and even charged the Allied horse before they had time to form within the lines; but they were unable to make any impression, and retired from the attack sorely shattered by the Allied artillery.1 Marlb. iii. 114-116. 55. The battle was now gained. Villars' position, how Admirable strong and gallantly defended soever, was no longer Boufflers to tenable. Pierced through in the centre, with a formi efforts of regain the day. dable enemy's battery on either side thundering on the reserve squadrons, in the very heart of his line, and turned and menaced with rout on the left, it was no longer possible to keep the field. Boufflers, upon whom, in the absence of Villars in consequence of his wound, the direction of affairs had devolved, accordingly prepared for a retreat; and he conducted it with consum CHAP. VII. 1709. mate skill as well as the most undaunted firmness. Collecting a body of two thousand chosen horse yet fresh, consisting of the élite of the Horse-Guards and Garde-du-Corps, he charged the Allied horse which had penetrated into the centre, at this time much blown by its severe fatigues in the preceding part of the day. The most desperate cavalry action of the war ensued, and for some time was very doubtful. Boufflers, after a few words of encouragement, himself charged at the head of the Maison-du-Roi and gendarmerie. The shock was irresistible: the Allied cavalry were worsted, and driven back to the entrance of the intrenchments; but all the efforts of this noble body of horsemen were shattered against Orkney's infantry, which, posted on Marlb. iii. the reverse of the works they had won, poured in, when Rousset, i. charged, so close and destructive a fire, that half of the v. 60, 61. gallant cavaliers were stretched on the plain, and the 790. remainder were forced to make a precipitate retreat.1 1 Hist. de 114, 115. 96. Coxe, Kausler, cavalry Still the indefatigable Boufflers made another effort. 56. Drawing a large body of infantry from the works on his Terrible extreme right, which had been little engaged, he marched action. them to the left, and, re-forming his squadrons again, advanced to the charge. The brave Auvergne met them at the entrance of the works, and six times, in the desperate strife which ensued, were the French and Allied horse alternately driven back by each other's prowess. But Marlborough no sooner saw this than he charged the Garde-du-Corps with a body of English horse which he himself led on, and drove them back; while the infantry" staggered and reeled, like a sinking ship," under the terrific fire of the Allied guns, which had penetrated the centre. The whole of Eugene's cavalry, which had passed at full gallop in the rear CHAP. VII. 1709. of the Duke's right wing, came up and supported the English general in this decisive onset. By their united efforts the French horse were finally driven back behind the rivulet called Camp Perdu. At the same time the Prince of Orange and the Prince of Hesse-Cassel, perceiving that the intrenchments before them were stript of great part of their defenders, renewed the attack: in ten minutes these works were carried; and a tremeni. 96. Hist. dous shout, heard along the whole line, announced that the whole right of the position had fallen into the hands of the Allies.1 1 Coxe, v. 61, 62. Rousset, de Marlb. iii. 115. 57. Boufflers' able and orderly retreat. rough to Mr Sept. 11, In these desperate circumstances Boufflers saw that further resistance was hopeless, and he and his brave troops did all that skill or courage could to arrest the progress of the victors, and withdraw from the field without any additional losses. Forming his troops into three great masses, with the cavalry which had suffered least in the rear, he slowly, and in perfect regularity, commenced his retreat in the direction of Bavai. D'Artagnan, who for his conduct in the battle was made Marshal Montesquieu, marched off in close column through the woods. Puysegur, with fifty battalions, moved direct from the French left on Bavai; Boufflers himself retired by Taisnière and Luxembourg, covering the rear with the cavalry. Beyond the woods, on the Marlbo- plain in front of Bavai, the infantry and cavalry rejoined, Sec. Boyle, and after halting to collect the stragglers, and break 1709. Des. down the bridges, passed the Hon, in the vicinity of that town. The Pretender, who was with the rearRousset, i. guard, showed, in retiring from a field so fatal to his house, the hereditary valour of his race.2 The Allies had suffered so much, and were so completely exhausted by the fatigue of this bloody and protracted battle, that v. 562, 598. Coxe, v. 62, 63. 96, 97. Hist. de Marlb. iii. 115, 116. they gave them very little molestation. Contenting themselves with pursuing as far as the heath of Malplaquet, and the level ground around Taisnière, they halted, and the men lay down to sleep. Meanwhile the French, in the best order, but in deep dejection, continued their retreat, still in three columns; and after crossing the Hon in their rear, reunited below Quesnoy and Valenciennes, about twelve miles from the field of battle. Such was the desperate battle of Malplaquet, the most bloody and obstinately contested which had yet occurred in the war, and in which it is hard to say to which of the gallant antagonists the palm of valour and heroism is to be given. The victory was unquestionably gained by the Allies, since they forced the enemy's position, drove them to a considerable distance from the field of battle, and prevented the raising of the siege of Mons, the object for which both parties fought. The valour they displayed had extorted the admiration of their gallant and generous enemies.* The Allied troops took fourteen guns and twenty-five standards, among which was the "Cornette Blanche," the most honoured of the ensigns of the light cavalry of France; but Louis XIV. was with reason consoled for the loss of these trophies by thirty-two standards, chiefly Dutch, which his troops brought away from this desperate passage of arms. Both Eugene and Marlborough exposed * "The Eugenes and Marlboroughs ought to be well satisfied with us during that day; since till then they had not met with resistance worthy of them. They may now say with justice that nothing can stand before them; and indeed what shall be able to stay the rapid progress of these heroes, if an army of one hundred thousand men of the best troops, strongly posted between two woods, trebly intrenched, and performing their duty as well as any brave men could do, were not able to stop them one day? Will you not, then, own with me that they surpass all the heroes of former ages?"— Letter of a French Officer who fought at Malplaquet; Coxe, v. 65. CHAP. VII. 1709. themselves more constantly than they had ever done in any former action; and cordial as had been their understanding on all previous occasions, it was generally observed that on this they seemed animated only by a generous emulation which should most aid and support the other. On the other hand, these advantages had been purchased at an enormous sacrifice, and never since the commencement of the contest had the scales hung so even between the contending parties. In truth, the battle of Malplaquet was a desperate duel between France and England, in which the whole strength of each nation was put forth, and the successful result was rather owing to the superior talent of the English general, and the unconquerable resolution he had communicated to his followers, than to any superiority either of military skill or national resources enjoyed by the victorious party. Nothing had occurred like it since Azincour; nothing occurred like it again till Waterloo. Blenheim itself was not nearly so hard fought. The Allies lost, killed in the infantry alone, 5544; wounded and miss1 Kausler, ing, 12,706-in all, 18,250-of whom 286 were officers v. 64. Hist. killed, and 762 wounded. Including the casualties in 126,127. the cavalry and artillery, their total loss was not less than 20,000 men, or nearly a fifth of the number engaged.1 791. Coxe, de Marlb. Rousset, i. 97. 59. of Marl borough. The French loss, though they were worsted in the Loss of the fight, was less considerable it did not exceed fourteen French, and thousand men-an unusual circumstance with a beaten humanity army, but easily accounted for, if the formidable nature of the intrenchments which the Allies had to storm in the first part of the action is taken into consideration. In proportion to the numbers engaged, the loss to the victors was not, however, nearly so great as at Water |