ditional surrender. No resource remained to resist was hopeless, to escape impossible. With despair and indignation, the troops submitted to their fate, and the regiment of Navarre, in particular, burnt their colours and buried their arms, that such trophies might not remain to grace the triumph of an enemy. Twenty-four battalions and twelve squadrons, with all their officers, surrendered themselves prisoners of war, and thus closed the mighty struggle of this eventful day.

The field being cleared of the enemy, and night approaching, the duke ordered the army to be drawn up, with the left extending to Sonderen, the right towards Morselingen, and the soldiers to lie all night under arms on the field of battle. They quickly possessed themselves of the enemy's tents, with great quantities of vegetables. Nearer the Danube lay about a hundred oxen, which were to have been distributed to the hostile troops. These were no unwelcome booty to the victorious soldiers after their long and hard service.

After this, his Grace gave orders for dressing the wounded and putting them under cover. Then he made a re-partition of the prisoners, who amounted to eleven or twelve thousand men. The enemy had at least as many more killed and wounded. These prisoners, with their generals, being divided and disarmed, were ordered to the adjacent villages, in the rear of our army, guarded by several squadrons of horse and dragoons.

During the whole of this tremendous conflict the Duke of Marlborough exerted himself with his characteristic coolness, vigilance, and energy, superintending the manœuvres in every part, and appearing in every point where the presence of the general was necessary, to revive the courage, to restore the order, or to direct the attacks of his troops. The author of the Campaign has caught the spirit of his hero and described the effect of his superintending direction in language equal to the subject:

'Twas then great Marlborough's mighty soul was prov'd,

That in the shock of charging hosts unmov'd,

Amidst confusion, horror, and despair, Examin'd all the dreadful scenes of

rendered, he entered that town at the dawn, in company with his illustrious colleague, and after visiting the stores and magazines, issued the necessary orders for the day.

We cannot terminate our de- | scription of this memorable event without introducing some incidents from the Journal of Hare, who was present on the occasion.

"Afterwards the two commanders, accompanied by Counts Wra- | tislaw and Maffei, and several general officers, visited Marshal Tallard, at the quarters of the Prince of Hesse. In their way, they ordered all the standards, colours, cannon, etc., taken from the enemy to be committed to the care of Colonel Blood. Reaching the marshal's quarters, they found him very much dejected, and wounded in one of his hands. His Grace humanely inquired how far it was in his power to make him easy under his misfortune, offering him the convenience of his quarters and the use of his coach. The marshal thankfully declined the offer, saying he did not desire to move till he could have his own equipage. His Grace accordingly despatched one of his own trumpets to the electoral army, with a passport for bringing it to the marshal. During the interview the marshal directed the conversation to the events of the preceding day, which Marlborough | would fain have avoided from motives of delicacy. He told the duke, that if his Grace had deferred his visit, meaning his attack, a day longer, the elector

and he would have waited on him first.

"The duke, asking why they did it not on the 12th, when they were expected, the marshal answered, they would have done it before, had they not been informed that Prince Louis of Baden had joined his Grace, with his army from Ingoldstadt; and that four prisoners, whom their squadrons had taken that day from our army, had given the information, and had agreed in their intelligence, though questioned separately.

"At this interview many of the French generals crowded about his Grace, admiring his person, as well as his tender and generous behaviour. Each had something to say for himself, which his Grace and Prince Eugene heard with the greatest modesty and compassion. Prince Eugene much commended the conduct of the Elector of Bavaria, as well as the behaviour of his troops, and frankly told how often and how bravely he had been repulsed by them. When he spoke of his own troops, he said, 'I have not a squadron or battalion which did not charge four times at least.'"

After staying with the marshal above an hour, the duke and all his company returned to the army, which he ordered to march beyond Hochstadt, as far as Steinheim, while he rode over the field of battle, from the right to the left, the dead of both armies lying stripped on the ground, and sympathised for the loss of so many brave companions in arms.

I ASSEMBLED my army of Austrian and German allies at Coblentz, where I had a long conference with the Elector of Treves. The French had one hundred thousand men in the Low Countries; Marlborough had but sixty thousand. I received orders to march to his support: I directed my troops to proceed by forced marches, while I went post myself, fearful lest a battle should be fought without

nie.

Cadogan came to Maestricht to compliment me. He told me that the French had surprised Ghent, Bruges, and Plaskendall, and that my presence was wanted. I passed through Brussels, where my interview with my mother, after a separation of twenty-five years, was very tender, but very short. I found Marlborough encamped at Asch, between Brussels and Alost; and learning that the enemy had their left on the other side of the Dendre, I asked Marlborough, on my arrival, if it was not his intention to give battle. "I think I ought," replied he immediately; "and I find with plea

sure, but without astonishment, that we have both made the reflection, that without this, our communication with Brussels would be cut off: but I should like to have waited for your troops." "I would not advise you to wait," replied I, "for the French would have time to retreat."

Vendôme wanted to dispute the passage of the Dendre. He told the Duke of Burgundy, whom bad advisers persuaded to march to Ghent: "When you perceive in Prince Eugene a desire to avoid an engagement, he knows how to force you to one." This expression I saw in the vindication of his conduct, which he printed on his return to Paris.

Cadogan went to Oudenarde, and in a few hours threw a bridge across the Scheldt. "It is still time," said Vendôme to the Duke of Burgundy, "to discontinue your march, and to attack, with the troops which we have here, that part of the allied army which has passed the river." tated, stopped on

The duke hesi

the height of

Gaveren, lost time, would have turned back, sent twenty squadrons to dispute the passage, recalled them, and said, "Let us march to Ghent." "It is too late," said Vendôme, "you cannot now: in half-an-hour, perhaps, you will have the enemy upon you." ""Why, then, did you stop me?" rejoined the Duke of Burgundy. "To begin the attack immediately," replied he. "Cadogan yonder is already master of the village of Hurne and of six battalions. Let us draw up at least in the best Rantzau comHe overthrew

manner we can.

menced the attack. a column of cavalry, and would have been routed in his turn, but for the electoral prince of Hanover, who, in the conflict, had his horse killed under him. Grimaldi too early and injudiciously ordered a charge. "What are you doing?" cried Vendôme, coming up at full gallop, "you are wrong." "It is by the Duke of Burgundy's orders," replied he. The latter, vexed at being contradicted, thought only how to cross the other. Vendôme was giving orders to charge the left. "What are you doing?" said the Duke of Burgundy: "I forbid it; there is an impassable ravine and morass." Let any one judge of the indignation of Vendôme, who had passed over the spot but a moment before. But for this misunderstanding, we should perhaps have been defeated; for our cavalry was engaged a full half-hour before the infantry could join it. For the same reason, I directed the village of

Hurne to be abandoned, that I might send the battalions by which it was occupied to support the squadrons on the left wing. But the Duke of Argyll arrived with all possible expedition, at the head of the English infantry; and then came the Dutch, though much more slowly. "Now," said I to Marlborough, "we are in a condition to fight." It was six in the evening of the 11th of July: we had yet three hours of daylight. I was on the right, at the head of the Prussians. Some battalions turned their backs, on being attacked with unequalled fury. They rallied, retrieved their fault, and we recovered the ground they had lost. The battle then became general along the whole line. The spectacle was magnificent. It was one sheet of fire. Our artillery made a powerful impression; that of the French being injudiciously posted, in consequence of the uncertainty which prevailed in the army on account of the disunion of its commanders, produced very little effect. With us it was quite the contrary; we loved and esteemed one another. Even the Dutch marshal, Ouverkerke, venerable for his age and services, my old friend and Marlborough's, obeyed us, and fought to admiration.

The following circumstance may serve to prove our harmony. Matters were going ill on the right, where I commanded. Marlborough, who perceived it, sent me a re-inforcement of eighteen battalions, without which I should scarcely have been able to keep my ground.

I then advanced, and drove in the first line; but at the head of the second I found Vendôme on foot, with a pike in his hand, encouraging the troops. He made so vigorous a resistance, that I should not have succeeded but for Natzmer, at the head of the King of Prussia's gendarmes, who broke through the line, and enabled me to obtain a complete victory.

Marlborough purchased his more dearly on the left, where he attacked in front, while Ouverkerke dislodged the enemy from the hedges and villages; Nassau, Fries, and Oxenstiern drove the infantry beyond the defiles, but they were roughly handled by the king's household troops, who came to its assistance. I rendered the same service to the duke. I sent Tilly, who, making a considerable circuit, took the brave household troops, which had nearly snatched the victory from us, in the rear: but this decided the business. The darkness of the night prevented our pursuit, and enabled me to execute a scheme for increasing the number of our prisoners. I sent out drummers in different directions, with orders to beat the retreat after the French manner, and posted my French refugee officers, with direction to shout on all sides -Here Picardy! Here Champagne ! Here Piedmont! The French soldiers flocked in, and I made a good harvest of them: we took in all about seven thousand. The Duke of Burgundy, and his evil counsellors, had long before

withdrawn.

Vendôme collected

the relics of the army, and took charge of the rear.

As it was so dark that we had begun to fire upon each other, Marlborough waited for daylight to attack the enemy before he reached Ghent. His detachment found him but too soon. Vendôme had posted his grenadiers to the right and left of the high road, and they put our cavalry, which pursued them, to the rout. Vendôme by this saved the remnant of his army, which entered Ghent in the utmost confusion, with the Dukes of Burgundy and Berry, and the Count of Toulouse. His presence stopped, pacified, and cheered the soldiers.

They all held a council of war at the inn called the Golden Apple. The opinion of the princes and their courtiers was, as usual, detestable. Vendôme grew warm, expressed his indignation at having been crossed by them, and declared that, determined not to be served in the same manner again, he should order the army to encamp behind the canal of Bruges at Lovendeghem. I pitied him from the bottom of my heart, as I had done the Elector of Bavaria in 1704, and the Duke of Orleans in 1706.

As I was sure that Marlborough could make no arrangements but what were excellent, I went the day after the battle to see my mother at Brussels. What tears of affection did she shed on beholding me again with some addition of glory!