24. Noble force on both sides. The allied army consisted of one hundred and thirty-nine battalions and two hundred and fifty-two squadrons, with one hundred and five guns, mustering ninety-three thousand combatants. The two armies, therefore, were as nearly as possible equal in point of military strength, a slight numerical superiority on the part of the French being compensated by a superiority of twenty-five guns on that of the allies. Among the French nobles present at the battle were no less than twelve who were afterward marshals of France.* The son of James II., under the name of the Chevalier de St. George, who combined the graces of youth with the hereditary valor of his race, was there; St. Hilaire and Folard, whose works afterward threw such light on military science, were to be found in its ranks. The Garde-ducorps, Mousquetaires gris, Grenadiers à cheval, French, Swiss, and Bavarian guards, as well as the Irish brigade, stood among the combatants. The Montmorencies were there, and the De Guiches, the De Grammonts, and De Coignys. The reverses of Louis had called forth the flower of the nobility, as well as the last reserves of the monarchy.† Early on the morning of the 9th, Marlborough and Eugene were on the look-out at the Mill of Sart, with 25. a strong escort, consisting of thirty squadrons of horse. From the reports brought in, it was soon ascertained that the whole forces of the French Preparatory movements on both sides, and interference of the Dutch deputies. were marching toward the plain of Malplaquet, on the west of the plateau, and that Villars himself was occupying the woods of Lasnière and Taisnière. His head-quarters were at Blaugnies, in the rear of the center. The two armies were now only a league and a half separate, and Marlborough and Eugene were clear for immediately attacking the enemy, before they could add to the natural strength of their position by * Viz., Artagnan, Maréchal de Montesquieu; De Guiche, Maréchal de Grammont; Puysegur, Montmorenci, Coigny, Broglio, Chaulnes, Nangis, Isenghien, Duras, Houdancourt, and Sanneterre. The monarchy never sent forth a nobler array. t Coxe, v., 32. Mém. M. de Villars, ii., 280. U Villars fortifies intrenchments. But the Dutch deputies, Hooft and Goslinga, interfered, as they had done on a similar occasion between Wavre and Waterloo, and so far modified this resolution as to induce a council of war, summoned on the occasion, to determine not to fight till the troops from Tournay were within reach, and St. Ghislain, which commanded a passage over the Haine, was taken. This was done next day, the fort being carried by escalade, and its garrison of two hundred men made prisoners; and on the day following, all the reserves from Tournay came up. But these advantages, which in themselves were not inconsiderable, were dearly purchased by the time which Villars gained for strengthening his position. Instead of pushing on to attack the allies, as Marlborough and Eugene had expected, in order to raise the siege of Mons, that able commander employed himself with the utmost skill and vigor in throwing up intrenchments in every part of his position. The nature of the ground singularly favored his efforts. 26. The heights he occupied, plentifully interspersed his position. with woods and eminences, formed a concave semicircle, the artillery from which enfiladed on all sides the little plain of Malplaquet, so as to render it literally, in Dumont's words, une trouée d'enfer." Around this semicircle, redoubts, palisades, abattis, and stockades were disposed with such skill and judgment, that, literally speaking, there was not a single inequality of ground (and there were many) which was not turned to good account. The two trouées or openings, in particular, already mentioned, by which it was foreseen the allies would endeavor to force an entrance, were so enfiladed by cross batteries as to be wellnigh unassailable. Twenty pieces of artillery were placed on a redoubt situated on an eminence near the center of the field; the remainder were arranged along the field-works, constructed along the lines. Half the army labored at these works without a moment's intermission during the whole of the 9th and 10th, while the other were under arms, ready to repel any attack which might be hazarded. With such vigor were the opera tions conducted, that by the night of the 10th the position was deemed impregnable.* 27. Plan of attack by the allied generals, 10th Sept. The allied forces passed these two days in inactivity, awaiting the arrival of the re-enforcements from Tournay, which the council of war had deemed indispensable to the commencement of operations. Meanwhile, Marlborough and Eugene had repeatedly reconnoitered the enemy's position, and were fully aware of its growing strength. Despairing of openly forcing such formidable lines, defended by an army so numerous and gallant, they resolved to combine their first attack with a powerful demonstration in rear. With this view, the rear guard, of nineteen battalions and ten squadrons, which was coming up from Tournay under General Withers, received orders not to join the main body of the army, but, stopping short at St. Ghislain, to cross the Haine there, and, traversing the wood of Blangris by a country road, assail the extreme left of the enemy at the farm of La Folie, when the combat had been seriously begun in front. Baron Schulemberg was to attack the wood of Taisnière with forty of Eugene's battalions, supported by forty pieces of cannon, so placed that their shot reached every part of the wood. To distract the enemy's attention, other attacks were directed along the whole line; but the main effort was to be made by Eugene's corps on the wood of Taisnière; and it was from the co-operation of the attack of Schulemberg on its flank that decisive success was expected. All the corps had reached their respective points of destination on the evening of the 10th. Schulemberg was near La Folie; Eugene was grouped, in four lines, in front of Taisnière; and the men lay down to sleep, anxiously awaiting the dawn of the eventful morrow.‡ At three in the morning of the 11th, divine service was * Coxe, v., 34–37. DUMONT's Military History, ii., 381-387. KAUSLER, 770. + Marlborough's General Orders, Sept. 10, 1709. KAUSLER, 784, 785. CoxE, v., 40–44. 28. Feelings of the soldiers on both performed with the utmost decorum at the head of every regiment, and listened to by the soldiers, sides, 11th Sept. after the example of their chief, with the most devout attention. The awful nature of the occasion, the momentous interests at stake, the uncertainty who might survive to the close of the day, the protracted struggle soon to be brought to a decisive issue, had banished all lighter feelings, and impressed a noble character on that impressive solemnity. A thick fog overspread the field, under cover of which the troops marched, with the utmost regularity, to their appointed stations: the guns were brought forward to the grand battery in the center, which was protected on either side by an épaulement to prevent an enfilade. No sooner did the French outposts give notice that the allies were preparing for an attack, than the whole army stood to their arms, and all the working parties, who were still toiling in the trenches, cast aside their tools, and joyfully resumed their places in the ranks. Never, since the commencement of the war, had the spirit of the French soldiers been so high, or had so enthusiastic a feeling been infused into every bosom. They looked forward with confidence to regaining, under their beloved commander, Marshal Villars, the laurels which had been withered in eight successive campaigns, and arresting the flood of conquest which threatened to overwhelm their country. When the general mounted his horse at seven, loud cries of “ Vive le Roi !" "Vive le Maréchal de Villars!" burst from their ranks. He himself took the command of the left, giving the post of honor on the right, in courtesy, to Marshal Boufflers. On the allied side, enthusiasm was not so loudly expressed, but confidence was not the less strongly felt. They relied with reason on the tried and splendid abilities of their chiefs, on their own experienced constancy and success in the field. They had the confidence of veteran soldiers, who had long fought and conquered together. In allusion to the numerous field-works before them, which almost concealed the enemy's ranks from their view, the sarcastic expression passed through |