again took the field, and were with the army in Park camp,--a
strong post which covered Louvain, Malines, and Brussels,--and the
occupation of this ground enabled King William to defeat the designs
of the enemy on Brabant. The FOURTH HORSE were subsequently engaged
in several manœuvres, designed to insure the preservation of the
bishopric of Liege, and to raise the siege of Huy,--a strong town,
pleasantly situated in a valley on the Maese; but this fortress was
surrendered while the troops were marching to its relief, and the
governor was brought to trial for surrendering it.
The FOURTH HORSE were afterwards encamped near the banks of the
Geete, in South Brabant, where the army was attacked by a French
force of superior numbers commanded by the Duke of Luxembourg. The
regiment was posted on this occasion towards the left of the line,
near the village of _Neer-Landen_, to support the infantry in this
quarter, and passed the night before the action under arms.
On the 19th of July, as the first rays of morning light glanced upon
the hostile armies, the French were discovered in order of battle,
and a sudden burst of artillery from the batteries of the allies sent
forward a shower of balls, which, rending the ranks of the enemy,
formed a prelude to the sanguinary conflict which followed. For some
time the fighting was limited to the infantry and artillery, and
the FOURTH HORSE were spectators of the fray; yet a cannon shot or
two occasionally plunging into the ranks, laid several troopers and
their horses dead on the plain. At length the enemy forced the right
of the allied army, and routed the Hanoverian and other foreign horse
in that quarter, when King William ordered to their aid the British
squadrons on the left. Instantly moving from their post, the FOURTH
HORSE and other English cavalry gallopped to the scene of conflict,
and each squadron charging the moment it arrived, the torrent of
battle, which was sweeping the plain, was stayed,--the leading
squadrons of the enemy were broken,--and the British horsemen,
mixing fiercely in the combat, displayed their native valour and
intrepidity. Yet the cavalry and infantry on the right wing, having
already quitted the field, the chivalrous horsemen of Britain were
unable to resist the superior numbers of the enemy which came pouring
down on every side; and they were ordered to retire, a movement which
was not executed without some confusion and considerable loss.[18]
The French remained masters of the field, but the number of their
killed and wounded exceeded that of the allies.[19]
The FOURTH HORSE, having retired from the field of battle by the
bridge at Neer-Hespen, proceeded that night to Tirlemont. They
were subsequently encamped near Brussels, and after taking part
in several manœuvres and skirmishes, they returned to their former
station at Ghent.
[Sidenote: 1694]
On the 24th January, 1694, King William conferred the Colonelcy on
Lieut.-Colonel Cornelius Wood (an officer of signal merit, who had
frequently distinguished himself), from the Seventh Horse, now Sixth
Dragoon Guards.
After passing the winter at Ghent, the FOURTH HORSE again took the
field in May, 1694, and, after several marches, were encamped with
the army on the plain near Mont St. André, where they were reviewed
by the King on the 16th of August, in brigade with the regiments
of Leveson, Wyndham, and Galway.[20] They passed the summer in
manœuvring and skirmishing on the verdant plains of the Netherlands,
and on the frontiers of Liege,--performing many long and toilsome
marches through a country which, having for several years been
the seat of war, was changed from a land of smiling plenty and
contentment to a scene of outrage, devastation, and misery. After
forming part of the covering army during the siege of _Huy_, which
surrendered in September, the FOURTH HORSE marched back to Flanders,
and again occupied quarters at Ghent.
[Sidenote: 1695]
In the spring of 1695 thirty men per troop were suddenly called out
of quarters to take the field; but after a reconnoissance towards
the enemy's frontiers, where they were erecting some extensive lines
of defence, the detachment returned to its former quarters. In May
the regiment marched out of Ghent, and taking its post in the right
wing of the army, encamped at Arseele, was reviewed by the King, with
the other English cavalry, on the 31st of that month. In June the
regiment was removed from the right to the left wing of the army;[21]
and when King William had, by skilful manœuvres, drawn the enemy
to the Flanders side of their line of entrenchments, and invested
the strong fortress of _Namur_, the FOURTH HORSE formed part of the
force detached, under the Earl of Athlone, towards Fleurus, for the
convenience of forage, and to observe the enemy on that side. While
on this service they were several weeks in comfortable quarters, or
moving quietly from village to village,--the horses feeding on the
grassy plains of Hainault,--the detached parties patrolling along the
front, to observe the motions of the enemy; meanwhile the infantry
were encamped between Deynse and Thielt, and the besieging force made
rapid progress. At length, owing to some movements of the enemy,
the FOURTH HORSE proceeded towards Bruges; they subsequently made
several forced marches, and towards the end of July were encamped on
the undulating grounds between Genappe and Waterloo. Two powerful
armies were at this period manœuvring, and while the French advanced
with confidence to raise the siege of _Namur_, the allies interposed
to cover the besieging force. In the course of these manœuvres
the FOURTH HORSE moved to the vicinity of _Namur_, and after the
surrender of the citadel they marched to the neighbourhood of
Nivelles, and were subsequently encamped at Halle, from whence they
proceeded in the autumn to their former station at Ghent.
[Sidenote: 1696]
During the summer of 1696 the FOURTH HORSE and Wyndham's Regiment
(now 6th Dragoon Guards) formed part of the army in Brabant, under
King William in person, while the remainder of the British cavalry
continued in Flanders. For this purpose the two regiments left Ghent
on the 1st of June, and having joined the main army on the march near
Gemblours on the 20th of that month, were reviewed on the 24th by
his Majesty, near Corbais. The summer was passed by the FOURTH HORSE
in manœuvring, patrolling, and skirmishing on the plains of Brabant,
and in performing out-post duty; and, returning to Flanders in the
autumn, they once more occupied quarters at Ghent.
[Sidenote: 1697]
The regiment left Flanders in the early part of May, 1697, and,
having passed the Scheldt at Dendermond, joined the army encamped
at St. Quintin Linneck on the 16th of that month. It took part in
the manœuvres of this campaign, and, after several marches, was
encamped a short time before Brussels, from whence it was detached,
for the convenience of forage, to Wavre; and while at this station
hostilities were terminated by the peace of Ryswick, when it was
ordered to return to England.
From Wavre the regiment marched to Flanders, from whence it embarked
for England, where it arrived in December, and was ordered to march
into quarters in Staffordshire; at the same time the establishment
was reduced from fifty to thirty-one private men per troop.
[Sidenote: 1698]
[Sidenote: 1700]
[Sidenote: 1701]
[Sidenote: 1702]
During the summer of 1698 it was occupying quarters at Uttoxeter and
Penxridge; and in August, of the same year, it was reviewed by the
Duke of Schomberg at Lichfield. It remained in Staffordshire until
the month of June, 1700, when it proceeded to the vicinity of London,
and was reviewed by his Majesty on Hounslow Heath; and in November of
the following year, furnished a relay of escorts to attend the King
from Margate to London, when his Majesty returned from the continent.
It was subsequently stationed in the vicinity of London, and in
the beginning of 1702 received orders to hold itself in readiness
for foreign service: at the same time the establishment was again
augmented to fifty men per troop.
The accession of the Duke of Anjou (grandson of Louis XIV.) to the
throne of Spain, in violation of recent treaties, had re-kindled the
flame of war in Europe, and King William once more united with the
continental states to reduce the exorbitant power of France. In the
mean time the Kings of France and Spain proclaimed the Pretender King
of Great Britain, by the title of James III. This proceeding made the
nation sensible of the latent designs of France; the preparations
for war were expedited; and in the beginning of March, 1702, the
FOURTH HORSE embarked at Blackwall and Deptford. But the death of
King William occurring (8th of March) before the transports sailed,
the regiment was ordered to disembark and march into quarters in
the villages near London. Queen Anne, however, continued the course
of policy adopted by her predecessor, and on the 11th of March the
regiment was ordered to re-embark and proceed to Holland, where it
arrived towards the end of the same month, and went into cantonments
near Breda.
The FOURTH HORSE, with three other regiments of British cavalry and
two of infantry,[22] were stationed near Breda, until the 21st of
June, when they marched under the orders of Lieut.-General Lumley to
join the army. The French attempted to intercept these regiments; but
by forced marches they eluded the enemy, and arrived at the camp near
Duckenburg, towards the end of the same month.
The French, having obtained possession of the Spanish Netherlands,
the campaign commenced on the Dutch frontiers. The FOURTH HORSE,
forming part of the army commanded by the Earl of Marlborough,
advanced against the immense force of the enemy under the Duke
of Burgundy and Marshal Boufflers. Having crossed the Maese near
Grave, the British troops were engaged in several daring and skilful
manœuvres in North Brabant and the province of Limburg, by which the
designs of the enemy were frustrated.
When the allies besieged _Venloo_, the _Fourth Horse_ were with
the troops employed in observing the enemy, and in protecting the
supplies of forage, provision, and ammunition: they were also
similarly engaged during the sieges of _Ruremonde_ and _Stevenswaert_.
These fortresses having been captured, the regiment quitted its camp
at Soutendael about midnight, on the 10th of October, and, having
crossed the little river Jaar, advanced with the army towards the
city of _Liege_, where it arrived about three in the following
morning, when the suburb of St. Walburg was found in flames, the
French having, upon the sudden advance of the allies, attempted the
destruction of the suburbs by fire, and afterwards retired into the
citadel, and into a detached fortress called the _Chartreuse_.
The FOURTH HORSE marched into the city of Liege on the 14th of
October, where they remained until the 25th, when they were detached
across the river to invest the _Chartreuse_; and, after the surrender
of this place, they were employed in escorting the garrison towards
Antwerp.[23] Having performed this service they went into village
cantonments, and before the following spring the British commander
was advanced to the dignity of DUKE of Marlborough.
[Sidenote: 1703]
Having passed the winter in Dutch Brabant, the FOURTH HORSE, moving
from their quarters in May, 1703, traversed the country to the
vicinity of Maestricht; at the same time one division of the army
besieged and took _Bonn_. They were subsequently encamped near the
banks of the Maese, where the Duke of Marlborough assembled the army;
and on the 24th of May advanced against the enemy, who occupied an
advantageous post near Tongres; but on the approach of the allies the
French retired, and afterwards took post behind their fortified lines.
The FOURTH HORSE were subsequently encamped with the army near
_Haneff_, where they were engaged in a slight skirmish with a
detachment of the enemy. The Duke of Marlborough was desirous of
attacking the French lines, but was prevented by the indecision
of the Dutch generals and field-deputies. The FOURTH HORSE were
also employed in the operations which preceded the investiture of
_Huy_, and formed part of the covering army during the siege of that
place. They were afterwards in the lines of circumvallation before
_Limburg_; and after the surrender of this place they proceeded
to Liege; and on the 4th of October joined the camp at St. Trond,
where they halted a few days, and were subsequently distributed into
cantonments.
[Sidenote: 1704]
The British horse again passed the winter amongst the rude peasantry
of Holland, and assembled with the army in the spring of 1704 near
Ruremonde, from whence they directed their march to Cologne, and
afterwards proceeded through a delightful country to Coblentz, a town
situate at the conflux of the Rhine and Moselle. By these movements
the Duke of Marlborough indicated a design of carrying on the war in
the direction of the Moselle; but he had a more noble and hazardous
object in view.
The Elector of Bavaria, who is presumed to have aspired to the
imperial dignity, had commenced hostilities against the Emperor of
Germany. In 1703, 30,000 French troops marched through the Black
Forest to assist him, the united French and Bavarian armies were
carrying all before them, and it was apprehended that if something
extraordinary was not undertaken, the Elector of Bavaria would
gain the imperial throne,--Germany would be subjected to French
domination,--and Louis XIV. would dictate laws to Europe. To avert
this disaster, the Duke of Marlborough resolved to march the army
under his command from the Netherlands into the heart of Germany.
In pursuance of this object, the FOURTH HORSE, having crossed
the Rhine and the Moselle, moved forward with the other cavalry
regiments in advance of the main army, and commenced their march on
an expedition which produced the most stupendous results. During the
advance the regiments invariably moved from their camp ground at the
first dawn of morning light, completed the march before the heat
became oppressive, and passed the remainder of the day in repose, or
in preparing for the succeeding day's march.[24]
Continuing their route, under favourable circumstances and in
excellent order, the British cavalry arrived towards the end of May
at the suburbs of Mentz, in the west of Germany, where they halted
a day to rest their horses. From this place they advanced in four
days to Ladenburg, in the margraviate of Baden, and having passed the
Neckar, halted one day at their camp beyond the town. From thence
they directed their march towards the Danube; while the nations of
Europe gazed with astonishment at this splendid enterprise, and the
different states through which the troops passed hailed their arrival
with acclamations. At length a junction was effected between the army
of the Duke of Marlborough and the forces of the German empire, and
the united troops co-operated in offensive measures.
The FOURTH HORSE, having thus marched from the ocean to the Danube,
took an active part in the operations which succeeded; and they
formed part of the forces which advanced at three o'clock on the
morning of the 2nd of July, and after traversing many miles of
difficult country, arrived in front of the enemy's entrenched
position on the heights of _Schellenberg_, and commenced the attack
about six in the evening.
The infantry having advanced in the face of a storm of fire from the
enemy's batteries, and commenced the assault, were forced to give
way, when the French and Bavarians, issuing from their works, charged
the broken ranks, but were driven back. The attack was renewed with
similar results. The infantry, reduced in numbers and exhausted by
repeated struggles, were giving way, when Lieutenant-General Lumley
led the English horse to their aid, and prevented a repulse. The
infantry renewed the attack, and eventually the enemy was driven
from the works. At this moment the FOURTH HORSE and other cavalry
gallopping forward, by a furious charge completed the victory.[25]
The broken battalions and squadrons fled in confusion, pursued by the
victorious British and German horsemen, who intercepted the fugitives
on every side, and the carnage which followed was dreadful. Many of
the French and Bavarians were intercepted on the way to Donawerth,
others hurrying to the bridge of boats broke it down by their weight
and perished in the river. Their commander, Count D'Arco, escaped
with difficulty. Sixteen pieces of cannon, thirteen colours, all the
tents, equipages, and a quantity of plate, fell into the hands of the
victors. The loss of the regiment was not great;--Adjutant Skelton
and several men and horses were killed, and others wounded; and its
Colonel, Major-General Wood, was also wounded.[26]
This brilliant success was followed by other offensive operations,
in which the FOURTH HORSE took part; but they were not engaged in
executing that cruel order, in obedience to which the unfortunate
country of Bavaria was enveloped in flames, and above 300 towns,
villages, and hamlets were destroyed: this relentless severity was
the work of the Germans.[27] At length another reinforcement of
French troops arrived, and the united French and Bavarians took post
in the valley of the Danube, near the village of _Blenheim_.
About three o'clock on the morning of the 13th of August the allied
army advanced, and after traversing several miles of rugged ground,
and overcoming many local difficulties, arrived in presence of the
enemy; and the FOURTH HORSE, forming part of the cavalry of the left
wing under Major-General Wood, had their post in the first line; the
right wing being composed of Germans under Prince Eugene of Savoy.
About noon the troops, advancing across the little river Nebel, by
bridges prepared for the occasion, commenced the engagement, and
a succession of attacks were made and resisted with great bravery
on both sides. The FOURTH HORSE, with the other English cavalry
regiments, were engaged in the early part of the action[28] with
the household troops of France, and the superior spirit and power
of the British horsemen were conspicuous, particularly in the
unconquerable resolution with which they renewed the attack after a
temporary repulse; yet the palm of victory was nobly contested, and
the combatants fought hand to hand until the plain was covered with
dead. After successive efforts made by the adverse armies--the one to
advance, and the other to maintain its ground--the protracted contest
drew to a crisis, and the French infantry began to shrink before the
tempest of balls which thinned their ranks, while their cavalry,
broken and dispirited, gave way, when nine battalions were cut to
pieces or made prisoners. The enemy attempted to restore the battle,
but the allied horse, once more rushing forward with tremendous
force, decided the fate of the day. The enemy, after an irregular
fire, fled in dismay, and the regiment which forms the subject of
this memoir, after distinguishing itself in the charge, pursued the
French squadrons with terrible clamour and confusion in the direction
of Sonderheim, smiting them to the ground, and chasing them down
the declivity near _Blenheim_ into the Danube, where numbers were
drowned. At the same time their commander-in-chief, Marshal Tallard,
and several other officers and many men, were made prisoners.[29]
While this regiment was pursuing the French horsemen towards
the Danube, another part of the army surrounded the village of
_Blenheim_, where twelve squadrons of dragoons and twenty-four
battalions of infantry were forced to surrender themselves prisoners
of war. At the same time the Germans on the right, under Prince
Eugene, were also triumphant. Thus a victory was achieved which
shed lustre on the British arms, and the record of these events
forms a page in history of which every Englishman may be justly
proud, particularly the corps whose valour delivered the empire from
impending ruin, and whose fame resounded throughout Christendom.[30]
The FOURTH HORSE had Lieutenant-Colonel Fetherstonhalgh and Cornet
Ordairne killed; also Captain Armstrong, Captain Shute, Lieutenant
Dove, Cornet Forester, and Cornet Stevenson, wounded. Of the private
men killed and wounded no return appears to have been preserved;
but in the War-Office books the regiment is stated to have had
forty-seven horses killed in this action.
Having passed the night after the battle on the field, the FOURTH
HORSE followed for several days the rear of the defeated army, which
repassed the Black Forest, and retired across the Rhine. On the 6th
of September the regiment was at Kirlach; it passed the Rhine on the
same day to attack some squadrons which appeared on the rising ground
near Philipsburg; but, on the advance of the English horsemen, the
French retreated across the Queich, and made preparations to defend
the passage of that river: they, however, quitted their ground on
the advance of the allies on the 9th of that month, on which day
the FOURTH HORSE forded the stream, and were afterwards encamped on
the banks of the little river Lauter, forming part of the covering
army during the siege of _Landau_, a strong town situated in the
beautiful valley near the Queich. After the surrender of _Landau_,
which terminated this splendid and memorable campaign, the regiment
commenced its march back to Holland, while the infantry sailed down
the Rhine in boats to Nimeguen.
[Sidenote: 1705]
The winter was again passed amongst the Dutch villagers; and in April
1705 the FOURTH HORSE quitted their cantonments, and marching to the
vicinity of Maestricht, erected their tents in the early part of May
on the banks of the Maese, near Viset, where they were reviewed by
the Duke of Marlborough on the 14th of that month. Leaving this place
on the following day, they marched in the direction of Coblentz, and
from thence through a wild and mountainous country to Treves, and
were encamped beyond that city on the 26th of May. After crossing
the Moselle and the Saar, on the 3rd of June they passed through the
difficult defiles of Tavernen and Onsdorf, following the course of
the Roman causeway over the heights, then emerging into the more open
ground towards Tettingen, continued their route to the vicinity of
Syrk, where they passed the night under arms; and on the following
day encamped on the open grounds near Elft; at the same time the
enemy occupied a strong position a few miles in advance. The Duke of
Marlborough was desirous of carrying on the war in this direction,
and the German Princes had agreed to co-operate with his grace; but
their arrival was so long delayed that his designs were frustrated,
and as the French were making rapid progress in the Netherlands, he
was induced to quit his position and march to the assistance of the
Dutch.
Accordingly, a little before midnight on the 17th of June,
during a heavy rain, the army struck its tents, and the FOURTH
HORSE, composing part of twenty squadrons destined to cover the
movement, formed up to confront the enemy, while the army commenced
the retreat, which was continued throughout the night without
interruption from the French, and it re-crossed the Saar and the
Moselle on the following day. On the 19th the retreat was resumed,
and on the 25th the FOURTH HORSE and other cavalry arrived at Duren,
in the duchy of Juliers. At the same time the French troops, near the
Dutch frontiers, ceased acting on the offensive, and retired in a
panic to Tongres.
After this long and difficult march, the FOURTH HORSE crossed the
Maese near Viset, and were subsequently employed in covering the
siege of _Huy_, which the enemy had retaken during the absence of the
army up the Moselle.