Cremona was besieged in 1702, by Prince Eugene. Marshal de Villeroi
was at the time within the walls. Son of the governor of Louis XIV.,
Villeroi had always enjoyed the favour of the monarch. He was of
very imposing and agreeable person, exceedingly brave, a worthy man,
magnificent in everything he undertook--but no general. He was a
courtier, and Louis and Madame de Maintenon had the weakness to send
him against some of the best generals the world ever saw. Prince
Eugene, who had beaten him at Chiari, still maintained his superiority
over him. At length, in the depth of winter, whilst the marshal was
one day comfortably asleep in Cremona, a city sufficiently strong,
and provided with a good garrison, he was awakened by a discharge of
musketry; he arose in all haste, and was quickly on horseback. The
first thing he met was a squadron of the enemy, by whom he was in an
instant brought to the ground. A German officer, judging by his uniform
that he was a general, made him his prisoner. As soon as he was on his
feet he whispered to the officer, “I am the Marshal de Villeroi; I
will give you ten thousand pistoles, and the command of a regiment, if
you will conduct me to the citadel.” “I have for a long time,” replied
the officer, “served the emperor, my master, and I will not begin
betraying him to-day.” He led him to the most remote _corps-de-garde_.
The Marquis de Crenan, a lieutenant-general, was mortally wounded close
to the marshal. Villeroi, a prisoner, showed great regret at not being
free, and declared that he envied him his fate. He was immediately
taken out of the city, without knowing what was going on there.
Prince Eugene was already in Cremona. A priest, named Cassoli, the
prevôt of Sainte-Marie-la-Neuve, had introduced the Germans by a sewer.
Four hundred soldiers, by means of this sewer, had gained the house of
the priest, and had immediately killed the guards of two of the gates.
Prince Eugene then entered with four thousand men. And all this had
been done without the Spanish governor having the least suspicion, and
before Marshal de Villeroi was awake. The secrecy, order, diligence,
and all the possible precautions which distinguish an able commander,
had secured the success of the enterprise. The Spanish governor showed
himself in the streets at the head of a few soldiers, but was speedily
killed by a musket-shot. All the general officers were either killed
or taken, with the exception of the Count de Revel and the Marquis
de Praslin. And yet the prudence of Prince Eugene was confounded.
The Chevalier d’Entragues was that day to review, in the city, the
royal regiment of the marine, of which he was colonel. These soldiers
were already assembled at one extremity of the city, precisely at the
moment Prince Eugene entered by the other. D’Entragues began by hastily
scouring through the streets with his soldiers, and resisting all the
Germans he met with, which gave time for the rest of the garrison to
come up. Officers and soldiers, _pêle-mêle_, some badly armed, and
some half-naked, without commanders, without order, filled the streets
and public places, fought in confusion, or intrenched themselves from
street to street, or from place to place. Two Irish regiments, which
formed part of the garrison, stopped the efforts of the Imperialists.
Never was city surprised with more art and prudence, and never was
one better defended by courage and promptness. The garrison consisted
of five thousand men; Prince Eugene had not introduced more than four
thousand. A large detachment of his army was expected to arrive by the
bridge over the Po; his measures were well taken, but another event
deranged them all. The bridge over the Po, badly guarded by a hundred
French soldiers, was to be seized by the German cuirassiers. At the
instant Prince Eugene entered the city, it became necessary that as the
cuirassiers had entered by the southern gate, near to the sewer, they
should go out of Cremona immediately at the north, by the gate of the
Po, and should hasten to the bridge. They went thither, but the guide
who conducted them was killed by a musket-shot from a window, and the
cuirassiers mistook one street for another, which made their passage
much longer. In this short interval the Irish threw themselves into
the gate of the Po, and fought and repulsed the cuirassiers. This
resistance at first perplexed Prince Eugene. He sent Macdonald, one of
their compatriots, to them, who had been the first man that entered
the city. “Sir,” said he, addressing the commanding officer, “Prince
Eugene has sent me here to say, that if you are willing to change your
party, and come over to that of the Imperialists, he will promise you
better pay and more considerable pensions than you have in the French
service. The affection I bear for all persons of my nation, and for
you, sir, in particular, obliges me to exhort you to accept the offers
I make you from this general; if you refuse, I do not see how you are
to escape certain destruction. With the exception of your solitary
post, we are masters of the whole city; and this is why his highness
only waits for my return to attack you with the greatest part of his
forces, and cut you to pieces.” “Sir,” replied the commander, “if his
highness waits your return to attack us and cut us to pieces, he is
not likely to do so very quickly; for I arrest you as a prisoner, not
considering you the envoy of a great general, but as a suborner. It is
by such conduct we would merit the esteem of the prince who sent you,
and not by a treachery unworthy of a man of honour.” At these words the
combat was renewed with fresh fury. Eugene finding Macdonald did not
return, at once comprehended that he was arrested; and being unwilling
to resort to force, he conceived another stratagem to make them lay
down their arms. He went to Marshal Villeroi: “You have passed through
the city, monsieur,” said he, “and you must have remarked that we are
masters of it. There are still some of your tirailleurs firing from
the ramparts; if that continues, they will oblige me to put them all
to the sword: order them to surrender.” The marshal easily perceived
that the prince’s affairs were not going on so well as he could wish,
and only coolly replied--“I have the misfortune not to be at liberty,
and therefore can order nothing.” Eugene made a fresh attempt upon the
Irish, who still opposed a wall of fire and steel to the Germans. The
Baron de Freibourg was charged with this attack. Mahoney, commanding
a battalion of Dillon, seized the bridle of this officer’s horse,
exclaiming, “Good quarter for M. de Freibourg.” But the latter, looking
at him with contempt, replied, “This is not a day for clemency; do
your duty, and I will do mine.” He spoke, and a discharge of musketry
stretched him dead on the pavement. The Marquis de Praslin, during this
engagement, broke down the bridge over the Po, so that the Germans
could not obtain the succours they looked for, and the city was saved.
Prince Eugene, after fighting all day, being still master of the gate
by which he had entered, at length retired, taking with him Marshal
Villeroi and several officers prisoners, but having missed Cremona. His
activity and prudence had given him the place, but the valour of the
Irish and the French prevented his keeping it.
In the revolutionary war, Cremona was three times an object of attack
and defence, but had no siege sufficiently interesting to claim a place
in our pages.