Louis XIV., aware of the importance of his victory, placed in the city
a garrison of six thousand foot and twelve hundred horse. Three years
after, the prince of Orange laid siege to Maastricht with an army of
twenty-five thousand men, whilst the duke of Villa-Hermosa on one side,
and the count de Waldeck on the other, intrenched in advantageous
posts, watched the operations of the French, and held themselves in
readiness to prevent their succouring the besieged. The count de
Calvo commanded in Maestricht, in the absence of Marshal d’Estrades,
the governor. This officer was a Catalan, in the service of France;
the king had not a braver soldier; but as he had all his life served
in the cavalry, he was thought to be more in his place at the head
of a squadron of horse than of a garrison. As soon as the place was
invested, he assembled the principal officers: “Gentlemen,” said he,
“I have served all my life as a cavalry officer, and have very little
acquaintance with the defence of cities. All that I know is that I
will never surrender. Concert among you the means of an obstinate and
insurmountable resistance, and I will undertake to have them executed
with as much vigour as celerity.” The frankness of the commander won
all hearts, and the confidence he placed in his subalterns elevated and
expanded their minds. There was established, without pride, mistrust,
or jealousy, a communication of ideas which saved the city, and which
places the name of Calvo among the few that will descend to posterity.
Calvo made a vigorous and considerable sortie, the commencement of
which was fortunate. The prince of Orange, informed of what was going
on in the trenches, flew to the succour of his people with the greatest
courage, drove back the French with the sword to their gates, and being
wounded in the arm, exclaimed to those who had fought without spirit,
“This is the way you should act, gentlemen! It is you who have caused
the wound for which you appear to entertain so much regret.” Calvo
first introduced the use of back-handled scythes; his soldiers, armed
with these in the sorties, killed three men at a stroke. The trenches
were opened on the 19th of July, and the batteries were erected on the
22nd: during eight days the firing never ceased. At length a large
breach was made in the Dauphin bastion, and an assault was ordered
for the 30th. It was terrible, but proved useless. The Dutch retired
with loss. The next day the prince of Orange ordered a second attack,
still more sanguinary and quite as unsuccessful. A suspension of arms
was then entered into to bury the dead. Not at all discouraged, the
prince gave a third assault, and succeeded in gaining the bastion.
Scarcely had he gained a lodgment, when the French sprang two mines,
the bursting of which they followed up by a furious sortie: they
were, however, repulsed, and the work remained in the hands of the
Dutch. Some days after they took another bastion, and drew near to
the counterscarp. Whilst the Hollanders were preparing to pour their
thunders upon this part of the fortifications, the powder and grenades
of the besieged were suddenly set fire to. Taking advantage of the
consequent disorder, the enemy gained possession of the counterscarp:
they then prepared to attack the hornwork. Twice they gave the assault,
and twice they were driven back with loss. The dragoons and the cavalry
having dismounted to sustain the infantry, discouraged by so many
repulses, a third effort was made. It was so terrible that the covered
way was choked with dead bodies, and the blood of the slaughtered
discoloured the waters of the fosse. But the assailants were forced to
regain their former posts, after having lost a host of soldiers.
But now news was brought that Marshal Schomberg was hastening to
the succour of the place, and the prince of Orange, having already
lost twelve thousand men, did not think it prudent to wait for him.
He decamped in the night of the 26th of August, after forty days of
open trenches, and, to make the more haste, embarked thirty pieces of
cannon, five hundred wounded, and a great quantity of munitions on the
Meuse. At daybreak, the garrison perceiving the retreat of the Dutch,
pursued them, and took some prisoners.