(1650-1722)
[Illustration: A standing man behind a sitting woman. [TN]]
About noon, on June 24, 1650, John Churchill, afterward Duke of
Marlborough, was born at Ashe, in Devonshire. His school-days were
soon over; for his father, Sir Winston Churchill, having established
himself at court soon after the restoration of Charles the Second, was
anxious to introduce his children early into life, and obtained for
his son the situation of page of honor to the Duke of York, at the
same time that his only daughter, Arabella, became maid of honor to
the duchess.
While at school, young Churchill had discovered in the library an old
book on military subjects. This he read frequently, and conceived such
a taste for a martial life, that he longed to distinguish himself as a
soldier.
The Duke of York held frequent reviews of the guards. Churchill had
not long been his page, before the duke noticed his eagerness to be
present on these occasions. Pleased with this indication of military
ambition, the duke suddenly inquired one day, "What can I do for you,
Churchill, as a first step to fortune?"
The page threw himself on his knees before the duke. "I beseech your
Royal Highness," he entreated, with clasped hands, "to honor me with a
pair of colors."
"Well, well," said the duke, smiling at the lad's earnestness, "I will
grant your request by and by;" and his young favorite had not long to
wait before he got the post for which he had petitioned.
The youthful ensign, scarce fifteen years of age, first embarked for
Tangiers; and although his stay was short, yet in the sallies and
skirmishes with the Moors he showed that even now he possessed that
courage and ability which in after years placed him at the head of all
the heroes of his time.
Before the year in which he left England had expired, he was again in
his native country. He then accompanied the Duke of Monmouth to the
continent, to assist France against Holland. The Prince of Conde and
Marshal Turenne, the greatest generals of that time, commanded the
French army, so that Churchill had very favorable opportunities of
improving his military talent and genius.
A French officer, during the siege of Nimeguen, had failed to retain a
post of consequence, which he had been appointed to defend. The news
of its loss was brought to Turenne.
"I will bet a supper and a dozen of claret," instantly exclaimed the
marshal, "that my handsome Englishman will recover the post with half
the number of men that the officer commanded who lost it."
Churchill was despatched with a small company, and, after a short but
desperate struggle, retook the post, won the marshal his wager, and
gained for himself the applause and admiration of the whole army.
Next year, at the siege of Maestricht, Captain Churchill again
distinguished himself. At the head of his own company, he scaled the
ramparts, and planted the banner of France on the very summit,
escaping with a slight wound. Louis XIV. was so highly pleased with
his conduct that he thanked him at the head of the army, and soon made
him lieutenant-colonel. The Duke of Monmouth afterward confessed to
the king, that he was indebted for his life, on this occasion, to our
hero's gallantry and discretion.
On his return to England, he was made gentleman of the bedchamber and
master of the robes to his earliest patron, the Duke of York. At this
period he was captivated by the beauty of Miss Sarah Jennings,
daughter of a gentleman of ancient family, and maid of honor to the
duchess. Their marriage took place in 1678.
The services Colonel Churchill continued to yield the royal brothers
did not pass unrewarded. He was created Baron Churchill of Agmouth, in
Berwickshire; and a friendship sprung up between Lady Churchill and
the Princess (afterward queen) Anne, who, when she married Prince
George of Denmark, got her friend appointed lady of her bedchamber.
The day after James II. was proclaimed, he made his favorite,
lieutenant-general. The battle of Sedgemoor, in which the ill-fated
Duke of Monmouth with his rebel army was defeated, was won chiefly by
Churchill's courage and decision. Till the closing scene of James's
reign, there is little stated of Lord Churchill, although it is known
that he used his influence with his royal master to prevent the
arbitrary system of government the king endeavored to introduce.
Finding the monarch determined to persist in his encroachments, Lord
Churchill felt it his duty, however painful, to go over to the Prince
of Orange, by whom he was received with distinguished marks of
attention and respect; and, two days before his coronation, the prince
raised him to the dignity of Earl of Marlborough.
The affection the earl still felt toward his late benefactor, the
ex-king, led him into a correspondence with him. This, being
discovered, brought the displeasure of King William upon him, and for
some time he was deprived of all his appointments. At length a
governor being wanted for the young Duke of Gloucester, son of the
Princess Anne, the king, as an earnest of his returning favor,
conferred this honor on Marlborough. "Teach him, my lord," said his
majesty, "to be what you are yourself, and he will not want
accomplishments."
On the accession of Queen Anne, Marlborough was made captain-general,
master of the ordnance, and a knight of the garter. Soon after, he was
sent to Holland to aid the Dutch against the French. He was appointed
by them generalissimo of the forces, with a salary of L10,000 a year.
With his army he crossed the river Meuse, and advanced to the siege of
Rheinberg. "I hope soon to deliver you from these troublesome
neighbors!" he exclaimed to the Dutch deputies who accompanied him on
a reconnoitring party; and had it not been for the timidity of the
Dutchmen he would have fulfilled his intentions. He however, took
three towns out of the hands of the French, and the campaign ended by
the taking of Liege.
Marlborough soon returned to England, when the queen created him
Marquis of Blandford and Duke of Marlborough, an honor he reluctantly
accepted, and chiefly because it would give him more consideration if
again called upon to serve his country abroad.
In 1703 the duke was once more in Flanders, leading operations against
the French with his usual success.
The celebrated Prince Eugene was appointed his colleague; and the
first time these two generals met, they conceived that mutual esteem
and confidence, which afterward rendered them partners in the same
glory.
At the head of a noble army, the two generals penetrated into the
heart of Germany, driving the Elector of Bavaria before them, ere his
French allies could join him. It would take too much space to describe
all the victories, and relate the details of the burning of three
hundred towns, villages, and castles! These stern necessities of war
were far from pleasing to Marlborough, who grieved to see the poor
people suffering from their master's ambition. The Elector shed tears
when he heard of these devastations, and offered large sums to prevent
military execution on the land. "The forces of England," replied the
duke, "are not come into Bavaria to extort money, but to bring its
prince to reason and moderation. It is in the power of the Elector to
end the matter at once by coming to a speedy accommodation."
But the Elector knew that Marshal Tallard, with a powerful French
army, was approaching; and, buoyed up by expectation, replied, "Since
you have compelled me to draw the sword, I have thrown away the
scabbard!"
Prince Eugene had hastened from the Rhine to join Marlborough, with a
force of eighteen thousand men, and reached the plains of Hochstadt by
the time Tallard joined the Elector. As the prince and Marlborough
proceeded to survey the ground, previous to taking up their position,
they perceived some squadrons of the enemy at a distance. The two
generals mounted the steeple of a church close by, and, with their
glasses, discovered the quarter-masters of the enemy marking out a
camp between Blenheim and Luetzingen. Charmed beyond measure, they
resolved to give battle before the enemy could strengthen themselves
in their new position. Some officers, who knew the strength of the
ground selected by the enemy, ventured to remonstrate, and to advise
that no action should be hazarded. "I know the dangers of the case,"
said Marlborough, who had not made up his mind without due
consideration, "but a battle is absolutely necessary; and as for
success, I rely on the hope that the discipline and courage of the
troops will make amends for all disadvantages." Orders being issued
for a general engagement, the whole army commenced preparations with
cheerfulness and alacrity.
Marlborough showed that he was resolved to conquer or to die in the
attempt. Part of the night he passed in prayer, and toward morning
received the sacrament. Then, after taking a short sleep, he concerted
the arrangements for the action with Prince Eugene, particularly
pointing out to the surgeons the proper place for the wounded.
The forces of the duke and the prince formed an army of 33,500
infantry and 18,400 cavalry. They were opposed by a force of 56,000
men.
About six o'clock in the morning, Marlborough and Eugene took their
station on a rising ground, and calling all the generals, gave the
directions for the attack. The army then marched into the plain; and
being formed in order of battle, the chaplains performed service at
the head of each regiment.
The morning being hazy, the French and Bavarians did not even suspect
the approach of their enemies, and were completely taken by surprise.
A large gun boomed forth the signal for the onset; and as great a
battle was fought as the memory of man ever heard of. A panic seized
the whole of the troops which composed the right of the French army,
and they fled like a flock of sheep before the victorious
English,--deaf to the threats and entreaties of their commanders, and
without observing whither their flight led them. A body of cavalry,
the best and most renowned in the whole army, seized with fear,
hurried away Marshal Tallard with them in their flight; and, void of
all thought, threw themselves by squadrons into the Danube, men and
horses, officers and troopers together. Some escaped; but the greater
portion, who had sought to avoid an uncertain death on the field of
battle and honor, found a certain and shameful death in the river. The
poor marshal, after vainly endeavoring to stem this torrent of
despair, was obliged to surrender himself a prisoner of war with
several other general officers in his company. The defeat then became
complete. Of all the infantry the marshal had brought to the
assistance of the Elector, only two battalions escaped; eight and
twenty battalions were taken prisoners; and ten were entirely
destroyed!
The French, for many years, had never sustained any considerable
defeat; and in consequence, had looked upon themselves, and had been
regarded by other countries, almost as invincible. But now the charm
was broken.
After the battle, when Marshal Tallard was brought into the duke's
tent, the marshal exclaimed with emphasis, "Your grace has beaten the
best troops in the world!"
"I hope," quickly rejoined the duke, "that you except the troops which
defeated them."
The news caused great joy in England, except to a discontented party,
who considered that "it would no more weaken the power of the French
king, than taking a bucket of water out of a river." Marlborough's
answer, when he heard this, was, "If they will allow me to draw one or
two such buckets more, we may then let the river run quietly, and not
much apprehend its overflowing, and destroying its neighbors." Queen
Anne, however, as a monument of victory, commanded a splendid palace
to be built for the duke, at her own expense, to be called Blenheim.
It would fill a large volume to relate all the victories of the Duke
of Marlborough, none of which, however, exceeded the Battle of
Blenheim in importance. One, some years afterward, called the Battle
of Malplaquet, was a better contested fight, and perhaps ranks next;
in truth, after this battle, France never again ventured to meet
Marlborough in the field.
At three o'clock in the morning of September 11, 1709, the
confederated troops (for Eugene, with his army, was still with
Marlborough) began to raise their batteries, under cover of a thick
fog, which lasted till half-past seven. When it cleared away, the
armies found themselves close together, each having a perfect view of
the other. Marshal Villars commanded the French army. He was adored by
his troops, who placed unbounded confidence in him; and as he now rode
along their ranks the air rang with "Long live the king!" "Long live
Marshal Villars!" The right wing was commanded by Marshal Boufflers.
A discharge of fifty pieces of cannon from the confederates was the
signal for battle, which commenced a little after eight. Each army had
between ninety and one hundred thousand men, and the battle raged for
some time with unexampled bravery. All the duties of a skilful general
were performed by Marlborough; and late in the day the French army
left the field in the possession of the allies, both armies having
fought with almost incredible valor. The loss of the French was
fourteen thousand men; the allies, though victory was on their side,
lost nearly twenty thousand.
An officer of distinction in the French army, writing an account of
this battle said: "The Eugenes and Marlboroughs ought to be well
satisfied with us during that day; since, till then, they had not met
with resistance worthy of them. They may say, with justice, that
nothing can stand before them; for what shall be able to stem the
rapid course of these two heroes, if an army of one hundred thousand
of our best troops--posted between two roads, trebly entrenched, and
performing their duty as well as brave men could do--were not able to
stop them one day? Will you not, then, own with me, that they surpass
all the heroes of former ages?"
With his usual humanity, Marlborough's first care, at the close of the
action, was the relief of the wounded. Three thousand Frenchmen who lay
on the field shared his attention, with the wounded of his own army; and
he immediately arranged means for conveying them away. Still, next
morning--the day set apart for burying the slain--notwithstanding his
care, when riding over the field he saw among the heaps which covered
the plain, not only the numerous bodies of the slain, but of the dying
also. Nor did he feel only for the sufferings of his companions in arms;
the groans of wounded enemies, and the sight of their mangled limbs,
equally awakened his compassion. Learning also, that many French
officers and soldiers had crept into the neighboring houses and woods,
wounded, and in a miserable condition for want of assistance, he ordered
them every possible relief, and despatched a messenger with a letter to
the French marshal, humanely proposing; a conference to arrange the
means of removing these wretched sufferers. By this humanity the larger
portion of not fewer than thirty thousand men, to whose sufferings death
would soon have put an end, were saved. The officers gave their word
that they would not serve against the allies till they were regularly
exchanged; and the common soldiers were to be considered as prisoners of
war, for whom an equal number of allied troops were to be returned.
Many, many battles, too numerous to mention, were gained by this great
commander. When he came back to England, at the peace, he for some
time distinguished himself as an able statesman; but incurring the
displeasure of the queen, and that of the party then in power, he
found his situation so painful, that he determined to leave the
country till the course of events should again run in his favor. He
left Dover without any honors, as a private passenger, in a
packet-boat; but on its arriving off Ostend, as soon as the
townspeople knew that the Duke of Marlborough was on board, they made
a salute of all the cannon toward the sea; and when the vessel entered
the harbor, they fired three rounds of all the artillery on the
ramparts. The people crowded round him, and shed tears at the
ingratitude of his nation. Some, full of astonishment at the sight of
him, said, "His looks, his air, his address, were full as conquering
as his sword." Even a Frenchman exclaimed, "Though the sight is worth
a million to my king, yet I believe he would not, at such a price,
have lost the service of so brave a man."
Marlborough remained at Aix-la-Chapelle till the death of the queen.
On August 1, 1714, the day George the First was proclaimed, the duke
and duchess landed at Dover. Marlborough's reception was truly a
contrast to his departure. Now the artillery thundered forth a
welcome; while thousands of spectators hailed the return of the
voluntary exile. Passing on to London, he was met at Southwark by a
large body of the burgesses, who escorted him into the city; and
thence, joined by many of the first merchants, the nobility, and
gentry, he proceeded to St. James's, amid the joyful acclamations of
the crowd, "Long live the king!" "Long live the Duke of Marlborough!"
Old age had now laid his withering hand on the duke. For nearly two
years he continued to enjoy the favor and confidence of the new king,
who, on one occasion, said, "Marlborough's retirement would give me as
much pain as if a dagger should be plunged in my bosom." But he soon
was obliged to retreat to Blenheim, where he spent six years of
declining life among his family and friends. At length, after a
violent attack of palsy, the disease from which he suffered, he lay
for several days expecting death. Early in the morning of June 15,
1722, he resigned his spirit, with Christian calmness, into the hands
of his Creator.
The duke was nearly seventy-three when he died. His remains were
interred with every honor in Westminster Abbey, but soon after were
taken up, and conveyed to the chapel at Blenheim, and laid in a
magnificent monument, which the duchess had erected for this honorable
purpose.