To THE DUCHESS.

Sefelingen, August 21. "The poor electress has taken five of her children with her, and is following her husband, who seems to be abandoned to the french interest. Prince Eugene and I have offered him by a gentleman that is not yet returned, that if he will join in the common cause against France, he shall be put in possession of his whole country, and receive from the queen and Holland 400,000 crowns yearly, for which he should only furnish the allies with 8,000 men; but I take it for granted he is determined to go for France and abandon his own country to the rage of the germans."

66

August 25.-The elector of Bavaria has sent his wife and children back to Munich, and this morning by a trumpet has writ to me, and in it a letter to the electress open. It has made my heart ache, being very sensible how cruel it is to be separated from what one loves. I have sent it to her by a trumpet of my own, with assurances, that her answer shall be carefully delivered to the elector, for I take pleasure in being easy when the service does not suffer by it."

66

" August 28.-Although the troops be marched I shall stay here a day or two longer, to finish a treaty with the electress of Bavaria, which I own would be a great satisfaction to me; for when the public are served, I should be glad the family were not quite ruined."

During the halt of five days at Sefelingen, the margrave of Baden repaired to the camp, to confer with Marlborough and Eugene on the plan of future operations. As the elector and Marsin had already effected their retreat through the passes leading from Donaschingen to Friburg, a resolution was taken to leave the troops drawn from Ingoldstadt, under the command of general Thungen for the reduction of Ulm; while the remainder of the forces hastened to carry the war into the country beyond the Rhine.

CHAPTER 28.

1704.

Confederate armies march towards the Rhine-Pass the Rhine, the Queich, and the Lauter-Correspondence-Motives for the siege of Landau-Marlborough receives a new offer of the principality from the emperor.

ON the 28th the army broke up and marched in different

columns through the circle of Suabia, towards the general rendezvous in the vicinity of Philipsburg. The troops of Marlborough divided into three columns, and marched by Launsheim, Gross Seinssen, Ebersbach, Great Hippach, and Mondelsheim, and in six days approached the Rhine.

After waiting three days for an answer from the electress of Bavaria, Marlborough left count Wratislaw to continue the negotiation, and on the evening of August 31, rejoined his troops at Mondelsheim. During a halt of one day he repaired to Stutgard, at the invitation of the duke of Wirtemberg, and was received with all the honours which a grateful people could pay to their deliverer. The next morning he passed the Neckar at Lauffen, and on the 3rd advanced to Eppingen.

As the views of the confederate generals were directed to Landau, they so calculated their march as to anticipate the enemy in the position of Spirebach. Eugene hastened to Rastadt to collect the forces left in the lines of Stolhoffen, and in the beginning of September the different columns were all concentrated in the vicinity of Philipsburg.

Having pushed forward the english and danes to Steffeld and Odenheim, Marlborough on the 5th repaired to Philipsburg, and from thence went to the head quarters of Eugene at Waghaus. In

the afternoon they passed the Rhine to survey the country beyond; and the ensuing morning the palatine troops, who were nearest at hand, were sent across by Eugene, to occupy the position of Spirebach. In the interval Marlborough returned to his camp, and being apprised that the advance of the enemy's cavalry had appeared on the high ground near Philipsburg, he detached the english and danish horse to support the palatines. On the 7th the english and danish foot, with the dutch, luneburgers, and hessians, successively filed over, and the ensuing day the re-union of the whole army was completed, by the junction of the imperial horse. At the same time the margrave, who had taken the route of Aschaffenburg, arrived at the camp.

66

Writing to Godolphin from Spire, Sept. 8, Marlborough details these operations, and declares his resolution to give the enemy battle, if they should venture to oppose his advance. Fearing the french might take this camp, we were obliged to pass the Rhine and take it yesterday, although we had not above half our troops with us, which made us be all the day on horseback, as also the greatest part of this day, the french being within three leagues of us. But this afternoon we are joined by the rest of our troops, so that we shall march to-morrow, in hopes to pass the river Queich the next day. If the enemy will let us pass that river, we have it in our power to besiege Landau. I hope and think they will not defend it, though they have drawn all their forces together, in order to hinder our passage. We shall have 92 battalions and 181 squadrons; but above one half of our battalions are extremely weak, so that if we come to action, I intend to make the 14 english battalions but 7, and to do the same thing to the danes and hessians, which will bring our battalions to 78.”

As Villeroy, with the remains of the gallo-bavarian army, had established himself on the Queich, and was actively employed in fortifying a position so advantageous for the defence of Landau, the allied generals concluded that he had taken the resolution of opposing their progress. They therefore broke up on the 9th, and advanced towards the pass of Belheim. The enemy were, however, too discouraged to await an attack, and hastily fell back

to Langencandel. The bridges which they had partly broken down were repaired for the passage of the infantry, and the horse traversing the stream by the fords, the confederates encamped the same evening between Offenbach and Belheim, on the very ground previously occupied by Villeroy.

Marlborough and Eugene resuming their march on the 10th, the enemy who had lain all night under arms, withdrew in confusion behind the Lauter, and finally continued their retreat to the Motter, where they deemed themselves secure from aggression, during the expected siege of Landau. After halting the 11th at Langencandel, the confederates advanced on the 12th to the camp of Cron-Weissemburg.

In the correspondence of Marlborough we find him expressing his surprise at the timidity of the french commander. To Godolphin he observes:

"Weissemburg, Sept. 12.

"When I writ last, I was of opinion that M. de Villeroy would have defended the river Queich; but he no sooner knew of our march, than he quitted in very great haste, and marched to the camp of Langencandel, which has been in all times famous for being a strong post, it being covered with thick woods and marshy grounds. However, upon our approach he retired, and passed that day the Lauter, so that now we are not only masters of making the siege of Landau, but also of taking what post we please for covering it. If they had not been the most frightened people in the world, they would never have quitted these two posts. Prince Louis is this morning marched to invest Landau, and prince Eugene and your humble servant are to cover the siege."

The splendid events of the campaign, as well as the fatigues which the troops had undergone, induced many of the officers to flatter themselves that the operations of the year would have closed, as soon as the enemy were expelled from Germany. But Marlborough and Eugene were too enterprising to confine their views to mere present advantages. On the contrary, contemplating the prospect of opening the ensuing campaign on the french territory, they not only deemed it necessary to reduce Landau, but

also to secure the principal posts on the line of the Moselle. Such long and strenuous exertions, were, however, disapproved by many, and even Godolphin himself remonstrated against the continuance of the army in the field, at the time when the presence of the general was deemed necessary in England.

To his objections Marlborough thus replied:

Sept. 19.-I find by your's of the 22nd, it is necessary that I should give you my reason why I was for attacking Landau; and if it had not been in my opinion absolutely necessary, I should have complied with the greatest part of the army, who thought they had done enough in clearing the Rhine on that side, and so were desirous we should take up our quarters in Wirtemberg, and part of the Palatinate, and the imperialists in Bavaria and Suabia. This would have rendered it very easy for the troops, but would have been very prejudicial to the common cause; for we should have made it impossible for Suabia to have furnished their quota, which is 10,000 men, which they have promised to do if they are not charged with winter quarters. By the taking of Landau we shall not only quarter the greatest part of the army on this side of the Rhine, but we shall do that now, which would have spent half our campaign the next year. Besides, if this siege ends in any reasonable time, I hope to take quarters at Treves, and all along the Moselle to Coblentz, which will oblige the french to leave the greatest part of their troops on the frontier, which will be chargeable, and a great hindrance to their recruiting. But hitherto every thing goes on very slowly at Landau, and forage is so very difficult to be got for this army, that I have a good deal of spleen. However, we are assured, by this time in October we shall be masters of the place."

Although the siege of Landau had been approved by the imperial court; yet either from negligence or poverty, or both, artillery, ammunition, and money were wanting, as well as proper officers to direct the attack. But the foresight and activity of Marlborough supplied all deficiencies. The artillery which he had obtained at the commencement of the campaign from the landgrave of Hesse, was brought up from Manheim; the necessary requisites were