Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 206, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 September 1917 — Battles Which Made the World [ARTICLE]

Battles Which Made the World

BLENHEIM The Daulla* Strategy of Marlborough, Which Baffled the Scheme of l«nl«TlV, but Almost Fell Before the Bravery of the Irish.

By CAPT. ROLAND F. ANDREWS

(Oopyrlf bt, 19W, by MoClorv Mewspaper Syndicate)

Each really great battle In history has been one in which the forces of liberty and democracy ranged themselves on one side against the forces' of absolutism on the other. Such was the battle of Blenheim, fought on a hot August day in 1704 and won by the genius of John Churchill, first duke of Marlborough, of whom it has been said that he never fought a battle he did not win and never besieged a City he did not take. By victory at Blenheim he smashed the power of the grand Monarque, Louis XIV, he who boasted “There are no longer any Pyrenees,” who had extended tremendously the French possessions and whose intention was to Include all Europe in his kingdom. But for Blenheim all Europe might have suffered for centuries under the effects of French conquests resembling those of Alexander for extent and those of the Romans for durability. Against Louis, who had the assistance of the elector of Bavaria, were leagued England, Holland and Austria. Generalissimo of the allied forces was Marlborough, a man who had on onte occasion betrayed his king and his country, who owed his first advancement in court favor to the fact that his sister was the mistress of the duke of York, who laid the foundations for his great fortune by being the paid loser of one of the favorites of Charles H, whose defects in character were so base and sordid that they can be obscured not even by his virtues, but who as a soldier was almost supreme in military genius. He won Blenheim by a march which for brilliancy of plan and execution is rivaled only by that of the Consul Nero to the Mataurus. For the first two years of the war of the allies against France, Marlborough commanded in Flanders, taking various enemy towns but accomplishing nothing of decisive importance; Indeed, the advantage rested rather with Louis, for the—elector of Bavaria took the strong fortress of trim, thereby opening communication with the French armies of the upper Rhine and seriously menacing the integrity of Austria. Thereupon Louis decided to act on the defensive- in Glanders, while Marshal Villeroy kept busily at work with a big force in the Moselle region, Marshal Tailard marched through the Black forest to join the elector, the French army in Italy advanced and all combined to take Vienna and dictate terms to the emperor in his own capital. This inspired Marlborough with the audacious plan of himself advancing clear to the Danube and there fighting it out. The more timid and the more conservative opposed, since such a campaign might leave Flanders exposed, but Marlborough—and he must have had a hard time of it with bls often stubborn foreign allies —overcame all opposition. On the nineteenth of May, calming as well as he could the agitated fears of the abandoned Dutch, he put his army in motion, thereafter proceeding with a speed and an elusive certainty which utterly be- ' wildered Villeroy. That worthy, marching hither and thither, could not Imagine where the English general meant to strike his blow. Tailard, previously ordered to join the elector, became convinced that Marlborough aimed at Alsace and hence kept back his 45,000 men that France might be protected In that quarter. When at last the real intention of Marlborough was disclosed it was so late that the effort could not be rendered abortive. Crossing the Danube, Marlborough swarmed into Bavaria and in a series of actions m a( i e himself master of the elector’s dominion. Tailard, meanwhile, woke up and pressing forward managed to effect a junction with his friends. Marlborough recrossed the Danube, combined his forces with those of Prince Eugene and took up position near Blenheim.

The troops of Marlborough and Eugene numbered 56,000, with 52 cannon. Opposed to them were the armies of the French marshals and the elector, 60,000 strong and 61 pieces of artillery. It was absolutely necessary that Marlborough should attack before Vllleroy should become aroused and advancing through Franconia give to the GalloBatarlan allies overwhelming force. With the Danube securing, their right flank and the high ground Of the Gold Berg and Eich Berg their left, it was only in the front that the GalloBavarian allies could be attacked. Tallard was in chief command. He weakened his center in evident reliance upon the swampy ground before it. This was at the hamlet of Oberglau, where lay 14 battalions of infantry, Including the celebrated Irish brigade. A fog which covered the ground early on the morning of obscured the advance to Tallard until the oncoming British left wing was close upon him. Then he opened a terrific cannonade. Lord Cutts, with a strong brigade of infantry, hurled himself against Blenheim only to suffer repulse, while Marlborough was crossing the little river, Nebel. Here the duke wpS in serious trouble, for his squadrons of cavalry became mired in the swamp while the French artillery played upon them mercilessly. It was only by resolutely advancing

fresh men that Marlborough got himself out of his predicament. Eventually he formed his whole left, wing in splendid strategic position, only to be placed on the very edge of disaster at the center where the prince of Holstein Beck, with 11 Hanoverian battalions was charged and utterly routed by the fiercely cheering Irish brigade. Breaking through the lines the Irish were Close to achieving victory akin to that they afterward gained at Fontenoy. But their ardor carried them too far. Marlborough sent them reeling back with furious cavalry Charges, while three hastily summoned battalions raked them as they retreated. Meanwhile Eugene, on the right wing, was so hard pressed that only the steadiness of his Prussian regiments and his own personal exertions saved him. However, he held on, while Marlborough with a Hannibal-like reliance upon cavalry prepared the finishing stroke elsewhere. At five in the afternoon he massed 8,000 horsemen and artillery and sent them against 10,000 French cavalrymen whose line was interlaced with infantrymen. For a time the; issue hung in the balance, for the British squadron wavered before the hot French fire, but the artillery supports came into action most manfully, the French fusillade slackened and Marlborough instantly orders Ing a charge along the whole line the French cavalry lost their heads, fired in the air and dashed off the field, leaving nine infantry battalions to be ridden over by the overwhelming mass of British horsemen.

This won the battle. Resistance continued, the French making a desperate effort to cut themselves out. Marshal Marsin and the elector did get away from Eugene, but the 24 battalions and 12 squadrons at Blenheim were forced to surrender. Of the great French army there remained, according to Voltaire, only 20,000 uncaptured effectives. Twelve thousand were dead. Fourteen thousand were prisoners. The victors lost 5,000 dead and 8,000 wounded. Ulm, Landau, Treves and Traerbach surrendered. With Blenheim ended the proud visions of Louis for universal domination.