A. C. defire, without fhewing any diftruft of the Prince The Cafile When the Castle of Namur was furrendred, King Battle of my to Genap, thence to Noftredame-de-Hall, and on the ft of Auguft over the River Senne, when he was join'd by the Hannover Troops, to the Number of Eight Thoufand Men. On the other hand, the King of France contenting himself with the Glory of having taken Namur, in fight of the Confederate Army, left the Command of his Forces to Luxemburgh, who pitched his Camp in an advan tagious Poft, cover'd by a Wood and thick Hedges, between Enghien, and Steenkirk, where his Britan nick Majefty refolv'd to attack him, upon the Information of fome Perfons that were thought to understand the Nature of the Ground. Accordingly on Sunday the 3d of Auguft (N. S.) Steenkerk the Army march'd early in the Morning, the heaAug. 3d. vy Baggage being order'd to repafs the Senne at N. S. Hall. There were feveral Defiles to pafs, and the ways to be made, which made it a tedious March; but however about Ten a Clock the Prince of Wirtemberg with the Vanguard, which confifted of Four Battalions of English Foot, two of Danes, and a Detachment of Churchill's Brigade, advanced towards the Enemy, and fell upon them with fo much Vigour, that he drove them from Hedge to Hedge, pofted himself in the Wood that fronted the Right Wing of their Army; and erected two Batteries of Cannon, on little Eminences one on the Right, and the other on the Left of the Wood. Whilft thefe Batteries were playing upon the Enemy, the Confederate Army marched up to the Head of the Defile (about half an English Mile from the Wood) where it open'd in a little Plain, not above half a League over, which terminated upon A. C. the Right of the Wood; and upon feveral Rows 1692. of high Trees, planted in great Order. Upon the Right of this Plain, there was a Farm which foon after the Engagement was fet on Fire by the Enemy, to cover, by the fmoke, feveral of their Battalions that were order'd this way. From the Head of the Defile, upon the Left of the Plain there was a deep hollow Way with high Trees and Hedges upon the Banks of it, which reach'd as far as the Wood where the Vanguard was pofted, and where it branch'd it felf into two other deep Ways, and going thro' the Wood upon the Left to the Danes. Attack, and to that of the Guards; and the other upon the Right going along the outfide of the Wood: Between these two laft, were pofted the Regiments of Sir Robert Douglas, Colonel Fitz Pa trick, and Colonel Ŏ Farrel. When the Confederate Army was come up to the Head of thefe Defiles, and juft entring into the fmall Plain, they were order'd to Halt, except the English Life Guards, and Horfe and Dragoons, and the Lords Cuts's, Lieutenant General Mackay's, Sir Charles Graham's and the Earl of Angus's Regiments, which being interlin'd with the Horfe, were com manded at the fame time to the Right-skirts of the Wood; whilft Prince of Heffe's, Colonel Lowther's, and the Earl of Leven's Regiments, were alfo intermix'd with the Left Wing of Horfe, and posted upon the outfide of the Wood. Things being thus difpos'd, and the Army continuing in their Halt, Prince Wirtemberg, after he had cannonaded for a bove two Hours, began the Attack with the Danes upon the Right, which was immediately followed by the other Four English Regiments as compos'd the Vanguard, and feconded by Cuts's, Mackay's, Angus's, Graham's, Lowther's, the Prince of Hee's and Leven's Regiments. Never was more terrible, and at the fame time more regular firing heard; for during the fpace of two Hours it feem'd to be continu'd Claps of Thunder. The Vanguard behaved themselves with fo much Bravery and Refolution, that tho' they receiv'd the charge of fe veral A. C. veral Battalions of the Enemies, one after another, 1692. yet they drove them beyond one of their Batteries of Seven Pieces of Cannon, of which the Danes and the Second Battallion of the Regiment of English Guards poffeffed themfelves, and which Colonel Wachop, who commanded the English, would have fent away, had not the French cut off the Traces, and carried away the Horfes. Sir Robert Douglas with his firft Battalion, charged feveral of the Enemies, and beat them from three feveral Hedges, and made himself Mafter of the Fourth, when going thro' a Gap to get on the other fide, he was unfortunately killed upon the fpot. All the other Regiments behaved themfelves with equal Bravery, firing Muzzle to Muzzle thro' the Hedges, they on the one fide, and the Enemy on the other. The King being made fenfible of the Difficulties the Vanguard had to encounter, by one of Prince Wirtemberg's Aids de-Camp, who had already fent two Meflengers to Count Solmes to no purpose, His Majefty difpatch'd awayCount Paulin, one of his Aids-de-Camp, with positive Orders to Count Solmes, who commanded the Main Body, to fend more Foot to the Prince's afliftance; but Count Soimes, who ever was envious of the Englife, and who befides, had a particular jealoufie of Prince Wirtamberg's commanding the Attack, an Honour which he would have had himself, inftead of obeying his Majefty's Commands, order'd the Horfe to march, and the Foot to halt: Which prov'd the lofs of the Day. For the Ground was fo ftraight, and the Enemy had fuch Hedges, Copfes and Ditches to cover them, that there was nothing to do for the Horse; fo that when the Vanguard began to engage they had none but part of the Infantry interlin'd with the Left Wing of the Horfe to fecond them, the Body of the Foot being almoft a Mile in the Rear. However, the King made all poflible diligence to get the Infantry up, ordering a Brigade to march to the Wood, and forming a Line of Battle in the Plain, with fuch Foot as could come up. The Eagerness of the Soldiers to follow their Royal Leader, and to engage the Enemy was fuch, that they put put themselves into fome Diforder, and took more A. C. time to form their Battalions, than could now con- 1692. veniently be fpar'd; fo that before they could reach the Wood, the Vanguard and Infantry of the Left Wing, being over-powered by Thirty Battalions of the Enemy, that charged them continually one after another, and by a fresh Body of Dragoons brought up by Boufflers, they were forc'd to retreat in great Confufion, and to leave the Wood to the Enemies Poffeffion. The English LifeGuards owed their Prefervation to the Danish FootGuards; and Baron of Pibrack's Regiment of Lunenburgher's being in Diforder upon the skirt of the Wood; and the Colonel hinfelf lying dangeroufly wounded upon the place, Sir Bevil Granville, who commanded the Earl of Bath's Regiment, march'd up to his Relief, receiving the Enemies fire, before he fuffer'd any Peloton of his Battalion to Difcharge once; by this Method he lodg'd himfelf in the hollow way near the Wood, ordered his Serjeants to carry off the Baron of Pibrack, and maintain'd his Poft, till he was commanded to leave it by the Prince of Naffau. The King Enrag'd at the Difappointment of the Vanguard, for want of a timely Relief, expreft his Concern by often repeating thefe Words: Oh! my poor English, how they are abandon'd! Nor would he admit Count Solmes to his Royal Prefence for many Months after And now confidering that the fight was not to be renew'd without endangering the lofs of the whole Army, Luxemburgh being confiderably reinforc'd by Boufflers; and befides, the Night drawing on, his Majefty commanded a Retreat, which was perform'd with admirable Order, and without any great difturbance from the Enemy; who never durft engage the English in the Rear. In this Battle the Confederates loft the brave Lieutenant General Mackay, Sir John Lanier, Sir Robert Douglas, the Earl of Angus, and divers other gallant Officers, above two Thoufand Men kill'd; three Thoufand wounded or made Prifoners, and feveral Pieces of Cannon. As for the French, bating the Honour of remaining Z z Masters A. C. Mafters of the Field, they had not much Rea1692. fon to boaft of any advantage, having had the A Plot a gainst the King's Life reviv'd. Prince de Turenne, the Marquifs de Bellefonds, the Marquis de Tilladet, the Brigadeer Stoupa, the Marquis de Firmacon, and feveral other Men' of diftinction, and Two Thoufand private Soldiers kill'd, and near as many wounded. Neither had they come off fo cheap, had it not been for the Chevalier de Millevoix, one of the Elector of Bavaria's Domefticks, who had already given, and ftill endeavour'd to give further Intelligence, to the Marefchal de Luxemburgh, of the King's Motion and Designs, for which he was hang'd on a Tree in the Right Wing of His Majefty's Army. A more infamous Criminal was about this time deliver'd up into the Hands of Juftice: For the Chevalier de Granvale returning from Paris, where he had engag'd one Leefdale, a Perfon of a good Family near Boifleduc, to join with Dumont, in the hellifh Defign of Aflailinating King William, he appointed a Meeting at Uden, whither Dumont was come from Hanover. There it was agreed that when the King fhould pafs along the Lines, or when the Army fhould decamp, Dumont fhould be in Ambush and fhoot His Majefty, and that as foon as the Murder was committed, a Party of Three Thousand Horfe, from the Duke of Luxemburgh's Army, and headed by Monticur Chamlays, and Colonel Parker, fhould refcue the Affaffins, to colour the Villany with the fhew of a Stratagem of War. But Providence ftill watching for his Majefty's Safety, permitted the black Confpiracy to be difcover'd by Leefdale and Dumont; who related all the Circumftances of the Contrivance, and who they were that put Granvale upon this wicked Attempt. Thereupon Granvale was taken at Eyndenboven; afterwards try'd by a Court-Martial, and according to his Sentence, hang'd, drawn and quarter'd; after he had made a full Confeffion of his Crimes, Granvale without being put to the Torture. At his Execuexecuted, tion he feem'd very Penitent, and expreft fome Aug. 13. Refentment against thofe by whom he was undone. And 'tis with Horror that Hiftory is oblig'd to fay, |