Soldier of Fortune (32 page)

During
his time as French ambassador at the Court of St James's, Camille d'Hostun,
Comte de Tallard, had been immensely popular in England. He was known for his
lavish hospitality, for the opulence with which he surrounded himself and for
his diplomatic skills. He and Marlborough had met a number of times at social
events and got on well together. Now that he held a marshal's baton, however,
he accorded his rival no more than a cold respect. Even on a campaign, he liked
to eat the best food and drink the finest wines. As a man who enjoyed his
sleep, he was not pleased to be roused from his comfortable bed with the news that
the enemy was approaching.

Notwithstanding
his reputation as a diplomat and as a soldier, Tallard was not an imposing
figure and his short-sightedness was so bad that it was joked about behind his
back. Even with a telescope, he could not discern the true meaning in the
approach of the Confederate cavalry. He believed that the show of force was
merely a distraction to allow the main Allied army to creep away to safety with
its tail between its legs. The despatch he dashed off to Louis XIV confirmed
this belief - '
They can now be seen drawn up at
the head of their camp, and it appears they will march today. Word in the
country is that they are going to Nordlingen. If that is so, they will leave us
between them and the Danube, and consequently they will have difficulty in
sustaining the places that they have taken in Bavaria.'

Shortly
after his messenger had ridden off, Tallard was forced to realise his blunder.
It was barely seven o'clock when he received reports that the entire enemy army
was heading in his direction. He was stunned. Summoning Marshal Marsin and the
Elector of Bavaria, he led them up the church tower in Blenheim so that they
could get a better view of the enemy's movements. The three commanders tried to
divine the significance of what they saw. Having underestimated Marlborough's
boldness, Tallard now went on to misinterpret it.

'He
must have acquired reinforcements,' he concluded. 'Even in his rashest moment,
the Duke of Marlborough would not contemplate an attack on us unless he had
greater numbers at his disposal. And there's another worrying development,' he
went on. 'There are rumours that the Margrave of Baden is on his way here to
add his support. That would markedly strengthen the enemy and we know to our
cost what a fearless general Baden is. No, gentlemen, only one course is open
to us. We must fight a defensive action.'

His
companions agreed with his decision. They understood the importance of holding
both flanks of the Franco-Bavarian lines. No matter how large the enemy forces,
they had faith in their strong defensive positions. One of them was around the
village of Blenheim.

When
they were two miles from Blenheim, the Confederate army split into two wings.
With 36,000 troops, Marlborough intended to attack on the left against a French
army under Tallard of almost equal size. Prince Eugene of Savoy, at the head of
16,000 men, was ordered to attack on the right against the forces of Marshal
Marsin and the Elector. He was thus taking on a combined army of 24,000.
Unknown to Tallard, he had far more men in the field than Marlborough. Where
the Allied army did have clear superiority was in the number of their cavalry
squadrons.

As
in most battles, the opening shots were fired by the artillery. The French
right wing discharged the first cannon balls and a British soldier was the
initial casualty. Colonel Blood, the artillery commander, was told by
Marlborough to choose his counter-batteries. When these had been inspected and
approved by the Duke, the bombardment began with a vengeance, cannon booming on
both sides for the best part of four hours. The thunderous exchange of fire was
so ear- splitting that, it was later learnt, the Margrave of Baden could hear
it forty miles away in Ingolstadt.

Daniel
Rawson was proud of his battalion. They had to wait patiently for hours until
Prince Eugene and his men had looped around to the position from which they
could attack. Throughout this time, the French bombardment continued with
unceasing ferocity. Like all the other battalions, Daniel's had been ordered to
sit or lie on the ground to escape the worst of the deafening cannonade. They
were motionless targets but they did not flinch or run as the cannonballs and
howitzer shells rained upon them. They had been schooled by men like Sergeant
Welbeck to obey orders under fire. Daniel noted with gratification that even
when some were killed outright or received critical injuries the soldiers
around them did not lose their nerve.

There
was another cause for delay. Before they could close with the enemy, the
Confederate army had to cross the Nebel stream, a tributary of the Danube.
There were few places where soldiers could cross in numbers. While the brigades
waited, therefore, pioneers went on ahead to level the banks of the stream, to
build causeways out of fascines, to repair the old stone bridge torn down by
the French and to erect new bridges made of tin pontoons. It was well after
noon when the order was finally given and the infantry rose to their feet and
moved forward with their bayonets fixed.

Daniel's
battalion was under the command of Brigadier- General Rowe who had warned his
men that no shot should be fired until he had struck the enemy barricade with
his sword. By one o'clock, they began to wade across the Nebel, aided by the
fact that the ground fell slightly from around Blenheim, giving them protection
to re-form their ranks before marching towards the village. When they were 300
yards away, they lay down to await the arrival of the Hessians under Major-General
Wilkes, and a pair of guns. As soon as the cannon were in position, they
pounded the French barricades.

Marching
on foot, Archibald, Lord Rowe, led his men forward in the teeth of unrelenting
artillery fire. When they got within thirty yards of the palisade, they were
hit by a first volley from French musketeers. British soldiers crashed to the
ground on every side but the drums kept beating and the battalions held their
shape as they moved inexorably forward in their serried ranks. Rowe reached the
outer palisade, but, as he struck it with his sword, he was shot from close
range. The lieutenant-colonel and major who ran to his aid were also cut down
by enemy fire.

The
fusillade was returned by the advancing brigade, their flintlock muskets
popping across a wide front before being reloaded for a second discharge.
Though many French soldiers were hit by the onslaught, they still outnumbered
the attackers and they were shooting from behind barricades at unprotected
targets. Having lost their commander and under withering fire, the first line
of Rowe's brigade eventually fell back. The French cavalry posted to the left
of Blenheim were quick to exploit the signs of disarray. General Zurlauben led
out three squadrons of the Gens d'Armes of the Royal Household cavalry.

They
charged at the exposed flank of Rowe's own regiment and, as it struggled to
form a square, they fired their pistols then used their flashing swords to hack
a way through the disordered red uniforms. To the horror of the British
soldiers, their regimental colours were seized. Elated by their success, the
horsemen continued to slash and stab at will. They were so confident of success
that they did not notice the Hessians being deployed to their flank and rear.
It was only when deadly volleys rang out that they realised the danger they
were in.

Driving
the Gens d'Armes before them, the disciplined ranks of Hessians spread
confusion among the cavalry. Some horses bolted, many crashed to the ground as
they were hit by musket balls or gored with bayonets, and an endless succession
of riders were toppled from their saddles. The unthinkable had happened. Elite
French cavalry squadrons had been trounced by Hessian infantry. Daniel Rawson's
battalion swiftly rallied and joined in the attack. Fighting on foot, he used
his sword to cut and thrust. When a French blade whistled down at him, he
parried it expertly then reached up quickly with his other hand to haul the
rider from his mount. Before the man could even begin to defend himself, Daniel
had stabbed him through the stomach.

Pulling
his sword out, he left his victim writhing in agony and ran across to the
riderless horse now looking around in bewilderment amid the melee. Within a
second, Daniel was in the saddle, turning the animal in a circle until he saw
what he wanted. He dug in his heels and rode towards the plundered regimental
colours that were being held high by a French cavalry officer. It was a
humiliation that could not be borne. Daniel had to kill two more riders and
wound a third before he got close to the captured colours. Though Hessian
soldiers converged on the man holding his trophy to block his escape, Daniel
got to him first.

He
was enraged that a Frenchman should be brandishing the colours of a British
regiment. It was an unforgivable insult. There was a furious clash of blades as
the man tried to defend himself but Daniel's assault was irresistible. With a
final sweep of his sword, he almost cut his adversary's face in half, leaving
him crazed by pain and blinded by blood. Before the man tumbled to the ground,
Daniel snatched the colours from him and carried them aloft to the remnants of
Rowe's regiment whose honour had been retrieved.

The
battle continued for hour after gruelling hour. The Confederate army had
successes and reverses, breaking through at some points while being strongly
repulsed at others. As the afternoon wore on, the deficiencies of the French
defence became more apparent. Marshal Tallard had drawn up his men in and
around Blenheim, keeping them separate from those under the command of Marshal
Marsin and the Elector of Bavaria. The latter had built their respective
barricades around Oberglau and Lutzingen. While the two flanks of the
Franco-Bavarian forces were therefore well- defended, the long centre ground
between the two had nothing like the same strength and organisation.

Marlborough
was alert to the gaps in the enemy dispositions. There was a patent lack of
unity. It made him wonder if Marsin and the Elector felt aggrieved that, having
been beaten by the Allied armies, they had to rely on Tallard to rescue them.
Both commanders were trying to vindicate their reputations now. As Prince
Eugene of Savoy led an attack on the right flank, he was met with such stern
resistance from Bavarian soldiers that he was forced to retire. A second
assault also ended with a hasty retreat and heavy losses.

It
was on the left flank that the seeds of victory were sewn. When the illustrious
squadrons of Gens d'Armes were put to flight by the Hessians and by supporting
British Horse and Dragoons, the brigades of Foot re-formed for a second attack.
Inside Blenheim, meanwhile, there was considerable alarm. Until that moment, it
was inconceivable that the finest cavalry in France could be defeated in battle.
When he saw them limping back, one of the generals inside the village resorted
to panic and called up the reserve.

A
small settlement of some 300 houses was suddenly flooded by French infantry,
packed so tightly together that they got in each others' way. When the
Confederate army attacked, there was hand to hand fighting at the barricades
but the defence of Blenheim was grossly impeded by the masses of men and
equipment clogging up its streets. Marlborough did not need to capture the
town. Once it was contained, it could offer no support to centre or to the
right flank. He was able to concentrate his attention on those areas.

Help
was most needed on the right flank where Prince Eugene's men had been driven
back for the third time, incurring even more casualties. Some of them despaired
of ever making headway against the superior numbers of Bavarians. Deserters
began to flee. Prince Eugene was so disgusted that his soldiers were running
from a fight that he shot two of them dead with his own pistol. He then sent
urgent messages to Marlborough, requesting support. When the relief came, it
was led by the commander-in-chief himself. With fresh troops at his back,
Prince Eugene was at last able to make incisive raids on the right flank. The
Bavarians cowered behind their defences.

With
Blenheim and Lutzingen now effectively contained, both flanks were under
control. It was possible for Marlborough to move the main body of his army
across the Nebel to advance on the French centre. Seeing the enemy's intention,
Marshal Marsin launched a counter-offensive from his position in Oberglau and
the Confederate army was put under intense pressure. Though it buckled, it did
not break and brisk redeployment gave it back the advantage it had lost. The
steady advance continued into evening, the Allied cavalry retiring behind the
infantry when under extreme pressure from the French cavalry, and supported by
batteries of artillery that were brought forward.

What
turned the battle were the superior tactical skills of the Duke Marlborough. He
knew when and where to strike and how to respond instantly to any reversal.
Stuck inside Blenheim, Tallard was simply not in a position to control an army
stretched tight across a wide front and lacking any real coordination. For a
man of his talent and experience in the field, it was maddening. He was always
reacting to situations he could not anticipate. Instead of being able to
relieve his allies by attacking the enemy flank, he was bottled up in a village
that was bursting at the seams with French soldiers.

Total
defeat was only a matter of time. At seven o'clock that evening, Marshal Marsin
and the Elector accepted the fact and began to withdraw their forces in an
orderly fashion. So exhausted were Prince Eugene and his men that they had no strength
to pursue them. Tallard was not allowed the dignity of a retreat. Failing to
escape from Blenheim, he surrendered along with most of his staff. For the
French and for the Bavarians, it was a shattering defeat from which they would
never fully recover. For the Confederate army, it was a triumph that would
reverberate throughout Europe.

Daniel
Rawson had played no small part in it. Having helped to recapture the colours
of Rowe's regiment, he had been fully engaged in the later assaults on
Blenheim, fighting on bravely after collecting a range of minor injuries and
inspiring his men with his wholehearted commitment. He only quit the field for
a short while when he carried the wounded Henry Welbeck through the chaos of
the fray to relative safety. Leaving his friend in the hands of a surgeon,
Daniel had hurried back to rejoin the battle.

Now
that it was all over, he was able to visit the field hospital to check on
Welbeck's condition. The sergeant had been very fortunate. A bullet had pierced
his thigh but missed the bone. While he had lost a lot of blood, he was in no
danger of sacrificing a limb. Despite being surrounded by wounded soldiers,
Welbeck was almost cheerful.

'We
beat them,' he said, grinning. 'We beat the bastards.'

'We
did more than that, Henry. It's too early to give the full numbers yet but,
according to what I've heard, we captured Marshal Tallard and his generals,
over 1000 officers and almost all the soldiers left in Blenheim.'

'What
about our casualties, Dan?'

'There
could be as many as 12,000 killed or injured,' said Daniel sadly, 'and they
included some good friends. But we accounted for over three times that number
in the enemy ranks. We achieved a famous victory. Even you must be pleased to
be part of it.'

'I
was, Dan. Our men gave of their best.'

'That's
what they were trained to do.'

'When
the news reaches France, the King will fill his breeches.'

'I
don't think they'll be in a hurry to tell him the truth of what happened here
today. They'll delay the messengers as long as they can. Bad news upsets King
Louis and this news is disastrous.' He studied his friend. 'You're looking
better already. You've got some colour back in your face. What you need now is
a long rest.'

'Does
that mean you'll wait on me hand and foot?'

'I'd
be glad to if I was here, Henry,' said Daniel, chuckling, 'but I'll be on my
way back to England. I'll be helping to take the good news back home. They may
be keeping the result of the battle from King Louis but Her Majesty will
rejoice to hear it. I wanted to call on you before I left.'

'Thanks,
Dan. I appreciate it.'

'I'll
see you when I return.'

'I
may have retired from the army by then.'

'People
like you
never
retire,' said Daniel, clapping him on the shoulder. 'Without the Sergeant
Welbecks of this world, there'd be no such thing as a British army. You're part
of its very backbone.'

'Then
why don't they pay me more?' challenged Welbeck.

'Daniel
laughed. 'I'll take the matter up with His Grace when I see him,' he joked. 'A
review of sergeants' pay must be a priority. I'm sure he has nothing else to
worry about just now.'