April 1 12 .
Long before the enterprise against the Spanish Main had worn itself out to its tragical1 end, all Europe had been kindled2 into a blaze of war. On the 20th of October 1740, while Cathcart was still impatiently awaiting the fair wind which should carry him from Spithead, the Emperor Charles the Sixth died, leaving his daughter Maria Theresa sole heiress of his dominions3. Her succession had already been recognised by the powers of Europe through their guarantee of the Pragmatic Sanction, but on such guarantees little trust was to be reposed4. The principal rival to the Queen of Hungary was the Elector of Bavaria, and France, mindful of her old friendship with Bavaria, was ready enough to wreak5 her old hostility6 upon the House of Austria by upholding him. England and Holland alone, commercial nations to whom a contract was a thing not lightly to be broken, felt strongly as to their duty in supporting the young Queen. The various states of Germany were as usual self-seeking and disunited, watching greedily to make what profit they could out of the helpless House of Hapsburg. Frederick of Prussia, not yet named the Great, was the first to move. He had but recently come to the throne, inheriting together with it the most efficient army in Europe, and a large stock of ready money. Moving, as ever, promptly7, swiftly, and silently, he invaded Silesia, and by a signal victory over the Austrians at Mollwitz called the whole of Europe to arms.
France, with visions not only of acquiring new[81] territory in Germany, but of paying off old scores against England through Hanover, had begun to weave great schemes even before the fight of Mollwitz. The most remarkable8 of living French statesmen, Marshal Belleisle, having thought out his plans and obtained the royal sanction for them, started off in March 1741 on a tour of visits to the courts of Europe; his object being to persuade them, first to renounce9 the Pragmatic Sanction, and secondly10 to support the candidature of the Elector Charles Albert of Bavaria against that of Maria Theresa's husband, the Grand Duke Francis of Lorraine, for the imperial crown. This done, he seems to have hoped to partition Austria proper between Saxony and Prussia, and to divide all Germany and the Empire into four weak kingdoms, Bavaria, Saxony, Prussia, and Hungary, which by careful fostering of jealousies11 and quarrels should be kept dependent on France.
Dec. 4 15 .
February.
Charles Albert of Bavaria, Augustus of Saxony, Frederick of Prussia and the Queen of Spain were gained over by Belleisle with little difficulty; but Hanover, with England at its back, stood out for the Pragmatic Sanction. In England the sympathy with Maria Theresa was strong, and Walpole in the session of 1741 obtained from Parliament a pledge to maintain her succession, a subsidy12 of three hundred thousand pounds to tide her over financial difficulties, and an acknowledgment of England's obligation to assist her with a force of twelve thousand men. He also attempted to detach Frederick from Belleisle's confederacy, but with conspicuous13 ill-success. Meanwhile King George went over to Hanover to assemble troops for the support of Maria Theresa; and then France, always ready to strike the first blow, sent two armies across the Rhine, one to join hands with the forces of Bavaria and carry the war to the gates of Vienna, the other straight upon Hanover itself. Thus surprised, the King could do nothing but stipulate14 for one year's neutrality for Hanover, promising15 also that during the same period he would neither give help to the Queen of Hungary[82] nor cast his vote as an Elector of the Empire in her husband's favour. Bound by this humiliating agreement, which had excited no less scorn in England than in Austria, the King returned home to meet a new parliament, which had been elected amid no ordinary excitement owing to the disasters on the Spanish Main. Furious attacks were made upon Walpole, who was held responsible for a war which he had always deprecated, and for which he knew the nation to be unprepared; and in less than two months he was driven from office. Lord Wilmington succeeded him as nominal16 head of the Treasury17, and Lord Carteret, one of the few living Englishmen who could speak German, took charge of foreign affairs. Parliament showed itself more zealous18 than ever in the cause of Maria Theresa, and voted her a subsidy of half a million, while Carteret prevailed with his colleagues to send sixteen thousand British troops to Flanders to act as her auxiliaries19 in arms. Finally, five millions were granted for the prosecution20 of the war.
Notwithstanding that all these preparations could be aimed at no power but France, the two nations were not supposed to be at war with each other. The French had invented the phrase auxiliaries, and had marched their armies into Germany under the shelter of that innocent designation; and the English were foolish enough for a time to follow their example. The movements of the French fleet at the outset of Wentworth's expedition had, however, left little doubt as to the hostility of France towards England, and the fact had been settled beyond all dispute by some French despatches intercepted22 by Vernon. The past year therefore had not passed without additional military preparations on the part of England. In January 1741 four more regiments24 of marines were raised over and above those sent out with Wentworth; and simultaneously26 orders were issued for the formation of seven new regiments of foot under Colonels Fowke, Long, Houghton, Price, Cholmondeley, and De Grangue. Of these the first six still remain with us, numbered the[83] Forty-third to the Forty-eighth. Throughout the summer also a force of some five thousand men had been kept in camp near Colchester under General Wade27, in readiness to take the field. Finally, the estimates for 1742 provided for a force on the British establishment of sixty-two thousand men. Sufficient troops being therefore presumably to hand, the next thing was to appoint a commander, and the choice fell on John, Earl of Stair.
Stair was now close on seventy years of age, but despite a very early beginning of a soldier's life, was still active and efficient enough. At the age of nineteen he had fought at Steenkirk, already with the rank of colonel; in Marlborough's first campaign he had been the foremost in the breach28 in Cutts's mad assault upon Venloo; he had served as a regimental officer at Blenheim, as a brigadier at Ramillies, on Marlborough's staff at Oudenarde, and had been present also at Malplaquet. He had been distinguished29 by particular kindness and attention both from the great Duke and from Prince Eugene, and had not failed to take to heart their teaching in the art of war. Altogether he was not ill-qualified to command a British army in its first active service on the continent since the death of Marlborough.
May 6 17 .
His first duties, however, were diplomatic, namely to induce the States-General to permit the occupation of Nieuport and Ostend by the British, as their bases of operations against the French in the Austrian Netherlands. He was further instructed to allay30 any feeling of distrust that might have been roused by Hanover's declaration of neutrality, and if possible to engage the Dutch to take an active part as auxiliaries of Queen Maria Theresa. It was no easy task, for endless faction31 joined to an impossible form of government had reduced the Dutch to the lethargy, inefficiency32, and helplessness which was their ruin; while, moreover, recollections of the Peace of Utrecht were still strong enough to make them diffident and cold towards any[84] overtures33 from England. The proposal to quarter a British garrison34 in the Netherlands was therefore ill-received, until, in the nick of time, there came the news that the Austrians, having made a desperate push to expel Frederick of Prussia from Silesia, had been totally defeated by him at the battle of Chotusitz. Such a blow to the Austrian cause might bring about great results. Marshal Maillebois, with a French army of forty thousand men, lay in Westphalia, blocking the march of the Hanoverian troops if they should try to join the British, and at the same time ready to pierce into Holland at any moment. In such circumstances a contingent35 of British troops could not but be valuable to the States, so leave was granted for the disembarkation of the first British battalions36 at Ostend; and arrangements were made, though with no very good grace, to find them quarters in Bruges and Ghent. But as to throwing in their lot with the British for the defence of the Pragmatic Sanction, the machinery38 of the Dutch Government was too complicated, the minds of men too cautious, and the spirit of those in authority too corrupt39, to permit the settlement of a matter of such importance without delay of months or even years.
The British troops continued to arrive in driblets from England, and Stair meanwhile, knowing that his movements must depend upon those of the French, watched the situation with the keenest interest. The French army of Bavaria, after a few trifling40 successes on the Danube, had been rapidly swept back by the energy of the Austrian General Khevenhüller. A portion of it, which had penetrated41 into Bohemia and captured Prague, was still lying in that kingdom under an incompetent42 commander, Marshal Broglie, with Prague for its base. Little was to be feared from Broglie: the really formidable enemy was Frederick of Prussia, whom Stair was for detaching from Belleisle's confederacy at any cost. The Prussian army once out of the way, the whole armed force of Austria could be turned upon the French in Bohemia, who, owing to[85] Khevenhüller's successes on the Danube, must either be sacrificed altogether, or rescued with great difficulty at the price of denuding43 the whole French frontier of troops. It would then be open to the Austrians to advance through the Palatinate and up the Moselle into France, while the Dutch and English might either join them or break straight in from the north upon Paris and put an end to the war and to the mischief44 of French ambition for ever.
May 31 June 11.
So counselled Stair, with a clearness of judgment45, alike as soldier and statesman, that was not unworthy of his great master; but unfortunately Maria Theresa would not come to terms with Frederick without striking a last blow for Silesia, which ended, as has been told, in the disaster of Chotusitz. Then at last she gave in; and the Treaty of Breslau purchased the friendship of Frederick at the cost of Silesia. Stair was instantly on the alert, for the game seemed now to be in his hand. The French frontier towards the Netherlands was but weakly defended; a feint of invasion in that direction must certainly bring back Maillebois from Westphalia to guard it, and then the road would be open for the junction46 of the Hanoverians with the British. The Austrians had already fourteen thousand troops in the country, which, added to the British and their Allies, would make up a force superior to any that Maillebois could bring together.[159] Carteret entered warmly into the plan; and meanwhile events elsewhere had fallen out exactly according to Stair's prevision. The Austrians, relieved from the pressure of Frederick and his Prussians, turned all their strength against the French in Bohemia, and swept them out of all their posts except Prague, wherein they held the wreck47 of the French force closely besieged48. Maillebois was called away to Bohemia to save the beleaguered49 army if he could, and the whole of the French frontier towards Flanders lay open, with little more than twenty thousand[86] men to protect it. This was the moment for which Stair had waited, hardly daring to hope that it would ever come, and he urged that the whole of the forces present, alike of England, Hanover, and Austria, should be concentrated for an immediate50 attack on Dunkirk, where the best of the French troops were known to be gathered together. These troops once beaten, the road would be clear for a march to Paris.[160]
But just at this moment King George suddenly turned lukewarm. He was not at war with France, he said, and his troops were acting51 simply as auxiliaries to the Queen of Hungary. France could take no offence at their presence, as her troops were likewise employed only as auxiliaries to the Elector of Bavaria.[161] Again, there were sundry52 arrangements to be adjusted before the troops of the Allies could be concentrated. It was, therefore, not until the 24th of August that orders were despatched to the Hanoverians to march; and even then King George was inclined rather to bar the return march of Maillebois from Bohemia at the Meuse than to strike at the heart of his enemy at Dunkirk. Then, again, the men of skill in England, as Stair contemptuously called the council of war at Whitehall, thought the attack on Dunkirk too venturesome; and the plan was disapproved53, chiefly, it should seem, because the King had some idea of taking command of the Army in person.[162] Stair meanwhile was chafing54 with impatience55, concerting new plans with the Austrian commanders, and promising himself that his winter quarters should be in Normandy. His design now was to march straight for the head of the Oise, which would give him a navigable river for his transport, and to move from thence direct upon Paris. The French troops on the spot were few in number and would not dare to leave [87]Dunkirk. The road for two-thirds of the journey to the Oise was paved, and the short distance that remained, therefore, constituted the only difficulty, by no means insuperable, in the way. Arrived at Paris the army could take artillery56 from the arsenal57 there, and move down the Seine to the siege of Havre. Finally, Stair promised that, if the King would give him a free hand, he would enable him before the 12th of October to dictate58 his own terms.[163]
The plan was daring enough, but Stair was neither a visionary nor an idle boaster, and there appears no reason to doubt that it was perfectly59 feasible. The French had recently fortified60 Dunkirk anew, and, as was not uncommon61 with them, had elaborated the works to such excess that forty thousand men were required to defend them. Unless, therefore, they chose to abandon Dunkirk, which they could hardly afford to do, there remained no troops to check an advance on Paris. But the design did not commend itself to the King. He submitted it to General Wade, slowest and most cautious of generals, who criticised it adversely62; and meanwhile, whether through jealousy63 or treachery or sheer mismanagement, the orders for the Hanoverians to march were on one pretext64 or another delayed until all hopes of a campaign of 1742 were banished65 by the coming of the winter.[164]
February.
Stair was deeply chagrined66; and the discipline of his troops, who had been long kept idle in quarters which they detested67, suffered so much that it was only restored by the strongest measures.[165] The winter set in with unusual severity, making the ground easy for purposes of transport and neutralising the value of the inundations on which the fortresses68 of the north-west frontier of France depended chiefly for their defence. Stair was eager to pounce69 upon some of them while the [88]frost lasted, but the Austrian generals would not hear of it. He then proposed to attack one or other of the fortresses in Lorraine, Metz, Longwy, or Thionville, preparatory to an invasion of France by the Moselle; but again the Austrians dissented70.[166] Their great object was to move King George's army into Germany, in order to frighten some of the minor71 German princes into alliance with Austria; and Stair, as he bitterly complained, was so much hampered72 by his instructions that he felt absolutely helpless.[167] The Hanoverians again, though supposed to be under his command, received independent orders from the King which were not communicated to Stair, and they declined to obey any other.[168] At last, after many struggles with Austrian generals and English ministers, the British army in February 1743 began its march eastward73, as the Austrians had desired. The regiments were sadly distressed74 by the absence of multitudes of officers, who had gone home on leave for their duties in Parliament or for more private and trivial objects. "I thought it hard to refuse them leave," wrote Stair with biting sarcasm75, "when they said that their preferment depended on the interest of their friends at Court. They had no notion that it depended on their exertions76 here."[169] To such a pass had twenty years of peace under Walpole brought the discipline of the Army.
Nevertheless Stair's recent severity had borne good fruit, and the conduct both of officers and men in a winter's march of extreme hardship and discomfort77 was such as to call forth78 his warmest praise.[170] As the spring drew near, the question as to the plan of [89]the coming campaign became urgent. Fifty thousand French troops had been moved to the Moselle to bar any invasion through Lorraine, while all their forces in Flanders had been stationed on the Meuse ready either to join their comrades on the Moselle, or to advance to the Neckar in case the Allies should cross the Rhine to the south of Cologne. Stair, with the spirit of his master strong upon him, hinted at the desirability of a march to the Danube. The Austrians, as he guessed, would certainly resume their advance from the east against the French on that river as soon as the weather permitted, and his plan was to close in upon them from the west and fall upon their rear while the Austrians attacked them in front. Such a project, however, was too bold for the caution of King George, and, moreover, as he was always reminding Stair, though the French were to be treated as enemies he was not at war with France.[171] His final orders, given after immense delay, were that Stair should occupy the heights of Mainz and command the junction of the Rhine and Main.[172] Such a disposition79 was from a military point of view sufficiently80 obscure; and indeed it had no military object whatever, being designed simply to secure the choice of King George's nominee81 for the vacant electorate82 of Mainz.
May.
May 23 June 3.
Very slowly, owing to the extreme difficulty of obtaining forage83, the forces, both native and mercenary, of England, Hanover, and Austria were assembled on the north bank of the Main. Their position extended from the Rhine to Aschaffenburg, and faced to the south, while a bridge of boats was kept ready at Frankfort for the passage of the river.[173] Meanwhile, a French army of seventy thousand men, under Marshal Noailles, had quietly taken up its station on the Upper Rhine near Spires84, and was seeking to establish communication with Bavaria and the Neckar, in order to save what [90]was left of Broglie's army while still it might; though, at the same time, not without apprehensions85 as to the danger of leaving the Palatinate and Lorraine open behind it. Stair took in the situation at a glance. He was for crossing the Main, following the left bank downward and taking up a position between Oppenheim and Mainz. There he could threaten Noailles so closely that he would not dare to detach any part of his army to Bavaria. He would, moreover, have it in his power to attack the French on the Neckar whenever he pleased; and finally, he could in due time cross the Rhine westward86, and force the French to retire on Landau and Alsace, leaving Lorraine and the Netherlands open to invasion. After some trouble Count d'Arenberg, a general neither very enterprising nor very capable, who commanded the Austrians, appears to have been converted to his views; and though the entire army was even now not yet arrived at the rendezvous87, the Allies on the 3rd of June began the passage of the Main. A day or two later Stair received intelligence that Noailles had left the Neckar and was advancing along the high road from Darmstadt to Frankfort to attack him. This road passed for a considerable distance through a forest, and it was at its outlet88 from this forest that Stair took up his position to await the French. D'Arenberg so strongly disapproved of the whole proceeding89 that he withdrew the whole of the Austrian dragoons to the right bank of the Main, in order to rescue the shattered remnants that should be left of Stair's army after the battle. Marshal Neipperg, his second, however, led the Austrian infantry90 to the position of Stair's choice: and when Noailles arrived on the following morning he withdrew without venturing to attack.
May 30 June 10.
Meanwhile King George, who had arrived at Hanover a fortnight before, was perfectly frantic91. On Stair's first proposal to cross to the south bank of the Main he had sent positive orders, which reached Stair too late, that he was not to stir. The King was[91] surrounded by nervous Austrians who, having information of Noailles's intended advance, were, or professed92 to be, in terror lest the Allies should be beaten in detail, and did not fail to represent how dreadful it would be if the army should be defeated before His Majesty93 could take command. Letter after letter therefore was despatched to Stair, bidding him above all things to be careful, and finally ordering him to repass the Main. Stair at first had prepared to obey orders, though not without speaking his mind. "I am too careful of the King's interest," he wrote, "to be rash, but I am sure of two things, that the French are far more occupied with Bavaria than with us, and that we are superior to them even in numbers. The importance of giving an army to a person who is trusted is now evident. Had my plan been followed, we should now be in a position to fall on the head of the French army which, after sending away a detachment to Bavaria, is now taking post along the Rhine." In truth, during the months of May and June, the Austrians on the Danube had swept Broglie right out of Germany; and Noailles's detachment no sooner reached him than it was ordered forthwith to retreat. But when Stair heard of Noailles's advance to attack him he quietly suppressed the King's orders to repass the Main until he had offered battle to the French. When Noailles refused it, Stair recrossed the river as he had been bidden, unwillingly94 indeed, yet not a little satisfied that after all the King's orders and all the Austrian predictions of disaster, he had successfully proved the soundness of his views. "But," he added significantly on arriving on the northern bank, "it will be impossible for us now to find forage. The French being masters of one side of the river, forage cannot be brought down to us by water, so we must move upward." It was just this question of supplies which had made him so anxious for a general action; and the event proved that he was right.[174]
June 8 19 .
June 15 26 .
On the 19th of June King George at last arrived from Hanover and took over the command of the army, which was encamped, as he had ordered, on the right bank of the Main, the English and Hanoverians lying about Aschaffenburg. In the hope of securing forage on the other bank, a battery had been erected96 on the bridge of Aschaffenburg, but Noailles, moving up to the river, erected a redoubt at his own end of the bridge and put an end to all such hopes. Meanwhile he seized a post further up the river to intercept23 all supplies from Franconia, and threw two bridges over it below Aschaffenburg at Seligenstadt, by which his troops could cross and cut off the Allies from their magazines at Hanau. For a week the King remained helpless in this camp, unwilling95 to retreat though his peril97 increased every day. The result was that he found himself in command of a starving army. It was impossible to keep the soldiers from plunder98, and discipline became seriously relaxed. At last, on the 26th of June, it was perforce resolved that the army must retreat to Hanau that very night.
June 16 27 .
Meanwhile Noailles had not been idle. The ground on which the Allies were encamped is a narrow plain pent in between the Spessart Hills and the Main. These hills are densely99 wooded, and the forest appears at that time to have descended100 lower into the plain than at present. When therefore the Allies retired101 to Hanau, as Noailles knew that inevitably102 they must, it would be impossible for them to keep out of range of cannon103 posted on the opposite bank of the Main, and accordingly the marshal had erected five different batteries to play upon them during their march. At one o'clock on the morning of the 27th intelligence was brought to[93] him that the Allies were in motion. This was the moment for which he had been waiting. Instantly galloping104 to Seligenstadt, he ordered Count Grammont to cross the Main with twenty-eight thousand men by the two bridges which he had laid for the purpose, and to take up a position about a mile up the river by the village of Dettingen. At that point a rivulet105 runs down across the plain from the Spessart Hills to the Main, through a little boggy106 dale which was uncrossed by any bridge except by that of the high road to Hanau. There Grammont was bidden to wait and to make an end of the Allies as they defiled107 over the bridge. He took up his position accordingly, and Noailles returned to the opposite bank of the Main to direct his operations against King George's flank and rear.
It was four o'clock in the morning before the Allied108 army was fairly in motion. The British cavalry109 led the way, followed by the Austrian, then came the British infantry and the Austrian infantry after them; and last of all came a strong rear-guard composed of the British Guards, the choicest of the German infantry, and the Hanoverian cavalry; for it was in the rear that an attack of the French was most looked for and most to be dreaded110. The apprehensions of a French advance on Aschaffenburg were soon seen to be well founded. The march of the Allies from that town lay across a bend of the Main to the village of Klein Ostheim, and as they approached the river they could see the French on the opposite bank in full march to cross the river behind them and cut off their retreat up the stream. Thus Noailles's dispositions111 were complete. These troops were to block the Allies to the south, impenetrable woods shut them off from the east, the Main barred their way on the west, and Grammont stood before them at Dettingen on the north. Noailles had caught them, as he said, in a mouse-trap, and might reasonably feel certain that they could not escape.
On arriving about seven o'clock at Klein Ostheim, the whole army of the Allies was obliged to file through[94] it by a single road. The cavalry, therefore, when it had passed through the village was halted and wheeled round with its face to the river to wait till the infantry should come up. This again Noailles had foreseen, and he had planted his cannon in exactly the right place to play upon the Allies when they should advance beyond the village. For an hour the cavalry stood halted before the march could be resumed; and now came intelligence from an advanced party in Dettingen that Grammont was in order of battle in front and that an immediate engagement was inevitable112. King George hastened to set his army likewise in order of battle; but all the baggage had been massed between the first and second divisions of the column of route, and the confusion for a time was very great. Meanwhile the French troops bound for Aschaffenburg had by this time cleared the front of the first of Noailles's batteries and left the guns free to open fire. The shot soon came humming thick and fast into the heavy mass of waggons114 and baggage-animals, and the confusion increased. Guns were sent for in frantic haste to silence the French cannon, but the artillery being far in the rear was long in making its appearance: and meanwhile the King capered115 about on horseback in great excitement, staff-officers galloped116 to and fro, and the troops marched and counter-marched into their positions, always under the deadly fire of the French battery. Gradually, though with infinite difficulty, the troops were shuffled117 into their places, for the stereotyped118 order of battle was useless in a plain that permitted a frontage only of twenty-three battalions and a few squadrons at most. So passed a terrible hour and more, until at last the British guns came into action and replied effectively to the French batteries; and then a push was made to shift the baggage into a place of safety. In the middle of the plain between Klein Ostheim and Dettingen stood a wood flanked on each hand by a morass119. Two lines of cavalry were moved forward towards this wood, the baggage followed them, the infantry followed the baggage, and the[95] troublesome waggons were at last stowed away securely under cover of the trees, while the cavalry and the Austrian infantry made haste to form the right of the Allies' line of battle.
It was high time, for it was now almost noon, and Grammont, tired of remaining where he had been bidden to wait on the north side of Dettingen, or believing (as he himself said) that the Allies had already passed him and that only their rear-guard was left, had advanced beyond the ravine to take up a fresh position. So far as the Allies could see, he was man?uvring to move troops down under cover of the forest upon their right flank. By this time, however, King George's line was formed, and on its extreme left were seen the scarlet120 coats of the British battalions. To the left of all, and within a furlong of the river, stood the Thirty-third Foot, and to its right in succession the Twenty-first Fusiliers, Twenty-third Fusiliers, Twelfth, Eleventh, Eighth and Thirteenth Foot. On the right of the Thirteenth stood an Austrian brigade, and then in succession the Blues121, Life Guards, Sixth Dragoons, and Royal Dragoons. All of these were in the first line. In the second line, in rear of their comrades on the left, were posted the Twentieth, Thirty-second, Thirty-seventh, Thirty-first, and the Buffs; and in rear of the cavalry on the right, the Seventh Dragoon Guards, King's Dragoon Guards, Fourth and Seventh Dragoons, and the Scots Greys. Opposite to them the French were ranged in two lines with a reserve in third line, the infantry being in the centre and the cavalry on the flanks, so that the famous French Household Cavalry,[175] in its place of honour on the extreme right, stood opposed to the British battalions on the Allied left. General Clayton, who commanded on the left, observing the mass of cavalry that confronted him, sent hastily for the Third Dragoons to fill up the gap between the Thirty-third and the river, and therewith the British dispositions were complete.
The whole of the first line then advanced, the King,[96] who had with difficulty been prevented from stationing himself on the extreme left, waving his sword and shouting words of encouragement with a broad German accent. Fortunately the French were themselves in great disorder122 and confusion. The corrupt dealing123 in the appointment and promotion124 of officers, which fifty years later was to set the French army on the side of the Revolution, was already undermining efficiency and discipline. Grammont on advancing beyond the ravine had thought out no new order of a battle. Not a brigadier was competent to draw up his brigade, and the Household Cavalry kept man?uvring about in front of the infantry without a thought except for the fine figure that it was cutting in the sight of both armies. The advance of the Allies was necessarily slow, for some of the English regiments, whose way lay through the morasses125, were knee-deep in mire126. The whole line was presently halted to take breath, and the British, evidently a little shaken by the previous hurry and confusion and by the gesticulations of the King, broke into a feeble and irregular cheer, a sound which Lord Stair heard with great displeasure. The line was dressed and the advance was resumed in better order, though the French batteries on the other bank of the Main never ceased to rain destruction on the Third Dragoons and on the unfortunate battalions on the left. The men were not yet quite steady, for some undisciplined spirits, fretting127 at the incessant128 parade of the French Household Cavalry, opened an irregular fire all along the line. Then, as it seems, came the most comical incident of the day. King George's horse, frightened by the crackle of the musketry, took the bit in his teeth and bolted away to the rear, His Majesty, with purple face and eyes starting out of his head, pulling desperately129 at him with both hands but unable to stop him. Ultimately the animal's career was checked, and the King returning to the right of the line dismounted and resumed his gestures on foot, utterly130 fearless, as are all of his race, and confident that his own legs, at least, would carry him[97] in the right direction. The line was again halted to load, there being fortunately still time to repair previous faults, and the advance was again resumed with greater steadiness.
Then the French infantry of the Guard on Grammont's right centre advanced likewise, cheering loudly, and opened a fitful and disorderly fire. The British, now thoroughly131 in hand, answered with a regular, swift, and continuous fire of platoons, the ranks standing21 firm like a wall of brass132 and pouring in volley after volley, deadly and unceasing—such a fire as no French officer had ever seen before.[176] The French Guards staggered under it and the British again raised an irregular cheer. "Silence," shouted Stair imperiously, galloping up. "Now one and all together when I give the signal." And as he raised his hat the British broke into the stern and appalling133 shout which was to become so famous on the fields of the Peninsula. The French Guards waited for no more when they heard it, but shrank back in disorder in rear of their horse, which now advanced in earnest against the extreme British left.
Clayton saw the danger. His left flank in the general confusion had never been properly secured, and though the fire of the French batteries by the river had ceased lest it should destroy their own troops, yet the Third Dragoons and the Thirty-third had been much weakened by it during their advance. Despatching urgent messages for reinforcements of cavalry, he put a bold face on the matter, ordered the Dragoons, Thirty-third, Twenty-first, and Twenty-third forward to meet the French attack, and prepared to stand the shock. Down came the flower of the French cavalry upon them, sword in hand, at high speed. The Third Dragoons were the first to close with them. They were but two weak squadrons against nine squadrons of the enemy, their depth was but of three ranks against eight ranks of the French; but they went straight at them, burst into the heart of them and cut their way[98] through, though with heavy loss. The Thirty-third faced the attack as boldly, never gave way for an inch and brought men and horses crashing down by their eternal rolling fire. Next to them the two regiments of Fusiliers were even more hardly pressed. The Gendarmerie came down upon them at full trot135 with pistols in both hands and swords dangling136 by the wrist. Arrived within range they fired the pistols, dashed the empty weapons in the faces of the British, and then fell in with the sword; but the Fusiliers, as it was said, fought like devils, their platoon-fire thundering out as regularly as on parade, and the French horse fell back repulsed137.
Still, gallantly138 as this first attack had been met, the numerical superiority of the French cavalry was formidable, and there was imminent139 danger lest the British left flank should be turned. The Third Dragoons had suffered heavily, after their first charge, from the bullets of a battalion37 posted in support of the French horse, but they rallied, and twice more, weak and weary as they were, they charged ten times their numbers and cut their way through them. But after the third charge they were well-nigh annihilated140. All the officers except two, and three-fourths of the men and horses had been killed or wounded; two of the three standards had been cut to atoms, both silk and staves, by shot and shell, and in the last charge the third had dropped from a cornet's wounded hand and lay abandoned on the ground. A trooper of the regiment25, Thomas Brown by name, was just dismounting to recover it when a French sabre came down on his bridle-hand and shore away two of his fingers. His horse, missing the familiar pressure of the bit, at once bolted, and before he could be pulled up had carried his rider into the rear of the French lines. There Dragoon Brown saw the standard of his regiment borne away in triumph by a French gendarme134. Disabled as he was he rode straight at the Frenchman, attacked and killed him; and then gripping the standard between his leg and the saddle he turned[99] and fought his way single-handed through the ranks of the enemy, emerging at last with three bullet-holes through his hat and seven wounds in his face and body, but with the standard safe.
But now the First and Seventh Dragoons, which had been summoned from the right, came galloping up and fell in gallantly enough upon the French Household Cavalry. These were, however, repulsed, partly, it should seem, because they attacked with more impetuosity than order, partly because the French were armed with helmets and breastplates heavy enough to turn a pistol shot. The Blues followed close after them, but sacrificing order to speed were, like their comrades, driven back in confusion; and the French Gendarmes141, flushed with success, bore down for the second time upon the Twenty-first and Twenty-third and succeeded in breaking into them. But the two battalions were broken only for a moment. Quickly recovering themselves they faced inwards, and closing in upon the French in their midst shot them down by scores. The Fourth and Sixth British Dragoons, together with two regiments of Austrian dragoons, now came up and renewed the combat against the French Household Cavalry, but it was not until after they had been twice repulsed that at last they succeeded, with the help of their rallied comrades, in forcing back the intrepid142 squadrons of the French horse.
Meanwhile the battle elsewhere had flagged. A feeble attack of the French against the right of the Allies had been easily repelled143, and in the centre the second line of the French infantry had cared little more than the first to face the terrible English fire. But while the Gendarmerie were still pressing the British hard on the left, the French Black Musketeers suddenly broke away from their place by their side, and wheeling to their left galloped madly between the fire of friendly and hostile infantry to make a dash upon the British Royal Dragoons at the extreme right of the Allied line. The Austrian Marshal Neipperg no sooner saw them[100] than he exclaimed: "Now is the time. The British horse will attack in front, and our horse in flank, and the thing is done." British and Austrians at once closed in upon the Black Musketeers, cut them to pieces, and then bore down upon the flank of the French infantry. The French foot, which had behaved very unworthily of itself all day, now took to its heels and fled in confusion towards the Main. The British horse on the left, one regiment in particular burning to wipe out the humiliation144 of its first failure, pressed the French Household Cavalry harder than ever in front, and the Scots Greys plunging145 in upon their flank threw them into utter rout113. The whole French army now made headlong for the fords and bridges of the Main, the infantry in their panic plunging madly into the stream and perishing by scores if not by hundreds in the water. Now was the moment for a vigorous pursuit, and had Stair been left to work his own will the French would have suffered very heavily; but the King was too thankful to have escaped from Noailles's mousetrap to think of turning his good fortune to account. The Marshal was allowed to retreat in peace, and thus, after four hours of sharp work, ended the battle of Dettingen.
Seldom has a commander found more fortunate issue from a series of blunders than King George. Had Grammont obeyed his orders it is difficult to see how a man of the Allied Army could have escaped; but even allowing for Grammont's ill-timed impatience it is strange that Noailles should have allowed the day to go as it went. It is true that he had sent the best of his troops across the Main with Grammont, but he had still from twenty to thirty thousand men on his own side of the river whom he left standing idle, without an attempt to employ them. He seems, in fact, to have been paralysed with dismay over the wreck of his very skilful146 combinations. The action itself deserves the name of a combat rather than a battle, for on neither side was more than half of the force really engaged; yet Dettingen was decidedly a victory, for the French[101] were badly beaten and lost little, if any, less than five thousand men, killed, wounded, and prisoners. The loss of the Allies was about half of that number, of which the British share was two hundred and sixty-five killed and five hundred and sixty-one wounded, the most valuable life taken being that of General Clayton. As the brunt of the action fell wholly on the first line, the greatest sufferers among the infantry were the regiments chiefly exposed to the flanking fire of the French batteries. These were the Thirty-third, Twenty-first, Twenty-third, and Twelfth of the Line, but in not one of them did the casualties exceed one hundred men, or about an eighth of their strength. The cavalry suffered far more heavily in comparison, though here again the losses of the heroes of the day, the Third Dragoons, were more than twice as great as those of any other regiment: one hundred and fifty men and as many horses forming a terrible proportion of casualties in two squadrons. The most noticeable points in the engagement were the disgraceful behaviour of the French infantry, by no one more severely147 censured148 than by Noailles himself, and the deadly accuracy of the British fire. A smaller but curious fact is that both the King and the Duke of Cumberland were run away with by their horses, the former, as has been told, to the rear, the latter to the front, and indeed into the midst of the French infantry, from which, however, he emerged with no greater hurt than a bullet in the leg. At the close of the day the King was so much elated by his success as to revive the creation of knights149 banneret in the field, a proceeding which ceases to seem ridiculous when we learn that Lord Stair was the first and Dragoon Thomas Brown the last of the new knights. Such a scene was never to be seen again, for Dettingen was the last action in which a king of England actually commanded his army in person.
December.
March 21 April 1.
The ceremony of knighthood completed, the King left his wounded on the ground to the care of Noailles, and hastened away as quickly as possible with the army[102] to his magazine at Hanau. The battle virtually closed the campaign, so far as the British were concerned, and King George returned home with his laurels150 fresh upon him, to be hailed with acclamation as a victor, and hear his praises sung in endless stanzas152 of most execrable verse. A few months later Lord Stair also returned home, without recrimination and without complaint, but with resolute153 and scornful determination to resign the command, since he was not trusted with the conduct of operations. General Wade was appointed field-marshal, to command in his stead. Finally, some weeks later the ridiculous fiction, that the principal combatants were acting only as auxiliaries to rival claimants to the Empire, was abandoned, and open war was declared against France. Had this straightforward154 course been adopted two years before, Stair would probably have turned the date of the declaration of war into that of the conclusion of an honourable155 peace. As matters stood the war was prolonged, and the time of its avowed156 inception157 was chosen as the moment for discarding the ablest of living British Generals.
Authorities.—The best accounts of the battle of Dettingen will be found in a collection of letters entitled British Glory Revived, in the British Museum, and in a great number of letters printed in the Gentleman's Magazine. There are accounts also in the Life of the Duke of Cumberland, and in the anonymous158 Memorial of the E[arl] of S[tair]. The best known of the French accounts is that of Voltaire in Siècle de Louis Quinze, which should be read with Noailles's report to the King in Correspondance de Louis XV. et du Maréchal Noailles. The exploits of Thomas Brown are to be found in the newspapers, and in Cannon's History of the Third Dragoons. The best plan of the battle that I have seen is in the Memorial of the E. of S. As a specimen159 of the doggerel160 effusions, I transcribe161 one stanza151 from a broadsheet in the British Museum:—
Our noble generals played their parts,
Our soldiers fought like thunder,
Prince William too, that valiant162 heart
In fight performed wonders.
Though through the leg with bullet shot
The Prince his wound regarded not,
But still maintained his post and fought
For glorious George of England.
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1
tragical
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| adj. 悲剧的, 悲剧性的 | |
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2
kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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dominions
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| 统治权( dominion的名词复数 )； 领土； 疆土； 版图 | |
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4
reposed
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| v.将（手臂等）靠在某人（某物）上( repose的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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5
wreak
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| v.发泄；报复 | |
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6
hostility
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| n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争 | |
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7
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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8
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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9
renounce
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| v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系 | |
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10
secondly
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| adv.第二，其次 | |
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11
jealousies
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| n.妒忌( jealousy的名词复数 )；妒羡 | |
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12
subsidy
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| n.补助金，津贴 | |
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13
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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14
stipulate
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| vt.规定，（作为条件）讲定，保证 | |
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15
promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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16
nominal
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| adj.名义上的；(金额、租金)微不足道的 | |
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17
treasury
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| n.宝库；国库，金库；文库 | |
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18
zealous
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| adj.狂热的，热心的 | |
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19
auxiliaries
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| n.助动词 ( auxiliary的名词复数 )；辅助工，辅助人员 | |
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20
prosecution
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| n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营 | |
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21
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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22
intercepted
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| 拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻 | |
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intercept
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| vt.拦截，截住，截击 | |
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24
regiments
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| （军队的）团( regiment的名词复数 )； 大量的人或物 | |
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regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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26
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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27
wade
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| v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉 | |
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28
breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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29
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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30
allay
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| v.消除，减轻(恐惧、怀疑等) | |
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faction
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| n.宗派，小集团；派别；派系斗争 | |
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32
inefficiency
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| n.无效率，无能；无效率事例 | |
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33
overtures
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| n.主动的表示，提议；（向某人做出的）友好表示、姿态或提议( overture的名词复数 )；（歌剧、芭蕾舞、音乐剧等的）序曲，前奏曲 | |
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34
garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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35
contingent
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| adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队 | |
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36
battalions
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| n.（陆军的）一营（大约有一千兵士）( battalion的名词复数 )；协同作战的部队；军队；（组织在一起工作的）队伍 | |
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37
battalion
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| n.营；部队；大队(的人) | |
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38
machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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39
corrupt
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| v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的 | |
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40
trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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41
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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42
incompetent
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| adj.无能力的，不能胜任的 | |
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43
denuding
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| v.使赤裸( denude的现在分词 )；剥光覆盖物 | |
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44
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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45
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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46
junction
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| n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站 | |
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47
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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48
besieged
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| 包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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49
beleaguered
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| adj.受到围困[围攻]的；包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词)；困扰；骚扰 | |
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50
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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51
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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52
sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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53
disapproved
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| v.不赞成( disapprove的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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54
chafing
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| n.皮肤发炎v.擦热（尤指皮肤）( chafe的现在分词 )；擦痛；发怒；惹怒 | |
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55
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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56
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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57
arsenal
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| n.兵工厂，军械库 | |
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58
dictate
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| v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令 | |
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59
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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60
fortified
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| adj. 加强的 | |
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61
uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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62
adversely
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| ad.有害地 | |
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63
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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64
pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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65
banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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66
chagrined
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| adj.懊恼的，苦恼的v.使懊恼，使懊丧，使悔恨( chagrin的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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67
detested
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| v.憎恶，嫌恶，痛恨( detest的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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68
fortresses
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| 堡垒，要塞( fortress的名词复数 ) | |
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69
pounce
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| n.猛扑；v.猛扑，突然袭击，欣然同意 | |
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70
dissented
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| 不同意，持异议( dissent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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71
minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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72
hampered
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| 妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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73
eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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74
distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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75
sarcasm
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| n.讥讽，讽刺，嘲弄，反话 （adj.sarcastic） | |
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76
exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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77
discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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78
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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79
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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80
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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81
nominee
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| n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者 | |
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82
electorate
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| n.全体选民；选区 | |
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83
forage
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| n.(牛马的)饲料，粮草；v.搜寻，翻寻 | |
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84
spires
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| n.（教堂的） 塔尖，尖顶( spire的名词复数 ) | |
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85
apprehensions
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| 疑惧 | |
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86
westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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87
rendezvous
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| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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88
outlet
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| n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄 | |
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89
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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90
infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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91
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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92
professed
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| 公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的 | |
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93
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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94
unwillingly
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| adv.不情愿地 | |
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95
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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96
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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97
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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98
plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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99
densely
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| ad.密集地；浓厚地 | |
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100
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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101
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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102
inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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103
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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104
galloping
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| adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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105
rivulet
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| n.小溪，小河 | |
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106
boggy
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| adj.沼泽多的 | |
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107
defiled
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| v.玷污( defile的过去式和过去分词 )；污染；弄脏；纵列行进 | |
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108
allied
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| adj.协约国的；同盟国的 | |
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109
cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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110
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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111
dispositions
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| 安排( disposition的名词复数 )； 倾向； （财产、金钱的）处置； 气质 | |
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112
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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113
rout
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| n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮 | |
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114
waggons
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| 四轮的运货马车( waggon的名词复数 )； 铁路货车； 小手推车 | |
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115
capered
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| v.跳跃，雀跃( caper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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116
galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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117
shuffled
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| v.洗（纸牌）( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 )；拖着脚步走；粗心地做；摆脱尘世的烦恼 | |
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118
stereotyped
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| adj.(指形象、思想、人物等)模式化的 | |
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119
morass
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| n.沼泽，困境 | |
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120
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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121
blues
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| n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐 | |
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122
disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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123
dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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124
promotion
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| n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传 | |
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125
morasses
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| n.缠作一团( morass的名词复数 )；困境；沼泽；陷阱 | |
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126
mire
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| n.泥沼，泥泞；v.使...陷于泥泞，使...陷入困境 | |
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127
fretting
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| n. 微振磨损 adj. 烦躁的, 焦虑的 | |
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128
incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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129
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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130
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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131
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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132
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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133
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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134
gendarme
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| n.宪兵 | |
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135
trot
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| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
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136
dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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137
repulsed
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| v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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138
gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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139
imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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140
annihilated
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| v.（彻底）消灭( annihilate的过去式和过去分词 )；使无效；废止；彻底击溃 | |
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141
gendarmes
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| n.宪兵，警官( gendarme的名词复数 ) | |
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142
intrepid
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| adj.无畏的，刚毅的 | |
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143
repelled
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| v.击退( repel的过去式和过去分词 )；使厌恶；排斥；推开 | |
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144
humiliation
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| n.羞辱 | |
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145
plunging
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| adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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146
skilful
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| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
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147
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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148
censured
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| v.指责，非难，谴责( censure的过去式 ) | |
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149
knights
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| 骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马 | |
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150
laurels
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| n.桂冠，荣誉 | |
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151
stanza
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| n.（诗）节，段 | |
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152
stanzas
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| 节，段( stanza的名词复数 ) | |
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153
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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154
straightforward
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| adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的 | |
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155
honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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156
avowed
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| adj.公开声明的，承认的v.公开声明，承认( avow的过去式和过去分词) | |
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157
inception
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| n.开端，开始，取得学位 | |
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158
anonymous
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| adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的 | |
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159
specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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160
doggerel
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| n.拙劣的诗，打油诗 | |
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161
transcribe
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| v.抄写，誉写；改编(乐曲)；复制，转录 | |
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162
valiant
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| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 | |
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