The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-04-17

lie was HOC mOUel one on the paIt "a 1Lc
French. Under command of Louis XIV
and Marshal SAKE they were laying siege
to FoUrnay, on the Sheldt, and when the
allies, $1,000 to 10000 strong, came up in
the rear to raise the siege Sake swung
10000 Of his troops around on to slope,
presenting two faces to the enemy. His
lines thus had two directions and met in
an angle at the center, the same as the IN
fortunate position occupied by SickleS'
corps on July at Gettysburg. The French
ranks rested Oh the Sheldt on the right, and
in an impenetrable wood on the left and
the front was strengthened by heavy re-
doubts having diverging fire that swept
the whole plain beyond. The left side of
the angle had but two redoubts, one at the
point and one at the extreme left. The
right side was better supplied. Marshal
SAKE stated that he did not believe that
commander existed bold enough to attempt
to put his troops through the raking fire
from those two widely separated redoubts.
1t proved a weak spot, however.
The allies were formed under three COM
manders-Gen. Ingoldsby on the right, to
charge the isolated redoubt at the edge of
the wood on the extreme left; the young
Duke of Cumberland with Anglo-German
troops in the center, and Prince de Wal
deck on the left with the Dutch troops.
The action began at o'clock in the morn
ing, May II, 1745 and ragged as an artillery
duel for four hours. Then the allied in
fantry took it up and made grand adj
vance all along the line. The Dutch infant
ry in heavy columns, supported by cavalry,
CALAMITY faced the terrible artillery fire
that raked their lines crosswise and length
wise. The French had a sixteen FOUNDER
battery on bluff at the extreme right of
their position that swept the Dutch lines
from end to end. No soldiers could be
madesto endure such cannonading without
some diversion from other sources. And
at critical time there was prospect of
such diversion, for the Duke of Cumberland
at the head of 1900 British and Hanover
ian infantry, and accompanied by twenty
cannon, carried in the left side of the angle
from the redoubt at the wood to the point
at Fontenoy. The redoubt at the wood
assaulted by Ingoldsby had not been car
ried, owing to the cowardice or ineficiency
of the leader of the attacking column. But
the duke pressed on into the very center of
the French lines, more than 300 PAGES past
the battery front. OF course he carried
confusion with him. Louis XIV and the
Dauphin were in the camp. If the Dutch
could do as well on their side rs Cumber-
land had done on his the French we're lost,
for owing to the situation there was no
avenue of escape in case of defeat. Despair
settled down on the French councils. The
favorite troops had given way before Cum
berland's blows
The steady musketry fire of his columns
seemed to the French as something infer
nal, and his advancing cannon knocked to
pieces whole brigades Of the kings choice
infantry. The French had no pieces of
cannon in their redoubts, but these were
all needed to do their work there Four
guns only had been left in reserve, and an
officer of the Irish brigade, Col. Lally, sus-
gested that they be brought into action to
oppose Cumberland's advance This idea
coming to the ear of the king was adopted,
and the guns were brought into action in
front of the victorious allies, whose shouts
of triumph resounded over the plain. The
move placed the impetuous Cumberland
into difficult position. He had cut his
way through a gap, for the French batter
les on both fanks of his column remained
intact and fired upon the allies who at