The times., 1898-09-10
MARLBOROUGH.
The Great Commander Mt the Battle
OF BIenheim.
(From the Cornhiil Magazine.l

(From the Cornhll Magazine)
Marlborough resembled Hannibal in his
use of cavalry for the deciding stroke in
great battle, and al Blenheim he had
no less than 5000 horse, long line of
nodding plumes and cleaning swords
ready to launch on Tallard's center. Be
hind were steady battalions of infantry,
under the cover of whose fire the horse
men might reform If the attack failed.
In front was the long slope, soft with
grass and elastic to the stroke of the
galloping hoofs, an ideal field for the
great cavalry charge. Tallard had drawn
up his cavalry in two lines, and had in
Ierlaced them with batteries of artillery
and squares of infantry. These were
drawn up slightly below the crest of the
ridge, so as to exactly cover the summit
with their fire
At O'Clock Marlborough launched the
great attack. Slowly at first, but gather
ing momentum as they advanced. the
long lines of hoFsemen came on. The air
was full of the clangor of scabbard on
stirrup; the squadrons were just stretch
ing themselves out into a galIop, as they
reached the summit Of the ridge when
they We're smitten by the fire of the
French infantry and artillery. So deadly
and close was the volley that the leaGing
squadrons went down before it, and for
few wild minutes, under the canopy of
S--S ms saiilOfAtf 11dllDpIOuEi morse
men We're In fierce confusion. That was
the moment for a counterstroke Tallard
saw Ii and gave the word to his cavalry
TO charge. They were more numerous
than the British, yet they faltered. II
saw an instant" wrote the unfortunate
Tallard afterward, "in which the battle
was gained If" his cavalry in brief had
charged But it failed to charge The
moment of possible victory vanished. and
over the crest. with bent heads and wind
blown erests, the CLEAN of a thousand
swords. and the thunder of innumerable
gailoping hoofs came the British cav
airy.
Tallard's center was broken as with
the stroke of a thunderbolt His in
fantry was swept into ruin, his cavalry
hurled into diSordered flight and his
army fairly cut in twain. His left wing
fell back. fighting desperately; but his
right, the elite of his army was hopeless
ly shut up in Blenheim itself As night
fell Marlborough drew his lines closely
round the village. Webb with the Queen $
regiment. blocked one avenue OF escape
a cavalry force-one regiment of which
consisted of Scots Greys-guarded the
other. The French general in command
of Blenheim. believing the situation to be
desperate. ignobly abandoned his men,
and tried to swim his horse across the
Danube, and was very properly drowned
in the attempt For time the fight
round Blenheim was furious Part of the
village took fire. and in the light of the
red flames Frenchmen and Englishmen
fought hand to hand with fiery valor
But with the center destroyed and the
left wing in full retreat the condition of
Tallard's right, shut up in Blenheim was
hopeless, and 11,000 French infantry laid
down their arms prisoners OF war
The great French army. 10000 strong.
composed in the main of veterans and
familiar with victory, practically ceased
to exist.
That battle changed the course of his
tory. 1t destroyed the dream of the uni
versai empire which Louis XIV had cher
ished so long. 1t secured for the Anglo
Saxon race that opportunity of free de-
velopment which has made the empire
of today possible.