The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-19
MARLBOROUGH AT THE BATTLE
OF BLENHEIM.

Marlborough resembled Hannibal In
his use of cavalry for The deciding
stroke in a great battle, and at Blen,-
helm he had no less than 5000 horse, a
long line of nodding plumes and gleam-
ing swords, ready to launch on Tai
lard's centre Behind were steady bat
talions of infantry under the cover of
whose fire the horsemen 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 a great cavalry charge.
Tallard had drawn up his cavalry in
two lines, and had interlaced 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
gathering momentum as they advanced,
the long lines of horsemen came on.
The air was full of the clangor OF scab-
bard on stirrup; the squadrons were
just stretching themselves out into
gallop, as they reached the summit or
the ridge, when they were smitten by
artillery So deadly and close was the
volley that the leading squadrons Went
down before it, and for few wild rnin-
utes, under the canopy sof wh1rling
smoke, Marlborough's horSemen were
in fierce confusion That was the mo-
ment for counter stroke. Tallard saw
it. and gave the word to his cavalry 10
charge. They were more nu-
merous that the British, yet
n
slant" wrote the unfortunate Tallard
afterward, Sin 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 crests, the gleam OF
thousand swords and the thunder Of
innumerable galloping hoofs, came the
British cavalry.
Tallards centre 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
hopelessly shut UP in Blenheim itself
AS night fell Marlborough drew his
lines closely round the village. Webb.
with the queens 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. be-
lieving the situation to be desperate,
ignobly anbandoned his men and tried
to swim his horse across the Danube.
and was very properly drowned in the
For time the fight round
Blenheim was furious. Part of the viii
lage took fire, and in the light of the
red flames Frenchmen and Englishmen
fought hand to hand with fiery valor.
But with the centre destroyed and the
left wing in full retreat. the condI-
ton of Tallard's right, shut up in Blen-
helm, was hopeless, and IL, 900 French
infantry laid down their arms as pris-
oners of war. The great French army
60, 900 strong in the main
of veterans and familiar with victory,
ceased to exist
That battle changed the course Of
1t destroyed the dream of a
empire which Louis XIV had
cherished so long; 1t secured for the
race that opportunity Of
free development which has made the
empire of today possible.-Cornhill Ma
gaZine,