The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1917-09-07

has been one In which the forces or
liberty and democracy ranged them
selves on one side against the forces
of absOlutism on the other. Such was
the battle Of Blenheim. fought on
hot August day In 1T04 and won by the
genius OF John Churchill, first duke of
Marlborough. of whom IL has been said
that he never fought battle he did
not win and never besleged city he
did not take. BY victory at Blenheim
he smashed the power Of the grand
Monarque, Louis XIV, he who boosted
There are no longer any Pyrenees,"
who had extended tremendously the
French possessions and whose inten-
ton was to include all Europe In his
kingdom. But for Blenheim all Eu-
rope might have suffered for centuries
under the effects of French conquests
resembling those of Alexander for ex-
tent and those OF the Romans for dura-
bility.
Against Louis, who had the assist
ance OF the electOr of Bavaria, were
leagued England. Holland and Austria.
Generalissimo of the allied forces was
Marlborough. man who had on one
occasion betrayed his king and his
country, who owed his first advance
ment i'm court favor to, the fact that
his sister was the mistress of the duke
of York, who laid the foundations for
his great fortune by being the paid
lover of one of the favOrites Of Charles
III, whose defects in character were so
base and sordid that they can be OBJ
scured not even by his virtues, but who
as a soldier was almost supreme in
military genius. He won Blenheim by
a march which for brilliancy of plan
and execution is rivaled only by that
of the Consul Nero to the Mataurus.
For the first two years of the war
of the allies against France, MARI
borough commanded in Flanders, TAX
ing various enemy towns but accom-
plishing nothing OF decisive impOr-
lance; indeed, the advantage rested
rather with Louis, for the elector OF
Bavaria took the strong fortress Of
Ulm. thereby opening communication
with the French armies of the upper
Rhine and seriously menacing the in
tegrity Of Austria. TfereupOn Louis
decided to act on the defensive In
Flanders, while Marshal VillerOy kept
busily at work with big force In the
Moselle region, Marshal Tallard
marched through the Black forest to
join the elector, the French army In
Italy advanced and all combined to
take Vienna and dictate terms to the
emperor in his own capital.
This inspired Marlborough with the
audacious plan Of himself advancing
clear to the Danube and there fighting
It out. The more timid and the more
conservative opposed, since such a
campaign might leave Flanders ex-
posed, but Marlborough-and he must
have had a hard time of 1t with his
often stubborn foreign allles-over-
came all opposition. On the nineteenth
Of May, calming as well as he could
the agitated fears OF the abandoned
Dutch, he put his army In motion,
thereafter proceeding with a speed and
an elusive certainty which utterly be-
wildered Villeroy. That swOrthy,
marching hither and thlther, could not
imagine where the English general
meant to strike his blow. Tallard,
previously ordered to join the elector,
became convinced that Marlborough
aimed at Alsace and hence kept back
his $4,000 men that France might be
protected in that quarter. When at
last the real intention of Marlborough
was disclosed 1t was so late that the
effort could not be rendered abSrtive.
Crossing the Danube, Marlborough
swarmed into Bavaria and In a series
Of actions made himself master Of the
electors dominion. Tallard, mean
while, woke up and pressing forward
managed to effect a junction with his
friends. Marlborough recrossed the
Danube, combined his forces with those
Of Prince Eugene and took up posi-
ton near Blenheim.
The troops Of Marlborough and Eu-
gene numbered $1,000. with SO cannon.
Opposed to them were the armies of
the French marshals and the electOr,
10000 strong and 81 pieces Of artillery.
1t was absolutely necessary that MARI
borough should attack before VillerOy
should become aroused and advancing
through Franconia give to the Gallo
'Bavarian allies overwhelming force.
With the Danube securing their
right flank and the high ground Of the
Gold Berg and Eich Berg their left, II
was only In the front that the Gallo
Bavarian allies could be attacked. Tai
lard was In chief command. He weak
ened his center In evident reliance
upon the swampy ground before 1t.
This was at the hamlet Of Oberglau,
where lay IA battalions Of infantry, in
Guiding the celebrated Irish brigade.
A fog which covered the ground
early on the morning Of August Is
obscured the advance TO Tallard until
the oncoming British left wing was
close upon him. Then ne opened ter
rife cannonade. Lord Cults. with
strong brigade of infantry. hurled him
Gale a1oipot lIat.haitn fowu f,nlv IN