The Ordway new era., 1917-09-07

or absolutism on the other, Such was
the battle of Blenhelm, fought on a
not August day In 1904 and won by the
genius ofJohn Churchill, first duke of
marlborough, of whom it has been said
that he never fought battle he did
not win and never bcsieged city he
did not take. BY victory at BlenheIm
ne smashed the power of the grand
Monarquc, Louis XIV, he who boosted
lHere are no longer any Pyrenees,"
VINO 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 conUuests
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
lengued England, Holland and Austria.
Generalissimo Of the allied forces was
Marlborough, n man who had on one
occasion betrayed his king and his
country, who owed his first advance
| ment In court fnvor 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
II, whose defects in character were so
base and sordid that they can be OBJ
| scured not even by his virtues, but who
as soldier was almost supreme in
military genius. He won Blenheim by
march which for brilliancy of plan
| and execution is rvaled only by that
of the Consul Nero to the Mataurus.
For the first two years of the war
Of the allies against France, Marl-
borough commanded in Flanders, tux
ing various enemy towns but accom-
plishing nothing of decisive impOr-
tance; 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. Thereupon Louis
decided to act on the defensive In
Flanders, while Marshal Villeroy kept
busily at work with a 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
1t out. The more timid and the more
conservative opposed, since such
campaign might leave Flanders eN-
posed, but Marlborough-and he must
have had hard time of it with his
often stubborn foreign allies-over-
came all opposition. On the nineteenth
of May, calming as well as he could
the agltated fears of the abandoned
Dutch, he put his army In motion,
thereafter proceeding with speed ana
an elusive certainty which utterly be-
wildered Villeroy. That worthy,
marching hither and thither, 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 De
protected in that quarter. When at
last the real intention Of Marlborough
was disclosed it was so late that the
effort could not be rendered aoortlVe.
Crossing the Danube. MARLBOROUGH
swormed into Bavaria and in series
of actions made himself master or the
elector,s dominion. Tallard, mean.
while, woke up and pressing forwaru
managed to effect Junction Win MS
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 $4,000, with 52 cannon.
Onnosed to them were the armies OF
the French marshals and the elector'
10000 strong and 81 pieces OF artillery
II was absolutely necessary that MARI
borough should attack before Villeroy
should become aroused ana aoVane,hs
through Franconia give to the aalio-
Ravarian allies overwhelming rcrce.
with the Danube securing tnelr
tight flank and the high ground OF tne
Gold Berg and Elch Berg their left, II
was only In the front that the aaao- m'
Bayarian allies could be attacked. ial-
lard was in chief command. he weak
aned an his center in evident reliance
mon the swampy ground before IT,
This was at the hamlet Of oberglau'
where lay IA battalions Of infantry IN
ending the celebrated Irish brigade.
foe which covered the grouna
early on the morning OF AUGUST ="
obscured the advance to Iallaro unsa s.
the oncoming British left wing was
close upon him. Then he opened .el.
fi6c cannonade. Lord Cults. Win IN.
strong brigade Of infantry nuriec nlx :
~ eeainst B1enheim town onu y