Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1917-09-13
By CAPT. ROLAND F. ANDREWS
(copyrishs. isa7. BY Mcclure Newspaper syndicate,

Each really great battle in history
has been one in which the forces of
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 a
hot August day in 1904 and won by the
genius of John Churchill, first duke of
Marlborough, of whom it has been said
that he never fought battle he did
not win and never besieged a city he
did not take. By victory at Blepheim
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, a man who had on one
country, who owed his first advance
ment in 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
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, 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. Thereupon Louis
decided to act on the defensive in
Flanders, while Marshal Villeroy kept
busi1y at work with a big force in the
Mosel1e 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
| campaign might leave Flanders ex-
posed, but Marlborough-and he must
have had a 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 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 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 be
protected in that quarter. When at
last the real intention of Marlborough
1
effort could not be rendered abortive.
Crossing the Danube, Marlborough
| swarmed into Bavaria and in a series
| of actions made himself master of the
electors dominion. Ta1lard, mean
while, woke up and pressing forward
managed to effect 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 $4,000, with 81 cannon.
| Opposed to them were the armies of
the French marsha1S and the elector,
10000 strong and 81 pieces of artillery.
1t was absolutely necessary that Marl-
borough should attack before Villeroy
should become aroused and advancing
j 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, 1t
| 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 it
This was at the hamlet of Oberglau,
where lay IA batta1ions of infantry, in
Guiding the celebrated Irish brigade.
A fog which covered the ground
early on the morning of August 13
obScured fhe advance TO TalIard until