The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1917-09-20

Each really great uatlI' ia HIN'"iE
has been one I'm which the forces ~
liberty and democracy ranged them
selves on one side against the forces
Of ab>GutiSm on the other. such was
the battle Of RIeuheim. fought on Il
hot August day in 1904 and won 10y the
genius Of John Churchill, first duk" ~
Marlborough. Of whom II has been said
that he never fought battle he did
not win and never brSicgcd II city hc
did not take. by victory nj Rlrnhriu
he smashed the power Of The grand
Monarque. Louis NV. he who buaS'rd
There are no longer any PNrcnr'~.
who had extended tremendously ia"
French possessions and whose iutrn-
ton was tO include all Europe ia his
kingdom. But for Bleuheim all Eu-
rope might have suffered for centuries
under the effects Of French CouqueStS
resembling those of Alexander for "N-
tent and those of the Romans FOR dura-
billty.
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
occasion betrayed his king and his
country. who owed his first advance
mpnt in court favor 10 the fact that
his sister was the mistress of the duke
LII. a L.. ,1s,f fo,.Z 81
his great fortune by being the paid
lover Of one OF the favOrites of Charles
II, whose defects in character were so
base and Sordd that they can he Oh
secured 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 wal
Of the allies against France, MARI
borough commanded In Flanders, TAX
ing various enemy towns but accom-
plishing nothing of decisive iup0r-
lance: indeed, the advantage rested
rather with Louis. for the clectOr Of
Bavaria took the strong fortress Of
Tim. thereby opening communication
with the French armies of IN" upper
Rhine and seriously mcnacing the in
t"grity of Austria. ThcreupOn Louis
decided to act on the defensive in
Flanders. while Marshal NillerOy kept
buSily az work with a big force I'm 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 10 the Danube and there fighting
1t out. The more timid and the more
conservative opposed, since such a
campaign might leave Flanders ex-
posed, but Northumberland he must
have had a hard time OF II 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 speed and
an elusive certainty which utterly be-
wildered Villeroy. That worthy.
rlarching hither and thther. 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 5000 men that France might be
protected in that quarter. When at
last the real intention of Marlborough
was disclosed II was so late that the
effort could not be rendered abortive.
Crossing the Danube. Marlborough
Swarmed into Bavaria and in n series
of actions made himself master of the
electors dominion. Tallard, 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 80 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 Franconla 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 L.
This was at the hamlet OF Obergiau,