Battle of Blenheim The Battle of Blenheim ( referred to in some countries as the Second Battle of Höchstädt ) , fought on 13 August 1704 , was a major battle of the War of the Spanish Succession . Louis XIV of France sought to knock Emperor Leopold out of the war by seizing Vienna , the Habsburg capital , and gain a favourable peace settlement . The dangers to Vienna were considerable : the Elector of Bavaria and Marshal Marsin ' s forces in Bavaria threatened from the west , and Marshal Vendôme ' s large army in northern Italy posed a serious danger with a potential offensive through the Brenner Pass . Vienna was also under pressure from Rákóczi ' s Hungarian revolt from its eastern approaches . Realising the danger , the Duke of Marlborough resolved to alleviate the peril to Vienna by marching his forces south from Bedburg and help maintain Emperor Leopold within the Grand Alliance . A combination of deception and brilliant administration – designed to conceal his true destination from friend and foe alike – enabled Marlborough to march unhindered from the Low Countries to the River Danube in five weeks . After securing Donauwörth on the Danube , Marlborough sought to engage the Elector ' s and Marsin ' s army before Marshal Tallard could bring reinforcements through the Black Forest . However , with the Franco - Bavarian commanders reluctant to fight until their numbers were deemed sufficient , the Duke enacted a policy of plundering in Bavaria designed to force the issue . The tactic proved unsuccessful , but when Tallard arrived to bolster the Elector ' s army , and Prince Eugene arrived with reinforcements for the Allies , the two armies finally met on the banks of the Danube in and around the small village of Blindheim . Blenheim has gone down in history as one of the turning points of the War of the Spanish Succession . The overwhelming Allied victory ensured the safety of Vienna from the Franco - Bavarian army , thus preventing the collapse of the Grand Alliance . Bavaria was knocked out of the war , and Louis ' s hopes for a quick victory came to an end . France suffered over 30 , 000 casualties including the commander - in - chief , Marshal Tallard , who was taken captive to England . Before the 1704 campaign ended , the Allies had taken Landau , and the towns of Trier and Trarbach on the Moselle in preparation for the following year ' s campaign into France itself . Background . By 1704 , the War of the Spanish Succession was in its fourth year . The previous year had been one of success for France and her allies , most particularly on the Danube , where Marshal Villars and the Elector of Bavaria had created a direct threat to Vienna , the Habsburg capital . Vienna had been saved by dissension between the two commanders , leading to the brilliant Villars being replaced by the less dynamic Marshal Marsin . Nevertheless , by 1704 , the threat was still real : Rákóczi ' s Hungarian revolt was already threatening the Empire ' s eastern approaches , and Marshal Vendôme ' s forces threatened an invasion from northern Italy . In the courts of Versailles and Madrid , Vienna ' s fall was confidently anticipated , an event which would almost certainly have led to the collapse of the Grand Alliance . To isolate the Danube from any Allied intervention , Marshal Villeroi ' s 46 , 000 troops were expected to pin the 70 , 000 Dutch and English troops around Maastricht in the Low Countries , while General de Coigny protected Alsace against surprise with a further corps . The only forces immediately available for Vienna ' s defence were Prince Louis of Baden ' s force of 36 , 000 stationed in the Lines of Stollhofen to watch Marshal Tallard at Strasbourg ; there was also a weak force of 10 , 000 men under Field Marshal Count Limburg Styrum observing Ulm . Both the Imperial Austrian Ambassador in London , Count Wratislaw , and the Duke of Marlborough realised the implications of the situation on the Danube . The Dutch , however , who clung to their troops for their country ' s protection , were against any adventurous military operation as far south as the Danube and would never willingly permit any major weakening of the forces in the Spanish Netherlands . Marlborough , realising the only way to ignore Dutch wishes was by the use of secrecy and guile , set out to deceive his Dutch allies by pretending to simply move his troops to the Moselle – a plan approved of by The Hague – but once there , he would slip the Dutch leash and link up with Austrian forces in southern Germany . " My intentions " , wrote the Duke from The Hague on 29 April to his governmental confidant , Sidney Godolphin , " are to march with the English to Coblenz and declare that I intend to campaign on the Moselle . But when I come there , to write to the Dutch States that I think it absolutely necessary for the saving of the Empire to march with the troops under my command and to join with those that are in Germany . . . in order to make measures with Prince Lewis of Baden for the speedy reduction of the Elector of Bavaria . " Prelude . Protagonists march to the Danube . Marlborough ' s march started on 19 May from Bedburg , north - west of Cologne . The army ( assembled by the Duke ' s brother , General Charles Churchill ) consisted of 66 squadrons , 31 battalions and 38 guns and mortars totalling 21 , 000 men ( 16 , 000 of whom were English troops ) . This force was to be augmented " en route " such that by the time Marlborough reached the Danube , it would number 40 , 000 ( 47 battalions , 88 squadrons ) . Whilst Marlborough led his army , General Overkirk would maintain a defensive position in the Dutch Republic in case Villeroi mounted an attack . The Duke had assured the Dutch that if the French were to launch an offensive he would return in good time , but Marlborough calculated that as he marched south , the French commander would be drawn after him . In this assumption Marlborough proved correct : Villeroi shadowed the Duke with 30 , 000 men in 60 squadrons and 42 battalions . The military dangers in such an enterprise were numerous : Marlborough ' s lines of communication along the Rhine would be hopelessly exposed to French interference , for Louis ' generals controlled the left bank of the river and its central reaches . Such a long march would almost certainly involve a high wastage of men and horses through exhaustion and disease . However , Marlborough was convinced of the urgency – " I am very sensible that I take a great deal upon me " , he had earlier written to Godolphin , " but should I act otherwise , the Empire would be undone . . . " Whilst Allied preparations had progressed , the French were striving to maintain and re - supply Marshal Marsin . Marsin had been operating with the Elector of Bavaria against the Imperial commander , Prince Louis of Baden , and was somewhat isolated from France : his only lines of communication lay through the rocky passes of the Black Forest . However , on 14 May , with considerable skill Marshal Tallard managed to bring 10 , 000 reinforcements and vast supplies and munitions through the difficult terrain , whilst outmanoeuvring Baron Thüngen , the Imperial general who sought to block his path . Tallard then returned with his own force to the Rhine , once again side - stepping Thüngen ' s efforts to intercept him . The whole operation was an outstanding military achievement . On 26 May , Marlborough reached Coblenz , where the Moselle meets the Rhine . If he intended an attack along the Moselle the Duke must now turn west , but , instead , the following day the army crossed to the right bank of the Rhine , ( pausing to add 5 , 000 waiting Hanoverians and Prussia ns ) . " There will be no campaign on the Moselle " , wrote Villeroi who had taken up a defensive position on the river , " the English have all gone up into Germany . " A second possible objective now occurred to the French – an Allied incursion into Alsace and an attack on the city of Strasbourg . Marlborough skillfully encouraged this apprehension by constructing bridges across the Rhine at Philippsburg , a ruse that not only encouraged Villeroi to come to Tallard ' s aid in the defence of Alsace , but one that ensured the French plan to march on Vienna remained paralysed by uncertainty . With Villeroi shadowing Marlborough ' s every move , Marlborough ' s gamble that the French would not move against the weakened Dutch position in the Netherlands paid off . In any case , Marlborough had promised to return to the Netherlands if a French attack developed there , transferring his troops down the Rhine on barges at a rate of a day . Encouraged by this promise ( whatever it was worth ) the States - General agreed to release the Danish contingent of seven battalions and 22 squadrons as a reinforcement . Marlborough reached Ladenburg , in the plain of the Neckar and the Rhine , and there halted for three days to rest his cavalry and allow the guns and infantry to close up . On 6 June he arrived at Wiesloch , south of Heidelberg . The following day , the Allied army swung away from the Rhine towards the hills of the Swabian Jura and the Danube beyond . At last Marlborough ' s destination was established without doubt . Strategy . On 10 June , the Duke met for the first time the President of the Imperial War Council , Prince Eugene – accompanied by Count Wratislaw – at the village of Mundelsheim , half - way between the Danube and the Rhine . By 13 June , the Imperial Field Commander , Prince Louis of Baden , had joined them in Großheppach . The three generals commanded a force of nearly 110 , 000 men . At conference it was decided that Eugene would return with 28 , 000 men to the Lines of Stollhofen on the Rhine to keep an eye on Villeroi and Tallard , and prevent them going to the aid of the Franco - Bavarian army on the Danube . Meanwhile , Marlborough ' s and Baden ' s forces would combine , totalling 80 , 000 men , for the march on the Danube to seek out the Elector and Marsin before they could be reinforced . Knowing Marlborough ' s destination , Tallard and Villeroi met at Landau in Alsace on 13 June to rapidly construct an action plan to save Bavaria , but the rigidity of the French command system was such that any variations from the original plan had to be sanctioned by Versailles . The Count of Mérode - Westerloo , commander of the Flemish troops in Tallard ' s army wrote – " One thing is certain : we delayed our march from Alsace for far too long and quite inexplicably . " Approval from Louis arrived on 27 June : Tallard was to reinforce Marsin and the Elector on the Danube via the Black Forest , with 40 battalions and 50 squadrons ; Villeroi was to pin down the Allies defending the Lines of Stollhofen , or , if the Allies should move all their forces to the Danube , he was to join with Marshal Tallard ; and General de Coignies with 8 , 000 men , would protect Alsace . On 1 July Tallard ' s army of 35 , 000 re - crossed the Rhine at Kehl and began its march . Meanwhile , on 22 June , Marlborough ' s forces linked up with Baden ' s Imperial forces at Launsheim . A distance of had been covered in five weeks . Thanks to a carefully planned time - table , the effects of wear and tear had been kept to a minimum . Captain Parker described the march discipline – " As we marched through the country of our Allies , commissars were appointed to furnish us with all manner of necessaries for man and horse . . . the soldiers had nothing to do but pitch their tents , boil kettles and lie down to rest . " In response to Marlborough ' s manoeuvres , the Elector and Marsin , conscious of their numerical disadvantage with only 40 , 000 men , moved their forces to the entrenched camp at Dillingen on the north bank of the Danube . Marlborough could not attack Dillingen because of a lack of siege guns – he was unable to bring any from the Low Countries , and Baden had failed to supply any despite assurances to the contrary . The Allies , nevertheless , needed a base for provisions and a good river crossing . On 2 July , therefore , Marlborough stormed the key fortress of Schellenberg on the heights above the town of Donauwörth . Count Jean d ' Arco had been sent with 12 , 000 men from the Franco - Bavarian camp to hold the town and grassy hill , but after a ferocious and bloody battle , inflicting enormous casualties on both sides , Schellenberg finally succumbed , forcing Donauwörth to surrender shortly afterwards . The Elector , knowing his position at Dillingen was now not tenable , took up a position behind the strong fortifications of Augsburg . Tallard ' s march , meanwhile , presented a dilemma for Eugene . If the Allies were not to be outnumbered on the Danube , Eugene realised he must either try to cut Tallard off before he could get there , or , he must hasten to reinforce Marlborough . However , if he withdrew from the Rhine to the Danube , Villeroi might also make a move south to link up with the Elector and Marsin . Eugene compromised : leaving 12 , 000 troops behind guarding the Lines of Stollhofen , he marched off with the rest of his army to forestall Tallard . Lacking in numbers , Eugene could not seriously disrupt Tallard ' s march ; nevertheless , the French Marshal ' s progress was proving pitifully slow . Tallard ' s force had suffered considerably more than Marlborough ' s troops on their march – many of his cavalry horses were suffering from glanders , and the mountain passes were proving tough for the 2 , 000 wagons of provisions . Local German peasants , angry at French plundering , compounded Tallard ' s problems , leading Mérode - Westerloo to bemoan – " the enraged peasantry killed several thousand of our men before the army was clear of the Black Forest . " Additionally , Tallard had insisted on besieging the little town of Villingen for six days ( 16 – 22 July ) , but abandoned the enterprise on discovering the approach of Eugene . The Elector in Augsburg was informed on 14 July that Tallard was on his way through the Black Forest . This good news bolstered the Elector ' s policy of inaction , further encouraging him to wait for the reinforcements . But this reticence to fight induced Marlborough to undertake a controversial policy of spoliation in Bavaria , burning buildings and crops throughout the rich lands south of the Danube . This had two aims : firstly to put pressure on the Elector to fight or come to terms before Tallard arrived with reinforcements ; and secondly , to ruin Bavaria as a base from which the French and Bavarian armies could attack Vienna , or pursue the Duke into Franconia if , at some stage , he had to withdraw northwards . But this destruction , coupled with a protracted siege of Rain ( 9 – 16 July ) , caused Prince Eugene to lament " . . . since the Donauwörth action I cannot admire their performances " , and later to conclude " If he has to go home without having achieved his objective , he will certainly be ruined . " Nevertheless , strategically the Duke had been able to place his numerically stronger forces between the Franco - Bavarian army and Vienna . Final positioning . Marshal Tallard , with 34 , 000 men , reached Ulm , joining with the Elector and Marsin in Augsburg on 5 August ( although Tallard was not impressed to find that the Elector had dispersed his army in response to Marlborough ' s campaign of ravaging the region ) . Also on 5 August , Eugene reached Höchstädt , riding that same night to meet with Marlborough at Schrobenhausen . Marlborough knew it was necessary that another crossing point over the Danube would be required in case Donauwörth fell to the enemy . On 7 August , therefore , the first of Baden ' s 15 , 000 Imperial troops ( the remainder following two days later ) left Marlborough ' s main force to besiege the heavily defended city of Ingolstadt , farther down the Danube . With Eugene ' s forces at Höchstädt on the north bank of the Danube , and Marlborough ' s at Rain on the south bank , Tallard and the Elector debated their next move . Tallard preferred to bide his time , replenish supplies and allow Marlborough ' s Danube campaign to flounder in the colder weeks of Autumn ; the Elector and Marsin , however , newly reinforced , were keen to push ahead . The French and Bavarian commanders eventually agreed on a plan and decided to attack Eugene ' s smaller force . On 9 August , the Franco - Bavarian forces began to cross to the north bank of the Danube . On 10 August , Eugene sent an urgent dispatch reporting that he was falling back to Donauwörth – " The enemy have marched . It is almost certain that the whole army is crossing the Danube at Lauingen . . . The plain of Dillingen is crowded with troops . . . Everything , milord , consists in speed and that you put yourself forthwith in movement to join me tomorrow , without which I fear it will be too late . " By a series of brilliant marches Marlborough concentrated his forces on Donauwörth and , by noon 11 August , the link - up was complete . During 11 August , Tallard pushed forward from the river crossings at Dillingen ; by 12 August , the Franco - Bavarian forces were encamped behind the small river Nebel near the village of Blenheim on the plain of Höchstädt . That same day Marlborough and Eugene carried out their own reconnaissance of the French position from the church spire at Tapfheim , and moved their combined forces to Münster – five miles ( 8 km ) from the French camp . A French reconnaissance under the Marquis de Silly went forward to probe the enemy , but were driven off by Allied troops who had deployed to cover the pioneers of the advancing army , labouring to bridge the numerous streams in the area and improve the passage leading westwards to Höchstädt . Marlborough quickly moved forward two brigades under the command of General Wilkes and Brigadier Rowe to secure the narrow strip of land between the Danube and the wooded Fuchsberg hill , at the Schwenningen defile . Tallard ' s army numbered 56 , 000 men and 90 guns ; the army of the Grand Alliance , 52 , 000 men and 66 guns . Some Allied officers who were acquainted with the superior numbers of the enemy , and aware of their strong defensive position , ventured to remonstrate with Marlborough about the hazards of attacking ; but the Duke was resolute – " I know the danger , yet a battle is absolutely necessary , and I rely on the bravery and discipline of the troops , which will make amends for our disadvantages " . Marlborough and Eugene decided to risk everything , and agreed to attack on the following day . Battle . The battlefield . The battlefield stretched for nearly . The extreme right flank of the Franco - Bavarian army was covered by the Danube ; to the extreme left flank lay the undulating pine - covered hills of the Swabian Jura . A small stream , the Nebel , ( the ground either side of which was soft and marshy and only fordable intermittently ) , fronted the French line . The French right rested on the village of Blenheim near where the Nebel flows into the Danube ; the village itself was surrounded by hedges , fences , enclosed gardens , and meadows . Between Blenheim and the next village of Oberglauheim the fields of wheat had been cut to stubble and were now ideal to deploy troops . From Oberglauheim to the next hamlet of Lutzingen the terrain of ditches , thickets and brambles was potentially difficult ground for the attackers . Initial manoeuvres . At 02 : 00 on 13 August , 40 squadrons were sent forward towards the enemy , followed at 03 : 00 , in eight columns , by the main Allied force pushing over the Kessel . At about 06 : 00 they reached Schwenningen , two miles ( 3 km ) from Blenheim . The English and German troops who had held Schwenningen through the night joined the march , making a ninth column on the left of the army . Marlborough and Eugene made their final plans . The Allied commanders agreed that Marlborough would command 36 , 000 troops and attack Tallard ' s force of 33 , 000 on the left ( including capturing the village of Blenheim ) , whilst Eugene , commanding 16 , 000 men would attack the Elector and Marsin ' s combined forces of 23 , 000 troops on the right wing ; if this attack was pressed hard the Elector and Marsin would have no troops to send to aid Tallard on their right . Lieutenant - General John Cutts would attack Blenheim in concert with Eugene ' s attack . With the French flanks busy , Marlborough could cross the Nebel and deliver the fatal blow to the French at their centre . However , Marlborough would have to wait until Eugene was in position before the general engagement could begin . The last thing Tallard expected that morning was to be attacked by the Allies – deceived by intelligence gathered from prisoners taken by de Silly the previous day , and assured in their strong natural position , Tallard and his colleagues were convinced that Marlborough and Eugene were about to retreat north - eastwards towards Nördlingen . Tallard wrote a report to this effect to King Louis that morning , but hardly had he sent the messenger when the Allied army began to appear opposite his camp . " I could see the enemy advancing ever closer in nine great columns " , wrote Mérode - Westerloo , " . . . filling the whole plain from the Danube to the woods on the horizon . " Signal guns were fired to bring in the foraging parties and picquet s as the French and Bavarian troops tried to draw into battle - order to face the unexpected threat . At about 08 : 00 the French artillery on their right wing opened fire , answered by Colonel Blood ' s batteries . The guns were heard by Baden in his camp before Ingolstadt , " The Prince and the Duke are engaged today to the westward " , he wrote to the Emperor . " Heaven bless them . " An hour later Tallard , the Elector , and Marsin climbed Blenheim ' s church tower to finalise their plans . It was settled that the Elector and Marsin would hold the front from the hills to Oberglauheim , whilst Tallard would defend the ground between Oberglauheim and the Danube . The French commanders were , however , divided as to how to utilise the Nebel : Tallard ' s tactic – opposed by Marsin and the Elector who felt it better to close their infantry right up to the stream itself – was to lure the allies across before unleashing their cavalry upon them , causing panic and confusion ; whilst the enemy was struggling in the marshes , they would be caught in crossfire from Blenheim and Oberglauheim . The plan was sound if all its parts were implemented , but it allowed Marlborough to cross the Nebel without serious interference and fight the battle he had in mind . Deployment . The Franco - Bavarian commanders deployed their forces . In the village of Lutzingen , Count Maffei positioned five Bavarian battalions with a great battery of 16 guns at the village ' s edge . In the woods to the left of Lutzingen , seven French battalions under the Marquis de Rozel moved into place . Between Lutzingen and Oberglauheim the Elector placed 27 squadrons of cavalry – Count d ' Arco commanded 14 Bavarian squadrons and Count Wolframsdorf had 13 more in support nearby . To their right stood Marsin ' s 40 French squadrons and 12 battalions . The village of Oberglauheim was packed with 14 battalions commanded by the Marquis de Blainville ( including the effective Irish Brigade known as the ' Wild Geese ' ) . Six batteries of guns were ranged alongside the village . On the right of these French and Bavarian positions , between Oberglauheim and Blenheim , Tallard deployed 64 French and Walloon squadrons ( 16 drawn from Marsin ) supported by nine French battalions standing near the Höchstädt road . In the cornfield next to Blenheim stood three battalions from the Regiment de Roi . Nine battalions occupied the village itself , commanded by the Marquis de Clérambault . Four battalions stood to the rear and a further 11 were in reserve . These battalions were supported by Hautefeuille ' s 12 squadrons of dismounted dragoons . By 11 : 00 Tallard , the Elector , and Marsin were in place . Many of the Allied generals were hesitant to attack such a relatively strong position . The Earl of Orkney later confessed that , " had I been asked to give my opinion , I had been against it . " Prince Eugene was expected to be in position by 11 : 00 , but due to the difficult terrain and enemy fire , progress was slow . Lord Cutts ' column – who by 10 : 00 had expelled the enemy from two water mills upon the Nebel – had already deployed by the river against Blenheim , enduring over the next three hours severe fire from a heavy six - gun battery posted near the village . The rest of Marlborough ' s army , waiting in their ranks on the forward slope , were also forced to bear the cannonade from the French artillery , suffering 2 , 000 casualties before the attack could even be begun . Meanwhile engineers repaired a stone bridge across the Nebel , and constructed five additional bridges or causeways across the marsh between Blenheim and Oberglauheim . Marlborough ' s anxiety was finally allayed when , just past noon , Colonel Cadogan reported that Eugene ' s Prussian and Danish infantry were in place – the order for the general advance was given . At 13 : 00 , Cutts was ordered to attack the village of Blenheim whilst Prince Eugene was requested to assault Lutzingen on the Allied right flank . Blenheim . Cutts ordered Brigadier - General Archibald Rowe ' s brigade to attack . The English infantry rose from the edge of the Nebel , and silently marched towards Blenheim , a distance of some . John Ferguson ' s English brigade supported Rowe ' s left , and moved in perfect order towards the barricades between the village and the river , defended by Hautefeuille ' s dragoons . As the range closed to within , the French fired a deadly volley . Rowe had ordered that there should be no firing from his men until he struck his sword upon the palisade s , but as he stepped forward to give the signal , he fell mortally wounded . The survivors of the leading companies closed up the gaps in their torn ranks and rushed forward . Small parties penetrated the defences , but repeated French volleys forced the English back towards the Nebel , sustaining heavy casualties . As the attack faltered , eight squadrons of elite Gens d ' Armes , commanded by the veteran Swiss officer , Beat - Jacques von Zurlauben , fell upon the English troops , cutting at the exposed flank of Rowe ' s own regiment . However , Wilkes ' Hessian brigade , lying nearby in the marshy grass at the water ' s edge , stood firm and repulsed the Gens d ' Armes with steady fire , enabling the English and Hessians to re - order and launch another attack . Although the Allies were again repulsed , these persistent attacks on Blenheim eventually bore fruit , panicking Clérambault into making the worst French error of the day . Without consulting Tallard , Clérambault ordered his reserve battalions into the village , upsetting the balance of the French position and nullifying the French numerical superiority . " The men were so crowded in upon one another " , wrote Mérode - Westerloo , " that they couldn ' t even fire – let alone receive or carry out any orders . " Marlborough , spotting this error , now countermanded Cutts ' intention to launch a third attack , and ordered him simply to contain the enemy within Blenheim ; no more than 5 , 000 Allied soldiers were able to pen in twice the number of French infantry and dragoons . Lutzingen . On the Allied right , Eugene ' s Prussian and Danish forces were desperately fighting the numerically superior forces of the Elector and Marsin . The Prince of Anhalt - Dessau led forward four brigades across the Nebel to assault the well - fortified position of Lutzingen . Here , the Nebel was less of an obstacle , but the great battery positioned on the edge of the village enjoyed a good field of fire across the open ground stretching to the hamlet of Schwennenbach . As soon as the infantry crossed the stream , they were struck by Maffei ' s infantry , and salvoes from the Bavarian guns positioned both in front of the village and in enfilade on the wood - line to the right . Despite heavy casualties the Prussians attempted to storm the great battery , whilst the Danes , under Count Scholten , attempted to drive the French infantry out of the copses beyond the village . With the infantry heavily engaged , Eugene ' s cavalry picked its way across the Nebel . After an initial success , his first line of cavalry , under the Imperial General of Horse , Prince Maximilian of Hanover , were pressed by the second line of Marsin ' s cavalry , and were forced back across the Nebel in confusion . Nevertheless , the exhausted French were unable to follow up their advantage , and the two cavalry forces tried to regroup and reorder their ranks . However , without cavalry support , and threatened with envelopment , the Prussian and Danish infantry were in turn forced to pull back across the Nebel . Panic gripped some of Eugene ' s troops as they crossed the stream . Ten infantry colours were lost to the Bavarians , and hundreds of prisoners taken ; it was only through the leadership of Eugene and the Prussian Prince that the Imperialist infantry were prevented from abandoning the field . After rallying his troops near Schwennenbach – well beyond their starting point – Eugene prepared to launch a second attack , led by the second - line squadrons under the Duke of Württemberg - Teck . Yet again they were caught in the murderous cross - fire from the artillery in Lutzingen and Oberglauheim , and were once again thrown back in disarray . The French and Bavarians , however , were almost as disordered as their opponents , and they too were in need of inspiration from their commander , the Elector , who was seen – " . . . riding up and down , and inspiring his men with fresh courage . " Anhalt - Dessau ' s Danish and Prussian infantry attacked a second time but could not sustain the advance without proper support . Once again they fell back across the stream . Centre and Oberglauheim . Whilst these events around Blenheim and Lutzingen were taking place , Marlborough was preparing to cross the Nebel . The centre , commanded by the Duke ' s brother , General Charles Churchill , consisted of 18 battalions of infantry arranged in two lines : seven battalions in the front line to secure a foothold across the Nebel , and 11 battalions in the rear providing cover from the Allied side of the stream . Between the infantry were placed two lines , 72 squadrons of cavalry . The first line of foot was to pass the stream first and march as far to the other side as could be conveniently done . This line would then form and cover the passage of the horse , leaving gaps in the line of infantry large enough for the cavalry to pass through and take their position in front . Marlborough ordered the formation forward . Once again Zurlauben ' s Gens d ' Armes charged , looking to rout Lumley ' s English cavalry who linked Cutts ' column facing Blenheim with Churchill ' s infantry . As these elite French cavalry attacked , they were faced by five English squadrons under Colonel Francis Palmes . To the consternation of the French , the Gens d ' Armes were pushed back in terrible confusion , pursued well beyond the Maulweyer stream that flows through Blenheim . " What ? Is it possible ? " exclaimed the Elector , " the gentlemen of France fleeing ? " Palmes , however , attempted to follow up his success but was repulsed in some confusion by other French cavalry , and musketry fire from the edge of Blenheim . Nevertheless , Tallard was alarmed by the repulse of the elite Gens d ' Armes and urgently rode across the field to ask Marsin for reinforcements ; but on the basis of being hard pressed by Eugene – whose second attack was in full flood – Marsin refused . As Tallard consulted with Marsin , more of his infantry was being taken into Blenheim by Clérambault . Fatally , Tallard , aware of the situation , did nothing to rectify this grave mistake , leaving him with just the nine battalions of infantry near the Höchstädt road to oppose the massed enemy ranks in the centre . Zurlauben tried several more times to disrupt the Allies forming on Tallard ' s side of the stream ; his front - line cavalry darting forward down the gentle slope towards the Nebel . But the attacks lacked co - ordination , and the Allied infantry ' s steady volleys disconcerted the French horsemen . During these skirmishes Zurlauben fell mortally wounded , and died two days later . The time was just after 15 : 00 . The Danish cavalry , under the Duke of Württemberg - Neuenstadt ( not to be confused with the Duke of Württemberg who fought with Eugene ) , had made slow work of crossing the Nebel near Oberglau ; harassed by Marsin ' s infantry near the village , the Danes were driven back across the stream . Count Horn ' s Dutch infantry managed to push the French back from the water ' s edge , but it was apparent that before Marlborough could launch his main effort against Tallard , Oberglauheim would have to be secured . Count Horn directed the Prince of Holstein - Beck to take the village , but his two Dutch brigades were cut down by the French and Irish troops , capturing and badly wounding the Prince during the action . The battle was now in the balance . If Holstein - Beck ' s Dutch column were destroyed , the Allied army would be split in two : Eugene ' s wing would be isolated from Marlborough ' s , passing the initiative to the Franco - Bavarian forces now engaged across the whole plain . Seeing the opportunity , Marsin ordered his cavalry to change from facing Eugene , and turn towards their right and the open flank of Churchill ' s infantry drawn up in front of Unterglau . Marlborough ( who had crossed the Nebel on a makeshift bridge to take personal control ) , ordered Hulsen ' s Hanoverian battalions to support the Dutch infantry . A Dutch cavalry brigade under Averock was also called forward but soon came under pressure from Marsin ' s more numerous squadrons . Marlborough now requested Eugene to release Count Hendrick Fugger and his Imperial Cuirassier brigade to help repel the French cavalry thrust . Despite his own desperate struggle , the Imperial Prince at once complied , demonstrating the high degree of confidence and mutual co - operation between the two generals . Although the Nebel stream lay between Fugger ' s and Marsin ' s squadrons , the French were forced to change front to meet this new threat , thus forestalling the chance for Marsin to strike at Marlborough ' s infantry . Fugger ' s cuirassiers charged and , striking at a favourable angle , threw back Marsin ' s squadrons in disorder . With support from Colonel Blood ' s batteries , the Hessian , Hanoverian and Dutch infantry – now commanded by Count Berensdorf – succeeded in pushing the French and Irish infantry back into Oberglauheim so that they could not again threaten Churchill ' s flank as he moved against Tallard . The French commander in the village , the Marquis de Blainville , numbered amongst the heavy casualties . Breakthrough . By 16 : 00 , with the enemy troops besieged in Blenheim and Oberglau , the Allied centre of 81 squadrons ( nine squadrons had been transferred from Cutts ' column ) , supported by 18 battalions was firmly planted amidst the French line of 64 squadrons and nine battalions of raw recruits . There was now a pause in the battle : Marlborough wanted to concert the attack upon the whole front , and Eugene , after his second repulse , needed time to reorganize . Just after 17 : 00 all was ready along the Allied front . Marlborough ' s two lines of cavalry had now moved to the front of the Duke ' s line of battle , with the two supporting lines of infantry behind them . Mérode - Westerloo attempted to extricate some French infantry crowded in Blenheim , but Clérambault ordered the troops back into the village . The French cavalry exerted themselves once more against the first line – Lumley ' s English and Scots on the Allied left , and Hompesch ' s Dutch and German squadrons on the Allied right . Tallard ' s squadrons , lacking infantry support , were tired and ragged but managed to push the Allied first line back to their infantry support . With the battle still not won , Marlborough had to rebuke one of his cavalry officers who was attempting to leave the field – " Sir , you are under a mistake , the enemy lies that way . . . " Now , at the Duke ' s command , the second Allied line under von Bulow and the Count of Ost - Friese was ordered forward , and , driving through the centre , the Allies finally put Tallard ' s tired horse to rout , not without cost . The Prussian Life Dragoons ' Colonel , Ludwig von Blumenthal , and his 2nd in command , Lt . Col . von Hacke , fell next to each other . But the charge succeeded and with their cavalry in headlong flight , the remaining nine French infantry battalions fought with desperate valour , trying to form square . But it was futile . The French battalions were overwhelmed by Colonel Blood ' s close - range artillery and platoon fire . Mérode - Westerloo later wrote – " [ They ] died to a man where they stood , stationed right out in the open plain – supported by nobody . " The majority of Tallard ' s retreating troops headed for Höchstädt but most did not make the safety of the town , plunging instead into the Danube where upwards of 3 , 000 French horsemen drowned ; others were cut down by the pursuing cavalry . The Marquis de Gruignan attempted a counter - attack , but he was easily brushed aside by the triumphant Allies . After a final rally behind his camp ' s tents , shouting entreaties to stand and fight , Marshal Tallard was caught up in the rout and pushed towards Sonderheim . Surrounded by a squadron of Hessian troops , Tallard surrendered to Lieutenant - Colonel de Boinenburg , the Prince of Hesse - Kassel ' s " aide - de - camp " , and was sent under escort to Marlborough . The Duke welcomed the French commander – " I am very sorry that such a cruel misfortune should have fallen upon a soldier for whom I have the highest regard . " With salutes and courtesies , the Marshal was escorted to Marlborough ' s coach . Fall of Blenheim . Meanwhile the Allies had once again attacked the Bavarian stronghold at Lutzingen . Eugene , however , became exasperated with the performance of his Imperial cavalry whose third attack had failed : he had already shot two of his troopers to prevent a general flight . Then , declaring in disgust that he wished to " fight among brave men and not among cowards " , Eugene went into the attack with the Prussian and Danish infantry , as did the Dessauer , waving a regimental colour to inspire his troops . This time the Prussians were able to storm the great Bavarian battery , and overwhelm the guns ' crews . Beyond the village , Scholten ' s Danes defeated the French infantry in a desperate hand - to - hand bayonet struggle . When they saw that the centre had broken , the Elector and Marsin decided the battle was lost and , like the remnants of Tallard ' s army , fled the battlefield ( albeit in better order than Tallard ' s men ) . Attempts to organise an Allied force to prevent Marsin ' s withdrawal failed owing to the exhaustion of the cavalry , and the growing confusion in the field . Marlborough now had to turn his attention from the fleeing enemy to direct Churchill to detach more infantry to storm Blenheim . Orkney ' s infantry , Hamilton ' s English brigade and St Paul ' s Hanoverians moved across the trampled wheat to the cottages . Fierce hand - to - hand fighting gradually forced the French towards the village centre , in and around the walled churchyard which had been prepared for defence . Hay and Ross ' s dismounted dragoons were also sent , but suffered under a counter - charge delivered by the regiments of Artois and Provence under command of Colonel de la Silvière . Colonel Belville ' s Hanoverians were fed into the battle to steady the resolve of the dragoons , and once more went to the attack . The Allied progress was slow and hard , and like the defenders , they suffered many casualties . Many of the cottages were now burning , obscuring the field of fire and driving the defenders out of their positions . Hearing the din of battle in Blenheim , Tallard sent a message to Marlborough offering to order the garrison to withdraw from the field . " Inform Monsieur Tallard " , replied the Duke , " that , in the position in which he is now , he has no command . " Nevertheless , as dusk came the Allied commander was anxious for a quick conclusion . The French infantry fought tenaciously to hold on to their position in Blenheim , but their commander was nowhere to be found . Clérambault ' s insistence on confining his huge force in the village was to seal his fate that day . Realising his tactical mistake had contributed to Tallard ' s defeat in the centre , Clérambault deserted Blenheim and the 27 battalions defending the village , and reportedly drowned in the Danube while attempting to make his escape . By now Blenheim was under assault from every side by three English generals : Cutts , Churchill , and Orkney . The French had repulsed every attack with heavy slaughter , but many had seen what had happened on the plain and what its consequences to them would be ; their army was routed and they were cut off . Orkney , attacking from the rear , now tried a different tactic – " . . . it came into my head to beat parley " , he later wrote , " which they accepted of and immediately their Brigadier de Nouville capitulated with me to be prisoner at discretion and lay down their arms . " Threatened by Allied guns , other units followed their example . However , it was not until 21 : 00 that the Marquis de Blanzac , who had taken charge in Clérambault ' s absence , reluctantly accepted the inevitability of defeat , and some 10 , 000 of France ' s best infantry had laid down their arms . During these events Marlborough was still in the saddle conducting the pursuit of the broken enemy . Pausing for a moment he scribbled on the back of an old tavern bill a note addressed to his wife , Sarah : " I have no time to say more but to beg you will give my duty to the Queen , and let her know her army has had a glorious victory . " Aftermath . French losses were immense : over 30 , 000 killed , wounded and missing . Moreover , the myth of French invincibility had been destroyed and Louis ' s hopes of an early and victorious peace had been wrenched from his grasp . Mérode - Westerloo summarised the case against Tallard ' s army : " The French lost this battle for a wide variety of reasons . For one thing they had too good an opinion of their own ability . . . Another point was their faulty field dispositions , and in addition there was rampant indiscipline and inexperience displayed . . . It took all these faults to lose so celebrated a battle . " It was a hard - fought contest , leading Prince Eugene to observe – " I have not a squadron or battalion which did not charge four times at least . " Nevertheless , although the war dragged on for years , the Battle of Blenheim was probably its most decisive victory ; Marlborough and Eugene , working indivisibly together , had saved the Habsburg Empire and thereby preserved the Grand Alliance from collapse . Munich , Augsburg , Ingolstadt , Ulm and all remaining territory of Bavaria soon fell to the Allies . By the Treaty of Ilbersheim , signed 7 November 1704 , Bavaria was placed under Austrian military rule , allowing the Habsburgs to utilise its resources for the rest of the conflict . The remnants of the Elector of Bavaria ' s and Marshal Marsin ' s wing limped back to Strasbourg , losing another 7 , 000 men through desertion . Despite being offered the chance to remain as ruler of Bavaria ( under strict terms of an alliance with Austria ) , the Elector left his country and family in order to continue the war against the Allies from the Spanish Netherlands where he still held the post of governor - general . Their commander - in - chief that day , Marshal Tallard – who , unlike his subordinates , had not been ransomed or exchanged – was taken to England and imprisoned in Nottingham until his release in 1711 . The 1704 campaign lasted considerably longer than usual as the Allies sought to wring out maximum advantage . Realising that France was too powerful to be forced to make peace by a single victory , however , Eugene , Marlborough and Baden met to plan their next moves . For the following year the Duke proposed a campaign along the valley of the River Moselle to carry the war deep into France . This required the capture of the major fortress of Landau which guarded the Rhine , and the towns of Trier and Trarbach on the Moselle itself . Trier was taken on 26 October and Landau fell on 23 November to the Margrave of Baden and Prince Eugene ; with the fall of Trarbach on 20 December , the campaign season for 1704 came to an end . Marlborough returned to England on 14 December ( O . S ) to the acclamation of Queen Anne and the country . In the first days of January the 110 cavalry standards and the 128 infantry colours that were taken during the battle were borne in procession to Westminster Hall . In February 1705 , Queen Anne , who had made Marlborough a Duke in 1702 , granted him the Park of Woodstock and promised a sum of £240 , 000 to build a suitable house as a gift from a grateful crown in recognition of his victory – a victory which British historian Sir Edward Shepherd Creasy considered one of the pivotal battles in history , writing – " Had it not been for Blenheim , all Europe might at this day suffer under the effect of French conquests resembling those of Alexander in extent and those of the Romans in durability . "