Abigail's Cousin (19 page)

"Greetings
your grace. The French have upwards of ten thousand men in the
village now completely surrounded. They're on their own. Nobody can
get in and nobody is coming out. Nobody can get out. It could be a
bloody business."

The duke said
nothing for a minute, then asked: "Is there anything you can
suggest, my lord?"

Lord Cutts
hesitated unsure how to proceed then spoke: "In the interests of
humanity, your grace. Might we persuade them to terms."

"Your humanity
does you credit, my lord," replied the duke but did not say more as
Parker cried: "Here's his lordship returned."

The duke
called to Orkney: "I thought the Danube might have claimed you, my
lord," laughing.

"Damn fine
gallop. Best since the Richmond hunt. But I had to return. Pomesch
is still in pursuit.Some of them dropped off the cliff edge into
the river. They had no chance. Pomesch will chase the rest to
Hochstedt."

Everybody enjoyed the jest about the
Richmond Hunt. It was typical of a fox-hunting squire, and for a
few minutes there was laughter until lord Cutts interrupted,
suggesting:
"Might we
use the parleying skills of captain Masham, your grace?"

"Colonel
Masham, your lordship, courtesy of his grace, the duke."

Cutts and
Orkney both joined in the approbation of the duke's promotion while
Parker said: "I'll go search him out, your grace."

"Do as you think fit, Parker. I'm for
Oberglau." said the duk
e, then turning to lord Orkney:

"With the
permission of your lordship, may I continue to borrow the services
of lieutenant Rogers."

Orkney replied: "As long as you need him,
your grace, and as long as he's back to open the champagne. He's a
dab hand at the corkscrew." Cutts added wickedly: "As
lo
ng as he sticks to
corkscrews."

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Le marechal Tallard reviewed his options.
His left flank was rock solid, the Elector having resisted four
determined attacks by Prince Eugene. As the elector had reminded
him le Malbrouk could only win by dislodging the Franco-Bavarian
forces from the field. Yet Tallard had a problem. Behind him was
the Maison-du-Roi, the elite squadrons of Louis XIV himself,
waiting upon his orders. But the order he had expected to make was
for them to roll up le Malbrouk's front, yet that was impossible
now. General Churchill's squadrons occupied the ground behind the
village of Blentheim and he had witnessed himself, the allied
generals Orkney and Hompesch commanding the English and Hessian
cavalry pursue thirty French squadrons from the field. From
eye-witness accounts reaching him, they had dropped into the Danube
to drown or been forced to ride towards Hochstedt, two miles to the
rear, where t
hey had
been cut to pieces.

Yet all was
not yet lost. Blentheim had been surrounded and was being pounded
by the enemy artillery, but sooner or later, le Malbrouk would have
to send in his infantry and cavalry. Perhaps General Churchill was
waiting for just that task when the time came, when the allied
artillery had been spent. How much punishment could the marquis in
Blentheim take?He had not asked for help but perhaps nobody could
escape to pass him a message. How would it look to his master,
Louis, the Sun King, should General Villars report that had he been
ordered, he could have saved the day.

He took out
his glass and surveyed the field. The enemy forces were now
entirely across the Nebel and he reflected that the very bluffs
which had caused Prince Eugene's cavalry so much trouble and had
delayed his deployment had now worked to his advantage as his left
flank was entirely protected by these same bluffs. Moreover it
limited French offensive operations his escadrons having been
compelled to circuit the bluffs in order to attack Churchill's
crossing of the Nebel.

Then he saw
something that despite the heat of an August day, sent a shiver
through him. Churchill was deploying his horse along a wide front.
He watched mesmerised as cavalry cantered to their right towards
Oberglau. There was no longer any question of an attack. He sent an
aide to warn Villars and his Maison-du-Roi to lose no time getting
into a defensive position. Tallard tried to count the number of
horse which were still extending their line. Had he given General
Villars enough time to cover the extended front between the two
villages.

Another chill suffused his entire body as
his glass picked up le Malbrouk himself, his white charger walking
gently along the ranks of horse. He did not need to listen to what
the duke was saying. He wished he had given himself enough time to
address his own escadrons. He looked behind him. Villars had done
well. He noted with satisfaction that each rider carried a special
pistol for discharging the moment the enemy came with twenty
yards.
That would break the brunt of the enemy's charge.

He watched as
the enemy riders turned their mounts to the left and faced towards
the enemy whom they could see opposite them. Did they know they
were facing the Maison-du-Roi? His glass scanned the ranks and
picked out General Churchill who had removed his sword. A bugle
sounded and with one movement, each rider of the front rank held
his sword in front. At the next bugle the front rank started moving
forwards. How long was that front, a mile? Two miles? Villars knew
that this engagement would decide the battle.

He looked at
the Maison-du-Roi, waiting. Then he heard the sound of hooves
cantering slowly up the slight incline, then breaking into a trot.
For a while the sound was steady then got louder and he not only
heard but felt the imprint of thousands of hooves on the ground.
Their pace increased until now their momentum was unstoppable. The
ground reverberated; the thunder robbed the air of all other
sounds, even those of cannon-fire.

Then he heard
the discharge of many pistols but saw not one rider fall, but heard
a terrible whooping and metallic crash as the fast moving allied
cavalry smashed into the enemy and then they were through. Many of
the French riders had fallen and fewer of the allied, but at the
sight of a second rank of horse bearing down upon them, the
Maison-du-Roi lost their cohesion, turned and fled pursued by the
allies whooping and slashing until a quiet had descended broken by
a burst of cannonfire from Blentheim.

Marshall Tallard knew it was the end. He
saw a track and knew it led to the village of Sondersheim, far in
the rear. Dispiritedly he took it. He knew the cavalry, both allied
and French would end up at Hochstedt, two miles to the left on the
banks of the Danube. Then they would make their way back. He knew
not how long he had. Apart from the gunfire a deadly quiet reigned.
He could
even hear the
rustle of trees.

But it was not
a moment to savour and the downcast head of his horse seemed to
reflect his own mood. He saw the houses of Sondersheim and then
heard the sound of laughing and cheering but did not try to escape
the sound and was almost through the village when he allowed a
dismounted rider with tankard in hand to catch hold of his horse's
bridle, calling someone inside a tavern, coming face-to-face with a
captain of cavalry who turned out to be aide-de-camp to the Prince
of Hessen. He spoke excellent French:

"Asseyez-vous,
monsieur le marechal, je vous en prie!"

Captain Beinenbourg immediately dispatched
a rider to his commander while Marshal Tallard was glad to dismount
and sit and enjoy a cooling tankard. He might have preferred
champagne bu
t would have
to settle for ale.

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In the
meantime Prince Eugene launched a fifth attack on Oberglau and this
time broke through helped by colonel Blood's intense barrage of
fire against the defences of the village enabling the Prince,
having requested the cessation of Blood's fire, to attack along a
much wider front accompanied by musketeers which brought about many
enemy casualties. There was fierce fighting for half an hour but
Eugene's cavalry at last began to force back the Bavarians who now
found themselves boxed in by the houses of the village that had
been their strength. As the Savoyards gradually got the upper hand
the Prince detected a lack of stomach and calling up his cavalry
held as reserve, with a loud calling up of ancient heroes, the
prince raised his sword and launched into a ferocious assault.

The Prince was correct for suddenly the
enemy lost heart and almost at a signal they turned their horses,
spurring them furiously towards the rear, pursued by the Prince and
his Savoyards to loud whoops. On and on they galloped, riding
through and past a village (Lutzingen) and yet further until
several miles another village was encountered, that of Morselingen.
The Prince however sent his aide to his colleague to advise him of
the breakthrough. The duke was doubly pleased for within half an
hour, he was notified of Oberglau’s capture and that of the French
co
mmander-in-chief.

When notified
of the capture of le marechal Tallard, the duke asked Parker to
fetch his carriage and not until its arrival from the allied camp
did the duke make his way to Sondersheim accompanied by the Prince
of Hessen who had brought him the news.

Le marechal
placed his sword in Marlborough’s hands and retired to the duke's
carriage which had been placed at his disposal. John Churchill sat
back in the carriage opposite Tallard feeling exhausted but elated.
How would the folk back home in England view the war now, and then
it occurred to him, and he rummaged in his pockets for a pencil
which when found, he searched for his notepad, but could not find
it. Instead the only pieces of paper in his pocket were the
receipts for his tavern supper, the previous evening, but one.

Doubling up
his long military coat to provide a hard backing on which to write,
he thought of Sarah, his wife, and it overwhelmed him, and thus it
was to her that he penned this message. It read:

"I have not 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. Monsieur le
Marechal Tallard is in my coach, and I am
following the rest. The bearer, my aide-de-camp Colonel Parker,
will give her an account of what has passed."

The duke
looked out of the coach spotting lieutenant Rogers who was standing
guard. He had only to raise his hand with the letter and Rogers was
at the window. Excusing himself to his guest who sat with eyes
closed in a sort of shock, the duke spoke to Rogers:

"Do you think
my lord Orkney will agree to your attachment as my aide-de-camp?"
The young man was beside himself with joy and the duke added: "Your
first task is to seek out Colonel Parker." The duke winked and was
not disappointed by the lieutenant's reaction which was a broad
grin and the assurance: "At once, your grace!"

Meanwhile at
Blentheim, General Churchill called a halt to the bombardment while
Colonel Masham carrying a loud hailer while beside him a trooper
holding a white flag aloft high into the air, approached the
palisade and shouted calling for the person whom marshal Tallard
had told Marlborough was the officer commanding in Blentheim. He
told of the capture of their commanding officer and two other
generals. He told of the capture of Oberglau. He told of the
victory over the Maison-du-Roi by General Churchill.

This last item of news seemed to
dishearten the French commander who sent out a tirailleur carrying
aloft a white flag. He approached Masham to tell him that the
marquis Desnonville would leave the village under a flag of truce
upon which Masham turned round to General Churchill to request his
representative be sent in, and so
parley negotiations took place.

The upshot was
the men were to leave the village without their muskets and the
officers and any dragoons without their side-arms. In fact in an
angry mood, the French soldiers made a fire and burnt all their
standards to prevent their falling into enemy hands, because, in
their opinion, they had not been defeated.

By now it was
late in the evening and the duke gave permission for fires to be
lit and his army to bivouack on the field of battle. At first light
the pioneers would be detailed to return to their camp for
victuals. It was a great disappointment but counterbalanced by the
elation of victory and the camp-fires were a-buzz with singing,
laughing and talking far into the night.

Robert Harley
had been allocated a room within St. James Palace, the queen having
found it increasingly inconvenient and time-consuming to summon him
from Westminster. He was still a Member of Parliament and still had
duties connected with the House of Commons but as Secretary of
State, he felt more beholden to the monarch than to Westminster
yet, as Lord Godolphin had pointed out, as ministers were obliged
to consult both the queen and the Secretary of State, it was
convenient for all parties that both were in one place.

Yet there was another reason for his
having accepted a room in the palace, he was in close proximity to
his cousin, Mistress Abigail Hill, who served her majesty as a
bedchamber-woman. She was becoming increasingly indispensible
accompanying the queen everywhere she went, to Bath on the occasion
of her regular cure, to Windsor, whither the quee
n went to comfort her consort, Prince
George, or to various race-courses around London when the queen
wanted to indulge her passion both for racing and for wagering on
the results.On one particular occasion she visited Newmarket when
her official duty actually took her to Cambridge for her honarary
enrolment as rector though her real passion was to watch lord
Godolphin's Arabian horses in action.