CHAP. VI.
The King of England, who thought he had done nothing while he had any thing to do, was soon in France; his troops having enjoyed every necessary refreshment, were collected very early in the spring; and rendezvoused in the neighbourhood of Paris. Charles, on his side, did every thing that industry, artifice, or bravery could effect, to retrieve the terrible condition of his affairs. He had applyed to the court of Madrid for succours, and met with success; the King of Spain furnished him with money, and by his great vigilance he had collected his army as soon as his enemy. George opened the campaign by besieging Orleans, a city of the greatest importance; and Charles determined to attempt raising it. He formed a scheme for surprising the King in his entrenchments; one dark night about twelve o'clock, he advanced with near thirty thousand men, through a hollow way which led to the King's lines: by some well conducted motions, he cut off the advanced guards, and knocking down several sentinels, made a vigorous attack on the English entrenchments; the troops unprepared for action, ran hastily to their arms; the king flew to the quarter where Charles made his attack, and found General Shipton at the head of four regiments, which were by that time half formed, sustaining the vigorous efforts of the French; he rallied and formed his men as fast as possible; but with all the coolness imaginable: no effort was lelft untryed by our young Monarch, to repulse the enemy, he drove them back twice, but still they renewed their attack; at last, George unfortunately was wounded in the side by a musket ball, and carryed of the field. No other stroke could be half so dispairing to his troops; they gave way almost immediately; but yet, the Earl of Bury retired with tolerable order. The English commanders greatly distinguished themselves in this action, particularly the Earl who conducted the retreat.
Charles fought with the greatest bravery, and led on his troops with the most heroic firmness: he showed equal conduct and courage in the scheming, and executing his plan. He revived by this action the spirits of his whole kingdom. It was indeed no inconsiderable honour to triumph over the King of England; though the wound that young hero received was Charles's best friend. But the victory greatly raised his reputation.—The English were obliged to raise the siege immediately, and the King was carryed to Mayenne; his wound was not dangerous, but was not likely to be healed soon. Nothing could exceed the sorrow of the whole army at this unhappy accident; they loved the King as a father, and never fought under him, but with an eager certainty of victory; all his dominions wept on receiving the news, and offered up the most fervent prayers to heaven for his recovery: the Duke of Devonshire commanded a small army in Paris, and hearing of the King's defeat, was at some difficulty to know how to proceed; Charles was on the full march to his capital, and his troops were too few to oppose him; yet he could not quit the city without orders, however he soon received them from the King, to join the army under the Earl of Bury. It was with some difficulty that he effected this, for Charles was bent on making him and his whole army prisoners. But slipping by him, he made three forced marches, and joined the royal army, of which he then took the command.
Touraine, Berry, Nivernois, the Isle of France, Champagne, and part of Normandy, were soon over-run by the French troops; Charles found his army was increased to near two hundred thousand men, in high spirits at his late victory, and what greatly increased his reputation, was the possession of Paris. Flushed at the fair appearance his affairs wore, he thought of giving battle to the Duke of Devonshire, before George was well enough to command in Person.
His generals indeed all advised him against the scheme; and represented to him that the English army would decrease every day; that his subjects were so inspirited with his late success, that they would rise against his enemies where ever they still possessed the command; but that in hazarding a battle, he put all his advantages to the stake at once; at a time when a defeat must be attended with the most fatal consequences.—These representations had little effect on Charles, impatient for a complete victory, he collected one hundred and twenty thousand men, and at the head of that vast army began his march to attack the English.
The King had been some days removed to Caen, when he was informed of the motions of Charles. He sent immediate orders to the Duke of Devonshire, to fortify himself in the strongest manner, and to choose the best situation for a camp for that purpose. His Grace obeyed the command without delay, and fixed on an admirable situation at Conlié; he soon rendered his camp impregnable, and was at the same time able to receive all sorts of supplies from the country behind him. The Earl of Bury, with eight thousand men, was at Alençon; and General Villiers, with ten thousand at Rennis; so that the three armies formed a line, which perfectly secured them. On the third of June [1], Charles arrived in sight of the English camp; but was surprised to find how admirably every thing was disposed for his reception; he found it was impossible to attack the Duke with the least prospect of success: he attacked several of his posts, but always met such a reception, as convinced him that nothing could be effected. He turned off towards Paris, after this ineffectual march, and laid siege to Chartres, a strong fortress, and nearer to the capital than any other in the hands of the English.
The King of France had hardly undertaken the siege, before he had intelligence of an event, which both obliged him to raise it, and gave him great uneasiness. General Sommers had commanded an army of twenty thousand English in Flanders, from the opening of the war; Charles had lately detached the Marquis de Senetraire, at the head of forty thousand men, to give him battle, or prevent his joining the Duke of Devonshire, as he had made some motions which indicated a design to undertake that dangerous expedition. Senetraire, with all the rashness of a young soldier, for he was but twenty-two, attacked Sommers in a strong entrenchment, and after a sharp engagement was totally defeated. The English General made the best use of so fortunate an affair; the battle was fought near Arleux, and quiting the field, he made a flying march with his victorious troops to Amiens, from thence he flew towards Rouen; when the King of France being alarmed at the celerity of his marches, determined to raise the siege of Chartres, and hasten himself to meet him.
George, whose wound now began to heal, was in pain for his brave General, and finding himself pretty well recovered, resolved to place himself at the head of his army: he was advised against it by his surgeons, but in vain: the impetuosity of his courage, could not be stopped; and he arrived at the camp the 29th of June. He immediately drew his forces out of their entrenchments, and calling in the detachments commanded by the Earl of Bury, and General Villiers; he again found himself at the head of a gallant army, of seventy thousand men in good spirits, and who longed to wipe off their late disgrace. Charles had marched to Breteuil, to intercept Sommers, and he had stationed his troops in so judicious a manner, that the Englishmen could not pass him. The King of England having drawn in all his scattered troops, moved towards the French King; who prepared to receive him in the most vigorous manner. It was plainly foreseen that a general engagement must quickly ensue, for Charles drew up his army, to the amount of one hundred and twenty thousand men, in order of battle, on the plains of Alençon: George came in sight of him the fourth of July, and prepared that night to give him battle. The French army was posted in the most advantageous manner. In their front was a rivulet, behind which were nine redoubts mounted with cannon; their wings were defended in the same manner, and every approach guarded with artillery.
The King having reconnoitred the enemy's position, drew up his troops on the same plain, at some distance in their front. As the French army outspread his, he disposed his cannon in his wings, in such a manner as to prevent his being surrounded; himself commanded the centre, the Duke of Devonshire the right, and the Earl of Bury the left. Every thing being prepared for the engagement, the King ordered the signal to be made for beginning it, and about nine in the morning that battle began which was at once to decide the fate of two mighty kingdoms. The French army was the most numerous; and commanded by their King. The Monarch of the English also headed them, and they were eager to engage and obliterate by their bravery, the memory of their late defeat. The fire of the artillery was the beginning of this great action; as the British troops advanced under cover of their own cannon, that of the enemy played on them with great fury, and some effect; but the skill of the English engineers so well directed their fire, that several battalions of the enemy were thrown into confusion; the King however soon brought on warmer work; at the head of the first line of his centre he began the attack; which was received with firmness. The Earl of Bury at the same time with the left, fell on the right of the French; for about an hour the success of the day was doubtful, but the right of the English army then beginning the attack, threw the French into a little confusion; but Charles flying with great celerity from his centre, repulsed the Duke of Devonshire, and attacked him in his turn, drawing off a part of his centre to sustain his left, the Duke repelled his attack, but it was renewed with such vigour, that he found it necessary to send an Aid de Camp to the King for assistance. George drew twenty battalions from his centre, and all his horse from his left. This was a most masterly and rapid motion; just as the Duke was thinking of a retreat, the King came up at the head of his fresh troops: the field of battle was now almost changed; the French had been so often repulsed in their attacks, that it was even dangerous to pursue their advantage after the great loss they had suffered; but Charles, contrary to the advice of his Generals, renewed his attack after George was arrived. The French troops fatigued with fighting almost three hours, in a hot day, made but a feint impression, the King easily repulsed them, and placing himself at the head of his cavalry, made a most furious attack on his almost defeated enemies, nothing resisted him, the whole French army was broke through in a moment; and the slaughter that ensued was terrible. While the King broke through every battalion of French, with the irresistable fury of his cavalry; General Young brought up sixty pieces of cannon, which plaid on their broken troops near an hour. All the efforts of Charles were in vain; the battle was lost beyond the power of recovery; and to complete the misfortunes of the French, their King, as he was endeavouring to rally his men, was killed by a cannon ball. The Earl of Bury, with twenty thousand men pursued the flying enemy, and made a vast multitude of prisoners.
Never was any battle more critically won. The English army was on the point of being defeated, which would certainly have been its fate, had not the King recovered all, by one of the most masterly strokes of generalship recorded in history: never was there a braver soldier; or a more complete commander; both characters he equally displayed in this celebrated battle: he received a slight wound in his left arm; had three horses killed under him; and during the whole action, exposed his person in the hottest fire. In killed and wounded he lost seven thousand men, but what is remarkable, not one officer of great note. The French nation never sustained a more terrible blow—never one more decisive. Besides the King they loft thirty two thousand men killed, nine thousand wounded, and twelve thousand prisoners; in all fifty-three thousand, an amazing number; among whom were the Princes of Condé, and Charlerois of the blood royal; the Dukes of St. Omers, Rochufocault, Ventadour, Amiens, and D'elieú, many other Nobility of great rank; thirteen Lieutenant Generals, and five Major Generals; all killed. Among the prisoners were the Dukes of Bourdeaux, Rennis, St. Clair, D'Oyone; the Marshal Swyvioné, and three Major Generals, besides many others of rank. One hundred and fifty pieces of cannon; seventy mortars, and all the baggage of the army, with drums, standards, and colours without number.
But the prodigious consequences of this victory best proved its decisiveness. The road was open to Paris; George, at the head of his victorious army took it; his detatchments over-run the whole province of Orleanois, even to Nevers: himself made a triumphant entry into Paris, and Philip the new French King hardly reigned in his capital, before he was obliged to fly from it. All Picardé was immediately conquered; the English themselves were amazed at the rapidity of their own success. Montar, Sens, Troyes, and Auxerre, opened their gates to the Conqueror. The strongest fortresses held out but a few days; so universal was the terror which spread over all France. They had no prospect of relief, King Charles, who just before the battle of Alençon, which robbed him of his crown and his life, saw himself at the head of two hundred thousand men, left a successor who had not ten thousand even about his own person; and yet half France was in his possession; but the English prosecuted their success with so much vigour, that every moment brought him tidings of their conquests.
The rapidity with which George followed his blow, surprised all Europe. By the beginning of August he was in the entire possession of Normandy, Brittany, the whole province of Orleanois, the Isle of France, Champagne, Picardé, and Flanders. He had small detachments making important conquests in other provinces. The Duke of Devonshire acted in Lorraine, the Earl of Bury in Burgundy, General Sommers in Hainault, and General Villiers watched the motions of Philip, who had retired to Lyons. Thus the English were in possession of near half France. These wonderful successes, while they called to mind the remote days of Edward the IIId. and Henry the Vth. yet totally eclipsed them; and though a very great share of admiration was paid to the names of these celebrated heroes, a degree considerably higher attended the name of George.
This heroic Monarch (who was at Paris) found himself much disordered after his late fatigues, his wound had not received sufficient indulgence to complete a cure, so that his physicians by all means advised him to return for a short time to England; and repose himself after the vast fatigues he had undergone. The King, who found himself very indifferent, followed their advice, and leaving the command in France to the Duke of Devonshire, with orders to prosecute the war with the utmost vigour, he left that kingdom, and arrived at London the first of September.
- ↑ 1919.