Battle of Blenheim

Battle of Blenheim
Part of the War of the Spanish Succession
File:Duke of Marlborough after battle.jpg The Duke of Marlborough Signing the Despatch at Blenheim. Oil by Robert Alexander Hillingford.
Date 13 August, 1704 Location Blenheim, Bavaria Result Decisive Allied victory
Belligerents
England, State Flag Ratio: 2:3 Austria, Dutch Republic, Prussia, Denmark, Hesse, Hanover	France, Bavaria
Commanders and leaders
Duke of Marlborough, Eugene of Savoy	Duc de Tallard, Maximilian II Emanuel, Ferdinand de Marsin
Strength
52,000, 60 guns	56,000, 90 guns
Casualties and losses
4,542 killed, 7,942 wounded	20,000 killed, drowned, or wounded, 14,190 captured

The Battle of Blenheim (referred to in some countries as the Battle of Höchstädt) was a major battle of the War of the Spanish Succession fought on 13 August, 1704. The village of Blindheim (Blenheim in English) lies on the Danube River, 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Donauwörth in Bavaria, southern Germany.

At the battle, the forces of the Grand Alliance of England, Austria, the United Provinces, Prussia, Denmark, Hesse and Hanover were commanded by John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, and Prince Eugene of Savoy. The French and Bavarian armies were commanded by Camille d'Hostun de la Baume, Duc de Tallard; Maximilian Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria, and Ferdinand, Comte de Marsin.

Blenheim was a decisive victory for the Grand Alliance, inflicting the first major defeat on the French in over 40 years, saving Vienna from the Franco-Bavarian army. The battle ended King Louis XIV's plans to dominate Europe and extend his royal power from Spain to the Low Countries, and from Germany to Italy. It also resulted in knocking Bavaria out of the war. The battle left over 30,000 men dead or wounded.

Background

Map of Europe in 1700 shows the two dominant regions of mainland Europe: France under King Louis XIV and the Holy Roman Empire under Leopold I.

By 1704, the War of the Spanish Succession was in its fourth year. 1703 had been a year of success for France and her allies, most particularly on the Danube where Marshal Villars and the Elector of Bavaria created a direct threat to Vienna – the capital of the Holy Roman Empire whose loss would almost certainly have led to the collapse of the Grand Alliance. Vienna had been saved by the dissension between the two commanders, leading to the brilliant Villars being replaced by the less dynamic Marsin, but by 1704, the threat was still real; Rácóczi's Hungarian revolt was already threatening the empire's eastern approaches, and Marshal Vendôme's army of 100,000 men threatened an invasion from northern Italy.

The only forces immediately available for the defence of Vienna were Prince Louis of Baden's force of 36,000 stationed in the Lines of Stollhofen to watch Tallard. Both the Imperial Austrian Ambassador in London, Count Wratislaw, and the Duke of Marlborough realised the true implications of the situation on the Danube. "My intentions," wrote the Duke from The Hague on 29 April, "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."

His plan was to reinforce the Imperial forces and destroy the Franco-Bavarian army on the Danube, before the French themselves could be reinforced by Tallard. However, because the plan required secrecy, Marlborough told the Dutch (whose main concern was the security of their own borders), that his real intention was a campaign in the Moselle valley; if however, the French commander in the Spanish Netherlands, Marshal Villeroi and his 46,000 troops mounted an attack, he would return in good time.

Prelude

Protagonists march to the Danube

"A scarlet caterpillar, upon which all eyes were at once fixed, began to crawl steadfastly day by day across the map of Europe, dragging the whole war with it." – Winston S. Churchill.

File:Marlborough's march to the Danube 1704.gif

The Duke of Marlborough's march from Bedburg (near Maastricht) to the Danube.

Marlborough's march commenced on 19 May from Bedburg, near Maastricht. 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 (14,000 of whom were British 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). While Marlborough led his army, General Overkirk with the Dutch would maintain a defensive position in the Netherlands – the Duke did not fear for their safety, correctly surmising the French would rather follow him than invade the Netherlands. Marlborough was correct; Villeroi shadowed the Duke with 30,000 men comprising of 60 squadrons and 42 battalions, thus allaying Dutch fears of a French invasion.

The Duke of Marlborough (1650–1722) by Sir Godfrey Kneller. His 250 mile (400 km) march to save Vienna falling into enemy hands was a masterpiece of deception, meticulous planning and organisation.

While 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 whose only lines of communication lay through the rocky passes of the Black Forest. However, on 14 May, with considerable skill Marshall 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.

The news of Tallard's successful march reached Marlborough on 23 May. The Duke reached Coblenz on 26 May and ordered his troops to cross the Rhine (pausing to add 5,000 waiting Hanoverians and Prussians). Villeroi now knew that Marlborough's intention was not the Moselle, but a second possible objective did occur to the French – an Allied incursion into Alsace and an attack on the city of Strasbourg. Marlborough skilfully encouraged this apprehension by constructing bridges across the Rhine at Philippsburg, a ruse that encouraged Villeroi to come to Tallard's aid in the defence of Alsace. However, Marlborough marched on, reaching the River Neckar at Heidelberg where he was joined by 14,000 Danes and Prussians.

Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663–1736) by Jacob van Schuppen. Eugène arrived at Marlborough's headquarters of Mindelheim on 10 June 1704. He shared in every major battle apart from Ramillies 1706.

By now the weather had worsened, turning the roads to mud, but Tallard and Villeroi still had not realised the Duke's real intentions – the march on the Danube. Marlborough crossed the Neckar near the small village of Heilbronn, and, on 10 June, he met for the first time Prince Eugene – accompanied by Count Wratislaw – at the village of Mindelheim. By the 13 June Prince Louis of Baden had joined them in Gross Heppach.

The three generals commanded a force of 110,000 men. It was decided that Eugène would advance with 28,000 men to the Lines of Stollhofen to keep an eye on Villeroi and Tallard, while Marlborough's and Baden's forces would combine, totalling 80,000 men, for the march on the Danube to seek out the Elector's and Marsin's Franco-Bavarian army before they could be reinforced. By now however, both Tallard and Villeroi knew Marlborough's destination. The French Marshals 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 via the Black Forest, with 40 battalions and 50 squadrons; Villeroi was to pin down the allies defending the Lines of Stollhofen or join Marshal Tallard if they move all their forces to the Danube; and Lieutenant-General Coignies with 8,000 men, would protect Alsace. On 1 July Tallard and his army of 35,000 began its march.

Meanwhile, on 22 June, Marlborough's forces linked up with elements of Baden's Imperial forces at Launsheim. In response, 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). This large Allied force however, would need both a base for provisions as well as a good river crossing, so on 2 July, 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 at Dillingen 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 not now tenable, took up a position behind the strong fortifications of Augsburg, which without siege guns, was unassailable to the allies.

Meanwhile, Tallard's progress towards the Elector was pitifully slow – many of his cavalry's horses were suffering from glanders, and the mountain passes were proving tough for the 8,000 wagons of provisions. Tallard had also insisted on besieging the little town of Villingen for six days (16–22 July), but abandoned it after the French – determined to avoid battle before joining the Elector and Marsin's forces – discovered that Eugene, shadowing with 18,000 men, was nearby.

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, encouraging him further to wait for the reinforcements. However, this reticence to fight induced Marlborough to undertake a controversial policy of spoliation in Bavaria, burning buildings and crops, determined to lure the Elector to battle before Tallard arrived and deny provisions to the Franco-Bavarian troops. This destruction, coupled with a protracted siege of Rain (9–16 July), had cause Prince Eugène to lament – ". . . since the Donauwörth action I cannot admire their performances." Later concluding – "If he has to go home without having achieved his objective, he will certainly be ruined." However, strategically the Duke had been able to place his numerically stronger forces between the Franco-Bavarian army and Vienna.

Final positioning

Manoeuvres before the battle 9 – 13 August.

Marshal Tallard with 34,000 men reached Ulm, joining with the Elector and Marsin in Augsburg on the 5 August. However, 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 the 5 August, Eugène 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, therefore on 7 August, the first of Baden's 15,000 Imperialist troops (the remainder following two days later) left Marlborough's main force to besiege the heavily defended city of Ingolstadt. Marlborough was not confident Baden could take the city, but with the prospect of the Elector breaking cover and coming to its rescue, both Marlborough and Eugène were relieved to have an excuse to be rid of their irascible, and possibly unreliable, colleague.

With Prince Eugène at Höchstädt and Marlborough at Rain, 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, were keen to push ahead. The French and Bavarian commanders eventually agreed on a plan and decided to attack Eugène's smaller force.

On 10 August Eugène 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, General Churchill's vanguard had reached Eugène (the rest arriving within 12 hours). Marlborough and Eugène then moved their combined forces to Munster, five miles from the French camp.

By 12 August Tallard and the Elector's forces had encamped behind the small river Nebel, near the village of Blindheim. Their army consisted of 56,000 men and 90 guns; the army of the Grand Alliance had 52,000 men and 60 guns. Marlborough and Eugène were keen to strike at the enemy before it could organise itself effectively. It was too late to attack that evening however, so it was decided that the battle would begin the next day on 13 August.

Battle

The battlefield

The battlefield stretched for nearly 4 miles. The extreme right flank of the Franco-Bavarian army was covered by the Danube; to the extreme left flank lay the undulating pine-covered Swabian hills. 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 Blindheim near where the Nebel flowed into the Danube. Between Blindheim and the next village of Oberglau the fields of wheat had been cut to stubble and were now ideal to deploy troops. From Oberglau to the next hamlet of Lutzingen the terrain of ditches, thickets and brambles was potentially difficult ground for the attackers.

Allied planning

At 02:00 on 13 August, 40 squadrons were sent forward towards the enemy, followed at 03:00 by the main Allied force pushing over the Kessel. At 06:00 they reach Schwenningen, two miles from Blindheim where Marlborough and Eugène 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 Blindheim), whilst Eugène, commanding 16,000 men would attack the Elector and Marsin's combined forces of 23,000 troops on the right wing; Lieutenant-General John Cutts would attack Blindheim in concert with Eugène'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 Eugène was in position before the general engagement could begin.

Initial manoeuvres

The position of the forces at noon, 13 August. Marlborough took control of the right arm of the Allied forces including the attacks on Blindheim and Oberglau, whilst Eugène commanded the left including the attacks on Lutzingen.

Just after 07:00 Marlborough's men approached the Nebel to discern possible crossing points; pontoons were prepared and fascines cut to facilitate its crossing. At 08:00 the French artillery on their right wing opened fire; answered by Colonel Blood's batteries.

At 09:00, the three French commanders climbed Blindheim's church tower to finalise their plans. However, they were divided as to how to utilise the Nebel: Tallard's tactic – opposed by Marsin and the Elector who suggested defending the stream – was to lure the allies across before unleashing their cavalry upon them, causing panic and confusion; while the enemy was struggling in the marshes, they would be caught in crossfire from Blindheim and Oberglau. However, this required perfect timing: if the cavalry were sent too late, the enemy might prove impossible to dislodge, wasting the impediment of this natural obstacle.

In the village of Lutzingen, Count Maffei deployed five Bavarian battalions with 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 Oberglau 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 Oberglau was packed with 14 battalions commanded by the Marquis de Blainville (including effective Irish mercenaries known as the 'Wild Geese'). Six batteries of guns were ranged alongside the village.

William Cadogan (1675–1726) by Louis Laguerre. Cadogan was Marlborough's Quartermaster General and de facto chief of staff.

On the right of these French and Bavarian positions, Tallard deployed 64 French and Walloon squadrons supported by nine French battalions. In the cornfield next to Blindheim stood three battalions from the Regiment de Roi. Nine battalions occupied the village itself, commanded by the Marquis de Clerambault. A further four battalions stood to the rear and a further 11 were in reserve. These battalions were supported by Hautefille's 12 squadrons of dismounted dragoons.

Allied left and Blindheim

Eugène was expected to be in position by 11:00, however, due to the difficult terrain and enemy fire progress was slow. Marlborough's anxiety was finally allayed when, just past noon, Colonel Cadogan reported that Eugène's Prussian and Danish infantry were in position – the order for the general advance was given. At 13:00, Lord John Cutts was ordered to attack the village of Blindheim whilst Prince Eugène was requested to assault Lutzingen on the Allied right flank.

Part of the Battle of Blenheim tapestry at Blenheim Palace by Judocus de Vos. In the background is the village of Blenheim, in the middle ground are the two water mills that Rowe had to take to gain a bridgehead over the Nebel. The foreground shows a British grenadier with a captured French colour.

Cutts ordered Brigadier-General Archibald Rowe's British brigade, supported by John Ferguson's British brigade on his left, to attack. The French in the village, supported by dragoons on the flank, opened fire when the British were within 30 yards of the their barricades. Repeated disciplined French volleys in the space of minutes forced the British back towards the Nebel, inflicting heavy casualties, amongst whom was the mortally wounded General Rowe. At this moment, eight squadrons of elite Gens d'Armes, commanded by Beat-Jacques von Zurlauben, fell upon the British troops. However, the Allied second line, Wilke's Hessians, stood firm and repulsed the Gens d'Armes with steady fire, enabling the British and Hessians to launch another attack.

Although they were repulsed once again, these persistent attacks on Blindheim 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 (there was a limit to the space available for firing and reloading muskets). Marlborough, spotting this error, ordered Cutts to simply contain the enemy within Blindheim; no more than 5,000 Allied soldiers were able to pen in twice the number of French infantry and dragoons. Marlborough had secured his left flank.

Allied right

". . .Prince Eugene and the Imperial troops had been repulsed three times – driven right back to the woods – and had taken a real drubbing." – Mérode-Westerloo.

Memorial for the Battle of Blenheim 1704, Lutzingen, Germany.

On the Allied right, Eugène's Prussian and Danish forces were desperately fighting the numerically superior forces of the Elector and Marsin. Prince of Anhalt-Dessau led his Danish and Prussian troops across the Nebel to assault the well-fortified position of Lutzingen. As soon as the infantry crossed the stream however, 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, while the Danes under Count Scholten, attempted to drive the French infantry out of the copses beyond the village.

With the infantry heavily engaged, Eugène's cavalry picked its way across the Nebel. After initial success Eugène's first line of cavalry, under Prince Maximilien of Hanover, were driven back by the second line of Marsin's cavalry and scrambled back across the Nebel in confusion. The French cavalry were unable to follow up their advantage however as the two cavalry forces tried to regroup and reorder their ranks. Without cavalry support, the Prussian and Danish infantry were forced to pull back across the Nebel (it was only through the leadership of Eugène and the Prussian Prince, that kept the Imperialist infantry from quitting altogether). After rallying his troops, Prince Eugène prepared to launch a second attack. However, each time the Imperialists forces advanced, they were repulsed; Eugène realised that all he could do was to hold on until the enemy made a mistake or Marlborough could make a breakthrough.

Centre and Oberglau

". . .they began to pass [the marshes and the Nebel] as fast as the badness of the ground would permit them." – Josias Sanby, Churchill's chaplain.

File:Marshall Tallard.jpg

Marshal Tallard (1652–1728) engraving by Jean Mariette. He should not have allowed Clérambault to shut most of the infantry of the French right wing into Blindheim leaving him short of infantry support when it most mattered.

While these events were taking place Marlborough was preparing to cross the Nebel. The centre, commanded by the Duke's brother, General Charles Churchill, consisted of 28 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, 71 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 post in front.

Marlborough ordered the formation forward. Once again Zurlauben's Gens d'Armes charged, looking to rout Lumley's British cavalry who linked Cutts' column facing Blindheim with Churchill's infantry. As these elite French cavalry attacked, they were faced by five British squadrons under Colonel Francis Palmes. To the consternation of the French, the Gens d'Armes were pushed back in terrible confusion. The Elector exclaimed – "What? Is it possible? The gentlemen of France fleeing?"

Tallard was also alarmed and asked Marsin for reinforcements. Marsin refused on the basis of being hard pressed by Eugène, leaving Tallard with just nine battalions of infantry. More attempts by the gallant Zurlauben tried to disrupt the Allies forming on Tallard's side of the stream but to no avail. During these skirmishes Zurlauben fell mortally wounded, and died two days later.

It was apparent that before Marlborough could launch his main effort against Tallard, Oberglau would have to be secured (the village sat squarely to the right of Churchill's infantry, exposing their flank). The Prince of Holstein-Beck was ordered by Count Horn to take the village, however, the two Dutch brigades were cut down by the French and Irish troops, capturing and mortally wounding the Prince during the action. Tallard later recorded – "At this moment I saw the hope of victory." The complete rout of Holstein-Beck’s Dutch column would threaten to split the Allied army in two; Eugène’s wing would be isolated from Marlborough’s, passing the initiative to the Franco-Bavarian forces now engaged across the whole plain. Marlborough (by now across the Nebel), ordered Hulsen's German battalions to support the Dutch; he also sent word to Count Hendrick Fugger and his Imperial Cuirassier brigade to help repel Marsin's cavalry thrust. With support from Colonel Blood's batteries the Dutch infantry, now commanded by Count Berensdorf, along with Hessian and Hanoverian troops, were ordered to push Marsin's French and Irish infantry back into Oberglau and hold them within. During the struggle the French commander in the village, the Marquis de Blainville, was amongst the heavy casualties.

Breakthrough

Breakthrough: Position of the battle at 17:30. The relatively small number of French infantry in the centre were decimated by the Allied guns loaded with 'partridge shot'.

"The [French] foot remained in the best order I ever saw, till they were cut to pieces almost in rank and file." – Lord Orkney.

By 16:00, with the enemy troops besieged in both Blindheim and Oberglau, the Allied centre of 81 squadrons supported by 18 battalions was firmly planted amidst the French line of 64 squadrons and just nine battalions.

Pursuit. Marshal Tallard was amongst the captured. Courteously, Marlborough offered him the use of his own carriage, which Tallard accepted. In the scramble to escape, up to 3,000 French and Bavarian troops are thought to have drowned in the Danube.

At 17:00 the Allied cavalry, supported by the infantry moved forward. The weary 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. 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. . ." However the second Allied line, under von Bulow and the Count of Ost-Friese, was then ordered forward, and, driving through the centre, the Allies finally put Tallard's cavalry to rout. The remaining nine French infantry battalions fought with desperate valour, trying to form square. Merode-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. 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 Sondersheim. However, after being surrounded by a squadron of Hessian troops, Tallard surrendered to Lieutenant-Colonel de Boinenburg, the Prince of Hesse's aide-de-camp and sent under escort to Marlborough.

Fall of Blindheim

Diorama of the battle in the Höchstädt museum. In the middle ground the Allied cavalry are breaking through, pushing Tallard's squadrons from the battlefield. The foreground depicts the fierce fighting in and around Blindheim.

". . .our men fought in and through the fire. . . until many on both sides were burned to death." – Private Deane, 1st Regiment Foot Guards.

With Tallard's army in retreat the Allies once again attacked the Bavarian stronghold at Lutzingen. This time however, the Prussians were able to storm the Bavarian guns, and despite the gun crews fighting fiercely, they were cut down without mercy. Additionally, beyond the village the Danes defeated the French infantry in a desperate hand-to-hand bayonet struggle. 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 since Eugène’s forces were too tired to pursue). Blindheim on their right, was left to fend for themselves.

The French infantry fought tenaciously to hold on to their position in Blindheim but 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 Blindheim and the 27 battalions defending the village, and, whilst preparing to cross the Danube, was succumbed by the fast flowing river.

Marlborough now had to turn his attention from the fleeing enemy to direct Churchill to detach more infantry to storm the village. Earl Orkney's infantry, Hamilton's British brigade and St Paul's Hanoverians moved across to the cottages. Fierce hand-to-hand fighting gradually forced the French towards the village centre, in and around the walled churchyard. Hay and Ross's dismounted dragoons were also sent, but suffered under a counter-charge delivered by the regiments of Artois and Provence. 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. However, after being thrown back no fewer than three times, the Earl of Orkney tried a different tactic and offered the defenders a temporary cease-fire to allow the wounded to be dragged out of the burning cottages. This lull in the fighting gave Orkney a chance to persuade the Marquis de Blanzac – who had taken charge in Clérambault's absence – to end the needless sacrifice of his men. Reluctantly, the French commander accepted the inevitability of defeat and by 21:00, some 10,000 of France's best infantry had laid down their arms.

Aftermath

The remnants of the Elector of Bavaria's and Marshal Marsin's forces 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. Tallard however (who unlike his subordinates had not been ransomed or exchanged), was imprisoned in Nottingham until 1711.

Munich, Augsburg, Ingolstadt, Ulm and all remaining territory of Bavaria soon fell to the Allies. On 25 August Marlborough met with Eugène and Baden to plan their next moves. For the following year, Marlborough 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 Trèves and Trarbach on the Moselle itself. Trèves fell on 26 October, Landau on 23 November and, with the fall of Trarbach on 20 December, the campaign season for 1704 came to an end.

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. With Vienna now safe, the Austrians were able to send troops into Italy to strengthen their resistance to the French, and the Hungarian rebels were more willing to come to a settlement with the Emperor. The German princes enthusiasm for Marlborough’s 1705 campaign also increased and the citizens of Ghent and Antwerp began to stir against the authority of the occupying French forces.

Marlborough returned to England on 14 December to the acclamation of Queen Anne and the country. In February 1705, Queen Anne 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. However, Marlborough was never to see the completion of the magnificent building that was to become known as Blenheim Palace; fading support of the Queen meant that construction was suspended in 1711 as the promised funds failed to appear.

The Battle of Blenheim was the first major French defeat for over 40 years, and one of the first major English victories on the continent since the Battle of Agincourt nearly 300 years before. British historian Sir Edward Creasy considered the battle of Blenheim to be one of the pivotal battles in history. He wrote: "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." Marlborough's descendant Winston S. Churchill wrote: "The destruction of the Armada had preserved the life of Britain: the charge at Blenheim opened her to the gateways of the modern world." It was a seminal moment in Britain's history.

Cultural references

The battle was the subject of Robert Southey's poem, After Blenheim. Southey’s poem tells how ‘Old Kasper’s’ grandchildren discover a buried skull while digging in their grandfather's yard at the site of the battle. In response to their questions, he tells them about the "great victory"; the thousands of corpses rotting in the sun, and the civilian casualties:

"And many a childing mother then / And newborn baby died."

He explains to the shocked children:

"But things like that, you know, must be / At every famous victory"

However, when questioned by the children, 'But what good came of it at last?', their grandfather replies:

"'Why that I cannot tell,' said he, / But 'twas a famous victory.'"

The poem has been frequently anthologized, notably in Palgrave's Golden Treasury, and is a staple of antiwar rhetoric. Thus, during the Vietnam War Arthur Krock wrote in The New York Times, that "It appears likely that little Peterkin's question to his grandfather whether any 'good' came out of Marlborough's victory at Blenheim can be pertinently repeated by the American people".

References

• Chandler, David G. Marlborough as Military Commander. Spellmount Ltd, 2003. ISBN 1-86227-195-X
• Chandler, David G. and Ian Beckett, eds. Oxford Illustrated History of the British Army. Oxford University Press, 1995. ISBN 0-19-869178-5
• Falkner, James. Blenheim 1704: Marlborough's Greatest Victory. Pen & Sword Books Ltd, 2004. ISBN 1-84415-050-X
• Fuller, J.F.C. The Decisive Battle of the Western World and their influence upon history. HarperCollins Publishers, 1972. ISBN 0-586-08035-X
• Lynn, John A. The French wars 1667 – 1714: The Sun King at War. Osprey Publishing, 2002. ISBN 1-84176-361-6
• Spencer, Charles. Blenheim: Battle for Europe. Phoenix, 2005. ISBN 0-304-36704-4
• Tincey, John. Blenheim 1704:The Duke of Marlborough's Masterpiece. Osprey Publishing Ltd, 2004. ISBN 1-84176-771-9

External links

• Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World. Edward Shepherd Creasy. Chapter xi. The Battle of Blenheim, 1704.
• Article from Military History Magazine – Battle of Blenheim
• Robert Southey's anti-war poem 'After Blenheim', also known as 'The Battle of Blenheim'