The Bavarian infantry fought stubbornly, but the battle was lost,
their line of retreat threatened by the allied horse, who were now
masters of the field, and, setting fire to the villages of Oberglau
and Lutzingen, they fell back sullenly.
In the meantime, Marshal Tallard was striving bravely to avert the
defeat. He brought up his last reserves, rallied his cavalry, and
drew them up in line stretching towards Blenheim in hopes of
drawing off his infantry from that village. Marlborough brought up
his whole cavalry force, and again charging them, burst through
their centre, and the French cavalry, divided into two parts, fled
in wild disorder--the one portion towards the Danube, the other
towards Hochstadt. Marlborough at the head of fifty squadrons
pursued the first body. Hanpesch with thirty followed the second.
Marlborough drove the broken mass before him to the Danube, where
great numbers were drowned in attempting to cross; the rest were
made prisoners. Marshal Tallard himself, with a small body of
cavalry who still kept their ranks, threw himself into the village
of Sonderheim, and was there captured by the victorious squadrons.
Hanpesch pursued the flying army as far as Hochstadt, captured
three battalions of infantry on the way, and halted not until the
French were a mere herd of fugitives, without order, riding for
their lives.
There now remained only the garrison of Blenheim to dispose of, and
the infantry were brought up to attack them.
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