On the 4th of July, Vendome suddenly marched from Braine le Leude,
intending to capture the fortress of Oudenarde. Small bodies of
troops were sent off at the same time to Ghent and Bruges, whose
inhabitants rose and admitted the French. Marlborough, seeing the
danger which threatened the very important fortress of Oudenarde,
sent orders to Lord Chandos who commanded at Ath, to collect all
the small garrisons in the neighbourhood, and to throw himself into
Oudenarde. This was done before Vendome could reach the place,
which was thus secured against a coup de main. Vendome invested the
fortress, brought up his siege train from Tournay, and moved
towards Lessines with his main army, to cover the siege.
The loss of Ghent and Bruges, the annoyances he suffered from party
attacks at home, and the failure of the allies to furnish the
promised contingents, so agitated Marlborough that he was seized
with an attack of fever.
Fortunately, on the 7th of July Prince Eugene arrived. Finding that
his army could not be up in time, he had left them, and,
accompanied only by his personal staff, had ridden on to join
Marlborough.
The arrival of this able general and congenial spirit did much to
restore Marlborough; and after a council with the prince, he
determined to throw his army upon Vendome's line of communications,
and thus force him to fight with his face to Paris.
At two in the morning of the 9th of July, the allies broke up their
camp, and advanced in four great columns towards Lessines and the
French frontier.
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