Owing to the wound of Prince Eugene, the Duke of Marlborough had to
direct the operations of the siege as well as to command the army
in the field. On the 23rd he followed up the advantage gained on
the 20th, by a fresh attack in two columns, each 5000 strong, and
headed by 500 English troops. After being three times repulsed,
these succeeded in maintaining a lodgment in another outwork;
losing, however, 1000 men in the attack, the greater part being
destroyed by the explosion of a mine.
Both besiegers and besieged were now becoming straitened for
ammunition, for the consumption had been immense. The French
generals succeeded in passing a supply into the fortress in a very
daring manner.
On the night of the 28th, 2500 horsemen set out from Douai, under
the command of the Chevalier de Luxembourg, each having forty
pounds of powder in his valise. They arrived at the gate of the
walls of circumvallation, when the Dutch sentry cried out:
"Who comes there?"
"Open quickly!" the leader answered in the same language; "I am
closely pursued by the French."
The sentry opened the gate, and the horsemen began to pass in.
Eighteen hundred had passed without suspicion being excited, when
one of the officers, seeing that his men were not keeping close up,
gave the command in French:
"Close up! close up!"
The captain of the guard caught the words, and suspecting
something, ordered the party to halt; and then, as they still rode
in, ordered the guard to fire.
Pages:
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340