20 



THE CRISIS OF THE BATTLE OF MALPLAQUET. 



Now was the crisis of this sanguinary day at hand ; all the 

 cannon roared, and the musketry of both armies was plied with 

 tremendous activity. I have been told, on the spot, that the 

 ground trembled with the moving hoofs of thirty thousand horse, 

 and a dense cloud of dust and smoke covered the heavens, as if 

 a volcano had been exploding. Columns and single men were 

 only seen at intervals through the yellow and dense atmosphere ; 

 the demon of destruction rode exulting in the storm. The hostile 

 horse now noticed the front of d'Auvergne and instantly charged 

 it ; but though only formed in part, it withstood the shock and re- 

 pulsed them. The Household cavalry was already moved by 

 Marshal Bouflers who, on the intelligence of the wound of Vil- 

 lars, and the loss of the Redans, had quitted the right and hastened 

 to the centre ; here he found a certain apathy and indecision ; 

 and therefore approaching the squadrons of Gensdarmes de 

 France, the flower of the cavalry in the centre, after addressing a 

 few words to this resolute band, he placed himself at its head, 

 and before d' Auvergne had extended his whole front, the 

 shock reached his line, and the allied squadrons were driven back 

 to the Redans. There Lord Orkney had taken the precaution to 

 make his infantry ascend the parapets, by which means, they 

 were out of reach of the sabre and enabled to pour a destructive 

 volley upon the gensdarmes, which drove them back in their 

 turn. These charges were renewed three times, and as often re- 

 pulsed by the musketry and the cross fire of the batteries on the 

 flanks. In the third charge, they fell upon a second line, com- 

 posed of British and Prussian cavalry, brought up by Marlborough 

 in person, and led on by Bulow and the intrepid Wood. The 

 routed squadrons had passed between them, and their pursuers 

 were in turn severely handled by the first corps, who drove them 

 to seek shelter behind another line which now prepared to charge ; 

 this consisted chiefly of 13 squadrons of the splendid Gardes du 

 corps, Gensdarmerie de la garde, Mousquetareis, gris and noirs, 

 the Chevaux legers and Grenad iers a cheval, almost entirely compos- 

 ed of nobles above 2000 strong and constituting the king's household 

 cavalry, and superbly mounted. They had hastened from the right 

 wing to retrieve the misfortunes of the centre, and had just formed to 

 receive the broken gensdarmes. Bouflers found the youthful 

 pretender at the head of the Scottish troop, and with this line 

 they both advanced again. During this time the allied horse had 

 rapidly augmented, and Prince Eugene himself led the Germans 



