64. ANNUA'L REGISTER, 1704 



it would prove entirely different 

 from the fortTier. The Frei:;ch 

 *rmy took the field early in the 

 month of February. Impatient to 

 recover the credit they had lost by 

 their precedin|r def^-ats, they at- 

 tacked the Spaniards that were 

 posted near St. Jean Delilz, and 

 routed them with great loss on the 

 5th of that monthi Encouraged 

 by this success, the French forces 

 stationed on the eastern frontiers^ 

 marched, in the bepjinning of April j 

 against the Spanish army encamp- 

 ed at Ctrat. and ohlis^ed them to 

 abandon it, together with the town 

 of Boulon : they again attacked 

 them, on the tsi of May, near the 

 former of those places, of which 

 they had attempted to retake pos- 

 session, and gained advantages over 

 them of the utmost Importance t 

 they took an immense quantity 

 of artillery, together with 2,000 

 men ; the slain and wounded were 

 also very nwmen,ni?> 



But the event which o-ave a dc- 

 Cisive turn to the war in Spain, was 

 the splendid victory obtained on 

 the SiJd of May by General Du- 



fommier^ ?.n oliicer of great cele- 

 rity, over a Spanish army rear 

 Coll^«are. Besides those that fell 

 in iction, 7000 men laid down 

 theii^ arms 5 and all thebaggage and 

 cannon fell into the hands of the 

 Frenih. This event was so satis- 

 factory to the Convention, that it 

 Was proposed to erect a colum on 

 the field of action, withan inscrip- 

 tion to commem.orste it. 



In the meantime, the strong town 

 of Bellegrade, which the Spaniards 

 had taken in the preceding cam- 

 paign, was inveiitetl by a large body 

 cf French troops. Count De L'U- 

 nion, a Spanish General of great 

 eminence, formed a plan for its 



relief. At the head of some chosen 

 regiments he attacked the besiegers 

 with such impetuosity, that they 

 were at first driven from their posts ; 

 but they soon rallied and recovered 

 them. The fight continued with 

 obstinacy for a long time. Gene- 

 ral Mirabel, a French officer of 

 merit, and who contributed by his 

 exertion to the success of his co in- 

 ti^'mcn on this day, was killed with 

 a number of them ; but they were 

 at length succ;;ssful, and the Spa- 

 niards were totally routed, with 

 the loss of neat 3000 men. This 

 brave but unfortunate attempt of 

 the Spaniards to raise the siege of 

 Bellegrade, took place on the 30th 

 of August) The garrison still ho^ 

 ping to be relieved, lield out till the 

 ^pth of September ; when> despair- 

 ing of any efi"ort in th*ir favour^ 

 they surrendered to General Da-a 

 gommier. On the very njxt day 

 Count De L'Uiiion, unapprized of 

 this e\'ent, made a very resolute 

 attack on the French 5 but was 

 again compelled to retreat with 

 considerable loss. The number of 

 Spanish troops made prisoners at 

 Beller'rade, amounted to 6000 : a 

 heavy loss in such a scarcity ot aoie 

 soldier.5 as Spain now daily experi- 

 enced. 



The contiinial failures of the 

 Spanish commar.ders in their re- 

 peated attacks of the French, rou- 

 sed them to a determination to col- 

 lect such a fwce as might, through 

 the goodness of the troops, as well 

 as their numbers, aiTord better 

 hopes of success. With a strength 

 thusselected, they adranced against 

 Dugommier, the most fortfiidable 

 of their enemies, and whom for that 

 reason they were ciiie: y desirous 

 of having the honour ot defeating. 

 He met them at Si^anllles on the 



17th 



