B E L G 
provided with ammunition and provifions; though the 
breaches which the elector had made were not fully re¬ 
paired, fo that they were forced to defend them with a 
double rank of pallifadoes; but an accident happened 
which blafled all the hopes of the befieged : a bomb from 
the Turks unhappily fell upon the great tower, where the 
magazine of powder lay, which caufed the whole to blow 
tip, and with it above 1200 of the garrifon, wounding ma¬ 
ny of the red. The exploflon was felt like an earthquake ; 
the walls of the city were thrown down, and feveral hun¬ 
dreds of the houfes laid in ruins; the town was inftantly 
in a blaze, and many of the other magazines (hared the 
fame fate as the former. The Turks perceiving the ef¬ 
fects their bombs had produced, and encouraged by the 
accident, were determined not to let flip fo favourable an 
opportunity for making a general aflault, therefore on the 
morning of the 8th of October they advanced. The be¬ 
fieged prepared to receive them, and a (harp engagement 
began, in which the Turks were twice repulfed; but at 
length their numbers overpowered the befieged, and obli¬ 
ged them to retire. The Turks, as the Impefial.ifts had 
done, then entered the town, and piit all to the fwor'd 
without diftinftion. Four thou (and men perifhed in two 
hours, nobly defending their governor, who, with the duke 
of Croy, count d’Archinto, and a few more officers, efca- 
ped through the.Fiflier’s gate, and got over the Danube 
infaiks; lout unfortunately one of the fiaiks which was 
overloaded funk, and all who were in it perifhed. The 
Turks are fa id to have loft in this fiege neari 5,006 men. 
The houfe of Auftria could not reflect on the taking of 
Belgrade with indifference; this acquilition was too im¬ 
portant to negleft all attempts to regain it. The command 
of the army in Hungary was conferred on the duke of 
Croy, who had orders' to lay fiege to Belgrade. He ap¬ 
peared before it on the 131)1 of Augufl, 1693, and, by the 
17th, made feveral formidable attacks, when the garrifon, 
making a well-concerted (ally, did him conliderable mif- 
chief, and obliged him to alter.his difpofitions ; notwith- 
flanding which lie carried on his operations with great ala¬ 
crity, and feemed wholly bent on taking the town, or pe- 
rithing in the attempt; but (till he was repulfed in his at¬ 
tacks ; and, when he was upon the point of making a ge¬ 
neral aflault, he received intelligence that the grand vizier, 
at the head of 80,000 men, was on his march to relieve 
the city. Upon which he thought proper to raife the 
fiege, having loft near 1000 men. By the treaty of Car- 
lowitz, made in 1699, the.Turks were left in pofleflion of 
Belgrade; but, in 1715, pretending that the Venetians had 
infringed the articles of peace, they declared War, which 
was followed by the emperor’s making a declaration of war 
againfl the Porte. In May, 1717, prince Eugene marched 
at the head of a fine army, confiding of 100,000 men, to 
beliege Belgrade. The Turks forefaw his defi'gn, and 
reinforced the garrifon to 30,000 men, and in other re- 
fpefts made it as they thought impregnable.. Count Palfi 
w as cliofen to direfl the fiege, and his highnefs undertook 
to cover him againfl any attempts of the Turkifli arniy 
which lay in the neighbourhood, confining of upwards of 
150,000 men, commanded by the grand vizier. As prince 
Eugene and count Palfi were profecuting this important 
undertaking, the grand vizier approached the prince’s 
camp with his whole army, and, furroundiug'all the emi¬ 
nences, inclofed the Imperial forces between himlelf and 
the town. The Turks it was thought would have no.oc- 
cafion to continue their fire, though it annoyed the prince 
greatly, and even obliged him to change his quarters, be¬ 
caufe a contagious difeafe was fiercely fighting for them 
againfl the Imperialifls. Prince Eugene, though he chan¬ 
ged his quarters, kept only upon the defenfive. At length, 
however, finding his own army diminifhed daily, and that 
it was impoflible for him to receive any reinforcement, 
prince Eugene refolved to march out of his intrenchments 
and attack the enemy. There was another ronlideration 
which determined him thereto, which was this; he (aw 
that for two days together the Turks had been making the 
Vol. II. No. 108.• 
R A D E. 86? 
necefl'ary difpofitions a general aflault. His highnefs faw 
there was no time to be lofl, and the only way to prevent 
their defigns from taking efifefl, was immediately to exe¬ 
cute his own. And, as the army faw there was no way of 
getting out of their ugly fit nation but by fighting, they 
were glad to fee it fo determined, while they were yet e- 
iiough to form an army; and they exhorted each other to 
behave bravely, becaufe the lofs of victory would be at¬ 
tended with confequences the rnofl fhameful and the molt 
fatal, viz. either of being made prifoners by infidels, or 
being put to the fword in their camp. The volunteers in 
the army were fo numerous, that fome adviled prince Eu¬ 
gene to form them into a feparate body; but this v\as 
found impracticable on account of their different qualities 
and views, for fome were princes, fome noblemen, fome 
foldiers of fortune; and again many (erved in particular 
regiments in hopes of obtaining commands, and feveral 
were experienced officers, and had great commands, but 
came merely to difplay their zeal, by expofing their per- 
fons againfl the Turks. Among the perfons of the fir if 
rank were the eledoial prince of Bavaria, and prince Fer¬ 
dinand his brother, prince Emanuel of Portugal, the count 
de Charolois, the prince de Dcmbes, the hereditary prince 
of Anhalt-Defl'uu, with prince Leopold Maximilian, a 
prince of Saxony, a duke of h'olflein, two princes of Lig~ 
hi, the prince of Pons, and the chevalier de Lorraine his 
brother. 
The whole army was underarms by one in the morning, 
(Auguft 16,) at which time there was the deepeft filence 
in both camps; the Turks were intent on their prepara¬ 
tions for an attack, and had not the leaft notion of being 
attacked themfelves, when the Imperialifls marched out 
of their entrenchments. The night, which was very clear, 
would have dilcovered their march, but about the time 
they began to move there fell a (hick fog, which covered 
them like a cloud. The firft line advanced, favoured by 
this accident, for two hours, (lowly and without beat of 
drum, the right having orders to extend itfelf towards the 
bonnet before the Imperial camp, that'it might be fuftain- 
ed by the artillery on that work; the left, where it was 
expe£led the flrefs of the battle would be, was ordered 
to extend itfelf into the plain; the foot advancing in the 
middle. The fog all this time increafed, fo that at laft 
the foldiers could fcarcely fee a yard before them. What 
had hitherto been an advantage proved now a detriment to 
the Imperialifls, for the right wing, not being able to di- 
ftinguifli the bonnet before their own camp, fell in with the 
head of one of the Turkifh trenches: both fides were (ur- 
prifed. The Turks however made a bri(k difeharge, and 
then began fereaming and crying in fuch a manner as alarm¬ 
ed indeed, but alfo confounded,’ their own army, which 
likewife fell to fliouting and crying, ran in a hurry to their 
arms, and in as great hurry advanced towards the Impe¬ 
rial camp. The Imperialifls endeavoured to take their 
pods, but were forced to grope and feel their way; and, 
as one error is generally followed by another, the infantry 
on the right, regulating their march by the cavalry, ftray- 
ed out of the line after them, and left a void in the cen¬ 
tre capable of affording room to feveral battalions. But, 
in fpite of all this, the engagement which began on tlie 
right foon became general : the left wing fought without 
feeing its enemies; they heard eacli other, and that was 
all ; they fired and advanced ; fired again, received the 
enemies fire, and advanced dill; this however gave the 
Germans great advantage, becaufe they were regular 
troops, and knew what they did. The Turks on the other 
hand were all in confuflon; filch as had courage knew not 
how to ufe it, and fuch as had none knew no: how to fly. 
When they came to fight hand to hand, fome of the Ger¬ 
man corps a6Ied very imprudently, from a falfe notion of 
bravery; they pufhed forward before they could be fup- 
ported, and were confequently enveloped and cut to pie¬ 
ces, without doing any real fervice. However, on tlie 
whole, the Imperialifls every where gained ground ; the 
infantry did wonders, they kept clofe in their' ranks;'and 
