following, establish five pontoon bridges to the north of Oudenarde and build a protective bridgehead on the Scheldt. This, it was hoped, would allow the Allies to cross the river to the west bank before the French did so. Now attached to Marlborough’s staff, Daniel was with him when a first report came back from Cadogan.
‘He’s in sight of the river,’ said Marlborough with satisfaction.
‘At what time was the message sent, Your Grace?’ asked Daniel.
‘Nine o’clock this morning.’
‘They’ve moved fast.’
‘William Cadogan is not a man to dawdle. According to this,’ said Marlborough, holding up the missive, ‘the French camp is at Gavre. They’ll be crossing the Scheldt before long. We mustn’t keep them waiting.’
Daniel was soon in the saddle, riding with Marlborough at the head of forty squadrons, eager to join Cadogan’s advance guard before the French realised what their intentions were. By one o’clock in the afternoon, they were thundering across the wooden timbers of the pontoon bridges. Behind them, the infantry were already on the march from Lessines. Daniel was exhilarated. He was not only heartened to see Marlborough shaking off his physical debility and behaving with characteristic authority, he sensed that battle was finally at hand. The Allies would have an opportunity to avenge the loss of Bruges and Ghent, and the sword that Daniel had taken such pains to retrieve would be put to good use.
Vendome’s temper had not improved overnight. If anything, it was at an even higher pitch. When news of the enemy’s movements reached him, wrath crimsoned his cheeks and put murder in his eyes. He rounded on his commander-in-chief.
‘You assured me that the Allies wouldn’t reach the Scheldt for days,’ he said, accusingly. ‘While our men are still crossing the river as if they have all the time in the world, Marlborough’s soldiers are already here on the west bank.’
‘His speed took me by surprise,’ confessed Burgundy.
‘When you match yourself against Marlborough, you must always expect surprises. Otherwise, you’re doomed to fail.’
Burgundy was adamant. ‘There’s no chance of our failing when we have a much larger army,’ he asserted. ‘Evidently, a battle is imminent. We’ve been left with no alternative but to fight.’
‘We should have been in a position to dictate the terms of the encounter,’ complained Vendome, ‘and not have it forced upon us. If you’d listened to my advice at the start, the Allies would still be fretting outside the walls of Lessines.’
‘That’s all in the past,’ said Burgundy, dismissively. ‘We have to meet this new situation and do so with vigour.’
‘On that, at least, we can agree. We should attack at once.’
‘I think not, my lord Duke.’
‘All that we’re facing at the moment is the advance guard. If we fall upon them without delay, we can put them to flight then march on Oudenarde.’
‘I have a better strategy.’
‘Dear God!’ exclaimed Vendome. ‘Have you learnt nothing? Every second we delay gives the enemy time to bring more men across the river. We should strike now before reinforcements arrive. With deference to your position,’ he went on, trying to show a semblance of respect, ‘I submit that there is no better strategy.’
‘Then we must agree to differ,’ said Burgundy with muted anger. ‘I suggest that you calm down before you make a judgement. A cool head is required, my lord Duke.’
‘What use is a cool head without a detailed knowledge of warfare?’ said Vendome under his breath. Controlling himself with a conscious effort, he became apologetic. ‘Forgive my hasty words, my lord. The prospect of battle excites me somewhat. I implore you to follow my advice this time and act decisively.’
‘That’s exactly what I intend to do. Having inspected the terrain with care, I want the army to form into line of battle along the ridge to the north of the River Norken. From there, we’ll be able to see the spires of Oudenarde.’
‘The time to look at spires is when we’ve defeated the enemy,’ said Vendome, earnestly. ‘Strike now and we can rout them.’
‘You’ve heard my decision,’ declared Burgundy, ‘and it will stand. Like everyone else under my command, you must obey orders.’
Vendome scowled. There was nothing more to be said.
By the time that Marlborough and Eugene caught up with him, Cadogan had already had a brush with the cavalry of the French advance guard. Undaunted by larger enemy numbers, he hailed the arrival of the others and was eager to attack. His unassailable buoyancy raised the spirits of his men. After conversing with Cadogan about what had already occurred, Marlborough watched the enemy deploying along a low, partly wooded ridge that was punctuated by three small villages.
‘They’ve chosen well,’ he said with grudging admiration. ‘It’s a strong position.’
‘Do we still attack, Your Grace?’ asked Cadogan.
‘We came here to fight and that’s what we’ll do.’
‘There are many risks involved.’
Marlborough grinned. ‘That’s never stopped you before, William.’
‘And it won’t do this time,’ said Cadogan, heartily.
‘Now that we have them in our sights, we’ll offer them battle. We must do — nothing else will suffice. We need a victory to appease our critics. If it miscarries, I’m ready to shoulder the blame.’
Overhearing the exchange between the two men, Daniel was impressed. Both men were confident and clear-headed. Since most of the Allied army were still scrambling over the pontoons, their leaders would be courting danger with an attack. Simultaneously, however, they’d be signalling to the enemy that they felt capable of inflicting serious damage on them even with a depleted force. The boldness of the plan appealed to Daniel.
Cadogan’s appetite for action had been whetted. He was keen to be in the field again. Ahead of him were seven enemy battalions, made up of Swiss mercenaries. Sent forward by Vendome, they had, by an oversight, never been recalled. Cadogan acted decisively. With the consent of Marlborough, he unleashed his attack on them with British redcoats to the front supported by Hanoverian cavalry to their flank and rear. When the two sides met, there was an ear-splitting cacophony of clashing blades and musket fire, supplemented by cries of agony from men and horses as they were shot, hacked or bayoneted to the ground. The popping of musketry became a roar and clouds of smoke marked the successive volleys. The Swiss had erected some rudimentary barricades but they failed to hold back the onslaught. Cadogan’s men were well trained, quick to respond to orders and merciless in combat. As soon as some of them fell, others stepped over their bodies to continue the fight with an iron determination.
The result was never in doubt. The Swiss brigades had been taken unawares. Their leaders had never imagined that Allied forces in such strength could be so close. Shocked and unprepared, they were no match for Cadogan’s infantry and were soon put under intolerable pressure by the surging waves of redcoats. Cadogan deployed his men with such skill and purpose that they overcame all opposition within an hour. As the Swiss retreated, the Hanoverian cavalry harried them ruthlessly. Daniel was thrilled at the early success. Cadogan had not merely vanquished the Swiss and taken masses of prisoners, he’d bought priceless time for reinforcements to catch up with them. It augured well for the battle ahead.
Burgundy was dismayed by what he saw. From his position on the ridge, he witnessed the complete destruction of his Swiss battalions. It made him think again about how to fight the battle. Vendome, who’d been an ardent advocate for striking hard at the enemy, now felt that it was too late to attack. Once again, he was overruled. On the orders of Burgundy, the French right wing began to pick its way down the slopes and over the River Norken, one of the many streams that crisscrossed the area. It was close countryside with ditches, marshes, bushes, hedgerows, copses, brambles and thick undergrowth hindering progress.
At approximately five o’clock, the right wing attacked Cadogan’s forces with ferocity, overlapping it to the west and threatening to engulf it. Some relief came from a battery posted by Marlborough to fire away incessantly at the advancing French hordes. To counter the threat of being enveloped, Cadogan changed his front to the left but his line remained thin and potentially fragile. Fortunately, the nature of the terrain left little scope for cavalry. At
