While the King was carrying on the siege, a French force of superior numbers, commanded by Marshal Villeroy, advanced to attack the covering army. On the evening of the 14th of July the Allies were formed in order of battle; the immense columns of the enemy were seen in the open grounds in their front, and the hostile armies passed the night under arms, expecting to engage at the break of day; at the same time the French had detached a division under Monsieur de Montal to turn the right flank of the allied army. This occasioned the Prince to order a retreat, which he masked with excellent judgment: the cavalry advancing to the front, the dragoons dismounting and forming on foot; while the artillery, and infantry with their pikes trailed, quietly withdrew. The enemy, anticipating success, prepared for the attack; but in a moment, the British dragoons, retiring a few paces, mounted their horses, and when the enemy thought to have commenced the battle, the skeleton squadrons withdrew; presenting to the surprised French the magic spectacle of what appeared to be an army vanishing out of sight. The enemy's cavalry galloped forward in pursuit; but the Allies continued their retreat in good order, and at six o'clock on the morning of the 16th were in position in front of Ghent. The FIFTH was afterwards engaged in a series of manœuvres for the preservation of the maritime towns of Flanders, and for the protection of the troops before Namur. In the early part of August it was encamped between Genappe and Waterloo, and subsequently before Namur, which capitulated on the 22nd of August. From Namur the regiment marched to Nieuport, and encamped on the sand-hills near that town; and, remaining in the field until late in the season, when the weather was particularly wet and cold, the men were ordered to build straw huts; but towards the end of October they marched to Bruges. [Sidenote: 1696] On the 12th of May, 1696, the regiment marched out of the barracks at Bruges, and encamped behind the banks of the canal near the town. During the campaign of this year its services were limited to the protection of Ghent and Bruges from an attack which the French commanders made several demonstrations of a design of making on these towns; and it passed the winter in its former station at Bruges. [Sidenote: 1697] From Bruges, the regiment marched, in the spring of 1697, to Brussels; and on the 12th of April proceeded through the forest of Soigne and pitched its tents near the village of Waterloo, where an encampment was formed of twelve regiments of infantry under the Count de Noyelles. The FIFTH was subsequently employed in a series of defensive operations until September, when the war was terminated by the treaty of Ryswick; and, being ordered to return to England immediately afterwards, it landed in December,--eight companies at Greenwich and two at Dover. [Sidenote: 1698]