The History and Remarkable Life of the Truly Honourable Colonel Jacque, Commonly Called Colonel JackDefoe, Daniel
General
The History and Remarkable Life of the Truly Honourable Colonel Jacque, Commonly Called Colonel Jack
Defoe, Daniel
Adventure stories, English; England -- Social life and customs -- 18th century -- Fiction; Picaresque fiction
Our army formed immediately, and the duke posted the regiments as they
came up so much to their advantage that Prince Eugene was obliged to
alter his dispositions, and had this particular inconvenience upon his
hands, viz., to attack an army superior to his own, in all their most
advantageous posts; whereas, had he thought fit to have waited but one
day, we should have met him half-way. But this was owing to the pride
of the German generals, and their being so opinionated of the goodness
of their troops. The royal army was posted with the left to the great
river Po, on the other side of which the Prince of Vaudemont’s army lay
cannonading the intrenchments which the imperialists had made at Borgo
Fort; and hearing that there was like to be a general battle, he
detached twelve battalions and about a thousand horse, to reinforce the
royal army; all which, to our great encouragement, had time to join the
army, while Prince Eugene was making his new dispositions for the
attack. And yet it was the coming of these troops which caused Prince
Eugene to resolve to begin the fight, expecting to have come to an
action before they could come up. But he was disappointed in the reason
of fighting, and yet was obliged to fight too, which was an error in
the prince that it was too late to retrieve.
It was five o’clock in the evening before he could bring up his whole
line to engage; and then, after having cannonaded us to no great
purpose for half-an-hour, his right, commanded by the Prince de
Commercy, attacked our left wing with great fury. Our men received them
so well and seconded one another so punctually that they were repulsed
with a very great slaughter; and the Prince de Commercy being,
unhappily for them, killed in the first onset, the regiments, for want
of orders, and surprised with the fall of so great a man, were pushed
into disorder, and one whole brigade was entirely broke.
But their second line, advancing under General Herbeville, restored
things in the first. The battalions rallied, and they came boldly on to
charge a second time, and being seconded with new reinforcements from
their main body, our men had their turn, and were pushed to a canal
which lay on their left flank between them and the Po, behind which
they rallied; and being supported by new troops, as well horse as foot,
they fought on both sides with the utmost obstinacy, and with such
courage and skill that it was not possible to judge who should have had
the better could they have been able to have fought it out.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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