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ANNALS OF WAR. 1700-1815 |
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ANNALS OF WAR_ 1700-1815 A.D.
1731.
1. DEATH OF THE DUKE OF PARMA.—2. ABDICATION OF THE
KING OF SARDINIA.—3. WAR IN PERSIA.
1. Death of the Duke of Parma.
The Duke of Parma died in January, declaring by his
will, in order to defeat the accession of Don Carlos, that his wife was
with child, which was false. The Emperor nevertheless affected to
believe it, and sent troops, under General Stamps, to secure possession
of Parma and Placentia. The King of Spain called on bis new
allies, France and England, to support his rights, which they had
secured to him by treaty: 6000 Spaniards were forthwith embarked
at Barcelona, in September, and were transported to Leghorn.
A British fleet, consisting of twenty-one sail of the line, under
Sir Charles Wager, having joined company with the Spanish fleet,
under the Marquis de Mari, the powers interposed' their mediation
so effectually, that the Emperor desisted from the prosecution of
his design.
2. Abdication of the King of Sardinia.
But the arrival of the imperialist troops in Italy
alarmed Victor Amadeus, the King of Sardinia, who had been threatened with
the vengeance of the Emperor, for some double-dealing in his negotiations
with him and the King of Spain, in the previous year. He thought to draw
himself out of the scrape by an abdication in favour of his son, Charles
Emanuel. But father and son soon came to differences, and the young King
caused a detachment of grenadiers to seize his father in his bed, and
convey him as a prisoner to the castle of Rivoli. On hearing of this
event, the French demanded the liberty of the grandfather of Louis XV; but
Cardinal Fleury, who had also, on some occasion, been deceived by Victor
Amadeus, would not interfere. Nevertheless, the King was released soon
after, and died at Moncalieri, on the 10th of November, the following
year.
3. War in Persia.
About this time, Kouli-Khan,
otherwise Nadir Shah, appears in military story. Thamasp,
Shah of Persia, having been nearly dispossessed of his authority by his
neighbours, the Turks, Russians, and Afghans, placed Kouli at the head of his army, who, in 1729, delivered Persia from the yoke of
all her conquerors. In this year he gained a victory over the Turks, near
Erivan, and had laid siege to Bagdad, which he was pressing closely. The
Porte, anxious for the fate of this town, sent orders to the Khan of the
Crimea to march with his best troops to its relief. The Khan put his
troops in motion without delay, and, without asking leave, took bis line
of march through some Russian territory. The Prince of
Hesse-Homburg, who commanded here, sent orders to him to desist, else he
would treat him as an enemy. The Khan, however, paid no regard to
this remonstrance, but passed on and crossed the river Teski.
There were two defiles, through which his troops were now obliged to
pass, and one of these the Prince caused to be occupied by General Jerepkin.
The Tartars fell with fury upon the Russians, sword in hand, but a brisk
fire from small arms and field-pieces cooled their ardour a little;
nevertheless, they obliged Jerepkin to give
way; but, abandoning the victory they had almost in their hands, they
fled in great confusion, leaving 1000 dead on the field of battle.
The general was wounded, and at one time the Prince of
Hesse-Homburg would have been taken prisoner but for the goodness of his
horse. The Tartars were above 25,000 strong, and the Russians not
more than 4000.
1733.
1. DEATH OF AUGUSTUS II, KING OF POLAND.—2. STANISLAUS
REPAIRS TO WARSAW, AND IS ELECTED KING.—3. THE RUSSIAN ARMY ENTERS POLAND.
STANISLAUS TAKES REFUGE IN DANTZIC.--4. THE ELECTOR OF SAXONY ELECTED KINO AT
CRACOW.—5. A RUSSIAN ARMY BESIEGES DANTZIC.—6. FRANCE DECLARES FOR
STANISLAUS.—7. SENDS AN ARMY INTO ITALY AND GERMANY.—3. SPAIN SENDS AN ARMY
INTO ITALY.
I. Death of Augustus II, King
of Poland.
Europe became anew involved in troubles by a vacancy
on the throne of Poland. Augustus II, King of Poland and Elector
of Saxony, died on the 1st of February at Warsaw, and his
death opened a new and dreadful scene of war in Europe. The neighbouring
powers were immediately m commotion to carry out that disgraceful struggle
which went by the name of an election. The deceased King had very nearly
anticipated the partition of Poland by half a century, for he was occupied
with this design when surprised by death. He had opened his mind to the King of
Prussia, who sent him the Marshal von Grumbkow to confer on the subject with him. Actuated by a mutual misgiving, the King and
the Marshal contrived to make each other drunk, and this drunken bout
finished the King and gave such a fit of sickness to Grumbkow that
he never got the better of it. Augustus II was the old opponent of Charles XII,
to whom he had solemnly sworn to pretend no more to the rights of
sovereignty in Poland, and had, at that time, given way to the election of
Stanislaus Leczinski; but after the defeat of Charles at Pultowa, he again
succeeded in expelling his rival. On this occasion, he thought proper to
publish a long manifesto to justify his conduct; and asking a friend one day
what he thought of it, the Polish gentleman replied: “Nothing can be
more ridiculous you ought to have
said simply—seeing that the King of Sweden baa been defeated at Pultowa, I
have reascended the throne.” Stanislaus, however, still lived, and by a strange
combination of circumstances, his daughter had in the interim become the wife
of young Louis XV, and was now Queen of France. The King of France,
therefore, supported the pretensions his father-in-law, and the Marquis de
Monti, ambassador from France at Warsaw, exerted himself so successfully
that he soon gained over the Primate and a majority of the Catholic diet
to the interests of Stanislaus. The Emperor, the Czarina, and the King of
Prussia espoused the interests of the new Elector of Saxony, son to the
late King. The Imperial and Russian troops marched therefore to the
frontiers of Poland; and the Saxon Prince, and many of the noble electors
of Poland repaired to the Russian camp. France had for a long
time ceased to have any connexion with Poland, and being totally
unacquainted with the state of affairs in that country, was not prepared with
the means of making any great effort.
2. Stanislaus repairs
to Warsaw, and is elected King.
Stanislaus, who was residing in France, instantly set
out for his native country, and travelling in disguise through Germany,
attended by only one officer, reached the house of the French ambassador at
Warsaw in safety. He concealed himself till the day of election, when he
presented himself to the Poles, and was received with acclamations. The
Primate proceeded to the election, and 60,000 suffrages recalled
Stanislaus to the throne. The Russian General Lacy, nevertheless, entered
Poland at the head of 50,000 men, and 10,000 Poles, under Prince
Wiesznowiecki, joined the Russian army, which immediately advanced by
speedy marches upon Warsaw.
3. The Russian Army enters Poland. Stanislaus takes Refuge in Dantzic.
In a brief space of time the whole of the Lithuanian
provinces were occupied by the Muscovites, and Stanislaus was compelled
to fly with the Primate and Count de Monti, the French
ambassador, and shut himself up in Dantzic,
where he had been assured by the French King that a French fleet should
come to his assistance. The Palatine of Kiow remained in command at Warsaw, in the interest of Stanislaus, and attacked
the Saxon palace, which surrendered, and was plundered, together with the
houses belonging to the grandees who had declared for Augustus.
4. The Elector of Saxony
elected King at Cracow.
The Poles who were in favour of the Elector, finding
it impracticable to pass the Vistula before the expiration of the time fixed
for the session of the diet, assembled at Cracow, where, on the 6th of
October, they elected and proclaimed him King, under the title of Augustus
III. They afterwards got possession of Warsaw, and in their turn plundered
the palace and houses belonging to the opposite party.
5. A Russian Army besieges Dantzic.
A confederate army of 60,000 Russians, Saxons, and
Polish artisans, under the command of Count Münnich, now laid siege
to Stanislaus in Dantzic. The defence was heroic
and long; 8000 are said to have fallen in one assault, and they still
point out a place which they call the grave of the Russians. On the 24th
of May a French fleet consisting of sixteen sail arrived and landed
the three French regiments of Blaisois,
Perigord, and La Marche, under the command of De la Motte Peronse, but they came too late and in too small a
number to force the Russians to raise the siege. Stanislaus felt the
mortification of receiving such a beggarly assistance from his mighty
son-in-law, as did the ambassador from France himself. On the 27th the
French troops marched out their camp, and signalled to the town to assist
their attack by a sally. This they did with a strong detachment, hut the
Russian intrenchments were too strong for them. Jealous for his nation,
Count Plelo, the French King’s ambassador at Copenhagen, put
himself forward at the head of this small band his countrymen.
The gallant leader fell pierced with balls, and the rest, after a stout resistance,
were made prisoners.
6. France declares for Stanislaus.
Notwithstanding the pacific policy of Fleury, the
French were determined to take a vigorous part in the contest. The Queen was
beloved by everyone in France, except the Cardinal, who manifested towards
her and her father the greatest indifference. Fleury was, however, so besieged
by the old Marshal Villars, still impatient for glory, by the ambitious De
Belle-Isle and De Noailles, burning for distinction, and by Berwick, who
was tired to death by his long inactivity, that the French King ordered
his armies to take the field in the interest of Stanislaus. The Duke de
Berwick, accordingly, passed the Rhine in October, and undertook the siege
of Fort Kehl, which in the month of December surrendered on capitulation.
During these transactions the French King concluded a treaty with Spain
and Sardinia, who agreed to declare war against the Emperor, and to
I join a body of French forces, to be commanded by the veteran Marshal
de Villars.
7. Sends an Army into Italy
and Germany.
The Emperor, dreading the effect of such a powerful
confederacy against him, offered to compromise all differences, but the Kings
of France, Spain, and Sardinia had now formed an alliance, and declared
that his advances were too late. On the 12th of October the French troops
began their march to pass the Alps, and joined the Sardinian troops in the
neighbourhood of Vigevano on the 29th. They immediately advanced to Pavia,
which they occupied, and then reduced the important fortress of Pizzighitone in the beginning of December. Cremona, Fregga, and Lecco followed, and the confederated army then
marched to Milan, of which they likewise took possession. They
afterwards obtained took possession of Guastalla,
under pretence of guarding it for the Prince from the Imperialists.
8. Spain sends an Army into Italy.
Louis XV found the court of Madrid also quite ready to
join in a war against the Emperor, from a desire to secure for Don Carlos,
now Duke of Parma, a son to the Queen, the throne of Naples, which
was weakly defended. The British minister, Walpole, wisely
endeavoured to prevent the firing of the first cannon, but his efforts
were unsuccessful. Spain detached a powerful armament to Italy, where they
invested the fortress of Aula, which they obliged to capitulate in a few
days. The Spanish forces were directed by the Count de Montemar, and
consisted of 16,000 foot and 4000 horse, with a proper amount of
artillery, under the supreme command of the Infante Duke of Pama. At the
same time a powerful French and Spanish fleet, under the Count de Ciavijo,
domineered in the Italian seas.
1734.
I. DANTZIC SURRENDERS AND STANISLAVS ESCAPES.—2. WAR ON
THE RHINE.—3. THE DUKE DE
BERWICK KILLED AT PHILIPPSBURG.—4. WAR ON THE RHINE CONTINUED,— 5. WAR IN ITALY.--6.
DEATH AND MILITARY CHARACTER OF MARSHAL VILLARS.—7. BATTLE OF PARMA.--8. DEATH
AND MILITARY CHARACTER OF COUNT DE MERCY.—9. BATTLE OF OUASTALLA.—10. WAR IN
PERSIA
1. Dantzig surrenders and Stanislaus
escapes.
The garrison of Dantzig still made an obstinate resistance. On the 11th of May another reinforcement of 1500 men were landed from two French ships of war and some transports, under Fort Weichselmünde, but the garrison was so much in want of provisions that they were not admitted, and were, therefore, re-embarked, and sailed back to Copenhagen. Afterwards they were landed in the same place, and attacked the Russian intrenchments, in order to force their way into the city. They were repulsed in this attempt, but retired in good order. At length the Russian fleet arrived, under the command of Admiral Gordon, and the siege was carried on with increased fury. Fort Weichselmünde surrendered, and the French troops having capitulated, were embarked in Russian ships to be conveyed to a port in the Baltic. The Russians stipulated, as a preliminary to all terms of capitulation, that Stanislaus could be delivered up to them. Monti, the French ambassador, recommended him to try to escape cn paytan; and it is related as an evidence of the cheerfulness of the King’s character, that when he had put on his disguise he came to the ambassador with great gravity to say, “J’ai oublié une chose essentielle dans mon déguisement: c'est mon cordon bleu. I forgot one essential thing in my costume: it's my blue ribbon”, General Steinflicht, also disguised, accompanied him. They had to pass a country inundated by the waters of the Vistula, which they had great difficulty in crossing. They had to sleep in the marshes, and remain for hours behind hedges and in barns; but at length they reached the town of Marienwerder in the Prussian territories. The city of Dantzig on the 9th of July submitted to the dominion of Augustus, and was condemned to defray the expenses of the Russian expedition to its general the Count de Münnich.
2. War on the Rhine.
In the month of April the French army passed the
Rhine. Marshal Berwick had under his command the Duke de Noailles, the Count de
Belle-Isle, the Marquis d’Asfeldt, the Count Maurice
de Saxe, the Duke de Richelieu, and the Prince de Tingri,
with 100,000 men in the best order. A corps of 15,000 men, commanded by
the Duke de Noailles and Count de Saxe, attacked the lines of Esslingen,
defended by 15,000 Austrians. The French soldiers entered the works, and
then Berwick brought down his army and deployed them in the plain;
on which the Austrians immediately decamped in good order, and
joined Prince Eugene, who is related to have heard of this reverse, at
which he was not present, with great coolness. “Laissez faire
Messieurs les Français,” said he, “I have never had any opinion of
intrenchments, they are only made for cowards.” The Count de
Belle-Isle besieged and took Traerbach, and was sent thence with a force
to reduce the electorate of Treves, whilst Berwick, at the head
of 60,000 men, invested Philippsburg, and
opened the trenches before it on the night of the 1st of June. Prince
Eugene, with 35,000, did not dare to oppose such a force, but was obliged
to remain in the camp at Heilbronn, waiting for the troops of the Empire.
3. The Duke de Berwick killed at Philippsburg. His Military Character.
On the 12th of June the Duke de Berwick, in visiting
the trenches, was killed by a cannon-ball, thus terminating a brilliant and
glorious career, worthy of the nephew of the illustrious Marlborough.
The command of the French army was then divided between the Duke
de Noailles and the Marquis d’Asfeldt, one of
the most distinguished engineers of the age, who carried on the operations
of the siege with equal vigour and capacity.
An Englishman by birth, both on the side of father and
mother, though “not got betwixt the lawful sheets,” the Duke de
Berwick may almost be called a Frenchman, for he was born at
Moulins, 1670, and was sent to be educated at Juilly at the age of seven years. He early signalized himself in arms, having
first seen service in the army of the Empire at the siege of Buda, when
sixteen years of age. After the English revolution of 1688 he
was constantly in the service of the French King, and was made a marshal
of France in 1706. In the war of the succession he acquired great
reputation at the head of the armies in Spain. He conducted the war on
which the fate of the Bourbon monarchy depended with a skill and
circumspection equal to the magnitude of the danger, and on the 25th of
April, 1707, gained the stupendous victory of Almanza, almost as disastrous
to the allies as that of Blenheim had been to the French. He
was subsequently entrusted by the French Government with a series
of important commands, and showed himself upon all occasions
worthy of the confidence reposed in him. No general ever had the coup d'oeil quicker or more accurate; whether in
battle, to discover the blunders of an enemy, and make those decisive
movements that carry victory with them, or in a campaign, to observe and
take advantage of positions on which the success of the whole
depends. It was his destiny to be always opposed to his nearest relations
in his various commands; sometimes against his uncle, the Duke
of Marlborough, sometimes against his brother, the Chevalier de St, George
; and he fought for Philip V, in the interest of Louis XIV, and against
the same Monarch in the interest of the Regent Duke of Orleans. His
manners were cold, thoughtful, and severe. He never spoke ill of any one,
but freely bestowed praise upon, or withheld it from, those who he thought
deserved it. Montesquieu regards the Duke de Berwick as the very
impersonation of a perfect man. He says of him, “No man ever knew better
how to avoid excesses of every kind, even on the side of the snares of virtue;”
and he sums up his character thus: “I have seen at a distance,
in the books of Plutarch, what great men were; in him I behold at a nearer
view what they are.”
4. War on the Rhine continued.
Prince Eugene having now united the different
reinforcements he expected, marched towards the French lines, but found them
so strong that he would not hazard an attack; and such were the
precautions taken for their defence, that with all his military talents he
could not relieve the besieged in Philippsburg, where
the governor with a strong garrison made a stout resistance. He was surrounded
on this occasion by the most distinguished young Princes of Germany, among
whom was the young Prince Royal of Prussia, aged twenty-one, afterwards
Frederick II, who came to assist at a campaign from which much was
expected. These young aspirants for military glory were earnest with
Prince Eugene to allow them to attack the French lines, and tried to
persuade him that some points might be forced, but the old and experienced
warrior calmly reconnoitred the spot named, and convinced them of the
difficulty of overcoming them. On this occasion he himself remarks, “ I
always make a reconnaissance in person; for there are two things I
never omit—first, not to trust the eyes of another when I can use my
own, and second, always to have ‘un crayon en pouche pour écrire l’ordre que je donne. A pencil in your pocket to write down the order I
give”. He kept up a hot fire upon the besiegers, while the garrison
kept them continually alive with sorties and a well-directed artillery. To add
to the French troubles the Rhine overflowed, the trenches were filled with
water, and the soldiers were ankle-deep in it, so that they were obliged
to make their reliefs “en bateaux.”
Nevertheless, with characteristic cheerfulness, they maintained a succession of
fêtes and pleasures, the Duke de Grammont distributed 100,000 livres, and
others of the grandees did the like to encourage them. A curious incident
occurred in one of their orgies. The Duke de Richelieu was insulted by the
Prince de Lixen, and they immediately repaired
to the trenches, not to give their blood to their country, as they might
and ought to have done, but to tight out their quarrel in the sight of
soldiers fighting for their country. In this encounter De Lixen was killed.
At length General Wutgenau,
the governor, capitulated, after having made a noble defence, and obtained the
most honourable conditions! Prince Eugene retired to Bruchsal,
but the French in their turn did not dare to attack Eugene in his
intrenchments. D’Asfeldt and Noailles, both in
command and both now created Marshals, quarrelled, and the cabinet at
Versailles was at its wit’s end to reconcile them. At one moment Mayence
was threatened, but Prince Eugene obliged them to desist. At another time
an attempt was made to penetrate into Suabia, by
the Black Forest, but Prince Eugene was found unassailable in all the passes
that penetrate in that direction, and the campaign ended in October.
6. War in Italy
The Imperial arms were not successful in Italy. The
campaign was hot and bloody. Austria had been fully warned of the
designs of Spain upon Naples, but, nevertheless, had not at this time
10,000 men in the whole of Italy, and Naples was left entirely to the
protection of the militia and the garrisons; moreover there had been much corruption at work with the gold of the New
World, so that there was very little love for the Germany in this
country. Don Carlos was little more than seventeen years of age,
but was active, ambitious, and not without ability—with a very
advantageous person and an excellent manner and address. He now declared
himself of age, and although the Duke de Montemar was in command for
his father, he assumed the title of Generalissimo of the Spanish
army in Italy. He began his march for Naples in February, at the
head of the Spanish forces, consisting of 16,000 foot and 6000
horse, having published a manifesto, declaring he was sent by his father
to relieve the kingdom of Naples from the oppression, harshness,
and avarice of the Germans. He avoided the city of Rome at
the earnest prayer of the Pope (who, nevertheless, encouraged
and favoured the enterprise), but taking the road of Valmontone and Frosinone, he entered Naples amidst the acclamations of the
people. The Count de Visconti, the German viceroy, finding himself
unable to cope with the invaders, thought proper to retire, after
having thrown succours into Gaeta and Capua, but began to assemble
the militia and to collect troops, in order to form a camp at
Barletta. The Duke de Montemar marched with a body of forces against
this general, and obtained over him a complete victory at Bitonto, in Apulia, on the 25th of May; when the
Imperialists were routed and a great number of principal officers taken
prisoners. In this action the militia, of which the army was principally
composed, ran away, and left the Austrian officers to fight like common
soldiers, but though their efforts were most glorious they were
useless. Overcome by numbers they were forced to lay down their
arms. Don Carlos being proclaimed and acknowledged King of
Naples, created the Count de Montemar, Duke of Bitonto.
At the same time a strong Spanish squadron, under Count Clavijo, with
troops on board, sailed along the coast from Leghorn to the Isle of Elba,
and made for the islands of Ischia and Procida, which, being left by
the Austrians wholly without defence, passed under the obedience of
the fortunate Infante. The strong fortress of Passaro, in the Abruzzo, capitulated;
and the stronger fortress of Gaeta surrendered in the month of August, if
not without firing a gun, almost without losing a roan. Count Traun,
however, kept the flag of the Emperor flying a little longer over the
walls of Capua, which did not surrender till the month of November.
The Island of Sicily, which had been so recently won
from Spain for the Emperor Charles by the Austrian army and the British
fleet, made even less resistance than the continental kingdom.
About 20,000 troops were landed in the road of Solento,
under the command of the new Duke of Bitonto,
who, being favoured by the natives, proceeded in his conquests with great
rapidity. The people acknowledged Don Carlos as their Sovereign, took arms in
support of his government, and Don Carlos remained undisputed master of
the kingdom of the Two Sicilies, with the exception of the towns of
Messina, Syracuse, and Trapani.
The Austrian army, north of the Apennines, under the
command of the Count de Mercy, made a resistance more worthy of
their ancient renown in the north, but they were hard pressed in Lombardy
by the united forces of, France and Piedmont, commanded by the King of
Sardinia and the veteran Marshal Duke de Villars. This fine old soldier,
at the age of eighty-four, was the idol of all the ladies of the French
capital. The Queen of France sent him a sword and a ribbon gage for his
hat. The Queen of Spain had him waylaid at Lyons by a messenger to attach
another fur herself, and the Queen of Sardinia attached a third with her
own hand. “Voilà,” said he, “mon chapeau orné d’un vol de reines. My hat adorned with a bucket of queens.” In the
month of January the confederates, at the head of an army composed of fifty-two
battalions and fifty-seven squadrons, overran in three months the whole of the
Milanese, and undertook the siege of Tortona, which they reduced, together
with Pizzighitone and Cremona. They even
advanced to Milan, which opened its gates, while the troops of the Emperor
began to pour in great numbers into the Mantuan. In the beginning of May
Count de Mercy passed the Po in the face of the confederates, notwithstanding
all the skill of Villars, and took the Castle of Colonro.
The old Marshal was indignant at this disgrace, and, whilst riding with
the King, accompanied by their guard, they met a body of
some 400 Austrians. The King was desirous of retiring, but Villars,
perhaps to punish his Majesty’s faint-heartedness, in the spirit of his
best days, charged the enemy with such impetuosity that he
dispersed them and took some prisoners. It was his last exploit: fatigued
and chagrined, he was shortly after taken ill and left the army. He retired
to Turin, where he died, the last of a generation of warriors such as Europe
bad never known.
6. Death and Military Character
of Marshal Villars.
Marshal Villars was born in 1653. After much
distinguished service, he was made lieutenant-general in 1698. In 1712 he
obtained a complete victory over the Prince of Baden, at Friedlingen, and
this triumph obtained for him the baton of Marshal of France. In 1703 he
gained, in concert with the Elector of Bavaria, the battle of Hochstadt,
over the Imperial general. Count Styrum; but he and the Elector having
disagreed, he was sent away to appease some religious enthusiasts in the
Cevennes, who had been driven to arms by oppression. His conduct in this
unchronicled war was such as to endear his memory to every lover of humanity
and religious liberty. He moderated his haughty carriage towards these
poor people, and won them to order, as much by prudence as by force. In
1705—8 he was continually at the head of one or other of the French
armies, and almost always eminently successful. On one occasion he was
sent for by the King, in haste, and when he had arrived at Versailles and
made his bow to Louis XIV, the Monarch said, “Je n’ai pas le temps de vous parler, mais je vous fais duc. I
don’t have time to talk to you, but I’m making you duke”. In 1709 he
had the command in Flanders, and lost the battle of Malplaquet to
Marlborough, but declared that, had it not been for his wound, which
forced him from the battle-field, he would never have yielded the day. In
171)he thought to nonplus the Duke of Marlborough in the lines of
Bouchain, but failed most signally. Villars’ conduct, on this occasion,
was much questioned. He had proudly asserted, by a letter to the court,
that he would bring the Duke to a ne plus ultra; and when
the wondrous evolutions of that great captain had brought the allies
within the lines, he sent a courier to announce his intention to give
battle; but, notwithstanding all the taunts and remonstrances of his army,
he did not venture upon it, and it is said, “L’armée en fureur contre lui coucha en bataille. The army, furious against him, laid in down”
In 1712 he defeated Prince Eugene at Denain, but after
the peace of Utrecht (the Emperor having refused to be comprehended in it)
the two opposing generals, who had been the greatest personal friends from
their youth upwards, made together, in 1711, the treaty of Radstadt,
between the Empire and France. Eugene relates a “mot” of the Marshal,
which he deemed deserving of being remembered. “Our enemies are never with us
in our campaigns. Yours are at Vienna and mine at Paris.” For the next
eighteen years Villars was exclusively engaged in state affairs. He
was now at the height of his fortune :—a marshal of France, a
duke and peer, governor of Provence, a grandee of Spain, a knight
of the Order of the Golden Fleece, and a member of the Council. Nothing
seemed wanting to gratify ambition. This continued till 1732, when the war
breaking out again with the Emperor, Villars was sent to Italy, with the
title of General of the camps and armies of the King, an office which had
been dormant since Turenne, and at the age of eighty he mounted his
charger for a campaign in the Milanese. He took the field, but increasing
debility would not allow him to make more than one campaign, and on his
way back to France he was obliged to stop at Turin. Here he took to his
bed, and endured great suffering. In the midst of his agonies they
brought him word that the Duke de Berwick had been killed by a cannonball,
in the trenches at Philippsburg. “Cet homme” said he, « a toujours
été plus heureux que moi. That man has always been happier than me.” He closed
his life on the 17th of June, 1735, in the very chamber (as it is said) in
'which he was born eighty-four years before, when his father was the
ambassador of France, at Turin.
7. Battle of Parma.
After the retirement of Marshal Villars, the King of
Sardinia also left the army, and the command of the confederate forces
devolved on the Maréchal de Coigny. They were
now posted at Sanguigna. The Imperialists were at Sorbolo, and the Count
de Mercy moved towards San Prospero, in order to threaten Parma, when, on
the 29th of June, the two armies came in presence of each other,
within a league of that city, and De Coigny made
a disposition for an engagement. The Imperialist general, as fiery and
imprudent as ever, began the attack with great impetuosity, and charging
at the head of his troops, was killed soon after the battle began. The
Austrian general, De la Tour, was severely wounded. The Prince of Wurttemberg
now assumed the command, and fought with great obstinacy, from eleven in the
forenoon till four in the afternoon, when the Imperialists were obliged to
retire towards Monte Chiarugolo, leaving 5000
men dead on the field of battle. The loss of the confederates was very
considerable, being reckoned at 4000 men, including 1000 officers. They
reaped no solid fruits from this victory, called by some the battle of Parma,
and by others that of La Crocetta. It is said that 400,000 musket-balls were
fired in this engagement.
8. Death and Militart Character
of Count de Mercy.
The Count de Mercy was a native of Lorraine, and
general of the Imperial army. He was a man of a tall, graceful presence,
with a very soldierlike appearance, except that he was
short-sighted almost to purblindness. He had
great strength, both of body and mind, and was indefatigable in the use of
both. He was full of fire, and his conversation possessed both wit and
humour. He had an insatiable thirst for glory, and was seconded by a bold
and resolute temper, always leading his troops himself, and seemed to have
quite a passion for fighting. He was seldom in any action in which he
was not wounded, and was not esteemed a fortunate officer. He
despised an enemy too much, was too impatient to engage, and was so
careless as to the sacrifice of bis men, to obtain any purpose, that this
opinion of him made his troops uneasy under his command, from fear of
being exposed to unnecessary slaughter. Upon the whole, he had
great parts, and great experience, and would have made a great
general had he been gifted with a cooler temper, and greater power of
self-command.
9. Battle of Guastalla.
The Imperialist forces retreated, after the affair
of Parma, to Reggio, and from thence moved to the plains of Carpi, on the
right of the Secchia, where they received some reinforcements; but
the confederates remained for two months perfectly quiet.
General Count Konigsegg, an able tactician, came in the meantime to
command the Imperialists, and re-established order and confidence. His
first step was to take post at Quingentole, by which
he secured Mirandola, then threatened with a siege. On the 15th of
September he directed the Prince of Wurttemberg to pass the Secchia by a
ford that was not guarded, and attack the quarters of the Marshal
de Broglie, who was taken so much by surprise, that it was with
great difficulty he escaped in his shirt. The French retired with
such precipitation, that they left all their baggage, and 4000 men,
behind them. The ridicule and disgrace of this affair rankled in the
French camp, and they thirsted for a reprisal. They were posted at Guastalla, where, on the 19th, they were vigorously
attacked by the Imperialist cavalry, at ten in the morning, and a great
engagement ensued. Königsegg made several desperate efforts to break
the French cavalry, upon which, however, he could make no
impression. His horse were twice repulsed in this attack. The infantry, on
either side, fought with uncommon ardour for eight hours, when it
was necessary for both armies to suspend the action, in order to carry
off the wounded, the numbers of which were frightful, while the
field was covered with the dead. At length, at ten at night, the
Imperialist general retreated, after having lost above 5000 men,
including the Prince of Wurtemberg, who was
killed. The Generals Valpareze and Coiminero, with many other officers of distinction,
together with a great number of wounded, five guns, and some standards,
were taken; nor was the damage sustained by the French greatly
inferior to that of the Germans. Königsegg now retired to Luzzara, repassed the Po, and took post on the dykes of the
Oglio, in a very strong position.
Charles Emanuel, notwithstanding the accusations
against his courage in the beginning of the campaign, exhibited this day
a conduct worthy of his gallant ancestry. He united the bravery of a
grenadier to the talents of a great general, and to him was
mainly attributed the victory. He commanded the centre of the
confederate army. Marshal de Broglie was desirous of counterbalancing
the ridicule attached to his surprise on the 15th, and manoeuvred
his troops like one who had been brought up in the school of
Villars. The cavalry had been commanded by the Count de Chatillon,
and the Duke d’Hanourt; the latter of whom
repulsed the attack of the German cavalry, at the head of the French
force, sabre in hand.
The confederate army now crossed the Oglio, and the
Marquis de Maillebois was detached to attack
Mirandola, but Königsegg obliged him to raise the siege; so that,
notwithstanding their victories, they could neither prevent the
Imperialists from establishing their position, nor attempt anything to their
detriment, but were obliged to sit down for the winter, under the walls of
Cremona, and await fresh reinforcements from Don Carlos.
10. War in Persia.
It was in the course of the year 1734 that the court
of St. Petersburg once more renewed its treaty of alliance with Kouli-Khan, who engaged not to make a peace with the Porte
without securing the interests of Russia. The Empress Anne tried as much
as possible to establish a close connexion and friendship with
that potentate, but the Khan did not keep faith with her. He
made peace with the Porte at the very time when Russia was in
the thickest of the war with the Turks.
1735 . 1936 - 1937 .
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