PLATES.

HISTORICAL RECORD

OF

THE TENTH,

OR

THE NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE

REGIMENT OF FOOT.

After the Restoration, when King Charles II. had disbanded the army of the commonwealth, a small military force was embodied under the title of "guards and garrisons;" one of the independent companies of infantry incorporated for garrison duty was commanded by that distinguished nobleman, John, Earl of Bath, who had evinced fidelity and attachment to the royal cause in the rebellion in the reign of King Charles I., and during the usurpations of Cromwell; this company was stationed in the fortress of Plymouth, of which the Earl of Bath was governor, and it was the nucleus of the regiment which forms the subject of this memoir.

In June, 1685, when James, Duke of Monmouth, had landed in the West of England, with a band of armed followers from the Netherlands, and erected the standard of rebellion, commissions were issued, by King James II., for raising eleven companies of foot, of one hundred private soldiers each, which companies were united to the Plymouth independent garrison company, and constituted a regiment, of which the Earl of Bath was appointed colonel, by commission dated the 20th of June, 1685, and the corps thus formed now bears the title of "The Tenth Regiment of Foot."

These eleven companies were raised in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire; the town of Derby being the general rendezvous of the corps; and they were raised under the authority of royal warrants, bearing date the 20th of June, by the following gentlemen, who evinced their loyalty by coming forward to the support of the crown at that important crisis:—viz., Colonel, John, Earl of Bath; Lieut.-Colonel, Sir Nicholas Stannings; Major, Sir Charles Carney; Captains, Michael Bourk, Charles Powell, Sir Thomas Windham, Edward Scott, Bernard Strode, John Sydenham, Francis Vivian, and Sydney Godolphin.

After the suppression of this rebellion, many newly raised corps were disbanded, and the Earl of Bath's regiment was reduced to ten companies of fifty private soldiers each.

The regiment was armed with muskets and pikes; the uniform was blue, coats lined with red, red waistcoats, breeches, and stockings; round hats with broad brims, the brim turned up on one side and ornamented with red ribands; the pikemen wore red worsted sashes. This was the only infantry regiment clothed in blue coats; the other corps wore red coats; red had been generally worn by the English soldiers from the time of Queen Elizabeth; but several of Cromwell's regiments were clothed in blue, and King Charles II. clothed the royal regiment of horse guards in blue, and a regiment of marines, raised in his reign, in yellow. A few years after the revolution in 1688, the Tenth were clothed in red.

In August, 1685, the Earl of Bath's regiment marched from Derby to Hounslow, and encamped upon the heath, where it was reviewed by the King, and afterwards marched to Plymouth, to relieve the Queen Dowager's regiment, now second foot.

The following statement of the numbers and rates of pay is copied from the establishment of the army, under the sign manual, dated the 1st of January, 1686.

Leaving Plymouth in March, 1686, the regiment occupied quarters at Guildford and Godalming until the 24th of May, when it pitched its tents on Hounslow-heath, where a numerous body of troops was assembled for exercise and review. At this camp the regiment had an independent company of grenadiers attached to it, and after the reviews it marched into garrison at Portsmouth.

In 1687, the following officers were holding commissions in the regiment:—

The regiment left Portsmouth, in April, 1687, for Winchester and Taunton; in June, it once more pitched its tents on Hounslow-heath, and in August marched into quarters in London. It did not remain long in the metropolis: and after several changes of quarters it was placed in garrison at Plymouth.

When King James II., who was a zealous Roman Catholic, pursued the interests of papacy so far as to occasion much alarm among his Protestant subjects, the Earl of Bath stood aloof from the measures of the Court, and he was one of the noblemen who communicated privately with the Prince of Orange, to whom the nation looked for aid to oppose the arbitrary proceedings of the King. In November, 1688, when the Prince of Orange arrived with a Dutch armament, the Tenth and Thirteenth regiments were in garrison at Plymouth,—the Tenth occupying the citadel, and the two colonels were with their regiments. The Earl of Bath was in the interest of the Prince of Orange; but the Earl of Huntingdon adhered to King James: the lieut.-colonel of the Tenth, Sir Charles Carney, was a steadfast supporter of the Court, and the lieut.-colonel of the Thirteenth, Ferdinando Hastings, was a warm advocate for the Prince of Orange; thus the interest of the superior officers of the two regiments was equally divided. It appeared doubtful, for some time, to which party the garrison of Plymouth would devote itself; but eventually, the Earl of Bath, being the senior officer and governor of the fortress, ordered the Earl of Huntingdon to be arrested: he also ordered four Roman Catholic officers of the Thirteenth,—viz., Captain Owen Macarty, Lieutenants William Rhodesby, Talbot Lascelles, and Ensign Ambrose Jones, to be arrested; he then declared for the Prince of Orange, and induced the two regiments to engage in the same interest. The garrison having been settled in the name of the Prince of Orange, the Earl of Huntingdon and the Roman Catholic officers of his regiment were released.

The news of the loss of Plymouth, and of the two regiments having declared for the Prince of Orange, together with similar events taking place in other parts of the kingdom, proved to King James that his soldiers would not fight against the Protestant religion and the laws of the realm. His Majesty deprived the Earl of Bath of his commissions, and appointed Lieut.-Colonel Sir Charles Carney to the colonelcy of the Tenth foot by commission dated the 8th of December. The regiment had, however, engaged in the interest of the Prince of Orange, and this change in the colonel produced no alteration in the sentiments of the regiment. King James fled to France, and on the 31st of December the Prince restored the Earl of Bath to the colonelcy.

The accession of the Prince and Princess of Orange to the throne was followed by a civil war in Scotland and Ireland; but the Tenth were intrusted with the charge of the citadel of Plymouth, and they were not employed in the field in 1689 or 1690; they, however, detached six companies to the islands of Jersey and Guernsey.

In 1690, the powerful efforts of the French monarch to reduce the Spanish provinces in the Netherlands under his dominion, occasioned the regiment to be called into active service. Embarking from Jersey, Guernsey, and Plymouth, the Tenth foot, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Sir Beville Granville, nephew of the Earl of Bath, sailed to Ostend, and landing at that port marched up the country, and joined the army commanded by King William III. The regiment enjoyed the confidence of the King to a great extent, and on joining the army, it was ordered to pitch its tents near His Majesty's quarters at Anderlecht. It was formed in brigade with the seventh, sixteenth, and Fitzpatrick's (afterwards disbanded), under Brigadier-General Churchill, and after taking part in several movements, went into winter-quarters.

Quitting its cantonments among the Flemish peasantry, in May, 1692, the regiment again took the field, and was employed in several operations. In the beginning of August it was encamped at Halle, and, early on the morning of the 3rd of that month, it advanced at the head of the main body of the confederate army to attack the French in position at Steenkirk. After passing through some narrow defiles among trees, the Third and Tenth foot halted at the extremity of a wood, at the moment when the brigades forming the van of the army were severely engaged with very superior numbers. A short distance in front of the Tenth, and near the skirt of the wood a little to the left, a regiment of Lunenburgers, commanded by the Baron of Pibrack, was contending with two French battalions, and was nearly overpowered; it was falling back, fighting, and in some disorder; the French were gaining ground; and its colonel, the Baron of Pibrack, lay dangerously wounded a few yards in front of the muzzles of the enemy's muskets. Prince Casimir of Nassau galloped up to the Tenth, and requested them to advance to the aid of the Lunenburgers; when the regiment formed line, the pikemen in the centre, and the musketeers and grenadiers on each flank, and Lieut.-Colonel Sir Beville Granville led it forward with great gallantry. At that moment the Lunenburgers were overpowered, and the French were hurrying forward with shouts, and a heavy fire of musketry, when suddenly the Tenth, conspicuous by their blue coats, scarlet breeches and stockings, and three stand of scarlet colours floating in the breeze, were seen issuing from among the trees in firm array. So noble a line of combatants, separating itself from the broken sections of the retreating Lunenburgers, startled the enemy; the French artillery thundered against its flanks,—their musketry smote it in front,—yet the regiment bore sternly forward to close on its numerous enemies, when the French fell back. Two serjeants of the Tenth sprang forward and rescued the Baron of Pibrack, bearing him from among his enemies to the rear, and the regiment pressed forward, without firing a shot, until it gained a hollow way beyond the skirts of the wood, where it halted, and the musketeers, taking sure aim over the bank, soon cleared the ground in their front of opponents. Numerous narrow defiles and other obstructions prevented the main body of the British infantry from arriving in time to support the brigades in advance; King William ordered a retreat, and Prince Casimir of Nassau arrived with orders for the Tenth to withdraw from their post. The Prince highly commended the conduct of the regiment on that, the first occasion of its being engaged, and its bearing proved a presage of future renown.

The regiment had a number of private soldiers killed and wounded; also Captain Elliott, Lieutenants Thomas Granville and John Granville, wounded.

Towards the end of August, the Tenth were detached from the main army, and having joined a number of troops which had arrived from England under Lieut.-General the Duke of Leinster, they were employed in seizing and fortifying the towns of Furnes and Dixmude. On the 22nd of September, as working parties of the seventh and Tenth foot were enlarging the ditch of a bastion, they found a quantity of hidden treasure, consisting of old French coins, amounting to nearly five hundred pounds sterling, supposed (according to D'Auvergne's history of the campaign of 1692) to have been concealed there during the civil war in Flanders towards the close of the preceding century.

In the middle of October, the regiment marched to Damme, a little strong town, situated between Bruges and Sluys, where it passed the winter.

The Tenth regiment of foot appears in the list of troops under King William III., at Parck camp near Louvain, in June, 1693, and they were ordered to pitch their tents in the fields adjoining the defiles of Berbeck, to guard that avenue to the camp. While the army was at this place, several skirmishes occurred; but the only loss sustained by the Tenth was on the 25th of June, when an outpost of a serjeant's party, covering a number of horses at grass, was attacked, and three men were severely wounded.

On the 1st of July, the regiment was detached from the main army, with other forces under the Duke of Wirtemberg, to attack the enemy's fortified lines between the rivers Scheldt and Lys. After a march of eight days, the troops arrived in front of the lines near D'Otignies, and on the following day the works were attacked at three points. The grenadiers formed the van of each attack; the right column was composed of Danes; the Argyle highlanders headed the centre column, and the Tenth foot took the lead of the column on the left. When the signal for the assault was given, the Tenth raised a loud shout and ran forward. The pikemen arrived at the little river Espiers, which ran in front of the lines, and cast a number of fascines into the water, but the stream carried them away. The grenadiers of the Tenth and other regiments, being anxious to signalize themselves, dashed into the current, at the same time the musketeers advanced to the bank and fired upon their opponents on the works. The river was so deep that many of the soldiers were up to the chin in water; but they gained the shore without serious loss,—sprang forward with astonishing rapidity,—forded the ditch,—pulled down the palisadoes,—and ascended the lines, sword in hand; the officers and grenadiers of the Tenth being the first that entered the works. As the soldiers climbed the entrenchments, shouting and flourishing their swords, the French fled, and the lines were carried with little loss. D'Auvergne states that the grenadiers of the Earl of Bath's regiment (Tenth) found a cask of brandy in one of the abandoned redoubts, which proved very welcome, as the soldiers had been exposed to a heavy rain for several days.

After forcing the lines, contributions were levied on the territory subject to France, as far as Lisle: and the Duke of Wirtemberg was so well pleased with the conduct of the Tenth, that he made a donation of a ducat to each man, and the same to the men of the other regiments engaged in forcing the lines.

While the Tenth were levying contributions, the main army under King William was defeated at Landen; after this disaster the regiment was ordered to join the army, but it was not engaged in any service of importance, and in October it marched into winter-quarters at Bruges.

On the 29th of October, the Earl of Bath was succeeded in the colonelcy by his nephew, Lieut.-Colonel Sir Beville Granville.

Leaving Bruges in May, 1694, the regiment pitched its tents near Ghent. It served the campaign of that year in Brigadier-General Stewart's brigade, in the division commanded by Major-General Sir Henry Bellasis; and after taking part in several operations, and performing many long and toilsome marches, it proceeded into quarters at the pleasant town of Malines.

Early in the spring of 1695, the French commenced some new works between the Lys and the Scheldt, when five hundred men of the Tenth were withdrawn from Malines in the expectation of taking part in an attempt to interrupt the enemy's proceedings; but this enterprise was laid aside, and the regiment encamped at Marykirk until the army took the field, when it was joined by the men left in quarters.

The Tenth were subsequently detached to Dixmude, in West Flanders; and they were one of the corps which pitched their tents before the Kenoque, a fortress at the junction of the Loo and Dixmude canals, where the French had a garrison.

On the 9th of June, the grenadiers of the Tenth were engaged in driving the French from the entrenchments and houses near the Loo canal. A redoubt was afterwards taken, and a lodgment effected on the works at the bridge; in which service the regiment had several men killed and wounded.

This enterprise was only designed as a diversion to favour the operations of the main army, and when King William had besieged the strong fortress of Namur, the regiment traversed the country to the banks of the Lys, and joined the covering army under the Prince of Vaudemont.

When Marshal Villeroy advanced, with a force of very superior numbers, to attack the covering army, the Prince of Vaudemont retreated to Ghent, and during this retrograde movement, the commanding officer of the Tenth, Lieut.-Colonel Sydney Godolphin, and a serjeant and twelve men, resting at a house on the road too long, were made prisoners.

The regiment was subsequently employed in several movements to protect the maritime and other towns of Flanders, and to cover the army carrying on the siege of Namur. In August it was encamped between Genappe and Waterloo, and after the surrender of the castle of Namur, it marched into quarters in the villages between Nieuport and Ostend.

In the spring of 1696, Louis XIV. endeavoured to weaken the power of the confederate army in Flanders, by causing England to become the seat of civil war. The partisans of King James were excited to rise in arms; a plot was formed for the assassination of King William, and a French army approached the coast to embark with King James for England. The Tenth foot was one of the corps selected to return to England on this occasion, and the regiment, having embarked at Ostend, arrived at Gravesend in March. In the meantime the conspirators had been discovered; a British fleet was sent to blockade the French ports, and the designs of Louis XIV. were frustrated.

Several corps returned to Flanders; but the Tenth were selected to remain on home service.

The regiment landed at Gravesend, occupied quarters a short period in London, and afterwards marched into extensive cantonments in the counties of Suffolk and Essex.

In May, 1697, the regiment was ordered to embark for the Netherlands, and it joined the army at the camp in front of Brussels in July; but in a few weeks afterwards the treaty of Ryswick gave peace to Europe.

During the winter, the regiment returned to England; it landed at Gravesend and Tilbury in December, and marched into quarters in Essex.

Considerable reductions were made in the strength of the army, after the peace of Ryswick, and the Tenth regiment was one of the corps selected to proceed to Ireland; it embarked at Highlake in July, 1698, and was stationed in Ireland during the following two years.

Pursuing his schemes for the aggrandizement of his family with unceasing assiduity, the King of France procured the accession of his grandson, Philip, Duke of Anjou, to the throne of Spain, and this open violation of existing treaties involved Europe in another war. Among the corps first ordered to proceed on foreign service to aid the continental powers in arresting the progress of French usurpations, was the Tenth regiment of foot. It embarked at Cork on the 15th of June, 1701, sailed to Holland, and was placed in one of the frontier garrisons of that country. In September it was encamped on Breda-heath, where it was reviewed, with the remainder of the British troops in Holland, by King William III., and afterwards returned to its former station in garrison.

In the spring of 1702, the regiment took the field to serve as auxiliaries to the army of the Emperor of Germany, England not having declared war against France; and at the camp at Rosendael, news was received of the death of King William III. and of the accession of Queen Anne on the 8th of March. From Rosendael the Tenth marched to the Duchy of Cleves, and encamped at Cranenburg on the Lower Rhine, forming part of the covering army during the siege of Kayserswerth. In June a French force of superior numbers marched through the forest of Cleves and plains of Goch to cut off the allied army from Grave and Nimeguen; in consequence of this movement the British, Dutch, and Germans at Cranenburg, struck their tents a little before sunset on the 10th of June, and, by a forced march, arrived within a few miles of Nimeguen, about eight o'clock on the following morning, at which time the French columns appeared on both flanks and in the rear. Some sharp fighting occurred; the British corps forming the rear-guard evinced signal gallantry, and the Tenth regiment distinguished itself: the enemy was held in check until the army effected its retreat under the works of Nimeguen.

England declared war against France: additional troops arrived in Holland, and the Earl of Marlborough assumed the command. The Tenth were engaged in the movements by which the French were driven from their menacing position near the confines of Holland. The regiment also formed part of the covering army during the siege of Venloo,—a fortress on the east side of the river Maese, which surrendered on the 25th of September. The regiment was next engaged in covering the sieges of Ruremonde and Stevenswart, both of which places were captured in the early part of October. The army afterwards advanced to the city of Liege, which immediately opened its gates, but the citadel, and a detached fortress called the Chartreuse, held out. The Tenth regiment was employed in the siege of the citadel, and the grenadier company behaved with great gallantry at the capture of that fortress by storm on the 23rd of October. The citadel being carried by assault, the garrison was nearly annihilated; the garrison of the Chartreuse were eye-witnesses of this event, and surrendered immediately afterwards, from apprehension of a similar fate.

The city of Liege being rescued from the power of the enemy, the regiment marched back to Holland, and passed the winter in garrison at Breda.

Sir Beville Granville having been appointed governor of Barbadoes, the colonelcy of the Tenth foot was conferred on William, Lord North and Grey, by commission dated the 15th of January, 1703.

Colonel Lord North and Grey proved a very gallant aspirant for military fame; serving at the head of his regiment, and distinguishing himself on numerous occasions. The Tenth left their winter-quarters towards the end of April, 1703; on the 6th of May, they arrived at Maeswyck, where they halted on the following day; but, information having been received of the approach of a powerful French army to cut off the detachments of the confederate forces, the regiment struck its tents at sunset, with several other corps, and, by a forced march, arrived at the city of Maestricht about noon on the following day. When the French army approached that city, the regiment was in position, being one of the corps stationed at Lonakin; some skirmishing and cannonading occurred, and the French withdrew without venturing a general engagement.

When the Duke of Marlborough advanced against the French at Tongres, the Tenth were formed in brigade with the second battalion of the royals, and the sixteenth, twenty-first, and twenty-sixth regiments, under Brigadier-General the Earl of Derby. The enemy took refuge behind an extensive line of works, and the English General besieged the strong fortress of Huy, situate on the Maese above Liege. The Tenth foot were employed at the siege; and, on the 18th of August, when the enemy had vacated that portion of the town which lay beyond the river, Colonel Lord North and Grey took possession of it with the Tenth: another corps was afterwards placed under his lordship's command, and the regiment held this post during the remainder of the siege.

Huy having been captured, the siege of the city of Limburg was next undertaken, and this fortress was surrendered before the end of September. Thus Spanish Guelderland was wrested from the power of France, and in October the regiment marched back to Holland, where it passed the winter.

While the Duke of Marlborough was capturing fortress after fortress in the Netherlands, the French and Bavarians had great success in Germany; their united efforts threatened to overturn the imperial throne, and, in 1704, the British commander led his army from Holland to the Danube, to the succour of the Emperor Leopold. The Tenth foot, commanded by Colonel Lord North and Grey, had the honour of being employed in this splendid enterprise, which elevated the reputation of the British arms, and immortalized the name of Marlborough for the conception of the movement, and the secrecy and rapidity with which it was executed.

To engage in this undertaking, the regiment left its winter-quarters early in May, 1704, and directing its march to the Rhine, proceeded along the banks of that river to Coblentz, where it passed the Rhine and the Moselle on the 25th and 26th of that month. From Coblentz the army marched towards the Maine, and traversing the several states of Germany, arrived at the seat of war to co-operate with the forces of the empire.

On the 2nd of July, after a long march through a difficult country, the British approached the fortified post of Schellenberg, a commanding height on the left bank of the Danube, where a body of French and Bavarians were stationed under the Count d'Arco, and about six in the evening, a detachment from each British regiment, with the foot guards, royals, and twenty-third, under Brigadier-General Fergusson, and a Dutch force under General Goor, advanced to attack the entrenchments. A very spirited resistance was made by the enemy, and, eventually, the Tenth were led up the contested height to join in the attack. Firmly and steadily the soldiers of the Tenth moved up the steep ascent, which was strewed with killed and wounded; arriving within range of the enemy's fire, an iron tempest smote the ranks, and the firm order of the regiment was shaken: a short pause ensued. At that moment the British cavalry approached to support the infantry, and the Germans under the Margrave of Baden arrived to prolong the attack and assail the enemy in the rear. Encouraged by these circumstances, the British and Dutch infantry raised a loud shout, and, breaking with terrific violence into the entrenchments, overpowered all resistance. The Duke of Marlborough led the British cavalry forward, and completed the overthrow of the enemy.

The Tenth had Captain Crow and fifteen rank and file killed; three serjeants, and thirty-six rank and file wounded.

Crossing the Danube, and advancing into Bavaria, the regiment was engaged in various operations; it proceeded to the vicinity of the enemy's fortified camp at Augsburg, and afterwards returned to the Danube at Donawerth: in the meantime a numerous body of French troops had traversed the Black Forest and joined the enemy.

About ten o'clock on the night of the 11th of August, the army under the Duke of Marlborough joined the imperialists commanded by Prince Eugene of Savoy, at the village of Munster, near the bank of the Danube. On the following day the regiment was ordered forward to support the piquets, which were attacked by the enemy's hussars.

At daybreak, on the morning of the memorable 13th of August, the regiment was under arms, to engage in a battle which appeared to involve the fate of the Christian world: it formed, on this occasion, part of the brigade under Brigadier-General Row.

Advancing from the camp-ground, the soldiers arrived in front of the enemy's position, and the Tenth, commanded by their gallant young colonel, Lord North and Grey, were destined to attack the village of Blenheim, where the enemy had posted a numerous body of troops, thrown up entrenchments, and constructed palisades. Against this village, Brigadier-General Row's brigade advanced with great gallantry: the Tenth and Royal Scots Fusiliers led the attack, and were distinguished for their intrepid bearing; but all efforts to force the village against an enemy of so very superior numbers, and advantageously posted, proved ineffectual. As the brigade withdrew, it was charged by some French cavalry, who were repulsed by the fire of a Hessian brigade. Brigadier-General Fergusson led a brigade against the other side of the village; but without success. A sharp fire was afterwards kept up at this point, and the army deployed to engage the main body of the French and Bavarians. In the conflict which followed, British valour was conspicuous, and after a contest of several hours' duration, the French and Bavarian armies were overthrown and nearly annihilated; Marshal Tallard, and many officers and soldiers being made prisoners.

When the main body of their army was overthrown, the French troops in Blenheim were insulated; thrice they attempted to escape, but they were forced back. They took shelter behind the houses and enclosures; but they were soon surrounded, and twelve squadrons of cavalry, with twenty-four battalions of infantry, surrendered prisoners of war. Thus ended the mighty struggle of this eventful day, so glorious to the British arms!

The honours acquired by the regiment had been attended with the loss of many valuable lives. Captains Dawes, Sir John Sands, Cavendish, and Burton; Lieutenants Frazer and Wycks; Ensigns Breams and Dawson, were killed: Colonel Lord North and Grey lost his right hand; Major Granville; Captains Cunningham and Spotswood; Lieutenants Bulwer, Boylblanc, and Hornby; Ensigns Crow and Rossington, were wounded. The number of non-commissioned officers and private soldiers of the regiment, killed and wounded, has not been ascertained.

After passing the night on the field of battle, surrounded with the ensanguined trophies of victory, the Tenth were selected to guard the prisoners from Germany to Holland, in which service five British battalions were employed. The prisoners were marched to Mentz, where they were put on board of small vessels, and sailed to Holland. The regiment arrived at the Hague in October, and, having delivered up the prisoners, it was placed in garrison for the winter: its services are not, therefore, connected with the operations of the army in Germany after the victory at Blenheim.

A numerous body of fine recruits arrived from England, in the spring of 1705, to replace the losses of the preceding campaign, and in May, 1705, when the regiment took the field, its appearance was admired. It was reviewed by the Duke of Marlborough, at the camp on the left bank of the Maese, and afterwards marched to Juliers. From Juliers the regiment marched through a mountainous country to the valley of the Moselle, and pitched its tents near the ancient city of Treves. The army being united, it passed the rivers Moselle and Saar on the 3rd of June, traversed the difficult defile of Tavernen, and encamped within seven miles of Syrk. At this place the army halted, waiting for the imperialists, whose tardy movements and inefficient state disappointed the expectations of the English commander, and rendered it necessary for him to hurry back to the Netherlands to arrest the progress of the French on the Maese.

In the forced march from Syrk to the Maese, the regiment lost many men from fatigue; and soon after its arrival, it was selected to take part in storming the enemy's fortified lines, which were protected by a numerous army. To render this great undertaking as certain as possible, these formidable barriers were menaced on the south of the Mehaigne, and the French troops being drawn in that direction, the point selected for the attack was thus weakened. On the evening of the 17th of July, the corps selected to commence the attack marched in the direction of Helixem and Neer-Hespen, the Tenth forming part of the leading brigade of infantry; and they were followed by the remainder of the army. About four o'clock on the following morning, they approached the lines and surprised the enemy's guards. Inspired with emulation, the soldiers soon cleared the villages of Neer-Winden and Neer-Hespen, seized the village and bridge of Helixem, and carried the castle of Wange with little loss; the enemy being surprised and confounded by the suddenness of the attack. Encouraged by this success, and stimulated by the noble example of several officers, the troops rushed through the enclosures and marshy grounds, forded the river Gheet, and crowded across the fortifications; the French retreating in a panic. Thus the lines were forced, and the soldiers of the Tenth stood triumphant on the captured works, where the cross of St. George, floating in the air, served as a beacon to impart a knowledge of this splendid success to the main body of the army, still at some distance. A numerous body of the enemy's cavalry and infantry hurried to the spot to drive back the troops which had passed the lines, when some sharp fighting occurred, which ended in the overthrow of the enemy, who made a precipitate retreat behind the river Dyle. This daring enterprise was thus achieved; and the talents of the Duke of Marlborough, with the intrepidity and valour of the British soldiers, were admired by all nations. The English commander stated in his despatch, that the troops acquitted themselves with a bravery surpassing all that could have been hoped of them.

The Tenth shared in the operations of the main army during the remainder of the campaign, but had no opportunity of distinguishing themselves in action: they passed the winter in garrison in Holland.