THE GHENT MEN FORTIFY NIENEVE.—THE COUNT D'ESTAMPES DEFEATS THEM THERE.—THE MEN OF GHENT ATTEMPT TO DESTROY A DYKE, TO DROWN THE COUNTRY OF WAES, BUT ARE AGAIN DEFEATED BY THE COUNT DE ST POL.
Between Ghent and Oudenarde is a large village called Nieneve, which the ghent men had strongly fortified with intrenchments and bulwarks, and had posted there a numerous garrison to harrass the Picards in Oudenarde. The count d'Estampes, having summoned the garrison of Courtray to join him, advanced to gain this village, and on the 25th of May he won by storm the outworks and the village, putting the ghent men to the rout without much difficulty. The count then took the field, and, while a party of his men were pursuing the runaways, others had dismounted in the village to refresh themselves. They had not been there long, before a large body of ghent men, who had assembled unobserved, suddenly entered the village, and immediately put to death all they could find, for they were far from suspecting such an attempt. Among the slain were the lord de Herin, knight, Ciboy Boucly, Jennequin le Prevost, Jean Dinde, and some others, to the amount of thirteen, all valiant men at arms of the count's household, and full fifty archers. The whole would have perished, had not the lord de Saveuses hastened to their succour and behaved with great valour. The count instantly returned with the army, and a dreadful slaughter ensued: the men of Ghent were a second time defeated, and twelve hundred killed on the spot: the rest saved themselves in the woods and hedges. After this defeat, the count caused those of his men who had been slain to be carried to a house hard by, and then set fire to the village,—after which he returned to Oudenarde.
The duke of Burgundy, during his residence at Dendermonde, was very desirous of marching a great force to conquer the country of Waes, and had sent to Picardy for reinforcements of archers and cross-bows, which the towns had readily complied with. He ordered the garrisons of Courtray, Oudenarde, and Alost to join him, and sent thither the reinforcements from Picardy to supply the place of these garrisons during the time he should be in the country of Waes. When the ghent men heard of this great force being assembled, they ordered a strong detachment to break down a sea dyke, which, being done, would drown the whole of that country; but the duke, having timely notice of this, sent thither the count de St Pol with a large body, who made such diligence that he came up with the enemy before they could effect their purpose, and discomfited them, with the loss of more than five hundred men: the rest saved themselves by flight: and what damage had been done to the dyke was repaired.
The count marched back to the duke, and found that the duke's nephew, John duke of Cleves, had arrived during his absence with a handsome body of german men at arms and cross-bows, at which the duke was exceedingly well pleased. Charles count de Charolois, legitimate son to the duke, had also arrived when he was absent on the last expedition.
CHAP. XXXIII.
THE BATTLE OF RUPELMONDE, WHERE THE GHENT MEN ARE DEFEATED BY THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY.
On the 6th day of June, in this same year 1452, the duke of Burgundy marched from Dendermonde with his whole army, to invade the country of Waes. He formed his army into three divisions: the van he gave to the count de St Pol, who was accompanied by his two brothers, sir Cornille the bastard, the lord de Saveuses, sir James de Lalain, and others. The duke commanded the center, having with him his son, the knights and esquires of his household, and a part of the Picards: the count d'Estampes and the duke of Cleves, his son-in-law, had the command of the rear division.
This arrangement being made, he marched toward Rupelmonde, which the ghent men had strongly fortified, and were there waiting his coming with plenty of artillery and warlike stores, to defend a bulwark they had cast up in front of the place.
When the duke was near to Rupelmonde, he was fearful that if the ghent men should discover his whole strength they would not issue out of their intrenchments; and to deceive them as to his numbers, he detached a considerable body to observe the countenance of the enemy, to skirmish with them, and to draw them out into the plain. In the mean time, he advanced his whole army in three divisions, but in close order, for greater security, so that the ghent men could not see more than the first division, or at least what appeared to be such.
The ghent men observing the detachment, and the van of the army, which was not far behind, not imagining there were any more, insolently issued forth from their intrenchments to attack them; but, in pursuance of the duke's orders, his men immediately wheeled round and fled. The ghent men pursued until they fell in with the duke's army, drawn up in battle-array, and the archers dismounted. The battle now raged, and the ghent men made good use of their culverins; but they could not withstand the arrows of the Picards, and, turning about, fled. The men at arms followed, and the slaughter was dreadful. It happened in the pursuit, that sir Cornille, the bastard, was attacked by a Fleming, who thrust his pike into his throat, which unluckily was unguarded, and killed him on the spot: it was a great loss, from the promising expectations he had given of his future worth.