1677
The French, while amusing the Allies with negotiations for a peace, commenced the campaign of 1677, with great vigour, and with such an immense army, that the feeble preparations of the Dutch, and the apathy of the Spaniards, left the Prince of Orange without an army capable of resisting the enemy. He, however, resolved to attempt the relief of St. Omers, which was besieged by the French; the English Brigade was ordered to West Flanders, to take part in the enterprise, and it was encamped a short time on the plains of the Yperlee. In the early part of April, the Prince advanced with his little army, and on the 11th of that month he fought the battle of Mont-Cassel under great disadvantages in numbers, and in the nature of the ground. The English Brigade behaved with its usual gallantry; but the army was defeated, and the Prince retreated with the loss of his baggage and artillery. The Brigade was afterwards employed in manœuvring and in defensive operations until the autumn, when it went into quarters. The Prince of Orange proceeded to England, and was married to the Princess Mary on the 14th of November, 1677.
1678
Before the following spring, Major-General the Earl of Ossory arrived from England to command the six British regiments in the Dutch service, and ten thousand English troops, commanded by the Duke of Monmouth, were ordered to proceed to Flanders to take part in the war.
The Earl of Ossory's brigade was early in the field: it was employed a short time on detached services in the Netherlands, and was afterwards encamped near the ground where the battle of Waterloo was fought in June, 1815. In the mean time the French besieged Mons, the capital of the province of Hainault, and their covering army occupied a strong position, with its right at the Abbey of St. Denis, and its left at Mamoy St. Pierre. The Prince of Orange assembled his army, and after advancing several stages, he encamped near the little river Senne, about seven miles from Mons; and on the morning of the 14th of August, 1678, his Highness put the troops in motion to attack the enemy.
The British Brigade, led by the Earl of Ossory, moved from its camp along a difficult tract of country, until it came in front of a hill occupied by the enemy's left wing, where it was destined to make its attack, in conjunction with the Dutch Foot Guards. The signal for the attack was given, when the British Grenadiers, springing forward with lighted matches, threw a shower of hand-grenades, which, bursting amongst the ranks of the enemy, did much execution. The Musqueteers followed, and opening a sharp fire, were answered by the volleys of the enemy; their fire was soon succeeded by the charge of the Pikemen, who went cheering onward to the attack, while the Musqueteers, drawing their swords, joined in the onset with admirable spirit and resolution,—and the enemy gave way. One attack was succeeded by another; the French, driven from field to field, still rallied and returned to the fight. Pike to pike and sword to sword, the combatants maintained a fierce conflict, while the hand-grenades flew in every direction, and the heights of Castehau presented a varied scene of turmoil and slaughter, in the midst of which the Prince of Orange and the Duke of Monmouth appeared, mixed with the combatants, and urging forward the storm of battle.[5] A French captain levelled his pistol at the Prince, but General D'Auverquerque killed the captain before he had time to fire, and thus saved his Highness's life, for which service the States made him a present of a valuable sword. Night at length put an end to the fight, and the French afterwards made a precipitate retreat.
The regiment lost in this action Lieutenant-Colonel Archer, Lieutenant Charlton, and about fifty men killed: also Major Hales, Captain Charlton, Captain Coleman, Captain Floyd, Captain Dupuy, Lieutenant Augerne, Lieutenant Marchany, Lieutenant Wilson, Ensign Barnwell, Ensign Arnesby, and upwards of a hundred men wounded. The loss in the other regiments of the Brigade was also equally great.
In the mean time preliminary articles for a treaty of peace had been agreed upon at Nimeguen; a cessation of hostilities took place on the day after the battle; and the Brigade, after encamping a few months in Flanders, marched to Holland, where it received the thanks of the States-General for its meritorious services.
The restoration of peace was followed by a reduction in the numbers of the Dutch Army; but the Prince of Orange, and the States-General of the United Provinces, were so sensible of the advantages they had derived from the services of the British troops, that they were desirous of retaining the six regiments in their service. A new treaty was concluded on this subject, and the States agreed to send the regiments to England, whenever the King required them to do so.