The fortified camp at Augsburg being found too strong to be attacked with any prospect of success, the troops retired a few stages, and the siege of Ingoldstadt was undertaken by a detachment of Germans, at the same time the Royal Regiment formed part of the covering army.

The Elector of Bavaria quitted his entrenched camp, and having formed a junction with the reinforcements which Louis XIV. had sent to his aid, the united armies encamped in the valley of the Danube, near the village of Blenheim. At the same time the allied army, commanded by the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy, had advanced to the village of Minster, and was encamped with its left to the Danube.

At three o'clock on the morning of the eventful 13th of August, 1704, the allies advanced to attack the French and Bavarians. About seven the heads of columns arrived in presence of the enemy, and a pause ensuing, the chaplains performed the usual service at the heads of their respective regiments. About mid-day, a column, of which one battalion of the Royal Regiment formed part, advanced under the direction of Lieut.-General Lord Cutts and Major-General Wilks, to attack the village of Blenheim, where the French commander, Marshal Tallard, had posted a considerable number of troops, and entrenchments and pallisades had been constructed. This column, consisting of the two British brigades, commanded by Brigadier-Generals Row and Fergusson, a brigade of Hessians, and a brigade of Hanoverians, proceeded to the banks of the little river Nebel, and took possession of two water mills, which the enemy evacuated, and set on fire. Thence advancing towards the inclosures, the leading brigade received the fire of the troops in Blenheim, and many officers and men fell; but the gallant Row struck his sword in the enemy's pallisades before he gave the word "fire." His brigade was, however, unable to force the entrenchments against the superior numbers of the enemy; and while retiring it was charged by the French cavalry, but the enemy was repulsed by the Hessians. Soon afterwards, Fergusson's brigade and the Hanoverians traversed the Nebel, near the lower water-mill, and attacked the front of the village, but were repulsed three successive times; the firing was, however, continued against Blenheim; and the remainder of the forces traversed the rivulet, and attacked the main body of the French army. The other battalion of the Royal Regiment was now brought into action; the blaze of musketry extended along the whole front; and the troops of the several nations fought with distinguished bravery. The combat of musketry, and the charges of the cavalry, were continued for some time with varied success. Eventually the main body of the enemy was overpowered, and chased from the field with great slaughter; many prisoners were also captured, and amongst them the French commander, Marshal Tallard.

When the main body of the French army was defeated, the troops posted in Blenheim attempted to escape by the rear of the village, but were repulsed. A second attempt was made in another direction, but was checked by the Scots Greys. A third attempt was also made, but the French were again driven back, and forced to take shelter behind the houses and inclosures. Though encompassed and intercepted on every side, the French obstinately defended their post. Additional forces were brought against them; the batteries opened a tremendous fire; Lieut.-General the Earl of Orkney attacked the French troops posted in the churchyard with eight battalions; Lieut.-General Ingoldsby attacked the right side of the village with four battalions, supported by the Royal Irish (late 5th) Dragoons; and both battalions of the Royals were now engaged. A sharp struggle ensued, which ended in a parley, and eventually twenty-four French battalions of infantry, and twelve squadrons of cavalry, surrendered prisoners of war. The Germans who attacked the enemy's right were also triumphant. Thus the struggle of this eventful day ended in a complete victory, which reflected lustre on the confederate arms, and showed in its native colours the true character of the British soldier. The French and Bavarians are reported to have lost in killed, wounded, prisoners, and from other causes, about forty thousand men, with nearly all their tents, cannon, and ammunition, and a great number of standards, colours, and kettle-drums.

The Royal Regiment lost in this action[89] Lieut.-Colonel White, Ensigns M'Conway and Craig, killed; Captain Lord Forbes died of his wounds; and Captains Montgomery, Bruce, and Lindsay, with Lieutenants Harrowby and Lisle, and Ensign Hume, wounded.

The number of French and Bavarians taken on this occasion was so great that the second battalion of the Royals, with the regiments of Prince George of Denmark, Lords North and Grey, Row and Meredith, commanded by Brigadier-General Fergusson, were sent to Holland in charge of the prisoners. These troops marched with the prisoners to Mentz, where they embarked in boats and sailed to Holland, and, having delivered them into the charge of other corps, were placed in garrison for the remainder of the year.

Meanwhile the first battalion continued with the army in Germany; and the enemy abandoned several important cities, which were occupied by the allies. The battalion of the Royal Regiment proceeded through the circle of Swabia and directed its march to Philipsburg, where it crossed the Rhine on the 7th of September, and subsequently formed part of the covering army during the siege of Landau, a town in the Bavarian circle of the Rhine, situated in a beautiful valley on the river Queich. On the 13th of October this battalion, with the regiments of Hamilton, Ingoldsby, and Tatton, marched from the covering army encamped at Croon-Weissemberg to Germersheim, and embarking in boats, sailed down the Rhine to Holland, and were placed in garrison for the winter.

1705

In the following spring, the losses of the preceding campaign were replaced with recruits from Scotland; and in April the regiment quitted its quarters, and directed its march towards Maestricht, passed that city on the 13th of May, and proceeded to Juliers. From Juliers the regiment proceeded through a mountainous country to the valley of the Moselle, in the midst of which stands the ancient city of Treves, where both battalions encamped on the 28th of May. The British and Dutch, with several German corps, having assembled in the neighbourhood of Treves, the army passed the Moselle and the Saar on the 3rd of June, and advanced towards Syrk, near which place a French army of superior numbers, commanded by Marshal Villiers, was encamped. The allied army halted a short distance from the enemy, and awaited the arrival of the Imperialists under the Margrave of Baden, who had promised to co-operate with the Duke of Marlborough in carrying on the war in this direction: but this co-operation was delayed so long that the British commander was forced to return to the Netherlands, where the French were making considerable progress.

The retreat was commenced during the night of the 17th of June; and on the 20th, Lieut.-General the Earl of Orkney was detached with all the grenadiers, and one hundred men of each battalion, to observe the motions of a detachment which Marshal Villiers had sent towards the Netherlands.