The French commander imagined himself safe in inaccessible entrenchments; but he was surprised by a party of Dutch dragoons while at dinner in the Abbey of St. Denis, near the village of that name, and his army was unexpectedly attacked, with great fury, about three o'clock in the afternoon. The Dutch, under Count Waldeck, assaulted and carried the abbey; the Spaniards, commanded by the Duke of Villa Hermosa, advanced by the village of Castehau; and the Dutch foot-guards, with the Earl of Ossory's brigade, prolonged the attack on the heights of Castehau, where the action was maintained with particular obstinacy. The Earl of Ossory drew his sword, and, pointing to the dark masses of the enemy, whose polished arms gleamed on the distant heights, led his British bands to the attack with signal intrepidity: his gallant mien and lofty bearing infused a noble ardour into the breasts of his officers and men, who urged, with resolute tread, their way through every difficulty to encounter their adversaries. The grenadiers of Bellasis's regiment (now Sixth Foot) headed by Major William Babington, led the attack on a body of French troops, posted in a hop-garden, with a spirit and resolution which were imitated by the musketeers and pikemen, and a vehement struggle ensued among the trees and umbrageous foliage which adorned the scene of conflict. Sir Henry Bellasis and Lieutenant-Colonel Monk were wounded, Major Babington was also wounded and taken prisoner, and the contest was fierce and sanguinary; but British valour prevailed, and the French were driven from among the hop-poles with great slaughter. Another stand was made by the enemy beyond the enclosure, and the storm of battle was renewed with additional fury. The Scots, under Major-General Kirkpatrick, Sir Alexander Colyear, and Colonel Mackay, vied with the English in their gallant efforts, and the Prince of Orange and Duke of Monmouth arriving at that part of the field, witnessed their heroic behaviour. Attack succeeded attack, and as the shades of evening gathered over the scene of conflict, the blaze of musketry and showers of hand-grenades indicated the fury of the opposing ranks of war. At length darkness put an end to the fight; and the French forsook their entrenchments and retreated. The excellent conduct of the British troops was appreciated by the Prince of Orange and the States-General; and in the narratives of the battle, published at the time, they received their meed of praise: in one account it was stated,—"the Earl of Ossory and his troops performed wonders;" in another,—"the English and Scots regiments did things to the admiration of those that beheld them;" and in a third,—"they behaved themselves with that courage and bravery which are so natural to them." The regiment which forms the subject of this memoir lost many non-commissioned officers and private soldiers, and had the following officers killed and wounded:—Captains Richardson and Vanderstraet, Lieutenants Price, Paul, and Lepingault, and Ensign Drury, killed: Colonel Sir Henry Bellasis, Lieutenant-Colonel Monk, Captain Penford, Lieutenant Lunnemon, and Ensign Nelson, wounded. Major Babington was wounded and taken prisoner: he was, in the first instance, included in the list of the slain[9].
Preliminary articles for a treaty of peace had, in the mean time, been agreed upon at Nimeguen; and the aspect of affairs was suddenly changed, the spot of ground where fury and bloodshed raged a few hours before was transformed, by the news of peace, to a scene of hilarity and jocund mirth, which was only alloyed by the remembrance of the loss of so many companions in arms, whose blood had stained the grassy fields.
1679
When the States-General reduced the strength of their army to a peace establishment, the estimation in which the British troops were held occasioned their being retained in the service of the United Provinces; and in a treaty on this subject, the States agreed to send the six regiments to England, when the King should require their services.
1680
During the five years succeeding the treaty of Nimeguen, Sir Henry Bellasis's regiment was employed in garrison duty. In 1680, its Lieutenant-Colonel, Thomas Monk, was promoted to the colonelcy of the regiment, which is now the fifth foot, in succession to Colonel Wisely, who was drowned on his passage to England; and Major William Babington was appointed to the lieutenant-colonelcy.
1684
In 1684, when the French aggressions in the duchy of Luxemburg occasioned some alarm in the Netherlands, the regiment marched to the vicinity of Brussels, where a body of troops was encamped a short time, and subsequently near Malines: no war taking place, the camp was broken up in November, and the regiment was again employed in garrison duty.
1685
In the summer of 1685, events transpired which occasioned the removal of the regiment from the Netherlands to England: the Earl of Argyle, and a number of other political exiles, who were zealous advocates for civil liberty and the reformed religion, proceeded in May from the Netherlands to Scotland, where they attempted to organize a rebellion against the government of King James II., who was a professed papist. His Majesty, in a letter to the Prince of Orange, dated Whitehall, the 22nd of May, stated;—"I make no doubt, by God's help, that the rebels will soon be mastered, yet there is no harm in providing for the worst; and, therefore, I have charged Mr. Skelton to propose to you the lending me the three Scots regiments that are in your service, to be sent over to Scotland; and if this is a thing you can do, the sooner it is done the more reason I shall have to take it very kindly of you[10]." The States acceded to this request: but before the Scots regiments embarked, the Duke of Monmouth had landed at Lyme, in Dorsetshire, and having erected his standard in the market-place, summoned the people to join him in an appeal to arms against the government: the destination of the three regiments was then changed to England. At the same time the King made the following application to the Prince of Orange, in a letter dated Whitehall, the 17th of June, 1685.