Edward Marston - Drums of War

The final crippling blow came early in May. With great secrecy, Marshal Villars and Marshal Marsin had prepared an offensive against the position held in Alsace by the Margrave of Baden. They took the Imperialist troops by surprise and captured Haguenau, forcing Baden's men to retreat in disarray across the Rhine. The fortress of Landau, which had changed hands many times, was under siege once more. The dramatic change in French tactics had been rewarded. In Alsace, as in northern Italy, signal victories had been secured. It was an ideal start to the new campaign. At the same time, it was a declaration of intention. France was on the attack.

Daniel was at his side when Marlborough received a dispatch, telling him of the Allied defeat in Alsace. All hope of marching to Italy vanished. His bold plan would never be put into operation. They were back where they had been the previous year, losing ground to the enemy and compelled to restrict their activities to the Low Countries. Overcoming his frustration, Marlborough adapted swiftly to the change of perspective. He even found cause for optimism.

'Our intelligence from Versailles was inaccurate,' he said. 'The King has realised that you can only win a battle if you engage with the enemy. If he's ready to sanction an attack, we don't have to provoke the French any longer. They'll come at us of their own volition.'

'That will make a change, Your Grace,' said Daniel.

'It's a very welcome change.'

'What's brought it about, do you think?'

'King Louis wished to remind the Dutch of his power,' said Cardonnel. 'We know from our spies that he secretly offered peace to the States-General during the winter. Naturally, he wishes it to be negotiated on his terms. By securing these early triumphs in Italy and Alsace, he's sending a message to The Hague.'

'Unfortunately,' said Daniel, 'many people will heed it. The closer the French encroach on us, the louder are the calls in Holland for a peace settlement.'

Marlborough was adamant. "The only way to achieve peace is to defeat the French,' he said. 'I firmly believe that we have the money, men and spirit to do it.'

'We're somewhat short of men, Your Grace,' Cardonnel told him. "The Hanoverians and Hessians have not yet arrived and the Danish cavalry will not be here for a week or more.'

'What about the Prussians?' asked Daniel.

'King Frederick is having another tantrum, alas. He's refusing to send his contingents until we've listened to his grievances.'

'I thought they'd all been remedied, sir.'

'Since our visit, he's invented some new ones.'

'His support is more trouble than it's worth.'

'Forget about the Prussians,' said Marlborough, shaking off his depression at the prospect of action. 'Forget about the Hanoverians and the Hessians. The time for talking is over at last. Everything points to the possibility of a battle against Marshal Villeroi. By the time it takes place, we'll have sufficient forces. We may have lost our chance of a telling attack in northern Italy but we've gained something in return. We now have an opportunity for a decisive engagement on our own doorstep, so to speak. I feel exhilarated, gentlemen,' he went on, raising a fist. 'For the first time since Blenheim, I feel that destiny is at hand. Nothing will content me more than to offer battle to the French. I have every confidence that we'll achieve a complete victory.'

'Greetings to you, stranger!' said Welbeck, sardonically. 'This regiment is the 24 ^th Foot. It's always a privilege to welcome a new officer.'

'There's no need for sarcasm, Henry.

'How do you come to know my name, sir?'

'It was a lucky guess,' said Daniel.

'Wonders never cease.'

'Stop this horseplay, will you?'

'Why?' said the sergeant, pretending to recognise him for the first time. 'I do believe it might be our long-lost Captain Rawson.'

'You know bloody well it is.'

'We thought we'd never see you again, sir.'

'I haven't been away that long,' said Daniel. 'In fact, it seems like no time at all since I saw that hideous visage of yours. What's been happening in my absence?'

'There's been nothing of consequence, Dan.'

'Something must have occurred.'

'You know what winter quarters are like. We get up, visit the latrines, eat, drill, eat again, go back to the latrines, drill again then moan about the fools who're supposed to lead us. Whenever I look at our officers,' said Welbeck, mordantly, 'I think that a lot of villages back in England must be missing their idiots.'

'It's good to know that you have such faith in us, Henry.'

'Present company excepted, of course.'

Daniel laughed. "Thank you.'

It was months since he'd seen his friend. For most of them, he'd not even been in the same country as Welbeck. While it was rewarding to be one of Marlborough's aides-de-camp, it did distance him from so many friends in the regiment. Simultaneously, it also set him apart from his few enemies. One of them popped into his mind.

'How has Major Cracknell been treating you?' he asked.

'He's been the soul of kindness, Dan.'

'I refuse to believe that.'

'I was joking,' said Welbeck. The major is a conceited, spiteful, self-serving cunt but you already know that.'

'I've said as much to his face,' recalled Daniel, 'though not in those precise words. He tried to hit me.'

'Really — when was this?'

'The day I left here. I offered to fight but he thought better of it. To be honest, I expected him to challenge me to a duel.'

'He's not that stupid, Dan. The major has seen you practising with a sabre. He knows you'd cut him to shreds.'

'It's no more than he deserves, Henry. Is he still harassing your nephew?' Welbeck nodded. 'What's he been up to now?'

'He's still looking for another excuse to have the lad flogged again. Since he can't find one, he keeps reprimanding Tom for trivial bloody offences that were never committed in the first place. It's upsetting to watch,' said Welbeck. 'Can't the army find the major something more useful to do than hounding a harmless drummer?'

'It's going to find him something very soon.'

'What's that?'

'Fighting a battle,' replied Daniel. "That's the one thing Major Cracknell can do with any distinction. When he's fulfilling his duties against the Frenchies, he won't have time to bother Tom Hillier.'

Welbeck was cynical. "There's no earthly hope of a battle with those cowardly bastards,' he said. "They'd much rather just look over the ramparts and wave at us.'

"That's where you're wrong, Henry. His Grace has every reason to believe that Marshal Villeroi is prepared to engage us this time.'

'It will never happen.'

'It will,' said Daniel. 'The marshal is as eager to bring this war to an end as we are. According to our latest reports, he has an army of 74 battalions and 128 squadrons. I don't think he'll keep a force of that size sitting on its hands. Marshal Villeroi has two very strong incentives,' he continued. 'The first is that he wishes — like everyone else in France — to avenge the defeat at Blenheim. That still rankles at Versailles.'

'So it should, Dan. We kicked their arses hard that day.'

"The second thing that drives him on is that conviction that he's a better commander than His Grace. He thinks he proved that last year at the River Yssche.'

'We were betrayed once again by the fucking Dutch!' said Welbeck, angrily. 'Villeroi was lucky. If we'd been allowed to attack, we'd have smashed his army to smithereens.'

'We may have a second chance to do that, Henry.'

'I won't believe it till I see it.'

'You've every right to be sceptical,' said Daniel. 'We've been in this position before and nothing happened. This time, however, I'm certain that it will. Prepare for battle, Henry. Marshal Villeroi simply wants to avenge Blenheim — we have a chance to repeat it!'