The attack was commenced about ten o’clock in the morning, was pushed with incredible vigour, and sustained, at first, in the same manner.  Prince Eugene poured his troops into those places which the smallness of our forces had compelled us to leave open.  Marsin, towards the middle of the battle, received a wound which incapacitated him from further service, end was taken prisoner immediately after.  Le Feuillade ran about like a madman, tearing his hair, and incapable of giving any order.  The Duc d’Orleans preserved his coolness, and did wonders to save the day.  Finding our men beginning to waver, he called the officers by their names, aroused the soldiers by his voice, and himself led the squadrons and battalions to the charge.  Vanquished at last by pain, and weakened by the blood he had lost, he was constrained to retire a little, to have his wounds dressed.  He scarcely gave himself time for this, however, but returned at once where the fire was hottest.  Three times the enemy had been repulsed and their guns spiked by one of our officers, Le Guerchois, with his brigade of the old marine, when, enfeebled by the losses he had sustained, he called upon a neighbouring brigade to advance with him to oppose a number of fresh battalions the enemy had sent against him.  This brigade and its brigadier refused bluntly to aid him.  It was positively known afterwards, that had Le Guerchois sustained this fourth charge, Prince Eugene would have retreated.

This was the last moment of the little order that there had been at this battle.  All that followed was only trouble, confusion, disorder, flight, discomfiture.  The most terrible thing is, that the general officers, with but few exceptions, more intent upon their equipage and upon what they had saved by pillage, added to the confusion instead of diminishing it, and were worse than useless.

M. d’Orleans, convinced at last that it was impossible to re-establish the day, thought only how to retire as advantageously as possible.  He withdrew his light artillery, his ammunition, everything that was at the siege, even at the most advanced of its works, and attended to everything with a presence of mind that allowed nothing to escape him.  Then, gathering round him all the officers he could collect, he explained to them that nothing but retreat was open to them, and that the road to Italy was that which they ought to pursue.  By this means they would leave the victorious army of the enemy in a country entirely ruined and desolate, and hinder it from returning into Italy, where the army of the King, on the contrary, would have abundance, and where it would cut off all succour from the others.