quickly to rally and return again to the attack.  As for the infantry, the twenty-six battalions shut up in Blenheim left a great gap in it that could not fail to, be felt.  The English, who soon perceived the advantage they might obtain from this want of infantry, and from the difficulty with which our cavalry of the right was rallied, profited by these circumstances with the readiness of people who have plenty of ground at their disposal.  They redoubled their charges, and to say all in one word, they defeated at their first attack all this army, notwithstanding the efforts of our general officers and of several regiments to repel them.  The army of the Elector, entirely unsupported, and taken in flank by the English, wavered in its turn.  All the valour of the Bavarians, all the prodigies of the Elector, were unable to remedy the effects of this wavering.  Thus was seen, at one and the same time, the army of Tallard beaten and thrown into the utmost disorder; that of the Elector sustaining itself with great intrepidity, but already in retreat; and that of Marsin charging and gaining ground upon Prince Eugene.  It was not until Marsin learnt of the defeat of Tallard and of the Elector, that he ceased to pursue his advantages, and commenced his retreat.  This retreat he was able to make without being pursued.

[Illustration:  After The Battle of Blenheim—­Painted by R. Canton Woodville—­354]

In the mean time the troops in Blenheim had been twice attacked, and had twice repulsed the enemy.  Tallard had given orders to these troops on no account to leave their positions, nor to allow a single man even to quit them.  Now, seeing his army defeated and in flight, he wished to countermand these orders.  He was riding in hot haste to Blenheim to do so, with only two attendants, when all three were surrounded, recognised, and taken prisoners.

These troops shut up in Blenheim had been left under the command of Blansac, camp-marshal, and Clerembault, lieutenant-general.  During the battle this latter was missed, and could nowhere be found.  It was known afterwards that, for fear of being killed, he had endeavoured to escape across the Danube on horseback attended by a single valet.  The valet passed over the river in safety, but his master went to the bottom.  Blansac, thus left alone in command, was much troubled by the disorders he saw and heard, and by the want which he felt of fresh orders.  He sent a messenger to Tallard for instructions how to act, but his messenger was stopped on the road, and taken prisoner.  I only repeat what Blansac himself reported in his defence, which was equally ill-received by the King and the public, but which had no contradictors, for nobody was witness of what took place at Blenheim except those actually there, and they all, the principals at least, agreed in their story.  What some of the soldiers said was not of a kind that could altogether be relied upon.