Turenne, under similar circumstances, would have drawn off and forced the enemy to raise the siege by threatening their line of communications; but Turenne thought nothing of personal glory, and fought only for France.  Enghien, on the other hand, throughout his career was animated by personal motives, and cared nothing for the general welfare of France.  Turenne was wholly unselfish; Enghien was ready to sacrifice anything or everything for his own glory or interest.  At present, surrounded as he was by young nobles as eager to fight as he was himself, and backed by Gassion, one of the most able and enterprising soldiers of the day, he declared that he had come to fight and would do so.  Even had l’Hopital known the news that had been received by Enghien, he would have been powerless to check or control him.  A courier had indeed the day before brought the young duke a despatch containing the news of the king’s death and peremptory orders not to fight.  Enghien simply put the letter in his pocket, and the contents were known only to Gassion and a few of his most intimate friends.

De Malo was as anxious to bring on a general engagement as was his fiery opponent.  He was kept well informed of what was going on in Paris, and knew that the king’s death was imminent.  His position on a plain, surrounded on all sides by woods and marshes with but one approach, and that through a narrow defile, was practically impregnable; and by occupying the defile he could have kept the French at bay without the slightest difficulty until Rocroi surrendered.  He knew, too, that General Beck with a considerable force was hastening to join him; but he feared that prudent counsels might at the last moment prevail in the French camp, or that the news of the king’s death might reach them, and he therefore left the defile open and allowed the French army to gain the plain and form up in order of battle facing him, without offering the slightest opposition or firing a single gun.

It was late in the afternoon by the time the French were in position, and as both commanders were anxious that the battle should be a decisive one neither took any step to bring on the fight, but contented themselves with preparing for the encounter next morning.  The night was cold and somewhat thick, and the positions of the two armies were marked by lines of fire.  The march had been a long and fatiguing one, and silence soon fell upon the scene.  Enghien wrapped himself in his cloak, and, lying down by a watch fire, was speedily asleep, wholly unoppressed by the tremendous responsibilities that he had assumed, or the fact that he had risked the destinies of France for the sake of his personal ambition, and that in any case the slaughter that must ensue in the morning would be terrible.  Gassion, however, with a few of the older officers, sat for hours discussing the probabilities of the battle.  Hector, remembering the manner in which Turenne exercised the most ceaseless vigilance, and nightly inspected all the outposts, endeavouring to ascertain the plans and positions of the enemy, had, as night closed in, requested Gassion’s permission to go the rounds.