Suddenly, almost before the whole body of horse was ready, Marlborough
directed a charge to be made. For the first time our lieutenants found
themselves not in the Duke's own division. The commander of the right
wing, a very strong force, was Prince Eugene, who, having now nothing
to do in Italy, had hurried northwards to join his friend. In such hot
haste had the Prince travelled, indeed, that he had out-stripped his
own army. Here was Prince Eugene, but not Prince Eugene's men. His
wing at Oudenarde consisted entirely of English troops, while
Marlborough's own wing was composed of men of various other
nationalities.
Almost all writers on military tactics agree that the battle of
Oudenarde was one of the most involved and intricate on record, and
that it is well nigh impossible to give any detailed account of the
puzzling movements. The leading points were these.
Marlborough's force crossed the Scheldt; then the opposing wing of the
French left the high ground they occupied and swooped down upon him,
endeavouring to force the Allies back into the river. A terrible
hand-to-hand encounter followed, bayonet and sword alone being used
for the most part in such cramped quarters. In the thick of it the
Duke sent the Dutch general with a strong detachment to seize the
vantage ground on the rise which the enemy had lately left.
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