could not hold a fort so far from the town, the
commander withdrew the garrison from it, and Turenne seized it, and
placed a strong force there. Enghien then threw up strong lines in a
semicircle round the town to protect the army in case any large force of
the enemy should endeavour to relieve it. This occupied four days,
and in the meantime the boats had arrived with cannon, ammunition, and
provisions. A bridge was thrown across the river in twenty-four hours,
and a force was sent over; this attacked and captured Germersheim, and
then marched to Spires, which at once opened its gates on the 29th of
August. In the meantime the siege of Philippsburg was begun in earnest.
The approaches could only be carried on in one place, where the ground
was sandy, and continued so up to two of the bastions of the town.

Turenne commanded the attack against the right bastion, de Gramont that
on the left. They first diverted a brook running through the plain, and
were enabled to use its channel as an approach, thus advancing fifteen
hundred paces nearer to the town. They then formed an intrenchment that
could be used by both columns, and from this on the 1st of September
they began to open their trenches against their respective bastions. De
Gramont's works were attacked on the following day by a sortie; this,
however, was driven back. On the fifth night both columns made a
lodgment on the counterscarp, and their batteries opened fire. After
some days' work they filled up the ditch, and seeing that his force was
too weak to oppose so strong an attack, the commander surrendered on the
12th of September.

Although Merci was advancing with an army, Enghien continued the project
that had been formed, and, remaining with his own troops to protect
Philippsburg, sent Turenne with all his horse and five hundred foot
to Worms, which threw open its gates. Oppenheim surrendered without
resistance, and he arrived in front of Mayence. The garrison was very
small, and upon the threat of Turenne that he would attack it on all
sides the citizens sent a deputation offering to capitulate. Turenne
sent word of this to Enghien, who rode there at once, and received the
surrender of the town. Bingen capitulated; Landor, Mannheim, Neustadt,
and several other places were taken; and thus from Strasburg to a point
near Coblenz, the whole course of the Rhine, the Palatine, and all the
country between the Rhine and the Moselle fell into the hands of the
French.