eral movement.

At any rate, it was upon the morrow, the 11th, that the English Prince
sent word to Clerfayt that he intended to submit to the Emperor, who was
the ultimate authority upon the side of the allies, a plan for the general
and decisive action he desired to bring about. On the next day, the 12th,
a Monday, the Duke of York wrote to Clerfayt that he hoped, "on the day
after the morrow" (that is, upon the Wednesday, the 14th), "to take a
decisive movement against the enemy." And we may presume that the Duke had
communicated to the Emperor the nature of his plan. For on the 13th, the
Tuesday, the Emperor was in possession of it, and his orders, sent out
upon that day, set out the plan in detail.[1] That plan was as follows:--

Clerfayt, with his force, which was rather less than 20,000 all told, was
to march south from Thielt, his headquarters for the moment, and advance
upon the little town of Wervicq upon the River Lys. Here there was a
bridge, and Clerfayt was also in possession of pontoons wherewith to pass
the stream. Meanwhile, the southern mass of the allies was to concentrate
upon the Scheldt in the following manner:

The few thousand Hanoverians, under Bussche, were to take up their
position at Warcoing, just upon and across that river. Two miles further
south, Otto, with a larger Austrian force accompanied by certain English
cavalry (the numbers will follow), was to concentrate at Bailleul.

The Duke of York's own large force, which had been at Tournai for over a
week, was to go forward a little and concentrate at Templeuve. Five miles
to the south of Templeuve, at Froidmont, a column, somewhat larger than
the Duke of York's, under Kinsky, was to concentrate.

There were thus to be concentrated upon the south of the French wedge
four separate bodies under orders to advance northward together.

The first, under Bussche, was only about 4000 strong, the Hanoverians and
Prussians; the second, under Otto, from about 10,000 strong; the third,
under the Duke of York, of much the same strength, or a little less; and
the fourth, under Kinsky, some 11,000.

These four numbered nearly, or quite, 35,000 men, less than the "nearly
40,000" at which certain French historians have estimated their strength.

To these four columns (which I will beg the reader to remember by their
numbers of first, second, third, and fourth, as well as by the names of
their commanders, Bussche, Otto, York, and Kinsky) a fifth must