distance with little effect, and immediately wheeled
about and fled.

"The battle was gained. The allied horse rapidly inundated the open
space between the two villages. The six battalions in the middle
were surrounded, cut to pieces, or taken. They made a noble
resistance; and the men were found lying on their backs in their
ranks as they had stood in the field."

Thus at one blow the whole French line of defence was broken up.
Blenheim was entirely cut off; and the rear of their left beyond
Oberglau threatened.

General Marsin's cavalry, seeing the defeat of their main body,
fell back to avoid being taken in rear; and Prince Eugene, seeing
the Bavarian infantry left unsupported, called up all his reserves,
and advanced at the head of the Danes and Prussians against them.
The Bavarian infantry fought stubbornly, but the battle was lost,
their line of retreat threatened by the allied horse, who were now
masters of the field, and, setting fire to the villages of Oberglau
and Lutzingen, they fell back sullenly.

In the meantime, Marshal Tallard was striving bravely to avert the
defeat. He brought up his last reserves, rallied his cavalry, and
drew them up in line stretching towards Blenheim in hopes of
drawing off his infantry from that village. Marlborough brought up
his whole cavalry force, and again charging them, burst through
their centre, and the French cavalry, divided into two parts, fled
in wild disorder--the one portion towards the Danube, the other
towards Hochstadt. Marlborough at the head of fifty squadrons
pursued the first body. Hanpesch with thirty followed the second.
Marlborough drove the broken mass before him to the Danube, where
great numbers were drowned in attempting to cross; the rest were
made prisoners. Marshal Tallard himself, with a small body of
cavalry who still kept their ranks, threw himself into the village
of Sonderheim, and was there captured by the victorious squadrons.
Hanpesch pursued the flying army as far as Hochstadt, captured
three battalions of infantry on the way, and halted not until the
French were a mere herd of fugitives, without order, riding for
their lives.

There now remained only the garrison of Blenheim to dispose of, and
the infantry were brought up to attack them. So strong were the
defences, however, so desperate the resistance offered by the brave
body of Frenchmen, who were now alone against an army, that the
infantry attack was beaten back. The guns were