goldstadt, and
Arnberg, into Bohemia. In the meantime, reinforcements daily arrived in
the camp of the count de Clermont; and, as repeated complaints had been
made of the want of discipline and subordination in that army, measures
were taken for reforming the troops by severity and example. The
mareschal duke de Belleisle, who now acted as secretary at war with
uncommon ability, wrote a letter, directed to all the colonels of
infantry, threatening them, in the king's name, with the loss of their
regiments, should they connive any longer at the scandalous practice
of buying commissions; an abuse which had crept into the service under
various pretexts, to the discouragement of merit, the relaxation of
discipline, and the total extinction of laudable emulation. The prince
of Clermont having quitted his strong camp at Rhinefeldt, retired to
Nuys, a little higher up the river, and detached a considerable corps,
under the command of the count de St. Germain, to take post at Creveldt,
situated in a plain between his army and the camp of the allies, which
fronted the town of Meurs. After several motions on both sides, prince
Ferdinand resolved to attack the enemy, and forthwith made a disposition
for this purpose. He assigned the command of the whole left wing,
consisting of eighteen battalions and twenty-eight squadrons, to
lieutenant-general Sporcken; the conduct of the right wing, composed
of sixteen battalions and fourteen squadrons, was intrusted to the
hereditary prince and major-general Wangenheim; the squadrons, with the
addition of two regiments of Prussian dragoons, were under the immediate
direction of the prince of Holstein, while the hereditary prince
commanded the infantry. The light troops, consisting of five
squadrons of hussars, were divided between the prince of Holstein and
lieutenant-general Sporcken. Major Luckner's squadron, together with
Scheither's corps, were ordered to observe the flank of the enemy's
right, and with this view were posted in the village of Papendeick;
and a battalion of the troops of Wolfenbuttel were left in the town of
Hulste, to cover the rear of the army. Prince Ferdinand's design was
to attack the enemy on their left flank; but the execution was rendered
extremely difficult by the woods and ditches that embarrassed the route,
and the numerous ditches that intersected this part of the country. On
the twenty-third day of June, at four in the morning, the army began to
move; the right