Spanish Succession). His territorial dominions now belonged to his only child and heiress, Henrietta Maria. The nearest male relative was Charles, Elector of Bavaria, who had the prospect of being elected to the dignity of Emperor; but coveted also the succession to the vacant throne. But it was the invasion of Silesia by Frederick of Prussia that gave its shape to the war. It was fortunate for the honour of England that the Parliament, in the spring of 1741, sent to the royal lady a subsidy of £300,000; and that this sum, turned to account and augmented by the devoted loyalty of the Hungarians, was of great service to her. It atoned for the scrape into which our King George thrust himself by his inopportune visit to Hanover in the month of May, when the approach of the French compelled him to promise to be neutral for a year. This did not prevent preparations with a view to action on the expiry of the neutrality. Ligonier was now our greatest cavalry officer, and His Royal Highness Prince William was to make his debut at his side. However, in 1742, the British in Flanders, under the command of the Earl of Stair, were hampered by the apathy of the Dutch, and got no opportunity of acting. Ligonier became a Lieutenant-General on the 8th of February 1743. A European war had now set in; and on the 16th of June the battle of Dettingen was fought. Lieutenant-General Ligonier was, with General Honeyman, Lieutenant-General Campbell, &c., placed at the head of the first line of the cavalry; and after the retreat of the, French, was ordered with Campbell to pass the morass and march with the horse straight to Dettingen. This they effected, but found the village abandoned. They then marched to Wilsheim, which was also evacuated, though barricaded all round, and loopholes made through all the walls and tops of the houses. Ligonier’s regiment suffered much, and gained great reputation. After the victory, the king invested him with the insignia of a Knight of the Bath on the field, under the royal standard.[1]
The year 1744 is remarkable, so far as Britain is concerned, for the beginning of the last plot to win the British crown for a Stuart. France became so demonstrative, that it was compelled by common honesty to issue a formal declaration of war with our country, and to become a principal belligerent. No blow was struck on British soil, either in 1744 or the greater part of 1745. The scene of action was Flanders. On the 1st May 1745 was fought the Battle of Fontenoy (or Tournay). “The French army of 76,000 men under Marshal Saxe,” says the Student’s Hume, “occupied a strong position; the allied army numbered only about 50,000 men, of whom 28,000 were English and Hanoverians.” The latter would have carried the French lines if the Dutch had not stood aloof. Voltaire declares that if the Dutch had advanced while the British infantry were repeatedly driving back the enemy, there would have been no escape for the French king (Louis XV.), or for his army. The French accounts at the time speak of the intrepidity of the English infantry, and of their prodigious fire. And our Gazette stated, that “the honour gained by the infantry was in a great measure owing to the conduct and bravery of Lieutenant General Sir John Ligonier.” Mr. Jacob gives the particulars. The famous attack of the French intrenchments was commanded by Sir John Ligonier in person. Everything gave way to British intrepidity, the troops remaining masters of the field of battle for upwards of two hours. If the Duke of Cumberland could have persuaded the Dutch to imitate the example and bravery of British troops, victory would have been certain. Nor did Sir John, though in imminent danger, think of a retreat until he received a written order from the Duke. Before leaving the field, he sent a card to Marshal Saxe, laconically asking him to take a humane care of his dead and wounded, and promising to repay the obligation on the first opportunity by similar humanity to the French. The Marshal replied that he had laid Sir John’s message, before the king, his master, who had ordered him to comply with it in its utmost extent. The Duke of Cumberland received Sir John with most tender marks of affection and approbation. Three shots had gone through his clothes; “but, from that providential protection he had so often experienced, he escaped without a wound.”
The campaign having proved unpropitious to our arms, the Pretender considered that the time had come for his meditated dethronement of the Hanoverian potentate. The young Chevalier set his foot on Scotland in the month of July, gained the battle of Prestonpans in September, and would then have found England in a very defence-
- ↑ The Military Order of Knights of the Bath (which had been practically abolished in 1661) was revived by King George I. on 27th May 1725. The number of knights was limited to thirty eight, and each knight had a stall in Henry VII.’s Chapel (Westminster Abbey), over which his banner was hung; and supporters were added to his coat-of-arms. His stall became vacant and he ceased to be a K.B., if he was advanced to be a Knight of the Garter. The limited number was strictly adhered to until 1st January 1815, when the numbers were enlarged, and the three classes of G.C.B., K.C.B., and C.B. were established.
