Drums of War

Dropping to the grass, Hillier was now beaming.

'I got it,' he said, taking the drum and stroking it. 'I got it safely back. Thank you, Captain. I couldn't have done it without you.'

'Don't tell the others that, Tom. Let them think you did it all on your own. That will impress them.'

'Yes, sir.'

'And don't be the victim all the time.'

'What do you mean?'

'Do you know which of the others took your drum?'

'I'm fairly certain it was Hugh Dobbs.'

'Was he the one who put the dead mouse in your boot?'

'Yes — that was definitely his doing.'

'Then you wait until he's asleep tonight and put a dead rat in his boot. He won't be so keen to bait you if he knows you fight back.'

Hillier shrugged. 'Where will I get a dead rat from, sir?'

'Quite simple — you kill a live one. There are plenty of them about if you keep your eyes open.'

The drummer nodded then shifted his feet. 'Have you seen anything of my Uncle Henry?' he asked, tentatively.

'I've had brief glimpses of him,' said Daniel. 'Sergeants, as you've found out, are very busy men. Their duties are onerous and they rarely get much rest. That's why Sergeant Welbeck has been unable to get in touch with you.'

'No, it's not, Captain Rawson — he hates me.'

'That's not true.'

'Mother warned me that he would. According to her, even as a boy, he never liked being part of a family. He preferred to do things on his own. I remember Mother reading out some of his letters to us. They never showed any real interest in what we were doing.'

'I'm astonished to hear that he wrote at all, Tom.'

'It was only now and then, sir.'

'Did you get a letter after Blenheim?'

'Yes,' said Hillier, 'and for once it was quite long. Hearing his description of the battle made me want to join the army at once and do something worthwhile for a change. I had this strong urge to follow in Uncle Henry's footsteps.'

'Well, don't be too disheartened by the way he rebuffed you. Sergeant Welbeck will soften in time. I'll make a point of telling him how nimbly you climbed that tree.'

'Thank you.'

'As for these tricks they keep playing on you,' promised Daniel, 'they won't go on much longer. We'll be on the march again very soon. It's just as well you have that drum back, Tom,' he added, touching the instrument. 'You could well be beating it in battle.'

Given the unpromising circumstances, most commanders would have abandoned the idea of pursuing further success in Flanders but Marlborough was too tenacious to give up. Feeling that something positive could still be snatched out of a largely unsatisfactory year, he produced a new plan, reminding his reluctant allies that they did, after all, still hold the initiative. As a first step, he collected five days' ration of bread for the army and summoned a convoy from Liege with six days' biscuit. This made him independent from the supply depots and from the camp bakeries that normally worked every four days. At the same time, he ordered a siege train to Meldert, large enough to inflict damage but small enough to be moved easily. He now had operational flexibility.

Marlborough's intention was to march rapidly to the source of the River Dyle in an attempt to lure the French into battle before their reinforcements could arrive from the Upper Rhine. The advance began on 15 August with Overkirk's army to the left of Marlborough's columns. Their combined force numbered 100 battalions and 160 squadrons. By dint of pressing on hard, they reached Corbaix and Sombreffe by nightfall. The development caused great unease in the enemy camp because they had no idea where the Allied armies would strike. Marlborough had positioned himself so that he could threaten Hal, Brussels, Louvain, Mons, Charleroi and even Dendermonde. As he had anticipated, his strategy sewed confusion in the French camp. In a panic, Villeroi dispersed his troops to strengthen every sector, thereby weakening his field force until it comprised only 70 battalions and 120 squadrons. They were outnumbered.

The Allies crossed the river at Genappes in blazing heat and swung north as if to attack Brussels. Villeroi immediately ordered General Grimaldi to block the high road running through Waterloo. The French commander-in-chief, meanwhile, concentrated his army behind the River Yssche. To his intense alarm, the Allies suddenly turned away from the high road and headed directly for the main French position, making it impossible for Villeroi to evade a major battle. All that he could do was to order his men to make frantic efforts to throw up earthworks along the line of the river. For the second time that summer, Marlborough had contrived to put the French army exactly where he wanted it.

There was another element to the plan. While enemy attention was concentrated on Marlborough and Overkirk, General Churchill took up a position in the Forest of Soignies. With 20 battalions and the same number of squadrons, he was poised to attack the French flank and rear from his hiding place among the trees. Everything pointed to an Allied victory. After consultation with General Overkirk, Marlborough secured full agreement to an immediate battle. All that they had to do was to wait for the artillery to arrive and hostilities could commence in earnest. Marlborough sent orders that the British train of artillery should come as quickly as possible. Then he waited.

Unfortunately, the delay was much longer than expected. When the artillery reached a narrow defile, they were stopped from entering it by General Slangenberg who wanted preference given to his baggage train. Frustrated artillery officers had to stand there for hours while the wagons rolled slowly past. Vital time had been wasted and the enemy had been able to bolster their numbers and strengthen their defences. It was noon when the British artillery was finally in place. Marlborough was at last ready to signal the start of what could prove to be a crucial battle.

Before he could do that, however, doubts were raised.

'Hell and damnation!' cried Marlborough, bringing both hands to his head in a gesture of despair. "The Dutch are running scared yet again.'

'This is General Slangenberg's work,' said Daniel.

'He's the ringleader, I agree, but it's the subordinate generals who are pressing for further reconnaissance. They want to inspect the proposed crossing points on the river. All it will mean is more and more delay.'

'That will only favour the enemy, Your Grace.'

'It's unforgivable to dither like this.'

'I thought that General Overkirk recognised the wisdom of your plan,' said Daniel. 'You completely outwitted the French.'

'If only the other Dutch generals realised that!' Marlborough took a deep breath. 'I'm sorry, Daniel. I shouldn't rant on like this in front of you. I'll be much calmer when the council of war begins. I want you here as my interpreter. When they mutter away to each other in Dutch, I always feel at a disadvantage. I need you as an extra pair of ears.'

'I feel privileged to be able to help, Your Grace.'

Daniel Rawson had no time to say anything else because the tent was suddenly filled with officers. He sat beside Adam Cardonnel and in a good position to watch the Dutch generals. By studying their expressions, he feared that they had already made up their minds not to sanction an attack. Their spokesman, as usual, was Slangenberg.

'We need more time,' he insisted.

'We do not have time,' declared Marlborough. 'We've already delayed far too long.'