With Blenheim and Lutzingen now effectively contained, both flanks were under control. It was possible for Marlborough to move the main body of his army across the Nebel to advance on the French centre. Seeing the enemy's intention, Marshal Marsin launched a counter-offensive from his position in Oberglau and the Confederate army was put under intense pressure. Though it buckled, it did not break and brisk redeployment gave it back the advantage it had lost. The steady advance continued into evening, the Allied cavalry retiring behind the infantry when under extreme pressure from the French cavalry, and supported by batteries of artillery that were brought forward.
What turned the battle were the superior tactical skills of the Duke Marlborough. He knew when and where to strike and how to respond instantly to any reversal. Stuck inside Blenheim, Tallard was simply not in a position to control an army stretched tight across a wide front and lacking any real coordination. For a man of his talent and experience in the field, it was maddening. He was always reacting to situations he could not anticipate. Instead of being able to relieve his allies by attacking the enemy flank, he was bottled up in a village that was bursting at the seams with French soldiers.
Total defeat was only a matter of time. At seven o'clock that evening, Marshal Marsin and the Elector accepted the fact and began to withdraw their forces in an orderly fashion. So exhausted were Prince Eugene and his men that they had no strength to pursue them. Tallard was not allowed the dignity of a retreat. Failing to escape from Blenheim, he surrendered along with most of his staff. For the French and for the Bavarians, it was a shattering defeat from which they would never fully recover. For the Confederate army, it was a triumph that would reverberate throughout Europe.
Daniel Rawson had played no small part in it. Having helped to recapture the colours of Rowe's regiment, he had been fully engaged in the later assaults on Blenheim, fighting on bravely after collecting a range of minor injuries and inspiring his men with his wholehearted commitment. He only quit the field for a short while when he carried the wounded Henry Welbeck through the chaos of the fray to relative safety. Leaving his friend in the hands of a surgeon, Daniel had hurried back to rejoin the battle.
Now that it was all over, he was able to visit the field hospital to check on Welbeck's condition. The sergeant had been very fortunate. A bullet had pierced his thigh but missed the bone. While he had lost a lot of blood, he was in no danger of sacrificing a limb. Despite being surrounded by wounded soldiers, Welbeck was almost cheerful.
'We beat them,' he said, grinning. 'We beat the bastards.'
'We did more than that, Henry. It's too early to give the full numbers yet but, according to what I've heard, we captured Marshal Tallard and his generals, over 1000 officers and almost all the soldiers left in Blenheim.'
'What about our casualties, Dan?'
'There could be as many as 12,000 killed or injured,' said Daniel sadly, 'and they included some good friends. But we accounted for over three times that number in the enemy ranks. We achieved a famous victory. Even you must be pleased to be part of it.'
'I was, Dan. Our men gave of their best.'
'That's what they were trained to do.'
'When the news reaches France, the King will fill his breeches.'
'I don't think they'll be in a hurry to tell him the truth of what happened here today. They'll delay the messengers as long as they can. Bad news upsets King Louis and this news is disastrous.' He studied his friend. 'You're looking better already. You've got some colour back in your face. What you need now is a long rest.'
'Does that mean you'll wait on me hand and foot?'
'I'd be glad to if I was here, Henry,' said Daniel, chuckling, 'but I'll be on my way back to England. I'll be helping to take the good news back home. They may be keeping the result of the battle from King Louis but Her Majesty will rejoice to hear it. I wanted to call on you before I left.'
'Thanks, Dan. I appreciate it.'
'I'll see you when I return.'
'I may have retired from the army by then.'
'People like you never retire,' said Daniel, clapping him on the shoulder. 'Without the Sergeant Welbecks of this world, there'd be no such thing as a British army. You're part of its very backbone.'
'Then why don't they pay me more?' challenged Welbeck.
'Daniel laughed. 'I'll take the matter up with His Grace when I see him,' he joked. 'A review of sergeants' pay must be a priority. I'm sure he has nothing else to worry about just now.'
Edward Marston
Soldier of Fortune
Charles Catto had been utterly frustrated by the turn of events. Having tricked his way into the Confederate camp for the third time, he hoped that he simply had to wait until an opportunity arose to kill Daniel Rawson. Instead of that, the whole camp had suddenly erupted into action with the promise of a battle. All that Catto could do was to trail impotently in its wake. Primed by General Salignac, he had been able to provide Marlborough with information that, while not giving away too much, had been accurate and useful. It had established his credibility. Catto had shaved off his beard but left a neat moustache on his face. In uniform, and by adopting a strong French accent, he was a convincing impostor.
Yet his role as a deserter would be meaningless if it not enable him to fulfil his commitment. Catto's fear was that the battle of Blenheim would rob him of his prize and that Daniel would have been mown down with so many other British soldiers during the attack on the village. Having come so far, and taken such enormous pains along the way, he felt that it would be cruel to have Daniel snatched away from him by a nameless French musketeer. Catto was no longer working for General Salignac. When he heard that Blenheim had fallen, he knew that the general would have been taken prisoner and would therefore be inaccessible. Salignac's war was over.
Catto was on his own now. What drove him on was sheer hatred. Daniel Rawson had killed Frederic Seurel, and, in escaping from Augsburg, he had exposed Catto to the full wrath of Armand Salignac. Deprived of a large financial reward, Catto was fired by a sense of personal mission. He wanted to avenge the death of his friend and had taken on Seurel's name in order to do so. But his plans were shattered by the battle and he was in despair at the British victory. Before he had left Augsburg, Catto had seen Marshal Tallard arrive at the head of an army that was unmatched for its brilliance and its record of success in the field. Yet that same proud army had now been soundly defeated by a smaller force.
It was clear that Daniel Rawson would have contributed to that defeat and — were he still alive — he would thereby have given Catto an additional reason to kill him. The would-be assassin could not destroy an entire army but he could murder a man who, in his febrile mind, symbolised it. As he watched Confederate soldiers trudging back into camp, and as he saw orderlies carrying in the wounded, he prayed that Daniel would be among the survivors and not be one of the many thousands that littered the battlefield.
The first person with whom the Duke of Marlborough had wanted to share news of the triumph was his wife. Borrowing an old tavern bill from a member of his staff, he scrawled a message in pencil.
I have not time to say more, but to beg you will give my duty to the Queen and let her know that her army had this day a glorious victory. M. Tallard and two other generals are in my coach and I am pursuing the rest. The bearer, my aide de camp, Colonel Parke, will give her an account of what has passed and I shall do it in a day or so, by another, more at large.