Blair Collection > Celtic monthly > Volume 4, 1896

THE OELTIO MONTHLY.
167
Part II. — (Continued from page l:i;3^.
|ppi|HIS year William brought into the field
y^ a great army of 124:,()0() men, with
'^^ which he made demonstrations to bring
on a battle, but finding Marshal Villeroi un-
willing to engage he determined to recover
Namur, leaving a portion of his army to
confront and watch the movements of the
French.
Marshal Boufflers, finding that Namur was
threatened, threw himself into it at the head of
a cavalry force, a body of sappers and miners,
and artillery, increasing the garrison to 16,000
men.
When the natural and artificial strength of
Namur are considered, the quality of the troops
defending it, and the well-known skill and
valour of the Marshal commanding, the attack
on Namur may be deemed an undeniable proof
of William's courage and temerity, but he had
entire confidence in the indomitable pluck and
courage of his English and Scottish soldiers
fighting at close quarters, and the event
justified both the judgment and confidence of
the soldier King.
The Scottish regiments employed at the
siege were, Coldstream Guards, Scots Foot
Guards, Royal Scots, Edinburgh Regiment
(25th). The Scots Greys were amongst the
cavalry of the army covering the siege
operations.
By the 1st July, 1695, the besiegers closed
in on every side, and the circumvallation lines
were complete. When tidings of all this were
reported at Versailles they caused no alarm,
the citadel and ramparts were known to be of
vast strength, the magazines stored with
provisions and all kinds of munitions of war.
Namur was considered to be as safe as the
Bastille in Paris.
The siege operations were vigorously pressed
by William. The scientific portion of them
was conducted by the eminent Dutch military
engineer Cohorn, who had, some years previous
to the capture of the place by Louis XIV. in
1692, greatly increased its strength, and was
now spurred to exert his utmost skill to retake it.
The trenches opened on the 2nd July. On
the sth the first assault was made by contin-
gents of Dutch, English, and Scottish. General
Ramsay led the Scots. They encountered a
terrific fire without returning a shot till they
reached the enemy's palisades, then they
poured in a volley which threw the French
into confusion. The palisades were instantly
torn down, and with loud shouts the assailants
rushed on to carry the second covered way
with pike and bayonet. The Dutch wavered,
but the Royal Scots came to their support, and
flushed with success, Dutch and Scots, Guards
and Linesmen, went on, and won the covered
way, and pursuing the enemy to their own
batteries on the brow of the hUl, spiked
the gims, the French seeking refuge in some
stone pits and quarries.