A Particular RELATION Of the Manner of the Raising the Siege OF CHARLEROY.  
Published by Authority.  
In the SAVOY Printed by Tho: Newcomb, 1672.   

A Particular RELATION Of Raising the Siege of CHARLEROY.  
THe Prince of Orange having failed in his Design upon Woerden, and despairing of being able to Act any thing with Success against the French in Holland, resolved to pass into the country of Liege with his Horse, which he intended to strengthen with a Body of Foot to be drawn in his passage out of the Cities of Breda, Boisleduc, Bergen-op-Zoom, and Maestricht. With this Army he promised himself nothing less, then to force the French from those Posts they held in the country of Liege. But the Count de Monterey, governor of the Low-countreys for the King of Spain, not thinking it fit to quit the advantages he intended to procure to the King his Master, in putting his Garrisons into those places, under colour of defending them, would not suffer that they should be drawn out, and offered to give the Prince of Orange, as he has done, 3000 Horse, and a like number of Foot, under the command of the Count de Marcin. Thereupon he put himself in a condition to attack and take the Castle of Fauquemont, in the country of Holland, where there was a French Garrison of 130 men. Immediately after this he invested Tongres, with design in appearance of attacking it But the Count de Marcin having represented unto him, that the place, though without any considerable Fortifications, might defend itself for some time, and ruin his Army, he sends, by the princes advice, to the Count Monterey, to propose to him the Besieging of Charleroy; using, as a main argument to induce him to consent to it, the absence of the Count de Montal, who was then at Tongres; for which reason, and divers others, he conceived the place was left with a very weak Garrison. The Count de Monterey embraced the Enterprise, and more to secure the good success of it, sent him the greatest part of the Spanish Forces he could get together in his Government, disfurnishing upon that account, of their Garrisons, the most important places of the King h●s Master, without making any reflections but upon the assured conquest of Charleroy, or considering the Faith of the Treaties of the Pyreneans, and Aix la Chapelle. The 15. instant, the Count de Marcin invested Charleroy with the Spanish Cavalry which was quartered in Flanders, expecting the arrival of the Prince of Orange with his Army, which was two days after on the 17. In the mean time the Spaniards thinking that Binch, a Fort lying between this place and A●h, would be useful to them, as well to favour their Retreat, if need were, as to facilitate the passage of their Convoys, sent out a party of their Troops to invest it, who made themselves masters of it with a great deal of ease, being no place of defence. They put a Spanish Garrison into it, in the name of the Prince of Orange, and took care to sand a Spanish Colonel to seize upon the Keepers of the Castle of Marimont, a House of Pleasure, yielded to the King by the Treaty of Aix la Chapelle.  
The Count de Montal had advice of all their motions, and was assured of them by the Sieur de St. Cla, a Brigadeer of Horse, who came from Maseick in the company of the Sieurs St Sylvestre, and Darcy, Captains of Light Horse, de Labadie, Vignart, and de Treuil, Lieutenants; Levignay and Magny, Cornets; Lapair and Lempereur, Quarter-masters, with Fifty Horse, with intent to cast themselves with him into his Government.  
The Count de Montal accompanied with this Troop, and 60 Horse ●ore, which he brought with him to Tongres, went out of the Town the 17 instant, at 10 of the clock in the morning, resolving to get into Charleroy the next day by break of day, and to force the Quarter through which he was to pass, if there was no other way.  
He went along the great Causey, the same way the Enemies had gone before, imagining that they would least suspect that way of any other: He had not gone above five or six Leagues, but he met with some of their Scouts, which he caused to be dismounted, and stripped, that so the could which was then extreme, might force them to retire into the Villages to warm themselves, and hinder them from returning to the Army to advice them of their approach.  
That night he got very near to Perruis, where the Dutch Foot were lodged, and the Horse that accompanied them, in the Villages all along the Causey, as far as Gimblour: and meeting with other Troops further on this side Charleroy, he was forced to turn to the Right, and to fetch a great compass about to avoid them, marching towards Mellet, to get into the Wood.  
When day-light began to appear, he advanced but slowly, expecting the breaking up of the Main-guard; which happened according to his desire: so that at his coming out of the Wood, he found a Regiment of Spanish Foot lodged in the Front, and was got in amongst them so on a sudden, that they scarce perceived him.  
Although they suspected him to be an Enemy, they durst not make an Alarm, because it was out of their power now to take him: and in exchange of their forced discretion, he returned them the civility of some words in their own Language: to which they all answered with a very handsome salute, taking no notice that he was of any other Party then their own.  
But when he came near the Glass-house, where others of the Enemy were lodged, as in all the Houses thereabouts, some discovered, that all of his Troop had their Swords naked under their Cloaks, excepting onely fifteen, and two Officers, who marched before the Count de Montal and the Sieur de St. Cla, with their Carbines advanced, that they might more easily break through what ever should oppose them.  
These cried, To your Arms, and discharged at them as they passed before and behind, so that the Alarm was presently all over the Camp. But their Horse-Guard of 150 Maistres, posted between their Camp and the Town, having just before unbridled their Horses, not being able to mount so soon as was requisite, there were not above 80 who could come to oppose them, with a mayor name Floris in the Head of them, a person much esteemed amongst them.  
The Count de Montal received them so vigorously, that that Officer and part of his men were killed, without any loss of our side but of 14 men onely killed and taken prisoners, because it was not thought worth the while to stay to rescue them at that time. Thus he got into Charleroy, not less successfully then gloriously, on Brussels side, with 100 Horse in his company, and the Officers, who had done on this occasion all that could be expected of persons effectively gallant.  
He found the place straitned enough, by the Posts the Enemies possessed, most of them within Musket-shot, without having taken any of the Out-works: the Sieur de Franclieu, the Kings Lieutenant, who commanded in the Governours absence, having done all that was requisite to hinder them from executing any such design.  
He found in like manner the Garrison very well disposed to acquit themselves of their Duty. The Sieur Desbonnais Brigadeer of Foot, that was by good chance left there, had particularly laboured to prepare those of the Garrison, for the service this Occasion required of them: And the Sieur Terrade Engineer, whose business it was to look after the Works, had not omitted any thing for the putting them in as good posture of Defence, as the few Men in Garrison would permit.  
The principal Care now being, to make provision of Forage, for the Horse that were newly come into the Place; the Count de Montal, some few hours after his arrival, sent out 150 Musketeers, under the Command of the said Sieur Desbonnais, to fetch in what was to be found, along the River Sambre, at houses a good distance from the Town.  
They acquitted themselves so well of this Charge, with the help of 50 Horse very much tired, that in three hours time they had gathered up all the Forage, forced the Enemies from a Post, guarded by a party of Horse and Foot, and killed them several Men, with the loss only of two Soldiers on their part.  
In the mean time the Count de Montal, judging by a Battery they had raised upon an Eminence, on the other side of two little Moats, where the Works are but single, and were in a manner deserted, that they intended to make their principal Attack there; he resolved to place a guard there, and to make all the Resistance that was possible.  
Besides, the Traverses that the said Sieur de Terrade, by the Order of the Sieur Franclieu, had begun to draw from one Epaule to the other, were pressed extremely: And though they were not finished, the Governor placed some men upon them, as the number he had would give him leave, with Captains and Officers, resolved to stand by them, and some Horse in the Ditch, where there were no Traverses of Palissadoes, that they might have more liberty to act.  
The Sieurs of Franclieu and des Bonnais, were likewise destined to defend severally the Posts that might be attacked. But the enemy did not think fit to attack them that night, and the Count de Montal perceived the next morning, that they had discontinued their Battery, which was confirmed to him by the said Sieur de Franclieu, who likewise took care to observe their countenance on that side.  
Thereupon he resolved the next day, Nineteenth, to make a sally with all his Horse, upon the Eminence of Brussels, and to line the Counterscarpes, and outworks with all his shoemakers; amongst whom was the Sieur de Desbonnais, on purpose to take prisoners, which had all the good success that could be desired.  
FIrst sallied out Twenty Horse, commanded by the Sieurs Labadie and Janvrye, and fell upon the enemies lesser guard, which lay sheltered upon the descent of the Hill, on the other side of the Church-yard; and whilst the rest of the French Troops were likewise coming up to them, the enemies great Guard, being One hundred and fifty Horse, advanced under the command of the Baron de St. Jean. The French received them with much bravery, and having given them a considerable shock, killed and wounded many of them on the place; and taking a Lieutenant, with several others prisoners, retired towards the Counterscharpe, to draw the enemy under our Guns. The Baron de St. Jean having received two mortal wounds in his breast.  
The Enemy followed very warily, yet not so, but that fifty shoemakers which the Count de Montal had Posted in one of the Half Moons, had apportunity to make a discharge upon them, in which they killed several of them; and farther occasioned such disorder amongst them, that the Prince de Vaudemont, the Sieur de Louvignie, and several other persons of quality were fain to come to their assistance.  
But the French at the same time caused their Cannon to play so well upon the enemy, that they killed several of them; and amongst others, three Cornets of Horse, one of them being of the princes own Troop; the Prince de Vaudemont had his Horse killed under him, and received some slight wounds; the Sieur de Louvignie had likewise his Horse killed, and his Heel shot off with a Cannon Bullet; so that he is in danger of losing his Leg, or his life.  
The Besieged were out about an hour and a half in this Sally, and Masters of the Enemies Ground; and put the Enemy into such a fear, that they durst never after advance in the several Sallies, which the French continued to make out of the place. In the mean time, the Count de Montal being every night informed, that the Enemy were opening their Trenches; and besides, that they had great numbers of Faggots, Bales of Wool, and Barrels, at least 2000, and other Provisions, to be employed in this Siege, resolved with the few men he had to defend the Counterscharps; but was prevented; for the One and twentieth in the morning, the Count de Marcin, ordered the Twenty pieces of Cannon with two Mortar pieces, sent to the Army by the Count de Monterey, some days before, and the said Bales of Wool, Faggots, &c. to be sent back to Namur. And the 22 at break of day, all the Enemies Troops broken up and retired; those that lay on the other side of the Sambre, passed that River at Marchiennes au Pont, and took their way by fountain l' Evesque and Binche, and the rest marched on the side of the Plain of Mellet.  
The Troops that invested the place, and against whom the Besieged were to defend themselves, were all Spanish, the Dutch having been Posted on the other side of the Water.  
In this occasion we cannot sufficiently admire the courage and conduct of the Sieur de Montal, in putting himself into the place, and defending it so bravely afterward. Much praise is likewise due to the Sieur de St. Cla, and the rest of the Officers that accompanied him, and all the Soldiery that were concerned in the Action.  
For the rest, all things were so well ordered for the defence of the place, that the Officers of that Garrison could not without regret see the Enemy decamp, having promised themselves farther occasion of signalising their zeal and courage.  
FINIS.