Editing Battle of Blenheim (section)

===Blenheim===
[[Image:Battle of Blenheim Tapestry.jpg|thumb|250px|Part of the Battle of Blenheim tapestry at [[Blenheim Palace]] by [[Judocus de Vos]]. In the background is the village of [[Blindheim|Blenheim]]; in the middle ground are the two water mills that Rowe had to take to gain a bridgehead over the Nebel. The foreground shows an English grenadier with a captured French colour.]]

Cutts ordered Rowe's brigade to attack. The English infantry rose from the edge of the Nebel, and silently marched towards Blenheim, a distance of some {{cvt|150|m|yd|-1}}. [[James Ferguson (major-general)|James Ferguson]]'s Scottish brigade supported Rowe's left, and moved towards the barricades between the village and the river, defended by Hautefeuille's dragoons. As the range closed to within {{cvt|30|m|yd|-1|abbr=on}}, the French fired a deadly volley. Rowe had ordered that there should be no firing from his men until he struck his sword upon the [[palisade]]s, but as he stepped forward to give the signal, he fell mortally wounded.{{sfn|Churchill|2002|p=853}}{{efn|Two of Rowe's staff officers were killed trying to carry him away: Lieutenant Colonel Dalyell and Major Campbell.{{sfn|Churchill|2002|p=853}}}} The survivors of the leading companies closed up the gaps in their ranks and rushed forward. Small parties penetrated the defences, but repeated French volleys forced the English back and inflicted heavy casualties. As the attack faltered, eight squadrons of elite Gens d'Armes, commanded by the veteran Swiss officer, {{ill|Béat Jacques II de Zurlauben|fr}}, fell on the English troops, cutting at the exposed flank of [[Royal Scots Fusiliers|Rowe's own regiment]].{{efn|Churchill{{sfn|Churchill|1934|p=445}} and Coxe state only three squadrons of Gens d'Armes. Rowe's own regiment lost their colours, but they were soon retrieved by the Hessians.}} Wilkes' [[Hesse|Hessian]] brigade, nearby in the marshy grass at the water's edge, stood firm and repulsed the Gens d'Armes with steady fire, enabling the English and Hessians to re-order and launch another attack.{{sfn|Falkner|2004|p=68}}

Although the Allies were again repulsed, these persistent attacks on Blenheim eventually bore fruit, panicking Clérambault into making the worst French error of the day.{{sfn|Chandler|1998|p=145}} Without consulting Tallard, Clérambault ordered his reserve battalions into the village, upsetting the balance of the French position and nullifying the French numerical superiority. "The men were so crowded in upon one another", wrote Mérode-Westerloo, "that they couldn't even fire – let alone receive or carry out any orders".{{sfn|Chandler|1998|p=145}} Marlborough, spotting this error, now countermanded Cutts' intention to launch a third attack, and ordered him simply to contain the enemy within Blenheim; no more than 5,000 Allied soldiers were able to pen in twice the number of French infantry and dragoons.{{sfn|Falkner|2004|p=70}}