The New Hampshire Gazette

LONDON, April 24.

Translation of a Letter from Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick.

Most Sacred,

The Enemy having called in all their small detachments, this discovery engaged me to give the army, at five o'clock in the afternoon, orders to hold themselves in readiness to march at one o'clock in the morning. On the first of August, the cavalry expressly to be saddled at that hour.... I recommended it to all the advanced posts to be very attentive, and to inform me of the least motion they should observe during the night. It passed without my receiving any intelligence. At three in the morning, M. de Redan, adjutant general, informed me of the arrival of two deserters, with the news that the army of the enemy was marching to attack me, and that they had passed the marsh at midnight. These deserters came to Hacquim at ten o'clock in the evening; but notwithstanding the importance of the news they brought, it did not reach me till towards three in the morning. That I might lose no time, I sent every aide de camp I had about me to the camp, in order to make the army move without the least delay. I was obeyed with the greatest readiness, except by the cavalry on the right; which, notwithstanding my former orders, were not saddled; and of whom the conductor, L. G. S. did not come to his post till very late. According to my orders of battle, the cavalry were on the wings, and the infantry in the center. The enemy had, on the contrary, placed the cavalry in the center, and their infantry on the wings. The British infantry attacked with an amazing intrepidity. The success of it was so great, that the cavalry of the enemy, which was facing your brave infantry, was routed, and totally put in confusion. This was the moment for the cavalry to have completed the defeat of the enemy. I sent my aide-de-camp, Capt. Ligonier, to L. G. S. with orders to advance with the cavalry, in order to make the most of the advantages which the infantry had just obtained. My aide-de-camp, Capt. Winchendrode, was sent by me to L. G. S. with a like commission. My Lord feigned, at first, not to comprehend the orders which he carried: At length he seemed to give way to them, and concluded with doing nothing.

Before Ligonier came back, the cavalry of the enemy had rallied, and returned to the charge, supported by the Saxon infantry, and a very brisk cannonade, which took our infantry obliquely in front and directly in flank. Mr. Fitzroy was then sent to L. G. S. to press him to advance, without loss of time, to support the infantry which suffered; but he did nothing. Expecting, with reason, to find a disposition in Lord Granby to distinguish himself, I sent Col. Webb to him with my orders to advance with the second line of cavalry: but L. G. S. hindered him, by stopping him from advancing. Col. Fitzroy, and Capt. Ligonier returned, and told me that the cavalry had not stirred one step; that notwithstanding my orders L. G. S. did not give credit to what they had told him; that he did not understand what they had said; and that he would come and speak to me himself. He came, and in short found me: I repeated to him what Ligonier and Fitzroy had told him from me; but the cavalry never advanced near enough either to gather the laurels which your infantry had prepared for them, or to protect them while they suffered. In short, L. G. S. very far from repairing the fault which the cavalry on the right had committed, in not being saddled at the appointed hour, and which he himself had committed, in not having remedied it in time, and also in his coming too late to his post; in not doubling his pace during his march, to regain the time he lost also, and the greatest opportunity which has, perhaps, ever existed to acquire glory, which he was not only offered, but commanded to seize. The cavalry remained during the whole action, out of cannon shot. Towards the end of the action, the D. of Richmond went from me, with orders for L. G. S. to advance with the cavalry to the edge of the marsh, which was executed. I confess I cannot but think, with great vexation, of the conduct of L. G. S. and cannot but declare on the contrary, the good opinion I had of Lord Granby, from the readiness he shewed to execute my orders, by whomsoever they were brought; which leaves no room to doubt, considering the favourable opportunity which the cavalry had to act in, that they would have rendered the victory as decisive as any ever had been. If L. G. S. who had been insensible to the fine opportunity which he had to acquire Glory, was offended at the acknowledgments which I made in favour of Lord Granby, according to his manner, he could not but think it an indirect censure of his own particular conduct. He wrote me a letter, by which he thought proper to demand from me, to recall the compliments which I had made to L. Granby. I answered him absolutely in the negative. My L. G. S. then set himself about propagating many false reports in the army; which determined me, at last, to write to your M--- on this particular Subject. My L. G. S. a few days after my letter went off, and received his recall. He then appeared to be struck with it, and wrote me a letter to complain of his fate, since which, there has been no interview between him and me.