ABSTRACT
In September 1688, fearful of threats to his eastern borders, and using a disputed succession to the Electoral Archbishopric of Cologne as an excuse, Louis XIV of France had invaded the Rhineland in an attempt to establish a fire-break between himself and his enemies, particularly the myriad states that made up the Holy Roman Empire and his traditional foe the Dutch. After the battle, many of the English wounded were treated in the marching hospital at Anguine before being evacuated to Brussels. The hospitals of the various allied contingents were soon so crowded with patients that many wounded were left lying in the streets awaiting attention. The involvement of local Flemish civilians in the care of sick or wounded British soldiers can be gauged by various account entries. During the campaign of 1696, both armies marched and counter-marched incessantly but, in the end, neither succeeded in forcing a decisive engagement upon their enemy.
