Reference: BL, MS Cotton Galba D VIII f.177r-178v
Citation: DCB/001/HTML/1058/008
Date: 11 July 1591
Note:
Copy of: 0318
addressleaf
fol.178vEndorsed: To my L. Thresurer the 11 of July 1591
fol.177rLater Addition: Belgia 1591 xi July To my L Treasurer
Later Addition: Belgia 1591. July.
lettertext
May it please your good L. to be advertised, that the 5 of this moneth when the Count with all his troupes was come before Steenwick, there came intelligence from all quarters, that the ennemy was entred the Betuwe fast by Neumegen. There came also many letters from the general States, the Provinces of Gueldres & Utrecht, the Count of Cullemborg, the Ammand of Tiel, & others requiring very earnestly, that the enterprise of Steenwick & all other purposes sett apart, the camp should come forward to the assistance of those places which the ennemy might otherwise very mightely eldommage upon this intelligence & the instance of the Countrey, it was presently resolved that they would not staie at Steenwick, & so much the rather for that the Count & the armie were nothing yet engaged, neither by summoning the towne, nor planting theyr artillery, nor by quartering the companies, nor by any other action that might make theyr departure prejudiciall to theyr honor. Howbeit for the better preservation of those places, that were taken about Groninghen, yt was deemed expedient that Count William with his troupes of Friseland which were to the nomber of 2000 should remaine stil in Frise, & that Count Maurice with the rest, making at the least by all conjecture, 5000 foote & 1300 horse should marche towardes Arnham, upon which resolution all our forces, aswell of horsmen as footmen arrived yesterday heer, wher wee hope to be renforced, from out of the garisons of those quarters with 2000 men more. The furnishing of those fortes that were taken about Groningen amonting by tale to 32 in all, did greatly diminish the strength of our army, Nevertheles for ought that wee can learne by prisoners, spies & other meanes the ennemy for footmen is weaker then wee are, but his horsmen yt is thought are 2000 at the least, moreover wee do finde that the Duke him self in parson, withall his forces, 2 regimentes of footmen & 4 cornetes of horse excepted which are left behinde beside Nieumegen for the custodye of theyr baggage, are alredy in the Betuwe. He hath also made his approche & planted 8 peeces of battery before Cnossenburg, which is that fort which wee built the last sommer on this side the Wael fol.177v
before the towne of Nieumegen. Albeyt wee have sent abroad very many to learne his dessignes & the state of his army yet we finde theyr informations to differ so much, that wee can build upon nothing, but that they are in some misery for want of vittailes, wherin all do accord./ They are served of theyr vittailes from Collen, Bosleduck, Grave, & from the Land of Cleve, by the way of Emmerick, from whence they bring it all by land to certaine places by Nieumegen, & there transport yt by scutes to the Ennemyes Camp./ They have passed all theyr troupes both horse & foote, with 2 great pontons of which either ys thought sufficient for 300 men at a passage./ This strange aventure of the Duke, in comming over the river doth wonderfully astonish the people of this countrey, who are all of one opinion, that hee hath put himself in so much danger, as hee cannot any waie go back, without notable losse. To the effecting wherof heer are 2 waies proposed the one by sending over our forces to Nieumegen side, therby to cut of his vittailes, & to stopp his returne, the other by passing the Rhene heer at Arnham, & by marching in the Betuwe directly towardes him, with such good cautions for the order of theyr marche, for the making of trenches, & for usinge other martiall meanes, as they will either have in choise to fighte if they list, or being forced therunto, to doe yt with out the hazard of the body of theyr army./ But howsoever wee hope it is a waie to relieve that fort in some sort, that is presently besieged, & before the ennemy shuld recover the other side of the river to cut of some parte of the arriergarde of his army./ Howbeyt the forte, though within yt bee all thinge requesit, & 800 men in garrison, yet wee dout yt wilbe taken or surrendred in the end./ as wee also make acchount when the Duke ys gon to recover yt again. Of the foresayd 2 waies because the first is subject to very many difficulties, & would be too long in parfourming, considering that the troupes [are] to passe over 3 rivers, they are wholy as yet inclined [to put] the latter in execution, for which theyr bridge for the [Rhine is] alredy provided, & wilbe happely placed some time [to day] fol.178r
so as all the souldiers may passe out towardes night. And this is in summe the state of our affaires, which I do signify continually, as messengers & matter are presented wher I am, And so I take &c. From Arnham, July 11 1591.
Postscript: postscript. Wee do not yet understand that the ennemy hath begon his battery, but those within the fort do shute continually & have either slaine or very dangerously hurtt the Count Octavio brother to Count Mansfelt, & divers other captaines.
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