Page "Battle of Blenheim" Paragraph 21

Lacking in numbers, Eugene could not seriously disrupt Tallard's march ; nevertheless, the French Marshal's progress was proving pitifully slow.

Tallard's force had suffered considerably more than Marlborough's troops on their march – many of his cavalry horses were suffering from glanders, and the mountain passes were proving tough for the 2, 000 wagons of provisions.

Local German peasants, angry at French plundering, compounded Tallard's problems, leading Mérode-Westerloo to bemoan – " the enraged peasantry killed several thousand of our men before the army was clear of the Black Forest.

" Additionally, Tallard had insisted on besieging the little town of Villingen for six days ( 16 – 22 July ), but abandoned the enterprise on discovering the approach of Eugene.