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The States army was not at its full strength, for the English contingent under Sir Francis Vere had been sent to France; and Verdugo was confident that any attempt to capture these well-garrisoned fortresses was doomed to failure. He had to learn how great was the scientific skill and resource of Maurice in the art of beleaguering. Steenwijk after an obstinate defence capitulated on June 5.
What would become of the world-empire, where was the great king not of Spain alone, nor of France alone but the great monarch of all Christendom, to plant his throne securely, if his Frisian strongholds, his most important northern outposts, were to fall before an almost beardless youth at the head of a handful of republican militia? Verdugo did his best, but the best was little.
Thus forewarned, Maurice took the best precautions and calmly within his entrenchments awaited the onslaught. Punctual to his appointment, Verdugo with his whole force, yelling "Victoria! Victoria!" made a shirt-attack, or camiciata the men wearing their shirts outside their armour to distinguish each other in the darkness upon that portion of the camp which was under command of Hohenlo.
Verdugo would rather have sent thirty thousand men to save the front door of his great province than three hundred. But every available man and few enough of them they were had been sent out of the Netherlands, to defend the world-empire in its outposts of Normandy and Brittany.
These chivalrous sentiments towards Prince Maurice had not however prevented Verdugo from doing his best to assassinate Count Lewis William.
Here he was to pause, and send forward an officer towards the town, communicating his arrival, and requesting the cooperation of Verdugo, who was to make a sortie with one thousand men, according to Alexander's previous arrangements. The plan was successfully carried out.
Certainly the result of Henry's recent campaign before Rouen had proved sufficiently how much better it would have been for him had there been some Dutch Joosts and Jacobs with their picks and shovels in his army at that critical period. They might perhaps have baffled Parma as they had done Verdugo.
On the 3rd of September Verdugo, with the whole force at his disposal, amounting to four thousand foot and eighteen hundred horse, was at the village of Emblichen, within a league of the besieged city. That night a peasant was captured with letters from Verdugo to the Governor of Coeworden, giving information that he intended to make an assault on the besiegers on the night of 6th-7th September.
Verdugo and Frederic van den Berg picked up a few cities, and strong places which had thrown off their allegiance September, to the king Auerzyl, Schlochteren, Winschoten, Wedde, Ootmarzum and invested the much more important town of Coeworden, which Maurice had so recently reduced to the authority of the Union.
Verdugo and Frederic van den Berg picked up a few cities, and strong places which had thrown off their allegiance September, to the king Auerzyl, Schlochteren, Winschoten, Wedde, Ootmarzum and invested the much more important town of Coeworden, which Maurice had so recently reduced to the authority of the Union.
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