Person:William Denison (3)

From the Autobiography of Major-General Daniel Denison

... William about 18 years of age would needs go a Souldier into Holland, in the year 1624 at the famous siege of Breda when it was taken by Spinola and Count Mansfield had an army out of England, to have raised the siege, but the army miscarried and my Brother William was never heard of since.

Breda, The Netherlands, city 26 mi (42 km) s.e. of Rotterdam; repeatedly taken by Spanish and French.

From Abstract of the Lensvelt family history and regional history in English by Marcel Lensvelt, Buenos Aires, Argentina, http://home-1.worldonline.nl/~alens/

The city of Breda had been under siege for 9 months before it surrendered. During the war Breda changed hands no less then 6 times. It had about 8,000 citizens and there was nothing people feared more than the change of power. The previous time the power changed in Breda, in 1590, the city was spectacularly taken by the 'Staatse' (the Netherlands States) by means of a peat boat that, like the Trojan horse, was carrying 'Staatse' soldiers into the castle at night.

The siege of 1624 started in the hot burning summer. A Spanish army (mainly made up of Italian and German mercenaries) gathered between Heusden and Breda in the middle of what was considered 'Staatse' territory. Initially their intentions were unclear. But the cordon around Breda closed on August 27 1624. A siege that was to last 9 months. During these months the Spanish troops were in turn raided and molested by the 'Staatse' troops outside the cordon. Dikes were broken to flood the Spanish camps. The actual attempt to break the cordon took place in the beginning of May 1625. A 'Staatse'army (mainly made up by foreign adventurers and mercenaries) tried to break through between the Spanish camps at Terheyden and Teteringen, North of Breda. The citizens of Breda thinking that the end was near placed the 'Staatse' orange banner on the city walls. Unfortunately the battle of Terheyden had a different outcome. The city surrendered only days later, on June 2, with all the dreadfull consequences.

As usual, the real price was paid by the civilians both in and around the city that had to endure the ongoing plundering and restitution payments from both sides. Although geographically close (approximately 10 miles), Dussen in the land of Heusden and Altena was spared a lot of this grief because of the river.

1. ↑ The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society)
   Vol. 46, 1892, p. 352-354.
2. ↑ E. Glenn Denison, Josphine Middleton Peck and Donald L. Jacobus. Denison Genealogy - Ancestors and Descendants of Captain George Denison. (Pequot Press, Inc. Stonington, Ct.)
   p. xxi.