three in the afternoon of July 11
Bruges and Ghent had gone back to the French allegiance , and Louis determined to make an attempt to secure Oudenarde also , an important fortress lying between the French borders and Brabant . The French army boasted two generals , the royal Duke of Burgundy , an incapable leader , and the Duke of Vendôme , a most capable one . A more unfortunate partnership could not well be imagined ; Burgundy and Vendôme were in everything the opposite of each other , and the quarrels between them were as numerous as they were bitter , so that the army of Louis XIV was handicapped at the very outset . It was three in the afternoon of July 11 . The Allies were fagged out with the marchings and the heat of the day when they came in sight of the enemy 's forces near Oudenarde . `` Precious glad of a rest ! '' Matthew Blackett remarked when the signal to halt came .