William III inspected the Dutch Republic's defensive line in the winter of 1671, while the Anglo-French Allied Forces began their offensive in June 1672.
Fortunately, it was not winter. If Amsterdam had frozen over as it had in 1792, the French Army could have crossed the river on the ice.
Many things were not as a "historian" like her had imagined. Winters in the Netherlands were not only cold but also damp; it seemed to rain for half the year. The rain was never particularly heavy, yet when outdoors, one could not tell whether the moisture was rain or sweat. Such dampness made the ground soft and muddy, and carriages suited to French terrain could easily become stuck in the mire.
The floods caused by breaching the sea dikes receded in July, allowing the French Army to continue advancing. As they moved farther and farther from France, their supply lines stretched longer as well, so in November of that same year, William III led his forces in an attack on Maastricht.
The city stood beside the Meuse River, near Germany. By then, William III had already formed an alliance with Spain and Brandenburg. Although the French retook Maastricht the following year, the course of the war changed again. Admiral De Ruyter defeated the Anglo-French fleet, forcing Britain to end its involvement through the Treaty of Westminster. France then gradually withdrew from Dutch territory, except for Maastricht.
Napoleon's carriage looked unremarkable from the outside, but it was very comfortably furnished within. It had a sofa that could serve as a bed, where he could sleep.
The carriage contained many locked drawers holding reports and urgent documents. A lamp hung from the ceiling above the rear seat, illuminating the entire compartment. A schedule hung at the front, listing the places he had