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Battle of Fontenoy

Coordinates: 50°34′10″N 3°28′30″E / 50.569444454444°N 3.47500001°E / 50.569444454444; 3.47500001
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For the battle between the sons of Louis the Pious, see Battle of Fontenay (841).
Battle of Fontenoy
Part of the War of the Austrian Succession

The Battle of Fontenoy by Edouard Detaille. Oil on canvas.
DateMay 11, 1745
Location
near Tournai, present-day Belgium
Result Decisive French victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom Great Britain
Province of Hanover Hanover
 Austria[1]
 Dutch Republic		 France[2] France
Commanders and leaders
United Kingdom Duke of Cumberland
Habsburg monarchy Marshall Koningseck
Dutch Republic Prince Waldeck		 France Louis XV
France Maurice de Saxe
Strength

50,000[3][4]

  • 21,000 British[5]
  • 8,000 Hanoverians
  • 22,000 Dutch
  • 2,000
    101 guns[6]
 48,000[7]
110 guns[8]
Casualties and losses
10,000 -12,000:[9]
5,842 British and Hanoverians[10] and 1,544 Dutch dead or wounded[11]
3,000 - 4,500 captured[12]
40 cannon[13]		 7,137[14] dead or wounded[15]
400 captured
The Battle of Fontenoy, 11th May 1745 by Horace Vernet

The Battle of Fontenoy of 11 May 1745 was a French victory over the Anglo-Dutch-Hanoverian "Pragmatic Army"[16] in the War of Austrian Succession. It was fought near Fontenoy in the Austrian Netherlands in present day Belgium.

Preliminary maneuvers

Maurice de Saxe

French forces, under Marshal Maurice de Saxe had outmaneuvered the Allies by feigning an advance on the city of Mons which diverted allied forces. De Saxe then marched his main army on Tournai, defended by a Dutch garrison of 7,000 and invested it. With the French besieging Tournai, the allies were compelled to come to its relief as the city was the gateway to Flanders. An Anglo-Hanoverian, Dutch and Austrian army under the Duke of Cumberland advanced to Tournai. The allied army was known as the Pragmatic Army because it was a confederation of states that supported the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 agreements to recognize Maria-Theresa as Empress of the Holy Roman Empire.

The battle

De Saxe had deployed the French on a slight rise in a strong position designed to compensate for the somewhat lesser quality of his infantry compared to the British foot. The King of France, Louis XV, was present on the field. The French line ran at a right angle with the village of Fontenoy as its apex and fortified linchpin. To either side of Fontenoy were positions that were defensively enhanced with redoubts and field fortifications. The French right was in the village of Antoing and rested on the River Scheldt, their left on the woods, Le Bois de Barry. De Saxe chose and designed the position to channel the Allies' attack into the clear area between Fontenoy and the woods.

The Pragmatic Army obliged him with Marshall Koningseck leading the Austrian contingent against Antoing, Prince Waldeck assaulted Fontenoy with the Dutch and Cumberland, leading the main attack force of British and Hanoverians advanced into the funnel between Fontenoy and the woods with a column of some 15,000 troops and 20 cannon.[17] Waldeck's two assaults on Fontenoy on the left of the British were thrown back and Ingoldsby on the British right flank failed to attack and take the redoubt d'Eu, leaving that flank of the British exposed to its fire.

As the British and Hanoverians deployed for the advance the French pushed forward numerous, small three-pound battalion guns and the fire from these was added to the bombardment from the Redoubt d'Eu. Cumberland responded by deploying seven of the Guard's Brigade's three-pound battalion guns to push them back. The Duc de Grammont, of Dettingen infamy, was killed by a shot from these. As the column advanced up a slight rise, the British brought up a battery of twelve six-pound cannon to the front of the column at such close range that the French infantry advanced to attempt to take the guns. Both sides exchanged fire at close range and the the French recoiled.[18] It was at this time and place that the legendary and disputed exchange between the French and British Guards took place. Opposite the 1st Foot Guards were the Gardes françaises. This French regiment had given way at the Battle of Dettingen and in their precipitate retreat had tipped up one of the bridges of boats, causing many soldiers to drown. Sir Charles Hay is reputed to have mockingly doffed his hat and bowed to the French officers saying: "We are the English Guards. We remember you from Dettingen and intend to make you swim the Scheldt as you swam the Main."[19] The alternative story, according to Voltaire, is that Sir Charles Hay said "Gentlemen of the French Guard, fire first!", the French officer Count d'Anterroches replied: "Gentlemen, we never fire first, fire yourselves."[20]

Duke of Cumberland
Colour of Dillon's Regiment, Irish Brigade

Against all expectation the British advance passed Fontenoy in a great, deep column, known as the 'Infernal Column' with the English on the right, led by the Foot Guard regiments and the Hanoverians on the left. The two lines of infantry became compressed into three as they funneled forward. Most of the Hanoverians of the column's left making the third line as they shifted away from Fontenoy. Initially, the superior discipline of the infantry compensated for the column's exposed flanks. However, de Saxe was prepared for this possibility. After the French and Swiss were pushed back by the assault of heavy and steady volley fire of the allies, Marshal de Saxe ordered several counter-attacks by both cavalry and infantry. The column was forced to retire back to the edge of the rise in some confusion and then dressed its ranks and advanced again.

Saxe had rallied and reorganized the Gardes Françaises and other units. Together with fresh troops from the flanks they were sent forward in coordinated attacks. These culminated in furious charges on the British Guards' right by the "Wild Geese" of the Irish Brigade[21]. The Irish Brigade; composed of the regiments of Clare, Lally, Dillon, Berwick, Ruth and Bulkeley, as well as Fitz-James' horse; showed particular bravery in the battle, a sergeant of Bulkeley capturing an English flag, a colour from the Coldstream Guards.[22] They drove the British back with the battle-cry, Cuimhnidh ar Luimneach agus ar feall na Sasanach!.[23]. The Irish Brigade suffered some 500 casualties on the day while capturing 20 cannon.[24] The Swiss Guard attacked on the Hanoverian left and French Guards[25] to the front of the column and finally the cavalry of the Maison du Roi. The fighting was extremely close and deadly, some British regiments lost half their strength such as the Royal Welsh Fusiliers which lost 322 soldiers, over 200 killed.[26] The French counter-attacks eventually halted and then repelled the British column, taking the field.

During the battle a regiment of Scottish Highlanders, the 42nd Regiment of Foot under Sir Robert Munro, 6th Baronet had distinguished themselves both skirmishing on the right flank near Redoubt d'Eu where they used "their own way of fighting", each time they received the French fire Col. Sir Robert Munro ordered his men to "clap to the ground" and while the enemy re-loaded they charged forward and later in the second attack with the Dutch on the town of Fontenoy. The 42nd formed a part of the rearguard of the retreating army and when a strong body of French horse which came galloping up behind were within a few yards of the Highlanders, they received them with fire so well directed and so effectual that nearly half of them were dismounted and the rest rode off not attacking again. One account states that the Highlanders cut off some of the enemy's horses' heads with their Claymores.[27]

Aftermath

King Louis XV

The victory allowed the French to successfully complete their siege of Tournai and capture numerous other Flemish towns throughout the rest of 1745.[28] These included: Oudenarde, Bruges, Ghent, Nieuport, and Ostend, where a battalion of British Foot Guards and a garrison of 4,000 surrendered.[29] Additionally, the triumph of de Saxe over the British inspired the second Jacobite rising, the Forty-Five, under the Young Pretender, Bonnie Prince Charlie. Charles, with a small contingent of troops, returned to Scotland and invaded England. He had some reason to believe in his ultimate success as all but 6,000 British troops were away on the continent and recently defeated at Fontenoy. Charles' return to Scotland combined with a stunning victory at the Battle of Prestonpans obliged Cumberland to pull his army back to England to deal with the Jacobite invasion. The absence of the British on the continent allowed de Saxe to conduct a winter campaign in the lowlands in which more cities and fortresses such as Brussels, Antwerp, Mons, and Charleroi fell into French hands.

Notes

  1. ^ 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica, entry National Flags: "The Austrian imperial standard has, on a yellow ground, the black double-headed eagle, on the breast and wings of which are imposed shields bearing the arms of the provinces of the empire . The flag is bordered all round, the border being composed of equal-sided triangles with their apices alternately inwards and outwards, those with their apices pointing inwards being alternately yellow and white, the others alternately scarlet and black ." Also, Whitney Smith, Flags through the ages and across the world, McGraw-Hill, England, 1975 ISBN 0-07-059093-1, pp.114 - 119, "The imperial banner was a golden yellow cloth...bearing a black eagle...The double-headed eagle was finally established by Sigismund as regent...".
  2. ^ George Ripley, Charles Anderson Dana, The American Cyclopaedia, New York, 1874, p. 250, "...the standard of France was white, sprinkled with golden fleur de lis...". *[1]The original Banner of France was strewn with fleurs-de-lis. *[2]:on the reverse of this plate it says: "Le pavillon royal était véritablement le drapeau national au dix-huitième siecle...Vue du chateau d'arrière d'un vaisseau de guerre de haut rang portant le pavillon royal (blanc, avec les armes de France)."[3] from the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica: "The oriflamme and the Chape de St Martin were succeeded at the end of the 16th century, when Henry III., the last of the house of Valois, came to the throne, by the white standard powdered with fleurs-de-lis. This in turn gave place to the famous tricolour."
  3. ^ Chandler, David. The Art of Warfare in the Age of Marlborough. Spellmount Limited, (1990): ISBN 0-946771-42-1, p.306: Some statistics taken from Chandler.
  4. ^ Browning, Reed.The War of the Austrian Succession. St. Martin's Press, New York, (1993): ISBN 0-312-12561-5,p.212 "50,000". Duncan, Francis. History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, London, 1879, Vol.1, p. 127, "The strength of the allies did not exceed 53,000".
  5. ^ Townshend, Sir Charles Vere Ferrers. The military life of Field-Marshal George first marquess Townshend, London, 1901, pp. 51-52.
  6. ^ Duncan, Francis. History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, London, 1879, Vol.1, p.127, gives a total of 47 cannon for the British contingent alone: ten 6-pounders, twenty-seven 3-pounders, six 1&1/2 -pounders, four 8-inch howitzers.Townshend, Sir Charles Vere Ferrers. The military life of Field-Marshal George first marquess Townshend, London, 1901, p. 69, notes 21 British guns lost and 19 Dutch guns lost.
  7. ^ Lynn, p. 112. There is a wide range of estimates across sources from the army strengths at Fontenoy. Both Chandler in The Art of War in the Age of Marlborough and Colin in Les campagnes de Maréchal de Saxe give a slight numerical advantage to the Pragmatic army. Browning, Reed.The War of the Austrian Succession. St. Martin's Press, New York, (1993): ISBN 0-312-12561-5 also gives around 50,000, p.212. J.W. Fortescue. A History of the British Army, MacMillan, London, 1899, Vol. II. p.111 gives the allies at under 50,000 and the French at 56,000
  8. ^ The Journal of the Battle of Fontenoy Published by Order of His Most Christian Majesty Translated from the French, Published LONDON MDCCXLV Published: M. Cooper: London, 1745; "We had one hundred and ten pieces of cannon in the villages and redoubts and in the Front of our first line".
  9. ^ Estimates of Allied loses vary. Smollett, Tobias. History of England, from The Revolution to Death of George the Second, p.472, gives 12,000 Allied and Voltaire gives 21,000 Allied losses.
  10. ^ Letters of Richard Davenport, 4th Troop of the Horse Guards 1745. Stanhope, Phillip Henry, Lord Mahon. History of England From the Peace of Utrecht to the Peace of Versailles., Boston, 1853, Vol.III, p. 197, Stanhope gives much the same numbers.
  11. ^ Gentlemen's Magazine, Vol. XV, 1745, p. 250.
  12. ^ Skrine, Francis Henry. Fontenoy and Great Britain's Share in the War of the Austrian Succession 1741-48. London, Edinburgh, 1906, p.215, mentions D'Estrées capturing 3,000 stragglers on the 12th and then another 1200 allied wounded.
  13. ^ O'Callaghan, John Cornelius. History of the Irish Brigades in the Service of France, London, 1870, p.366.
  14. ^ Skrine, Francis Henry. Fontenoy and Great Britain's Share in the War of the Austrian Succession 1741-48. London, Edinburgh, 1906, p.188, Skrine gives Voltaire's totals: Infantry - 1734 killed, 3603 wounded and an estimate of 1800 cavalry compared to Count Pajol's slightly lower numbers.
  15. ^ The Journal of the Battle of Fontenoy Published by Order of His Most Christian Majesty Translated from the French Published LONDON MDCCXLV, Published: M. Cooper: London, 1745; "We had about five hundred and twenty Officers killed and wounded and about four thousand soldiers also either killed or wounded. The Allies have lost including the killed, wounded, prisoners and deserters fifteen thousand Men according to their own accounts which joined with the loss of almost all their cannon of which we have taken forty nine pieces will certainly render them incapable of undertaking anything considerable for some time at least."
  16. ^ The Pragmatic Army
  17. ^ O'Callaghan, John Cornelius. History of the Irish Brigades in the Service of France, London, 1870. p.351.
  18. ^ Skrine, Francis Henry. Fontenoy and Great Britain's Share in the War of the Austrian Succession 1741-48. London, Edinburgh, 1906, pp. 163-171.
  19. ^ Sir Francis Skrine, p.171, says that Hay said "Gentlemen, we are the English Guards and hope you will wait for us to come up and not swim the Scheldt as you swam the Main at Dettingen," raised his flask and invited the French to fire the first volley. The French fired an ineffectual volley and the Guards returned fire and then advanced by platoon volleys and the French broke. This was written by Hay himself to a confident after the battle.
  20. ^ Mackinnon, Daniel.Origin and services of the Coldstream Guards, London 1883, Vol.1, pp. 368, note 2
  21. ^ Mackinnon, Daniel. Origin and services of the Coldstream Guards, London 1883, Vol.I, p. 371, "The encounter between the British and Irish Brigade was fierce, the fire constant, and the slaughter great; but the loss on the side of the British was such, that they were at length compelled to retire."
  22. ^ O'Callaghan, John Cornelius. History of the Irish Brigades in the Service of France, London, 1870,p.359, p.366 refers to two colours captured.
  23. ^ Remember Limerick and Saxon perfidy!
  24. ^ O'Callaghan, John Cornelius. History of the Irish Brigades in the Service of France, London, 1870, p. 364. Their role in this battle was commemorated on its 250th anniversary by the issue of a common design stamp by the Irish and Belgian post offices. A later battle cry, "Remember Fontenoy!" was used by 69th New York and the Irish Brigade during the American Civil War. Bilby, Joseph G..Remember Fontenoy: The 69th New York and the Irish Brigade in the Civil War, Longstreet House, 1995, ISBN 0944413374.
  25. ^ Hamilton, Lieutenant-General F.W..Origin and History of the First or Grenadier Guards, London, 1874, Vol. II, "The French Guards...under the command of the Comte de Chabannes...with fixed bayonets charged so close that the adversaries were firing at each other almost muzzle to muzzle."O'Callaghan, John Cornelius. History of the Irish Brigades in the Service of France, London, 1870, pp. 361-364 includes a diagram of the counter-attack.
  26. ^ Skrine, Francis Henry. Fontenoy and Great Britain's Share in the War of the Austrian Succession 1741-48. London, Edinburgh, 1906, p.190
  27. ^ Mackenzie, Alexander. History of the Munros of Fowlis. Pages 130 - 132. 1898.
  28. ^ Mackinnon, Daniel. Origin and services of the Coldstream Guards, London 1883, Vol.1, pp. 374-375.
  29. ^ Mackinnon, Daniel. Origin and services of the Coldstream Guards, London 1883, Vol.1, p. 373, ; p.376: London Gazette, October 25, 1745.

References

  • Browning, Reed.The War of the Austrian Succession. St. Martin's Press, New York, (1993): ISBN 0-312-12561-5
  • Chandler, David. The Art of Warfare in the Age of Marlborough. Spellmount Limited, (1990): ISBN 0-946771-42-1
  • Duncan, Francis. History of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, London, 1879, Vol.1.
  • Fortescue, J. W. A History of the British Army, MacMillan, London, 1899, Vol. II.
  • Hamilton, Lieutenant-General F.W..Origin and History of the First or Grenadier Guards, London, 1874, Vol. II.
  • Mackinnon, Daniel. Origin and services of the Coldstream Guards, London 1883, Vol.1.
  • O'Callaghan, John Cornelius. History of the Irish Brigades in the Service of France, London, 1870.
  • Skrine, Francis Henry.Fontenoy and Great Britain's Share in the War of the Austrian Succession 1741-48. London, Edinburgh, 1906.
  • Smollett, Tobias. History of England, from The Revolution to the Death of George the Second, London, 1848, Vol.II.
  • Stanhope, Phillip Henry, Lord Mahon. History of England From the Peace of Utrecht to the Peace of Versailles., Boston, 1853, Vol.III.

Fontenoy in fiction

  • In Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island, Dr. Livesey, a doctor and friend of Squire John Trelawney (the organizer of the treasure expedition) who goes on the journey and for a short while narrates the story, is mentioned to have fought at Fontenoy.[4]
  • Liam Mac Cóil's novel Fontenoy, recounts the story of the battle told from the perspective of captain Seán Ó Raghallaigh, a young Irishman in the Irish Brigade (known as the Wild Geese).
  • The 1938 novel A Day of Battle by Vincent Sheean recounts the battle from many perspectives (including Voltaire's!)

50°34′10″N 3°28′30″E / 50.569444454444°N 3.47500001°E / 50.569444454444; 3.47500001

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