The Battle of Fontenoy, 11th May 1745 by Horace Vernet

The Battle of Fontenoy, May 11, 1745, was a French victory over the Anglo-Dutch-Hanoverian "Pragmatic Army"^[1] in the War of Austrian Succession. It was fought near Fontenoy in the Austrian Netherlands in present day Belgium.

Preliminary maneuvers

Maurice de Saxe

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 the 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.

King Louis XV

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.^[2] 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.

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 had planned 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. These culminated in furious charges on the British Guards' right by the Wild Geese of the Irish Brigade^[3] the Swiss Guard on the Hanoverian left and French Guards^[4] 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.^[5] The French counter-attacks eventually halted and then repelled the British column, taking the field.

Aftermath

The victory allowed the French to successfully complete their siege of Tournai and capture numerous other Flemish towns throughout the rest of 1745.^[6] These included: Oudenarde, Bruges, Ghent, Nieuport, and Ostend, where a battalion of British Foot Guards and a garrison of 4,000 surrendered.^[7] Additionally, the triumph of 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 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.

Anecdotes

Duke of Cumberland

Colour of Dillon's Regiment, Irish Brigade

• The Irish Brigade, composed of the regiments of Clare, Lally, Dillon, Berwick, Ruth and Bulkeley, as well as Fitz-James' horse, had joined the French army after the British tore up the treaty of Limerick and effected the penal laws. They showed particular bravery in the battle, a sergeant of Bulkeley capturing an English flag, a colour from the Coldstream Guards,^[8] driving the British army from the field with the battle-cry, Cuimhnidh ar Luimneach agus ar feall na Sasanach!.^[9] Their role in this battle was commemorated on its 250^th 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.^[10]

• A celebrated anecdote of the battle relates to Sir Charles Hay, a captain in the 1st Foot Guards. On reaching the brow of the incline the columns confronted the French line of Foot. 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."^[11]

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."^[12]

Notes

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.
• 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.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_Island#Actual_history
• 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!)

External links

• http://www.anyflag.com/history/fleurwht.htmFrench Fleur-De-Lis:Prior to the French Revolution, there was no national flag which represented France. A variety of flags were used by troops, different types of ships and for other purposes. From 1590-1790 this flag is one of four that was used on warships and fortresses.
• BritishBattles.com
• BattlefieldAnomalies.com
• Alain Tripnaux La Genese du Tricorne: The Battle of Fontenoy
• French soldiers honour role of Irish Brigade, Irish Times Friday 13th May 2005

This battle should not be confused with the two battles of Fontenay, which occurred at a different location, in 841 and 1944.

de:Schlacht bei Fontenoy es:Batalla de Fontenoy fr:Bataille de Fontenoy ko:???? ?? io:Fontenoy-batalio it:Battaglia di Fontenoy nl:Slag bij Fontenoy nn:Slaget ved Fontenoy pl:Bitwa pod Fontenoy pt:Batalha de Fontenoy

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