Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

(11 May 1745) The Battle of Fontenoy serves as an exemplar of Western European warfare in the mid-eighteenth century, though the oft-cited incident of a supposedly chivalrous exchange between Lord Charles Hay of the 1st Foot Guards and officers of the Gardes françaises when on the point of firing at each other has tended to obscure both the murderous reality of battle and the tactical ability of the best generals of the age. At the end of April 1745, Marshal de Saxe, having cleverly masked his intentions, laid siege to Tournai in order to invoke an early encounter with the Duke of Cumberland's (1721–65) Allied army, then in the vicinity of Brussels. Over a period of ten days, Saxe selected the location for the coming battle, his final dispositions deploying about 52,000 men along a convex front on rising ground. His left was secured by the Forest of Barry (held by irregular light troops) and his extreme right by the village of Antoing on the banks of the Scheldt. The heavily defended village of Fontenoy lay in the centre. The French lines were further strengthened by earthen redoubts while the approaches to the centre and left were partly obstructed by marshy ground. Artillery was carefully sited in order to enfilade an attacker and the positioning of reserves was arranged with equal attention, notably on the left wing. Saxe's dispositions were a practical example of his belief ... log in or subscribe to read full text