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(Redirected from Battle of Fontenoy (1745))
:''This battle should not be confused with the two battles of Fontenay, which occurred at a different location, in 841 and 1944.''
The 'Battle of Fontenoy' (May 11, 1745) near Fontenoy in the Austrian Netherlands (in present day Belgium), was a French victory in the War of Austrian Succession.
French forces, including the Irish Brigade, under Marshal Maurice de Saxe were besieging Tournay. An Anglo-Dutch-Hanoverian army under the Duke of Cumberland, known as "The Pragmatic Army" advanced to the relief of Tournay, with the British forces attacking French positions uphill. After being initially pushed back by the assault, Marshal de Saxe ordered several successful counter-attacks eventually repelling the British army and taking the field. The victory allowed the French to capture Tournai and eventually win the war in 1748.
★ The most 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 Garde Francaise. 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 by Voltaire 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."
The alternative story is the French officer Count of Anterroches said "English gentlemen, please shoot first!" (''Messieurs les anglais, tirez les premiers!''). Another version is that Sir Charles Hay said "Gentlement of the French Guard, fire first!". The French officer replied "Après vous messieurs les anglais."
Hay was wounded in the battle.
★ 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.[1]
The Irish Brigade 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, capturing an English flag as the British army fled the field. 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.
1. Chandler p.306: All statistics taken from Chandler
★ Chandler, David. ''The Art of Warfare in the Age of Marlborough.'' Spellmount Limited, (1990): ISBN 0-946771-42-1
★ 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.''
The 'Battle of Fontenoy' (May 11, 1745) near Fontenoy in the Austrian Netherlands (in present day Belgium), was a French victory in the War of Austrian Succession.
French forces, including the Irish Brigade, under Marshal Maurice de Saxe were besieging Tournay. An Anglo-Dutch-Hanoverian army under the Duke of Cumberland, known as "The Pragmatic Army" advanced to the relief of Tournay, with the British forces attacking French positions uphill. After being initially pushed back by the assault, Marshal de Saxe ordered several successful counter-attacks eventually repelling the British army and taking the field. The victory allowed the French to capture Tournai and eventually win the war in 1748.
| Contents |
| Anecdotes |
| Irish Brigade |
| Notes |
| References |
| External links |
Anecdotes
★ The most 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 Garde Francaise. 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 by Voltaire 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."
The alternative story is the French officer Count of Anterroches said "English gentlemen, please shoot first!" (''Messieurs les anglais, tirez les premiers!''). Another version is that Sir Charles Hay said "Gentlement of the French Guard, fire first!". The French officer replied "Après vous messieurs les anglais."
Hay was wounded in the battle.
★ 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.[1]
Irish Brigade
The Irish Brigade 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, capturing an English flag as the British army fled the field. 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.
Notes
1. Chandler p.306: All statistics taken from Chandler
References
★ Chandler, David. ''The Art of Warfare in the Age of Marlborough.'' Spellmount Limited, (1990): ISBN 0-946771-42-1
External links
★ 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
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