August 3rd, 1692: the Battle of Steenkerque. When men were men, the beards were fanciful, the hats were fabulous, the wigs were outrageous, and the pantaloons made a statement. I could have also done the Battle of Tripoli Harbor (1804), but we did that era only a few days ago at the Nile, so lets take a look at those armored pantalooons instead... The Battle of Steenkerque was part of the Nine Years War, which was between King Louis XIV of France and a European-wide coalition. Now you might think that this was the rest of Europe just picking on France, but back then France liked ot throw its weight around a little: it had been doing so for the few hundred years prior and - of course - would continue to do so for 100 years later. Louis XIV had emerged from the Franco-Dutch War in 1678 as the most powerful monarch in Europe; yet the Sun King remained unsatisfied. Using a combination of aggression, annexation, and quasi-legal means, Louis XIV immediately set about extending his gains to stabilise and strengthen Frances frontiers. Long story short, he just rampaged all over Europe until Leopold I and the German princes said yeah, no, I dont think so, and they went about their buddies to build a powerful coalition aimed at curtailing French ambitions. This particular battle pitched Duc de Luxembourg of France (with 80,000 men) against 80,000 men spread across England, the United Provinces, Denmark, and Scotland. Things started well for the allies: their advanced guard of infantry and pioneers, under the Duke of Wurttemberg, deployed silently around 5:00 a.m. close to the French camps. The main body of the French army was farther back and forming up after the passage of some woods. Belatedly, Luxemburg became aware of the impending blow. When the fight opened, Luxemburg was completely surprised and he could do no more than hurry the nearest foot and dragoons into action as each regiment came on the scene. But the allied march was mismanaged and ponderous. Time was lost and it wasnt until around 9AM that the Duke of Wütrttemberg started methodically cannonading the enemy while waiting for support and for the order to advance. The real attack didnt kick-off until just after noon. Allied advances were strong and stubborn, but the confusion in the allied ranks continued and Count Solms ordered his cavalry forward, the the roads and ground were bad and they effectively ending up blocking the infantry. When the infantry broke through he refused to help them, and when William ordered a counter-attack against a growing French flank, General Hugh McKay opposed it and urged for withdrawl. I guess this happens when you have 80,000 men led by a whole bunch of different nationalities. The French pushed forward and the allies were driven back, eventually with William ordering a general retreat. Contemporary soldiers affirmed that Steenkirk was the hardest battle ever fought by the infantry in that war. Five British regiments were completely destroyed. Their commander, general Hugh Mackay, was also killed. Mackays division, including the Mackay Regiment, composed of clansmen of his own name, bore the brunt of the day unsupported and the general himself was killed. John Cutts, was one of the few survivors. The British blamed their great losses on the ineptitude of the Dutch general Count Solms in command of the Allied cavalry. Because thats how we British roll. More: douglashistory.co.uk/history/Battles/steinkirk.htm etc.usf.edu/maps/pages/400/436/436.htm Wargame: peteswargamingadventures.blogspot/2012/08/steenkerque-1692-french-vs-grand.html
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 17:51:41 +0000
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