The Battle of Fontenoy, 11 May 1745, was a major engagement of the War of the Austrian Succession, fought between the forces of the Pragmatic Army – comprising mainly Dutch, British, and Hanoverian troops, as well a relatively small contingent of Austrians under the command of the Duke of Cumberland – and a French army under the titular command of King Louis XV of France, with actual field command held by Maurice de Saxe, commander of Louis XV's forces in the Low Countries.
When the two armies met on the field they were approximately equal in numbers.[1] Although there is not complete agreement among historians on the exact numbers, there is general agreement that there were about 50,000 men on each side with the French having more cavalry and the allies having more infantry. Some historians put the French as more numerous while others make the allies more numerous.[2]
Complete agreement on the order of battle, sizes of the armies, precise returns on casualties is not possible as official returns are few and made by different countries with differing criteria and not all are made at the same time so that variations and disagreements will occur even in those returns of the same army. For example, Skrine points out his book in Fontenoy and Great Britain's share in the war of the Austrian Succession that most of the British troops that were listed as missing, in initial returns, turned out to have been killed or wounded.[3] There are detailed, contemporary, official returns in various forms available for most troops in both armies except for the French cavalry for which there are some lists of officer casualties but the returns for the rank and file were apparently not made and the estimate generally accepted for their losses is the one made by Voltaire shortly after the battle. Wherever possible, names of units and numbers of casualties are given without any attempt to reconcile or synthesize the various sources.
Order of Battle for the Army of Louis XV of France at Fontenoy 1745
editHistorians give various estimates for the French army. With a general lack of primary source information just before the battle on the exact number of soldiers involved, the estimates rely on a better understanding of the numbers of battalions and squadrons present at the battle and multiply the total of battalions and squadrons by an average for each. Skrine arrives at his estimate by multiplying the number of battalions by 690 soldiers and the number of squadrons by 160 troopers. This approach can be flawed. Lucien Moulliard in The French Army of Louis XV[4] states that the regulation strength, or paper strength, of a battalion is 685 men and that of a squadron is 150 to 160. Actual field strength[5] is lower than regulation strength due to various forms of attrition such as illness, straggling, desertion death, wounds or capture in battle prior to the battle in question.
French Army
edit| Unit | Commander | Complement | Killed | Wounded | Missing | Total losses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army of France | Marshal Maurice de Saxe | 52,000 ~ 47,000 engaged[6] 32,000 Infantry in 55 battalions[7] 14,000 Cavalry in 101 squadrons |
7,000[8]-7,500 5,161 Infantry[9] 2,300 Cavalry[10] | |||
| Left of first French Infantry Line | General Lutteaux | |||||
| Rgt. Royal Corse | 1 battalion | |||||
| Rgt. Angoumois | 1 battalion | 1 off. | ||||
| Brigade Normandie | Comte de Berenger | |||||
| Rgt. Normandie | 4 battalions | 4 off. 57 men | 19 off. 152 men | |||
| Grassins in Bari Wood | 2 battalions | 98 men | 11 off. 132 men | |||
| Brigade d'Eu | Marquis de Chambonas | 4 battalions | ||||
| Rgt. d'Eu in 2 redoubts | 1 battalion 4 guns each redoubt |
1 man | 29 men | |||
| Irish Brigade | Milord Thomond & Comte de Rooth |
6 battalions | 13 off. 261 men[11] | 58 off. 324 men | ||
| Rgt. Dillon | 1 battalion | 3 off. 51 men | 11 off. 70 men | |||
| Rgt. Bulkeley | 1 battalion | 20 men | 4 off. 34 men | |||
| Rgt. Clare | 1 battalion | 4 off. 56 men | 14 off. 72 men | |||
| Rgt. Rooth | 1 battalion | 2 off. 47 men | 8 off. 46 men | |||
| Rgt. Berwick | 1 battalion | 1 off. 52 men | 11 off.60 men | |||
| Rgt. Lally | Thomas Arthur, comte de Lally | 1 battalion | 3 off. 35 men | 11 off. 42 men | ||
| Center of first French Infantry Line | General Chabannes | |||||
| Les Gardes Brigade | Duc de Grammont | 6 battalions | ||||
| Gardes Françaises | 4 battalions | 2 off. 96 men | 17 off. 296 men | |||
| Gardes Suisses | 2 battalions | 1 off. 66 men | 10 off. 149 men | |||
| Brigade Aubeterre | ||||||
| Rgt. Aubeterre | 1 battalion | 129 men | 22 off. 177 men | |||
| Rgt. Courten | 3 battalions | 6 off. 75 men[12] | 14 off. 206 men | |||
| Center of first French Line in Fontenoy | ||||||
| Brigade Dauphin | General Vauguyon | |||||
| Rgt. Dauphin | 3 battalions | 4 off. 45 men | 3 off. 60 men | |||
| Rgt. Beauvoisis | 1 battalion | 15 men | 5 off. 30 men | |||
| Right of first French Infantry Line | General Montagne | |||||
| Brigade Royal Vaisseaux | Comte de Guerchy | 4 battalions | ||||
| Rgt, Royal Vaisseaux | 3 battalions | 3 off. 146 men | 29 off. 291 men | |||
| Rgt. Languedoc | 1 battalion | off. men | off. men | |||
| Brigade du Roi | Duc de Biron | |||||
| Rgt. du Roi | 4 battalions | 4 off. 79 men | 33 off. 299 men | |||
| Brigade Royal | ||||||
| Rgt. Royal | 4 battalions | 6 off. 136 men | 32 off. 509 men | |||
| Brigade La Couronne | Marquis de Croissy | 4 battalions | ||||
| Rgt. La Couronne | Duc d'Havre | 3 battalions | 2 off.41 men | 35 off. 218 men | ||
| Rgt. Soissonais | 1 battalion | 2 off. 30 men | 16 off. 101 men | |||
| Brigade Bettens | 4 battalions | |||||
| Rgt. Bettens | 3 battalions | 1 off. 50 men | 5 off. 50 men | |||
| Rgt. Hainault | 1 battalion | 1 off. 120 men | 18 off. 135 men | |||
| Rgt. Diesbach | 1 battalion | 2 off. 48 men | 2 off. 28 men | |||
| Rgt. Royal Artillerie | 1 battalion | 2 off. 18 men | 5 off. 36 men | |||
| Rgt. Auvergne | 1 battalion | off. men | off. men | |||
| Rgt.Tresnel | off. men | off. men | ||||
| off. men | off. men | |||||
| off. men | off. men | |||||
| off. men | off. men | |||||
| off. men | off. men | |||||
| Rgt.Touraine | 3 battalions | off. men | off. men | |||
| Rgt. Nivernois | 1 battalion | off. men | off. men | |||
| Brigade Crillon | 4 battalions | |||||
| Rgt. Crillon | 3 battalions | 20 men | 1 off. 101 men | |||
| Rgt. Laval | ||||||
| Right of first French Line in Antoing | ||||||
| Brigade Piedmont | 5 battalions | |||||
| Rgt. Piedmont | 4 battalions | |||||
| Rgt.Royal la Marine | 1 battalion | off. men | off. men | |||
| Rgt.Biron | 1 battalion | off. men | off. men | |||
| French Horse | 31 off.[13] | 142 off. 330 men[14] | 1,800 - 2,300[15] | |||
| Left of first French Cavalry Line | ||||||
| Carabiniers | 10 squadrons | 60 off.[16] 130 men | 22 off. men ? | |||
| Maison du Roi | 9 squadrons | 4 off.[17] men | 24 off. men | |||
| Gendarmerie | 4 squadrons | 1 off. men | 2 off. men | |||
| Royal Rousillon | 4 squadrons | 1 off. men | 7 off. men | |||
| Royal Cravattes | 4 squadrons | 1 off. men | 6 off. men | |||
| Fiennes | 4 squadrons | 2 off. men | 13 off. men | |||
| Penthièvre | 4 squadrons | off. men | 22 off. men | |||
| Noailles | 4 squadrons | 3 off. men | 8 off. men | |||
| Berry | 4 squadrons | 1 off. men | 8 off. men | |||
| Colonel-Général | 4 squadrons | 1 off. men | 6 off. men | |||
| Brancas | 4 squadrons | 1 off. men | 2 off. men | |||
| Mestre de Camps | 4 squadrons | 1 off. men | off. men | |||
| d'Orleans | 4 squadrons | off. men | off. men | |||
| de Pons | 4 squadrons | off. men | 7 off. men | |||
| Prince Camille | 4 squadrons | 1 off. men | 4 off. men | |||
| Dragons du Roi | 4 squadrons | off. men | off. men | |||
| Cuirassiers du Roi | 4 squadrons | off. men | off. men | |||
| Cavalrie du Roi | 4 squadrons | off. men | off. men | |||
| Clermont-Prince | 4 squadrons | 1 off. men | 3 off. men | |||
| Clermont-Tonnerre | 4 squadrons | off. men | off. men | |||
| Egmont | off. men | off. men | ||||
| Fitz-James | 4 squadrons | 11 off. or wounded[18] |
7 off. men | |||
| Brienne | 2 off. men | 2 off. men | ||||
| Chabrillant | 4 squadrons | 1 off. men | off. men | |||
| Royal Étranger | 4 squadrons | off. men | 1 off. men | |||
| Talleyrand | 4 squadrons | off. men | off. men | |||
| off. men | off. men | |||||
| French Artillery 90-110 guns, sources vary.[19] | M. du Brocard | 3 battalions[20] 8 × 12-pounders 6 × 8-pounder 36 × 4-pounder 50 × 4-pounder Suédoise[21] |
4 off. 34 men | 10 off. 73 men | ||
| Fontenay | 1 battalion | 1 off. 13 men | 4 off. 29 men | |||
| Pumbeque | 1 battalion | 1 off. | ||||
| Richecourt | 1 battalion | 2 off. 21 men | 5 off. 43 men |
Order of Battle for the Army of the Pragmatic Allies of Britain, Hanover, the Dutch Republic and Austria at Fontenoy 1745
editThe British army foot and cavalry regiments had a peacetime establishment, a wartime establishment, an effective strength and a field strength. Peacetime establishment was a much reduced strength that was increased during the war by Parliament. However, the wartime establishment was frequently unmet as there was always some variable number of purposely unfilled rank and file to provide the regiment with some flexible funding. The effective strength, therefore, was actual number of rank and file that was initially sent on campaign. The effective strength would immediately begin to vary as the campaign progressed due to sickness, wounds or death in battle, desertion, new reinforcement drafts, etc. and the resultant strengths at any given time are the field strengths. British foot regiments generally consisted of a single battalion made up of a variable number of companies, usually 9 or 10. Some foot regiments, such as the Guards, had more than one battalion but the battalions of a regiment rarely served together in the field. Cavalry regiments consisted of 1 to 4 squadrons.
The Historical memoirs of His late Royal Highness William-Augustus, duke of Cumberland[22] explains in a foot note that, according to a return in 1749, for the 1st Foot Guards wartime establishment strength voted by Parliament was 3,080 while the effective strength was 2,689, the 2nd Foot Guards was 1,980 establishment and effective 1,842, the 3rd Foot Guards 1,980; effective 1,630. There were 3 battalions in the 1st Foot Guards, 2 of 9 companies and one of 10. As can be seen from the above, the average establishment strength of a battalion of the 1st Guards is slightly over 1,000 while the effective strength is about 895 and the 2nd is 990 and 921 while the 3rd is 895 and 815. For the entire army of 43,676 men voted by Parliament the effective strength was 38,200 in 1749.
As for other armies, historians often determine the army's strength based on an average strength for the battalion or squadron. In 1745 Parliament voted 28,107 men in Flanders[23] consisting of: 2 troops of Horse Guards, 1 of Horse Grenadier Guards, 3 regiments of horse, six of dragoons; 21 regiments (battalions) of foot, 3 battalions of Foot Guards.[24] This force, less four regiments of foot and one regiment of dragoons,[25] is the British contingent at Fontenoy. Rolt gives an estimated strength for this force at Fontenoy as 21,000 consisting of 20 battalions of foot and 26 squadrons of horse.[26] Colin is in close agreement with this estimate with a further breakdown of the total with 16,170 foot in 20 battalions and 4,656 horse in 26 squadrons, giving an average battalion strength of 808 men and an average squadron strength of 179.[27] Skrine, who gives impossibly high field strengths for French foot battalions, uses remarkably low average field strengths for British battalions and squadrons: 650 per battalion and 150 per squadron by which he arrives at his total for the British contingent of 16,900 (13,000 foot and 3,900 horse).[28]
| Unit | Commander | Complement | Killed | Wounded | Missing | Total Losses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pragmatic Army | William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland | 50,000[29] Infantry in 52 battalions Cavalry in 85 squadrons 93 guns:[30] 47 British, 34 Dutch, 12 Hanoverian |
7,370[31] In addition, 4,200 captured: 2,368 wounded;[32] 3,000 stragglers 40 cannon | |||
British contingent
edit| Unit | Commander | Complement | Killed[33] | Wounded | Missing[34] | Total Losses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| British contingent of Allied Right Wing |
William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland |
21,000[35] 16,170 foot in 20 battalions 4,656 horse in 26 squadrons |
48 off. 1,442 men | 153 off. 1,926 men | 16 off. 295 men | 3,879 men[36] 21 guns[37] |
| British Foot | Sir John Ligonier | |||||
| Guards Brigade | Major General John Churchill | |||||
| 1st Foot Guards | 1 battalion | 4 off. 85 men | 7 off. 142 men | |||
| 2nd Foot Guards | 1 battalion | 3 off. 112 men | 8 off. 116 men | |||
| 3rd Foot Guards | 1 battalion | 4 off. 105 men | 7 off. 131 men | |||
| Ponsonby's Brigade | Ponsonby | |||||
| Royal Scots (1st Foot) | 1 battalion | 87 men | 8 off. 83 men | 8 men | ||
| Scots Fusiliers(21st Foot) | 1 battalion | 2 off. 201 men | 9 off. 144 men | 3 off. 15 men | ||
| Handaside's (31st Foot) | 1 battalion | 4 off. 139 men | 5 off. 100 men | 13 men | ||
| Onslow's Brigade | Onslow | |||||
| Onslow's (8th Foot) | 1 battalion | 16 men | 7 off. 83 men | 31 men | ||
| Rothe's/Sempill's (25th Foot) | 1 battalion | 1 off. 59 men | 10 off. 76 men | 13 men | ||
| Johnson's (33rd Foot) | 1 battalion | 6 off. 42 men | 12 off. 84 men | 30 men | ||
| Howard's (19th Foot) | 1 battalion | 2 off. 17 men | 8 off. 70 men | 13 men | ||
| Howard's Brigade | Howard | |||||
| Howard's (3rd Foot) | 1 battalion | 1 off. 11 men | 2 off. 32 men | 8 men | ||
| Welsh Fusiliers (23rd Foot) | 1 battalion | 4 off. 185 men | 10 off. 77 men | 8 off. 39 men | ||
| Skelton's (32nd Foot) | 1 battalion | 16 men | 5 off. 100 men | 1 off. 17 men | ||
| Bland's Brigade | Bland | |||||
| Sowle's (11th Foot) | 1 battalion | 4 off. 49 men | 2 off. 112 men | 1 off. 46 men | ||
| Bragg's (28th Foot) | Lieutenant-Colonel Lord George Sackville |
1 battalion | 1 off. 27 men | 9 off. 76 men | 1 off. 12 men | |
| Skelton's Brigade | Skelton | |||||
| Cholmondeley's (34th Foot) | 1 battalion | off. 27 men | 6 off. 84 men | 28 men | ||
| Bligh's (20th Foot) | 1 battalion | 1 off. 28 men | 5 off. 35 men | |||
| Ingoldsby's Brigade | Colonel James Ingoldsby | |||||
| Duroure's (12th Foot) | Colonel Duroure[38] | 1 battalion | 7 off. 153 men | 12 off. 149 men | 3 men | |
| Pulteney's (13th Foot) | 1 battalion | 1 off. 37 men | 4 off. 41 men | 10 men | ||
| Sempill's Highlanders (42nd Foot) | Colonel Sir Robert Munro | 1 battalion | 2 off. 30 men | 3 off. 88 men | 13 men | |
| British Horse | Lieutenant General James Campbell |
|||||
| Earl of Rothes' Brigade | ||||||
| 2nd Dragoons (Scots Greys) | 3 squadrons | 14 men | 1 off. 11 men | |||
| Hawley's Royal Dragoons (1st Royal Dragoons) | 3 squadrons | 14 men | 4 off. 31 men | |||
| Bland's King's Own Dragoons (3rd Hussars) | 9 men | 2 off. 14 men | 1 off. 7 men | |||
| Cope's Queen's Own Dragoons (7th Hussars) | 3 squadrons | 1 off. 10 men | 5 off. 35 men | 3 men | ||
| Stair's 6th Dragoons (6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons) | 3 squadrons | 1 off. 3 men | 11 men | 3 men | ||
| Brigade | ||||||
| 3rd troop Horse Guards (Life Guards) | 4 men | 1 off. 14 men | ||||
| 4th troop Horse Guards (Life Guards) | 2 men | 2 off. 12 men | ||||
| 2nd troop Horse Grenadiers (Life Guards) | 4 men | 4 off. 10 men | ||||
| Blues (Royal Horse Guards) | 3 squadrons | 10 men | 5 off. 39 men | |||
| Honeywood's (1st Dragoon Guards) | 7 men | 1 off. 4 men | 1 man | |||
| Ligonier's Black Horse (7th Dragoon Guards) | 2 squadrons | 3 men | 1 off. 4 men | 1 man | ||
| British Artillery | Colonel Lewis | 47 guns:[39] 10 6-pounders, 27 3-pounders, 6 1&1/2-pounders, 4 8-inch howitzers |
||||
| 1 off. 4 men | 23 men |
Hanoverian contingent
edit| Unit | Commander | Complement | Killed | Wounded | Missing[40] | Total Losses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanoverian contingent of Allied Right Wing |
General Zastrow | 7,000[41] | 17 off. 468 men | 77 off. 1,125 men | 54 men | 1,741[42] |
| Hanoverian Foot [43] | General Ilten | 4,135[44][45] in 5 battalions | 12 off. 420 men | 38 off. 912 men | 50 men | |
| Rgt. Böschlanger | 1 battalion | 156 | 201 | 20 | ||
| Rgt. Zastrow | 1 battalion | 90 | 209 | |||
| Rgt. Sporken | 1 battalion | 65 | 214 | |||
| Rgt. Oberg | 1 battalion | 54 | 155 | 28 | ||
| Rgt. Campen | 1 battalion | 67 | 141 | 2 | ||
| Hanoverian Horse | 2,840[44][46] | 4 off. 64 men | 28 off. 201 men | 3 men | ||
| Rgt. d'Acerre | 2 squadrons | |||||
| Rgt. Leib Han | 2 squadrons | |||||
| Rgt. Von Aldeleben | 4 squadrons | |||||
| Rgt. Von Dachenhausen | 2 squadrons | |||||
| Rgt. Von der Bussche | 4 squadrons | |||||
| Rgt. Von Montigny | 2 squadrons | |||||
| Rgt. Von Wendt | 4 squadrons | |||||
| Hanoverian Artillery | 12 3-pounder guns[44][47] | 1 off. 3 men | 2 off. 12 men | 1 man | ||
Austrian contingent
edit| Unit | Commander | Complement | Killed | Wounded | Missing | Total Losses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austrian contingent | Marshal Joseph Königsegg | 2,000 | 420[48] | |||
| Austrian Horse | 1,650 in 11 squadrons | 23 | 47 | 11 | 81 | |
| Dragoons de Ligne | 8 squadrons[49] | |||||
| Rgt. Karolyi Hussars | 3 squadrons, 450 troopers | |||||
| Austrian Foot | ||||||
| 2 Freikorps Companies | 250 men |
Dutch contingent
edit| Unit | Commander | Complement | Killed[50] | Wounded | Missing | Total Losses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dutch contingent of the Allied Left Wing |
Karl August, Prince of Waldeck |
22,000[51] | 563 | 757 | 221 | 1541[52] |
| Dutch Foot | General Cronström | 18 off. 485 men | 44 off. 649 men | 1 off. 202 men | ||
| Regt. Garde te Voet | 2 battalions | 1 off. 11 men | 13 men | 1 off. 5 men | ||
| Regt. Waldeck (German) | 1 battalion | 1 off. 22 men | 3 off. 47 men | |||
| Regt. Cronström (National) | 1 battalion | 41 men | 2 off. 37 men | 2 men | ||
| Combined grenadier battalion Van Dorth | 1 battalion | 32 men | 6 off. 33 men | 4 men | ||
| Regt. Aylva (National) | 1 battalion | 1 off. 10 men | 2 off. 44 men | |||
| Regt. Smissaert (Walloon) | 1 battalion | 1 off. 18 men | 1 off. 10 men | 4 men | ||
| Regt. Schaumberg-Lippe (National) | 1 battalion | 2 off. 13 men | 47 men | 21 men | ||
| Regt. Bentinck (National) | 1 battalion | 13 men | 2 off. 25 men | 7 men | ||
| Regt. De Constant-Rebecque (Swiss) | 3 battalions | 1 off. 58 men | 6 off. 119 men | 4 men | ||
| Regt. Buddenbroek (National) | 1 battalion | 1 off. 24 men | 3 off. 67 men | 11 men | ||
| Regt. Bronckhorst (National) | 1 battalion | 18 men | 1 off. 22 men | 21 men | ||
| Regt. Oranje-Vriesland (National) | 1 battalion | 2 off. 28 men | 3 off. 35 men | 39 men | ||
| Regt. Oranje-Groningen (National) | 1 battalion | 2 off. 24 men | 4 off. 56 men | 36 men | ||
| Regt. Salis (Swiss) | 2 battalions | 3 off. 59 men | 2 off. 58 men | 28 men | ||
| Regt. Sturler (Swiss) | 2 battalions | 1 off. 36 men | 4 off. 45 men | |||
| Regt. Broekhuysen (National) | 1 battalion | 1 off. 44 men | 3 off. 45 men | 3 men | ||
| Combined grenadier battalion Van Rijssel | 1 battalion | 1 off. 64 men | 2 off. 37 men | 47 men | ||
| Unnamed Grenadier units | 4 battalions | |||||
| Dutch Horse | 3 off. 57 men | 3 off. 61 men | 18 men | |||
| Regt. Garde-Dragonders | 5 squadrons | 2 off. 12 men | 1 off. 11 men | 9 men | ||
| Regt. Hesse-Homburg | 3 squadrons | 2 men | 2 men | 4 men | ||
| Regt. Ginkel | 3 squadrons | 2 men | 2 men | |||
| Regt. Hop | 3 squadrons | 1 men | 5 men | |||
| Regt. Schack | 3 squadrons | 1 men | 3 men | 2 men | ||
| Regt. Sandouville | 3 squadrons | 2 men | 2 men | |||
| Regt. Hœuft van Oyen Carabiniers | 2 squadrons | 6 men | 14 men | |||
| Regt. Schlippenbach Dragoons | 5 squadrons | 20 men | 3 off. 18 men | 1 man | ||
| Regt. Lynden | 3 squadrons | 1 off. 9 men | 3 men | 1 man | ||
| Regt. Buys | 1 squadron | 1 man | ||||
| Regt. Nassau-la Leq | 5 squadrons | 2 men | 1 man | |||
| Regt. Rechteren-Overijssel | 3 squadrons | |||||
| Dutch Artillery | 34 guns: 24 3-pounders; 6 6-pounders; 4 howitzers |
|||||
Footnotes
edit- ^ Browning: Austrian Succession,p. 212
- ^ Browning: Austrian Succession, 212, 392 Browning states both Colin and Chandler give the allies the larger force. Strengths differ depending on source. Weigley puts Allies strength at 46,000 and the French at 50,000 in a somewhat brief and garbled account without any attribution, p.204, So too, Black p.66. Townshend, Sir Charles Vere Ferrers. The military life of Field-Marshal George first marquess Townshend, London, 1901, pp. 51-52, gives the British as 21,000. Other sources put the figure of around 52,000–53,000. 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".
- ^ Skrine, p.190.
- ^ Moulliard, Lucien. The French Army of Louis XV in the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years War, Translated by Dr. George Nafziger, USA, 2004, ISBN 1-58545-122-3, pp. 44, 68, 74.
- ^ Field strength is the number of men present and under arms and any point in time in the field, such as a battle.
- ^ Townshend, p. 178, 5,000 detailed far to the rear at bridges.
- ^ Boyle P. The Irish Brigade at Fontenoy from The Irish Ecclesiastical Record, Vol. XVII, 1905, Dublin, p. 429.
- ^ Townshend, p.189.
- ^ Skrine, p.188, cites Pajol and also Voltaire who gives 7,137; 5,337 infantry, 1,800 cavalry. Pajol, p. 386, Les Guerres, gives 5,161; Colin, Pièces Justificatives pp. 380-401, shows this as the official return for the infantry only - there does not appear to be return for the cavalry, other than the officers, an additional 31 killed and 142 wounded. Broglie gives 53 officers and 1,681 soldiers killed and 3282 wounded, including 323 seriously wounded, and estimates 1,800 cavalry casualties.
- ^ Colin, Fontenoy.V. 3, p.149.
- ^ Boyle P. The Irish Brigade at Fontenoy from The Irish Ecclesiastical Record, Vol. XVII, 1905, Dublin, p. 442, infantry totals less Fitz James' cavalry.
- ^ Broglie, p.15. Gives 6 off, 75 soldiers killed; 14 off. 200 soldiers wounded. Some sources show killed & wounded numbers reversed.
- ^ Colin, pp 399-405
- ^ Colin, p.425, gives 330 wounded troopers in hospital at Lille.
- ^ Voltaire gives 1800 estimate as does Broglie. Colin gives 2,300, p. 149.
- ^ Colin, Revue d'histoire rédigée à l'État-major de l'Armée, section historique, 1905/01 (A7,VOL17,N49)-1905/03 (A7,VOL17,N51), letter to the count of Langeron, p.497. This statement is possibly the source for the estimate of the cavalry losses of 1,800. Broglie, La Journee de Fontenoy, p.20. gives 6 off. killed 21 wounded. Skrine, p.177, likely follows Broglie.
- ^ Gailly, Fontenoy
- ^ The Irish Ecclesiastical Record, Vol. XVII, 1905, Dublin, p. 442. O'Callaghan, p. 365, gives 24 killed or wounded.
- ^ Pichat, Le Campagne du Maréchal de Saxe, Paris, 1909, p. 331, shows an official return for Saxe's army with 100 cannon 8 × 12-pounder, 6 × 8-pounder, 86 × 4-pounder.[1]
- ^ Casualties from Colin, V.3, Pièces Justificatives, pp. 397–398 and includes Brocard.
- ^ Sources vary for the French from 90 to 110 guns, all show 75–80 × 4-pounder battalion guns in the total.
- ^ Rolt, Richard. Historical memoirs of His late Royal Highness William-Augustus, duke of Cumberland, London, MDCCLXVII. p.469.
- ^ Rolt, p.176
- ^ Rolt, 178.
- ^ Townsend lists British reinforcements that quickly reached the army and are likely the units as the numbers correspond: Rich's Dragoons, Barrel's Foot (4th King's Own), Flemming's (36th), Ponsonby's (37th), Price's (14th). p. 72.
- ^ Rolt, p.190,191.
- ^ Colin, Vol. 3, p. 373.
- ^ Skrine, p. 146.
- ^ Skrine gives 46,800; 34,500 infantry in 52 battalions and 12,750 cavalry in 85 squadrons. Townsend gives 53,000: 21,000 British, 8,000 Hanoverians, 22,000 Dutch, 2,000 Austrians, pp.51-52.
- ^ Skrine gives 80, p.146. Boyle gives 93, p. 428. Individual sources add up to 93.
- ^ Townshend gives 7,370; Colin gives 7,280; Gentlemen's Magazine gives 7,347. Rolt gives 7,767, p. 234.
- ^ Colin give returns of 2,368 allied wounded in French hospitals of which 310 died, V.3, p. 151. Skrine, p.215, mentions D'Estrées capturing 3,000 stragglers on the 12th and then another 1200 allied wounded.
- ^ Townshend, Sir Charles Vere Ferrers. The military life of Field-Marshal George first marquess Townshend, London, 1901. Most British casualties drawn from Townshend. p. and Skrine, Francis Henry. Fontenoy and Great Britain's Share in the War of the Austrian Succession 1741–48. London, 1906, p.190.
- ^ According to Skrine, p. 190, almost all the missing were found to have been killed.
- ^ Townshend, pp. 51-52. Rolt, p.190. Colin, p. 373.
- ^ Townshend gives 4,074, however he does not list Rothe's nor include the 25th's loses (159) in his total; Colin states Waldeck gives 3,993; Gentlemen's Magazine gives 4,041.
- ^ Townshend, p.78.
- ^ Skrine, p. 369
- ^ Skrine, p. 135. 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 : ten 6-pounders, twenty-seven 3-pounders, six 1&1/2 -pounders, four 8-inch howitzers.
- ^ According to Skrine, p. , almost all the missing were found to have been killed
- ^ Townshend, Sir Charles Vere Ferrers. The military life of Field-Marshal George first marquess Townshend, London, 1901, pp. 51-52, gives 8,000.
- ^ Townsend gives 1,742, Gentlemen's Magazine, Vol. XV, 1745, p. 247, gives 1,762, Colin pp. 376-378, gives 1,662.
- ^ Individual regimental casualties from Skrine, p.190.
- ^ a b c Colin, p. 373. Pièces Justificatives.
- ^ Skrine gives 3250.
- ^ Skrine, p.146, gives 1,200.
- ^ The Nafziger Collection of Orders of Battle OB for Allied army in Flanders April–May 1745.[2]
- ^ O'Callaghan, John Cornelius. History of the Irish Brigades in the Service of France, London, 1870, p.365.
- ^ Skrine, p.146
- ^ Colin, Jean Lambert Alphonse. Les Campagnes du Maréchal de Saxe, 1901–06, Vol. 3, pp. 374-375. Dutch individual unit casualties from Colin.
- ^ Townshend, Sir Charles Vere Ferrers. The military life of Field-Marshal George first marquess Townshend, London, 1901, pp. 51-52.
- ^ Townshend gives 1554
Bibliography
edit- Black, Jeremy (1998). Britain as a Military Power, 1688–1815. Routledge. ISBN 1-85728-772-X.
- Boyle P. The Irish Brigade at Fontenoy from The Irish Ecclesiastical Record, Vol. XVII, 1905, Dublin.
- Broglie, Albert le Duc de. La Journée De Fontenoy, Paris, 1891.
- Chandler, David G. The Art of Warfare in the Age of Marlborough. Spellmount Limited. 1990. ISBN 0-946771-42-1.
- Colin, Jean Lambert Alphonse. Les Campagnes du Maréchal de Saxe, 3 volumes. Paris: R. Chapelot, 1901–06, Volumes 1-3: Volume 3 Fontenoy is divided into 2 parts: Colin's narrative of the battle and the some 500 pages of the Piéces Justificatives which are contemporary accounts of the battle, records, returns, letters, etc.. Both parts have their own pagination. Much of this is available in the Revue d'histoire rédigée à l'État-major de l'armée, Section historique, 1905/01 (A7,VOL17,N49)-1905/03 (A7,VOL17,N51). Online: [3]
- d' Espagnac, Jean-Baptiste-Joseph Damarzit de Sahuguet. Histoire de Maurice, comte de Saxe, duc de Courlande et de Semigalle, Volume 2, Paris, MDCCLXXV.
- 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.I.
- O'Callaghan, John Cornelius. History of the Irish Brigades in the Service of France, London, 1870.
- Pajol, Charles Pierre Victor. Les Guerres sous Louis XV', Tome III, Adamant Media Corp. 2006, ISBN 0-543-74378-0.
- Pichat, Henry. La Campagne du Maréchal de Saxe dans les Flandres, Paris, 1909.[4]
- Rolt, Richard. Historical memoirs of His late Royal Highness William-Augustus, duke of Cumberland, London, 1768.
- Skrine, Francis Henry. Fontenoy and Great Britain's Share in the War of the Austrian Succession 1741–48. London, 1906.
- Townshend, Sir Charles Vere Ferrers. The military life of Field-Marshal George first marquess Townshend, London, 1901.
- Weigley, Russell F (1991). The Age of Battles: The Quest for Decisive Warfare from Breitenfeld to Waterloo. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-36380-2.
- White, Jon Manchip. Marshal of France, The Life and Times of Maurice de Saxe, Rand McNally & Co., 1962.
- Geerdink-Schaftenaar, Marc. For Orange and the States. The Army of the Dutch Republic, 1713-1772. Part I: Infantry, Helion and Company, 2018. ISBN 978-1-911512-15-8
Further reading
edit- Gailly de Taurines, Charles. Fontenoy (11 Mai 1745), Liste Par Régiment Des Officiers Tués ou Blessés tirée des archives de la guerre., A. Picard et fils, 1904.