Battle of Elixheim
Battle of Elixheim | |||||||
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Part of the War of the Spanish Succession | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Grand Alliance: Dutch Republic England Scotland | France[1] | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Duke of Villeroi | |||||||
Strength | |||||||
70,000 (not all troops were engaged) | 70,000 (not all troops were engaged) | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
50–200 | 3,000 |
At the Battle of Elixheim, 18 July 1705, also known as the Passage of the Lines of Brabant during the
Prelude
Early in the campaigning season, Marlborough attempted to launch an invasion of France up the
On the eve of the Battle of Elixheim, 17 July 1705, Dutch troops, consisting of 22 battalions and 30 squadrons, under Noyelles, Hompesch and Scholten attacked the castle of nl:Wange that protected a bridge across the Gete river and a part of the Lines of Brabant. In two columns, the Dutch marched forward. Both columns were preceded by a detachment of grenadiers. The attack on the castle itself was to be carried out by the left column, at a stone bridge over the Geete, close to the village of Nederhespen. Sixty experienced grenadiers were ordered to take control of the Geete crossing point. They then had to break through the French lines through a flank attack and wait for reinforcements. The cavalry of the right column had the task of routing the enemy dragoons at Orsmael. 16 June at 9 pm, the advance had begun. However, due to various complications, it would take until 4am the next day for the first troops to arrive at the river. Nevertheless, the attack went smoothly. Poor reconnaissance by the French meant that the French had been unaware of the Dutch advance. The castle, occupied by 30 French soldiers, was quickly taken and the French lines also offered little resistance. Noyelles' right-wing column broke through the lines at Over- and Nederhespen without a fight.[4]
Breakthrough
On the evening of 17 July Marlborough sent the Dutch troops under Marshal Nassau-Ouwerkerk in a feint southward towards
Aftermath
Unable to pursue the French with any vigour on the day of the battle due to the exhaustion of his men, who had marched all night and then fought an intense battle, Marlborough nonetheless still hoped to bring Villeroi to battle.
A final effort in early August, using waggons loaded with supplies to remove his dependency on his lines of communication, forced Villeroi's army to make a stand close to Waterloo. On the 18th of August Marlborough first attempted a flanking manoeuvre, but the 13,000 troops under his brother, Charles Churchill, were forced to turn back when they encountered the French in the Sonian Forest. Desperate, Marborough now planned a frontal assault on the strong French positions at the IJse river, a tributary of the Dyle. However, his brother's contingent lost their way in the forest, resulting in a waste of precious time. At the same time, intense discussions were held with the Dutch generals, particularly with Slangenburg. The Dutch generals granted their approval for the attack but refused any responsibility for what they perceived as a risky endeavor. They were convinced that the positions of the 70,000-strong French army were very strong and were somewhat aggrieved that they had not been informed by Marlborough about his plans.
Once Charles Churchill's corps had returned, Marlborough still hadn't taken the necessary steps to organize his army for battle. It was then, around 5pm, that the Dutch field deputies decided to convene a council of war, during which it became clear that the Dutch generals were against the plan. Slangenburg and three other important generals indicated that they were only familiar with the French positions on the left wing, and expressed the need to scout the other positions before they could make a proper judgment. However, the time involved in this process equated to abandoning the attack plan, as it would postpone the battle by a day, while giving the French time to further fortify their positions.[9][10][11] Marlborough thereupon accused Slangenburg of obstruction after which the Dutchman expressed doubts about his suitability to serve as supreme commander. Disagreements between the allied generals ran so high that a political crisis between the Dutch Republic and England threatened. Willem Buys managed to calm tempers by promising Marlborough that Slangenburg would be suspended - formally for health reasons. However, Marlborough's demand that the field deputies also be sent home was dismissed.[10]
The Allies had to content themselves with the
Notes
- ^
- "...the standard of France was white, sprinkled with golden fleur de lis..." (Ripley & Dana 1879, p. 250).
- On the reverse of this plate it says: "Le pavillon royal était véritablement le drapeau national au dix-huitième siecle...Vue du chateau d'arrière d'un vaisseau de guerre de haut rang portant le pavillon royal (blanc, avec les armes de France)" (Vinkhuijzen collection 2011).
- "The oriflamme and the Chape de St Martin were succeeded at the end of the 16th century, when Henry III., the last of the house of Valois, came to the throne, by the white standard powdered with fleurs-de-lis. This in turn gave place to the famous tricolour"(Chisholm 1911, p. 460).
- ^ Chandler, Marlborough as Military Commander; p 158
- ^ Falkner, Great and Glorious Days; p 89
- ^ Wijn 1956, p. 592-595.
- ^ Wijn 1956, p. 595-598.
- ^ Falkner, Marlborough's Wars:Eyewitness Accounts; pp. 84–6
- ^ Chandler, Marlborough as Military Commander; p 159
- ^ Falkner, Great and Glorious Days; p 92
- ^ Wijn 1956, p. 601-625.
- ^ a b Van Nimwegen 2020, p. 285.
- ^ Chandler, Marlborough as Military Commander; p 163
- ^ Falkner, Marlborough's Wars, p 90
References
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 454–463.
- Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A., eds. (1879). "Flag". The American Cyclopædia. Vol. 8. p. 250.
- Van Nimwegen, Olaf (2020). De Veertigjarige Oorlog 1672-1712 (in Dutch). Prometheus. ISBN 978-90-446-3871-4.
- "The Vinkhuijzen collection of military uniforms: France, 1750-1757". New York Public Library. 25 March 2011 [2004]. Archived from the original on 6 April 2015.
- Wijn, J.W. (1956). Het Staatsche Leger: Deel VIII-1 Het tijdperk van de Spaanse Successieoorlog 1702–1705 (The Dutch States Army: Part VIII-1 The era of the War of the Spanish Succession 1702–1705) (in Dutch). Martinus Nijhoff.