Battle of Cassel (1677)

Battle of Cassel (1677)

Part of: Dutch War

Engraving by Sebastian Beaulieu

date	April 11, 1677
place	Cassel
output	French victory

Parties to the conflict
France	United Netherlands
Commander
Philippe I. de Bourbon, duc d'Orléans , Louis de Crévant, duc d'Humières , François-Henri de Montmorency-Luxembourg	William III. von Orange , Count Wilhelm Adrian von Horn , Prince Walrad von Nassau-Saarbrücken-Usingen , Georg Friedrich von Waldeck
Troop strength
30,000 men	30,000 men
losses
4,400 men dead or wounded	7,000 men dead or wounded, 4,000 men captured

The information on troop strength and losses can vary in the literature.

The Battle of Cassel (also known as the Battle of Mont Cassel or Battle of the Peene ) near Dunkirk took place on April 11, 1677 as part of the Dutch War between the Netherlands and France . It ended in a French victory.

prehistory

The Duke of Orleans, Philippe , brother of Louis XIV , had received supreme command of the French troops in Flanders . His army captured the city of Cambrai and then besieged the city of St. Omer from April 3rd . A short time later the Duke received the news that William of Orange had marched up from Ypres to relieve St. Omer. Leaving a siege force behind, the main French army marched towards the enemy.

course

On April 10, the two armies faced each other west of Cassel only separated by a stream. On that day, the French units were reinforced by nine more battalions . On the morning of the next day, William of Orange sent troops across the Peenebach and took Peene Abbey. The monastery was recaptured by the French after heavy fighting.

The Duke of Orleans raised his army in two meetings. The right wing consisted of eighteen squadrons of cavalry. In the middle stood the infantry. Six regiments were in the first line and another three regiments were in the second line. The left wing consisted of twenty squadrons of cavalry. The right wing was commanded by Marshal d'Humieres . The left wing was under the command of Marshal Luxembourg . In the middle the Duke was in command. Three regiments of dragoons and four infantry battalions remained in reserve.

William of Orange also divided his army into two meetings. Similar to the French side, the infantry stood in the middle, while the wings were formed by the cavalry . Count Wilhelm Adrian von Horn commanded the right wing, the left was under the command of Prince Walrad von Nassau-Saarbrücken-Usingen . In the middle, Wilhelm himself commanded, supported by Georg Friedrich von Waldeck .

After the French took Peene Abbey, William of Orange shifted part of the left wing to the right wing, because he was expecting the main attack from the enemy there. After the initial artillery fire, the Duke of Orleans gave Marshal de Humieres the order to attack. The attack was successful. Ultimately, the Prince of Nassau was forced to withdraw. In the middle, the French were initially unable to gain a foothold on the other side of the Peene. On the other hand, the left wing of the French pushed the enemy back. The weakening of the wings caused William of Orange, although he had withstood in the middle, to order the retreat.

consequences

The Dutch suffered a clear defeat. About 8,000 men fell or were wounded and 3,000 were captured. Many guns, flags and the entire camp fell into French hands. The losses suffered by the French were also considerable. The direct result of the battle was the capture of the city of St. Omer. The victory was strategically important because the French gained a more defensible front in the northeast.

The Duke of Orleans, who was considered to be little male, proved to be a skilful general and showed personal courage in battle. Louis XIV, who had not yet commanded a field battle himself, envied his brother's success, and this was probably the main reason why the duke received no further command.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Gaston Bodart (ed.): Military-historical war lexicon. (1618-1905). Stern, Vienna 1908, p. 101 .
2. ↑ January Henkens: Willem Adriaan van Horne en de van Horne kazerne te Weert . In: De Maasgouw. Tijdschrift voor Limburgse geschiedenis en oudheidkunde 81 (1962), pp. 93–96, especially p. 95.
3. ^ William Young: International Politics and Warfare in the Age of Louis XIV and Peter the Great. A Guide to the historical Literature. Universe, New York NY u. a. 2004, ISBN 0-595-32992-6 , p. 139.
4. ↑ Uwe Schultz : The ruler of Versailles. Louis XIV and his time. Beck, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-406-54989-6 , p. 218.

literature

• Jacques Buttin: 1677, la bataille de la Peene. La Flandre déchirée: contexts, récits, conséquences. La Maison de la Bataille de la Peene, Noordpeene 2017. ISBN 979-1-06-990772-0
• Hanns Eggert Willibald von der Lühe (Hrsg.): Militair Conversations-Lexikon. Volume 5: M. Verlags-Bureau, Adorf 1836, pp. 570-571 .