A History of the British Army, Vol. 2: First Part—to the Close of the Seven Years' WarFortescue, J. W. (John William), Sir
History
A History of the British Army, Vol. 2: First Part—to the Close of the Seven Years' War
Fortescue, J. W. (John William), Sir
Great Britain -- History, Military; Great Britain. Army -- History
The Allied Generals decided to attack on the following day.
Königseck, it is said, was for harassing Saxe's communications and
compelling him to raise the siege of Tournay; but finding himself
overruled by Cumberland and by Waldeck he gave way. Cumberland's
force was decidedly inferior in numbers, being less than fifty
thousand against fifty-six thousand men, but he was young and
impetuous, and had been strongly impressed by the disastrous
inaction of the preceding campaign. It was agreed that the Dutch
and Austrians should assail the French centre and right, the Dutch
in particular being responsible for Fontenoy, while the British
attacked the French left between that village and the forest of
Barry.
[Sidenote: April 30/May 11.]
At two o'clock on the following morning the British began to move
out of their camp upon Vezon, the cavalry leading. The advance
took much time, for there were many narrow lanes to be traversed
before the force could debouch upon the slope, and when the slope
was passed it was still necessary to defile through the village
of Vezon. Cumberland's order of attack was simple. Brigadier
Ingoldsby, with the Twelfth and Thirteenth Foot, the Forty-second
Highlanders, a Hanoverian battalion, and three six-pounder cannon,
was to assault the Redoubt d'Eu on the right flank of the line
of the British advance, and to carry it with the bayonet. The
remainder of the infantry was simply to march up across the
thousand yards of open ground between it and Fontenoy and sweep the
enemy out of their entrenchments.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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