British Campaigns in Flanders 1690-1794: Being Extracts from "A History of the British Army"Fortescue, J. W. (John William), Sir
History
British Campaigns in Flanders 1690-1794: Being Extracts from "A History of the British Army"
Fortescue, J. W. (John William), Sir
Flanders -- History, Military; Great Britain -- History, Military -- 18th century
Thereupon the Dutch and Austrians, in the centre and left, advanced
against Fontenoy and Anthoin, but flinching from the fire in front,
and above all from that in their flank from the battery on the other
side of the Scheldt, soon shrank back under cover and could not be
induced to move forward again.[80] Worst of all, the Dutch cavalry was
smitten with panic, galloped back on to the top of some of the British
squadrons, and fled away wildly to Hal crying out that all was lost.
Things therefore went ill on the Allied left; and meanwhile on the
right there was enacted a blunder still more fatal. For Ingoldsby,
misconceiving his instructions, hesitated to make his attack on the
Redoubt d’Eu, and despite repeated orders from Cumberland never
delivered it at all. Cumberland, however, was impatient. Without
further delay he placed himself at the head of the British, who were
standing as Ligonier had arrayed them, in most beautiful order. In the
first line, counting from right to left, stood a battalion of the First
Guards, another of the Scots Guards, and another of the Coldstream,
the First, Twenty-first, Thirty-first, Eighth, Twenty-fifth,
Thirty-third, and Nineteenth; in the second line the Buffs occupied the
post of honour on the right, and next to them came in succession the
Twenty-third, Thirty-second, Eleventh, Twenty-eighth, Thirty-fourth,
and Twentieth. Certain Hanoverian battalions joined them on the extreme
left. The drums beat, the men shouldered arms, and the detachments
harnessed themselves to the two light field-guns that accompanied
each battalion. Ingoldsby saw what was going forward and aligned his
battalions with them on the right. Then the word was given to advance,
and the two lines moved off with the slow and measured step for which
they were famous in Europe.
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