battle of Minden

Minden, battle of (1759), fought during the Seven Years War in Westphalia. On 1 August a 37, 000-strong Anglo-Hanoverian force under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick met a French army of 44, 000 commanded by the Marshal de Contades and skirmishing and artillery exchanges began at about 05.00. The French front was eventually pierced by a remarkable attack (launched as the result of a linguistic misunderstanding) by a brigade of British infantry, which shrugged off cavalry attacks and artillery fire, but suffered one-third casualties. But when the Allied cavalry of five regiments was called to charge in support, Lord George Sackville thrice refused to give the order to advance, and thus lost an opportunity to influence the battle. Sackville's conduct has never been satisfactorily explained. At a crucial moment, the Anglo-Hanoverian heavy artillery (30 guns) was moved to the left flank by a concealed route, and quickly repulsed an attack from that quarter, exploiting their mobility to the full. The same guns were then pushed forward, accompanying the final Allied attack that decided the battle. The battle lasted for about five hours during the early morning, and was over by about 10.00. The French suffered a resounding defeat, losing between 7, 000-10, 000 men, while the Allied casualties were fewer than 3, 000.

Bibliography

• Cole, Howard, Minden (London, 1972)

— Peter Caddick-Adams

Minden, battle of, 1759. Ferdinand of Brunswick, commanding a force of 54, 000 Hanoverian, British, and Prussian soldiers, tempted a French army, 64, 000 strong, out of seemingly impregnable positions at Minden. On 1 August, a brigade of British and Hanoverian infantry, misinterpreting orders, launched a frontal assault on French cavalry in the centre and held firm when counter-attacked. Unfortunately the British cavalry, commanded by Lord George Sackville (Germain), failed to exploit, and the French, having lost over 7, 000, retreated.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: a battle in the Seven Years' War (1759) in which the English forces and their allies defeated the French
  Synonym: Minden

Battle of Minden
Part of the Seven Years' War
Date August 1, 1759 Location Minden, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Result Decisive Allied Victory
Combatants
United Kingdom Hanover Prussia  Hesse	France
Commanders
Prince Ferdinand	Louis Georges Érasme de Contades, Marquis de Contades
Strength
41,000 and 170 guns	51,000 and 160 guns
Casualties
2,600 killed, wounded or missing	7,000 killed, wounded or missing.

Seven Years' War: European theatre
Minorca – Lobositz – Reichenberg – Prague – Kolin – Hastenbeck – Gross-Jägersdorf – Moys – Rossbach – Breslau – Leuthen – Krefeld – Domstadtl – Zorndorf – Tornow – Hochkirch – Bergen – Kay – Minden – Kunersdorf – Hoyerswerda – Maxen – Meissen – Landeshut – Emsdorf - Warburg – Liegnitz – Kloster Kampen – Torgau – Villinghausen – Kolberg – Wilhelmstahl - Burkersdorf – Lutterberg – Freiberg

In the Battle of Minden fought on August 1, 1759 during the Seven Years' War, a Prussian-Hanoverian-British army under Prince Ferdinand defeated a French army under the Marquis de Contades.

Battle

In an exception to the norm of the era, Contades placed his artillery in the center protected only by the cavalry, with his infantry on either flank.

The battle began on the French right flank, where Marshal de Broglie, who commanded the reserve, began an assault on the allied left. In the centre, due to a misunderstanding of orders, a brigade of British infantry, supported by the Hanoverian Guards, actually advanced to attack the French cavalry. Decimated by French shot and canister, they drove off repeated French cavalry charges with musket fire and inflicted serious casualties on the French horsemen.

Supported by the well-served British and Hanoverian artillery, the entire allied line eventually advanced against the French army and sent it fleeing from the field. The only French troops capable of mounting any significant resistance were those of de Broglie, who formed a fighting rear guard.

Aftermath

Prince Ferdinand's army suffered 2,800 fatalities; the French lost between 10,000 and 11,000 men.

This crowning victory for the allies was only marred by the conduct of Sir George Sackville, Ferdinand's cavalry commander. Sackville ignored repeated positive orders to bring up his troopers and charge the enemy until it was too late to make a difference. For his conduct at the battle he was considered disgraced, and in order to clear his name he requested a court martial. However, the evidence against him was substantial and the court martial declared him "...unfit to serve His Majesty in any capacity whatsoever." The transcript of this can be found in the British Public Record Office.

The father of the Marquis de La Fayette was killed in this battle. Marshal de Contades was subsequently relieved of his command and replaced by the Duc de Broglie.

See also

• John Manners, Marquess of Granby
• Granville Elliott

External links

• Battle of Minden at www.britishbattles.com

References

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