In the Battle of Minden, an Allied Anglo-German army under Prince Ferdinand defeated a French army under the Marquis de Contades on 1 August 1759 during the Seven Years' War.
Battle
In an exception to the norm of the era, Contades placed his artillery in the centre 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 artillery duel against 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.
Ferdinand's cavalry commander, Sir George Sackville, was accused of ignoring repeated orders to bring up his troopers and charge the enemy until it was too late to make a difference. In order to clear his name he requested a court martial, but the evidence against him was substantial and the court martial declared him "...unfit to serve His Majesty in any capacity whatsoever." [3] Sackville would later reappear as Lord George Germain and bear a major portion of the blame for the American Revolution.
The father of the General Lafayette was killed in this battle.
Marshal de Contades was subsequently relieved of his command and replaced by the Duc de Broglie.
Minden in regimental tradition
The British regiments which fought at Minden were:
The descendents of these are still known as "the Minden Regiments."
When the British Infantry and Artillery were first advancing to battle they passed through some German gardens and the soldiers plucked roses and stuck them in their coats. In memory of this, each of the Minden regiments marks the 1 August as Minden Day. On that day the men of all ranks wear roses in their caps. The Light Infantry wear Yorkshire white roses. From this tradition, and to mark the heroism of the Yorkshiremen who fought, 1 August has been adopted as Yorkshire Day. This British victory is also recalled in the British Army's Queen's Division maintaining the "Minden Band".
Mystery roses
Every year from 1967, six red roses are anonymously delivered to the British Consulate General in Chicago on 1 August . Only in 2001 and 2002 were no roses sent. A note that comes with the roses lists the six regiments and says, "They advanced through rose gardens to the battleground and decorated their tricorne hats and grenadier caps with the emblem of England. These regiments celebrate Minden Day still, and all wear roses in their caps on this anniversary in memory of their ancestors." The consulate asks for the name of the sender so that they may thank the individual in person, but the identity of the donor remains a mystery.
See also
Literature
- (de) Martin Steffen (Editor): Die Schlacht bei Minden. Weltpolitik und Lokalgeschichte. J.C.C.Bruns' Verlag, 2008, ISBN 978-3-00-026211-1. volume 268 pages. The title translated into English language: Battle of Minden. Global and local consequences. (These are 16 abstracts concerning all aspects of the battle as well as the global and local points of view).
External links
References
- ^ George Ripley, Charles Anderson Dana, The American Cyclopaedia, New York, 1874, p. 250, "...the standard of France was white, sprinkled with golden fleur de lis...". *[1]The original Banner of France was strewn with fleurs-de-lis. *[2]: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)."
- ^ a b c d Perrett, Bryan (1992). The Battle Book. London, England: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 1-85409-328-2. p. 206.
- ^ The transcript of this can be found in the British Public Record Office.
Coordinates: 52°19′40.03″N 8°53′27.09″E / 52.3277861°N 8.8908583°E / 52.3277861; 8.8908583
