Battle of Steenkerque

The Battle of Steenkerque, also known as ''Steenkerke'', ''Steenkirk'' or ''Steinkirk'' was fought on 3 August 1692, during the Nine Years' War, near Steenkerque, then part of the Spanish Netherlands but now in modern Belgium A French force under Marshal François-Henri de Montmorency, duc de Luxembourg, defeated an Allied army led by William of Orange. The Allies were forced to retreat after several hours of heavy fighting, although the French were too exhausted to follow up their victory.

Background

Luxembourg had already achieved his main objective for 1692 by capturing Namur in June and wanted to avoid battle. He therefore adopted a strong defensive position facing north-west, with his right anchored on the Zenne at Steenkerque and his left near Enghien, assuming the Allies would not dare to attack it. This approach conformed with then accepted tactical wisdom, with battles considered too risky and unpredictable, unless there was a clear chance of defeating the enemy.

William of Orange had replaced Waldeck as commander of the Allied army, which was encamped about Halle. He would probably have done as Luxembourg expected and not risked an attack had he not seen an opportunity to take the French by surprise. Accordingly, before dawn on 3 August he ordered his troops to move against the French right.

Battle

Led by the Duke of Wurttemberg, the Allied advance guard of infantry and pioneers, which included the British and Scots Brigades under Hugh Mackay, deployed silently around 5:00 a.m. close to the French encampments. The main body was split into three separate columns, with Count Solms, who also commanded the Allied cavalry, given responsibility for forming them into line as they reached the battlefield. Whether though bad luck or mismanagement, the cavalry deployed in front of the infantry causing chaos and meant fewer than 15,000 of the 80,000 Allied troops available were engaged at any point during the battle.

At 9:00 a.m. Wurttemberg started methodically cannonading the enemy while awaiting the order to advance, while de Montal, the extremely experienced commander of the French vanguard, hurriedly formed up his troops. Despite the delay and loss of surprise, Mackay finally began his attack, capturing the first three lines of trenches and coming very close to achieving a stunning victory. However, de Montal held off the initial Allied attack long enough to enable Luxembourg to bring up his main force.

The piecemeal deployment of the Allied main body meant little or no attempt was made to engage the French centre; with his troops spread out over the fortifications and under huge pressure from the French, Mackay asked William for permission to withdraw and reorganise. Ordered to continue the assault, he allegedly said 'The Lord's will be done' and taking his place at the head of his regiment was killed with many of his division. Over 8,000 of the 15,000 Allied troops engaged became casualties, with five British regiments almost wiped out.

Seeing an opportunity for a decisive victory, Luxembourg committed the elite '' Maison du Roi'' to a frontal assault, reinforced by troops from Enghien under Boufflers. Contesting every step, Wurttemberg's corps plus the remnants of the British division were driven back, until a mixed force of infantry and dragoons from the main body managed to reach the front line and support their retreat. Since the attack had clearly failed, William ordered his troops to fall back on their original positions around Halle, covered by a rear-guard under Hendrik Van Nassau-Ouwerkerk. The French quickly called off the pursuit, having suffered losses of around 7,000 killed or wounded themselves.

Aftermath

Following the battle, some English politicians claimed their heavy losses were caused not through incompetence, but a deliberate act by Solms, and demanded his removal. These allegations were primarily driven by anti-Dutch sentiment and opposition to the war within Parliament, and cannot be substantiated. Presented with these claims when he returned to London in October, William simply agreed to consider it. Solms died of wounds received at Landen the following year.

Steenkirk cravat

An article of dress was named after the battle. A " steenkirk" (also Steinquerque or Stinquerque in the mémoirs of Abbé de Choisy) was a lace cravat loosely or negligently worn, with long lace ends. According to Voltaire's ''L'Âge de Louis XIV'', it was in fashion after the Battle of Steenkerque, where the French gentlemen had to fight with disarranged cravats on account of the surprise sprung by the Allies.

In popular culture

A French-language novel by the Belgian journalist and author René Henoumont was published in 1979 under the title ''La maison dans le frêne'' (''The House in the Ash Tree''), with the explanatory subtitle ''ou la bataille de Steenkerque'' (''or the Battle of Steenkerque''). The work is organised into 12 parts, corresponding with the months of the year. Each part contains between 2 and 4 chapters. The narrator and author tells the reader about his (mostly autobiographical) life in the village of Steenkerque as he ponders life, nature, gardening and wars. In his silent dialogue with the nature around, the trees become the men who once waged war in the Belgian village.

References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Steenkerque 1692, Battle Of
1692 in France
Battles of the Nine Years' War
Battles involving France
Battles involving England
Battles involving Scotland
Battles involving the Dutch Republic
Battles in Wallonia
Conflicts in 1692
Battle