In this episode of Prime & Load, hosts Dr. Alex Burns, Dr. Andrew Bamford, and Lee Gugino conduct a deep-dive study into the Battle of Fontenoy (May 11, 1745), fought near Tournai in the Austrian Netherlands during the War of the Austrian Succession. The episode breaks down how French Marshal Maurice de Saxe orchestrated a masterclass in defensive warfare, using the siege of Tournai as bait to draw the Allied "Pragmatic Army" into a pre-prepared killing ground.
Key Discussion Highlights
The Strategic Context & The Trap: The battle took place on the eastern bank of the River Scheldt near Tournai. Marshal Maurice de Saxe engineered an L-shaped defensive line anchored by the fortified village of Fontenoy at the corner, redoubts stretching south to Antoing, and field fortifications running north toward the Bois de Barry. King Louis XV and the Dauphin were present on the field to observe the battle.
Coalition Command & Objectives: The Allied Pragmatic Army was commanded by the 24-year-old Duke of Cumberland, supported by veteran officers including Sir John Ligonier (infantry) and General James Campbell (cavalry). Cumberland’s objective was straightforward: punch directly through the French position to relieve the besieged garrison at Tournai.
Initial Allied Setbacks: The battle opened with immediate friction. Brigadier Ingoldsby’s detachment was severely checked in the Bois de Barry by the French light troops of the Légion de Grasins. Meanwhile, cavalry commander General Campbell was killed by a cannonball early in the action, and repeated Dutch attacks against Fontenoy and Antoing were repulsed by heavy French artillery fire.
The 17-Battalion Hollow Column: With the flanks blocked, Cumberland ordered a direct frontal assault up the narrow gap between Fontenoy and the woods. Seventeen British and Hanoverian infantry battalions deployed into a massive, unprecedented hollow square/column formation. After delivering a devastating point-blank volley that shattered the elite Gardes Françaises, the column pressed deep into the heart of the French position.
The French Counterattack: To check the advancing column, Saxe threw in wave after wave of cavalry charges, followed by infantry counterattacks from the Normandy Brigade and the six battalions of the Irish Brigade. Under relentless combined pressure, the battered British column maintained strict discipline, fixed bayonets, and conducted an orderly retreat covered by a cavalry screen under General Hawley.
Aftermath & Strategic Fallout: Although Fontenoy was a tactical French triumph that enabled Saxe to sweep through the Austrian Netherlands, the territorial gains were ultimately surrendered at the 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle—coining the French phrase "bête comme la paix" ("stupid like the peace"). Furthermore, the French victory provided a massive morale boost that helped pave the way for French financial and material support for the 1745 Jacobite Rising in Scotland.
Referenced Works
Marshal of France, Jon Manchip White
Fontenoy 1745, Cumberland's Blood Defeat, Michael McNally
Fontenoy: France Dominating Europe, Denis Gandilhon
Great Britain and the Defense of the Low Countries 1744-1748, Alastair Massie
The War of the Austrian Succession, M.S. Anderson
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