Cumberland's Bloody Repulse | Battle of Fontenoy 1745 | Campaigns of Maurice de Saxe

At the advent of a great succession war that was not unusual of the 18th century, Maurice de Saxe finds his army of Frenchmen being hunted down by the pragmatic army of the Duke of Cumberland.
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00:00 Strategic Situation
13:31 Armies Arrive
21:38 Waldeck Attacks
25:12 Highlander Charge
32:59 Grand Column
43:06 De Saxe's Plan Unfolds
47:01 Aftermath

[@5thMilitia]

Although the British accusations of cowardice on the Dutch side were overblown, since the Dutch stormed a strong entrenched position and since most troops had fought well, there was also some unhappiness in high Dutch command about their performance. You see; Dutch infantry had a name to live up to. During the Wars of Louis XIV Dutch infantry was considered the best in Europe. During the Nine Years War an English officer asked himself why this was the case: "We have a common notion, that this sang froid, or Obedient Quality in the Dutch, is owing chiefly to their Nature, by their having a greater Proportion of Phlegm in their constitution than the English, by which their minds are not so soon as agitated as ours. But I look upon this way of reasoning, to be a rather plausible excuse for our own neglect, in not bringing our men to the same perfection of discipline, than the product of any natural cause in the Dutch. But, allowing that nature does contribute something towards it, yet, it is evident, Art has the greatest share, since their troops are generally composed of different nations." This was proved in for example the Battle of Malplaquet, were the Dutch, despite suffering very heavy casualties, kept assaulting the strong French positions in perfect order. Although the cowardice accusations were thus overblown; Malplaquet stood in stark contrast with Fontenoy. Cronström, the Dutch commander of the 2nd division, who had also been part of the Dutch army that had fought at Malplaquet, wrote that "these troops are not like those in the previous war" and Waldeck questioned were the "famous old Dutch courage" had gone. These conclusions led to an extensive training of the troops and they performed better at Rocoux, and even recieved praise.

[@vinz4066]

No offenes but I smell copium

[@5thMilitia]

@@vinz4066 Maybe a bit lol, but I just want to give some additional context and a Dutch perspective

[@FieldMarshalYT]

@@vinz4066 I mean he is right. The Dutch poor performance shocked the world.

[@amtmannb.4627]

@@5thMilitia The quality of the troops of all sides is always dificult to make out. The Dutch fought very brave at Rocoux. We always have to take in account that a high proportion of "Dutch'" were Germans including generals and for example many Bavarian batallions which performed a lot better at Rocoux then they did in their own cause in Germany some years before.

[@paardeberg]

To be honest, the Dutch never came close to the ridgline/trenches, but that was not for lack of trying. Main problem was that there was little or no co-ordination betweenj the Allied Left (Waldeck) and Right (Cumberland)......Then the attempt to ease the problem by assaulting Fontenoy village was a) too little too late and b) again too uncoordinated

[@MattCellaneous]

Finally, a channel that prefers the first British empire and the first half of the long 18th century like I do. Who's not going to look at everything as a lead up to either the American or French revolutions. They weren't, history didn't know that They were going to happen. I love the long 18th century and most especially the first, half 9 years War to the seven years War, but the wars of succession And they're American theaters are my favorite. Great channel. Keep up the good work

[@robin82pb94]

The french irish regiment "Le Royal Irlandais" have a very good reputation, at this time. 👍

[@oliviervece6121]

​@@aafitzy A lot of irish regiment had french recruits. Probably half. As the original regiments were created in the 1690' so the losses were replaced by locals ...this means french soldiers .

[@conlaiarla]

​@@oliviervece6121The best lies like yours has always a partial truth within it . Thank you for the this fine example to prove this point . You may or perhaps not be aware that extensive recruitment for the Irish regiments in French service continued throughout the 18th century in Ireland. Very often the local magistrates in Ireland wee glad to be rid of such men who could cause much disturbance and trouble at home and so turned a blind eye to this. Happy to help 😁

[@walideg5304]

@@conlaiarlawell he was right … most of the men were French after the first years. It’s the same story again and again in the French armies with foreigners. They join for money or cause and Rouen a regiment then after the first men perish they are replaced by locals.

[@olivierpuyou3621]

A battle masterfully led by Maurice de Saxe and which remains a very fine French victory (one more). thank you for excellent épisode.

[@tersal9276]

Vous n'imaginez pas à quel point je suis heureux de trouver une chaine comme la votre. Je suis passionné par l'histoire militaire du XVII/XVIIIe, mais je n'ai jamais vraiment trouvé de contenu de ce genre jusqu'ici. Sachez qu'un français vous remercie chaleureusement pour votre travail !

[@1987MartinT]

Maurice de Saxe is such an underrated general. Are you planning on covering the battle of Dettingen at some point?

[@FieldMarshalYT]

Yes!

[@1987MartinT]

@@FieldMarshalYT Awesome! I'm glad that you're covering this conflict. In the same way that de Saxe is a forgotten commander, the War of Austrian Succession is a forgotten war. It gets overshadowed by the Seven Years' War and, to a lesser extent, the War of Spanish Succession.

[@mario_1683]

The battle of Fontenoy was very well narrated!

[@paulceglinski7172]

Well done!! In a landscape devoid of vids on these wars and campaigns, Field Marshal is a breath of fresh air. Animations, artwork and narration were outstanding. Can't help but think if your army is "pragmatic" you're doomed to lose. A bad plan made worse by lack of coordination and communication was the plan or so it seems. Absolutely outstanding. Worth the wait and looking forward to the collab with Warhawk too. Cheers from Tennessee

[@bloodrave9578]

Lack of discipline as well on the Dutch part, as soon as the French fire, it caused utter chaos while with the British, they took the gunfire then retaliated with disciplined volleys

[@gengis737]

@@bloodrave9578 But the Dutch assaulted in front of three redoubts and two fortified villages, while the British went around Fontenoy in open field. You cannot expect infantry to march head on fortified positions.

[@bloodrave9578]

@@gengis737 Generals often did, what let the Allies down at Fontenoy was the lack of any coordination.

[@gengis737]

@@bloodrave9578 I don't remember any general in musket area winning this kind of battle. Assaulting field works bled Swedish army at Poltava and French army at Borodino.

[@bloodrave9578]

@@gengis737 Borodino was costly but still a French victory

[@HoH]

Amazing video 🔥

[@FieldMarshalYT]

Thanks House of History!

[@user-hr2dh1mm8d]

The most detailed and compelling video on Fontenoy on all of the internet. I salute you Sir!

[@scottgindroz1474]

The Duke of Cumberland was recalled to England to put down the rebellion of Bonnie Prince Charlie who sought to overthrow the Hanoverian Dynasty and restore the Stuart's claim to the throne. He won a victory at Culloden and his harsh reprisals earned him the nickmane the Bloody Butcher. Scotsman to this day still consider him nothing less than a War criminal. I hope one day you do a video of that battle.

[@FieldMarshalYT]

I'm actually about to read about the Battle of Prestonpans. I definitely will be covering the Jacobite '45 sometime in the future

[@britishpatriot7386]

Oh because the Scots were so innocent 😂 give me a break, Scotland were slaughtering whole English towns and cities and taking thousands and thousands of English slave's long before the tables turned but that fact is conveniently missed out by the fake victim's of nothing. Pathetic biased trash again.

[@johnroche7541]

The Battle of Culloden was a Scottish Civil War in miniature as there was Scots fighting also on the Duke of Cumberlands side against the Clans.

[@Rswipes83]

What did the Jacobite clans do when they overpowered and defeated an opponent in battle? Hypocrisy

[@freedomtosayno7880]

Well done sir and thank you!

[@ethanpf449]

Truly amazing work

[@michaelcarlin9153]

Excellent video. Great graphics and perfectly captures the ebb and flow of the battle. Loved it!!

[@5thMilitia]

Good video man. Really appreciate your work. The periods you cover really deserve more attention

[@vinz4066]

Outstanding Video. You become better and better with each one.

[@MsOal]

I find it amazing how much you have improved. It makes me happy to see that your channel is in good health, considering the amount of views and subscribers. Keep the good work!

[@deteon1418]

Absolute excellence! Fantastic animation, narration and great writing! I admire the length of the video as well! De Saxe made some brilliant decisions. A nice watch, and the best one so far!

[@samdumaquis2033]

Great description of history, very well done

[@dirt0133]

Interesting content on a little covered war. Thank you for uploading.

[@mrlemon9117]

Great video, been hoping for a history channel to cover fontenoy! Question, are you going to cover Rocoux and Lauffeld next?

[@FieldMarshalYT]

Im going to be making my collab with Warhawk next. It will be up on their channel. After that Im doing a couple WSS remaster videos and then I will probably continue the campaigns of maurice de saxe

[@amesbancal]

Rocroi ?

[@csl7972]

@@amesbancal Rocoux (1746)

[@amesbancal]

@@csl7972 thanks did not know that battle

[@CometTheProto]

Jokes aside excellent work on this one, easily the best vid yet. Can’t wait for the next one 👍

[@mctielpresidente]

This was SUPERB!!!

[@karlthyme9631]

Great work

[@WyomingTraveler]

I enjoyed this video. The combined use on narration, graphics, and pictures brought this battle to life. I lived in this area of Belgium for six years and familiar with many of the towns and villages mentioned. I wish I had your videos then, so I could the battlefield.

[@FieldMarshalYT]

One day you'll get the opportunity

[@WyomingTraveler]

@@FieldMarshalYT not likely, the opportunity to visit and travel while living in a country is different than when visiting

[@belis35]

The gap between de Saxe and Cumberland ‘s strategic skill is flabbergasting.

[@Fuzznator]

And the pragmatic army, specially the british infantry was better than the french at this time as show by the initial victory of the british guards on the french ones. De saxe understood this and make cumberland manouver in a position where he was flanked and cannot win

[@smal750]

obviously the brits are trash at land warfare

[@YOUPIMatin123]

Awesome. Merci from France

[@sevoo1579]

great stuff !

[@chevalier9646]

Vive le Roi!

[@amesbancal]

Lequel ?

[@CivilWarWeekByWeek]

Can’t wait to see it

[@PyrrhosOfEpeiros]

Very cool to watch this channel grow, not just in terms of subscribers, but in the quality of the video and presentation of the subject matter as well. It is also heartening to find a KZbinr willing to cover this often overlooked period of history. Hats off to you, sir! If I had to give a reccomendation, it would be concerning your audio - sometimes words are cut off in mid sentence or in the beginning of the sentence. Other than that, two questions: what topics do you plan on covering in the future and could you make a habit of making some community posts with book reccomendations? I am very interested in the long 18th century (edit: although anything starting from the 15th century works as well), specifically military and diplomatic history, but am having a hard time finding good books (other than on Napoleon).

[@FieldMarshalYT]

I will definitely be posting some book recommendations soon. I'll also give an update on whats next soon too.

[@ludsl7136]

Well done for this video, very accurate and detailled animation. Very easy to understand the whole manoeuvre. I have just one remark: the unit size sign on the "NATO type" unit symbols (here battalions for the infantry and regiments for cavalry) shows the direction the unit faces... so here the french army seems to face west instead of facing the anglo-dutch army. Anyway, thank you very much for this great video.

[@georgefalcodemats2432]

Wonderful work showing detailed research on the battle and preliminary moves. Well composed and clearly explained. Good quotes and detailed positions of every regiment throughout much of the battle. A source of inspiration for a wargamer looking for a new battle to build a new collection and play. Unfortunately, I could not find a reference list. Could the authors recommend some good book source(s) for all those details? (Not a long bibliography, please: just a couple of best books one could delve into).

[@gui3777]

Epic!

[@amesbancal]

Excellent dans tous les aspects

[@littlekeithy]

Really good animation. There were two other great battles between the Pragmatic army and the French afterwards, Lauffeld and Rocoux, will you be covering them as well? (they are also victories of Saxe). I had family who were in a regiment that traces its heritage back to Fontenoy (Pulteney's). Dettingen is worth a look aswell as Osprey has published a book in the past few years that challenges some of the notions about it (IIRC the cavalry duel may have been more important)

[@FieldMarshalYT]

Yes I will be!

[@abukharan5774]

Great!

[@dorussio]

Hey man. Really great job. You'll probably want to revisit this for the graphic when you have more experience, but the content is great. This, I believe, is part of the First Silezian War - a not very well related subject on Yt. Do you plan on doing some more on that conflict? (No general things please - what you did now is perfect). I'm a phantom viewer myself, but this deserves a like and subscribe.

[@FieldMarshalYT]

I have no plans to cover the Campaign of Frederick the Great atm. However House of History has a few videos on it with very high production quality. Expect a slight upgrade in the graphics with future videos as well.

[@jared6882]

Please set up a Patreon!!! I love these time frames and want more!!!

[@FieldMarshalYT]

Check out the description, a Patreon is up!

[@jared6882]

@@FieldMarshalYT oh cool! Sorry I’m used to it being at the beginning lol

[@gengis737]

Thanks for the very clear narration and detailed units naming. I wonder how infantry could resist cavalry charge repeatedly, in this time preceding the formation in squares? Probably command and control of cavalry was poor (hence the multiple spontaneous charges), the regiments charging headlong instead of outflanking infantry.

[@FieldMarshalYT]

De Saxe's piecemeal, headlong charges were meant to be delaying actions for the Irish to launch their flanking attack. Nothing less or more.

[@emmanuelfernandez04]

A lot of War of the Spanish Succession references here

[@FieldMarshalYT]

"Is that a War of the Spanish Succession reference?"

[@elmascapo6588]

@@FieldMarshalYT the "Field Marshall cinematic universe"

[@amtmannb.4627]

Very nice use of contemporary pictures for the commanders. Pfaffenhofen had little to do with the peace of Füssen. The death of emperor Charles VII was a lot more important and the unwillingless of the French to send more troops to Bavaria. Besides the Hessians refused to fight the Austrians effectively. It would be nice if you would go similar in depth as you did for the WSS. You will find a lot of information on my blog about the campaigns in Germany.

[@skiteufr]

Great job done by the Household heavy cavalry of King Louis and by the Irish brigade

[@jphalsberghe1]

I lived in Belgium for a number of years, near those battlefields yet had no knowledge whatsoever of this amazing European power games

[@stephenbesley3177]

Dettingen is interesting to us Brits in that it was the last battle at which the King lead the army in the field. Although much maligned. espescially by many Scots, Cumberland was a very good organiser and both he and General Wolf went a long way to improving the British soldiers lot.

[@jackmcnally9237]

S.Besley😂 ! You're a genocidal Saxon - Hun ! "Butcher Sausage ", post Culloden wished to send all Jacobite clans to certain death in the West Indies ! Learn your history, you misconceived, misbegotten to human😂ity Cunt !

[@vivifice3172]

Vive le roi

[@mario_1683]

Nice! Love your videos. I hope Austria wins...

[@manualteirac9817]

The first fire was english side. "Messieurs les anglais, tirez les premiers."

[@brianbanks703]

"screams of the dead and..." how does that work exactly? Very interesting overview however, thank you

[@FieldMarshalYT]

Simple oversight on my part.

[@WarhawkYT]

pog

[@davidbarrass]

the p in Campbell is silent, it's pronounced Cambell

[@johnkeane1419]

Something awesome about the 18th Century European military. Both heroic and rational at once.

[@jeffkodiac]

For a very long time, the French fought practically alone against coalitions of European countries. They were during these decades the best military power !

[@ballsmcdickinson]

kinda weird hearing my lego officer sound educated for once,,,,,e,e,e,e,,,e

[@grantpaterson1016]

Campbell ( Cam-Bell...P is silent) Lille ( LeeL) Ligonier (Lea-go-ny-A) was a French exile.

[@knoll9812]

Cam beal is gaelic for crooked mouth.

[@darbyohara]

This guy can’t pronounce words right. It’s pretty embarrassing when you put that much work into research then say “lee La” in stead of “leal” 😂

[@Macorian]

Very informative and well narrated, as well as animated. Not too interpretative, although I think supposed "overconfidence" is not quite accurate. Of course any general can perceive of defeat. The Pragmatics were skillfully misled in part, playing on seeming weakness. I don't think they weren't aware of the French capacities, which had been proven so many times. Confidence is a good thing, arrogance is not. Cumberland's attack on the center had a touch of the latter, perhaps... but got far bc of the former. There is no "over-confidence" (trust in what is there), there is arrogance (assuming something that isn't factual).

[@gerrytyrrell1507]

We always enjoyed fighting our ancient enemies....Ireland

[@chrismac2234]

"Sir, would you care to fire first"

[@shelbynamels973]

The fields of Flanders - where Europe goes to fight its wars.

[@edwardhogan1877]

'The cockpit of Europe'

[@andrewberrocal2281]

Who’s here because historymarches video randomly privated at the climax of the video? 💀

[@FieldMarshalYT]

That was a good video of theirs!

[@berthamoen4488]

Small thing; the Dutch flag you use has the wrong colour blue. It is too light. Instead of the Dutch flag it resembles the flag of Luxemburg.

[@FieldMarshalYT]

Im not sure how to fix that since I used the Dutch flag from wikipedia.

[@yarnybart5911]

Why was another succession war unnecessary? Interesting observation but I'd like to understand why it was unnecessary.

[@FieldMarshalYT]

I guess it comes from my relatively modern perspective. To me, it just seems odd that so many have to die for the petty squabbles of Kings and Queens. This kind of thing hasn't stopped with the decay of Monarchism, however.

[@himoffthequakeroatbox4320]

Campbell is pronounce Camble. Rhymes with amble. Also, Lille is not pronounced Lily.

[@andreweden9405]

Umm... Campbell is pronounced in such a way as to rhyme with "gamble" or "ramble", etc.😁 Otherwise, the whole presentation was thoroughly enjoyable!

[@avnrulz8587]

'screams of the dead and dying'...well, the dying, anyway.

[@FieldMarshalYT]

Lol yeah missed that.

[@roverboat2503]

Campbell is pronounced' Kambell'. The 'p' is silent.

[@tonyaughney8945]

Excellent video with great graphics. As an Irish man who had heard very little about the Wild Geese it was very interesting to see them featured in the battle.

[@michaelbrett3749]

One serious mistake is not giving the number of troops in the French army during the battle

[@FieldMarshalYT]

Around the beginning of the video I mentioned De Saxe to have commanded around 50,000 men

[@ivanconnolly7332]

The narrators mispronunciation is echoed in the comical spelling of the subtitles!,

[@FieldMarshalYT]

I will admit a lot of pronunciation, especially of the redoubts.

[@freddiefletcher2497]

Is he really saying Camp Bell?

[@FieldMarshalYT]

One of my friends pointed out that its pronounced Kambull. I had never heard the name pronounced aloud before and had no reason to think otherwise.

[@freddiefletcher2497]

@@FieldMarshalYT It's pronounced Kambill. Thanks for the reply.

[@MM22966]

Remind me again how 18th-century warfare was supposed to be more positional and not as vicious as Napoleonic warfare?

[@FieldMarshalYT]

Is that a question for me or for people whose idea of warfare in this period is a bit blurred by stereotypes?

[@MrBestshot33]

The allies command were fools.

[@luffyh7193]

Will you ever cover Asian conflicts in this channel? Like Nader Shah ( napoleon of the east ) he destroyed a 300k Mughal army

[@FieldMarshalYT]

Perhaps, I'd like to expand. I just don't have many good sources on that stuff at the moment.

[@luffyh7193]

@@FieldMarshalYT understandable

[@luffyh7193]

@@FieldMarshalYT but what about the Crimean war it isnt covered on KZbin

[@FieldMarshalYT]

@@luffyh7193 So far the current plan is -> 1862 Dakota War on Warhawk's channel -> Battle of Chiari Remaster -> Siege of Barcelona ->Another Remaster -> 100 Days Campaign

[@luffyh7193]

@@FieldMarshalYT cant wait! You deserve much more subscribers im sure these video’s are hard to make

[@dp-sr1fd]

You have to admit the Brits were tough to beat.

[@FieldMarshalYT]

British Infantry are incredibly formidable. It's a testament to De Saxe that he could beat them not only on the defensive, but on the offensive as well (Rocoux, Lauffeld)

[@smal750]

another one of the infinite number of absolute french victories against the sissies european coalitions

[@michaelbrett3749]

So if Saxe had 50000 men then they far outnumbered the allies. The dutch are not exactly revered for their prowess at war.

[@FieldMarshalYT]

The allies had an army of around 52,000 men. The Battle of Fontenoy is an exception to Dutch prowess, not the rule. See their performance at Battles like Ramillies, Oudenarde, and Malplaquet for example.

[@Holybatman3603]

French sources say De Saxe had around 45,000 men and the allies had 55,000.

[@smal750]

not the anglorat copium😂😂😂

[@metarus208]

the greatest French victory over the British ... one of the few.

[@Heisenberg882]

one of the many*

[@metarus208]

@@Heisenberg882 name one outside the Hundred Years' War

[@Heisenberg882]

@@metarus208 A battle or a war?

[@metarus208]

@@Heisenberg882 either one

[@Heisenberg882]

@@metarus208 Anglo French war 1158-1189 Angevin war of succession 1199-1204 Poitou war 1224 English invasion of France 1230 Saintonge war 1242-1243 Guyenne war 1294-1303 War of Saint Sardos 1324 Hundred Years’ War Castilian civil war 1351-1369 War of the roses 1455-1487 Mad war 1485-1488 French Breton war 1487-1491 League of Cambrai 1508-1516 Rough Wooing 1542-1551 Italian war 1551-1559 Anglo French war 1627-1629 Anglo Dutch war 1665-1667 Franco Dutch war 1672-1678 Nine years war War of Austrian succession American revolution War of the first coalition War of the second coalition War of the third coalition War of the fourth coalition War of the fifth coalition

[@LordOfLight]

"Sav Wah"?? Suh Voy.

[@FieldMarshalYT]

During this time Savoy was still largely French-speaking, so its not incorrect to pronounce it like Savoie.

[@sandrabrowne2350]

We will never forget our Irish soldiers ie the "Wild Geese " who fought and gave their countrymen their pride back after the loss of their culture and country after years of oppression in Ireland 🇮🇪.

[@olivierpuyou3621]

The French have not forgotten the courage of their Irish friends and their old Scottish allies.

[@britishpatriot7386]

Pathetic hating on the British or English by fake victim's 😂 Ireland for hundreds of years before the tables turned were slaughtering whole English towns and cities etc and took hundreds of thousands of English slave's but that fact is conveniently missed out by the Irish who are not victims. It goes both ways cupcake and your little victim card has expired anyway. I demand you apologize for the atrocities the Irish did to the English Scotland and Wales were no different too but only want to remember what suits their little feelings. People like you are ridiculous and pathetic.

[@britishpatriot7386]

​@@olivierpuyou3621 they lost and so did France 😂

[@sandrabrowne2350]

Big Picture British lost the American colonies with the exceptional help of the French pre the Revolution , a revolution which should have happened in England but aristocracy too embedded. FINALLY IRELAND IS AN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY PART OF THE European Family net contributor unlike some in the UK longing for the empire again.

[@johnroche7541]

​@@sandrabrowne2350Dont forget the Irish in Washington's Continental Army. Check out the role played by Irish Admiral John Barry in the fledging US navy in the American War of Independence.

[@nancysum-suol5976]

Messieurs les anglais tirez les premiers !

[@hander9929]

damn 49 minit i dont have time for this

[@FieldMarshalYT]

You can always pause at a certain point and return later.

[@darbyohara]

For a guy who does a lot of research on battles the narrator sure doesn’t put any effort into learning how to pronounce the names correctly 😂

[@FieldMarshalYT]

cry about it

[@MartinJames389]

The mangled mispronunciation of placenames and surnames, often with the wrong syllables stressed, too, is painful to listen to. You can't even get the Scots name "Campbell" right!

[@peterpim6260]

Strangely flat and dull narration , as if the speaker is fed up with work after a thousend videos.

[@elmascapo6588]

Well, that was a bloodpath. Reminds me of angaco

[@jeanjacquespelletier6821]

As always it most of all European power to even dare taking on the armies of France in these days

[@user-od2ts3oc5w]

Vivle Roiio!!! Ура!!!!!!!!

[@Pepe_Silvia]

The voice is not good. May the video be great, but the voice is really not good. get someone else to speak on your videos or stop making videos. It is really annoying. Sorry, i did not mean to be nasty, i just try to give you feedback. I hope you keep on your good work and find someone else who will do the talking part.

[@Pepe_Silvia]

I can not focus on the video topic listening to that voice. I tried but It is really irritating.

[@FieldMarshalYT]

No

[@user-od2ts3oc5w]

Vivle Roi!!! Beat those bastards!!!!!