The visitor's centre at Lauffelt, and a cliffhanger...

Two items today.  

First is this interesting link on a recently new visitor centre for the Battle of Lauffelt.  It's a Dutch site from 2008 featuring the composer of the soundtrack used in the centre.  Scroll down a bit and there is an English version of the text.  

The MP3 has Dutch, French, English and German commentary in that order, so listen to the whole thing! 

Diagram of the visitor centre at Lauffelt  from the website

I think I can definitely say that the next time I find myself in Europe I'm going to be putting a visit to Lafelt/ Lauffelt on the itinerary. 

Oh, and to complicate matters even further, I discovered that the Battle of Lauffelt was also known as the Battle of Val.  While battles can often be known by more than one name, I wonder how many others have such a severe identity crisis to deal with as does, apparently, the Battle of Lauffelt.

*****

The second item I'm going to leave as a bit of a cliffhanger.

I'm sure we've all had that experience of searching the Internet for information one one subject only to be sidetracked by another, related snippet of information that holds our attention.

Well, this happened to me last week.  Not related directly to the War of the Austrian Succession, but the person in question was indeed contemporary to it.   I was looking for information on a certain artist- who is probably well known to anyone with an interest in 18th C. military history- and while doing so came across this.  

Warning, while only a sketch it is rather gruesome.

Now I'm no ghoul, but neither am I particularly squeamish.  My father was a policeman; he had many books on forensic medicine in the house, and as I was an inveterate snoop when it came to books, I soon got used to seeing this kind of thing.   

But this picture fascinated me because of who it was, when and how he died, the circumstance in which the drawing was made, and the subsequent fate of his remains. 

The story may not be new to others out there, but it is the first time I have heard of it.  If anyone does know, or if someone wants to hazard a guess to who the subject of the drawing may be, the battle in which he fell,  and the artist, feel free to comment. 

All shall be revealed in due course, and I'll post more information and some links in a few days time. 

Suffice to say for now that he was one of those people of his time who evidently lived life to the full.

John Wright's Lauffelt pictures

Well over a year ago now, John Wright was kind enough to send me his photos of a trip he made to Belgium and to the battlefield of Lauffeldt, fought in 1747.

I intended to post them here, but got distracted by "real life" for a number of months.  When later I went to find them,   I couldn't find the folder anywhere on my computer.  Well, I finally came across them a few weeks ago when cleaning my gaming room; I'd put them on a CD-ROM and placed it in a binder of magazine articles on 18th C. wargaming for safe keeping.  Too safe, apparently.  At least finding the photos were a big reason in my deciding to get back to work on updating this blog!

My apologies to John if you are reading this, but here they are.  I have brightened up the photos on iPhoto, and I must say they are quite atmospheric.

Talk about cavalry country; no wonder Ligonier was able to shine while covering the retreat.  And while relatively flat ground, it is clear that there are rises and dips in the ground that could cover movement, especially when you consider that the whole field of battle would have been covered by a considerable amount of smoke from burnt powder.

Here is a contemporary map of the battlefield.

click to enlarge

John can be seen here standing next to the memorial for the Irish Brigade in French service.  The campaign in Flanders really was their finest hour.  Here is a close up of the inscription on the memorial.
 

One of the "joys" of researching this period is that names could be spelt in as many ways as there were people spelling them!  

It seems that the current spelling is "Lafelt".  Many accounts have it as "Lauffelt", "Laufeldt", or "Laffelt" or some such variation.  Likewise for the battle of Roucoux; I've seen "Roucou" "Rocoux" and even "Rocourt" in French sources.

Thanks again for sending these, John, and I'm glad to have them up at last!

Relation de la Campagne en Brabant et en Flandres, MDCCXLVII

I love Google Books, even if (understandably) modern authors who find their works posted therein would probably like to arrange to have a horse's head placed in Sergei Brin's bed on account of copyright violations.

But it is one of the real benefits of the digital revolution that great old books like this one are being put on the Internet.  

Sure, it is in French- a rather archaic French at that- but as far as I am aware, how else can an anglophone reader get hold of a copy of A Relation of the Campaign in Brabant and Flanders in 1747 by Jean-Baptiste Joseph Damarzit de Sahuguet d' Espagnac?

Published in 1748- just a year after the events it describes- the book recounts the Battle of Lauffelt and the taking of Bergen-Op-Zoom.  

Included are maps and, at least for the French army, full orders of battle as well.  What a find!  I've downloaded the PDF file and will steadily work my way through it.

I've half a mind to translate it myself, even if my French is not what it once was.  From what I can tell so far there is some fascinating information to be gleaned here.  

Roucoux Day!

Today marks the 232nd anniversary of the Battle of Roucoux. I shall mark it by starting work on my Dutch infantry.

By way of commemoration, here's something about the preeminent hero on the Allied side, General John, Earl Ligonier, the energetic commander of the British cavalry. He seems to have had the unenviable role of being left to pull what remained of the charred chestnuts out of the fires started by the unfortunate Duke of Cumberland.

John, Earl Ligonier

John Ligonier, second son of Monseuquet, a gentleman of a noble Huguenot family, was born in France in the year 1687. He received his education in England; and, having a strong predilection for a military life acted, when only fifteen years of age, as a volunteer, at the storming of Liege, on which occasion, he was one of the two first who mounted the breach: his companion, a volunteer, of the noble family of Wentworth, was killed by his side.

In 1703, having purchased the command of a company in Lord North’s regiment, he fought at the battles of Schellenburgh (sic) and Blenheim; in the latter of which, every captain in the regiment was slain except himself. In 1706, he obtained the rank of major of brigade, for his daring exploits at the siege of Menin. At Ramillies, Oudenarde and Wynendale, he gained additional laurels; and at Malplaquet, twenty-two shots went through his clothes without wounding him. In 1719, he assisted, as colonel and adjutant-general, at the attack made by Lord Cobham on Vigo; and, after the capture of Ponte Vedra, reduced Fort Marin, at the head of only a hundred grenadiers, although it contained twenty pieces of cannon, and a garrison of two-hundred men.

During the war which commenced in 1739, Ligonier repeatedly distinguished himself. After the battle of Dettingen, in which his regiment had severely suffered he received the honour of knighthood, under the royal standard. At Fontenoy, where he commanded the infantry, he reluctantly complied with the Duke of Cumberland’s orders to retreat, and before he left the field, sent to the enemy’s commander, Marshal Saxe, requesting that the dead might be treated with honour, and the wounded with humanity. In 1746, he was appointed to the chief command of the forces in Flanders.

At Roucoux, after sustaining an impetuous onset, he effected so masterly a retreat as to excite the admiration of his opponent. At the battle of Laffeldt in 1747, he rescued the allied army from destruction, and enabled it to withdraw in good order, by charging at the whole line of French cavalry at the head of the British Dragoons.

His horse having been killed, he fell into the enemy’s hands; but his parole was immediately accepted and Marshal Saxe observed, on introducing him to the French king, “Sir, I present to your majesty a man, who by one glorious action, has disconcerted all my projects”. The monarch, who had witnessed the action from an eminence, warmly applauded the gallantry of Lignier, who was soon after exchanged, and resumed his command.

In 1748, though still in Flanders, without having made any application to the electors he became Member of Parliament for Bath. During the same year he was appointed lieutenant-governor of the island of Guernsey; and in 1752, governor of Plymouth. In 1757, he became an Irish peer by the title of Viscount Ligonier of Enniskellen; in 1763, an English baron; and three years afterwards, an English earl.

At the time of his decease, which occurred on the 28th of April, 1770, he was a field-marshal of the royal forces, a privy counsellor, colonel of the first regiment of the foot-guards, K.C.B and F.R.S. Soon after his death, a monument was erected in Westminster abbey, recording the various actions in which he had taken part.

Lord Ligonier acquired renown throughout Europe for the intrepidity which he displayed against his own countrymen. His abilities, as general, were quite equal to his courage. In the midst of difficulties he was never without resources; and his talents were always most conspicuous when exerted to avoid an impending disaster, or to alleviate the consequences of a defeat.

In private life, as in his public career, he frequently carried his point by some peculiar expedient. A military visitor from whose troublesome presence it was exceedingly difficult, by any of the usual hints, to obtain relief, Ligonier, on one occasion, dismissed in a moment, by beginning, with his fingers, to beat a retreat on the wainscot.

The Georgian Era
(Author unrecorded)
London, 1833
p. 45