Battle of Steenkerque

The Battle of Steenkerque was fought on 3 August 1692, during the Nine Years' War, near Steenkerque in Belgium, then part of the Spanish Netherlands. A French force under Marshal François-Henri de Montmorency, duc de Luxembourg, repulsed a surprise attack by an Allied army led by William of Orange. After several hours of heavy fighting, the Allies withdrew, repulsing a French counterattack as they did so.

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.

William had prepared the attack thoroughly. 300 carefully chosen cavalry and dragoons took up positions a short distance from the French army camp. The French paid no attention to them as they assumed these were covering troops for Allied foragers. In reality, however, they served to enable 800 pioneers equipped with axes and shovels to widen forest paths, fill ditches and make passages in hedges unnoticed. Once the pioneers had finished their work, Lieutenant General Württemberg was to take possession of Steenkerke with a vanguard of 5,000 to 6,000 Dutch, English, Danish and German infantrymen, and artillery of six low three-pounders and ten regimental pieces. After the French were driven out, he would have to hold out there until the rest of the army arrived.

The main attack would be carried out by three assault columns:

The first column under the Prince of Nassau-Usingen, with a strength of 8,000 men, composed of the English Ramsay brigade and the Dutch Fagel brigade.

The second column, commanded by the Frisian stadtholder, Henry Casimir II, with a strength of 6,000 to 7,000 men, composed of the Dutch brigades of Salisch and l'Ecluse.

The third column under the Count of Solms, with a strength of 11,000 men comprised the Dutch, English and Scottish Guards, Churchill's English Brigade and Ellenberger's Danish brigade.