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Battle of Rocoux
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Battle of Rocoux | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the War of the Austrian Succession | |||||||
 The Battle of Roucoux, 1746 |
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| Combatants | |||||||
 Austria Great Britain Hanover Dutch Republic |
 France |
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| Commanders | |||||||
| Prince Charles Alexander |
Maurice de Saxe |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 40,000 | 60,000 | ||||||
| Casualties | |||||||
| 4,000-5,000[1] | 5,000 | ||||||
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|---|
| Mollwitz – Chotusitz – Dettingen – Toulon – Pfaffenhofen – Fontenoy – Hohenfriedberg – Soor – Hennersdorf – Kesselsdorf – Rocoux – 1st Finisterre – Lauffeld – 2nd Finisterre – Havana |
The Battle of Rocoux was fought on 11 October 1746 outside the Belgian city of Liege during War of the Austrian Succession. The battle was between an alliance of Austria, Great Britain, Hanover and the Dutch Republic against the French.
The French army was commanded by Marshall Saxe and the army of the Pragmatic Allies by Prince Charles of Lorraine of Austria and the British General Sir John Ligonier. Saxe had nearly completed his campaign to take Flanders and was now threatening to invade Holland. The allies took up a position next to Liege with the Dutch on the left from Liege to Rocoux, the British and Hanoverians in the center and the Austrians on the right almost to the River Jaar.
The French main attack went against the Dutch portion on the left of the allied line between Liege and Rocoux, heavily defeating it on the third assault.[2] In the face of a general French advance the allied line began to give way. The Austrians on the allied right were not engaged and made no attempt to take the iniative and advance against the exposed French left flank. Lingonier's cavalry and some British infantry formed a rear guard that held off the French as the army withdrew. The French were victorious, immediately capturing Liege and breaking Austrian control over the Netherlands. 
Map of Battle of Rocoux The city of Liege is bottom center.
- ^ Gentlemen's Magazine Vol. XVI 1746 page 542, Copy of a Letter sent from Sir John Ligonier to the Earl of Sandwich at Breda, relating to the Action on the 11th Inst. Dated from the Camp of Losser, Oct. 12
- ^ Gentlemen's Magazine Vol. XVI, 1746, page 542. Extract of a Letter from a Dutch Officer, Relating to the Action near Liege. "The affair that we had yesterday with the French begun in the evening. The fire which the enemy made upon us from their mask'd batteries, and otherwise, was one of the most terrible ever seen, and it look'd as if hell had opened her mouth to swallow us up. As I was of the rear-guard, and among the hindmost of my troop, in retiring from the field of battle, 'tis a miracle I escaped. As the stragglers come in, we hope to make some abatement in the number said to be lost.",
- Browning, Reed.The War of the Austrian Succession, St. Martin's Press, New York, (1993): ISBN 0-312-12561-5
- Chandler, David. The Art of Warfare in the Age of Marlborough. Spellmount Limited, (1990): ISBN 0-946771-42-1
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