Battle of Warburg
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Battle of Warburg | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Seven Years' War | |||||||
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| Combatants | |||||||
| Hanover Great Britain |
France | ||||||
| Commanders | |||||||
| Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick | Lieutenant General Le Chevalier du Muy | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 16,000 | 20,000 | ||||||
| Casualties | |||||||
| 1,200 dead or wounded | 6,000-8,000 dead or wounded | ||||||
| Seven Years' War: European theatre |
|---|
| Minorca – Lobositz – Reichenberg – Prague – Kolin – Hastenbeck – Gross-Jägersdorf – Moys – Rossbach – Breslau – Leuthen – Krefeld – Domstadtl – Zorndorf – Hochkirch – Bergen – Kay – Minden – Kunersdorf – Hoyerswerda – Maxen – Meissen – Landshut – Warburg – Liegnitz – Torgau – Villinghausen – Kolberg – Burkersdorf – Lutterberg – Freiberg |
The Battle of Warburg was a battle fought on July 31, 1760 during the Seven Years' War.
In late July 1760 Prince Ferdinand with his Hanoverian, Hessian, British and Prussian troops was forced to retreat north before Broglie’s superior French army, into the triangular area between the Diemel and Weser Rivers. Kassel, lying on the left bank of the Weser, Ferdinand’s main base, was threatened.
Prince Ferdinand ordered a force into Kassel and withdrew the rest of his army into positions to the north of the city. On 27 July 1760 Ferdinand struck camp and moved west towards the Diemel, leaving the garrison in Kassel with orders to withdraw north to Münden if hard pressed.
Broglie saw the move and was concerned to stop Ferdinand crossing the Diemel. He ordered the Chevalier du Muy to cross the river at Marsberg and to march east along the north bank to Warburg. Broglie sent Fischer’s light troops to Warburg to seize the town and its bridges. Fischer occupied Warburg and posted troops on a hill east of the town called the Desenberg.
Ferdinand’s subordinates, Spörcken and Bülow hurried forward and seized the Diemel crossings at Liebenau and Trendelburg. Bülow’s British Legion hussars moved west and drove Fisher’s light troops off the Desenberg.
The Erbprinz and Spörcken concentrated at Köbecke to attack du Muy who had occupied a position to the North West of Wargrave parallel with the Diemel River.
The Erbprinz had 22 squadrons of cavalry (including the British Royal Dragoons and 7th Dragoons), 23 battalions of infantry (including 2 battalions of British Grenadiers and the 87th and 88th Highlanders) and 26 heavy guns. Du Muy had 31 squadrons, 28 battalions and 24 heavy guns.
On 30 July 1760, aware of the precariousness of his troops on the far side of the Diemel if Du Muy were reinforced, Ferdinand struck camp and marched for the river crossings.
Meanwhile the Erbprinz reconnoitred du Muy’s position and resolved to attack his force with a wide right flanking move in two columns.
Bülow’s British Legion occupied the Desenberg and demonstrated against du Muy’s front to keep him occupied while the rest of the Erbprinz’s troops executed a night march into its attack positions. The column commanded by Hardenberg would take a hill behind the French left flank called Hein Berg, topped by a tower, while Zastrow’s column, moving inside him, would attack the end of the French line. Ferdinand directed that the Erbprinz’s assault was not to begin until his main army had begun to cross the Diemel and could provide support.
31 July 1760 dawned with a heavy mist preceding a hot day. At 7am Ferdinand, now present in the forward area, ordered the attack.
The battle began with the French capture of the Desenberg. Severely hampered by the mist, du Muy after some 2 hours made out Ferdinand’s army approaching from the Diemel crossing at Liebenau towards his right front.
Du Muy ordered his troops to form along the ridge behind which they had encamped.
Meanwhile the Erbprinz’s two columns were advancing through the mist behind du Muy’s left flank. At around midday the right column of British Grenadiers, Highlanders and 2 battalions of Hanoverian Grenadiers took the Hein Berg. Taken completely by surprise, Du Muy reacted with a heavy counter attack. Soon afterwards the Erbprinz’s left column launched its assault, taking the French in the rear and over running their guns. After heavy fighting the French line crumbled and was driven off the ridge by a charge from the British Royal Dragoons.
Du Muy’s 31 squadrons of cavalry on the right of his line had not been engaged, when they were attacked by a force of cavalry from their front. The Marquess of Granby and his British cavalry regiments had crossed the Diemel at Liebenau with Prince Ferdinand’s main army and force marched to reach the battle in time to support the Erbprinz. The infantry had been left toiling up behind them. The British regiments’ ferocious charge on the French cavalry caught them in the process of retiring, inflicted considerable loss and drove them across the river with the rest of du Muy’s force.
Granby pursued the French cavalry across the river but was forced to retire by the arrival of substantial reinforcements sent by Broglie.
