Battle of Ekeren
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Battle of Ekeren | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the War of the Spanish Succession | |||||||
|
|||||||
| Combatants | |||||||
| Dutch Republic | France Spain |
||||||
| Commanders | |||||||
| General Obdam General Slangenburg |
Duc de Boufflers Duc de Villeroi |
||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 10,000 | 40,000 | ||||||
| Casualties | |||||||
| 3,400 | 1,750 | ||||||
| War of the Spanish Succession |
|---|
| Carpi – Chieri – Cremona – Luzzara – Cádiz – Friedlingen – Vigo Bay – Ekeren – Höchstädt – Schellenberg – Blenheim – Málaga – Cassano – Calcinato – Elixheim – Ramillies – Turin – Almansa – Toulon – Oudenarde – Lille – Malplaquet – Saragossa – Almenara – Brihuega – Villaviciosa – Bouchain – Denain – Barcelona |
The Battle of Ekeren, June 30, 1703 was a battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. The French surrounded a Dutch force, which could only just avoid total destruction. This battle ended all hopes for a decisive allied victory in the Spanish Netherlands in 1703.
Contents |
[edit] Prelude
After taking Bonn on May 15, Marlborough now wanted to conquer Ostend, Antwerp, or force the French to an open battle. He ordered the Dutch General Coehoorn to march to Ostend and lay siege to it. Dutch general Van Sparre would march south west of Antwerp, Dutch General Obdam would march south from Bergen op Zoom, and Marlborough himself would march on Lier.
Like the year before, the United Provinces were not keen to engage the French in an open battle, nor to open the ports of Antwerp and Ostend to English commerce and thus competition to Dutch trade. Therefor they Coehoorn didn't besiege Ostend, but plundered the country side between Ostend and Antwerp. Obdam marched on June 28 from Bergen op Zoom to Antwerp, arriving the next day at Ekeren, 7 km from Antwerp.
Villeroi wasn't misled by Marlborough's diversionary manoeuver, and sent all his troops from Diest to Antwerp.
Then Marlborough tried to warn Obdam and ordered a withdrawal to Lillo, but Obdam reacted too slowly.
[edit] The Battle
Early in the morning of June 30 , French dragoons marched from Merksem and Ekeren in the direction of Kapellen to cut of the escape route near Hoevenen for the Dutch back to Breda and Bergen-op-Zoom.
The Marquis of Bedmar and his Spanish troops were positioned near Wilmarsdonk.
The Dutch were surrounded on all sides.
Soon Dutch reconnaissance discovered the French dragoons and Obdam immediately sent his cavalry to Hoevenen, but it was too late, the village was packed with French troops.
An attempt to conquer neighboring Muisbroek also failed.
Then the French attacked and Obdam tried to conquer Oorderen, which succeeded for just a short time, before the French retook the village.
The fighting went on all day. By eight o'clock there was no more sign of Obdam, and Slangenburg decided to attempt an ultimate attack on Oorderen, this time by a surprise bayonet charge led by Friesheim. Friesheim sent his men wading through the water, appearing where the French hadn't expected them.
This conquest enabled the remaining Dutch troops to escape in the darkness towards the Netherlands.
[edit] Aftermath
The battle was a clear victory for the French, but Boufflers wasn't congratulated at all, he was blamed to let the chance of a total victory slip through his fingers.
Obdam wasn't killed at all, he escaped south in the afternoon with 30 horsemen, disguising themselfs as Frenchmen. When he arrived in the Netherlands he wrote a letter admiting the total destruction of his army.
It needs no further explaining that Obdam's behavior wasn't forgiven and that his military career was finished after this battle.
Slangenburg for his part, was acclaimed Dutch hero.
Slangenburg was furious on Marlborough for being outmanoeuvered by the French or not coming to their aid.
The Dutch lost 1,717 killed, 1,003 wounded and 694 prisoners or missing.
The French and Spaniards lost 1,750 men.
[edit] Trivia
A large part of the battlefield, including the villages of Oorderen, Wilmarsdonk and Lillo , has disappeared under the Port of Antwerp expansion in the 1960's.
