Battle of Ekeren

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Battle of Ekeren
Part of the War of the Spanish Succession
Date June 30, 1703 Location Ekeren, Antwerp, present-day Belgium Result French victory
Belligerents
Dutch Republic	Kingdom of France Kingdom of Spain
Commanders
General Obdam General Slangenburg	Duc de Boufflers Duc de Villeroi
Strength
10,000	40,000
Casualties and losses
3,400	1,750

The Battle of Ekeren, June 30, 1703 was a battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. The French surrounded a Dutch force, which barely avoided complete destruction. This battle ended all hopes for a decisive allied victory in the Spanish Netherlands in 1703.

[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.

As in 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 permitting their competition to Dutch trade. Therefore, Coehoorn did not 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, seven kilometres from Antwerp.

Villeroi was not misled by Marlborough's diversionary manoeuver, and sent all his troops from Diest to Antwerp to protect it. Marlborough, hearing of this, 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 off the escape route near Hoevenen for the Dutch to return to Breda and Bergen-op-Zoom. The Marquis of Bedmar and his Spanish troops were positioned near Wilmarsdonk. This ensured that the Dutch forces 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 take Oorderen, an attack which was briefly successful before the French retook the village.

The fighting went on for the entire day day. By eight o'clock there was no more sign of Obdam, and Slangenburg decided to attempt an 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 had not expected them to. This action enabled the remaining Dutch troops to escape in the darkness towards the Netherlands.

[edit] Aftermath

The battle was a victory for the French, but Boufflers wasn't congratulated at all, he was blamed for letting the chance of a total victory slip through his fingers.

Obdam survived and escaped south in the afternoon with thirty horsemen, disguising themselves as Frenchmen. When he arrived in the Netherlands, he wrote a letter admitting the total destruction of his army. His behaviour was not forgiven by the Dutch military, and his military career was destroyed.

Slangenburg, for his part, was acclaimed as a Dutch hero. He was also furious at Marlborough for being outmanoeuvered by the French and not coming to their aid.

The Dutch lost 1,717 killed, 1,003 wounded, and 694 who were prisoners of war or were missing.
The French and Spaniards lost 1,750 men.

[edit] Modern Location

A large part of the battlefield, including the villages of Oorderen, Wilmarsdonk and Lillo , has disappeared under the Port of Antwerp expansion in the 1960s.

[edit] External links

• Detailed description of the battle (in Dutch)