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Military art prints of the Battle of Fontenoy
by leading military artists, published by Cranston Fine Arts, the military
print company.
At
the battle of Fontenoy, "the bloody battle", on May 11th 1745,
the Life Guards as well as the Blues, earned great distinction. It was
solely due to them that the English army was not thoroughly well cut up.
The idea of the battle mediaeval in its simplicity, was direct attack all
along the line. Had it not been for the splendid service rendered by the
cavalry under that right gallant officer, the Earl of Crawford, very few
of the allied army would have been left to tell the terrible tale. The
Dutch found the battle little to their liking, and lost no time in running
away, leaving the British and Hanovarians to fight it out. In the
beginning it was an infantry fight on the British side. The cavalry, owing
to the ruggedness of the road, had been left in the rear, while the foot
soldiers, with some pieces, made up one dense irresistible column some
16,000 strong. They advanced through a narrow passage between the
fortified village of Fontenoy, and some woods and went straight at the
French centre. Regiment after regiment charged them; still they advanced.
The massiveness of this splendid onset carried all before it, and it
seemed as though the day was won. But the French Marshal, Saxe, made one
last despairing effort. The whole of his reserves, consisting of the
Household troops of the French King, and the Irish Brigade (consisting of
several regiments of Irish catholics driven from their country by the
Revolution), were ordered to advance. This terrific charge of absolutely
fresh troops succeeded - the British column was arrested, shattered and
all but dissolved. It was then that the cavalry brigade came to the rescue
of their defeated comrades. Crawford
appears to have been a born soldier. He had knocked about all over Europe,
fighting first for one cause and then for another. He served as a
volunteer under Prince Eugene in 1735, and fought for the Russians in
their campaign against the Turks three years later. He was by all
accounts, an admirable Crichton and was looked upon as one of the most
accomplished men of the age. Not only did he excel in the art of war and
leading men but he was a "fine shooter, masterly fencer, elegant
dancer, and expert rider." He occupied his spare time in compiling a
most elaborate volume of memoirs, containing his reflections upon the
different campaigns in which he had been engaged. He was terribly
indignant about the retreat at Fontenoy, which he says in his book, was
caused by " A damned drum beating a retreat!" He could never
find out who gave the order. The Household Cavalry held the enemy in check
at the end of the day until the retreat was fully assured. When Crawford
saw the troops retiring he addressed his Life Guards:- "Gentlemen,
mind the word of command and you shall gain immortal honour." There
was not much doubt what word of command he most frequently used, for this
mere handful of stalwart troops charged again and again, and with such
effect that they absolutely "held" the entire French army, and
so ensured the safety of their own. When the retreat was covered, Crawford
saluted his troops by pulling off his hat and thanked them. "You have
acquired as much honour covering so great a retreat as if you had gained
the battle!". One troop faced
the music and took the French fire at thirty yards without flinching,
seeing which one of the troopers remarked to Crawford's intense delight:-
"For what we are about to receive the Lord make us thankful!"
Said the Earl: "I consider the French will be thankful to get out of
what they are about to receive! Gentlemen, prepare to charge!" And
they charged. (Excerpt from the Army and Navy Gazette 1896 by Bacon)
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Battle of Fontenoy by Edouard Detaille.
Battle of Fontenoy during the war of Austrian Succession. French victory under Marshal Maurice De Saxe over the allies (British, Dutch and German under the Duke of Cumberland), 11th May 1745. Fontenoy, 5 miles south east of Tournai (Tolnay), the battle which started with a Dutch assault and British and Hanovarian infantry advance against the French centre during the battle a sudden attack by an Irish Brigade under French command, attacked the allied forces. The allied square was broken but the British, Hanovarian and Dutch forces retreated in good order.
Open edition print. Image size 12 inches x 8 inches (31cm x 20cm). Price £14.00
ITEM CODE VAR0123
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Battle of Fontenoy by Horace Vernet.
Battle of Fontenoy during the war of Austrian Succession. French victory under Marshal Maurice De Saxe over the allies (British, Dutch and German under the Duke of Cumberland) 11th May 1745. Fontenoy, 5 miles south east of Tournai (Tolnay) the battle which started with a Dutch assault and British and Hanovarian infantry advance against the French centre during the battle a sudden attack by an Irish Brigade under French command, attacked the allied forces. The allied square was broken but the British, Hanovarian and Dutch forces retreated in good order.
Open edition print. Image size 12 inches x 7 inches (31cm x 18cm). Price £14.00
Limited edition of 200 giclee canvas prints. Image size 40 inches x 28 inches (102cm x 71cm). Price £590.00
Limited edition of 200 giclee canvas prints. Image size 30 inches x 20 inches (76cm x 51cm). Price £390.00
ITEM CODE VAR0375
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The Battle of Fontenoy by Felix Philippoteaux.
Open edition print. Image size 30 inches x 19 inches (76cm x 48cm). Price £51.00
Open edition print. Image size 21 inches x 13 inches (53cm x 33cm). Price £43.00
**Open edition print. (One copy reduced to clear) Image size 30 inches x 19 inches (76cm x 48cm). Price £18.00
ITEM CODE DHM0074
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Battle of Fontenoy by E Detaille
Battle of Fontenoy during the war of Austrian Succession. French
victory under Marshal Maurice De Saxe over the allies (British, Dutch and
German under the Duke of Cumberland), 11th May 1745. Fontenoy, 5 miles
south east of Tournai (Tolnay), the battle which started with a Dutch
assault and British and Hanovarian infantry advance against the French
centre during the battle a sudden attack by an Irish Brigade under French
command, attacked the allied forces. The allied square was broken but the
British, Hanovarian and Dutch forces retreated in good order.
Battle of Fontenoy by H Vernet Battle of Fontenoy during the war of Austrian Succession. French
victory under Marshal Maurice De Saxe over the allies (British, Dutch and
German under the Duke of Cumberland), 11th May 1745. Fontenoy, 5 miles
south east of Tournai (Tolnay), the battle which started with a Dutch
assault and British and Hanovarian infantry advance against the French
centre during the battle a sudden attack by an Irish Brigade under French
command, attacked the allied forces. The allied square was broken but the
British, Hanovarian and Dutch forces retreated in good order.
The Battle of Fontenoy by Felix Philippoteaux
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The Grenadier Guards at the battle of Fontenoy
They played a glorious part in the lost battle
of Fontenoy, two years later, where the Duke of Cumberland, their colonel,
commanding the allied forces; measured his strength with Marshal Saxe, who
was then besieging Tournay. The First Guards were on the right of the
centre, in the first line, when the Duke, furious at the failure on both
wings, ordered the masses of troops to attack. The infantry dashed forward
between the village and the redoubt, and as the British Guards advanced
over a low ridge, and saw the French Guards before them, a scene occurred
which has become legendary in military history. "Messieurs les
Anglais, tirez les premiers!" is a phrase that bespeaks the old
fashioned chivalry with which foemen worthy of each other's steel loved to
treat one another. The story of what occurred is variously given. "
The officers of the English Guards," says Voltaire, "when in
the presence of the enemy, saluted the French by taking off their
hats. The Comte de Chabannes, and the Duc de Biron, who were in advance
returned the salute, as did all the officers of the French Guards. Lord Charles
Hay, captain of the English Guards cried: 'Gentlemen of the French Guards,
fire!' The Count D'Anteroche, lieutenant of grenadiers, replied in a loud
voice: 'Gentlemen, we never fire first; we will follow you.' "
Nineteen officers and many men of the French Guards are said to have
fallen at the first discharge, while the losses on our side were very
heavy; but, as the English pushed on, the enemy were borne back, and in
the face of a terrific fire, the Guards drove them into their camp. Here,
exposed to the tremendous reverse fire of the redoubt of Eu, the Guards
according to Rousseau, formed themselves into a kind of square, and
resisted repeated attacks of the cavalry of the French guard and
Carabineers. But unsupported and decimated by the withering hail of iron
that assailed them, attacked by fresh troops and the Irish brigades of
Clare and Dillon, beset as in a fiery furnace, the Guards at length began
to retire. They did so in perfect order; but the First Guards left 4
officers, 3 sergeants and 82 men dead on the field, besides having 149
wounded in all. It was a defeat due to bad generalship and want of
cohesion among allies, but its sanguinary episodes added new lustre to the
great fame of the Guards. " There are things, " says Marshal
Saxe, - or some say his friend General D'Heronville, in his Trait des
Legions - "which all of us have seen, but of which our pride makes us
silent because we well know we cannot imitate them."
(Excerpt from the Navy and Army Gazette November 20th 1896 by John
Leyland)
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