The Battle of Seneffe - Sources - Part 1 - William of Orange's Account
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| Willem III, Prinz van Oranje en Stadhauder, c. 1677 |
I have been searching for every source I can find about the Battle of Seneffe with the ultimate goal of producing a complete Order of Battle for both armies. In reading William Pull's recent biography of William III's early life, I noticed a reference to William's letters to the States General, giving his account of the battle, from Correspondentie van Willem III en Portland (II, 1, pages 460-62, 463-67). I found this work hosted online by the Huygens Instituut, and a reference and link to that will be provided below. And here I provide an English translation of those letters, provided by ChatGPT. I do not know Dutch to any level of proficiency, so I cannot speak to the accuracy of the translation, but the quality of the translation seems fairly good to me.
To the Committee of Secret Affairs, 14th August 1674
Noble and Honorable Gentlemen, esteemed friends,
Due to the numerous engagements that have occurred since our last encounter with the enemy, we have not been able to inform Your Honorable Lordships about them until now. However, we have sent a brief report to Her Highness, requesting that you be made aware of the situation. Nevertheless, you will receive a more detailed account from a relevant source that we have compiled.
For the present, we can only state that on the 11th of this month, in the morning, we marched from Seneffe with the intention of camping between Mariemont and Binch. We were only a short distance from the army of Prince of Condé. To secure our march, we left a detachment of four thousand horses and some dragoons, comprising troops from the Empire, Spain, and our own forces. The Imperial troops formed the vanguard, the State's troops the center, and the Spanish troops the rearguard. As we continued our march, the Lord Prince of Vaudemont, commanding the detachment, reported that the enemy had appeared with a few troops and was acting strangely. He requested two battalions of infantry to be sent to him, as the cavalry could not act effectively in the broken terrain and tight space. We decided to send three battalions instead of two. They were stationed in the village of Seneffe on the side of a river to obstruct the enemy's passage.
Shortly after, the enemy approached. Since all armies had already passed, we ordered the detachment (positioned on the other side of the river) to cross over to this side. The enemy attacked with infantry, dragoons, and cavalry, targeting the troops posted at the water's edge. Despite their valiant defense, the enemy managed to cross the river at a different location from our infantry. The detachment of our cavalry, positioned closely behind our infantry due to the narrowness of the place, noticed the enemy's maneuver and promptly made our infantry continue their march. Once that was done, the enemy fiercely attacked our left side. Although we intended to charge them immediately before they could form an organized defense, it was impossible due to the hollow road between us.
Meanwhile, to prevent the detachment of our army, which had already advanced considerably, from being cut off or attacked from the flank, we ordered them to march in that direction. Seeing this, the enemy rapidly retreated and then launched an attack. Some of our squadrons, firing a volley, immediately fell into confusion and fled to the Spanish cavalry positioned on a hill, over which our infantry was marching. There they rallied, some with the Spanish cavalry and others with our infantry on the hill. The infantry bravely held their ground and continued to fight, despite the great efforts of the enemy, until the Spanish cavalry and some troops from the aforementioned detachment, which had marched through the broken land, charged them and caused some disorder. The rest of our infantry, which comprised the majority, remained on one side of the hill alongside the Imperial infantry, which had meanwhile arrived, despite the enemy's heavy attack, as he could only bring his troops simultaneously through the broken land.
The battle there was very intense and lasted until midnight. The enemy could not gain an inch of ground and was forced to retreat two hours before dawn to his previous quarters. We marched back to our encampment an hour or two later, so it can truthfully be said that we held the field longer than the enemy. The loss of officers and soldiers on both sides has been exceptionally great, as you will be able to see from the list, which we will send you later, along with further details of this battle.
The only advantage the enemy had over us was seizing our baggage, which unfortunately occurred when it was exposed by the withdrawal of the detachment. He did not capture any of our artillery, only the pontoons that were brought for building bridges were burned and ruined. However, the enemy did capture a small piece of Imperial artillery, and we both captured some standards and banners from each other.
We cannot refrain from praising the infantry of the state, who performed exceedingly well and with extraordinary bravery. Our intention is to stay here for a few days to rest and reorganize the troops. We will not fail to inform Your Honorable Lordship of any further developments that may occur, and we hereby – – – –To the Committee of Secret Affairs, 18th August 1674
Noble and Honorable Gentlemen, esteemed friends,
In keeping with our promise to provide Your Noble Lordships with a more detailed account of what occurred in the recent battle with the enemy, beyond what was previously conveyed to you, we shall now relate the following:
On the 11th of this month, we departed with the allied armies from Seneffe, intending to camp between Marimont and Binch. While passing at a short distance from the army of the Prince of Condé, it was decided to send a detachment to the rearguard, consisting of 4,000 cavalry and some dragoons, comprising troops from the Imperial and Spanish forces as well as those from the State. During the march, the Imperial forces led the vanguard, the State forces held the center, and the Spanish troops formed the rearguard.
After marching for some hours, the Lord Prince of Vaudemont, who commanded the detachment, informed us that the enemy had appeared with some troops and had begun skirmishing with his own forces. He requested that two battalions of infantry be sent to him since the place where he was located was very narrow and the terrain rugged, which hindered the proper maneuvering of his cavalry. Accordingly, it was deemed necessary to send him three battalions instead of the two he requested. The regiments of Lord Prince Mauritz, the Field Marshal, and the young Prince, his nephew[1], were detached and together formed the three battalions under the command of the latter. They were immediately positioned on one side of Seneffe in a sort of wooded area, ahead of the cavalry.
As all the armies had already defiled outside the camp, it was necessary for the detachment, which was on the other side of the small river running by Senef, to cross back over to our side. The three battalions of infantry, which had been earlier positioned in the woodland, were placed at the bridge. The enemy immediately attacked them with infantry, dragoons, and cavalry, and they put up a strong resistance. However, while they were holding that position, the enemy crossed the river at a higher point.
At the same time, the cavalry of the detachment was positioned behind the infantry, near enough to support them. But as they were cramped for space, standing almost on top of each other, the enemy managed to flank them from the other side. It was then decided to withdraw the infantry, but as they did so, the enemy advanced very strongly towards the detachment and began to form their squadrons and have their infantry pass along the hedges. We resolved to immediately charge them before they could fully organize themselves, but due to the terrain being uneven between us, we found it impossible to execute. Meanwhile, fearing that the detachment might be cut off or flanked, we ordered them to march to the right to join the rest of the army. The enemy, seeing this, quickly changed direction to avoid the aforementioned hollow road and advanced rapidly to charge the detachment.
The Lord Prince of Vaudemont had no time other than to have three squadrons under his command turn to face the advancing enemy. Of these squadrons, one was from his regiment, commanded by his sergeant-major, and the other two were from the regiments of Holstein and Langerack, commanded by their respective colonels, who lost all three of their commanders and a large portion of their officers in the engagement. An attempt was made to have four other squadrons come to support the first ones, but it was only possible to turn two of them. However, these two squadrons could not be launched into a charge, and they, along with the rest, took flight. Despite the efforts and endeavors of Prince Vaudemont to halt their retreat, all of them fled. Nevertheless, the aforementioned Lord Prince demonstrated extraordinary courage and valor during that occasion.
As this group of soldiers fled, they only found some refuge near a portion of the Spanish cavalry, which stood under a small hill between them and the village of Fey. Some of them rallied with the said cavalry, commanded by the Duke of Villahermosa, their general, who advanced at the head of his company against the enemy and did everything that could be expected from a person of his merits and qualities in such disorderly circumstances.
The rest of the detachment rallied with a part of the State infantry, which stood on the aforementioned hill. This infantry consisted of the regiments of the brigade of Weede[2], except for two battalions that were guarding the baggage. Meanwhile, the pursuing enemy attacked both the Spanish and the detachment's cavalry that had rallied with them. The Marquis of Assentar, who was present there, requested four battalions of infantry that were stationed on the hill to support the aforementioned cavalry. His request was granted, and the regiments of Aylva and Schwartsenberg, along with a battalion from the Thouars regiment, were detached and positioned between the cavalry and the hill.
Meanwhile, the enemy advanced a large group of infantry through hedges and ditches, causing the cavalry to become disorganized. During the fight the Marquis of Assentar attempted to inspire the squadrons that hesitated, urging them to stand their ground and repulse the enemy. Fighting with extraordinary courage, he received seven wounds and succumbed to them. As a result, the cavalry, now disorganized, did the same to the four battalions that had been sent to support them. Then all of them defected together, along with the foot soldiers who had remained on the hill, holding their ground there.
The Count of Waldeck, being present there, did everything possible to prevent the disorder of the infantry, but unable to rectify the situation, he took a squadron of cavalry that had recently rallied there, intending to charge the enemy in the flank before they could form a proper defense. However, he was not followed as he had hoped, and finding himself alone among the enemy, he received three wounds and eventually withdrew without being captured, after successfully dispatching two of the enemy who had attacked him. Despite being wounded and covered in blood, he rejoined the main body of the army with great difficulty, as he could no longer maintain himself on horseback due to his injuries.
In the same situation, Lieutenant-General Alva also distinguished himself. The rest of the State's infantry, comprising the brigades of Heeswijck[3], Erpach[4], and La Villaumaire[5], along with Prince Maurits[6], the Rhinegrave[7], and Sergeant-General-Major Vahne[8], were stationed on a height on the other side of the village of Fey. Almost simultaneously, the Imperial infantry arrived at the same location. It can be said to their credit that they withstood the enemy's assault with extraordinary steadfastness, and both their officers and soldiers performed admirably in their duties.
The enemy attempted to move towards the left, but some battalions were detached to confront them. Monsieur de Chavaignac, who was there with a group of Imperial cavalry, repelled them with all the force one can imagine and held the position where he had brought four pieces of artillery, which caused significant damage to the enemy.[9]
On the right-hand side, the enemy encountered no less resistance, and their success was as limited as before, except that around seven in the evening, they pushed against two battalions of infantry stationed in a remote camp. The enemy quickly overran the squadrons supporting those battalions, but they were promptly halted by the Count of Nassau, who performed an outstanding service in this situation with both skill and bravery, preventing further disorder.
The Lord Prince Mauritz acted there with a boldness beyond his years, and despite having recently recovered from a severe illness that had greatly weakened him and not fully regained his strength, he did not refrain from performing all the duties of his position throughout the entire battle, showing no hesitation even among the youngest soldiers. The Lord Rhinegrave also distinguished himself among all others, and it is truthful to say that a significant part of the success in this battle must be attributed to his courage and good leadership. He was well-supported by the Count of Erpach, who was eventually compelled to retreat due to a wound in his thigh, preventing him from continuing in service.
The Sergeant-Major General Vahne and Monsieur de La Villaumaire were mortally wounded there after fighting bravely and rendering excellent service, both displaying great valor.
Among the Imperial troops, the Count of Souches displayed outstanding proofs of courage and bravery, as he has done on many other occasions. The Prince of Lorraine also distinguished himself significantly but eventually became incapacitated to serve further due to a head wound, the same fate that Prince Pio suffered with a thigh wound. The vigorous resistance put up by Marquis de Grana, with his battalion at the front of the village, contributed considerably to the successful outcome of the battle, as well as the steadfastness of the battalions from the regiment of Souches, with the count's sons leading them.
After twelve hours of fighting and a great number of dead and wounded on both sides, the enemy eventually retreated to their own camp. Two hours later, we also withdrew to the designated campsite we had chosen before the battle. The only advantage the enemy had in this action against us was capturing a portion of the baggage. This occurred because the Count of Souches, despite resolving the evening before not to decamp until the baggage had safely defiled, hastened his march and could not decide to wait for it, resulting in the aforementioned baggage being insufficiently escorted and thus falling into misfortune.
We are not yet able to provide a precise list of the dead and prisoners on our side to Your Noble Lordships, but we shall communicate it to you as soon as possible. In the meantime, we remain – – – –
Notes
[2] Comprising regiments Aylva, Schwartsenberg, Fariaux, Amama, Cassiopijn, Weede, Thouars, Marnout (Mugnai, 1, pg. 215).
[3] Comprising regiments Heeswijk, Waldeck, Marion, Brantswart, Palm, Sedlenitsky, Burmania, Polents, and Holstein (Mugnai, 1, pg. 216).
[4] Comprising regiments Hockinga, Erbach, Veersen, Eybergen, Amerongen, Velpet, Leendorp, and Courval (ibid.).
[5] I cannot find that Villamair commanded any brigade in the Dutch army, but his regiment was part of a brigade commanded by Major-General van Solms, comprising regiments Gardes te voet, Villamair, Limburg-Bronkhurst, Graaf Mauritz, Torck, Salm, Prinz Mauritz, Birkenfeld, and Stockheim (Mugnai, 1, pg. 215).
[6] Probably referring to the regiment, but possibly the Prince himself or the right wing of the army, which he commanded (Mugnai, 1, pg. 214).
[7]
Referring to regiment Salm, part of Solms’ Brigade, comprising regiments Gardes te voet, Villamair, Limburg-Bronkhurst, Graaf Mauritz, Torck,
Salm, Prinz Mauritz, Birkenfeld, and Stockheim (Mugnai, 1, pg. 215). See also note 5.
[8] Sir Walter Vane (d. 1674), commanding the Anglo-Scots Brigade, comprising six regiments, three largly English, Lillingston, Disney, Clare, the later of whom was an Irishman, and three largely Scottish, Graham, Mackay, and Collier (or Colyear) (Childs, pg. 172, see also Ede-Borrett, pg. 278-79).
[9] See Beschreibung der Schlact (forthcoming).
Works Cited
Childs, John. The Army of Charles II. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1976.
Correspondentie van Willem III en van Hans Willem Bentinck. 'S-Gravenhage: Martinus Nijhoff, 1927. https://resources.huygens.knaw.nl/retroboeken/willemiii/#page=0&accessor=toc&view=imagePane
Mugnai, Bruno. Wars and Soldiers in the Early Reign of Louis XIV. Warwick: Helion & Co., 2019-present.
Volume 1: The Army of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, 1660–1687.
Volume 2: The Imperial Army 1657–1687.
Soli Deo Gloria!
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