Battle of Rocroi

The battles of Rocroi took place the May 19th 1643 within the framework of the Guerre Thirty Year old, opposing the armies of the king of France under the orders of Louis de Bourbon, Duc of Enghien (the future Grand Cop ) and those of the Spain ordered by Francisco of Mello.

Tally

As the previous year the Spanish army of Flandres decides to invade the north of France to help its colleague in Catalogne and to reduce the threat of an invasion of the Franche-Comté. It puts the seat in front of the Fortified town of Rocroi, which has a garrison from 400 to 500 men, and who keeps the road of Oise. The French Army reacts quickly and is spread as of on May 18th in a field in the south-west of the fortress and begins skirmishes. The Spaniards and their allies, ordered by Francisco of Mello, are placed, with share a detachment to block very left besieged, opposite in a training in massive squares. With: 17000 infantrymen: 6000 riders and 12 guns they oblige the duke of Enghien which has troops slightly fewer to fight battle before the arrival of the reinforcements of: 1000 riders and: 3000 infantrymen.

Involved forces

Army of Flandres (Spain)

5 Tercio S viejos Spanish
3 tercios Italian
5 Walloon regiments
5 German regiments
2 Burgundian regiments

French Army

12 French regiments
2 Swiss regiments
1 Scottish regiment

Battle

At the time of the attack of the Spaniards, the French Army is joined together on the Sum. The young Duke of Enghien, which does not have whereas twenty-two years, follows the movements of the Spaniards with all possible celerity and launches intrepid the Gassion, ordering light horsemen. With the head of fifteen hundred riders this one succeeds in throwing some soldiers in Rocroi then on May 17th, joined Enghien with Bossu, with four miles of the besieged city. The same day the duke receives the news of dead of Louis XIII. He keeps secret the news for fear the marshal of Hospital, placed close to him for the adviser, does not delay the attack.

The following day, the army avace with one mile of the enemy camp. The battle is not easy to engage: Rocroi is located at the entry of the Ardennes, on a plate which at the time present the aspect of a vast clearing, all shares surrounded by wood and marsh. It is a true closed field at which one arrives by processions easy to defend. Don Franscisco of Mello had been able all at the same time to continue its seat and to bar the passage to the French. But knowing itself higher forces some, it wants the battle as much as Enghien. It lets the French emerge in the plain and survey the seat to await the shock.

The Spanish artillery opens fire. Enghien wants to answer it while attacking at once, but a wrong movement of one of its lieutenants, Ferté-Senneterre, which draws aside the left wing of the remainder of the army obliges to give the battle to the following day. The evening comes by the way for the French who suffer cruelly from enemy, better posted and better been useful artillery. Sirot, one of the chiefs of the French Army, ensures that the evening, the Spaniards put two thousand men out of combat.

The night, Enghien apprent that the enemy awaits a reinforcement of almost four thousand men led by the general Jean de Beck. It presses its provisions and the morning of 19, at dawn, the French put themselves moving. Enghien takes the line with Gassion. At the left wing the marshal of Hospital places itself. In the center is the large one of the infantry and artillery under the orders of D' Espenan; behind the reserve ordered by the baron of Sirot is.

The left wing of the Spaniards, vis-a-vis Enghien, is ordered by the duke of Albuquerque. Furnished with thousand musketeers, it is safe from glazing bar. Enghien collapses these riflemen and goes, while turning to the left of wood, to tackle Albuquerque face that Gassion in its turn prent in side by circumventing wood in opposite direction. Albuquerque is collapsed with the first shock. Then, by very beautiful and very erudite operation, Enghien and Gassion separate: Gassion continues Albuquerque while Enghien made half-turn, thrown on the left on the enemy center and inserts the enemy infantry.

During this time, the other end of the battle field offers a very contrary spectacle: Don Francisco of Mello inserted the marshal of Hospital; Ferté-Senneterre was wounded and taken. The cavalry is in full rout. Mello attacks the infantry of Espenan, removes part of the guns and is stopped only by the Sirot brave man and his body of reserve.

In this moment the exit of the battle is undecided and the chances seem about equal. Enghien, arrived at the center of the enemy line sees what occurs. It gives up the combat, passes behind the Spanish infantrymen and will charge in tail the cavalry with the right wing and the reserve enemy, while Gassion completes to disperse the Spanish left.

The victory was then certain but still incomplete: in the center of this plain strewn with died and traversed in all directions by the runaways, a big battalion remains motionless in the center of the enemy line. They are the natural Spaniards , the hard core of this army. They are four thousand five hundred old soldiers of all nationalities, under the orders of a general anchylosed octogenarian of pains but of an untameable energy, the Count de Fontaines which is made carry in litter to the head of its troops. Enghien collects what remains to him of cavalry but at the time when it melts on the Spanish infantry, the battalion opens and eighteen guns vomit the grapeshot on the French. The cavalry moves back in disorder: three Enghien times bring back it to the load and three times the attack are pushed back on the Spanish spades.

However the reserve of Sirot arrived with French artillery. On its side Gassion returns from the continuation of Beck. The Spaniards are encircled and the count of Fontaines has just been thrown dead with bottom of his stretcher. Spanish officers ask for district. Enghien approaches the high sword then but enemy soldiers believer whom it will charge again make fire. Cries of treason burst around the duke. Then the cavalry of Gassion on the one hand and the reserve of Sirot are ruent on the Spaniards who are finally shaken then collapsed.

Losses

The historians of the time estimate that the major part of the enemy cavalry succeeds in being run away. On the other hand the infantry was almost very taken. There were at least seven thousand died including two thousand French without admittedly counting deaths of the day before and as many Spanish prisoners. Two thousand peasants of the Ardennes, embusqués in the processions, contributed much to this carnage while striking the runaways.

With the Spaniards the best Italian and Walloon regiments had been destroyed. The Spanish armies could never recover from this terrible blow: the moral effect was more fatal to them than the material loss already so difficult to repair. The military reputation of superiority that the Spaniards had passed to the French definitely.

Partial sources

French history, since the times most moved back until 1789 - Per Henri Martin

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