Battle of Schellenberg

The battles of Schellenberg or battles of Donauworth took place the July 2nd 1704, during the War of succession of Spain.

Be a prelude to

In 1703, the marshal of Villars had advised with Maximilien-Emmanuel of Bavaria, voter of Bavaria to strengthen its cities “ and especially Schellenberg, this fort above Donauwörth, whose large Gustavus taught us the importance. ”. In spite of this council, the voter of Bavaria, whose relationship with Villars was since ranges, neglected to repair and reinforce defenses on the heights of Schellenberg.

When Maximilien-Emmanuel realizes that Donauworth was going to be attacked, it charges an officer with Piedmont board, Jean-Baptiste d' Arco, to reinforce defenses of the city and to hold Schellenberg.

The night of the 1 {{er}} with the July 2nd, the allied camp in Amerdingen, 14 miles of Donauworth, when Marlborough receives a message pressing of the prince Eugene of Savoy informing that the marshal of Tallard walk with 35.000 men through the Black Forest to reinforce the marshal of Marsin and the voter of Bavaria on the the Danube. This news persuades Marlborough which it is unutil to consider a seat prolonged and in spite of the protests of the margrave de Bade, asserting that a direct attack would do many victims, the duke plans the attack of the position immediately.

Knowing the enemy with Armerdingen, the general of Arco east concsient that there remains to him only one day full and night to prepare his defenses. At the first hours of the July 2nd, the allied army starts to raise the camp to go on Donauworth.

Involved forces

Marlborough personally supervises the constitution of a first force of attack of 5.850 pomegranates, taking approximately 130 soldiers in each battalion placed under its command. This force, with 32 squadrons of support, is ordered by the Dutch general Johan Wigand van Goor. A second wave of attack made up of 8 British battalions, Dutch, hanovrien and hessois, is ordered by Henry Lumley and of the 35 squadrons of cavalry and British dragons and Dutch of the count Reynard van Hompesch. The margrave de Bade walk at less constant intervals behind the avant-garde of Marlborough, with its unit.

of Arco and its second Francesco Scipione, marquis de Maffei saw themselves entrusting 12.000 men of the Free-Bavarian camp of Dillingen. Majority coming from best the Bavarian units, of which guard and the regiment of the prince voter, carried out by officers veterans. On the whole, the garrison defending Schellenberg included/understood 16 Bavarian battalions and 7 French battalions of infantry, 6 French squadrons and 3 squadrons of dragons Bavarian, supported by 16 guns. Moreover, Donauworth was held by a French battalion and two battalions of Bavarian militia.

The battle field

The heights of Schellenberg dominate the horizon in the North-East of Donauwörth. The city is located at the confluence of the Wörnitz and the the Danube. With the hillside protected by wood dense and impenetrable from Boschberg, the Wörnitz river and the marshes which protect the southernmost and Western buttresses, its flat top forming an oval of a half thousand of diameter, Schellenberg offers a situation privileged for any defender. But its defenses hurdy-gurdies 70 year old, including/understanding a fort built by Gustave Adolphe of Sweden during the War Thirty Year old, were neglected and are in a state of decrepitude. The walls of Donauwörth are not in better state and miss sophistication often allotted to the military engineering of Vauban.

While the allies are moving, work on defenses of Schellenberg and Donauwörth advance seriously. The guns were assembled, of the palisades were built around the perimeter of the position, and the ditches dug in front of the palisades to make them doubly more effective. At 9 a.m. the July 2nd, of Arco is informed of the allied advance and order at its infantry to help promptly with the preparations of defense. A French chronicler of the time, the colonel Jean Martin of the Colony, will write later “ we missed time to achieve all that in a satisfactory way ”.

Although slowed down by the muddy roads, the Alliés cross the Wörnitz river in Ebermorgen, in the middle of the afternoon. Marlborough ordered from its chief of staff, the general William Cadogan, to build a camp as soon as it arrives at the accesses of Donauworth, with the sight of Schellenberg, of mamière to let accept the enemy, that it apprète to carry out a seat.

While the allied columns advance, with the intention to launch the attack immediately. they are located by the Bavarian outposts, which after having put fire at the hamlet of Berg, precipitate to set off the alarm. The general of Arco, stops his lunch, and precipitates towards at the top of Schellenberg. Persuaded that it was to have still a day and a night to finish defenses, it notes with amazement that Cadogan settled already well while it lunched comfortably with colonel Dubordet, the French commander of Donauworth.

The Battle

Initial operations

Marlborough knows well that a frontal attack on Schellenberg will be expensive in human lives, but it also knows that it is the key of the defense of Donauworth, and only manner of taking the city quickly. The duke orders with the Dutch general Goor, to attack as soon as possible. As preliminary with the attack, the artillery of Marlborough, ordered by colonel Holcroft Blood, hammers the enemy of a position close to Berg. The guns of of Arco located at the height Gustave Adolphe rispostent with each one of their salvo.

Colonel Blood observes that its guns, make devastations on the plate of Schellenberg, which if it offers an ideal position for artillery, offers only one protection limited to the infantry which waits behind defenses the convenient period to try an exit.

Of the Colony which orders this infantry, will note later “ They concentrated their fire on us, and their first salvo carried the count of the Country house, so that my coat was covered with it with brain and blood. ” In spite of this shooting of stopping, and in spite of the loss of five officers and 80 pomegranates, Of the Colony judge necessary to maintain the position.

First attack of Marlborough

Among the large one of the allied troops, is an small group of attack made of 80 English pomegranates, 1st English Foot Guards (regiment of guards to foot led by the captain John Mordaunt and colonel Richard Munden) indicated to announce to the command the strong points and the weak points and to direct the shooting. Although Mordaunt and Munden survived, well little among them, have the hope to return from there

At 6 p.m., behind the group of attack, the principal body of the infantry, primarily of English and Dutch pomegranates, go up to the attack. The disciplined walk of the attackers to the top of the hill is transformed progressively into a furious load. “ the speed of their movements, like their howls, were really alarming ”. bring back Colony, which in order to drown the tumult, orders to beat the load.

The Alliés become easy targets for the mousquets and the hand grenades thrown to the bottom of the slope by theBavarian ones. Each allied soldier carries with him fascines (earlier crossed to the wood of Boschberg), to throw a bridge on the defensive ditches. However the fascines are thrown by error in a ditch consisted the recent rains of summer, instead of Bavarian defenses.

In spite of this error, the Alliés continue their attack and join the Bavarian rows which they face in a savage body-with-body. Behind defenses of the guards of the voter of Bavaria, the men of Of the Colony support the shock of the attack, so that “ the small parapet which separates the two forces became the scene of the bloodiest fight which can be imagined ”. The forces Anglo-Dutchwomen do not manage to penetrate defenses and are forced to regain their lines. The Goor general, who had conducted the attack, counts among the victims of the attack.

Second attack of Marlborough

The second attack does not gain more success. The allied commanders are obliged to personally carry out their men, whom they have many difficulties of convincing to advance under a second flood of mousquettery and grenades.

The Anglo-Dutchmen still leave many dead and of wounded with the enemy palisade. Among them, the count Von Styrum who carried out the load. They end up breaking the rows, and in the most total confusion, are once more pushed back in bottom of the hill. The Bavarian pomegranates exultent, and crossing defenses, to continue the attackers with the bayonets. The English cavalry intervenes in time to prevent a total rout, and to force the Bavarian ones to regain their lines.

Attack of the mardrave of Bade

The repeated attacks pushed of Arco to reinforce the top of the hill, forsaking defenses which connect this one to the walls of the city, and leaving its left side almost without defense and very vulnerable, which notes immediately Marlborough.

The other ordering allied, the margrave de Bade (which enters the battle, half an hour after Marlborough), also realized good occasion and hurries hamlet of Berg with its pomegranates to attack there or defense is with weakest.

At this time criticizes, the commander of the garrison of Donauworth withdrew his men inside the city, and closed the doors, and cannot since to draw from its walls. The troops of the margrave de Bade, now supported by eight battalions of Marlborough are engulfed, easily in the breach, and come easily to end from the two battalions from infantry and the handle from riders which still defending the sector enters Schellenberg and the city.

Including/understanding the danger, the count d' Arco hurries to rejoin its dragons French, held holds hill behind of it, to drive back the attackers. However, three companies of pomegranates of Bade concentrate on them their attacks, and force them to be withdrawn. This action cuts of Arco of its principal force always violently resisting the top of the hill. It moves then towards the city, where according to Of the Colony “ it had a certain difficulty in enter due to the hesitation of the commander to open the doors. ”

Consequences

The catch of Schellenberg represents an important victory for the Grande Alliance. It indeed ensures to them a point of passage on the the Danube and a base of supply for the army of Marlborough, and in fact makes it possible the Alliés to continue their operations in Bavaria during the year 1704. The battle lasted two hours and made approximately 13.000 victims.

Of the Colony was one of the rare survivors who manages to escape. Maximilien-Emmanuel of Bavaria lost the majority of its best elements. The destruction of the body of of Arco sows a major doubt as for the capacity of the Free-Bavarian forces to be opposed in advance Alliés. Very few the men who defended Schellenberg join the army of the voter of Bavaria and the marshal of Marsin. Among them however, one finds the count d' Arco and his assistant the marquis de Maffei. Both will defend the hamlet of Lutzingen during the battles of Blenheim.

Of the 22.000 men engaged among the allied , some 5.000 were wounded, and encumber the hospitals that Marlborough made establish with Nördlingen. Among deaths, one counts 6 lieutenant-generals, 4 generals and 28 brigadier general, Colonel S and lieutenant-colonels including the count von Styrum, which testifies to the engagement of the officers to lead to them-even their men in the attacks. No other action of the War of succession of Spain will do as many victims among the officers.

The victory made it possible allied to capture in addition to the flags of the regiments of Of the Colony, all the guns of Schellenberg, the ammunition, luggage and a whole rich person spoils. However, the great number of victims caused consternation in all the Grande Alliance. With $the Hague have struck a medal, showing a face the margrave de Bade, and on which it was not at all mention of the duke of Marlborough. The emperor Leopold however, wrote personally with Marlborough: “ Nothing can be more glorious than celerity and the strength with which you forced the camp of the enemy with Donauworth. ”

Colonel DuBordet even gave up Donauworth the night. The voter of Bavaria, which had arrived with reinforcements, for the battle, been able only to note the massacre of its best troops, folded up his garrisons behind the Lech close to Augsburg.

Marlborough could not draw intake from Donauworth to attack Augsburg or Munich, because it missed guns of seat. After Schellenberg, no allied commander attacked a city frontally. Rain amndt Lech, to 11 kilometers of Donauworth, fell the July 16th in due form only after one seat.

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