The battle of Onnecourt is one of the key battles of the Franco-Spanish war that took place on May 26, 1642 near the settlement of Onnecourt-sur-Esco ( Honnecourt-sur-Escaut ) and ended in victory for the Spaniards [1] .
| Battle of Onnekur | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Conflict: Thirty Years War Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659) | |||
 | |||
| date | May 26, 1642 | ||
| A place | Onnecourt sur esco | ||
| Total | The victory of the Spaniards over the French | ||
| Opponents | |||
| |||
| Commanders | |||
| |||
| Forces of the parties | |||
| |||
| Losses | |||
| |||
During the Franco-Spanish war, after the French took the fortress of La Basse , the commander-in-chief of the Spanish army in the Netherlands, don Francisco de Melo , decided to attack the French troops of Marshal Antoine III de Gramont , who held a fortified position near Onnekur [2] .
On May 26, Spanish troops approached Onnekur in three columns, having cavalry on the flanks and infantry in the center. General Beck, whom the Spanish commander ordered to conduct the attack, decided to break through the center of the enemy’s location, for which he directed the cavalry of the right wing into the gap between the city and the fortifications not occupied by the French army . But the French infantry twice repelled the attacks of superior forces of the Spaniards [3] [2] .
Then Beck launched an attack on 4 thousand foot soldiers, but they were also repelled. The Spaniards managed to seize the position only after the cavalry of the left wing and the entire reserve infantry were introduced into the battle; frustrated by a stubborn battle, the Spaniards were forced to abandon the pursuit of the enemy, retreating in disarray [2] .
The French lost all the banners, all the artillery, 3,700 people were killed and 3,400 were captured. The loss of the Spaniards amounted to about 500 people.
Notes
- ↑ Erlach , Mémoires Historiques concernant M. le général d'Erlach, gouverneur de Brisach, pays et places en dependants etc., Iverdun, 1784
- ↑ 1 2 3 Gonnekur // Military Encyclopedia : [in 18 vol.] / Ed. V.F. Novitsky [et al.]. - SPb. ; [ M. ]: Type. t-va I. D. Sytin , 1911-1915.
- ↑ Gassion, Histoire du Maréchal de Gassion oú l'on voit diverses particularités remarquables qui se sont passées sous le ministère de cardinaux de Richelieu et de Mazarin, et Gustave Adolphe, roi de Suède, Amsterdam, 1696.