Battle of Ekeren
Channel: all the knowledge of the universe PRINCIPIA
Date: 24/01/2022

Battle of Ekeren, by Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki?curid=10127565 / CC BY SA 3.0

#Conflicts_in_1703
#Battles_involving_France
#Battles_involving_Spain
#Battles_involving_the_Dutch_Republic
#Battles_of_the_War_of_the_Spanish_Succession
#Battles_in_Flanders
#1703_in_Europe
#History_of_Antwerp
The Battle of Ekeren, which took place on 30 June 1703, was a battle of the War of the Spanish Succession.
The French surrounded the much smaller Dutch force, which however managed to beat it back, break out and retire to safety.
The battle had no strategic effect whatsoever.
After taking Bonn on 15 May, Marlborough now wanted to conquer Ostend, Antwerp, or force the French to an open battle.
He ordered the Dutch general, Coehoorn, to march to Ostend and lay siege to it.
Dutch general Van Sparre would march south west of Antwerp, Dutch general Obdam would march south from Bergen op Zoom, and Marlborough himself would march on Lier.
The Battle of Ekeren by Constantijn Francken Obdam had to send several of his battalions to join Coehoorn.
Obdam's depleted force marched on 28 June from Bergen op Zoom to Antwerp.
It arrived the next day at Ekeren, seven kilometres north of Antwerp, just south of Dutch held fort Lillo （top left of map）.
After hearing about this, Villeroi sent a detachment force-marching from Diest to support the troops already around Antwerp to pounce on Obdam's force, before it could dig in or be reinforced.
The Battle of Ekeren by Jasper Broers Early in the morning of 30 June French dragoons marched from Merksem and Ekeren in the direction of Kapellen to cut off the escape route near Hoevenen for the Dutch to return to Breda and Bergen-op-Zoom.
The Marquis of Bedmar and his Spanish troops were positioned near Wilmarsdonk.
This ensured that the Dutch forces were surrounded on all sides by a force outnumbering them four to one.
Soon Dutch reconnaissance discovered the French dragoons and Obdam immediately sent his cavalry to Hoevenen, but it was too late, t...