page_title: Battle of Melle
section_title: Battle
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Melle / Battle
caption_attribution_description: Picture of a french soldier (AD 1745)
context_page_description: The Battle of Melle was an encounter battle fought on 9 July 1745, during the War of the Austrian Succession, between forces of the Pragmatic Allies and the French. After their defeat at Fontenoy in May, the Duke of Cumberland, Allied commander in Flanders, was under pressure from the Austrians to defend Brussels. He also wanted to protect the key port of Ghent, a major supply depot threatened by the French advance into West Flanders.
  Cumberland compromised by employing his main force to cover Brussels, while sending 4,000 men under the Hanoverian general Moltke to reinforce Ghent. On the way, it ran into a French detachment under General du Chai, positioned near the town of Melle to prevent such an attempt; the Allies were driven off with heavy losses and Ghent surrendered on 13 July.
context_section_description: On 9 July the light troops of the Grassins advanced east towards Aalst and occupied the Château de Massemen, a strong walled complex some eight miles west of Aalst near Melle. Moltke sent the Royals to drive them off and a vigorous fire-fight broke out, but without artillery the Royals were unable to dislodge de Grassin and his men. The 1st Foot then rejoined the rest of the force and it was decided by Moltke, without informing Bligh, to leave the Grassins in the rear and advance as instructed down the raised causeway road to Ghent.
  Despite some notice of the allied advance from messengers sent by de Grassin, Du Chayla's force was fairly dispersed in various posts along the route and in the process of making camp. The twenty artillery pieces were in park along the road facing north, baggage wagons and pontoon wagons in rows behind them. A stone bridge on the road crossing the Gontrode Brook, a stream that flowed into the Scheldt, was unguarded and a walled priory flanking the road only lightly occupied. One battalion of the Normandie brigade was posted in the town of Melle another well to the west of Melle. The battalions of Crillon brigade were also dispersed around the area, some taking post or billeting in the various chateaus and farm houses with one battalion astride the road west of the bridge. Both sides were surprised by the contact, the French by the sudden arrival of the allies in force while the French were in the process of establishing their camp and the allies by the size and positions of the French force.
  Moltke, with the Royal Scots, led the advanced guard column of about 1,700 troops consisting of some 650 infantry of the Royal Scots and about 1,050 cavalry. They crossed the bridge, charged and dispersed the Crillon battalion commencing the action at about 7 p.m.. They then rushed up the road and overran the artillery park briefly capturing the guns. However, as the guns were unlimbered in park, not for action, the Royals were unable to use them against the French. The Duc de Laval and his battalion of the Crillon brigade then came up behind the pontoons and wagons engaging the Royal Scots soon to be followed by two more battalions led by Le Marquis de Crillon . The nature of the terrain was unfavorable to cavalry and the allied cavalry was unable to aid the Royals. During the ensuing musketry duel, Moltke decided to take the Hussars and Rich's Dragoons and some Hanoverian cavalry and make a dash for Ghent. A small detachment of Du Berry's cavalry held them up as some of the Normandie brigade arrived forcing Moltke off the causeway onto other tracks. A French battalion cut the road behind them. Now Moltke broke off with the entire force and headed for Ghent running a gauntlet of fire from the various French posts along the roads and ways and abandoning the rest of the column, losing about one half of this force, including nearly 400 of the Royal Scots.
  During this time, Bligh came up the road with his regiment, the 20th Foot, with some of the Dutch cavalry following. Next came Handasyde's 16th with the rest of the cavalry. With Moltke gone, Bligh assumed command of the nearly 1,450 infantry and some 1,000 cavalry. The ground around the road was unfavorable to the cavalry of both sides and would not permit full deployment with the French firing from front and flank, so Bligh fell back to better position in a field south of the road behind the Gontrode Brook rivulet with most of his center and his left behind some woods and his right on the raised causeway on the other side from priory. This covered him from the fire of a couple of companies of French grenadiers behind the wall of the priory and gave him a defensible front of rough terrain that prevented any cavalry actions. The regiments formed a line of battle with the cavalry in support advancing on and engaging the French that came up. Du Chayla counter-attacked, perhaps now five battalions: Laval, two of Crillon and two of Normandie from Melle, about 2,000 strong, with a battery of artillery and most of the French cavalry in support. While the two sid
caption: French soldier of the Normandie brigade 1745
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