page_title: Battle of Ekeren
section_title: Aftermath
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Ekeren / Aftermath
context_page_description: 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.
context_section_description: The battle was undecided, but both sides claimed victory. The French because they ended up occupying the battlefield, the Dutch because they had forced the French from the battlefield, allowing the outnumbered Dutch to retire to safety. It may be considered an operational victory for the Two Crowns, because it stopped the Dutch move along the Scheldt. And it may be considered a tactical victory for the Dutch, because they managed to save 8,000 troops instead of losing 10,000.
  Boufflers was blamed for letting a perfect chance slip through his fingers. Obdam had panicked in the afternoon and had managed to get through the enemy line with a handful of riders by throwing away their green field signs and orange sashes so everyone around thought them to be French. His behaviour was not forgiven by the Dutch military, and his military career was destroyed.
  Slangenburg, for his part, was acclaimed as a Dutch hero. He was also furious at Marlborough, who had been outmanoeuvered by the French and had not come to the aid of the Dutch.
  The Dutch took one gun, 2 sets of dragoon drums and at least 17 banners (several other had been reused as scarfs before they could be collected). 
  The French and Spaniards lost at least 2,800 men: over 1,200 killed, 1,200 wounded and several hundred missing. The Dutch lost over 2,400 men: around 700 killed, 1,000 wounded and 700 taken prisoner or missing. 
  Exact Dutch losses: 2,423 combatants out of 10,629 (23%), of which 2,049 were infantry (553 killed, 862 wounded, 634 prisoner or missing, or 27% of the infantry) and 374 cavalry (162 killed, 152 wounded, 60 prisoner or missing, or 12% of the cavalry; and 376 horses: 279 killed, 58 wounded and 39 missing, or 13% of the horses). Losses from the train were 17 men, 22 wagons and 30 horses (7 men wounded, the others missing).
caption: General Slangenburg
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