Battle of Fleurus ( 1622 ) The Battle of Fleurus of August 29 , 1622 was fought between a Spanish army , and the Protestant Powers of the Holy Roman Empire in the Thirty Years ' War . The bloody struggle left the Protestants mangled and the Spanish masters of the field . Campaign . After failing to relieve Heidelberg , besieged by Tilly ' s army , Frederick V , Elector Palatine , decided to disband his army . On July 13 , 1622 the contract was cancelled and the unemployed army of Mansfeld and Christian of Brunswick was hired by the Dutch to help in the relief of the siege of Bergen - op - Zoom . The Protestant army departed from Alsace and at a fast pace crossed Northern France , entering the Spanish Low Countries through Hainaut . The Spanish Army of Flanders , under command of Ambrosio Spinola , engaged in the siege of Bergen - op - Zoom , a town on the estuary of the Schelde River , was in a dangerous position ; while a relieving Dutch army was being assembled to the East at Breda he faced an invasion from the South . He was in danger of being trapped between the two enemy armies , his line of retreat towards Antwerpen blocked by the invading German army . Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba , commander of the Spanish army in the Palatinate , was recalled in a hurry to stop that army . Cordoba marched through Luxembourg and the difficult terrain of the Ardennes , and was able to intercept Mansfeld and Brunswick in the border of Brabant . The Protestant army advance guard met Spanish cavalry scouts on August 27 and the 29th they found Córdoba ' s army entrenched . Córdoba , much weaker in cavalry , had assumed a blocking position north of the town of Mellet , near Fleurus , with flanks supported by woods . The Protestant commanders deployed their army to try to break through the Spanish position . Armies . SPANISH ARMY Right Wing Commander : Gauchier 800 commanded musketeers ( in the woods ) 5 Cavalry Squadrons in two lines Center Commander : Córdoba Several units brigaded into 4 Escuadrones deployed in a single line " 1st Escuadron " " 2nd Escuadron " " 3rd Escuadron " " 4th Escuadron " " Left Wing " Commander : De Sylva 4 Cavalry Squadrons in two lines The Spanish cavalry was composed of 53 small companies , assembled into ad hoc squadrons . There were 29 cuirassier companies and 24 arquebus ier companies . All except 4 veteran cuirassier companies had been raised in 1621 and 1622 . They were composed by Walloon recruits and they had performed poorly at the Battle of Wimpfen , so Cordoba was obviously concerned about the flanks of his army . The Spanish infantry was of mixed quality , the Tercio of Naples was an elite unit that traced back its history to 1567 , it had lived up to its reputation at the Battle of Wimpfen with a superb performance , and Córdoba placed it in the post of honour to the right , blocking the road . Fugger Regiment and Verdugo Tercio were also experienced units , veterans of the Bohemian campaign , the rest of the units were garrison troops of lesser quality mobilized by Córdoba to fill his command . PROTESTANT ARMY " Right Wing " Commander : Streiff 10 Companies of Cavalry deployed in two lines " Center " Commander : Mansfeld 26 understrength Infantry regiments brigaded into 8 composite Battalions deployed in a checkerboard double line " Left Wing " Commander : Brunswick 50 Companies of Cavalry deployed in two lines The Protestant army had left Sedan with 25 . 000 men , but the swift march had reduced it to 14 . 000 , many stragglers killed by angry Walloon peasants Protestant cavalry was highly motivated and of good quality , many of the recruits were members of the German lesser nobility , and most were heavily armoured cuirassiers . The infantry was of much lesser material , poorly equipped , it had suffered the most in the march . The battle . After a short cannonade , Mansfeld ordered a general advance . Some gaps opened up in the poorly drilled German infantry , and De Sylva attacked an exposed flank , routing one Battalion . However , Streiff counterattacked , the Walloon cavalry was wrong footed and suffered considerable damage from enemy pistol fire . De Sylva ' s cavalry took refuge behind the baggage wagons , while Streiff turned on the Spanish infantry , but without much success . On the Protestant left , Brunswick had massed most of his cavalry , Córdoba ' s deployment made it impossible to outflank his position , but Brunswick hoped to overwhelm the Spanish by a massed frontal assault . The first charge was repulsed by Gauchier ' s cavalry , but Brunswick reordered his command and launched a second charge , the first line was repulsed again but the second line succeeded in pushing back the Walloon Horse . Brunswick turned then against the Spanish infantry , but his own infantry failed to adequately support the attack , the Tercio of Naples held its ground , and murderous enfilade fire from musketeers ambushed in the nearby woods sent the Protestant cavalry reeling back in disorder . In a desperate final charge , Brunswick was wounded , and his cavalry , demoralised , finally fell back . After five hours of fighting , Mansfeld ordered a general retreat , it was midday and he intended to take the road through Liege around Córdoba to reach Breda . The Spanish army was too tired to follow the enemy . However , next day , Córdoba sent Gauchier with the cavalry , he found the Protestant army strung along the road . The Protestant cavalry fled without putting up much of a fight , leaving the infantry to its fate . In march column , unable to deploy in a defensive formation , the infantry was cut to pieces . Gauchier also captured the artillery and the army baggage . The Protestant army had been all but destroyed . Aftermath . The Spanish victory was complete . Brunswick and Mansfeld ' s remnants , about 3 . 000 cavalry , joined finally the Dutch army at Breda after making a detour . Spinola was compelled to lift the siege of Bergen - op - Zoom , but as he was no longer in danger of being cut off , he did it at leisure , and he was able to secure his siege train and his entire baggage train . Brunswick and Mansfeld only served for three months in Dutch pay , their unruly bands had no place in the disciplined Dutch army . Meanwhile , Tilly ' s army easily overran the Palatinate . Mesa , Eduardo de , Nördlingen 1634 ( Madrid 2003 ) ISBN 978 - 84 - 96170 - 54 - 4