Battle of Valmont The Battle of Valmont is the name given to two connected actions which took place between 9 and 11 March 1416 in the area of the towns of Valmont and Harfleur in Normandy . A raiding force under Thomas Beaufort , Earl of Dorset was confronted by a larger French army under Bernard VII , Count of Armagnac at Valmont . The initial action went against the English , who lost their horses and baggage . They managed to rally and withdraw in good order to Harfleur , only to find the French had cut them off . A second action now took place , during which the French army was defeated with the aid of a sally from the English garrison of Harfleur . The forces engaged . English . In January 1416 , 900 men - at - arms and 1500 archers arrived to reinforce the garrison at Harfleur , which had been captured in the previous September following a siege . Dorset took 1000 - 1100 of these men on his raid . The force consisted of both men - at - arms and archers . French . D ' Armangnac had brought a force of 2 , 000 men - at - arms and 1 , 000 archers with him from Gascony in January 1416 . He could also call upon local garrisons and militias . Rouen sent him 600 men - at - arms and 50 crossbowmen . His overall force at Valmont was approximately 4 , 000 men . The initial action near Valmont . Dorset marched out on his raid on 9 March . He looted and burnt several villages , reaching as far as Cany - Barville . The English then turned for home . They were intercepted near Valmont by the French . The English had time to form a fighting line , placing their horses and baggage to the rear , before the French launched a mounted attack . The French cavalry broke through the thin English line but , instead of turning to finish the English , charged on to loot the baggage and steal horses . This allowed Dorset , who had been wounded , to rally his men and lead them to a small hedged garden nearby , which they defended till nightfall . The French withdrew to Valmont for the night , rather than stay in the field , and this allowed Dorset to lead his men off under the cover of darkness to take shelter in woods at Les Loges . English casualties at this stage of the battle were estimated at 160 killed . The second action near Harfleur . The following day , the English struck out for the coast . They moved down onto the beach and began the long march across the shingle to Harfleur . However , as they neared Harfleur , they saw that a French force was awaiting them on the cliffs above . The English deployed in line and the French attacked down the steep slope . The French were disordered by the descent and were defeated , leaving many dead . As the English looted the corpses , the main French army came up . This force did not attack , instead forming up on the high ground , forcing the English to attack . This they successfully did , forcing the French back . The retreating French then found themselves attacked in the flank by the sallying garrison of Harfleur and retreat turned to rout . The French are said to have lost 200 men killed and 800 captured in this action . D ' Armangnac later had a further 50 hanged for fleeing from the battle . An act of defiance . The battle of Valmont was remembered afterwards by English chroniclers for an act of defiance . At some point in the battle ( Burne places it when the English were defending the garden , Strickland before the initial battle ) D ' Armangnac is said to have offered Dorset terms of surrender . Men - at - arms would be made prisoner but archers would have their right hands cut off . Dorset is said to have replied to the French herald " Tell your master that Englishmen do not surrender " . Result . Unsurprisingly , chroniclers were divided in their view of who actually won the Battle of Valmont and modern historians are no more unanimous . Alfred Burne spoke of the " achievement of this devoted little band of English soldiers " as " epic " and his view is echoed by Matthew Strickland . Newhall , however , felt the overall result was " satisfying " to the French and Juliet Barker describes it as a " disastrous occasion " for the English . Perhaps the most balanced summary is given by Wylie " It is true that the Earl of Dorset had extricated himself from a deadly trap with wonderful nerve and pluck , yet his foolhardy adventure had cost him immensely dear in men , horses and material " .