Battle of Pont du Feneau facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of the Pont du Feneau |
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| Part of Huguenot rebellions and the Anglo-French War (1627–1629) | |||||||
 Painting by Laurent de La Hyre depicting the battle |
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| Combatants | |||||||
 Kingdom of France |
 Kingdom of England |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Jean Caylar d'Anduze de Saint-Bonnet Henri de Schomberg Louis de Marillac Pierre de Gondil (WIA) |
George Villiers Mountjoy Blount (POW) Milord Grey (POW) |
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| Strength | |||||||
| About 4.500 soldiers and 200 cavaliers | About 3.500 soldiers, 68 cavaliers, and 4 cannons | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| About 550 | About 1800 soldiers, 68 cavaliers, and 4 canons | ||||||
The Battle of Pont du Feneau was the final battle of the siege of Saint-Martin-de-Ré. This siege was part of a larger conflict between England and France, where England tried to help the Huguenots (French Protestants) in La Rochelle. The battle happened on November 8, 1627. The English forces lost badly, which made them leave France and go back to England.
Contents
Before the Battle
English Plans
The English army, led by George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham, had already lost a fight at Saint-Martin earlier that day. They were retreating to the village of Loix, where their ships were waiting. Many English soldiers were sick because of bad food. Their army had about 3,500 foot soldiers, 68 horsemen, and 4 cannons.
The English thought the French wouldn't attack them. So, they marched carelessly, not keeping their ranks tight. They reached a wooden bridge called the Feneau Bridge. This bridge connected the small island of Loix to the main Île de Ré. The English had built it when they first arrived.
French Plans
The French army was led by Maréchal Henri de Schomberg. He learned about the English retreat from Jean Caylar d'Anduze de Saint-Bonnet. Schomberg quickly gathered his troops and started chasing the English. The French horsemen were commanded by Louis de Marillac.
The Battle
As the English soldiers marched towards Loix, some of their groups had already crossed the narrow Feneau Bridge. Other groups, including those with the four cannons, were getting ready to cross. The last groups had not yet reached the bridge.
Maréchal de Schomberg, after hearing about the English position, decided it was the right time to attack. He ordered his cavalry (horsemen) to charge the English soldiers at the back of their line. Marillac and Schomberg himself followed closely with the rest of the French cavalry.
The English horsemen tried to fight back but were quickly defeated. Many English soldiers were killed, and some important leaders were captured. This included Mountjoy Blount, 1st Earl of Newport, who was in charge of the English cavalry.
The English foot soldiers tried to help, but they were also defeated. Two French infantry (foot soldier) regiments, the Piémont and Champagne regiments, joined the fight. Many English soldiers were pushed violently into the muddy ditches nearby. The English groups that were still before the bridge were completely defeated.
A few French Protestants from La Rochelle managed to cross the bridge. Then, the French army started crossing the bridge too, fighting fiercely. They killed English leaders who tried to defend the bridge, like Sir Charles Rich.
The battle was very confusing, with both sides fighting hard. At one point, the French captured the English cannons. The fighting lasted for about two hours. In the end, the French won a clear victory over the English.
The English army was in a complete panic. The road to Loix was covered with bodies, and the ditches were full of men stuck in the mud. Some English soldiers even pretended to be Catholic to ask for mercy, but the French showed no mercy. Many French noblemen fought bravely in the battle. The English soldiers fled in all directions, through marshes, ditches, and vineyards, with the French chasing them.
Schomberg ordered his troops to stop chasing the English when they reached Loix because night was falling and his soldiers needed to regroup. He made sure the bridge was guarded until he was certain that the English army had left the island.
What Happened After
The battle was very costly for the English. About 1,800 English soldiers died, including 5 colonels and many other officers. Around 1,000 were injured. The French captured 46 English flags. Important English leaders were captured, including Milord Montjoye, the cavalry commander, and Colonel Milord Grey, who was in charge of the artillery. All of the English horses, even Buckingham's, were captured, along with their 4 cannons. Colonel Grey was captured after falling into a salt pit and offering a large sum of money for his freedom.
The French did not say exactly how many of their own soldiers died, but it was probably around 500 or 600. Several French leaders were injured, including Pierre de Gondi, who was shot twice.
Aftermath
The 46 captured English flags were sent to Paris and put on display at Notre-Dame Cathedral.
After the battle, Toiras, a French commander, went back to the citadel of Saint-Martin with the English prisoners. Schomberg also returned to Saint-Martin to rest. He stayed on the island until he was sure that Buckingham and his army had completely left.
About 2,000 English survivors got onto their ships. This included Benjamin, Duke of Soubise, a French Protestant who had joined the English. Buckingham, after letting his troops rest, left on November 17 to return to England. He had been fighting for over three months. He promised the French Protestants in La Rochelle that he would come back with a bigger army. However, he was assassinated by John Felton in Portsmouth on August 23, 1628, before he could lead another expedition.
Two centuries later, salt producers near the Feneau Bridge found many bones, bullets, and cannonballs scattered around. They dug a pit to bury them.
Legacy
The battle was painted by Laurent de La Hyre in a famous artwork called "La défaite des Anglais en l'île de Ré par l'armée française le 8 novembre 1627" (The defeat of the English on Île de Ré by the French army on November 8, 1627). He painted it between December 1627 and early 1628. This large painting is now kept in Paris at the musée de l'Armée, which is located in the Hôtel des Invalides.
See also
