Battle of Cassel (1677)

The Battle of Cassel was fought on April 11, 1677, as a part of the Franco-Dutch War. It resulted in a French victory under Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, assisted by the Duke of Humières and Marshal Luxembourg, against the Dutch under William III of Orange, Stadtholder of the Netherlands. The battle took place near the city of Cassel, 30 km south of Dunkirk in present-day France.

A French army of 30,000 under Philippe of Orléans faced a Dutch-Allied army of the same number under William III, with each side aligned in classical manner. Infantry on the French right, led by the Duke of Humières, drove back the Dutch left. At the same time, an attack by the Dutch launched from their own right was fended off by the French left, where troops were commanded by maréchal Luxembourg. The Dutch were thoroughly beaten, but the French missed a real chance for a rout by delaying the pursuit in order to plunder William’s abandoned baggage. Even so, the victory was near complete: the Dutch lost upward of 8,000 killed and wounded, with 3,000 more made prisoner.