Minden, Battle of

During the Seven Years' War, French defeat by a combined British-Hanoverian army on 1 August 1759 at Minden, 70 km/44 mi west of Hannover, Germany. Due to mismanagement of the Allied cavalry, the French were able to withdraw in good order, but at a loss of over 7,000 casualties and 43 guns. Allied losses were some 2,700; over half of these were in the six English battalions, the descendants of which still wear a rose in their caps on the anniversary of the battle.

The Allied army under Prince Frederick of Brunswick, operating on the north German plain, was defeated at Bergen in April 1759 and retired before the French, who occupied Minden in July. Frederick decided to make a stand here as any further Allied retreat would have given Hannover to the French.

The 60,000-strong French force under Marshal the Marquis de Contades was drawn up in a strong position, with the River Weser on one flank and a marsh on the other. Frederick sent 7,000 of his 52,000 troops to cut the French line of communication to Kassel but the French saw the threat and attacked the main Allied position. Frederick launched a counterattack of six English and three Hanoverian battalions of infantry moving steadily forward in line. They were attacked by the French cavalry which they annihilated with close-range musket fire, and the battle was won.