Battle of Lauffeld [SEP] point in time
Battle of Lauffeld
The Battle of Lauffeld, also known as Lafelt, Laffeld, Lawfeld, Lawfeldt, Maastricht or Val, took place on 2 July 1747, during the War of the Austrian Succession. A French army of 80,000 commanded by Marshal Saxe faced a combined British, Dutch, German and Austrian force of 60,000, led by the Duke of Cumberland.
Under Saxe, arguably the most talented general of his generation, the French had conquered much of the Austrian Netherlands between 1744 to 1746. Cumberland intended to retake
wing at the Battle of Culloden in 1746 (His younger brother, Lord Robert Kerr, was with the infantry and was the highest-ranking Government casualty of the battle). After the battle, he commanded the forces at Aberdeen until August, and then returned to the Continent with Cumberland in December. At some point during the year, he was appointed a Groom of the Bedchamber to Cumberland.
Ancram was sent home with the standards captured at the Battle of Lauffeld. On 1 December 1747, he succeeded Daniel Houghton