Hastenbeck, battle of

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Hastenbeck, battle of, 1757. Cumberland, the hero of Culloden, commanded the Army of Observation in the Seven Years War, charged with the protection of Hanover. Frederick the Great, Britain's ally, was too hard pressed himself to offer assistance. On 26 July, on the Weser near Hameln, Cumberland was attacked by a superior French force under Marshal d'Estrées, and though at one stage the French were preparing to retire, Cumberland was forced to retreat. Acting on private instructions from his father George II, he retired in good order to Stade, where he negotiated the convention of Kloster-Zeven, disbanding his forces. The British government repudiated the convention and Cumberland resigned in disgust.

J. A. Cannon

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Hastenbeck, battle of

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