Lauffeld, battle of

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Lauffeld, battle of, 1747. After subduing the Jacobites in 1746, William, duke of Cumberland, was placed in charge of an allied army in the Low Countries, commanding English, Hanoverian, Dutch, and Austrian troops. On 2 July 1747 he was attacked at Lauffeld, just west of Maastricht, by a large French army under Marshal de Saxe. After heavy fighting, Cumberland was forced to retreat but a brilliant cavalry charge by Sir John Ligonier enabled him to do so in good order, and the French losses were heavier. Peace negotiations to conclude the War of the Austrian Succession began soon afterwards.

J. A. Cannon