Battle of Villers-en-Cauchies
Results
Results
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That afternoon, as Otto re\-established communications between the Duke of York and Denain, Clerfayt did the same thing on the side of Valenciennes. The Hanoverian General Maydel had been reinforced, giving him a total of 7 battalions, 2 companies and 13 squadrons. Leaving part of these at Douchy, with the rest he drove the French from Haspres, supported on the opposite side by Mansel's brigade which Otto had detached. This double movement against the French advanced on Douchy threatened to cut their retreat on Bouchain, causing them to hastily withdraw. The retreat became a rout when the French artillery drivers panicked and cut their traces, the whole column then took to flight.Coutanceau, p. 381\.

Pichegru made light of the French losses and exaggerated the bravery of the French troops, claiming among other things that "a single squadron of the 6th Hussars had sabred 600 Hungarian Hussars and made 60 prisoners"Coutanceau, p. 382\.

Chandler says the French admitted 1,200 killed, wounded and capturedChandler *Dictionary*, p. 465\. Chandler gives 66 total Allied casualties. out of a force of 7,000 men. These figures are not backed up by other sources and may be totals for the whole operation.

York's report states that at Villers\-en\-Cauchies the French lost 900 killed, 400 wounded and only 10 unwounded prisoners. They also lost 5 cannons.Coutanceau, p. 379\.

The Austrians lost 10 killed and wounded and 10 missing. British casualties were 58 killed and 17 wounded.Smith, p. 74\. Smith also gives 800 killed, 400 wounded and 150 captured.

Emperor Francis II awarded 8 British officers involved in this action with a special gold medal since at that time it wasn't possible to award the [Military Order of Maria Theresia](/wiki/Military_Order_of_Maria_Theresia "Military Order of Maria Theresia") upon foreigners; later, in 1801, after a change in the order's statutes, these same officers were appointed Knights of the Military Order of Maria Theresia. The recipients were Major William Aylett; Captain Robert Pocklington; Captain Edward Michael Ryan; Lieutenant Thomas Granby Calcraft; Lieutenant [William Keir](/wiki/William_Keir_Grant "William Keir Grant"); Lieutenant Charles Burrell Blount; Cornet [Edward Gerald Butler](/wiki/Edward_Gerald_Butler "Edward Gerald Butler") and Cornet [Robert Wilson](/wiki/Robert_Wilson_%28British_Army_officer%2C_born_1777%29 "Robert Wilson (British Army officer, born 1777)"). Of this medal only 9 pieces have been struck: 8 awarded and one preserved at the "Münzkabinett" in Vienna. Besides the mentioned piece preserved in Vienna, two original groups of medal and Maria Theresia's Cross appeared on the collecting market resp. in 1966 (belonged to Cornet E. Butler) and in 1967 (Capt. R. Pocklington), both sold by Spink \& Son, London; the second, auctioned by Sotheby's in 1903, later in the Whitaker collection, this dissolved from 1959 onwards.


Why did the French artillery drivers cut their traces and cause a rout?