April 13th, 1759 - The Battle of Bergen

Conflict: Seven Years' War (1756-1763)

Combatants: French vs. Prussians

Location: Germany

Outcome: French victory

In the Spring of 1759, a French army commanded by Victor Francois, the Duke of Broglie, crossed the Rhine and occupied the town of Bergen on the outskirts of Frankfurt. On April 13th, the Prussian Field Marshal Ferdinand, the Duke of Brunswick, launched an attack on the French garrison to halt the invasion. The Prussian army was repulsed, however, and the French continued to advance into Prussia.

Battle of Bergen by unknown artist

Points of Interest:

• Although defeated at Bergen, Ferdinand would win several subsequent battles and eventually push the French back across the Rhine.

• The Seven Years' War would end in 1763 with the Treaty of Paris. France would cede Louisiana territory east of the Mississippi River to Great Britain in this treaty.

Ernest Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Bevern by an unknown artist

Victor-François, Duc de Broglie by an unknown artist

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sources:

Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.

Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.