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The Battlefield.The position taken up by the allies on that dull and rainy morning of July 2nd 1747 was some four miles in length incorporating several villages dotted across the undulating plain. Much of the land was cultivated, and many of the farms and houses were surrounded by orchards and gardens, which were, in turn, surrounded by embankments in the event of flooding. On the right flank the Austrians under Marshal Batthyany held the villages of Grosse and Kleine Spauwe. Their position was almost unassailable to a direct frontal attack as it was protected by a steep sided ravine. On the Austrian left stood the Dutch troops under Waldeck, they also had units covering some of the approaches to Grosse Spauwe. To the left again stood the British, Hanoverian, Hessians and Bavarian infantry. The British Guards were detailed to hold the village of Vlytingen, while a mixed force of British and Hessians held Lauffeldt. Cumberland did not hold these villages in any strength, nor did he order the clearing of pathways through the hedges to facilitate bringing up reinforcements. The Allied commander chose to draw-up his infantry in the traditional manor, forming them in line behind the villages in the open plain. General Ligonier’s cavalry, as mentioned earlier, was positioned to the left rear of Lauffeldt, his line continuing to and around the village of Kisselt.[i]
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