The Battle of Bergen was a battle of the Seven Years' War fought near Frankfurt-am-Main on April 18, 1759, between the French army under the Victor-François, 2nd duc de Broglie and an allied army consisting of British, Hanoverian, Hessian, and Brunswick troops commanded by Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick. Combatants Prussia Great Britain Hanover Ireland Portugal Brunswick Hesse-Kassel Austria France Russia Sweden Spain Saxony The Seven Years War (1754 and 1756–1763), some of the theatres of which are called the Pomeranian War and the French and Indian War (see below), was a war in the mid-18th... April 13 is the 103rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (104th in leap years). ... 1759 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Bergen is located in the Northern-Rhineland area of Hesse. ... Hesse (German: Hessen) is a state of Germany with an area of 21,110 km² and just over six million inhabitants. ... Hesse-Kassel (Hessen-Kassel in German) was a German principality that came into existence when the Landgraviate of Hesse was divided in 1568 upon the death of Landgrave Philip I of Hesse. ... Brunswick-Lüneburg was an historical state within the Holy Roman Empire. ... -1... Ferdinand (12 January 1721, Brunswick – 3 July 1792), Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, was a Prussian field marshal (1758–1766) known for his participation in the Seven Years War. ... Victor-François, 2nd duc de Broglie (19 October 1718–30 March 1804) was a French aristocrat and soldier and a marshal of France. ... Combatants Prussia Great Britain Hanover Ireland Portugal Brunswick Hesse-Kassel Austria France Russia Sweden Spain Saxony The Seven Years War (1754 and 1756–1763), some of the theatres of which are called the Pomeranian War and the French and Indian War (see below), was a war in the mid-18th... 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April 18 is the 108th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (109th in leap years). ... 1759 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Victor-François, 2nd duc de Broglie (19 October 1718–30 March 1804) was a French aristocrat and soldier and a marshal of France. ... Ferdinand (12 January 1721, Brunswick – 3 July 1792), Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, was a Prussian field marshal (1758–1766) known for his participation in the Seven Years War. ...

As the campaigning season of 1759 opened, Prince Ferdinand stole a march on the French by moving out of winter quarters in late March. His destination was Frankfurt, where the French had a base on the Main River. The intent was to drive the French out of Westphalia and seize the initiative for the allies. By the end of the month, his army comprised some 27,000 men grouped into three divisions. One was commanded by the Erbprinz, one by Prince Isenburg, and the third by the Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. Main Station Frankfurt Frankfurt International Airport For other uses, see Frankfurt (disambiguation). ... Map showing the position of the Main in Germany The Main (pronounced in FUCKKKK GERmany! German like the English word mine) is a river in Germany, 524 km long (including White Main 574 km), and one of the more significant tributaries of the Rhine river. ...

Operations commenced with the seizing of Fulda and Meiningen from troops of the Reichsexecutionsarmee under Field Marshal von Zweybrücken. As the Imperial army retreated into Bohemia, Ferdinand moved into Hesse hoping to fall upon Broglie's corps before it could be reinforced.

Broglie, however, was able to reinforce his corps with a contingent of Saxons under General von Dyherrn along with other French regiments that he was able to assemble. He placed his small army at the fortified town of Bergen and awaited developments.

The battlefield lent itself to a defensive stance. The walled town of Bergen was on the right atop a bluff overlooking the floodplain of the Main river and thus could not be flanked on that side. Northwest of the town was the "Berger-Warte," a low hill that dominated the center and atop of which stood (and still stands) an old tower. Left of that was the town of Vilbel, located on the Nidda River, whose floodplain was covered by an expanse of woods.

Broglie placed a large quantity of infantry in and behind the town of Bergen. On his left, he placed his light infantry in the woods supported by the Saxon contingent as well as some of his cavalry. He placed most of his artillery in the center in eight batteries. Behind the guns he positioned the bulk of his cavalry as well as his reserves. It has been noted by historians that his reserves were formed in "columns of waiting," a type of formation that anticipates Napoleonic tactics and hence was not in common use at this time.

Ferdinand's army arrived on the field of battle piecemeal. Ferdinand himself accompanied the avant-garde, commanded by the Erbprinz. As Ferdinand mistakenly believed that the French had not yet fully deployed, he ordered an immediate attack, choosing not to wait for the other two divisions.

Despite the long odds, by eight o'clock the town of Vilbel had been seized by Freytag's light infantry and the "Am Hohen Stein," another low hill located east of the "Berger-Warte," had been occupied. Perceiving that Bergen was the key to the position, by 8:30 Ferdinand had ordered an assault on this position. The initial allied attack was successful, driving the French infantry from the hedges and orchards that they occupied and back into the town. Then Broglie began to feed in reinforcements which turned the tide against the allies, driving them back.

At ten o'clock Prince Isenburg's division arrived. Isenburg pitched into the fray, once again driving the French troops back into Bergen. Broglie immediately counterattacked with more Fresh regiments that he had fed in from his reserve, disordering the allies and driving them back once more. Isenburg himself was killed while trying to rally his men. It was with difficulty that Ferdinand himself was able to restore order to his troops.

At this point, the battle began to cool off. As Broglie brought his reserve and his cavalry forward, Ferdinand was able to gauge the size of his opponent's army. Furthermore, the French artillery was finding its range and forcing the allied army back up the "Am Hohen Stein." As Holstein-Gottorp's division finally made it onto the field, preparations for another attack were abandoned and the battle turned into an artillery duel that lasted until the fall of night, when the allies withdrew. Although it was a clear French victory, Broglie did not aggressively pursue Ferdinand, who was able to slip away with his army back toward Minden.

This was Ferdinand's darkest moment, and even his brother in law, Frederick the Great commiserated with him to try to boost his morale. Ferdinand would recover, however, and redeem himself and his army later in the same year at the battle of Minden. Frederick II of Prussia (German: ; January 24, 1712 – August 17, 1786) of Hohenzollern dynasty, ruled the Kingdom of Prussia from 1740 to 1786. ... The Battle of Minden was a battle fought on August 1, 1759 during the Seven Years War. ...

Allied casualties amounted to 415 dead, 1,770 wounded, and 188 missing. The French lost 500 dead and 1,300 wounded.

Total forces involved were:

French: 29,400 Infantry, 5,280 Cavalry, 700 Light Troops, 45 Heavy Guns, 4 Howitzers

Allies: 18,400 Infantry, 5,550 Cavalry, 1,900 Light Troops, 10 Guns