Editing Battle of Steenkerque (section)

==Background==
Luxembourg had already achieved his main objective for 1692 by capturing [[Siege of Namur (1692)|Namur]] in June and wanted to avoid battle. He therefore adopted a strong defensive position facing north-west, with his right anchored on the [[Zenne]] at Steenkerque and his left near [[Enghien]], assuming the Allies would not dare to attack it. This approach conformed with then accepted tactical wisdom, with battles considered too risky and unpredictable, unless there was a clear chance of defeating the enemy.{{sfn|Messenger|2001|p=370}} 

[[William III of England|William of Orange]] had replaced [[Prince Georg Friedrich of Waldeck|Waldeck]] as commander of the [[Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg)|Allied]] army, which was encamped about [[Halle, Belgium|Halle]]. He would probably have done as Luxembourg expected and not risked an attack had he not seen an opportunity to take the French by surprise. Accordingly, before dawn on 3 August he ordered his troops to move against the French right.{{sfn|Messenger|2001|p=370}} 

William had prepared the attack thoroughly. 300 carefully chosen cavalry and dragoons took up positions a short distance from the French army camp. The French paid no attention to them as they assumed these were covering troops for Allied foragers. In reality, however, they served to enable 800 pioneers equipped with axes and shovels to widen forest paths, fill ditches and make passages in hedges unnoticed. Once the pioneers had finished their work, Lieutenant General [[Ferdinand_Willem,_Duke_of_Württemberg-Neuenstadt|Württemberg]] was to take possession of Steenkerke with a vanguard of 5,000 to 6,000 Dutch, English, Danish and German infantrymen, and artillery of six low three-pounders and ten regimental pieces. After the French were driven out, he would have to hold out there until the rest of the army arrived.{{sfn|Van Nimwegen|2020|p=228}}

The main attack would be carried out by three assault columns: 

The first column under the [[Walrad, Prince of Nassau-Usingen|Prince of Nassau-Usingen]], with a strength of 8,000 men, composed of the English [[George Ramsay (English Army officer)|Ramsay]] brigade and the Dutch [[François Nicolas Fagel|Fagel]] brigade.

The second column, commanded by the [[Lordship of Frisia|Frisian]] [[stadtholder]], [[Henry Casimir II, Prince of Nassau-Dietz|Henry Casimir II]], with a strength of 6,000 to 7,000 men, composed of the Dutch brigades of Salisch and l'Ecluse.

The third column under the [[Hendrik Trajectinus, Count of Solms|Count of Solms]], with a strength of 11,000 men comprised the Dutch, English and Scottish Guards, [[Charles Churchill (British Army officer, born 1656)|Churchill]]'s English Brigade and Ellenberger's Danish brigade.

Each assault column was equipped with six long three-pounders and 12 regimental pieces. 15,000 horsemen under the [[Godert de Ginkel, 1st Earl of Athlone|Earl of Athlone]] had the order to follow the infantry and support its attack wherever possible.{{sfn|Van Nimwegen|2020|p=228}}