Shortly before 6 a.m., as the night mists began to dissipate, the Duke of Cumberland gives the order to his troops to move on Fontenoy, while the Dutch will attack Antoing... the battle of Fontenoy is engaged.
Immediately, the allies set off. While the Dutch were decimated by French grapeshot (they quickly withdrew and did not intervene again during the day), the English continued to harass the center of the French system. Noting that these
offensives remained ineffective, the Duke of Cumberland ordered that Barry Wood be invested by Lord Ingoldsby's Highlanders; this difficult maneuver could have decided the outcome of the battle. Fortunately for the fate of the king's armies, the
French regiments resisted the offensive. Moreover, having encountered a detachment of Brassins in the woods, Ingoldsby believed he was in the presence of a large force and returned to Cumberland to request reinforcements in artillery and men.
The English have just missed a magnificent opportunity.
At 8:30 a.m., the French are still masters of the field.
Reconsidering the failure he has just suffer, Cumberland again throws his men into the fray; he now knows that the two wings of the French system are solidly defended and opts for a frontal offensive... precisely where Saxony has neglected to set up redoubts and artillery batteries.
Suddenly, the French guards see appearing in front of them, on the other side of the drop separating them from the Anglo-Hanoverians, an enemy outpost, panting, in Conditions made very difficult by the wet state of the ground , several guns, closely followed by 15,000 English, Scottish and Hanoverian infantry:amazement in the French ranks! So... a single watchword:"Take the cannon from the English." But the latter, imperturbable, continue to advance. The fire breaks out. About 60 of their number fell, but the columns reformed immediately.
The regiments of Campbell, the Royal-Scottish, and the regiment of the French Guards were now face to face. Within earshot of the French lines, Lord Hay approaches, hat in hand, and issues an “invitation” to the Count of Auteroche to fire “his people” first. The episode, recounted by Voltaire, stems less from a concern inspired by the spirit of chivalry than by the effectiveness of weapons. Indeed, the time required to reload rifles was such that the soldiers firing first placed themselves in a position of vulnerability making, for long moments, any maneuver impossible (period of time exploited by the adversary to aim in turn the 'enemy).
Auteroche not having “fired its people”, the English were forced to fire first. However, despite this theoretical disadvantage, their rapidity in descending on the French and Swiss regiments surprised the center of our device, which yielded in several places... the Duke of Cumberland was winning the second round of this indecisive battle.
Nothing seems to be able to contain the progression of the English; these move forward “as if on exercise”. A few moments later, they completely overwhelmed the French position entrenched behind the village of Fontenoy, and "this corps which before, reports Voltaire, was of three divisions, became a long and thick column, almost unshakable by its mass and even more by its
courageous”. The Aubeterre regiment is heavily decimated... the French line will soon give way.