Fontenoy, a village of Belgium, in the province of Hainaut, 5 m. S. E. of Tournay; pop. 800. It is noted for a victory of the French over the English, Dutch, and Austrians, May 11, 1745, fought by the latter for the relief of Tournay, then besieged by the French. The French, 76.000 strong, led by Marshal Saxe and animated by the presence of Louis XV. and the dauphin, were posted on a hill with Fontenoy before them, the village of St. An-toine and the river Scheldt on the right, and a small wood on the left. Their naturally strong position was so fortified as to be deemed almost impregnable. The allies, numbering 50,000, more than half of whom were English, were under the duke of Cumberland. They attacked the French outposts on the 10th, and early the next morning began the engagement by a fierce cannonade. The Dutch undertook to carry St. Antoine and Fontenoy by assault, but were driven back in disorder. Gen. Ingoldsby, who had been ordered to pierce the wood with a British division, retired with dishonor, while the duke of Cumberland, with 14.000 British and Hanoverian infantry marching in columns of 30 or 40 front, led the assault upon the main body.With bayonets fixed they plunged down a ravine which separated them from the French line, and, while artillery mowed down their ranks from right and left, marched steadily forward with rapidly diminishing numbers but unflinching courage.

They gained the hill in a solid mass, cut down everything before them, and had nearly won the day by intercepting the French retreat to the Scheldt, when Saxe, having in vain urged the king to fly, collected his force for a last effort. Four pieces of cannon were brought to bear upon the British front, while the household troops, the reserve, and foremost of all the brigade of Irish exiles, charged on either flank. Exhausted and unsupported, the English fell back. Their cavalry came to the rescue, and they reached the allied position with unbroken ranks, having twice cut through more than five times their number. The allies retreated to Ath, leaving about 8,000 killed, wounded, and prisoners, while the French acknowledged an almost equal loss. The young duke de Gramont was one of those who fell. The speedy fall of Tour-nay and the conquest of Ghent, Bruges, Ostend, and Dendermonde were the fruits of Marshal Saxe's victory.