Dettingen, battle of

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Dettingen, battle of, 1743. Britain entered the War of the Austrian Succession on the side of Maria Theresa and placed an army in the field in Germany under John Dalrymple, Lord Stair. In June 1743 it was trapped on the river Main near Hanau by a superior French force under Noailles. It succeeded in fighting its way to safety on the 27th mainly because of the musket fire of the infantry. George II led his troops into battle, sword in hand, with remarkable courage. This, the last time a British king fought in person, was a reminder of the original role of the monarch as battle-leader.

J. A. Cannon

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