March routes near Lessines and Oudenaarde, 1745

Sketch of the Great Road from Lessines to / Oudenaerde, and of 4 new Roads leading to the height / of Kerselaer. / Also of [blank space, scraped out] other new Roads [blank space, scraped out], in...

A map of the proposed march routes between Lessines and Oudenaarde, June 1745. War of the Austrian Succession (1740-48). Oriented with north to top.

Writing on 1 June from the camp at Lessines, Sub-Engineer David Watson (Captain, 21st Regiment of Foot) describes the plans for moving camp: ‘I imagine we shall not long continue in this camp. Forage begins to turn scarce and its both expensive and troublesome fetching it from Mons. Tuesday last I was with the QMG reconnoitring the country from Lessines to Oudenarde and Roads are made for marching the army in 5 columns towards the hill of Oudenarde which I presume will be our next encampment.’

This sketch, together with David Watson's letter, provides a happy combination of contemporary documentary and cartographic source material. The reconnaissances made by Watson, and Cumberland's QMG (Robert Napier) presumably furnished some of the information for this map.

The map has been constructed by reference to a straight line drawn between Lessines and Oudenaarde. The distance along this line is approximately 21.6 km (13.4 miles). The Great Road, referred to in the title and on the map, is along much of the alignment of the present-day roads N493 and N8. The Height of Kerselaer (Kerzelare), referred to in the title, is a hill, about 90 metres (295 ft) high, overlooking the Scheldt and Oudenaarde to the west, about 5 km south-east of Edelare (50°49'58"N 03°37'40"E).

The alignment of the five roughly parallel routes passed from Lessines (keeping the Great Road to the right of the four ‘new’ roads) to the east of Gouy (Ghoy 50°43'42"N 03°48'35"E), through and to the west of Everbec (Everbeek 50°45'45"N 03°48'30"E), to the west of Parricke (50°47'05"N 03°47'51"E), passing between Opbrackle (Opbrakel 50°47'31"N 03°44'55"E) and Nederbrackle (Nederbrakel 50°48'03"N 03°45'45"E). Just east of Segelsem (Zegelsem 50°49'08"N 03°43'03"E), the route bifurcates, with one arm swinging north through Elst (50°49'48"N 03°44'21"E), and then coming to a halt south-west of Roosbeke (Rozebeke 50°50'58N 03°45'08E). It is possible that this was a possible alternative route that was not used. The main route to Oudenaarde continues westward, the five columns arriving on the Scheldt floodplain between Esnaeme (Ename 50°51'30"N 03°38'11"E) and Oudenaarde.

Condition: two fold lines; creased; unevenly trimmed; double pin pricks in the corners. Verso: induced discolouration; surface dirt on outside panel of folded map with colour offsetting; bottom, right of centre: water-stained patch, shadow and ghosting from the removal of Cumberland's cipher label: VOL. VI.