States' Army

Supreme commander Stadhouder/Prins Maurits van Nassau.
Other staff-officers

General of cavalry: Lodewijk Giinther van Nassau
General of artillery: Not present with the battle; temporarily attended to by the commander of the warfleet
Lord Johann Van Duyvenvoorde

Advance-guard / left wing:
Commander: Sir Francis Vere

1 . English Regiments of Francis and Horatio Vere in 4 battalions 22 comp / 2.400 men

2. Regiment Friesland in 4 battalions 13 comp / 1,900 men

3. Forlorn hope:
Pike and shot from the English regiments 2 comp/200 men
Musketeers from the Friesland regiment 4 comp/500 men
Guards of Prins Maurits and Prins Van Hohenlohe. 2 comp/400 men

4. Artillery: 6 heavy pieces (24pdrs) 100 men (manned mostly by sailors) 43 comp / 5,500 men

Bataille / centre:
Commander: Count Georg Everhard Van Solms

5a. Regiments French in 2 battalions 13 comp / 1,300 men
5b. Regiment Walloons in 1 battalion 9 comp / 750 men
5c. 4 comp Swiss in 1 battalion 4 comp / 250 men 26 comp / 2,300 men

Rearguard / right wing
Commander: Lord Olivier van Tympel

6a. Regiment Holland in 1 bataljon 7 comp / 600 men
6b. Regiment Utrecht in 1 bataljon 7 comp / 600 men
6c. Regiment Germans in 2 battalions 13 comp / 1,200 men 27 comp / 2,400 men
Total foot 10,200 men

Cavalry

7. 1st Squadron: commander Lodewijk Gunther van Nassau Cuirassiers of Frederik Hendrik van Nassau, Lodewijk Gunther van Nassau and Maurits van Nassau 3 comp / 210 men

8. 2nd Squadron: Commander Graaf Frederik van Solms Cuirassiers of Johan Bacx, Joost Wyerick Cloeth, Georg Everhard van Solms and Frederik van Solms 4 comp / 280 men 9.

9. 5th Squadron: commander Marcellis Bacx Cuirassiers of Paulus Bacx, Marcellis Bacx and Jean Frangois de la Salle 3 comp / 210 men 10.

10. 6th Squadron: commander Thomas van Stakenbroeck Cuirassier-comp. of Charles de Heraugiere and John Hamilton (Scottish) 2 comp / 140 men

11. 7th Squadron: commander Godaert van Balen (reserve) Cuirassiers of Godaert van Balen and (Lancers?) of Francis Vere and Edward Cecil (English) 3 comp / 210 men

12. Squadron mounted arquebusiers*: commander Werner van Houte (Du Bois) G. van Batenburg, Jurrier Conteler and Pieter Panier 3 comp/210 men

Total cavalry 1,260 men

Total troops 11,460 men

* Each cuirassier squadron comprised one comp mounted arquebusiers, which were for this battle formed into a seperate squadron.

Note: The 3rd squadron had been partly detached to Leffinghe with Ernst van Nassau. The 4th squadron had entirely been left behind at the schansen around Oostende. The 6th squadron had also partly been detached to Leffnghe. At Nieuwpoort the remains of the 3rd squadron were aded to the remains of the 6th squadron.

Spanish Army

General of artillerie: Don Louys de Velasco (not present at the battle)
Marechal de Camp : Graaf Frederick van den Bergh

Advance-guard / right wing:
Commander: Admirante Don Louis de Mendoza

A. Regiment Spanish Mutineers 14 comp / 1.400 men [1]

B. Mutineer-cavalry 7 comp / 600 men [1]

C. Artillery: 5 heavy pieces + 1 field-piece 50 men [2]

2,050 men

Bataille / centre: [3]
Commander: Archduke Albertus

D1. Spanish tercio of Hyronimo de Monroy d'Avilla 12 comp / 1,000 men
D2. Spanish tercio of Ludovico D'EIVillars 12 comp / 1,000 men

E1. Spanish tercio of Carlos Zapena 12 comp / 1,000 men
E2. Italian tercio of Alfonse d'Avalos 12 comp / 1,000 men 48 comp / 4,000 men

Cavalry:
Commander Rodrigo de Lasso [4]

F. Lancers of the Dukal Guard 1 comp / 100 men 4,100 men

Rearguard / left flank: [5] Commander: Claude de la Barlotte.

G. Regiment Walloons of La Barlotte 10 comp/1,000 men
G. Regiment Walloons of Bucquoi 10 comp/1,000 men
G. Regiment Irish of Bastock 6 comp / 600 men
G. Regiment Germans of Barbanson 6 comp / 600 men

32 comp / 3,200 men

Cavalry-flank: [6]
Commander Pedro Galleno

H. Cuirassiers of the Graaf van Salm, Reifferscheid, Forest (Scottish), Antoine Godart and Simon de Lattre 5 comp /

I. Lancers of Francisco de Mendoza, Juan de Braccamonte, Juan de Sylva, Philippe d'Arillano, Fernando De Guevarro, Guillaume de Verdugo, Giovanni De Barbiano, and CarIoDe Sangre 8 comp /

J. Mounted arquebusiers of Rodrigo Y Lasso, Michel Telez, Juan de Capata, Nicolas de Blyer and Franqois le Roy 5 comp /

18 comp / 800 men

Total troops 10,150 men

Notes on the Spanish O.O.B.

[1] The mutineer-troops came from Diest, the only ones Albertus had been able to rally. As for the foot several accounts speak of I battalion of Spanish and I of Walloon mutineers, amalgated into I regiment. Parker, who has studied many authentic Spanish ources, comes in Appendix J to 1.400 foot and 770 cavalry mutineers at Diest, composed of Spaniards, Italians and Walloons. Most Dutch accounts agree with the number of foot. As for the cavalry, Oman refers to an account (unknown to me) by Mendoza who speaks of 614 light horse in 7 comp. This corresponds with most Dutch accounts. Question only remains what is meant by 'light horse". I don't think this will only have been mounted arquebusiers. During previous research I was already often confused by the term 'light lancers' often used in translations of contemporay Spanish accounts, which to my opinion often refer to the Spanish equivalent of demi-lancers. So one might be inclined to a mix of lancers and mounted arquebusiers. I have choosen for the same mix as given for Galeno's cavalry (see note 6).

[2] Sources seem to agree upon 4 halve-cannon (24pdr) and 2 field-pieces (culverins/bpdr).

[3] Wijn refers to both battalions of d'Avilla and d'EI Villars being deployed in 1 large formation under Monroy's command, and both battalions of Zapena and d'Avalos the same under Zapena s comand.This impression strokes with the map from Balthazar.

[4] Commander of the Dukal Guard was Rodrigo de Lasso. The comp mounted arquebusiers is in several sources being referred to as being amalgated with the other mounted arquebusiers under Galeno on the left flank.

[5] Wijn refers to the entire foot of the left wing being deployed into one large formation perhaps two. Balthazar shows one formation as do several later dated plates.

[6] As for Galeno's cavalry I have most relied on 'Het Staatsche Leger', in which for the Spanish army is referred to 'Histoire de l'Archiduc Albert by A.L.P de Robaulx de Soumoy. They come to 19 companies (including the Dukal Guard) devided as mentioned. I've checked these numbers with Meeteren and some early 17th Century works,which seem to agree upon this.As for the actual strength of the various companies there is no concrete information.

Composition of the Armies

The States Army

Notes to the deployment:

Maurits had arranged his foot regiments into smaller battalions in such a way, that the first line of batttalions was allowed to wihdraw through the gaps, which were left by the second line of battalions deployed to its rear, so that the enemy was confronted with a fresh defen­sive line. Meanwhile the withdrawing first line could rally behind the second line or form a new line with an eventually present third line of battalions. Maurits's favourite battalion size was 550 men rank and file. However on the field this could vary depending on the size of the regiments and companies of the available troops, since he tried to keep the companies of mixed arms together. The battalion's front varied between 50 and 90 metres, with an almost standard depth of 10 mtr. The battalion's depth was preferably 10 ranks.

This linear formation allowed for optimal use of the firepower. The deployment on the map does show the chequer-formation, although it is a bit adapted to the allowances of the terrain, making use of the valleys in the dunes.

Although the Dutch cavalry-squadrons were in the final OOB attached to the van, bataille and rear, this was hardly visible in the field. During the battle we'll notice too, that the cavalry for the most part fought a seperate battle from the infantry, enforced so by the terrain.

Maurits had developed a 5 rank deep formation for his cuirassiers when using the caracole formation. However at Nieuwpoort (and before also) he seems to have used the charge with the sword instead, a tactic favoured by him. How deep the formation will have been with this tactic I haven't been able to discover yet.

Complementary there was a hughe train attached to the army. Prior to the battle it had crossed the harbour to prevent it being captured by the enemy. It was stretched out entirely behind the rear of the army, alongside the harbour. Most probably the train, as 'parked' behind the rearguard during the battle, consisted of: 4 field-pieces, 84 wagons, and 900 pack- and draught-horses. Besides already 6 guns were deployed on the beach, to which belonged 6 ammunition-wagons, I wagon with wooden platforms and 140 draught-horses.As the States' army was pushed back, the rearguard threatened to be crushed against their own train. Many horses panicked and ran with their wagons into the surf.

Notes on MAP IV and the deployment:

On the beach one can clearly see the mutineer cavalry drawn up partly on the flanks and partly right behind the artillery-battery. The map clearly shows a lot of lancers. The foot in one formation is deployed behind the guns with 2 marches of shot on each flank in front of the central pike-block.To their left are depicted the tercio's of Monroy and Villars in one formation, with again 2 manches of shot in front of the central pike-block.To their left are the tercio's of Zapena and d'Avalos in a similar formation. In between and to the back one can see the Archduke Albertus with his Dukal Guard lancer comp. To their left, slightly to the rear is the rearguard visible in one hughe formation, again in a similar deployment as the tercio's. In front of the plate one can clearly distinguish 3 'troops' of cuirassiers to the rear, 4 of lancers in the middle and 3 of mounted arquebusiers to the front.

The pikes were formed into large formations, propably between 30 and 40 rankes deep.The shot were formed into seperate bodies (manches), positioned on the front corners of the pike-blocks: the arquebusiers to the front and the musketeers behind them, although this plate shows them the other way about.

As for the horse, some sources refer to the Spanish deployed in 3 ranks. Clear evidence is hard to get by.

Total of troops as to various sources:

The numbers mentioned above are derived from Van Meteren, Duyck and Orlers (see bibliography) in a way I thought most acceptable. Exact numbers are not available. The Dutch cavalry general Lodewijk Gunther van Nassau refers to several hundreds of men being send foraging and pillaging and not having returned yet at the time of the batttle. Detachments of musketeers were placed in the schansen at Nieuwendamme and at the light-tower..

Albertus had left an unknown number of men behind to guard the camp and baggage at Lef­finghe. Unknown is also how many and what troops were quartered in the requonquered schansen around Oostende. Perhaps these were included in Velasco's detachment.

Reading several accounts and comments as many give the States'army more numbers as others do to the Spanish army. Taking into account the remarks made above, both sides might have equalled each other in actual numbers very much, with a slightly numerical advantage for Maurits.

Proportions of Pike & Shot:

Maurits' army:

For the Dutch infantry a proportion Pike to Shot somewhere between 1:2 and I:I seems reasonable. The proportion Arquebus to Musket was about 3:2.

This may be derived from the regulations issued by Maurits during his reforms in the 1590's. Maurit's ideal battalion numbered 5 comp/550 men, devided into 250 pikes, 100 muskets, 140 arquebuses and 60 officers/nco's/musicians although by 1600 the percentage of shot seems to have increased slightly.

Spanish army:

For the Spanish army a generally assumed proportion of pike to shot is about I:I. Little exact information is known to me. Interesting is Parker's note on a muster of 24th march 1601,which he quotes in his book:'The Spanish army on the Flanders Road'. From this one might conclude that a ratio of about 2:3 should be more reasonable. Although this need not be stan-dard for the turn of the century, it may be a usefull guideline.

Spreading the officers proportionally over the weapons, I come to the following ratio's:

Type	S	I	G	W
Pikes	38%	41%	77%	42%
Arquebuses	39%	36%	9%	29%
Muskets	23%	23%	14%	29%
Total	100%	100%	100%	100%
>S - Spaniards, I - Italians, G - Germans,W - Walloons

For the Irish, English and French troops I have no clear information. However the foreign troops in the service of the States' army were expected to follow the regulations for the States' army.

Good Generals Need Some Luck

Road to Nieuwpoort: 2nd July 1600
Map 1: The Road to Nieuwpoort
Jumbo Map 1: The Road to Nieuwpoort (slow: 185K)
Battle of Nieuwpoort: 2nd July 1600
Map 4: Battle (slow: 135K)
Jumbo Map 4: The Road to Nieuwpoort (extremely slow: 356K)
Order of Battle
Color Illustrations (very slow: 247K)
Wargaming the Battle