ORDER OF BATTLE // May 29, 1692
Battles of Barfleur and La Hougue
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 60,000 estimated
England
39,000
Medium-confidence figure
France
21,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battles of Barfleur and La Hougue unfolded across more than two weeks of fighting between late May and early June 1692, spanning engagements near Barfleur and subsequent actions at Cherbourg and Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue in Normandy. The allied English and Dutch fleet under Edward Russell and Philips van Almonde brought a considerable numerical advantage over the French force commanded by Anne Tourville and Bernardin Bellefonds, with English-allied forces recorded at 39,000 against 21,000 French. The drawn casualty figures — 5,000 on each side — indicate that the fighting was costly despite the disparity in force sizes. Fought within the Nine Years' War, the engagement formed part of the broader maritime contest between France and the allied powers that shaped control of the Channel and Atlantic approaches during that conflict.
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