British and French forces salute each other before joining combat, The Battle of Fontenoy, 11 May 1745
Original illustration from British Battles on Land and Sea by Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Company circa 1880. According to Voltaire: “They were at a distance of fifty paces. . . . The English officers saluted the French by raising their hats. The Count de Chabones [sic], the Duke de Biron who were in the front and all the officers of the French Guards returned the salute. Lord Charles Hay, Captain of the English Guards, cried ‘Gentlemen of the French Guards, fire.’ “Count d’Auteroche, then lieutenant and later captain of the Grenadiers, replied ‘Gentlemen, we never fire first, open fire yourselves. Info from wiki: The Battle of Fontenoy, 11 May 1745,[1] was a major engagement of the War of the Austrian Succession, fought between the forces of the Pragmatic Allies – comprising mainly Dutch, British, and Hanoverian troops under the command of the Duke of Cumberland – and a French army under Maurice de Saxe, commander of King Louis XV's forces in the Low Countries. The battle was one of the most important in the war and considered the masterpiece of Saxe, serving France; Louis XV, and his son, the Dauphin, were present at the battle.
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Photo credit: © Historical Images Archive / Alamy / Afripics
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