Governor of Sluis and military commander in Zeelandic Flanders. The armies of the Nine Years War often exceeded 100,000 men, too large for the pre-industrial societies that supported them; Marlborough, Allied commander in the Low Countries, argued one battle was more beneficial than taking 12 fortresses. Although Van Coehoorn agreed, the Dutch survived a century of almost constant warfare by keeping their army together; losing a battle might lose them the war, and they considered Marlborough's approach unnecessarily risky. Instead, they spent 1702 and 1703 taking towns such as Venlo and Roermond in the modern Dutch province of Limburg, as well as Liège, Bonn and Huy. Strategy was affected by conflicting objectives, between England and the Republic and also the States General. The States of Holland opposed the 1703 offensive against Ostend and Antwerp, since it potentially threatened Amsterdam's monopoly over the Scheldt river trade. In the confusion, a Dutch army was surrounded by a French force several times their size at Ekeren on 30 June, and only just escaped. Rightly or wrongly, Van Coehoorn was blamed for this; he was a difficult character and William's death deprived him of his most powerful sponsor. The campaigns of 1702 and 1703 exposed his limitations as a field officer and led to criticism from Marlborough and his Dutch colleagues. He was considering an offer to serve with the army of Savoy when he died on 17 March 1704 in The Hague, attending a conference with Marlborough. The States of Friesland paid for a monument over his grave at Wijckel. Other In May 1701, Van Coehoorn demonstrated a light-weight mortar to William, later known as the Coehorn (sic). Designed to provide cover for infantry assaults, it was first used at Kaiserworth in 1702 and variations remained in service during the US Civil War in 1861. He also led a number of significant civil projects, including re-dyking the Lower Scheldt, and designing new barrages along the Zuiderzee. The Menno van Coehoorn Foundation was established in 1932 to preserve the cultural heritage of historical fortifications in the Netherlands and their associated wildlife. His son Gosewijn Theodor van Coehoorn (1678-1736) wrote a biography of his father, The Life Of Menno Baron Van Coehoorn which is still in print. References Sources External links Web page for the Menno van Coehoorn Foundation Article on Coehoorn at fortified-places.com 1641 births 1704 deaths Dutch military engineers People from Leeuwarderadeel 17th-century