Daendels repeatedly fed small formations into a fight against concentrated British infantry supported by naval cannon. Horses sank into the dune sand and artillery became immobilized, while large ship's boats carrying small cannon provided British fire support close to shore. Because Den Helder's batteries faced seaward, retreating troops spiked guns and abandoned fortifications that could not answer an attack from land. Whole battalions withdrew with their colonels, and Daendels retreated further for fear of another landing behind him. British losses were 74 killed, including 20 drowned during the landing, 376 wounded, and 20 missing; Batavian losses were 137 killed and 950 wounded. The retreat yielded the port of Nieuwediep, giving the Anglo-Russian army a useful disembarkation point for the rest of the campaign.
Chapter · 1:24:04-1:32:35
Piecemeal counterattacks lose Den Helder
Batavian battalions attack separately across bad terrain while British brigades receive close gunboat support, opening Den Helder to the invasion force.