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Battle of Würzburg
Part of the 1796 Rhine campaign during the War of the First Coalition
Bataille de Wurtzbourg, 3 septembre 1796
Battle of Würzburg by Martinet and Branche, 1837
Date3 September 1796
LocationWürzburg, Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg, Holy Roman Empire
Result Decisive Austrian victory
Belligerents
France French Republic Banner of the Holy Roman Emperor (after 1400) Holy Roman Empire
Commanders and leaders
France Jean-Baptiste Jourdan Holy Roman Empire Archduke Charles von Hapsburg-Lorraine
Units involved
Army of the Sambre and Meuse Army of the Lower Rhine
Strength
30,000 30,000
Casualties and losses
3,000, 7 guns 1,500

The Battle of Würzburg was fought on 3 September 1796 between the Army of the Lower Rhine, led by Archduke Charles von Hapsburg-Lorraine and the Army of the Sambre and Meuse of the First French Republic led by Jean-Baptiste Jourdan. The French attacked the archduke's forces, but they were resisted until the arrival of reinforcements decided the engagement in favor of the Austrians. The French retreated west toward the Rhine River. The action occurred during the War of the First Coalition, part of the French Revolutionary Wars.

The summer of 1796 saw the two French armies of Jourdan and Jean Victor Marie Moreau advance into southern Germany. They were opposed by Archduke Charles, who supervised two weaker Austrian armies commanded by Wilhelm von Wartensleben and Maximilian Anton Karl, Count Baillet de Latour. At the Battle of Amberg on 24 August, Charles managed to concentrate superior numbers against Jourdan, forcing him to withdraw. At Würzburg, Jourdan attempted a counterattack in a bid to halt his retreat. After his defeat, Charles forced Jourdan's army back to the Rhine. With his colleague in retreat, Moreau was isolated and compelled to abandon southern Germany.

Battle[]

The French army advanced against what they thought to be an isolated Austrian division under Feldmarschall-Leutnant Anton Sztáray. Jourdan's plan was to attack Sztáray with the divisions of Generals of Division Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte and Jean Étienne Championnet, leaving the divisions of Generals of Division Jacques Bonnaud and Paul Grenier in reserve. However, the early morning mist enabled Archduke Charles to bring up the division of Feldmarschall-Leutnant Friedrich Freiherr von Hotze as a reinforcement to Sztáray, effectively undoing what Jourdan thought to be a great numerical superiority for the French.

Jourdan's imagined superiority diminished even more when the division of General-Major Anton von Elsnitz to the north kept the much larger force under Division General François Joseph Lefebvre out of the battle. Meanwhile, Austrian engineers were laying pontoon bridges over the Main in order to let the remainder of the Habsburg army cross the river. The French attacked the Austrian position without success until the Austrian divisions of Feldmarschall-Leutnant Paul Kray and Feldzeugmeister Wilhelm von Wartensleben arrived and drove the French off the field.

Order of battle[]

All below units are in shown by their titles in English.

Army of the Sambre and Meuse[]

The Army of the Sambre and Meuse was formed on 29 June 1794 by renaming of the Army of the Ardennes and elements of the Army of the North and Army of the Moselle. This army was responsible for all operations along the Upper Rhine valley and was named for the Sambre and Meuse rivers. Unless stated, all infantry units have 3 battalions, and cavalry have 4 squadrons each.[1][2]

Lefebvre Division[]

Grenier Division[]

  • Grenier Division: Division General Paul Grenier
    • 6th Horse Chasseurs Regiment (3 x squadrons)
    • 1st Dragoon Regiment (3 x squadrons)
    • 2nd Dragoon Regiment (3 x squadrons)
    • Olivier Brigade: Brigade General Olivier
      • 1st Battalion, 23rd Line Demi-Brigade
      • 16th Line Demi-Brigade
    • Dalesme Brigade: Brigade General Jean-Baptiste Dalesme
      • 67th Line Demi-Brigade
      • 20th Light Demi-Brigade
    • 1 x Horse Artillery Company
    • 1 x Foot Artillery Company

Championnet Division[]

Bernadotte Division[]

  • Bernadotte Division: Division General Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte
    • 2nd Hussar Regiment (3 x squadrons)
    • 3rd Horse Chasseurs Regiment
    • 7th Dragoon Regiment
    • 14th Dragoon Regiment
    • Simond Brigade: Brigade General Simond
      • 37th Line Demi-Brigade
      • 88th Line Demi-Brigade
    • Barbou Brigade: Brigade General Gabriel Barbou des Courières
      • 9th Line Demi-Brigade
      • 49th Line Demi-Brigade
    • 2 x Horse Artillery Company
    • 1 x Foot Artillery Companies

The Reserve[]

  • The Reserve: Division General Jacques Philippe Bonnaud
    • 4th Cavalry Regiment
    • 7th Cavalry Regiment
    • 10th Cavalry Regiment
    • 17th Cavalry Regiment
    • 2 x Horse Artillery Companies

Army of the Lower Rhine[]

Karl von Blaas - Die Schlacht bei Würzburg 1796 - 2743 - Kunsthistorisches Museum

Imperial troops involved in theBattle of Würzburg by Karl von Blaas, 1870

Unless stated, all infantry has one battalion, and cavalry has 4 squadrons. The Army of the Lower Rhine was tasked with combat operations within the Lower Rhine region, which roughly covered the Bavarian Circle, Franconian Circle, and Swabian Circle. Troops of the army were mostly provided by the Austrian Army, though some imperial contingents from other HRE states and French royalist émigré units also were part of it. A coat of arms of the provided Imperial state would be provided where available, and the Royal French flag where émigré units are. Note: in the Austrian army up until 1809, a 'division' was titled either as a 'Wing' or 'Column', but was the same as other armies' divisions.[1][3]

Hotze Division[]

  • Hotze Division: Field Marshal-Lieutenant Johann Konrad Friedrich, Ritter von Hotze

Sztaray Division[]

  • Sztaray Division: Field Marshal-Lieutenant Anton Sztáray de Nagy-Mihály
    • Advanced Guard: Major General Prince Johannes of Lichtenstein
      • Székely Grenzer Hussar Regiment (6 x squadrons)
      • 7th Kinsky Light Horse Regiment (7 x squadrons)
      • 19th Levenehr's Light Horse Regiment (1 x squadron)
      • 37th Coburg Dragoon Regiment (1 x squadron)
      • 5th Duke Albert's Cuirassier Regiment (2 x squadrons)
      • 2nd Slavonian District Grenzer Battalion
      • Székely (Siebenburgen District) Grenzer Battalion
      • O'Donnell's Freikorps (1 x battalion)
    • Montfraut Brigade: Major General Eugen Montfrault
      • 11th Wallis Infantry Regiment
      • 22nd Lacy Infantry Regiment
      • 54th Callenberg Infantry Regiment
    • Bartels Brigade: Major General Cornelius Ludewich Bartels
      • Arms of the Electoral Palatinate (Variant 1) Palatinate Infantry Regiment (2 x battalions)
    • Finke Brigade: Major General Finke
      • Le Loup Freikorps Battalion
      • Kingdom of France Infantry, Rohan Legion (1 x battalion)
      • Archduke Charles Legion (2 x coys)
    • Grenadier Brigade: Major General Konrad Valentin von Kaim
      • Apfaltern Grenadier Battalion (3 x coys)
      • Candiani Grenadier Battalion (2 x coys)
      • Szenossy Grenadier Battalion (3 x coys)

Reisch Division[]

  • Reisch Division: Field Marshal-Lieutenant Johann Sigismund Riesch
    • Prince of Württemberg Brigade: Major General Prince Alexander Fredrich Karl of Württemberg
      • 20th Mack's Cuirassier Regiment (6 x squadrons)
      • 37th Coburg Dragoon Regiment (5 x squadrons)
    • Spiegelberg Brigade: Major General Joseph Spiegelberg
      • 2nd Kaiser's Hussar Regiment (2 x squadrons)
      • Blason Lahr Münster Dragoon Regiment (2 x squadrons)

Kray Division[]

  • Kray Division: Field Marshal-Lieutenant Paul, Freiherr von Kray von Krajow und Topolya
    • Hohenlohe Brigade: Major General Friedrich Karl Wilhelm, Prince of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen
      • 35th Barco Hussar Regiment
      • Kingdom of France Rohan Hussar Regiment (6 x squadrons)
      • Kingdom of France Bussy Hussar Regiment (4 x squadrons)
      • 31st Latour Light Horse Regiment
      • 4 x Uhlan squadrons unknown regiment
      • 1st Slavonia District Grenzer Battalion
      • Grenzer Schützen (4 x coys)
    • Hadik Brigade: Major General Karl Joseph, Baron Hadik von Futak
      • 16th Blankenstein Hussar Regiment (6 x squadrons)
      • 34th Vecsey Hussar Regiment
      • 18th Karacsay Light Horse Regiment
      • 3rd Warasdin District Grenzer Battalion
      • Wallachian (Siebenburgen District) Grenzer Battalion
    • Georger Brigade: Major General Philipp von Görger
    • Schottendorf Brigade: Major General Franz Sebottendorf
      • 33rd Sztáray Infantry Regiment (2 x battalions)
    • Prince of Orange Brigade: Major General Prince Frederick of Orange-Nassau
      • 1st Kaiser's Infantry Regiment
      • 32nd Gyulai Infantry Regiment (2 x battalions)

Städer Division[]

  • Städer Division: Field Marshal-Lieutenant Joseph Heinrich, Freiherr Staader von Adelsheim
    • Gonreuil Brigade: Major General Charles-Philippe-Joseph-Antoine, Comte de Vinchant de Gontroeuil
      • 9th Clerfayt Infantry Regiment
      • 38th Württemberg Infantry Regiment
      • 55th Murray Infantry Regiment
      • 58th Beaulieu Infantry Regiment

Reserve[]

Werneck Division[]
  • Werneck Division: Major General Franz, Freiherr von Werneck
    • Kollowrat Brigade: Major General Johann Karl, Graf von Kollowrat-Krakowsky
      • Ulm Grenadier Battalion (10th, 41st, and 54th Infantry Regiments)
      • Frankenbusch Grenadier Battalion (25th, 35th, and 42nd Infantry Regiments)
      • Riera Grenadier Battalion (17th, 36th, and 47th Infantry Regiment)
      • Zögraidt Grenadier Battalion (9th, 30th, and 55th Infantry Regiments)
    • Schnellenberg Brigade: Major General Joseph, Freiherr von Schellenberg
      • Bydeskuti Grenadier Battalion (2nd, 32nd, and 34th Infantry Regiment)
      • Dietrich Grenadier Battalion (7th, 20th, and 56th Infantry Regiment)
      • Reisinger Grenadier Battalion (1st, 12th, and 40th Infantry Regiment)
      • Retz Grenadier Battalion (15th, 28th, and 57th Infantry Regiment)
    • Vogelsang Brigade: Major General Ludwig, Freiherr von Vogelsang
      • Gehendegg Grenadier Battalion (13th, 26th, and 43rd Infantry Regiment)
      • Kraissern Grenadier Battalion (16th, 27th, and 45th Infantry Regiment)
      • Paulus Grenadier Battalion (38th and 58th Infantry Regiment)
      • Schröckiner Grenadier Battalion (8th, 22nd, and 29th Infantry Regiment)
Colloredo Division[]
  • Colloredo Division: Major General Colloredo
    • Anhalt-Köthen Brigade: Major General August Christian Friedrich, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen
      • 5th Duke Albert's Carabinier Regiment (6 x squadrons)
      • 6th Kaiser's Carabinier Regiment (6 x squadrons)
Lorraine Division[]

Result[]

The French suffered 2,000 killed and wounded, plus 1,000 men and 7 guns captured. The Austrians lost 1,200 killed and wounded, with 300 captured.[4] The Battle of Würzburg determined the winner of the 1796 campaign in southern Germany. Charles pursued the beaten French, turning Jourdan's south flank and keeping between him and Division General Jean Victor Marie Moreau's French Army of Rhin-et-Moselle in southern Germany.

On 7 September, Charles forced the French to lift the siege of Mainz.[5] By 16 September, the opposing armies were back on the Lahn River where they started the campaign in June. On that day, Kray with 11,000 Austrians defeated 15,000 Frenchmen of Jourdan's army at Limburg an der Lahn. The French general fell back to Düsseldorf and crossed to the west bank of the Rhine. The French gave up their siege of the Ehrenbreitstein fortress on 17 September. Charles left 30,000 soldiers with the Army of the Lower Rhine, placed them under the command Feldmarschall-Leutnant Franz von Werneck, and hurried south.[6]

Having disposed of Jourdan's army, the Archduke forced Moreau's now-isolated army to retreat west through the Black Forest to France.[7] On 18 September, an Austrian division under Feldmarschall-Leutnant Franz Petrasch stormed the Rhine bridgehead at Kehl, but was driven out by a French counterattack. At this time, Moreau's army was still south of Ulm. On 2 October, Moreau defeated Feldzeugmeister Maximilian Anton Karl, Count Baillet de Latour's Army of the Upper Rhine at the Battle of Biberach. While French casualties numbered only 500, they inflicted 300 killed and wounded, while capturing 4,000 soldiers and 18 cannon.[8] This slowed the southern Austrian pursuit, but with Charles rushing south to cut him off from France, Moreau retreated to the Rhine.

On 19 October, Moreau with 32,000 soldiers fought Charles with 28,000 Austrians at the Battle of Emmendingen. The French suffered 1,000 killed and wounded, including Division General Michel de Beaupuy killed. In addition, the Austrians captured 1,800 men and 2 cannons. The Austrians losses totaled 1,000, including Feldzeugmeister Wilhelm von Wartensleben killed.[9]

The French withdrew south and fought the Battle of Schliengen on 24 October. This time, the Austrians lost 800 while inflicting 1,200 casualties on the French. Both sides claimed victory, but Moreau retreated to the west bank of the Rhine. Moreau soon offered Charles an armistice, which the field marshal wanted to accept. At this time, the Austrian government made a huge error by refusing to ratify the agreement. That fall and winter, while Charles reduced the fortresses of Kehl and Huningen, the French government transferred 14 demi-brigades from Moreau to Division General Napoleon Bonaparte to help the latter bring the Siege of Mantua to a successful conclusion.[10]

Notes[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Smith, pp. 121–122
  2. Nafziger, George. "French Army of the Sambre and Meuse, July 1796". https://www.napoleon-series.org/nafzigger/796GAF.pdf. 
  3. Nafziger, George (1995). "Austrian Army at Würzburg, 3 September 1796". https://www.napoleon-series.org/nafzigger/796IAA.pdf. 
  4. Rothenberg, p 248. Rothenberg gives 44,000 as the Austrian strength, which may include Elsnitz's division. Smith's strengths were used instead.
  5. Smith, p 122
  6. Smith, p 124
  7. Eggenberger, p 482
  8. Smith, p 123
  9. Smith, p 123–124
  10. Smith, p 125–126

References[]

See also[]

External links[]