Battle Of Aldenhoven (1793)

The Battle of Aldenhoven (1 March 1793) saw the Habsburg Austrian army commanded by Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld attack a Republican French force under René Joseph de Lanoue. The Austrians successfully crossed the Roer River and engaged in a cavalry charge led by Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen which routed the French and inflicted heavy losses. The War of the First Coalition battle occurred near Aldenhoven, a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany located about west of Cologne.

After a victory in the Battle of Jemappes on 6 November 1792, the French army of Charles Francois Dumouriez conquered most of the Austrian Netherlands. That winter, Dumouriez attempted to overrun the Dutch Republic while Francisco de Miranda besieged Maastricht, covered by Lanoue's troops along the Roer. Sent by the Austrian government to reconquer Belgium, Coburg's troops attacked early on the morning of 1 March and dispersed the French. The Battle of Neerwinden on the 18th of March would decide who controlled the Austrian Netherlands.

Battle

In the decisive charge, Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen led the ''Latour'' Dragoon Regiment Nr. 31 and the ''Esterhazy'' Hussar Regiment Nr. 32. Lanoue had on hand 9,000 troops in seven battalions, six squadrons and 12 artillery pieces. The French units were the 3rd and 4th Grenadier Battalions, ''Liège'' Battalion, 14th Light Infantry Battalion, 2nd Battalion of the ''Paris'' National Guard, two battalions of the 29th Line Infantry Regiment and the 6th and 12th Chasseurs à Cheval. Henri Christian Michel de Stengel was one of Lanoue's subordinates.

Results

The Coalition suffered 50 casualties while the French suffered 2,000. In addition, 300 men, seven field pieces and two colors were captured by the Coalition. One of the colors was taken from the 29th Line. This defeat caused the siege of Maastricht to be abandoned. For three days Stengel disappeared and it was feared that he had defected. Instead, he turned up at Namur with a squadron of the 12th Chasseurs and the army's military pay chest. On the 9th of March, three French armies reassembled at Leuven (Louvain) under the command of Francisco de Miranda. They were the ''Army of the North'' on the left, the ''Army of Belgium'' in the center and the ''Army of the Ardennes'' on the right.

Notes

References

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Battles of the War of the First Coalition
Battles of the French Revolutionary Wars
Battles involving Austria
Battles involving France
Conflicts in 1793
Battles in North Rhine-Westphalia

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