Georg Wilhelm Von Dem Bussche
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General of the Infantry General of the infantry is a military rank of a General officer in the infantry and refers to: * General of the Infantry (Austria) * General of the Infantry (Bulgaria) * General of the Infantry (Germany) General of the Infantry (, abbr. ) is ...
Georg Wilhelm Baron von dem Bussche-Haddenhausen (19 July 1726 – 11 December 1794) was a
Hanoverian Army The Hanoverian Army (German: ''Hannoversche Armee'') was the standing army of the Electorate of Hanover from the seventeenth century onwards. From 1692 to 1803 it acted in defence of the electorate. Following the Hanoverian Succession of 1714, thi ...
officer. Born in
Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the largest town in population between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district () of Minden-Lübbecke, situated in the cultural region ...
, he joined the Hanoverian army in 1743 and served in the
War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...
and
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...
, seeing action at the battles of
Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the largest town in population between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district () of Minden-Lübbecke, situated in the cultural region ...
and Lutterberg. Bussche also commanded a Hanoverian battalion during the
Great Siege of Gibraltar The Great Siege of Gibraltar was an unsuccessful attempt by Enlightenment in Spain, Spain and Kingdom of France, France to capture Gibraltar from the Kingdom of Great Britain, British during the American Revolutionary War. It was the largest ba ...
in the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
. During the
War of the First Coalition The War of the First Coalition () was a set of wars that several European powers fought between 1792 and 1797, initially against the Constitutional Cabinet of Louis XVI, constitutional Kingdom of France and then the French First Republic, Frenc ...
, he fought at the battles of
Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...
,
Hondschoote Hondschoote (; from Dutch language, Dutch; ''Hondschote'' in the modern Dutch spelling) is a communes of France, commune of the Nord (French department), Nord ''departments of France, département'', in northern France. Geography Hondschoote bo ...
,
Mouscron Mouscron (; Dutch language, Dutch and , ; Picard language, Picard and Walloon language, Walloon: ''Moucron'') is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality and City status in Belgium, city of Wallonia located in the Belgium, Belgian Hainaut Provinc ...
,
Tourcoing Tourcoing (; ; ; ) is a city in northern France on the Belgian border. It is designated municipally as a commune within the department of Nord. Located to the north-northeast of Lille, adjacent to Roubaix, Tourcoing is the chef-lieu of two ca ...
and
Tournai Tournai ( , ; ; ; , sometimes Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicised in older sources as "Tournay") is a city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, Province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies by ...
. In 1794, while defending the
Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...
town of
Bommelerwaard Bommelerwaard is a district in Gelderland, Netherlands. The Bommelerwaard is situated among three rivers: the Meuse () in the south(east), the Waal in the north and the Afgedamde Maas in the west. It is formed by the area of two municipalities: ...
from the
French army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...
, his hand was torn off by a cannonball and he died shortly afterward.


Early career

Bussche was born in
Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the largest town in population between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district () of Minden-Lübbecke, situated in the cultural region ...
, then part of the
Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...
, on 19 July 1726. His father, Albrecht Hilmar von dem Bussche, who was a member of the judicial council, descended from a long line of
Westphalia Westphalia (; ; ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the region is almost identical with the h ...
n nobility. The
Bussche family The von dem Bussche is the name of an old East- East-Westphalian German noble family. The Lords ''von dem Bussche'' belonged to the nobility in the County of Ravensberg. Various branches of the family exist today. History Origin The first offic ...
was a noble family of the
Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück The Prince-Bishopric of Osnabrück () was an Hochstift, ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire from 1225 until 1803. It should not be confused with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Osnabrück, Diocese of Osnabrück (), which was lar ...
which was closely connected with the
Electorate of Hanover The Electorate of Hanover ( or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an Prince-elector, electorate of the Holy Roman Empire located in northwestern Germany that arose from the Principality of Calenberg. Although formally known as the Electorate of Brun ...
. The early death of his father caused Bussche to move to
Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
and become a
Page of Honour A Page of Honour is a ceremonial position in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It requires attendance on state occasions, but does not now involve the daily duties which were once attached to the office of page. The only ...
to Elector George II, Elector of Hanover, who also ruled the
Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain, also known as the Kingdom of Great Britain, was a sovereign state in Western Europe from 1707 to the end of 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of Union 1707, which united the Kingd ...
. In 1743 he joined the
Hanoverian Army The Hanoverian Army (German: ''Hannoversche Armee'') was the standing army of the Electorate of Hanover from the seventeenth century onwards. From 1692 to 1803 it acted in defence of the electorate. Following the Hanoverian Succession of 1714, thi ...
and served in the
War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...
, gradually advancing in rank.


Rise to general

In the
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...
he distinguished himself at the
Battle of Minden The Battle of Minden was a major engagement during the Seven Years' War, fought on 1 August 1759. An Anglo-German army under the overall command of Prussian Field Marshal Ferdinand of Brunswick defeated a French army commanded by Marshal of F ...
in 1759; the same year he was promoted to
major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
. He also performed with distinction at the Battle of Lutterberg in 1762, the same year he became
Oberstleutnant () (English: Lieutenant Colonel) is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, ...
(lieutenant colonel). He received command of a Hanoverian battalion in garrison at
Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
in 1775. He relinquished this position because of his subsequent promotion to
Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German language, German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the Army, ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, a ...
(colonel) in 1776 and to
Generalmajor is the Germanic languages, Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central Europe, Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and R ...
in 1778. Nevertheless, one source placed him in command of the 1st Battalion of the 6th ''Hardenberg'' Hanoverian Regiment as lieutenant colonel during the November 1781 sortie in the
Great Siege of Gibraltar The Great Siege of Gibraltar was an unsuccessful attempt by Enlightenment in Spain, Spain and Kingdom of France, France to capture Gibraltar from the Kingdom of Great Britain, British during the American Revolutionary War. It was the largest ba ...
. He became Inspector of Infantry in 1783 and
lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
in 1788.


Flanders Campaign

After the outbreak of the
War of the First Coalition The War of the First Coalition () was a set of wars that several European powers fought between 1792 and 1797, initially against the Constitutional Cabinet of Louis XVI, constitutional Kingdom of France and then the French First Republic, Frenc ...
, Bussche was ordered to
Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...
to organize the Hanoverian forces being collected there. When France declared war on Great Britain and the Dutch Republic on 1 February 1793, the Hanoverians were put under the overall command of
Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany (Frederick Augustus; 16 August 1763 – 5 January 1827) was the second son of George III, King of the United Kingdom and King of Hanover, Hanover, and his consort Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. A so ...
and Bussche given command of the 1st Division. At the Siege of Valenciennes from 25 May to 27 July 1793 Bussche led the 3rd Hanoverian Cavalry Brigade which included two squadrons each of the 1st ''Leib'' and 4th ''Bussche''
Cuirassier A cuirassier ( ; ; ) was a cavalryman equipped with a cuirass, sword, and pistols. Cuirassiers first appeared in mid-to-late 16th century Europe as a result of armoured cavalry, such as man-at-arms, men-at-arms and demi-lancers discarding their ...
Regiments. The Duke of York began the Siege of Dunkirk on 24 August 1793 with 29,700 infantry and 5,400 cavalry. In the Hanoverian order of battle, Bussche was still leader of the 3rd Cavalry Brigade, consisting of the 9th and 10th Light Dragoons in addition to the 1st and 4th Regiments. The commander of the French ''
Army of the North The Army of the North (), contemporaneously called Army of Peru (), was one of the armies deployed by the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata in the Spanish American wars of independence. Its objective was freeing the Argentine Northwest a ...
'',
Jean Nicolas Houchard Jean Nicolas Houchard (24 January 1739 – 17 November 1793) was a French General of the French Revolution and the French Revolutionary Wars. Early life Jean Nicolas Houchard was born on 24 January 1739 in Forbach, Lorraine. Houchard began h ...
determined to raise the siege by attacking the 16,000-man covering army led by Hanoverian
Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...
Wilhelm von Freytag Heinrich Wilhelm von Freytag (17 March 1720 – 2 January 1798) was a Hanoverian Army officer. Career B.1720 in Estorf, Freytag rose to prominence during the Seven Years' War, organising & commanding a corps of light infantry, the ''Freytag ...
. Not counting the 8,000-strong garrison of
Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...
, Houchard had 45,800 troops available for the operation. The
Battle of Hondschoote The Battle of Hondschoote took place during the Low Countries theatre of the War of the First Coalition, Flanders Campaign of the Campaigns of 1793 in the French Revolutionary Wars, Campaign of 1793 in the French Revolutionary Wars. It was foug ...
was fought on 6–8 September 1793. On the 6th the French advanced in six columns. The 9,000 men of the far right column sat still for two days and only moved against
Ypres Ypres ( ; ; ; ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres/Ieper ...
on the 8th, accomplishing nothing. The left two columns were repulsed, while the two right columns made progress. In the center,
Jean-Baptiste Jourdan Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, 1st Count Jourdan (; 29 April 1762 – 23 November 1833), was a French military commander who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was made a Marshal of the Empire by Emperor Napoleon I i ...
's 13,000 troops captured
Houtkerque Houtkerque (; from ) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is located near the Belgian border, north of Steenvoorde, on the Steenvoorde/Hondschoote road. The river Yser crosses the border at Houtkerque. Houtkerque saw mu ...
, Herzeele and Bambecque, and then, at the urging of the political commissioner
Nicolas Hentz Nicholas Charles Arnould Hentz (5 June 1753, Metz, France – after 1 July 1830, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was a French revolutionary and politician. After fleeing France in 1815, he assumed the name Charles Arnould. Early life Coming fro ...
, they seized Rexpoëde. By this time it was evening and it began to rain. Hearing that the French were nearer to
Hondschoote Hondschoote (; from Dutch language, Dutch; ''Hondschote'' in the modern Dutch spelling) is a communes of France, commune of the Nord (French department), Nord ''departments of France, département'', in northern France. Geography Hondschoote bo ...
than most of his covering force, at 8:00 pm Freytag gathered his soldiers into two columns and began to retreat toward Rexpoëde, believing the village was still in Coalition hands. When the right column reached Rexpoëde, it was charged by French cavalrymen who wounded and captured Freytag. The right column recoiled from the village and stumbled cross-country, but
Johann Ludwig, Reichsgraf von Wallmoden-Gimborn Johann Ludwig Reichsgraf von Wallmoden-Gimborn (22 April 1736 – 10 October 1811) was a Hanoverian Army officer. Early life Wallmoden was an illegitimate son of George II of Great Britain by his mistress Amalie von Wallmoden. She was mar ...
leading the left column attacked Rexpoëde. The Hanoverians rescued Freytag and routed the French from the village, reaching Hondschoote early the next morning. Houchard and Jourdan spent all of 7 September rallying the center column at Herzeele. Bussche was also credited with the recapture of Rexpoëde and the freeing of Freytag. On 8 September Houchard with 22,000 soldiers defeated Wallmoden with 14,600 at Hondschoote after a stiff fight. The Duke of York abandoned the siege that day and withdrew. During the Battle of Mouscron on 26–30 April 1794, Bussche defended Kortrijk (Courtrai) with 1,500 men including one battalion and two squadrons of French Royalists. His Hanoverians were two squadrons of the 9th Light Dragoons, one company of the 14th Infantry Regiment, 200 foot soldiers and one-half battery of artillery. After losing 42 Hanoverian casualties and one cannon, Bussche withdrew from the town. The 15,000 French were led by
Jacques MacDonald Jacques or Jacq are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over one hundred identified noble families related t ...
. Bussche also participated in the Battle of Courtrai or Coighem on 10 May. The previous actions left the French divisions of
Joseph Souham Joseph, comte Souham (; 30 April 1760 – 28 April 1837) was a French general who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was born at Lubersac and died at Versailles. After long service in the French Royal Army, he ...
and
Jean Victor Marie Moreau Jean Victor Marie Moreau (, 14 February 1763 – 2 September 1813) was a French general who helped Napoleon Bonaparte rise to power, but later became his chief military and political rival and was banished to the United States. He is among the f ...
in an exposed position at Courtrai and Menin. In the
Battle of Tourcoing The Battle of Tourcoing (17–18 May 1794) saw a Republican French army directed by General of Division Joseph Souham defend against an attack by a Coalition army led by Emperor Francis II and Austrian Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. ...
Austrian staff officer
Karl Mack von Leiberich Karl Freiherr Mack von Leiberich (25 August 1752 – 22 December 1828) was an Austrian officer. He is best remembered as the commander of the Austrian forces that capitulated to Napoleon's ''Grande Armée'' in the Battle of Ulm in 1805. Early ...
planned to envelop the two French division with 73,350 Coalition soldiers formed into six columns. The columns were numbered north to south. The first column of 4,000 was commanded by Bussche. It was supposed to start north from Warcoing to Dottignies and then turn west to
Mouscron Mouscron (; Dutch language, Dutch and , ; Picard language, Picard and Walloon language, Walloon: ''Moucron'') is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality and City status in Belgium, city of Wallonia located in the Belgium, Belgian Hainaut Provinc ...
. Rudolf Ritter von Otto led second column of 10,000 soldiers, York directed the third column of 10,750 troops,
Franz Joseph, Count Kinsky Franz Joseph, Count Kinsky of Wchinitz and Tettau (6 December 1739 – 9 June 1805) was a Habsburg Austrian general in the War of the Bavarian Succession and the French Revolutionary Wars. A nobleman from the House of Kinsky, he began his militar ...
led the fourth column of 11,000 men and
Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen Archduke Charles Louis John Joseph Lawrence of Austria, Duke of Teschen (; 5 September 177130 April 1847) was an Austrian field marshal, the third son of Emperor Leopold II and his wife, Maria Luisa of Spain. He was also the younger brother of ...
commanded the fifth column of 18,000 troops. The last two columns opposed
Jacques Philippe Bonnaud Jacques Philippe Bonnaud or Bonneau (; 11 September 1757 – 30 March 1797) commanded a French combat division in a number of actions during the French Revolutionary Wars. He enlisted in the French Royal Army as cavalryman in 1776 and was a non-com ...
's division near
Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...
. Finally, 19,600 soldiers under
François Sébastien Charles Joseph de Croix, Count of Clerfayt François Sébastien Charles Joseph de Croix, Count of Clerfayt (; 14 October 1733 – 21 July 1798),His title is also spelled Count of Clairfayt and Count of Clairfait a Walloon, joined the army of the Habsburg monarchy and soon fought in the Se ...
would move down from the north, cross the
Lys River The Lys () or Leie () is a river in France and Belgium, and a left-bank tributary of the Scheldt. Its source is in Pas-de-Calais, France, and it flows into the river Scheldt, with the confluence in the city of Ghent, Belgium. Its total length ...
and meet the other columns near
Tourcoing Tourcoing (; ; ; ) is a city in northern France on the Belgian border. It is designated municipally as a commune within the department of Nord. Located to the north-northeast of Lille, adjacent to Roubaix, Tourcoing is the chef-lieu of two ca ...
, encircling the French. The Coalition columns advanced on 17 May 1794. Bussche reached Mouscron but was attacked by a French brigade under
Louis Fursy Henri Compère Louis Fursy Henri Compère (16 January 1768 – 27 March 1833) was a French general of artillery in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. Compère was born in Péronne, Somme. In 1794, he was promoted to ''chef de brigade'', ...
and driven back to Dottignies. Otto and York both reached their assigned positions on the 17th, but Kinsky and Charles fell far behind schedule. Clerfayt crossed the Lys at 1:00 am on 18 May, but found himself fighting French troops under
Dominique Vandamme General Dominique-Joseph René Vandamme, Count of Unseburg (; 5 November 1770, in Cassel, Nord – 15 July 1830) was a French military officer, who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. He was a dedicated career soldier with a reputation as an excell ...
. The French ''Army of the North'' commander
Jean-Charles Pichegru Jean-Charles Pichegru (; 16 February 1761 – 5 April 1804) was a French general of the Revolutionary Wars. Under his command, French troops overran Belgium and the Netherlands before fighting on the Rhine front. His royalist positions led to h ...
was not on the scene but the French generals accepted Souham as the acting leader. While Moreau held off Clerfayt's column, the large divisions of Souham and Bonnaud, altogether 40,000 men, would throw themselves on Otto and York. Because Kinsky and Charles were slow and Clerfayt was stopped, the French successfully executed Souham's plan, defeating Otto and York. Bussche's mostly Hanoverian command was made up of two battalions of the 1st Infantry Regiment, the 1st and 4th Grenadier Battalions, one French Royalist battalion, and two squadrons each of the 1st and 7th Cavalry and 9th and 10th Light Dragoon Regiments. The 1st Infantry lost many men captured. The
Battle of Tournay A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
or Pont-à-Chin on 22 May 1794 was a Coalition victory. Pichegru attacked the allies with 62,000 beginning at 5:00 am. First contact occurred between the French brigade of
Herman Willem Daendels Herman Willem Daendels (21 October 1762 – 2 May 1818) was a Dutch military officer and colonial administrator who served as governor-general of the Dutch East Indies from 1808 to 1811. Early life Herman Willem Daendels was born on 21 October 1 ...
and troops under Bussche at
Spiere Spiere-Helkijn (; , ; ) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Helkijn and Spiere. On January 1, 2018, Spiere-Helkijn had a total population of 2,087. The total area is 10.78&nb ...
. After some fighting, Bussche withdrew across the
Scheldt The Scheldt ( ; ; ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of Netherlands, the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to Old Englis ...
at Warcoing. Bitter fighting continued for 15 hours as the French tried to overrun the Coalition positions, but they finally had to retreat. In the following weeks, York was left to defend
Tournai Tournai ( , ; ; ; , sometimes Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicised in older sources as "Tournay") is a city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, Province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies by ...
while the decisive actions occurred at Ypres and
Charleroi Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...
. The French began the Siege of Ypres on 1 June and accepted its surrender on 18 June. The Coalition position in Belgium began to collapse and
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
fell to Pichegru on 10 July. The British and Dutch fell back toward
Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...
while the Austrians retreated toward Germany.


Death

The French recaptured
Le Quesnoy Le Quesnoy (; ) is a commune and small town in the east of the Nord department of northern France. It was part of the historical province of French Hainaut. It is known for its fortifications, dating from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. ...
,
Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...
and
Condé-sur-l'Escaut Condé-sur-l'Escaut (, literally ''Condé on the Escaut''; ) is a commune of the Nord department in northern France. It lies on the border with Belgium. The population as of 1999 was 10,527. Residents of the area are known as Condéens or Con ...
in August. By mid-September the Coalition-held fortresses in rear were reduced and the French resumed their advance to the north. On 2 December 1794, the Duke of York returned to Great Britain, leaving
Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
Count
Wallmoden Wallmoden is a village and a former municipality in the district of Goslar in Lower Saxony, Germany. Since 1 November 2021, it is part of the town Langelsheim, of which it is an ''Ortschaft Ortschaft is a term in German speaking countries for a h ...
to take command of the 45,000-man Coalition army in the Dutch Republic. At that time there were 32 British battalions and 30 squadrons, 14 Hanoverian battalions and 16 squadrons, 14 Hessian battalions and 14 squadrons and eight French Royalist battalions and 20 squadrons. On 10 December, under the direction of
Daendels Herman Willem Daendels (21 October 1762 – 2 May 1818) was a Dutch military officer and colonial administrator who served as governor-general of the Dutch East Indies from 1808 to 1811. Early life Herman Willem Daendels was born on 21 October 1 ...
, the French launched an amphibious operation across the
Meuse The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of . History From 1301, the upper ...
() against the
Bommelerwaard Bommelerwaard is a district in Gelderland, Netherlands. The Bommelerwaard is situated among three rivers: the Meuse () in the south(east), the Waal in the north and the Afgedamde Maas in the west. It is formed by the area of two municipalities: ...
. The attack on Fort Sint-Andries failed completely because the garrison was warned by a French deserter. To the east, a diversionary attack led by Vandamme crossed the
Waal WAAL (99.1 FM broadcasting, FM; "The Whale") is a commercial radio, commercial radio station licensed to Binghamton, New York. It airs a classic rock radio format and is owned by Townsquare Media. WAAL is the oldest FM radio station continuou ...
under the cover of a fog and seized a Hanoverian battery near
Gendt Gendt is a small city with city rights in the Low Countries, city rights in the Netherlands, in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Gelderland. The town is located in the Betuwe region, and is part of the Municipalities of the Netherlan ...
. Bussche appeared with the 1st and 3rd Hanoverian Grenadier Battalions and counterattacked. After a struggle in which Bussche was killed, the French spiked some of the guns and withdrew to their boats. According to one account, a cannonball tore off Bussche's hand and he died soon afterward. He was buried in the cathedral of
Arnhem Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...
on 14 December 1794.


Notes


References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bussche, Georg Wilhelm von dem German generals Hanoverian military personnel of the American Revolutionary War German military personnel of the War of the Austrian Succession German military personnel of the Seven Years' War German military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars People from Minden 1726 births 1794 deaths People of the War of the First Coalition