Battle of Aldenhoven (1794) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Aldenhoven (1794)
Part of War of the First Coalition
General Jean Baptiste Jourdan
Date 2 October 1794 Location Aldenhoven, Germany 50°53′45″N 6°16′59″E / 50.89583°N 6.28306°E / 50.89583; 6.28306 Result French victory
Belligerents
French Republic	Habsburg monarchy
Commanders and leaders
General Jourdan	Count of Clerfayt
Units involved
Army of Sambre-et-Meuse	Austrian Army
Strength
88,000	77,000
Casualties and losses
1,500 killed or wounded	3,000 killed or wounded 800 captured

The Battle of Aldenhoven, also known as the Battle of the Roer, happened on October 2, 1794. It was a big fight during the War of the First Coalition, which was part of the Wars of the French Revolution. In this battle, the French army, led by General Jean Baptiste Jourdan, defeated the Austrian army. The Austrians were commanded by François Sébastien Charles Joseph de Croix, Count of Clerfayt.

The battle took place near the Roer River in Germany, close to a town called Aldenhoven. The French won a very important crossing point at Düren. After this victory, the Austrians had to retreat. This meant France gained control of the land west of the Rhine River.

Why the Battle Happened

The Big Picture

In 1794, France was fighting against several European countries in what was called the War of the First Coalition. This war was a big part of the Wars of the French Revolution. The French wanted to expand their control, while other countries wanted to stop the spread of revolutionary ideas from France.

Retreat from Flanders

Before the Battle of Aldenhoven, a major battle called Fleurus happened in June 1794. The French won this battle, and the armies fighting against them, known as the Coalition, started to retreat. The Coalition included soldiers from Austria, Britain, and the Netherlands.

The Austrian government decided it was too difficult to hold onto the areas they controlled in the Low Countries (modern-day Belgium and Netherlands). So, the Coalition army split up. The British and Dutch soldiers went north to defend the Netherlands. The Austrian soldiers, led by Prince Coburg, went east to defend the Rhine River.

Austrians Fall Back

After the Battle of Fleurus, the French army, now called the Army of Sambre and Meuse and led by General Jourdan, kept pushing the Austrians back. The Austrians, under Prince Coburg, retreated through several towns like Brussels and Namur.

Eventually, Prince Coburg resigned, and Count Clerfayt took over command of the Austrian forces. The Austrians tried to hold a defensive line along the Meuse River. However, the French attacked again in September 1794 at the Battle of Sprimont. The French won, forcing the Austrians to retreat even further. Their last major defensive line before the Rhine River was the Roer River.

The Armies

French Army

The French army, called the Army of Sambre-and-Meuse, was made up of about 105,000 soldiers for this battle. It was divided into three main parts:

• The Left Wing was led by Jean-Baptiste Kléber.
• The Centre was under General Jourdan's direct command.
• The Right Wing was led by Barthelemy Scherer.

Austrian Defenses

Count Clerfayt's Austrian army had about 76,000 soldiers. They were positioned behind the Roer River, which had steep banks. The Austrians had also destroyed all the bridges and dug up all the shallow crossing points. The river was also high, making it harder to cross.

The Austrians had built strong defenses, especially around Aldenhoven and Jülich. Their left side was near Düren, and their right side was near Roermond.

The Battle Begins

French Attack Plan

On October 1, 1794, General Jourdan gave his orders for the attack.

• The Right Wing (Scherer) was to cross the Roer River and capture Düren.
• The Centre (Jourdan) was to capture Aldenhoven and cross the river at Jülich.
• The Left Wing (Kléber) was to move upstream and cross the Roer near Ratheim.

Fighting on October 2

On October 2, the French army of 100,000 men attacked along a wide front of about 60 miles. The fighting started around midday.

Left Wing's Advance

General Kléber's troops started their attack early in the morning. They pushed back the Austrian defenders. One part of Kléber's army, led by Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, managed to swim across the Roer River. They were supported by French artillery. Even though they crossed, the rest of Kléber's divisions couldn't cross until the next day. A future famous general, Michel Ney, led a cavalry charge after crossing the river during this attack.

Centre's Success

The French centre, led by Jourdan himself, also did well.

• General Lefebvre's division captured Linnich and pushed the Austrians back. They built a bridge and crossed the river the next morning.
• General Hatry's division also captured Altorp.
• The divisions of Championnet and Morlot attacked Aldenhoven. They used the broken ground to get close and quickly attacked the Austrians. They captured Aldenhoven, forcing the Austrians to retreat to their prepared defenses behind the town. But when they were threatened from the sides by Lefebvre's and Hatry's successes, the Austrians had to retreat across the Roer to Julich.

Right Wing's Push

General Scherer's divisions started their advance early. Their plan was to go around the Austrian left side while other divisions attacked from the front.

• General Marceau's division made good progress towards Düren and crossed the Roer by 3 PM.
• General Mayer's division, which was supposed to go around the Austrians, was delayed. But he eventually joined Marceau. Together, they captured Düren and advanced.
• General Hacquin's division joined them later, but it was too late to help with the main attack that day.

By the end of the day, Scherer's troops had completely crossed the Roer River and captured Düren. This meant the French had broken through the Austrian defensive line on both sides of the river.

What Happened Next

General Jourdan had planned to continue the attack the next day. However, Count Clerfayt realized his army was outnumbered and his river defense line was broken. So, during the night, the Austrians retreated towards the Rhine River. They crossed to the other side of the Rhine at Cologne on October 6.

On the same day, French soldiers entered the part of Cologne on the west bank of the Rhine. With the Austrians gone, the French now controlled all the land on the west side of the Rhine River. The French army continued to capture more towns, including Bonn, Krefeld, Cleves, and Coblenz. Dusseldorf was captured on October 23 after a heavy attack.

Reaching the Rhine River also allowed Jourdan to send more troops to help with the siege of Maastricht, a city that was still held by the Coalition. With more artillery, the French began attacking Maastricht on November 1. The city surrendered on November 4, which helped the French secure their supply routes.

The Battle of Aldenhoven was the last major advance for the Army of Sambre-and-Meuse in 1794. By late November, the French army went into winter camps along the Rhine River.

Images for kids

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  The battle of Aldenhoven, showing the approximate positions of the Coalition defence line and the main thrusts of the French assault. The Roer river is marked in blue.