Battle of Boxtel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Boxtel
Part of the Flanders campaign in the War of the First Coalition
The Combat of Boxtel 1794
Date 14–15 September 1794 Location Boxtel, Netherlands 51°35′N 5°20′E / 51.583°N 5.333°E / 51.583; 5.333 Result French victory
Belligerents
France	Great Britain Hesse-Kassel Hesse-Darmstadt
Commanders and leaders
Jean-Charles Pichegru Antoine Guillaume Delmas	Duke of York Ralph Abercromby Georg von Düring

The Battle of Boxtel was a fight that happened on September 14-15, 1794. It took place in a region called Duchy of Brabant, which is now part of the Netherlands. This battle was part of a bigger conflict called the War of the First Coalition. It was also a small part of the Flanders Campaign. In this campaign, soldiers from Britain, the Netherlands, and Austria tried to invade France. This battle is famous because it was the first time Arthur Wellesley fought. He later became a very famous general, the Duke of Wellington.

Setting the Scene

For almost two years, a group of armies called the Coalition had been fighting. This group included soldiers from Britain, the Netherlands, and Austria. They were trying to invade France from the north. At first, the Coalition did well. But after losing battles at Tourcoing and Fleurus, things changed. By the summer of 1794, the French army, led by Jean-Charles Pichegru, started winning. The Coalition armies began to retreat north.

Armies Get Ready

By July 24, the Coalition armies had split up. The Austrian forces, led by Clerfayt, quickly pulled back. This meant the British and Hanoverian soldiers, led by the Duke of York, had to retreat too. They moved back towards the Dutch border.

On July 29, the Duke of York's troops set up a new defense line. This line was along the River Aa, from 's-Hertogenbosch to the Peel morass. They placed small groups of soldiers, called outposts, about eight miles ahead. One important outpost was at the town of Boxtel. About 1,500 soldiers were there, led by Major General Georg von Düring. These soldiers were from Hesse, a German state. They had infantry (foot soldiers), Jägers (light infantry), cannons, and cavalry (soldiers on horseback).

Other nearby outposts also had Hessian and Hanoverian soldiers. They were ready for a possible French attack.

The Battle Begins

On September 14, the French commander, Pichegru, wanted to control the River Dommel. This would help him surround the city of Breda. So, he sent a large French force to take Boxtel. This force, led by Antoine Delmas, might have been around 10,000 men.

French Attack Boxtel

The French soldiers advanced from Oisterwijk. Around 3 PM, they met the Hessian outposts. The Hessians were forced back across the Dommel River. But they quickly broke down the bridges near Boxtel. This stopped the French from crossing easily.

Further to the east, the French also attacked. They tried to cross bridges there too. But Hanoverian soldiers and other allied troops fought back hard. They used their guns to stop the French. The French did manage to capture a bridge at Nijnsel.

The Hessians defended their positions east of Boxtel until about 6 PM. Then, a French officer named Jacob Marulaz found a way to cross the river. He led 30 cavalry soldiers across a shallow part of the river, partly by swimming. This small force went behind the Hessian positions at Boxtel. They attacked the Hessian foot soldiers from the rear. The Hessian defense quickly fell apart.

The two Hessian infantry groups either gave up or were defeated. The allied cavalry could not get into formation in the narrow streets. They were forced to ride away towards Middelrode. The Hessians lost about 300 foot soldiers. They also lost about 50 cavalry soldiers and two cannons.

Abercromby's Retreat

When the Duke of York heard about what happened at Boxtel, he ordered Lieutenant General Sir Ralph Abercromby to take the town back. Abercromby was given a large force for this task. It included two brigades of elite British soldiers, about ten battalions in total. They also had ten groups of cavalry.

Abercromby marched through the night. But as he got close to Boxtel at dawn, he thought the French were too strong. After some small fights, he stopped his attack. He sent a message back to the Duke of York for more instructions. The Duke told him to keep attacking. But then Abercromby heard rumors of French movements on his left side. He decided to ignore the Duke's order and pulled his troops back. Many people later criticized Abercromby for this decision. He had poor eyesight and seemed to retreat based on rumors. His force was strong, and the French were likely not superior in numbers.

During the retreat, the British foot soldiers and cavalry got mixed up. French cavalry saw this and prepared to charge. But the 33rd Foot Regiment, led by Sir John Sherbrooke, quickly turned and fired their muskets. This stopped the French charge. It allowed the rest of the British force to retreat safely.

Arthur Wellesley was in command of the 3rd Brigade during this battle. He later wrote that the Duke of York thanked the 33rd Regiment for their good conduct.

Aftermath of the Battle

After the battle, Abercromby gave his report. A meeting was held, and a big decision was made. The British decided to leave their strong defensive position along the River Aa. They would fall back behind the Meuse River. This meant they were giving up important fortresses like Bergen, Breda, and Bois-le-Duc to the French.

For the French, winning at Boxtel was a surprise. But Pichegru did not try to use this victory to push further. Instead, he turned to surround Breda.

Boxtel was a turning point for the British army in this campaign. Before this, any retreats were blamed on the Austrian commanders. British soldiers still had high spirits. But the mistake at Boxtel and giving up the strong defense line was the British commanders' fault. After this, soldiers became discouraged. Their trust in the Duke of York's leadership went down. On November 23, he was called back home by the British Prime Minister, Pitt.

The British army continued to retreat north under William Harcourt. After many difficulties, they reached the North Sea coast. They were then taken back to Britain in 1795. The French continued their advance to Amsterdam. They took over the Dutch Republic and created a new state called the Batavian Republic, which was controlled by France.

Finding the Battle Site

Because this was a smaller battle, its exact location was not clear for many years. The Boxtel Historical Society placed a memorial in a field on the west side of the town. They thought the French attack came from that direction. There was also a report that a building called the Barrier House was burned.

However, in 2011, something new was found. People digging to the east of Stapelen Castle, southeast of Boxtel town, found 55 lead musket balls and other old items. These items are thought to be from the time of the battle. Now, experts believe that most of the fighting around Düring's command happened southeast of the town.

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