Battle of Frauenfeld facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Fraunfeld
Part of the War of the Second Coalition
Death of General Weber
Date 25 May 1799 Location Frauenfeld, Thurgau, Switzerland 47°33′N 8°54′E / 47.550°N 8.900°E / 47.550; 8.900 Result French victory
Belligerents
France  Helvetic Republic	Austria
Commanders and leaders
André Masséna Nicolas Oudinot Nicolas Soult Augustin Keller [de]	Archduke Charles Friedrich von Hotze Franz Petrasch Johann Weber  †
Strength
23,000	10,000
Casualties and losses
230 killed 570 wounded	750 killed 1,450 wounded 3,000 captured

The Battle of Frauenfeld was an important fight that happened on May 25, 1799. It was part of a bigger war called the War of the Second Coalition. This battle took place in Frauenfeld, Switzerland, between soldiers from France and Austria. Even though the Austrians left the battlefield that evening, the French also pulled back the next day.

Why the Battle Happened

General Friedrich von Hotze

In 1798, France took control of Switzerland. They set up a new government there called the Helvetic Republic. Because of this, French troops were fighting in Switzerland when the War of the Second Coalition began.

The French army, led by General André Masséna, had lost some battles. They had to move back from eastern Switzerland. Two Austrian armies, led by General Friedrich von Hotze and Archduke Charles, were chasing them. The Austrians wanted to join their two armies together quickly.

On May 22, 1799, the first group of Archduke Charles's army reached Frauenfeld. They stopped there to wait for General Hotze's first group. They met up on May 24.

General Masséna, who was in Winterthur, wanted to stop the main Austrian armies from joining. He sent a group of French and Swiss soldiers to Frauenfeld. This group included four French and two Helvetian battalions (large groups of soldiers). It also had a company (smaller group) of Swiss sharpshooters (skilled shooters). Five squadrons (groups) of hussars (light cavalry) and eight cannons were also sent. These troops were led by General Nicolas Oudinot and General Augustin Keller. General Nicolas Soult followed with more soldiers as a backup force.

The Battle Begins

On the morning of May 25, 1799, around 5 AM, General Oudinot's troops met a small Austrian group in Frauenfeld. These Austrian soldiers slowly moved back across the Thur River.

However, around 9 AM, more Austrian soldiers arrived. These were from General Hotze's army. About 22,000 Austrian soldiers were now fighting against about 14,000 French and Swiss troops. The fight was very intense and lasted until evening. Both sides had many losses. General Johann Weber, a Swiss general, was killed by a sharpshooter.

Because the battle was so unclear, the Austrian General Petrasch decided to retreat at 7 PM. The Austrians lost about 5,000 men, many of whom were captured. They also lost two cannons.

During this time, two other groups from Masséna's army attacked Archduke Charles's main forces. These attacks happened near Rorbas and Andelfingen. The French wanted to push them back over the Thur River. At first, the French had some success, but then they were pushed back themselves.

Even though the French won at Frauenfeld, Masséna's overall position was not good. So, on May 26, he led his army to retreat towards Zurich. Some people, like Carl von Clausewitz, thought Masséna made a mistake. They believed he should have kept all his forces together to fight Hotze's army. This, they said, would have given him a better chance to win.

What Happened Next

Because the French attack on Archduke Charles's army failed, the two Austrian armies were able to join up. The French army faced more defeats after this battle.

However, later in September, the French army won the Second Battle of Zurich. After this victory, the French took back Frauenfeld and other areas they had lost.