Battle of Ostrach facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Ostrach |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the War of the Second Coalition | |||||||
 Battle of Ostrach, unknown author |
|||||||
|
|||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Austria |
 France |
||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Archduke Charles | Jean-Baptiste Jourdan | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 52,000 | 28,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 2,113 | 2,257 | ||||||
| Digby Smith. Napoleonic Wars Databook: Actions and Losses in Personnel, Colours, Standards and Artillery, 1792–1815. Mechanicsburg PA: Stackpole, 1998, ISBN: 1-85367-276-9, p. 147 | |||||||
The Battle of Ostrach was a major fight that happened on March 20–21, 1799. It was the first big battle outside of Italy during the War of the Second Coalition. In this battle, the Austrian army, led by Archduke Charles, defeated the French forces, commanded by Jean-Baptiste Jourdan.
The battle took place during a rainy and foggy week in 1799. At first, the French managed to capture and hold Ostrach and a nearby village called Hoßkirch. They also took control of some important spots in the Ostrach marsh. However, the Austrian army had many more soldiers, and they quickly overwhelmed the French defenses.
By evening, the French left side was surrounded, and Jourdan's soldiers had to retreat from Ostrach. They moved to the higher ground near Pfullendorf. The next morning, Jourdan thought about attacking again. But when the fog cleared, he saw how many Austrian soldiers there were. He realized that attacking would be pointless and that he couldn't hold his position. As he pulled back, some of his soldiers on the right side got cut off from the main group.
Even though both sides had similar numbers of injured or dead soldiers, the Austrians had a much larger army. The French lost about eight percent of their soldiers, while the Austrians lost about four percent. After the battle, the French retreated to Engen and Stockach. A few days later, the armies fought again in the Battle of Stockach (1799), where the Austrians won once more, with even more losses on both sides.
Contents
Why Did the Battle of Ostrach Happen?
Europe's Worries About France
At first, other rulers in Europe, like Emperor Joseph II, thought the French Revolution was just a problem between the French king and his people. They didn't think it was their business. But as the revolution grew more intense, other kings and queens became very worried.
In 1791, Emperor Leopold II became the new ruler. He was very concerned about his sister, Marie Antoinette, who was the Queen of France. He and the King of Prussia, Frederick William II, warned France that if anything happened to the royal family, there would be serious consequences.
France Declares War
The situation for the French Republic became very difficult. French nobles who had left France were trying to get other countries to help them fight against the revolution. They even raised an army near the French border.
So, on April 20, 1792, France declared war on Austria. This started the War of the First Coalition (1792–1798). France fought against most of its neighbors. Even though the other European countries won some battles, the French army, especially with Napoleon Bonaparte leading in Italy, pushed the Austrians back. This led to a peace agreement called the Treaty of Campo Formio in 1797.
Tensions Rise Again
The treaty called for meetings to decide who would get which lands. But France demanded more land than agreed, which made talks difficult. Even with the peace treaty, France and Austria didn't trust each other. There were several problems:
- Austria didn't want to give up certain lands.
- The King of Naples refused to pay money to France, which led to a French invasion.
- France also supported rebellions in Switzerland, creating a new French-friendly government there.
Other things also added to the tension. In 1798, Napoleon took over the Island of Malta. This angered Paul, the Tsar of Russia, who was the leader of a religious military group called the Knights Hospitaller that owned Malta. The French government also believed Austria was planning another war. The weaker France seemed, the more seriously Austria, Naples, Russia, and England thought about starting a new war.
Getting Ready for Battle
Armies on the Move
Archduke Charles of Austria took command of the Austrian army in early 1799. He had a plan to fight a defensive war, keeping a strong line from the Danube River to northern Italy. His army was spread out near Augsburg.
On March 1, 1799, French General Jean-Baptiste Jourdan and his army of 25,000 soldiers, called the Army of the Danube, crossed the Rhine river. Their goal was to stop the Austrians from reaching the Swiss mountain passes. This would prevent the Austrian armies in Germany and Italy from helping each other. If the French controlled the passes, they could also move their own soldiers easily between these areas. Jourdan's army moved through the Black Forest and set up positions near Pfullendorf in southern Germany.
It took three days for Archduke Charles to hear about the French advance. The Austrian advance group, about 17,000 soldiers, crossed the Lech River. The main Austrian army, with 53,000 soldiers, also crossed the Lech. Another 10,000 Austrian soldiers were coming from Switzerland, but they didn't arrive in time for the Battle of Ostrach or the next battle at Stockach.
The Battleground: Ostrach
Ostrach was a small village with only about 300 people. It was part of a rich church territory near Lake Constance. The village was mostly for farming, but an important road connected it to Pfullendorf. A wide, flat, and sometimes marshy plain stretched between the Pfullendorf heights and Ostrach. Small hills surrounded the valley, which had a little stream named Ostrach. The two armies faced each other across this wet valley.
Where the Armies Stood
By March 7, the first Austrian soldiers arrived in Ostrach. The French advance group arrived by March 9, led by General François Joseph Lefebvre. They set up between Ostrach and Hoßkirch. By March 17, the Austrian advance group had set up posts in nearby towns. The rest of Charles's army, nearly 110,000 strong, was spread out from Ulm to Lake Constance.
By March 18, Jourdan had his main base at Pfullendorf, on the hills above Ostrach. Most of his cavalry and half of his infantry were in front of him. His soldiers were spread out in three groups, with the strongest on the main road. Jourdan believed his position was strong because of the marshy plain protecting his soldiers. He thought he had a few more days to get ready.
However, Jourdan didn't know that Archduke Charles had quickly marched his army to Ostrach. Jourdan thought Charles's main army was still days away. By mid-March, more than a third of Charles's army, about 48,000 soldiers, was already facing Jourdan's army. The rest of Charles's 72,000 soldiers were spread out to the east.
The Battle Begins
Early Fights
As the armies got into position, small groups of soldiers from both sides started fighting. These skirmishes had been happening for seven days. On March 19, French soldiers captured some Austrian prisoners. All this happened before the Austrians even knew there was an official declaration of war.
On March 20, a French messenger told an Austrian general that the peace agreement was over and that France and Austria were now at war. General Jourdan then reportedly began a general attack.
At first, the French advance group pushed the Austrians back. But Charles quickly sent more soldiers, and the Austrians regained their ground. In the center of the French line, at Hoßkirch, General Lefebvre's soldiers attacked the Austrians. This fight lasted most of the day. The Austrians had experienced soldiers and cavalry. Even though Lefebvre's first attack caused confusion, the Austrian cavalry fought back fiercely. They chased the French along the Ostrach river valley.
Lefebvre's group was forced out of Hoßkirch by the Austrians. After getting more soldiers and cannons, Lefebvre managed to take the village back. But by early morning on March 21, he sent a message to Jourdan saying they were being attacked everywhere and a big battle was coming.
The Main Attack
Around 10:00 AM, Archduke Charles launched a full attack, hitting many French positions at once. The Austrian advance force, with 11 groups of soldiers and 20 cavalry units, moved against the French. More Austrian soldiers followed, pushing the French back slowly. The Austrians kept pushing, and the French line started to break.
Charles himself led a large group along the main road to attack Lefebvre's soldiers between Hoßkirch and Ostrach. Charles wanted to push the French out of Ostrach, separate their army, and defeat each part.
The way the two Austrian groups attacked Ostrach showed how much their larger numbers helped. The Austrians threatened to overwhelm the French from every direction. Jourdan later wrote that his men seemed to disappear under a "cloud of red coats" (Austrian uniforms). Austrian soldiers kept attacking the French defenses.
By late morning, Charles's troops pushed the French out of Hoßkirch and into Ostrach. The French almost lost Ostrach until Jourdan sent more soldiers. The fighting was very intense until about 4:00 PM, when the French started to pull back towards Pfullendorf, chased by Austrian cavalry. Once they were out of Ostrach and on the higher ground near Pfullendorf, the French formed a new defense line. They could now shoot down at the attacking Austrians.
Despite the heavy gunfire, Charles's plan worked. The far right side of the French army, which hadn't been attacked yet, fell back to Salem Abbey to stay connected with the French center. At the Pfullendorf heights, the battle started again. Charles sent two strong groups of soldiers across the Ostrach stream. The French fired heavily, causing many Austrian losses, but the Austrians didn't give up. As night fell, the first day of fighting ended.
French Retreat
As Jourdan was deciding whether to try another attack, the fog lifted. He could see the huge Austrian army below him. He later wrote that he saw "an immense line of cavalry and infantry." He realized it was impossible to fight against such a large force. He also saw the danger to his soldiers from the Austrian advantage on his left side. So, he ordered his soldiers to fall back to Pfullendorf.
Jourdan was wrong about the Austrian numbers; the Austrians fighting his advance group were closer to 50,000, not 25,000. During the night, Charles had also moved more soldiers to attack the Pfullendorf heights at daybreak.
On March 21, at 10:00 PM, Jourdan ordered the wounded soldiers to be moved to Switzerland. The main army began its retreat early on March 22. Jourdan said the retreat was orderly, helped by engineers who blew up bridges to slow the enemy. However, other reports say the French retreat was more difficult. The French line collapsed in some places. One report claimed a French deserter told the Austrians about the French plans.
General Lefebvre was shot in the wrist and had to leave the field. Command of his soldiers went to Jean-de-Dieu Soult. Also, a large part of the French right side was cut off and captured. Finally, Austrian General Friedrich Freiherr von Hotze was quickly moving north with 10,000 soldiers to attack Jourdan's army from the south.
What Happened Next?
Jourdan first retreated to Meßkirch and then to Stockach, and finally to Engen. He wrote that his army had fought bravely and that the Austrians wouldn't chase them. He thought Charles's failure to chase them meant it wasn't a defeat, but a planned withdrawal. Jourdan probably didn't know that Charles had been ordered to keep his army in a continuous defensive line.
However, Jourdan's leaders in Paris didn't agree with his assessment. They saw that losing twelve percent of his soldiers, compared to less than four percent for the Austrians, was not a good outcome. This first attempt to cut off the Austrians from the Rhine and Lake Constance had failed. Jourdan simply didn't have enough soldiers for this battle and the ones that followed.
Archduke Charles did not push his troops to chase and capture the French. This might have been because he was unhappy with Vienna's defensive strategy. Also, the battle itself was hard, fought in rain, fog, and on very wet ground. But Charles made up for this in the next week. Five days after Ostrach, the French and Austrian armies fought again at Stockach. This time, the outcome was clear: the French Army of the Danube could not hold the area and retreated into the Black Forest.
The Battle of Ostrach was difficult, as Jourdan noted, because of the thick fog and bad weather. This made it hard for him to see what the Austrians were doing. The fog and rain also caused the Danube river to overflow, flooding the Ostrach stream. This trapped 300 villagers between the two armies. Amazingly, no civilians were killed, but they spent Easter Sunday caring for the wounded and burying the roughly 4,000 soldiers who died.
Battle Monument
Before 1903, a simple wooden cross marked the battle site on a hill overlooking the village. In 1903, a monument was built to honor the battle. In 1945, when French troops arrived in the area, they closed the monument. The local pastor asked them to reopen it, calling it a chapel.
