Second Battle of Wissembourg (1793) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Second Battle of Wissembourg (1793)
Part of French Revolutionary Wars
Wissembourg in the 17th century
Date 26–29 December 1793 Location Wissembourg, Bas-Rhin, France 49°02′18″N 7°56′49″E / 49.0383°N 7.9469°E / 49.0383; 7.9469 Result French victory
Belligerents
France	Austria Prussia Electorate of Bavaria Hesse-Kassel
Commanders and leaders
Lazare Hoche Charles Pichegru	Dagobert Wurmser Ernst von Rüchel Count Minucci
Strength
35,000	38,000
Casualties and losses
500	1,500 21 guns

The Second Battle of Wissembourg was an important fight during the French Revolutionary Wars. It happened from December 26 to December 29, 1793. In this battle, the army of the First French Republic (which was France at the time) fought against a group of armies. These armies included soldiers from Austria, Prussia, Bavaria, and Hesse. The French army was led by General Lazare Hoche, while the other side was led by General Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser.

What Led to the Battle?

This battle was part of a bigger conflict called the War of the First Coalition. This war involved many European countries fighting against France. Before this second battle, there was a First Battle of Wissembourg on October 13, 1793. In that first battle, the Austrian-Allied army managed to break through French defenses.

A month later, a strong French fort called Fort-Louis had to give up to the Allied forces. This made the French government worried. To help, they sent more soldiers from another French army to the area.

Earlier Fights in the Region

On November 17, a smaller French group of 739 soldiers successfully defended a fort called Bitche. They stopped a surprise attack by 1,200 Prussian soldiers. The French defenders noticed the attackers and pushed them back. The Prussians lost many soldiers, while the French lost only a few.

On the same day, a Prussian general named Friedrich Adolf, Count von Kalckreuth defeated a larger French force. The French lost more than 700 soldiers in that fight.

Later, from November 28 to 30, the Battle of Kaiserslautern took place. General Hoche, with about 34,000 French soldiers, fought against 26,000 Prussian and Saxon soldiers. The Allies won this battle, and the French lost many soldiers and some cannons. However, the Prussian leader did not chase after the French army, which was a missed chance for them.

The Battle of Wissembourg

After these earlier events, the French army, led by General Hoche, attacked the Allied forces on December 26. The fighting continued for several days. The French managed to push back the Allied armies. The Allies were forced to retreat behind the Rhine River.

This was a big victory for France. It helped them take control of the entire region of Alsace. The battle also caused problems between the Austrians and the Prussians. They started blaming each other for the defeat.

The name of this important battle is carved on the north side of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. This shows how significant it was in French history.