Siege of Landau (1793) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Siege of Landau (1793)
Part of War of the First Coalition
Liberation of Landau by the French 24th December 1793 (by Frédéric Régamey, 1905)
Date 20 August – 23 December 1793 Location Landau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany Result French victory
Belligerents
Republican France	Kingdom of Prussia
Commanders and leaders
Joseph Laubadère French: fr:Joseph Marie Tennet de Laubadère	Prince Hohenlohe
Strength
3,800	25 battalions

The Siege of Landau was a major military event that took place from August 20 to December 23, 1793. It was part of the War of the First Coalition, a big conflict where several European countries fought against the new French Republic. During this time, an army from the Kingdom of Prussia tried to capture the city of Landau.

The Prussian army, led by Frederick Louis, Prince of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen, surrounded Landau. Inside the city, about 3,800 French soldiers defended it. These soldiers were part of the French Republican army and were led by Joseph Marie Tennet de Laubadère.

The Prussians didn't have enough large cannons to attack the city walls directly. So, they decided to try and starve the French defenders into giving up. They did this by blockading the city, which meant stopping all supplies from getting in.

However, in late December, two French armies worked together to help Landau. The Army of the Moselle was led by Lazare Hoche, and the Army of the Rhine was led by Jean-Charles Pichegru. These armies fought and defeated the forces that were blocking Landau. This forced the Prussians to end their siege, and the French defenders were saved.

Almost two months after Landau was surrounded, the armies fighting against France won a battle. This was the First Battle of Wissembourg. This victory pushed the French Army of the Rhine back into a region called Alsace.

The French government really wanted to help Landau. So, the Army of the Rhine started a strong attack against the forces led by Dagobert Sigmund von Wurmser. This fight was known as the Battle of Haguenau.

The French efforts finally worked when Hoche's army managed to get around Wurmser's forces in the Battle of Froeschwiller. After that, the two French armies joined together. They won another important battle, the Second Battle of Wissembourg, against Wurmser and Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. These victories helped to lift the siege of Landau.

Armies and Commanders

The French soldiers defending Landau were led by Joseph Marie Tennet de Laubadère. There were about 3,800 French troops inside the city.

• These forces included soldiers from the 3rd and 55th Line Infantry Regiments.
• They also had the 2nd Battalion of the Seine-et-Marne National Guard.
• Two groups of soldiers from the 22nd Cavalry and 3rd Hussar Regiments were also part of the defense.

The Prussian army that surrounded Landau was commanded by Frederick Louis, Prince of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen. His force was quite large, with 25 battalions of soldiers.

• They also had 40 field cannons, which were smaller guns used in battles.
• The Prussian army was made up of soldiers from many different regiments.
• These included infantry regiments like Thadden Nr. 3, Manstein Nr. 9, and Romberg Nr. 10.
• Other regiments were Kleist Nr. 12, Wegnern Nr. 30, Hohenlohe Nr. 32, Wolframsdorf Nr. 37, and Hertzberg Nr. 47.
• The Schladen Grenadier Battalion and five foot artillery batteries also supported the Prussian attack.