Battle of Arlon (1793)
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Arlon was an episode at the stronghold of Arlon (now in Belgium
) on 9 June 1793 during the French Revolutionary Wars
.
. After taking up his positions, the commander in chief had reorganised his troops and incorporated the recruits who had arrived from all sides.
At the same time the Army of the Moselle
was retiring behind the Blies
and Saar
. This inaction displeased the National Convention
and the two generals were strongly ordered by the Committee of Public Safety
to re-assume the offensive and march to the aid of the army blockaded in Mainz by all the efforts of the Coalition forces. The surest means of raising the siege was to carry out a two-pronged simultaneous attack on the enemy, with the armée de la Moselle attacking by Pirmasens
or Kaiserslautern
and the armée du Rhin by the left bank of the river.
, commander of the armée de la Moselle, believed in the same goal, advancing on the left on 9 June to attack Arlon, on the heights, defended by 8,000 men, 30 artillery-pieces and a chain of echelon
trenches overlooking all points from which it could be attacked. The Republican columns advanced at the charge in good order, shouting "Vive la République !" and under fire from these batteries, with the French artillery being of too low a calibre to reply with any advantage. The right was more exposed than the rest and was charged by the Austrian cavalry, but the columns in the centre and the artillery came to the right's aid and repulsed the enemy. During the fight near Arlon the future general Duprès
, then only a lieutenant, distinguished himself by capturing a whole Austrian company.
During this time general Beauregard
was marching on Arlon from the right and took the heights overlooking the town. 400 carabinier
s attacked a square of 1,500 Austrians under Feldmarschalleutnant von Schröder. Several volleys of grapeshot
, fired at only 50 footsteps from the front of the square, threw it into disorder and the carabiniers finished routing it. Arlon remained in French hands and the army set up its base there, but its capture was of no use to the besieged troops in Mainz, and Houchard's poor judgement in taking this action was not punished (he was made commander of the Army of the North the following August).
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
) on 9 June 1793 during the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
.
Campaign
During the Siege of Mainz, the Army of the Rhine, under the orders of Beauharnais (who had come to replace Custine), was entrenched on the LauterLauter (Rhine)
The Lauter is a river in Germany and France, left tributary of the Rhine. Its length is 55 km. It is formed by the confluence of two headstreams north of Hinterweidenthal in the Pfälzerwald, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany...
. After taking up his positions, the commander in chief had reorganised his troops and incorporated the recruits who had arrived from all sides.
At the same time the Army of the Moselle
Army of the Moselle
The Army of the Moselle was a French Revolutionary Army. Originally known as the Armée du Centre, it was renamed by decree of the National Convention on 1 October 1792 and kept under that name in the decrees of 1 March and 30 April 1793...
was retiring behind the Blies
Blies
The Blies is a right tributary of the Saar River in south-western Germany and north-eastern France . The Blies flows from three springs in the Hunsrück mountains near Selbach, Germany. It is approximately 100 km long, ending in the French city of Sarreguemines...
and Saar
Saar River
The Saar is a river in northeastern France and western Germany, and a right tributary of the Moselle. It rises in the Vosges mountains on the border of Alsace and Lorraine and flows northwards into the Moselle near Trier. It has two headstreams , that both start near Mont Donon, the highest peak...
. This inaction displeased the National Convention
National Convention
During the French Revolution, the National Convention or Convention, in France, comprised the constitutional and legislative assembly which sat from 20 September 1792 to 26 October 1795 . It held executive power in France during the first years of the French First Republic...
and the two generals were strongly ordered by the Committee of Public Safety
Committee of Public Safety
The Committee of Public Safety , created in April 1793 by the National Convention and then restructured in July 1793, formed the de facto executive government in France during the Reign of Terror , a stage of the French Revolution...
to re-assume the offensive and march to the aid of the army blockaded in Mainz by all the efforts of the Coalition forces. The surest means of raising the siege was to carry out a two-pronged simultaneous attack on the enemy, with the armée de la Moselle attacking by Pirmasens
Pirmasens
Pirmasens is a district-free city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, near the border with France. It is famous for the manufacture of shoes. The surrounding rural district was called Pirmasens from 1818 until 1997, when it was renamed Südwestpfalz....
or Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern is a city in southwest Germany, located in the Bundesland of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate forest . The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, and from Luxembourg.Kaiserslautern is home to 99,469 people...
and the armée du Rhin by the left bank of the river.
Course
HouchardJean Nicolas Houchard
Jean Nicolas Houchard was a French General of the French Revolution and the French Revolutionary Wars.-Biography:...
, commander of the armée de la Moselle, believed in the same goal, advancing on the left on 9 June to attack Arlon, on the heights, defended by 8,000 men, 30 artillery-pieces and a chain of echelon
Echelon
Echelon may refer to:* A level or rank in an organization, profession, or society.* Echelon formation, a military hierarchical formation, also used to describe the migratory patterns of birds...
trenches overlooking all points from which it could be attacked. The Republican columns advanced at the charge in good order, shouting "Vive la République !" and under fire from these batteries, with the French artillery being of too low a calibre to reply with any advantage. The right was more exposed than the rest and was charged by the Austrian cavalry, but the columns in the centre and the artillery came to the right's aid and repulsed the enemy. During the fight near Arlon the future general Duprès
Claude François Duprès
Claude François Dupré or Claude François Duprès was a French general. He first joined up in 1776 and served in the armies of the French Revolution and First French Empire....
, then only a lieutenant, distinguished himself by capturing a whole Austrian company.
During this time general Beauregard
Charles Victor Woirgard
Charles Victor Woirgard , also known by the surname of Beaugard or Beauregard, was a French général de brigade of the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. His name is engraved on the 38th column of the Arc de Triomphe as Beauregard....
was marching on Arlon from the right and took the heights overlooking the town. 400 carabinier
Carabinier
A Carabinier was originally a cavalry soldier armed with a carbine...
s attacked a square of 1,500 Austrians under Feldmarschalleutnant von Schröder. Several volleys of grapeshot
Grapeshot
In artillery, a grapeshot is a type of shot that is not a one solid element, but a mass of small metal balls or slugs packed tightly into a canvas bag. It was used both in land and naval warfare. When assembled, the balls resembled a cluster of grapes, hence the name...
, fired at only 50 footsteps from the front of the square, threw it into disorder and the carabiniers finished routing it. Arlon remained in French hands and the army set up its base there, but its capture was of no use to the besieged troops in Mainz, and Houchard's poor judgement in taking this action was not punished (he was made commander of the Army of the North the following August).