Johan Wijnand van Goor
Encyclopedia
Johan Wijnand van Goor, Linnich
c. 1650— Donauwörth
, 2 July 1704, was a Dutch general in the Nine Years' War and the War of Spanish Succession. He was the last Master-general of Artillery of the Dutch States Army
(the successor of Menno van Coehoorn
in that function). He distinguished himself at the Passage of the Lines of Stollhofen (1703) and the Battle of Schellenberg
where he died commanding the first assault.
At the beginning of the Nine Years' War he was appointed Quarter-Master General of Waldeck
's field army, still a lieutenant-colonel. He was present at the siege of Kaiserswerth and the Battle of Walcourt
, where he probably first met the future Duke of Marlborough
. In 1690, now formally in English service, he commanded the artillery of William III
's army at the Battle of the Boyne
. In 1691, still in English service, he went to Flanders as a colonel of artillery in the British Corps with Marlborough. In 1694 he was Colonel of the train
of the English artillery.
After the Nine Years' War he returned to Dutch service. In 1702 he was appointed governor of the fortress of Maastricht
. As such he commanded a number of raids in the early stages of the War of Spanish Succession against the French troops that occupied the Spanish Netherlands, among which an attempt on the Chateau de Horion, an expedition to Liège
, and a failed attempt to surprise the fortress of Huy
.
In 1701 he was promoted to major-general.
In 1703 the French threatened the Holy Roman Empire
and the States General
decided to send a detachment of 15 battalions under Van Goor to Louis William of Baden
, the Imperial commander, as reinforcement. This force was assigned the left wing of the forces defending the so-called Lines of Stollhofen, a series of fieldworks near Bühl
. In April, 1703 a French army under Marshal Villars
made several attempts to breach this barrier, but mainly thanks to Van Goor this attempt failed.
Villars next marched to the Danube
via a different route and Baden requested Van Goor's support in opposing the French advance. The Dutch force joined Baden's army in July 1703 and took part in the fruitless maneuvering that followed. This frustrated Van Goor to such an extent that he had a falling out with Baden and was arrested for insubordination. The States General, however, brought about his release.
In early 1704 he was formally appointed Master-general of the Artillery of the States Army, with the rank of lieutenant-general, as successor of Menno van Coehoorn.
Van Goor's return to the Netherlands was now expected, but the Dutch Grand Pensionary
Anthonie Heinsius
prevented this in view of the planned Danube campaign of Marlborough. When Marlborough marched to the South, Van Goor joined him with first three battalions, that were later reinforced with the other twelve battalions that were still with Baden. As they were old acquaintances from the Flanders campaign of 1691 Van Goor soon gained Marlborough's confidence.
During the Battle of Schellenberg
Van Goor was put in charge of the first assault wave. During the assault a musket ball pierced his eye and he fell dead off his horse. After the battle he was buried in the church of Nördlingen
.
To illustrate the high regard both Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy
had for him, the following quote from Eugene is given:
(J.W. Wijn) Eight vols. Breda, 1910–1950
Linnich
Linnich is a town in the district of Düren in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located on the river Rur, approx. 10 km north-west of Jülich.-Economy:Linnich is the home of SIG Combibloc the specialist for aseptic carton packaging....
c. 1650— Donauwörth
Donauwörth
Donauwörth is a city in the German State of Bavaria , in the region of Swabia . It is said to have been founded by two fisherman where the Danube and Wörnitz rivers meet...
, 2 July 1704, was a Dutch general in the Nine Years' War and the War of Spanish Succession. He was the last Master-general of Artillery of the Dutch States Army
Dutch States Army
The Dutch States Army was the army of the Dutch Republic. It was usually called this, because it was formally the army of the States-General of the Netherlands, the sovereign power of that federal republic...
(the successor of Menno van Coehoorn
Menno van Coehoorn
Menno, Baron van Coehoorn was a Dutch soldier and military engineer of Swedish extraction. He made a number of influential weaponry innovations in siege warfare and fortification techniques...
in that function). He distinguished himself at the Passage of the Lines of Stollhofen (1703) and the Battle of Schellenberg
Battle of Schellenberg
The Battle of Schellenberg, also known as the Battle of Donauwörth, was fought on 2 July 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement was part of the Duke of Marlborough's campaign to save the Habsburg capital of Vienna from a threatened advance by King Louis XIV's Franco-Bavarian...
where he died commanding the first assault.
Life
Little is known of Van Goor's personal life. He was the brother of Johan Herman van Goor, also a Dutch officer. He was twice married, first in 1684 to Johanna Elisabeth van Volbergen, and after she died in 1696, to Josina Philippina de Bette.Career
At the time of his first marriage in 1684 he was a lieutenant-colonel of a Walloon regiment in the States Army, according to the information in the marriage register of Grave.At the beginning of the Nine Years' War he was appointed Quarter-Master General of Waldeck
Prince Georg Friedrich of Waldeck
Prince Georg Friedrich of Waldeck was a German and Dutch Field Marshal .In 1641, Waldeck entered the service of the States-General of the Netherlands; later in 1651, in the service of Brandenburg, he reached the highest rank as minister...
's field army, still a lieutenant-colonel. He was present at the siege of Kaiserswerth and the Battle of Walcourt
Battle of Walcourt
The Battle of Walcourt was fought on 25 August 1689 during the Nine Years' War. The action took place near the ancient walled town of Walcourt near Charleroi in the Spanish Netherlands, and brought to a close a summer of uneventful marching, manoeuvring, and foraging...
, where he probably first met the future Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
. In 1690, now formally in English service, he commanded the artillery of William III
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
's army at the Battle of the Boyne
Battle of the Boyne
The Battle of the Boyne was fought in 1690 between two rival claimants of the English, Scottish and Irish thronesthe Catholic King James and the Protestant King William across the River Boyne near Drogheda on the east coast of Ireland...
. In 1691, still in English service, he went to Flanders as a colonel of artillery in the British Corps with Marlborough. In 1694 he was Colonel of the train
Train (military)
In military contexts a train can refer to logistic elements of a force or organisation. In this context the term train usually does not mean a railway train.Historically and for land forces, this usually referred to troops that are endowed with horses...
of the English artillery.
After the Nine Years' War he returned to Dutch service. In 1702 he was appointed governor of the fortress of Maastricht
Maastricht
Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
. As such he commanded a number of raids in the early stages of the War of Spanish Succession against the French troops that occupied the Spanish Netherlands, among which an attempt on the Chateau de Horion, an expedition to Liège
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
, and a failed attempt to surprise the fortress of Huy
Huy
Huy is a municipality of Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region and Province of Liege. Huy lies along the river Meuse, at the mouth of the small river Hoyoux. It is in the sillon industriel, the former industrial backbone of Wallonia, home to about two-thirds of the Walloon population...
.
In 1701 he was promoted to major-general.
In 1703 the French threatened the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
and the States General
States-General of the Netherlands
The States-General of the Netherlands is the bicameral legislature of the Netherlands, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The parliament meets in at the Binnenhof in The Hague. The archaic Dutch word "staten" originally related to the feudal classes in which medieval...
decided to send a detachment of 15 battalions under Van Goor to Louis William of Baden
Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden
Louis William, Margrave of Baden was the ruler of Baden in Germany and chief commander of the Imperial army. He was also known as Türkenlouis...
, the Imperial commander, as reinforcement. This force was assigned the left wing of the forces defending the so-called Lines of Stollhofen, a series of fieldworks near Bühl
Bühl (Baden)
The city of Bühl is part of the district of Rastatt in the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It has a history reaching back to the twelfth century and was formerly an agricultural town, especially famous for its plums...
. In April, 1703 a French army under Marshal Villars
Claude Louis Hector de Villars
Claude Louis Hector de Villars, Prince de Martigues, Marquis then Duc de Villars, Vicomte de Melun was the last great general of Louis XIV of France and one of the most brilliant commanders in French military history, one of only six Marshals who have been promoted to Marshal General of...
made several attempts to breach this barrier, but mainly thanks to Van Goor this attempt failed.
Villars next marched to the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
via a different route and Baden requested Van Goor's support in opposing the French advance. The Dutch force joined Baden's army in July 1703 and took part in the fruitless maneuvering that followed. This frustrated Van Goor to such an extent that he had a falling out with Baden and was arrested for insubordination. The States General, however, brought about his release.
In early 1704 he was formally appointed Master-general of the Artillery of the States Army, with the rank of lieutenant-general, as successor of Menno van Coehoorn.
Van Goor's return to the Netherlands was now expected, but the Dutch Grand Pensionary
Grand Pensionary
The Grand Pensionary was the most important Dutch official during the time of the United Provinces. In theory he was only a civil servant of the Estates of the dominant province among the Seven United Provinces: the county of Holland...
Anthonie Heinsius
Anthonie Heinsius
Anthonie Heinsius was a Dutch statesman who served as Grand Pensionary of Holland from 1689 to his death in 1720.- Life :...
prevented this in view of the planned Danube campaign of Marlborough. When Marlborough marched to the South, Van Goor joined him with first three battalions, that were later reinforced with the other twelve battalions that were still with Baden. As they were old acquaintances from the Flanders campaign of 1691 Van Goor soon gained Marlborough's confidence.
During the Battle of Schellenberg
Battle of Schellenberg
The Battle of Schellenberg, also known as the Battle of Donauwörth, was fought on 2 July 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement was part of the Duke of Marlborough's campaign to save the Habsburg capital of Vienna from a threatened advance by King Louis XIV's Franco-Bavarian...
Van Goor was put in charge of the first assault wave. During the assault a musket ball pierced his eye and he fell dead off his horse. After the battle he was buried in the church of Nördlingen
Nördlingen
Nördlingen is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Bavaria, Germany, with a population of 20,000. It is located in the middle of a complex meteorite crater, called the Nördlinger Ries. The town was also the place of two battles during the Thirty Years' War...
.
To illustrate the high regard both Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy
Prince Eugene of Savoy
Prince Eugene of Savoy , was one of the most successful military commanders in modern European history, rising to the highest offices of state at the Imperial court in Vienna. Born in Paris to aristocratic Italian parents, Eugene grew up around the French court of King Louis XIV...
had for him, the following quote from Eugene is given:
Sources
Het staatsche leger, 1568–1795, bewerkt door F.J.G. ten Raa en F. de BasFrançois de Bas
François de Bas was a Dutch general and military historian. He almost single-handedly founded the military-history section of the Dutch General Staff. He co-authored major historical works on the Dutch States Army and the Campaign of 1815, which climaxed with the Battle of Waterloo...
(J.W. Wijn) Eight vols. Breda, 1910–1950