Battle of Boxtel

Battle of Boxtel
Part of the French Revolutionary Wars
The Combat of Boxtel 1794
Date 14-15 September 1794 Location Boxtel, Netherlands Result French victory
Belligerents
France	Great Britain Hesse-Kassel Hesse-Darmstadt
Commanders and leaders
Jean-Charles Pichegru Antoine Guillaume Delmas	Duke of York Ralph Abercromby Georg von Düring

The Battle of Boxtel (Bokstel) was fought in the Dutch province of North Brabant on 14-15 September 1794, during the War of the First Coalition. It was part of the Flanders Campaign of 1793–94 in which British, Dutch and Austrian troops had attempted to launch an invasion of France through Flanders. It is often remembered as being the debut action of Lt Col Arthur Wesley, who later became Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington.

For almost two years the combined Coalition army under the overall command of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg had struggled against the Republican French armies in attempts to invade France from the north through Flanders. The Coalition had initially been successful but following rebuffs at Tourcoing and Fleurus, by the summer of 1794 the balance had turned and the allies began to retreat northwards, pursued by an increasingly resurgent French army led by Jean-Charles Pichegru. By 24 July the Allies had separated, with the Austrian forces under Clerfayt withdrawing with ever greater haste towards Liége, obliging the now independent Anglo-Hanoverian contingent under the Duke of York to pull back across the Dutch frontier.

On 29 July York's forces took up a new position defending the line of the River Aa, from 's-Hertogenbosch south eastwards towards the Peel morass. Outposts were placed eight miles in advance on the River Dommel, one of the chief of these being some 1,500 men under Hesse-Darmstadt Major General Georg von Düring at the small town of Boxtel, consisting of two Hessian infantry battalions (Lieb Grenadiers and Landgraf regiments), two companies of Jägers, two cannon, two squadrons of British 15th Light Dragoons (under Lieu Colonel George Churchill) four squadrons of Irvine's Emigré Hussars and two squadrons each of Hompesch and Choiseul Hussars. Nearby outposts consisted of the Hesse-Kassel infantry and cavalry contingent (one battalion and five squadrons) at Ollaud under General Major Karl von Linsingen, and further still to Düring's left at St.Oedenrode, the Hanovarian Corps and remainder of the British light cavalry under General Major Rudolf von Hammerstein.

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