Battle of Courtrai (1793)

The 1st Battle of Courtrai took place on 15 September 1793, two days after the Battle of Menin during the Flanders Campaign of the Wars of the French Revolution, fought between a Division of the Nicolas Houchard's French Republican Army of the North under Joseph de Hédouville, and an Austrian force under Johann Beaulieu, supported by a British detachment from the forces of the Duke of York. It resulted in an Allied victory that brought an end to Houchard's campaign, and led directly to his dismissal and subsequent execution.

Following his victory at the Battle of Hondschoote and consequent relief of Dunkirk, Houchard turned from his pursuit of the Duke of York, intending to hold off the British to the north with 20,000 men, and march with the rest of his command to the relief of Le Quesnoy, under siege from a large part of the Imperial army under the Prince of Coburg. His first aim was to capture Tournai, but first had to neutralise the threat of Prince William of Orange’s Dutch contingent, which had pulled back from Ypres to Menin. The Dutch initially planned to withdraw as far as Courtrai, but when news came through that Le Quesnoy had fallen on 11 September and they would be supported by 15,000 men of Beaulieu’s column the Prince stood at Menin. On 12 September Houchard inflicted a serious defeat on the Prince of Orange at Menin, the Dutch abandoning Courtrai and retreating towards Ghent.

The Republican army had now created a dangerous salient in the Allied line, which threatened to cut communications between York to the north and the main Imperial army, still around Le Quesnoy. Hearing of the Dutch defeat, York manoeuvred to cover them, while Beaulieu withdrew to Lendelede. Houchard however, was unaware that Le Quesnoy had fallen, and continued planning to advance East, ordering the Divisions of Joseph de Hédouville and Pierre Dumesny to advance south towards Lille.

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