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Walcheren expedition

Walcheren Campaign
Part of the War of the Fifth Coalition
Evacuation de Walcheren par les Anglais - 30 août 1809 - Composition de PHILIPPOTEAUX.jpg
Illness-stricken British troops evacuating the island of Walcheren on 30 August.
Date 30 July – 9 December 1809
Location Walcheren, Netherlands
Result Franco-Dutch victory
British forces withdraw to Britain
Belligerents
France First French Empire
Netherlands Kingdom of Holland
United Kingdom United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
France Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte
France Louis Claude Monnet de Lorbeau
United Kingdom Lord Chatham
United Kingdom Sir Richard Strachan
Strength
20,000 40,000
Casualties and losses
4,000 dead, wounded or captured
including 1st battalion, Irish legion
5,000+ sick
4,000+ dead, wounded or captured
12,000+ sick

The Walcheren Campaign was an unsuccessful British expedition to the Netherlands in 1809 intended to open another front in the Austrian Empire's struggle with France during the War of the Fifth Coalition. Around 40,000 soldiers, 15,000 horses together with field artillery and two siege trains crossed the North Sea and landed at Walcheren on 30 July. This was the largest British expedition of that year, larger than the army serving in the Peninsular War in Portugal. The Walcheren Campaign involved little fighting, but heavy losses from the sickness popularly dubbed "Walcheren Fever". Although more than 4,000 British troops died during the expedition, only 106 died in combat; the survivors withdrew on 9 December.

In July 1809, the British decided to seal the mouth of the Scheldt to prevent the port of Antwerp being used as a base against them. The primary aim of the campaign was to destroy the French fleet thought to be in Flushing whilst providing a diversion for the hard-pressed Austrians. However, the Battle of Wagram had already occurred before the start of the campaign and the Austrians had effectively already lost the war.

John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham commanded the army, whilst Sir Richard Strachan commanded the navy. As a first move, the British seized the swampy island of Walcheren at the mouth of river Scheldt, as well as South Beveland island, both in the present-day Netherlands. The British troops soon began to suffer from malaria; within a month of seizing the island, they had over 8,000 fever cases. The medical provisions for the expedition proved inadequate despite reports that an occupying French force had lost 80% of its numbers a few years earlier, also due to disease. Once it had been decided to garrison Walcheren Island in September 1809, Pitt was replaced by Lieutenant-general Eyre Coote who in October was replaced by Lieutenant-general George Don.


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