Battle of Fleurus

The Battle of Fleurus was a French Revolutionary Wars military encounter fought between the French First Republic’s Army, led by Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, and the Austrian, Dutch, and German allied forces, under the command of Prince Josias of Coburg. It was fought near the town of Fleurus, Belgium, on June 26, 1794. The result of the Battle of Fleurus was a French victory, which precipitated a full Allied withdrawal from Belgium and allowed French forces to push north into the Netherlands.

Summary

By June 12, the French Army had surrounded the town of Charleroi. To relieve the siege, an army of 51,000 Austrian and Dutch soldiers marched towards the besieged town, but by the time they arrived at the site, the French had already taken that town. Then, to face the French Revolutionary Army, the Austrian commander divided his army in five columns, deploying them on a plain near the town of Fleurus.

On the morning of June 26, Prince Josias of Coburg launched an attack on the French lines. Although the Austrians managed to plow through both French wings, the French center, under MG Francois Lefebvre, held the ground and then counterattacked, as the Austrian assault subsided. Coburg did not renew his attack and his men fell back and lost ground. Thus, the French obtained a great victory and in the following weeks after the battle, the revolutionary army pushed deeper in Belgian and Dutch territories. Both sides suffered around 2,000 casualties, and the French took 3,000 prisoners.

At the Battle of Fleurus, the French used balloons to observe the enemy movements.