text: battle of ostrach the battle of ostrach , also called the battle by ostrach , occurred on 20 – 21 march 1799 . it was the first battle of the war of the second coalition . the battle resulted in the victory of the austrian forces , under the command of archduke charles , over the french forces , commanded by jean baptiste jourdan . the battle occurred during holy week , 1799 , amid rain and dense fog . initially , the french were able to take , and hold , ostrach and the nearby hamlet of hoßkirch plus several strategic points on the ostrach marsh . as the engagement began , habsburg numerical superiority overwhelmed french defenses . by evening , the french left wing was flanked and jourdan 's men retreated from ostrach to the pfullendorf heights . on the next morning , as jourdan considered a counter - attack , the weather broke , and he could look down on the austrian battle array . the numbers and dispositions of the austrians convinced him that any attack would be useless , and that he could not hope to maintain his position in the heights . as he withdrew , a portion of his right flank was cut off from the main force . although casualties appeared even on both sides , the austrians had a significantly larger fighting force , both on the field at ostrach , and stretched along a line between lake constance and ulm . french casualties amounted to eight percent of the force and austrian , approximately four percent . the french withdrew to engen and stockach , where a few days later the armies engaged again , this time with greater losses on both sides , and an austrian victory . background initially , the rulers of europe , such as joseph ii , holy roman emperor , viewed the revolution in france as an event between the french king and his subjects , and not something in which they should interfere . as the rhetoric grew more strident , however , the other monarchies started to view events with alarm . in 1790 , leopold succeeded his brother joseph as emperor and by 1791 , he considered the situation surrounding his sister , marie antoinette , and her children , with greater and greater alarm . in august 1791 , in consultation with french émigré nobles and frederick william ii of prussia , he issued the declaration of pilnitz , in which they declared the interest of the monarchs of europe as one with the interests of louis and his family . they threatened ambiguous , but quite serious , consequences if anything should happen to the royal family . the french republican position became increasingly difficult . compounding problems in international relations , french émigrés continued to agitate for support of a counter - revolution abroad . chief among them were the prince condé , his son , the duke de bourbon , and his grandson , the duke d 'enghien . from their base in koblenz , immediately over the french border , they sought direct support for military intervention from the royal houses of europe , and raised an army . on 20 april 1792 , the french national convention declared war on austria . in this war of the first coalition ( 1792 – 1798 ) , france ranged itself against most of the european states sharing land or water borders with her , plus portugal and the ottoman empire . although the coalition forces achieved several victories at verdun , kaiserslautern , neerwinden , mainz , amberg and würzburg , the efforts of napoleon bonaparte in northern italy pushed austrian forces back and resulted in the negotiation of the peace of leoben ( 17 april 1797 ) and the subsequent treaty of campo formio ( october 1797 ) . the treaty called for meetings between the involved parties to work out the exact territorial and remunerative details , to be convened at rastatt . the french demand for more territory than originally agreed upon stalled negotiations . despite their agreement at campo formio and the ongoing meetings at rastatt , the two primary combatants of the first coalition , france and austria , were highly suspicious of the other 's motives . several diplomatic incidents undermined the agreement . the austrians were reluctant to cede the designated territories and the rastatt delegates could not , or would not , orchestrate the transfer of agreed upon territories to compensate the german princes for their losses . ferdinand of naples refused to pay tribute to france , followed by the neapolitan rebellion , invasion by france , and the subsequent establishment of the parthenopaean republic . republican uprising in the swiss cantons , encouraged by the french republic with military support , led to the establishment of the helvetic republic . other factors contributed to the rising tensions as well . on his way to egypt in 1798 , napoleon had stopped on the island of malta and forcibly removed the hospitallers from their possessions . this angered paul , tsar of russia , who was the honorary head of the order . the french directory , furthermore , was convinced that the austrians were conniving to start another war . indeed , the weaker the french republic seemed , the more seriously the austrians , the neapolitans , the russians and the english actually discussed this possibility . prelude archduke charles of austria had taken command of the army in late january . although he was unhappy with the strategy set forward by his brother , the holy roman emperor francis ii , he had acquiesced to the less ambitious plan to which francis and the aulic council had agreed : austria would fight a defensive war and would maintain a continuous defensive line from the danube to northern italy . the archduke had stationed himself at friedberg for the winter , 4 . 7 miles ( 8 km ) east - south - east of augsburg . the army was already settled into cantonments in the environs of augsburg , extending south along the lech river . as winter broke in 1799 , on 1 march , general jean baptiste jourdan and his army of 25 , 000 , the so - called army of the danube , crossed the rhine at kehl . instructed to block the austrians from access to the swiss alpine passes , the army of the danube would ostensibly isolate the armies of the coalition in germany from allies in northern italy , and prevent them from assisting one another ; furthermore , if the french held the interior passes in switzerland , they could use the routes to move their own forces between the two theaters . the army of the danube , meeting little resistance , advanced through the black forest in three columns , through the höllental ( hölle valley ) , via oberkirch , and freudenstadt , and a fourth column advanced along the north shore of the rhine . although jourdan might have been better advised to establish a position on the eastern slope of the mountains , he did not . instead , he pushed across the danube plain and took up position between rottweil and tuttlingen , and eventually pushing toward the imperial city of pfullendorf in upper swabia . news of the french advance across the rhine took three days to reach charles at augsburg . the austrian ( advance guard ) , 17 , 000 men under the command of field marshal friedrich joseph , count of nauendorf , crossed the lech in three columns , the first at , marching in the direction of biberach , the second , and strongest , at memmingen , marching in the direction of waldsee , and the third at , heading in the direction of ravensburg . the main force of 53 , 000 men , under the command of the archduke , crossed the lech by augsburg , landsberg and , and six battalions of 6 , 600 men crossed the danube at ulm . an additional force of 13 , 000 troops under the command of lieutenant field marshal anton sztáray marched toward neumarkt in the direction of . eventually , 10 , 000 men under the command of general friedrich freiherr von hotze marched north from feldkirch in switzerland , but they did not arrive in time to participate at either the battle at ostrach , or for the subsequent battle at stockach . locale ostrach was a small village , with a population of 300 . the village belonged to the cistercian imperial abbey of salem , an influential and wealthy ecclesiastical territory on lake constance . the village was largely dedicated to farming , although a stretch of the imperial post road connected it and pfullendorf . a wide , flat plain , marshy in places , stretched between the base of the pfullendorf heights and the village ; low lying hills ringed the valley , which was creased by a small stream from which the village takes its name . ostrach itself lies almost at the northern end of this plain , but slightly south of the danube itself . the two armies faced each other across this small and , at that time of that year , very soggy valley . dispositions by 7 march , the first austrian soldiers arrived in ostrach . the french advance guard arrived by the 9th , under command of general françois joseph lefebvre ; in the forward line , the 25th demi - brigade and light infantry positioned themselves between ostrach and hoßkirch ; lefebvre also had three battalions each of the 53rd and 67th demi - brigades of light infantry , twenty squadrons of hussars , chasseurs , and dragoons , and field artillery pieces . by 12 march , the village and the surrounding farms were filled with lancers ( ) and hussars ( ) and by the 17th , the austrian advance guard had established forward posts at , altshausen and waldsee . the remainder of charles ' army , at this point nearly 110 , 000 strong , had established itself along a line from ulm to lake constance . by 18 march , jourdan had formed his headquarters at pfullendorf , on the heights above ostrach . in front of him stood the largest part of his cavalry and half of his infantry . the center , including the 4th regiment of hussars , the 1st of chasseurs à cheval , and two squadrons of the 17th dragoons , lay behind ostrach , under command of general klein . jourdan distributed them in three columns , the strongest on the post road by saulgau , another on the road in the direction of altshausen , and a third at the hamlet of friedberg . the flank of lefebvre 's division , with 7 , 000 men , commanded by laurent saint - cyr extended to the danube ; by the time skirmishing began , vandamme was still in the environs of stuttgart , with 3 , 000 men , looking in vain for austrian forces that might be stationed there , and he played no part in the battle . the far right , under command of ferino , angled south from pfullendorf to lake constance , or the bodensee . the cavalry reserve of 3 , 000 under general jean - joseph ange d 'hautpoul included a battalion of the 53rd demi - brigade , and waited in close column in the environs of pfullendorf . battle jourdan considered his position superior to the austrian 's , protected as he was by the marshy plain between his positions and the austrian front , and he thought he had another three days to consolidate his positions . his forces occupied hoßkirch , and a couple of other points he considered strategic : the causeway ( post road ) that passed saulgau ( today bad saulgau ) , the village of altshausen 11 kilometers ( 7 mi ) east , and the hamlet of friedberg , 5 kilometers ( 3 mi ) to the north - north - east of ostrach . these positions created a perimeter around ostrach . he was unaware that the archduke had arrived by forced marches from augsburg to the vicinity of ostrach ; jourdan thought the main force of charles ' army was still at least three days ' march away . by the middle of holy week in 1799 , more than a third of charles ' army , 48 , 000 mixed troops , was positioned in a formation parallel to jourdan 's , and his 72 , 000 remaining troops were arrayed with the left wing at kempten , the center near memmingen , and the right flank extended to ulm . skirmishing as the armies assembled in their positions , the flanks and forward outposts encountered one another in several skirmishes ; indeed , they had been skirmishing for seven days , until 19 march , when the outposts of both armies nearly overlapped . on the right wing , general ferino 's men encountered an austrian column of volunteer infantry and some light cavalry from one of the border hussar regiments , and took 70 and 80 prisoners , respectively , including several officers . all of this happened without the austrians knowing that there was an official declaration of war . on the 20 march , a french emissary arrived at camp of prince schwarzenberg , a major general commanding a brigade of the advanced guard . the emissary asked if he possessed a declaration of war from vienna , and upon being informed that schwarzenberg had received no such declaration , informed him that the armistice established at campo formio was ended , and there existed between france and austria a state of war . general jourdan reportedly began a general attack when the emissary left , although other sources do not bear out the scale of the attack . initially , the strength of the french advance guard pushed the most forward of the austrian right to saulgau and , 6 . 2 kilometers ( 4 mi ) east of ostrach , backing the austrian main army against the river . jean victor tharreau 's mixed brigade of infantry , light infantry and cavalry encountered the austrians at , and forced them to give up the ground ; immediately , charles sent reinforcements , and the austrians regained what they had lost . at the center of the french line , at hoßkirch , 3 kilometers ( 2 mi ) east - south - east of ostrach , general lefebvre 's column attacked the austrians in an action that lasted most of the day . the austrian line included several seasoned grenzer ( border ) regiments , the hussars , and some lancers ; although lefebvre 's initial assault caused confusion in the austrian ranks , the lancers counter - attacked with ferocity and , joined by the grenzers and the hussars , pursued the french along the ostrach river valley , and cut up four squadrons of the 8th regiment of chasseurs à cheval . lefebvre 's column was forced out of the hamlet by the austrians , who had four battalions , 1200 horse , and six cannons . after bringing up additional reinforcements — several light artillery , chasseurs à cheval , hussars , and the 17th regiment of dragoons , lefebvre was able to take the village again . by 0500 of 21 march , however , he sent word to jourdan that he was being attacked on all posts by the austrians , and they must soon expect a general engagement . general engagement charles had divided his force into columns , and at close to 1000 , the austrians attacked in force , with simultaneous assaults upon multiple positions . with nauendorf 's advance force moved with 11 battalions and 20 squadrons on saint cyr 's position . following behind with the main force of the right column , fürstenberg had little difficulty pushing the french out of and advanced on an einhard 5 kilometers ( 3 mi ) to the northwest . his force pressured elements of saint cyr 's thinly manned line , and the entire line fell back slowly , to maintain contact with its flanks . maximilian , count of merveldt 's force , attacking on saint cyr 's far left flank , continued to pressure the line , which started to crumble . further south , olivier , count of wallis took a column of 18 battalions and 42 squadrons and attacked the adjutant general françois - xavier octavie fontaine 's french line at , between ostrach and ferino 's column at salem . in the maneuvering , the cross - fire trapped french forces ; at , unable to take cover , they were cut down from both sides . charles himself took a main column along the high road , a causeway that passed by saulgau , to attack lefebvre on points between hoßkirch and ostrach . in this deployment of his force , charles sought to dislodge the center of the french line from its position in ostrach , separating the wings from the main body of force and overcoming both separately . the convergence of the two columns on the french at ostrach demonstrated the advantage of the superiority of austrian numbers . from every angle , the austrians threatened to overwhelm the french . jourdan wrote that his men disappeared under a cloud of red coats . battalion after battalion of austrians threw themselves against the french defenses . by late morning , charles ' troops pushed the french out of hoßkirch , and into ostrach , which the french nearly lost until jourdan sent reinforcements . the fighting remained fierce until about 1600 , when the french pulled back toward pfullendorf , encouraged by austrian cavalry . once out of ostrach , and established on the road at and around pfullendorf , the french formed a new perimeter , reinforced by reserves of soulham , and enjoyed the benefit of altitude from which they could fire down upon the attacking austrians . despite the punishing musket fire , charles ' strategy worked . the far right wing ( ferino 's force ) , which had not been attacked yet , fell back to salem abbey , to maintain communication with the french center . at the pfullendorf heights , the fight began anew . charles sent two strong columns of eight battalions each across the ostrach stream . the french poured fire on the austrians , who took heavy losses , but did not give up the ground . in the night , fürstenberg broke through the french line to einhard , flanking jourdan 's main force and cutting off saint cyr . further south , wallis threatened to do the same to fontaine and ferino . as darkness fell , so ended the first day of fighting . withdrawal as jourdan was deciding whether or not to attempt another foray , the fog lifted and revealed the scene below him . he wrote later , " ... [ w ] e discovered an immense line of cavalry and infantry . it may be said , without exaggeration , that the troops which engaged our advanced guard amounted to twenty - five thousand men . i now perceived the absolute impossibility of making any further resistance against such a superior force , as well as the danger that threatened the division , from the advantage which the enemy had gained on the left . i therefore ordered general soult to fall back with the division to the post before [ sic ] . " he was wrong ; the austrians engaged with the french advance guard numbered closer to 50 , 000 , and constituted the main body of charles ' army , not its advance guard . in the night , charles also had moved additional troops to renew the attack on the pfullendorf heights at daybreak . on 21 march , at 2200 , jourdan ordered the wounded to be transported to schaffhausen in switzerland , via stockach . the main army then began its own retreat in the early morning of 22 march . the reserve division of d 'hautpoul left first , and pulled back via stockach to ob egg . according to jourdan , the retreat occurred in perfect order , and was supported in particular by a company of sappers , who blew up the bridges in the face of enemy fire , and then fought like grenadiers . the austrians outflanked saint cyr 's forces on the right flank and general ferino , at the southern - most point , retreated to salem , to maintain the line with the remainder of the french force . when the first division pulled back to bodman , on the northern tip of the überlingen - finger of lake constance , a portion of the force was encircled and cut off by the 2nd lancers of karl philipp , prince schwarzenberg 's brigade , and more than 500 were taken prisoner . other sources are less sanguine in their assessment of jourdan 's retreat . jourdan 's forces , especially his left flank , were severely pressed ; the french line collapsed upon itself at both ends as the soldiers fell back . a dispatch to paris , later reported in the times , claimed that the french intent had been betrayed to the austrians by a deserter , but there is some evidence that this was jourdan 's mendacious attempt to explain the apparent surprise with which the austrians attacked . a british report claimed that the french commander had two horses shot from under him , but jourdan himself reported that only one horse was shot , and he was thrown , stunned , to the ground . lefebvre received a musket ball in the wrist and had to be carried from the field ; command of his division was given to the rising star jean - de - dieu soult . furthermore , a sizable portion — sources are not clear on how many — of the french right wing ( ferino 's force ) had been cut off from its main force , and made prisoner . finally , general friedrich freiherr von hotze was quickly making his way north with 10 , 000 men from feldkirch and prepared to attack jourdan 's army from the south . aftermath eventually , jourdan withdrew first to messkirch ( sometimes spelled or ) , and when that city was no longer defensible , fell back to stockach , and then again engen , but he wrote that the armies had been well - matched ; french valor , he wrote , overcame servitude . his men had taken many austrian prisoners , and he knew also that many austrians lay dead or wounded on the field of battle . his army itself had losses , but their valor in death matched the ambitious tyranny of the austrians : charles had driven his army hard , he wrote , and the austrians would not pursue the gallant , liberty - loving french ; charles ' failure to pursue the french affirmed jourdan 's perception that his had not been a defeat followed by retreat , but rather a strategic withdrawal . jourdan probably did not know that charles had been ordered to maintain a continuous and orderly defensive line with troops to the south . jourdan 's own assessment did not match that of his superiors in paris , who recognized that the loss of twelve percent of the fighting force , versus less than four percent for the adversary , did not amount to a draw . furthermore , this first attempt to cut the austrians off from access to the upper rhine and lake constance had not succeeded . there were other considerations , primarily that jourdan simply did not have enough men to fight not only this battle but the subsequent ones as well . for his own part , the archduke did not push his troops to pursue and capture the enemy , or even harass their retreat . charles ' slow pursuit might have been due to his own disgruntlement with vienna 's overarching defensive strategy and the undoubted difficulty of the battle itself , conducted with troops wearied by a forced march of 30 miles ( 48 km ) , fighting in rain , fog , and on normally boggy terrain made more soggy by the heavy spring rains and snow melt . regardless , he more than made up for these shortcomings within the week . five days after jourdan 's departure from ostrach and pfullendorf , the french and austrian armies continued the fight at stockach . this time , the decision could not be argued : the army of the danube could not hold the territory and withdrew into the black forest . the battle at ostrach had been difficult , as jourdan pointed out , due largely to the dense fog and terrible weather that hampered his observation of his enemy 's movements , yet the same fog that blinded him to the austrian movements did not seem to hamper charles . the fog and rainy weather did play a role , however . on a local level , in the damp night of the 20th , which was , ( german : green thursday , or maundy thursday ) , the danube overflowed , backing up into the ostrach , and causing it to burst its own banks . the flood trapped 300 civilians between the two armies intent on destruction ; suspecting what was to come , huddled in their cellars , and hoped for the best and gasping for breath as the battle thundered overhead . amazingly , none were killed , although they spent easter sunday caring for the wounded , and helping to bury the 4 , 000 or so soldiers who died in the battle . battle monument prior to 1903 , a simple wooden cross commemorated the battle site , located on the so - called , a hill overlooking the village , and the plains to the southeast , where much of the fighting occurred . in 1903 , a monument was erected to honor the battle . in 1945 , when french troops arrived in the region , they closed the monument ; the local pastor encouraged them to reopen it , calling it a chapel . books and journals alison , sir archibald . a history of europe from the commencement of the french revolution in 1789 to the restoration of the bourbons . new york : a.s. barnes , 1850 . blanning , timothy . the french revolutionary wars . new york : oxford university press , 1996 . isbn 0 - 340 - - 5 . gallagher , john . napoleon 's enfant terrible : general dominique vandamme . tulsa : university of oklahoma press , 2008 , isbn 978 - 0 - 8061 - - 6 . cust , edward ( sir ) . annals of the wars of the eighteenth century , compiled from the most authentic histories of the period . london : mitchell 's military library , 1857 – 1860 . graham , thomas , baron . 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