| Battle of Hohenlinden | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theWar of the Second Coalition | |||||||
 The Battle of Hohenlinden Henri Frédéric Schopin, 1836 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 France |  Austria Bavaria | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Jean Moreau | Archduke John | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Total: 53,595 41,990 infantry 11,805 cavalry 99 guns[3] | Total: 60,261 46,130 infantry 14,131 cavalry 214 guns[4] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 2,500–3,000[5] dead or wounded 1 gun | Total: 13,550–15,500[6]
4,600–5,500[6] dead or wounded8,950–10,000[6] captured76 guns | ||||||
  Location within Europe | |||||||
TheBattle of Hohenlinden was fought on 3 December 1800[8] during theFrench Revolutionary Wars. AFrench army underJean Victor Marie Moreau won a decisive victory over anAustrian andBavarian force led by 18-year-oldArchduke John of Austria. The allies were forced into a disastrous retreat that compelled them to request anarmistice, effectively ending theWar of the Second Coalition.Hohenlinden is 33 km (21 mi) east ofMunich in modern Germany.
General of Division Moreau's 56,000-strong army engaged some 64,000 Austrians and Bavarians. The Austrians, believing they were pursuing a beaten enemy, moved through heavily wooded terrain in four disconnected columns. Moreau ambushed the Austrians as they emerged from theEbersberg forest while launchingAntoine Richepanse's division in a surprise envelopment of the Austrian left flank. Displaying superb individual initiative, Moreau's generals managed to encircle and smash the largest Austrian column.
This crushing victory, coupled with the narrow French victory at theBattle of Marengo on 14 June 1800, ended theWar of the Second Coalition. In February 1801, the Austrians signed theTreaty of Lunéville,[8] accepting French control up to theRhine and the French puppet republics inItaly and theNetherlands. The subsequentTreaty of Amiens between France and Britain began the longest break in thewars of the Napoleonic period.
From April to July 1800, Moreau's army drove the Austrian army ofFeldzeugmeisterPál Kray from theRhine River to theInn River with victories atStockach,Messkirch, andHöchstädt. On 15 July, the combatants agreed to an armistice. Realizing that Kray was no longer up to the task,Emperor Francis II removed him from command.[9] The Austrian chancellorJohann Amadeus von Thugut first offeredArchduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph of Austria-Este andArchduke Joseph, Palatine of Hungary command of the army but both declined.[10] Because his brother, the capableFeldmarschallArchduke Charles, Duke of Teschen, also refused the command, the emperor appointed another brother, the 18-year-old Archduke John. The inexperienced youth could not cope with this enormous responsibility, so the emperor nominatedFranz von Lauer as John's second-in-command and promoted him toFeldzeugmeister. John was directed to follow Lauer's instructions.[9] To further complicate the clumsy command structure, the aggressiveOberst (Colonel)Franz von Weyrother was named John'schief of staff.[11]
The armistice was renewed in September but lapsed on 12 November. By this time, Weyrother had convinced John and Lauer to adopt an offensive posture. Weyrother's plan called for crushing the French left wing nearLandshut and lunging south to cut Moreau's communications west ofMunich. After a few days of marching, it became obvious that the Austrian army was too slow to execute such an ambitious plan. Therefore, Lauer convinced the archduke to convert the enterprise into a direct attack onMunich. Even so, the sudden advance caught Moreau's somewhat scattered French forces by surprise and achieved local superiority.[11]
In theBattle of Ampfing on 1 December, the Austrians drove back part of General of DivisionPaul Grenier's Left Wing. The defeated French managed to inflict 3,000 casualties on the Austrians while only suffering 1,700 losses. Yet, when the Austrian leaders found that Grenier evacuatedHaag in Oberbayern the next day, they became ecstatic. Archduke John and Weyrother overrode Lauer's cautious counsel and launched an all-out pursuit of an enemy they believed to be fleeing.[12] However, Moreau decided to stand and fight, deploying his army in open ground nearHohenlinden. To approach his position, the Austro-Bavarians had to advance directly west through heavily wooded terrain.[13]
Moreau's main defensive position consisted of four divisions facing east. From north to south, these were commanded by General of DivisionClaude Legrand (7,900),General of BrigadeLouis Bastoul (6,300), General of DivisionMichel Ney (9,600) and General of DivisionEmmanuel Grouchy (8,600). The divisions of Legrand, Bastoul and Ney belonged to Grenier's corps. Moreau held 1,700 heavy cavalry under General of DivisionJean-Joseph Ange d'Hautpoul in reserve. Off to the south nearEbersberg were two more divisions, under Generals of DivisionAntoine Richepanse (10,700) andCharles Decaen (10,100). The divisions of d'Hautpoul, Richepanse, Decaen, and Grouchy formed Moreau's Reserve Corps. Moreau planned to have Richepanse march northeast to strike the Austrian left, or southern flank. His main line would maneuver in open terrain and counterattack the Austrians as they emerged from the woods. Decaen would support Richepanse.[14]
According to the battle plan drawn up by Weyrother, the Austrians advanced west in four corps. From north to south they wereFeldmarschall-LeutnantMichael von Kienmayer's Right Column (16,000), Feldmarschall-LeutnantLudwig Anton, Count Baillet de Latour's Right Center Column (10,800),[15][16] FeldzeugmeisterJohann Kollowrat's Left Center Column (20,000), and Feldmarschall-LeutnantJohann Sigismund Riesch's Left Column (13,300). The three southern columns marched near the main road from Haag to Hohenlinden. Meanwhile, Kienmayer followed theIsen River valley fromDorfen west toLengdorf, then south toIsen, before approaching the Hohenlinden plain from the east.[17] Archduke John rode with Kollowrat's force, which used the main east–west highway. Latour used trails just to the north of the highway, while Riesch followed tracks just to the south. Due to the densely forested terrain, bad roads, and poor staff work, the Austrian columns were not mutually supporting. Their commanders mistakenly thought the French were in retreat and were rushing to catch their enemies before they could escape.[13]
All Austrian columns started at dawn. Marching on the all-weather highway, Kollowrat's column made good time despite heavy snow. At 7:00 am, his advance guard under General-Major Franz Löpper collided with ColonelPierre-Louis Binet de Marcognet's 108th Line InfantryDemi-Brigade of Grouchy's division. Defending deep in the forest, the 108th held their ground at first. However, General-Major Lelio Spannochi sent agrenadier battalion in a flank attack and drove the French back. Kollowrat committed General-MajorBernhard Erasmus von Deroy's Bavarian brigade and a second grenadier battalion to keep the attack rolling.[18]
As the Austrians burst from the tree line, Grouchy led a powerful infantry and cavalry counterattack. Kollowrat's troops reeled back as the 11thChasseurs à cheval Regiment broke a square of grenadiers and the 4thHussar Regiment overran an artillery battery. Both Spannochi and the wounded Marcognet became prisoners. Having lost five cannon, Kollowrat decided to suspend his drive until Latour and Riesch came up on his flanks. Anxious about his open left flank, he sent two grenadier battalions back in search of Riesch's column.[19]
To the north, Kienmayer flushed French outposts from Isen. These executed a planned withdrawal westward to Grenier's main line of defense. Feldmarschall-LeutnantPrince Karl of Schwarzenberg, who led Kienmayer's left division, pushed southwest to crash into the divisions of Bastoul and Ney. An Austrian force captured the town ofForstern, but Moreau committed d'Hautpoul's reserve cavalry to help drive them out. A back and forth struggle began over thehamlets of Tading, Wetting, Kreiling, and Kronacker, which run in a north to south line. The AustrianMurray Infantry Regiment Nr. 55 distinguished itself in the fighting for Kronacker, which lies only 1.3 km (0.81 mi) north of Hohenlinden. On the far north flank, Feldmarschall-LeutnantArchduke Ferdinand's division began coming into action against Legrand near the town of Harthofen.[20]
Latour, moving along muddy forest trails amid snow and sleet squalls, fell badly behind schedule. At 10:00 am, his column was still well to the rear of Kollowrat's corps. By this time, the gunfire from Kienmayer's and Kollowrat's combats could be clearly heard to the front. Even more disturbing were sounds of battle from the south. Latour made the extraordinary decision to divide the divisions of Feldmarschall-Leutnants Prince Friedrich of Hessen-Homburg and Friedrich Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen into small task forces. He sent one infantry battalion and six cavalry squadrons to the north to look for Kienmayer. One battalion and four squadrons marched south to find Kollowrat. After advancing the bulk of his column to the village of Mittbach, Latour sent two battalions and two squadrons to assist Schwarzenberg's attack and three battalions and an artillery battery to help Kollowrat. This left him with only three battalions and six squadrons.[21]
Like Latour, Riesch's troops had to contend with terrible roads and snow squalls. They fell far behind Kollowrat, reachingAlbaching only at 9:30 am. Consequently, Richepanse's division passed in front of Riesch. Near the village of St. Christoph, the two Austrian grenadier battalions sent by Kollowrat stumbled upon Richepanse's marching column, cutting his division in half. With single-minded determination, the Frenchman left his rear brigade under General of BrigadeJean-Baptiste Drouet to fight it out and drove to the north with his leading brigade.[22]
With the 8th Line Demi-Brigade and 1st Chasseurs à Cheval leading, Richepanse seized the village ofMaitenbeth and advanced to the main highway. There he confronted elements of Feldmarschall-LeutnantPrince Johann of Liechtenstein's cavalry division. Leaving his two advance units to bear the brunt of General-major Christian Wolfskeel'scuirassier charges, Richepanse wheeled the 48th Line Demi-Brigade west onto the highway. Aware that this route took him directly into Kollowrat's rear area, he formed the demi-brigade's three battalions side by side with skirmishers protecting the flanks. Hearing firing to the east, Weyrother gathered up three Bavarian battalions from Kollowrat's column and sent them to investigate. These units moved to the southeast and became embroiled in the fight with Drouet. Two more Bavarian battalions under General-majorKarl Philipp von Wrede now appeared and blocked Richepanse's path. After a brief fight, the 48th Line overwhelmed Wrede's men and Weyrother fell wounded.[23]
Riesch's patrols told him that two French divisions were in the area. Instead of pushing into the combat raging to his front, he cautiously decided to wait for his stragglers to arrive at Albaching. He then fell into the same error as Latour. Dividing his two powerful divisions under Feldmarschall-LeutnantIgnaz Gyulai and Feldmarschall-LeutnantMaximilian, Count of Merveldt into five small columns, he sent each forward on a separate forest trail. Riesch held back three battalions and most of his cavalry as a reserve.[24]
At 11:00 am, Decaen came up in support of Drouet's brigade near the southern edge of the battlefield. The situation was very fluid, with units blundering into each other in a heavy snowfall. The fresh infusion of French troops finally broke through the opposition. Drouet led his troops north to the highway, where the 8th Line still battled Liechtenstein's cavalry. Spearheaded by the PolishDanube Legion, Decaen turned east to grapple with Riesch. Decaen's men overcame Riesch's small columns one by one and pushed them back to the heights of Albaching.[25] The Austrian managed to hold onto his hilltop position and capture 500 French soldiers while suffering 900 casualties.[26]
Sensing victory, Moreau ordered Grenier's divisions and Grouchy to attack around noon. Undeterred by Latour's weak pressure on his front, Ney swung to his right and began pounding Kollowrat's troops. Pressing his attack, he overran their positions, capturing 1,000 soldiers and ten cannons. Grouchy also returned to the offensive. Hemmed in on three sides by Ney, Grouchy and Richepanse, Kollowrat's column finally disintegrated in a disorderly rout.[25] Archduke John escaped capture on a fast horse, but many of his men were not so lucky and thousands of demoralized Austrians and Bavarians surrendered. In addition, over 60 artillery pieces fell into French hands.[27]
Latour learned of the left center column's fate when its fugitives flooded the nearby woods. Abandoning his position, he retreated to Isen, leaving Kienmayer to fend for himself. When Kienmayer got news of Kollowrat's destruction, he ordered his division commanders to fall back. After a brief fight against Legrand on the north flank, Archduke Ferdinand pulled back with General-majorKarl von Vincent'sdragoon brigade covering his withdrawal. Legrand reported fewer than 300 casualties while rounding up 500 prisoners and three guns. Thanks to Schwarzenberg's able combat leadership, his division escaped a very tight spot. At one point, a French officer came forward under a flag of truce to demand his surrender, but the Austrian successfully disengaged his command and brought them to safety that evening without the loss of a single cannon.[clarification needed][28]
The Austrians reported losses of 798 killed, 3,687 wounded, and 7,195 prisoners, with 50 cannons and 85artillery caissons captured. Bavarian casualties numbered only 24 killed and 90 wounded, but their losses also included 1,754 prisoners, 26 artillery pieces, and 36 caissons. In round numbers, this amounts to 4,600 killed and wounded, plus 8,950 soldiers and 76 guns captured. The French admitted casualties of 1,839 soldiers, one cannon, and two caissons. Since several units failed to turn in reports, Moreau's army probably lost at least 3,000 men. Bastoul was mortally wounded.[5]
After the disaster, theAustrian high command found its scapegoat in Lauer who was summarily retired. Archduke John heaped blame on Riesch for being slow, but also considered Latour and Kienmayer at fault. Weyrother escaped censure and in 1805 his plan at theBattle of Austerlitz contributed to that disaster. BavarianLieutenant General Christian Zweibrücken blamed Austrian ignorance and ineptitude. Apart from Schwarzenberg, the Austrian commanders showed little initiative. Meanwhile, Moreau's division commanders performed well, particularly Richepanse.[29]
Archduke John ordered his demoralized army into a retreat. Moreau pursued slowly until 8 December. Then, in 15 days, his forces advanced 300 km (190 mi) and captured 20,000 Austrians.[30] General of DivisionClaude Lecourbe's Right Wing brushed aside Riesch atRosenheim on 9 December. AtSalzburg on 14 December, the archduke held off Lecourbe in a successful rearguard action.[31] However, in a series of actions atNeumarkt am Wallersee,Frankenmarkt,Schwanenstadt,Vöcklabruck,Lambach andKremsmünster during the following week, the Austrian army lost cohesion. Richepanse greatly distinguished himself in the pursuit. On 17 December, when Archduke Charles relieved his brother John, the Austrian army was practically a rabble.[32] With French forces 80 km (50 mi) fromVienna, Charles requested an armistice, which Moreau granted on 25 December. The resultingTreaty of Lunéville was signed in February 1801,[8] which was highly favourable to France. The decisive French victory at Hohenlinden made Moreau a potential rival to Napoleon Bonaparte.[33]
The battle is the subject of a poemHohenlinden byThomas Campbell (1777–1844). The first verse is:
- On Linden, when the sun was low,
- All bloodless lay the untrodden snow;
- And dark as winter was the flow
- Of Iser, rolling rapidly.
— Thomas Campbell.[34]
The American citiesLinden, Alabama, andLinden, Tennessee, are named in honor of this battle. The former was established to serve as thecounty seat ofMarengo County, Alabama. The county's first European settlers were exiled French Bonapartists and many of the settlements they established were named in honor of Napoleonic victories.[35][36][37]
Media related toBattle of Hohenlinden at Wikimedia Commons| Preceded by Convention of Alessandria | French Revolution: Revolutionary campaigns Battle of Hohenlinden | Succeeded by Second League of Armed Neutrality |
