| Battle of Kircheib | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofWar of the First Coalition | |||||||
 Section of a 1796 map from the bookGrundsätze der Strategie byArchduke Charles of Austria | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
France 1804 France | Habsburg monarchy Austria | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| France 1804Jean-Baptiste Kléber | Habsburg monarchyPaul Kray of Krajowa Habsburg monarchy Merveldt | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 24,000 | 14,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1,500 | 400 | ||||||
TheBattle of Kircheib (German:Schlacht bei Kircheib) was a military engagement during theWar of the First Coalition. On 19 June 1796,French andAustrian troops clashed atKircheib in theWesterwald uplands in present-dayGermany. Sometimes it is called theBattle of Uckerath (Schlacht bei Uckerath) after another nearby village,Uckerath, which belongs today toHennef.
In 1796, French troops[1] under GeneralJean-Baptiste Kléber launched a major campaign[2] in the Westerwald on the orders of the commander-in-chiefJean-Baptiste Jourdan. A camp was set up on the hill spur of Jungeroth, today part ofBuchholz. This site was particularly suitable for several reasons. First, it was protected by steep slopes on three sides as well as theHanfbach andScheußbach streams. Furthermore, theSteiner Berg,Priesterberg andHeppenberg hills as well as theHigh Road fromCologne toFrankfurt were nearby. The camp was extensively fortified with protective banks and ditches.On 4 June 1796, the French army struck camp and set off for battle. At theBattle of Altenkirchen, the Austrians, under the command ofPrince Ferdinand Frederick Augustus of Württemberg, were pushed back behind theRiver Lahn. On 15 June, however, the French were defeated atWetzlar by the Austrians under the command ofArchduke Charles of Austria and retreated back to camp. They planned a further withdrawal toDüsseldorf over the succeeding days.
On 19 June 1796 at two o'clock in the morning, the Austrians, underField Marshal LieutenantPaul Kray, attacked the French camp at Jungeroth (near Buchholz/Uckerath) withcavalry andinfantry, but were beaten back and pursued by the French as far asKircheib. The village was well defended. The French were initially fired upon byartillery and then stormed the village, whereupon they again came under fire from the Austrian artillery which was drawn up on the hills behind the village. After a long infantry battle for these heights, the French were beaten back and retreated. The French lost 1,500 dead and the Austrians 400.
The Austrians had fourbattalions in the fight, their wholevanguard, reinforced byline troops bringing the total up to 14,000 men. The French had over 24,000 soldiers. The French reconnaissance troops made serious mistakes: first, they estimated that there were 44,000 enemy, and, second, they clearly knew nothing of the Austrian artillery stationed on the hills behind Kircheib.
Less excusable is that Kray, when he advanced on Uckerath on the 19th, was not sufficiently reinforced to ensure a decisive superiority over Kléber. The fatigue of his troops, the lack of food, uncertainty over whether the enemy had already crossed over toNeuwied and a desire not to become overextended, are spurious reasons that deserve no consideration, because it was only a march to ensure Kléber's complete withdrawal from theSieg (assessment byArchduke Carl of Austria).
After the battle the French began a general withdrawal. Kléber's crossed the Sieg on 20 June nearSiegburg and entered Düsseldorf on the 21st.
There are various contemporary reports about the battle. Among others, reports and evaluations may be found in the records ofArchduke Charles of Austria, Austrian field marshal lieutenant,Paul Freiherr Kray von Krajowa and Hermann Christian Hülder ofOberdollendorf, who visited the battlefield on 20 June. In addition, numerous artefacts of the battle can still be found in the area and the fortifications in Jungeroth are visible in aerial photographs. The circumstances of the battle were last investigated by local researchers, Horst Weiß and Theo Faßbender from Buchholz. Subsequently, on the initiative of council member Ludwig Eich, the Buchholz municipal council erected a memorial for peace.[3] Its inauguration took place on 19 June 2009, the 213th anniversary of the battle. The memorial stone is located in the village ofGriesenbach, in the municipality ofBuchholz, near the community centre onHohlweg on50°42′19″N7°25′43″E / 50.70516944°N 7.42855277°E /50.70516944; 7.42855277 (Schlacht von 9Kircheib) by the pond of Sophienweiher at a height of 279 metres above sea level. It stands on a ridge in the centre between the opposing lines of troops at the start of the battle. In Griesenbach, at the corner of Buchholzer Straße and Hohlweg, the sign "Dorfgemeinschaftshaus / Gedenkstätte Schlacht von Kircheib" points the way; from there 700 m straight ahead.
A map board shows the positions at the opening of the battle. On the left are the French and on the right the Austrian troops. In the centre is the site of the monument.
50°42′18″N7°25′43″E / 50.705085°N 7.428477°E /50.705085; 7.428477