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Bernards Upper Rhine Campaign was an successful campaign byBernard of Saxe-Weimar, who leadan Army hired by theFrench to fight against the Holy Roman EmperorFerdinand III. Themilitary campaign was fought fromFebruary1638 toDecember1638, mainly at four engagements atRheinfelden,Wittenweiher,Thann, andBreisach, all of these battles where victories for Bernard.
The campaign was first primarily fought for theforest towns inBaden-Württemberg but then shifted toBreisach andAlsace. Campaign was a decisive victory for the French and established their main base for their future German Campaigns atBreisach, it further consolidated French control over Alsace and isolated the SpanishFranche-Comté from its Imperial-Spanish allies.
Only months after the campaign,Bernard would die of a fever that was a complication of an infection in his ear. Bernard's death, would finally incorporateWeimar Army into the FrenchArmy of Germany (1638-1648), many of the Weimarans would join the French. Most of the gains of the campaign would be lost at theBattle of Tuttlingen, in which the French-Weimaran Army of Germany was mostly destroyed.[4]
TheThirty Years' War began in 1618 when theProtestant-dominatedBohemian Estates offered theCrown to fellow ProtestantFrederick V of the Palatinate, rather than conservativeCatholicEmperor Ferdinand II. Most members of theHoly Roman Empire remained neutral, and theBohemian Revolt was quickly suppressed. Financed byMaximilian of Bavaria, an army of theCatholic League and a Spanish Army launched thePalatinate campaign, and sent Frederick into exile in theDutch Republic.[5]
Frederick's replacement by Maximilian as ruler andPrince-elector of thePalatinate changed the nature of the war, drawing in Protestant German states likeSaxony andBrandenburg-Prussia, as well as external powers likeDenmark-Norway. In 1630,Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden invadedPomerania, partly to support his Protestant co-religionists, but also to control theBaltic trade, which provided much of Sweden's income.[6]
Swedish intervention continued despite the death of Gustavus atLützen in November 1632, but their objectives conflicted with both Imperial states like Saxony, and their regional rivals, such as Denmark. In 1634Bernard of Saxe-Weimar andGustav Horn, Count of Pori were defeated by theCardinal-Infante Ferdinand atNördlingen
The shattering defeat at Nördlingen left the Swedish Army is a horrible state, he had lost 12,000-14,000 at the battle of out of 25,700, Bernard was powerless to stopJohann von Werth from sweeping West intoBaden-Württemberg, Bernard abandonedHeilbronn and retreated toMainz. OnlyHohentwiel andUlm held out inSwabia, Bernard's situation grew worse when an imperial Army underPhilipp von Mansfeld moved south and another army underMatthias Gallas moved moved north. With little options Bernard offered his service to theFrench, the French agreed to give him his own personalDuchy inAlsace.
Bernard, with 12,000-16,000 men, linked up withLouis de Nogaret de La Valette, who had 10,000, but 2/3 of La Valette's Army deserted andFrankfurt am Main andMannheim were taken by Gronsfeld. The surrender of the garrison ofMainz, about 1,000 strong, had Bernard's situation grew even worse. Bernard withdrew first to Alsace, then further through thePrince-Bishopric of Basel toMömpelgard. Bernards army included many veteran officers and generals including,Friedrich Ludwig Kanoffski von Langendorf[m],Georg Christoph von Taupadel,Reinhold von Rosen,Wilhelm Otto von Nassau-Siegen,Ludwig von Wietersheim,Count of Wittgenstein,Johann Ludwig von Erlach,Sigismund von Erlach,Johann Bernard Ohm, andJohann Phillip von Salm-Kyrburg. Bernards army also included many French officers including theVicomte de Turenne,Jean-Baptiste Budes Comté de Guébriant, andHenri de Rohan.
Early in February 1638, having been prodded by the French government, Bernhard advanced his army of 6,000 men and 14 guns[7] to the Rhine in order to find a crossing. Arriving at an important crossing point at the town ofRheinfelden, Bernhard prepared to invest the town from the south. Meanwhile, he would use the ferry atBeuggen to throw troops across the river in order to complete the investment from the north. The attack on the town was to be made on 1 March. In order to prevent this, the Imperialists, under the Italian mercenary CountFederico Savelli and German generalJohann von Werth, moved with 2,600 infantry and 4,500 cavalry through theBlack Forest to attack Bernhard's army and relieve the town.[8]
Rheinfelden held out stubbornly as Werth and Savelli moved closer. The Imperials appeared early on Sunday of February 28th outside ofBeuggen, but were blocked by some of Bernardsdragoons. The Imperials were unable to deploy, they took another more difficult road parallel to the river and headed west to Rheinfelden. Bernard used the four hours it took for the them to ferry over 600musketeers and 8 light guns, as well as concentrating the cavalry already north of the river underGeorg Christoph von Taupadel on the higher ground above the town. Taupadel charged as the Bavarian cavalry tried to deploy from the road atKarsau.[8]
The Bavarians where through back, but leftRohan andJohann Phillip von Salm-Kyrburg, another Palatine veteran, Salm wasmortally wounded, whileJohann Ludwig von Erlach and Rohan were captured. Savelli and the Imperial Infantry now arrived and gained the heights. Bernard held his position until the night, then slipped past the enemy to retreat eastwards along the river toSäckingen, abandoning at least three of his guns and 150 men.[8]
The absence of pursuit is unsurprising given Savelli and Werth had just force-marched their men through the mountains in winter on lowrations. Bernard regrouped atLauffenburg, 14km upstream, where he was joined by the rest of his army from the south bank of the river on March 2rd. He now undertook one of the risky maneuvers that made him famous, setting off early the next day back along the north bank to Beuggen, collecting 3 artillery pieces that Werth and Savelli had failed to find. Bernard was spotted by Imperial pickets around 7 am.[8]
Werth and Savelli hastily deployed behind a ditch that had drained into theRhine, but before he could get his troops together they were killed. The Berhardine infantry advances in good order, firing asalvo at half range, supported by their artillery. The cavalry on the flanks then charged, the Imperial infantry replied with a salvo but then fled, as the Bernhardinists moved across the ditch. Werth attempted to stand with the rest of the Bavarians until they were forced to surrendered. 500 Imperial-Bavarians were killed while 3,00 were captured including Savelli, Werth,Adrian von Enkevort, andClaus Dietrich von Sperreuth, Savelli managed to escape his captivity after the Battle.[8]. Werth and Enkevort where exchanged for Swedish Generals in 1641 and 1642 respectively, Sperreuter was held hostage inHohentwiel and was exchanged for Taupadel.
The loss of some many experienced officers crippled the Bavarian Army,Johann von Götz was diverted from his offensive againstHesse-Kassel and moved south to theUpper Rhine. Rheinfelden held out for three weeks, even after pressing the prisoners into his service he still only numbered 12,000, he received 4,500 volunteers underVicomte de Turenne,Jean-Baptiste Budes Comté de Guébriant, andFrançois de L'Hôpital, Marquis du Hallier.[4]
Rather than pushing along the Forest Town route, Bernard turned againstBreisach,Freiburg was abandoned because it was too hard to defend on April 10th. Bernard concentrated his artillery and infantry outside Breisach, Bernard left Taupadel and the cavalry east of theBlack Forest to deter a relief force.Hans Heinrich IX, Baron of Reinach, the competent and skilled commander of the garrison, had received reinforcements of 3,000 men and 152 artillery pieces.Johann von Götz was given command of the relief force, Götz collected 13,500 men atRottweil east of the Black Forest. He intended to coordinate a relief effort withCharles de Lorraine, who still held out with 5,000 men in theFranche-Comté againstHenri d'Orléans-Longueville and his 13,000 strong French Army.[4]
Götz climbed the mountains to appear north of Breisach on June 26th. He slipped in supplies, but was too weak to attempt a relief directly and crossed over into Alsace hoping that taking French positions there that would force Bernard to lift his siege. The French garrisons proved too strong, Bernard now switched Taupadel's force west of the Rhine to counter Götz. Thwarted, Götz withdrew toWürttemberg, leaving Savelli oppositeStrasbourg. Having recuperated, Götz rejoined Savelli to give a combined army of 15,000 atOffenburg on August 7th.[4]
Main Body: (about 2,900 horse and 1,900 foot),
Savelli (Imperial) Infantry Regiment, Zweyer (Imperial) Infantry Regiment, Waldstein (Imperial) Infantry Regiment Caretto (Imperial) Infantry Regiment, Bonneval (Imperial) Infantry Regiment, Enckhevoert (Imperial) Infantry Regiment (remnants), Henderson (Imperial) Infantry Regiment (remnants), Gallas (Imperial) Infantry Regiment, Suys (Imperial) Infantry Regiment, Det/Mercy (Imperial) Infantry Regiment Stephan Albrecht (Bavarian) Infantry Regiment, des Pours (Bavarian) Infantry Regiment, Combined Schetter & Torelli (Bavarian) Infantry Regiment, Lamboy (Imperial) Cuirassier Regiment, Metternich (Imperial) Cuirassier Regiment Draghi (Imperial) Cuirassier Regiment, Weiher (Imperial) Cuirassier Regiment, Senschal (Imperial) Cuirassier Regiment,Sperreuth (Imperial) Cuirassier Regiment Nicola (Imperial) Cuirassier Regiment Vernier (Imperial) Cuirassier Regiment, Gonzaga (Imperial) Cuirassier Regiment, Gallag (Imperial) Dragon Regiment, Nemarch & Corpes Combined Croatian Light Cavalry Regiment Meissel (Bavarian) Cuirassier Regiment, Limbach (Bavarian) Cuirassier Regiment, Neunnegg Cuirassier Regiment, Metternich Leibguardia Company attached, Württemberg Cuirassier Regiment, Neu-Werth Cuirassier. Regiment
Rearguard: (2,900 foot & 1,700 horse),
Gotz (Bavarian) Infantry Regiment, Hasslang (Bavarian) Infantry Regiment, Combined Metternich/Demont (Bavarian) Infantry Regiment, Combined Edelsteten & Vehlen (Bavarian) Infantry Regiment, M. Reinach (Bavarian) Infantry Regiment, Graf Göltz (Bavarian) Cuirassier Regiment, Horst (Bavarian) Cuirassier Regiment, Kolb (Bavarian) Cuirassier Regiment, Gayling (Bavarian) Cuirassier Regiment, Alt-Werth Cuirassier Regiment, Pürtmüller Cuirassier Regiment, Combined (Bavarian) Cuirassier Company, Redotti Cuirassier Regiment, Venlen Cuirassier Regiment, Haxthausen Cuirassier Regiment.[o]
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Götz attempted to sent provisions to Breisach by using his entire army to escort supplies that were to be loaded onto barges atRheinau. When Bernard realized he could never takeBreisach while Götz remained in the field and decided to force a battle. He drew 11,400 men from his siege lines and headed north throughKensingen andLahr. It was not until scouts reported his approach onSunday August 8th that the imperialcommanders realized Bernard was no longer at Breisach. The imperial cavalry in thevanguard were driven back into the village ofFriesenheim, about 4km north of Lahr. Götz reacted quickly, placing infantry and artillery on a vine covered hill atSchuttern, 2km west, while the rest of the rest of the army drew behind a ditch between there and Friesenheim.[4]
Bernard sent his French infantry to clear Friesenheim, Friesenheim was captured though the Imperials set fire to the village. Götz regrouped his troops on the hill, while Bernard moved his artillery into thevineyard opposite the hill. Bernard soon realized that the terrain was unsuitable for cavalry, which comprised about half of his troops, and so broke the action, falling back to the more favorable ground atMahlberg having lost about 50 to Götz's 120. Götz, determined to get the supply convoy through, he gave Savelli 2/3 of the army and sent him early the next day towardsWittenweiher to reach Rheinau.[4]
Götz hoped the large Kaiserwald wood would screen this move, but Bernard was alerted and headed north-west after morning prayers to catch Savelli off guard as he emerged from a gap in the trees. Savelli had failed to take precautions and had moved too far ahead of the supply train that blocked the road behind. Bernard and Guébriant arrived at the gap first. Savelli's cavalry was disordered by 400musketeers and 2 cannons Bernard had posted in the wood by theRhine. They gave way as Bernard charged, some units of the imperials fleeing, discovering their infantry and plundered the supply train.
Savelli and the fugitives escaped through the chaos as Götz arrived with the rearguard. However, Taupadel'scavalry on the right faced better regiments, and were thrown back by Götz who attacked Bernard's infantry and captured their artillery. Bernard replied to the threat by using cannons abandoned by Savelli, while two veterans infantryregiment arrived from the reserve. Götz launched repeated attacks but would withdraw toOffenburg. Götz and Savelli lost 2,000 killed, 1,700 captured, 13 cannons, 3,000 wounded, and 3,000wagons full on food, while Bernard lost 1,000 casualties, furthermore Taupadel was captured but was later exchanged.
Though Götz was wounded he still persisted, he regrouped arRottweil to wait forGuillaume de Lamboy, Baron of Cortesheim and his force of 3,900 men were originally intended to reenforceSpanish Italy[4] but were diverted to join Götz directly, he was further reinforced by troops forFranconia andBohemia. An unsuccessful attempt to supply food to Breisach through the Black Forest was beaten back, but Savelli, now posted atPhilippsburg, did slip some food across the Rhine by sendingCroats down the West Bank to Breisach.
Bernard, known down to 9,000 and could no longer isolate the fortress completely. Somepeasants were able to slip into the city and would sell food at a very inflated rate. The situation in Breisach was nonetheless desperate; Rheinach had already expelled the citizens of Breisach and was now down to 1,6000 effective men. Bernard tried to sow dissent within Breisach by sending captured letters into the city.
Duke Charles would make his own attempt to relieve Breisach with his ownexiled army. He moved north from theFranche-Comté with 4,000 men into Alsace.
When the advancing army under Charles of Lorraine, numbering 4,000 men and its accompanying supply train with numerous supply wagons, entered the town of Thann, news of the army's arrival soon reached ColonelReinhold von Rosen, who, as commander of a Weimar branch of the army, was conducting the siege of the fortress ofChâteau de Landskron, about 50 km from Thann. With a request for reinforcements, General Rosen immediately sent the news of the army's arrival to Commander-in-Chief Bernhard von Weimar in Colmar. Although he was ill with fever,Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar immediately moved fromColmar toLa Croix-aux-Mines, about 70 km south, where reserve troops were stationed under the command ofWilliam Otto of Nassau-Siegen.
With these troops and several hundredmusketeers, reinforced by French troops and eight regimental guns, the two generals moved north again toEnsisheim, about 60 km away, 20 km east of the town of Thann, where the Lorraine relief army and its supply train, had initially been reported, but then moved on.
Since a reconnaissance party sent byBernhard got lost while searching for the enemy army, his troops were initially to seek a waiting position in a forest. When the Lorraine relief army under Duke Charles and itssupply train were discovered on October 15, 1638, on the Ochsenfeld between the towns of Thann and Cernay, the two armies unexpectedly clashed. The left wing of Charles's troops was fiercely attacked by Bernard's cavalry and threatened to be completely dispersed if the Lorraine right wing had not simultaneously successfully defeated Bernard's left wing and even captured its artillery. Only through his personal efforts was Bernard able to regroup the troops of the left wing and lead them into a counterattack.
The counterattack was so successful that the Weimar troops not only recaptured their own artillery but also captured the Lorraine artillery. The Lorraine cavalry and Duke Charles himself then turned to flight. The infantry managed to hold out for another two hours, but after the explosion of two powder wagons, they also turned to flight. Duke Charles, who had lost his horse, narrowly escaped on foot to Thann. The Duke of Weimar's booty included all the artillery, baggage, 44 colors, and, above all, all the grain intended for Breisach. In addition, there were numerous captured officers and soldiers. Bernards's cavalry showed superior discipline, returning to the field having broken Charles'scavalry and assisted theirinfantry crush Charles's infantry, who fought for two hours before breaking and retreating back.[9]
In addition, there were numerous captured officers and soldiers. On the Lorraine side, Field MarshalAnne-François de Bassompierre[p],Colonel Vernier, andLieutenant Colonel Fleckenstein were taken prisoner. The Weimar troops lost ColonelLudwig von Wietersheim;[10] the Count of Nassau and theCount of Wittgenstein were wounded. The Duke of Weimar's booty included all the artillery, baggage, 44 colors, and all the grain intended for Breisach.
Götz then marched with 10,000 men top theGlotter Valley pastFreiburg, to appear at Breisach onOctober 22th, only to find Bernard was safely back in hisentrenchments. Having been repulsed, Götz sent 1,000 musketeers over theRhine to clear the besiegers from the Alsatian side of the Rhine, but where driven back by Turenne. Götz recrossed the Black Forest, with his army in poor shape, he relied on peasantmilitia to attack the Forest Towns in a desperate attempt to relieve Breisach. To support Götz, Charles of Lorraine advanced to Thann and Savelli attacked fromPhilippsburg, but all of the attacks were to weak to achieve something.
Reinach, now down to 400, was surviving by chewinghorse andcow hides. Reinach finally reached an agreement with Bernard about the surrender on December 19th, in exchange for free passage. Bernard intended Breisach to be his new capital of his duchy. As a reprisal for the alleged atrocities, Bernhard deliberately humiliated Reinach's troops as they staggered out of Breisach. He was determined to claim his triumph, riding Werth's horse captured at Rheinfelden as he entered the fortress. He obliged Reinach to leave the government archive behind as he intended Breisach as a capital for his own principality. He also insisted on garrisoning it with his own men and not those of the French, who had spent 1.1 milliontalers on a campaign that claimed at least 24,000 lives.[4]
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In 1637, three armies invaded the Franche-Comté simultaneously: DukeBernard of Saxe-Weimar via theSaône,Jacques Rouxel de Grancey viaMontbélliard, andHenri d'Orléans-Longueville viaBresse. On 29 March 1637, the wealthy town ofSaint-Amour, Jura, in the Bailiwick of Aval, was besieged by the Duke of Longueville and, despite a week's resistance from its inhabitants, the town fell into French hands, along with several other villages in the surrounding area. Bernard overran large parts of the Franche-Comté, he mainly faced peasants.
In 1639 another Franco-Weimaran Army finally capturedThann, the last Alsatian outpost of Charles of Lorraine. He escaped with his mistress and 1,600 troops across the western edge of his duchy toSierck on theLuxembourg frontier in February, leaving a few isolated garrisons in Lorraine, but exposing the Franche-Comté. The war had shifted deeper into the Empire, as Bernhard could now be reinforced to operate east of the Rhine.
Bernard's victory now complete he moved his army back to Breisach, having completed his goals he, he planed to consolidate the control of his Duchy inAlsace andBreisgau and hope to become more independent from the French. Bernard's health, however, was deteriorating. He died atNeuenburg am Rhein at the beginning of the new campaign. The governor of BreisachJohann Ludwig von Erlach was bribed to transfer the fortress to France. Bernard was temporarily buried at Breisach, his remains were not carried to Weimar until 16 years later.[11][12]
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Most of Bernard's army remained under the French generalJean-Baptiste Budes, Comte de Guébriant, who transfered the army in direct French control. Guébriant would continue the German Campaign by winning important victories atWolfenbüttel andKempen but he was mortally wounded atRottweil in 1643. Guébriant's successor,Josias von Rantzau,blundered at Tuttlingen and the French were reduced toHohentwiel, erasing most of Bernard's gains.
Bernard's campaign managed to cut theSpanish Road forcing the Spanish to use the far more dangerous sea route, making it harder to reenforce theSpanish Netherlands.
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