Battle of Hondschoote

In August 1793, the prince de Cobourg occupies Condé, Valencian, Cateau. Dunkirk, the general Souham, assisted by Hoche resists valiantly the seat carried out by the British troops of the duke of York. Hondschoote is occupied by the troops of Hanover ordered by the marshal Freytag. Carnot orders to the general Houchard to release Dunkirk.

The September 6th with the head of an army of 40 000 men, Houchard goes on Rexpoëde, Bambecque, Oost-Cappel. The September 8th, after an attack with the bayonet of the gendarmes to foot of Paris, it takes Hondschoote.

The duke of York precipitately raises the head office of Dunkirk to take refuge with Furnes where it joined the remainder of the troops of Freytag.

Accommodated in triumph in Dunkirk, Houchard is however shown of cowardice to have let flee the armies of the coalition. The revolutionary tribunal condemns it to death. It is guillotine the November 16th 1793.

An account of the battle of Hondshoote

The general Houchard beats the British of the Duke of York and releases Dunkirk.

The day of August 7th, 1793 was employed by the general-in-chief to recognize the position of the allies, cut off in a formidable way in Hondschoote. The republican army re-occupied the abandoned stations the day before. Houchard still made a similar fault with that which came from him to be fatal, by detaching Landrin division to contain the army of head office of Dunkirk, while the decisive point was in Hondschoote. Its precaution was useful. It was said to excuse it that it be imprudent to fight the battle of Hondschoote without remarking the camp of 20.000 English camped in one mile behind him, under the orders of the duke of York and Alvincy, the position of this army in front of Dunkirk however by no means seemed to fear for the derrières of the army of Houchard, because of the sufficient diversion until one was to always wait of artillery of the place and an exit of the garrison. The 8 in the morning, the French Army shook for the attack of the village of Hondschoote. The line with the orders of Hédouville and Collaud, gave an opinion between Kellem and Beveren, the left between the channel of Furnes and Kellem and the center, in front of this last village, was ordered by Jourdan. The two armies were committed face, except, for the French Army of the body of Leclerc, which had been detached to slip along Lang-Moor, on the Right side of the enemy. We will see later the major importance of this strategic choice. Jourdan while advancing against Hondschoote, met in a coppice the riflemen hanovriens covering the position. All the troops of the enemy were concentrated on the same line with the orders of the German general Walmoden, because Freytag was, by its wounds, out of state to order. The enemy, full with confidence in his position, defended by shaving batteries, awaited French with confidence. The combat engaged soon with greatest promptness, and the two parties sent successively the large one of their forces to support the advanced bodies.

Resistance animated the combatants on both sides. The ditches, the hedges, whose country is covered, were attacked and defended by a kind of rage. It was not a combat, say the eyewitnesses of this action, it was not any more but one butchery, a massacre with the body with body. However the regiment of Brentano and a brigade hessoise, in some kind had been chopped by our soldiers, and the Conhenhausen general, having been mortally wounded, the position remained in our capacity. But fear them which surrounded the village of Hondschoote were still occupied by 15.000 English or hanovriens which did not cease striking down us.

Resistance had been so obstinate, that Houchard despairing of the victory refused in Jourdan the authorization to attack these fear with a body of 10.000 men whom it could gather in one moment. But this one, seeing its riflemen withdrawing itself in disorder and feeling the need for carrying a decisive blow, requested and obtained from the representative Delbrel the permission which the general-in-chief refused to him. Then, forming a column of three battalions which it still preserved near him, it advanced towards the formidable batteries. Its example and that of conventional the Pierre Delbrel, which desired to share its glory and its dangers, electrified the generals and the soldiers and the troops joined together on this point. Wounded with fifty steps of fear, Jourdan did not continue any less to advance with the step of load. Soldiers sang with gaîté the vulgar refrain of the Carmagnole, that an old French pomegranate, Georges, whose arm had just been mutilated, made resound of a voice of Thunder, others entonnaient the Marseillaise. Soon a cry of victory was made hear with the right-hand side of the cuttings off. Colonel Leclerc, who ordered the gendarmerie and which, as said we it, had been detached on the line, took the cuttings off with reverse, after having made, with its soldiers, two miles with the step of race, while skirting the marshes of Moere.

The body of gendarmerie to foot of Paris, as remarkable by its indiscipline as by its courage, was composed of the old French guards; he assisted Leclerc vigorously, and carried fear them, after being pushed back in a first attack, in which he was made a great massacre of English and hanovriens. The soldiers who followed Jourdan, amiflés still for the example of their comrades, reversed all that they found in front of them, they carry moreover the village of Hondschoote defended by the hanovriens of Walmoden, by an attack led of a hand of Master to the bayonet. The English army was inserted on all the line and flees, and flees in disorder on Furnes, giving up with the winners 6 English flags and hanovriens, its guns, its luggage.

Walmoden, managed with sorrow to rejoin at some distances from the battle field, introduced a little order into the retirement, which was carried out, the line by Houtem on Furnes, the left by Hoghestade, while skirting the channel of Loo. Walmoden then made give an opinion out of bracket, the supported line with Bulscamps, and the left with Steinkerque, to cover, as much as it was possible, the retirement of the body of seat. In these three days, where the loss about equal of each was dimensioned, the enemy had 4000 killed, wounded or captive men.

The control of the English troops and hanovriennes deserved praises; they showed coolness, courage and tenacity, and if they were overcome, it was because they had to fight of French, that animated the exaltation of recent and enthusiastic republicanism and the feeling of the dangers of the fatherland.

Random links: