Fall of the Dutch Republic Flanders Campaign

animation of siege of s-hertogenbosch (with english subtitles).



temperature during winter of 1794–5.

in august 1794 pause in operations fell french focused efforts against belgian channel ports (sluis fell on 26 august), , york attempted in vain encourage austrian support. under pressure britain, emperor dismissed coburg, place filled temporarily more unpopular clerfayt. after fall of le quesnoy , landrecies french, pichegru renewed offensive on 28th, obliging york pull line of aa river attacked @ boxtel , persuaded withdraw meuse. on 18 september clerfayt defeated @ battle of sprimont on banks of ourthe, followed further defeat @ hands of jourdan @ battle of aldenhoven on roer river on 2 october, causing austrians retreat rhine , ending austrian presence in low countries. garrison in strong fortress of luxembourg city remained, beginning on 22 november, heavily beleaguered 7 months.

by autumn, in netherlands french, including herman willem daendels dutch patriots, had taken eindhoven , paused pursuit on waal river. dutch orangists surrendered s-hertogenbosch (bois-le-duc) on 12 october after heavy 3 week siege. york planned counter-offensive austrian assistance relieve nijmegen, abandoned when hanoverian contingent backed out. york recalled , replaced william harcourt. @ stage prussians in peace talks french, , austria looked ready follow suit. william pitt younger angrily rejected suggestion of negotiating france, british position in dutch republic looked increasingly insecure.

as temperatures plummeted in mid-december rivers froze solid, allowing french resume advance. on 10 december, antoine guillaume delmas attacked dutch defences in bommelerwaard in vain, 28 december french had captured whole of polder. delmas, herman willem daendels , pierre-jacques osten succeeded in avoiding dutch water line, attacking fortifications , cities east , west. on 10 january rest of french army crossed frozen waal river near zaltbommel. on 15 january, prussian , british army withdrew positions , fled germany, passing on way amersfoort, apeldoorn , deventer in bitter cold. on 16 january, city of utrecht had surrender. on 20 january 1795 french army reached amsterdam, had been taken on dutch revolutionaries, causing pro-french batavian revolution. stadtholder, william v, prince of orange, fled exile in england, , dutch revolutionaries proclaimed batavian republic.