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Battle of Hohenlinden
Part of the War of the Second Coalition
Date December 3, 1800 Location Hohenlinden, near Munich Result Decisive French victory
Combatants
French Republic	Austrian Empire
Commanders
General Moreau	Archduke John
Strength
56,000	62,000
Casualties
3,000 dead and wounded	4,600 dead and wounded, 9,000 captured, 76 cannons lost

The Battle of Hohenlinden near Munich was fought on December 3, 1800, during the French Revolutionary Wars. The battle resulted in a French victory under General Jean Moreau against the Austrians and Bavarians under Archduke John, forcing the Austrians to sign an armistice.

Moreau's 56,000 strong army engaged some 64,000 Austrians and Bavarians. Using Richepanse's division in a surprise flanking move, Moreau ambushed the Austrians on a road through the Ebersberg forest. This decisive victory, coupled with First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte's victory at Marengo, ended the War of the Second Coalition. The following February (1801), the Austrians signed the Treaty of Lunéville, accepting French control up to the Rhine and the French puppet republics in Italy and the Netherlands. The subsequent Treaty of Amiens between France and Britain began the longest break in the wars of the Napoleonic period.

At the end of November, the 18 year old Archduke John, prodded by his second-in-command Franz Lauer and chief-of-staff Franz von Weyrother, launched a sudden offensive against Moreau's French forces. In a tough action at Ampfing on December 1, the Austrians drove back a French rear guard under Michel Ney. Moreau decided to deploy his army in open ground near Hohenlinden. To approach his position, the Austro-Bavarians had to advance directly west through heavily wooded terrain.

Moreau's main defensive position consisted of four divisions facing east. From north to south, these were commanded by Claude Legrand (8,000), Louis Bastoul (6,000), Ney (10,000) and Emmanuel, marquis de Grouchy (9,000). The three northernmost divisions belonged to Paul Grenier's corps. Moreau held 2,000 cavalry in reserve. Off to the south were two more divisions, under Antoine Richepanse (11,000) and Charles Decaen (10,000). 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 back up Richepanse.

According to the battle plan drawn up by Weyrother, the Austrians advanced west in four columns. From north to south these were commanded by Michael von Kienmayer (16,000), Maximilien de Baillet (11,000), Johann Kollowrat (22,000) and Johann Riesch (13,000). Archduke John rode with Kollowrat's force, which used the main east-west highway. Due to the densely forested terrain 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.

All Austrian columns started at dawn. Kollowrat made good time and collided with Grouchy's division at 7 am. To the north, Kienmayer struck some French outposts and drove them back to the main line. Meanwhile, Riesch and Baillet, moving along forest trails amid snow and sleet squalls, fell badly behind schedule. Consequently, Richepanse's flanking column passed in front of Riesch.

At this point, two Austrian grenadier battalions sent back by Kollowrat to search for Riesch sliced Richepanse's division in half. With single-minded determination, Richepanse left his rear brigade under Jean-Baptiste Drouet to fight it out and drove to the north with his leading brigade. He fought through to the main highway then swerved west, directly into Kollowrat's rear.

Baillet, hearing gunfire from both west and south, panicked. He fragmented his command into penny packets, trying to make contact with the French in front of him and the friendly columns on either side. While Baillet dithered, Kienmayer and Kollowrat began assaulting the main French line. Grenier's divisions and Grouchy stubbornly held their ground.

About noon, 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 the snowy woods. Eventually, Decaen halted Riesch's column and pushed it back to the east.

Hearing cannon fire to his rear, Archduke John sent back unit after unit to clear the main highway but Richepanse defeated each force. Moreau, scenting victory, ordered his other divisions to attack. At last, hemmed in on three sides by Ney, Grouchy and Richepanse, Kollowrat's column disintegrated. The Archduke escaped capture, but many of his men were not so lucky and 9,000 Austrians and Bavarians surrendered along with 76 cannons. The Austro-Bavarians reported 4,600 killed and wounded. The French admitted casualties of 1,900, but they probably lost at least 3,000 men. Bastoul was mortally wounded.

After the disaster, Archduke John ordered his demoralized army into a rapid retreat. Moreau pursued slowly until December 8. Then, in 15 days, his forces advanced 189 miles and captured 20,000 Austrians. On December 17, when the capable Archduke Charles relieved his brother John, the Austrian army was practically a rabble. On December 24, with French forces 50 miles from Vienna, Charles requested an armistice. The French victory at Hohenlinden set Moreau up as a potential rival to Napoleon Bonaparte.

• Arnold, James R., Marengo & Hohenlinden: Napoleon's Rise to Power, Pen and Sword Books Ltd., 2005.
• Eggenberger, David, Encyclopedia of Battles, Dover Publications, 1985.

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