Battle of Wattignies

Background. In the summer of 1793, the 118,000-strong Coalition army broke through the line of French frontier fortresses, taking Condé on 12 July and Valenciennes on 27 July, before defeating the Army of the North near Cambrai on 7 August. French attempts to relieve the subsequent siege of Maubeuge failed, one column being nearly destroyed by Coalition cavalry at Avesnes-le-Sec. Custine, the previous Army of the North commander, had been guillotined on 27 August 1793.

Opening Operations. By 1 October 1793, Jourdan's large army was spread across a broad front in four great masses, running from the North Sea southeastward. The French enjoyed a two-to-one superiority, though Coalition generals also had to worry about the 20,000 soldiers inside Maubeuge. On 13 October a French sortie against the Bois du Tilleul initially succeeded, but troops sent to help mistakenly fired on their own side and the French were forced to retreat. On 14 October, Jourdan and Lazare Carnot of the Committee of Public Safety reconnoitered the Coalition front south of Maubeuge.

First Day. On 15 October, 45,000 French soldiers mounted a clumsy attack that was easily repulsed, except near the village of Wattignies. The garrison sortied against the Cense de Château but was repulsed after stiff fighting. Duquesnoy and Beauregard moved against Wattignies while Fromentin advanced on the Austrian right flank; French infantry drove two Austrian battalions from the village but were met by an infantry-cavalry counterattack as they emerged, and an Austrian force from Saint-Aubin threatened the French left.

Aftermath. During the night, French deserters wrongly told the Austrians that Jourdan had been reinforced to 100,000 men. Jourdan prepared for a long battle, reinforcing Duquesnoy's division at Wattignies and ordering it to entrench. On 17 October the Maubeuge garrison marched south to link with Jourdan rather than pursuing the retreating Coalition forces. Carnot later claimed credit for the triumph and Jourdan was dismissed in January 1794, summoned to Paris on 10 January 1794 accused of not protecting the frontier.