Battle of Anderlecht
Battle of the War of the First Coalition
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The Battle of Anderlecht, sometimes referred to as the Fight of Anderlecht, took place in Anderlecht near Brussels, capital of the Austrian Netherlands (now Belgium). It was fought between the Habsburg monarchy and the French Republic on 13 November 1792, during the first year of the French Revolutionary Wars.
| Battle of Anderlecht | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Flanders Campaign | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 France |
 Austria | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Charles Dumouriez |
Frédéric Auguste[1] | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 35,000 Infantry | 20,000 Infantry | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | 500 Men, several cannons destroyed | ||||||
Prelude
After the victory of Jemappes, the Imperial troops tried to delay the victorious march of the French Republic's troops. On 13 November 1792, the Austrian rear guard, commanded by Duke Ferdinand Frederick Augustus of Württemberg, met a French avant-garde commanded by Harville, Stengel, Rosières and Thouvenot, at Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, on the way to Brussels. The bulk of the French troops, commanded by Dumouriez, soon followed, pursuing the Austrians to the heights of Anderlecht.
The Battle
The French Revolutionary Army commanded by Dumouriez, initially made up of 3,000 volunteers, launched an assault on the lines of the Duke of Württemberg, accompanied by 20,000 men, on the heights of Anderlecht. After a very lively cannonade and six hours of intense fighting, the French troops, bolstered by reinforcements that had crossed the Senne, eventually reached 35,000 volunteers. This forced the Imperial Army to retreat in disarray to Brussels, which they crossed during the night.
Aftermath
The Imperial troops lost around 500 men on the battlefield and several pieces of artillery were destroyed. However, their cavalry, commanded by Maximilian Latour, managed to slow down the French pursuit and avoid heavier losses. The next day, 14 November 1792, Dumouriez entered Brussels[2] to the cheers of the inhabitants. A number of Walloon soldiers also joined the French army.[3]