Houchard's attention was focused on drawing his forces to his left flank to relieve Dunkirk resulting in the Battle of Hondschoote.

[2] The second column under General Nicolas Declaye initially consisted of the garrison of Cambrai (2,500 infantry, 240 cavalry and 120 gunners), largely untested raw recruits.

[3] The idealistic levees of this column carried with them two guillotines, but, in the words of Ramsay Phipps, "these heroes soon found the difference between beheading defenceless fellow countrymen and meeting in the field the men they loved to describe as 'the slaves of the tyrants'" [4] Declaye marched the column through Avesnes-le-Sec, then turned left towards the Austrian camp at Solesmes.

[5][6] Had Coburg followed up this victory he would have found Cambrai and Bouchain stripped of men to fill out Declaye's column and completely open, however the Austrians turned their attentions towards besieging Maubeuge.

Declaye was arrested for his conduct, however managed to avoid punishment due to his strong republicanism and political connections.