The Coalition had initially been successful but following rebuffs at Tourcoing and Fleurus, by the summer of 1794 the balance had turned and the allies began to retreat northwards, pursued by an increasingly resurgent French army led by Jean-Charles Pichegru.

By 24 July the Allies had separated, with the Austrian forces under Clerfayt withdrawing with ever greater haste towards Liége, obliging the now independent Anglo-Hanoverian contingent under the Duke of York to pull back across the Dutch frontier.

Outposts were placed eight miles in advance on the River Dommel, one of the chief of these being some 1,500 men under Hesse-Darmstadt Major General Georg von Düring at the small town of Boxtel, consisting of two Hessian infantry battalions (Leib Grenadiers and Landgraf regiments),[1] two companies of Jägers, two cannon, two squadrons of British 15th Light Dragoons (under Lt.

[2] On 14 September Pichegru, wishing to secure the line of the Dommel as he besieged Breda, sent a French force under Antoine Delmas, variously described as a division[3] or "a strong party of observation"[4] – perhaps 10,000 men – to occupy Boxtel.

Similarly, further to the east: They arrived on the plain in front of St. Oedenrode with a superior cavalry force, and an infantry column on the road from Beest, whose strength could not be ascertained because of the intersected and closed terrain.

They could not make much progress, because of the resistance offered by the pickets... they tried to take these [bridges], but were prevented from doing this by the heavy and effective fire of the Hanoverian Jäger and the Loyal Emigrés, supported by an amusette.

[9] The French advance also came up against Hammerstein's Hanovarian force to the east of Düring's command, but were repulsed by a charge from the Salm Hussars and British light dragoons.

On learning of the fate of Düring at Boxtel, the Duke of York ordered Lieutenant General Sir Ralph Abercromby to recover the town with a sizable force.

The Duke reiterated that he persist in the assault, but at this point Abercromby learned of possible enemy movements to his left flank, and disregarding his instructions to attack, gave the order to withdraw.

[10] Abercromby had very poor eyesight, before any serious engagement had started he appears to have withdrawn on the basis of rumour, in fact the ragtag French force, far from being superior could not have been any greater in number than his own command, which included the cream of the British Army.

The British were able to continue their retreat northwards under the command of William Harcourt and eventually, after much hardship, reached the North Sea coast successfully, where they were withdrawn to Britain in 1795.

A memorial was placed by the Boxtel Historical Society in a field on the West of the town as it was assumed the Republican advance came from that direction, there is a contemporary reference[15] that one building known as the Barrier House on Steen Weg was burned (now the site of No.