A French army under Jean Victor Marie Moreau won a decisive victory over an Austrian and Bavarian force led by 18-year-old Archduke John of Austria.

The allies were forced into a disastrous retreat that compelled them to request an armistice, effectively ending the War of the Second Coalition.

The Austrians, believing they were pursuing a beaten enemy, moved through heavily wooded terrain in four disconnected columns.

Displaying superb individual initiative, Moreau's generals managed to encircle and smash the largest Austrian column.

The subsequent Treaty of Amiens between France and Britain began the longest break in the wars of the Napoleonic period.

The inexperienced youth could not cope with this enormous responsibility, so the emperor nominated Franz von Lauer as John's second-in-command and promoted him to Feldzeugmeister.

[9] To further complicate the clumsy command structure, the aggressive Oberst (Colonel) Franz von Weyrother was named John's chief of staff.

Weyrother's plan called for crushing the French left wing near Landshut and lunging south to cut Moreau's communications west of Munich.

Even so, the sudden advance caught Moreau's somewhat scattered French forces by surprise and achieved local superiority.

[11] In the Battle of Ampfing on 1 December, the Austrians drove back part of General of Division Paul Grenier's Left Wing.

Archduke John and Weyrother overrode Lauer's cautious counsel and launched an all-out pursuit of an enemy they believed to be fleeing.

Due to the densely forested terrain, bad roads, and poor staff work, the Austrian columns were not mutually supporting.

At 7:00 am, his advance guard under General-Major Franz Löpper collided with Colonel Pierre-Louis Binet de Marcognet's 108th Line Infantry Demi-Brigade of Grouchy's division.

Kollowrat committed General-Major Bernhard Erasmus von Deroy's Bavarian brigade and a second grenadier battalion to keep the attack rolling.

An Austrian force captured the town of Forstern, but Moreau committed d'Hautpoul's reserve cavalry to help drive them out.

A back and forth struggle began over the hamlets of Tading, Wetting, Kreiling, and Kronacker, which run in a north to south line.

On the far north flank, Feldmarschall-Leutnant Archduke Ferdinand's division began coming into action against Legrand near the town of Harthofen.

[20] Latour, moving along muddy forest trails amid snow and sleet squalls, fell badly behind schedule.

Near the village of St. Christoph, the two Austrian grenadier battalions sent by Kollowrat stumbled upon Richepanse's marching column, cutting his division in half.

[22] With the 8th Line Demi-Brigade and 1st Chasseurs à Cheval leading, Richepanse seized the village of Maitenbeth and advanced to the main highway.

Leaving his two advance units to bear the brunt of General-major Christian Wolfskeel's cuirassier charges, Richepanse wheeled the 48th Line Demi-Brigade west onto the highway.

[25] Archduke John escaped capture on a fast horse, but many of his men were not so lucky and thousands of demoralized Austrians and Bavarians surrendered.

After a brief fight against Legrand on the north flank, Archduke Ferdinand pulled back with General-major Karl von Vincent's dragoon brigade covering his withdrawal.

At one point, a French officer came forward under a flag of truce to demand his surrender, but the Austrian successfully disengaged his command and brought them to safety that evening without the loss of a single cannon.

[clarification needed][28] The Austrians reported losses of 798 killed, 3,687 wounded, and 7,195 prisoners, with 50 cannons and 85 artillery caissons captured.

Bavarian casualties numbered only 24 killed and 90 wounded, but their losses also included 1,754 prisoners, 26 artillery pieces, and 36 caissons.

[32] However, in a series of actions at Neumarkt am Wallersee, Frankenmarkt, Schwanenstadt, Vöcklabruck, Lambach and Kremsmünster during the following week, the Austrian army lost cohesion.

The county's first European settlers were exiled French Bonapartists and many of the settlements they established were named in honor of Napoleonic victories.