Battle of Lambusart

On the 16th, the Prince of Orange counter-attacked and broke the French right flank, forcing Jourdan to lift the siege and withdraw south of the Sambre.

To date, the French attack forces on the Sambre, comprising the right wing of the Army of the North and the entire Army of the Ardennes under the overall command of General Desjardins, had attacked across the river three times, and had been defeated and forced to retreat back to the south bank three times, at Grandreng (13 May), Erquelinnes (20–24 May) and Gosselies (3 June).

Thankfully, at this time, they were reinforced by four divisions under General Jean-Baptiste Jourdan from the Army of the Moselle, which enabled them to take the offensive again.

In the early months of 1794, there was not much action on the eastern part of the front, bordering the Rhine; neither the French nor the Allied armies made any major moves.

[4]: 98  However, it was meant to remain as part of the Army of the Moselle under Jourdan's command, without either coming under Pichegru's authority, or joining the forces on the Sambre.

[4]: 214 General Jourdan, commanding the Army of the Moselle, had planned to launch his offensive against Liège on 21 May after reinforcing his attack force by transferring some troops from his right.

However, on 19 May, he received news that General Johann Beaulieu, leading a division of Austrians, had launched an attack on an exposed force of 4,000 French stationed between Belvaux and Noirfontaine, which had made a fighting withdrawal to Bouillon and called for help from him.

Deciding not to wait for his reinforcements to come up, Jourdan marched with the four divisions he had on hand, under Generals Lefebvre, Championnet, Hatry, and Morlot, against Beaulieu on 20 May.

After leaving Hatry's division in Arlon to maintain communication with Longwy as ordered by the Committee of Public Safety, Jourdan set off with his remaining three divisions for Neufchateau, arriving in Habay-la-Neuve on 22 May What followed was a pursuit northwards, as Beaulieu withdrew from contact and progressively withdrew from Neufchateau on 23 May to Marche-en-Famenne on 24 May, and eventually all the way back to the heights of Perche-Andoy, just across the Meuse from Namur, maintaining his distance from Jourdan.

Despite the logistical difficulties, Jourdan was now within operational range of Desjardins' force on the Sambre, though he was too far away on this day to join in the battle of Gosselies.

Following the battle at Gosselies, the demoralised French army under Desjardin had retreated back across the Sambre, where they were joined by Jourdan's forces in the subsequent days.

A strong line of outposts was left running from Jeumont near Erquelinnes to Anderlues, the forest of Moncaux (now Monceau-sur-Sambre), Jumet, Ransart and Balatre, observing French movements against Charleroi.

On 13 and 14 June, elements of Hatry's division also operated beyond Gosselies, driving off some Allied outposts and destroying some redoubts and entrenchments, before returning within French lines.

[4]: 293–300 On the French far right, Marceau advanced as far as Fleurus before Beaulieu's attack got into his rear at 5 am, occupying Velaine and heights at the chapel of Sainte-Barbe near Tamines by 7 am.

However, at about noon, Lefebvre's left flank was also enfiladed by artillery from Latour's column further west, as it had been exposed by Championnet's withdrawal from Ransart.

With Kleber too far away to be able to redeploy his forces and march to Pont-a-Mignetoux in time to gain an advantage before his rear was cut off, Jourdan ordered a general retreat at or just before 1 pm to prevent any unnecessary losses.

Kleber returned to the right bank via a bridge at Moncaux, with Duhesme withdrawing along the Pieton river and Muller via Fontaine l'Eveque.

Indeed, on 16 June, Jourdan wrote to the Committee of Public Safety:"I think I can assure you that the enemy has gained no other advantage save the ground [they have captured].

"[4]: 300–1 Saint-Just was, in fact, livid at this fourth failure, and had been demanding both that heads rolled for the defeat, and that the army should re-cross the Sambre for another battle immediately.

However, though he did manage to order the dismissal and arrests of the officers of several smaller units, his broader demands for an immediate rematch were diplomatically deflected by Jourdan, who appeased him with the assurance that the army also wanted to be back for revenge as soon as practicable, and would do so shortly.

[4]: 304–5 and footnotes This opportunity for revenge would come on 26 June at the battle of Fleurus, which would prove to not only be the culmination of the campaign on the Sambre, but also of the struggle for the Low Countries as a whole.

Map showing Jourdan's and Beaulieu's marches to Charleroi, May–June 1794. French forces are in blue, and Allied forces are in red. Numbers refer to the dates in May (unless mentioned to be June) that the marches denoted by the corresponding arrows were carried out. Modern national borders are marked in purple. France is in the lower left, Luxembourg in the lower right, and the rest belongs to the eastern half of Belgium.
Jean Baptiste Jourdan
Map showing the positions of the French and Allied troops just before Jourdan took command on 8 June. French divisions are in blue, and Allied forces are in red, showing the main force under Orange and the outpost line stationed to watch the French.
Map showing the crossing points and initial positions taken up by the French divisions under Jourdan during the 4th crossing of the Sambre, prior to the 2nd siege of Charleroi, 12 June 1794
Map showing the initial withdrawals of the Allied outpost line (dark red arrows) and Orange's approach march with the main force to prepare for his counteroffensive. French initial deployments shown in dark blue for context.
Diagram showing the process of besieging a bastion fortress like Charleroi, showing how three parallels (trenches) would be opened to protect the besiegers, bring artillery progressively closer to the fortress walls, and eventually permit an assault from the third parallel. The first parallel would have been further out behind the second parallel.
Orange's plan of attack for 16 June
Jourdan's plan of attack for 16 June
The progress of the battle of Lambusart (16 June) up until 11 am. Kleber's divisions have routed Wartensleben, and Morlot, Lefebvre and Marceau are holding the enemy. Championnet has been outflanked and forced to give ground, opening up a gap in the centre of the French line.
The progress and conclusion of the battle of Lambusart after 11 am. Although Morlot is holding, Championnet's withdrawal exposes Lefebvre to outflanking by Latour, and his division retreats back to the river. Championnet follows suit after running out of ammunition. Jourdan had intended Kleber's divisions to outflank Quosdanovich and roll up the Allied line (dotted line), but with his line cut in two, his centre and right collapsing, and Charleroi relieved by the Allies, he orders a general retreat back across the Sambre to keep his army intact.