Battle of Stockach (1799)

Battle of Stockach (1799)
Part of War of the Second Coalition

Feldmarschall-Leutnant Karl Aloys zu Fürstenberg leading Austrian infantry during the battle of Stockach, 25 March 1799.
Date25 March 1799
Location
Stockach, present-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany
47°51′N 9°0′E / 47.850°N 9.000°E / 47.850; 9.000
Result Austrian victory
Belligerents
France French Directory Habsburg monarchy Habsburg monarchy
Commanders and leaders
Jean-Baptiste Jourdan
Advance Guard: François Joseph Lefebvre
First Division: Pierre Marie Barthélemy Ferino
Second Division: Joseph Souham
Third Division: Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr
Cavalry Reserve: Jean-Joseph Ange d'Hautpoul
Detached Flank: Dominique Vandamme
Archduke Charles
Friedrich Joseph, Count of Nauendorf
Alexander, Duke of Württemberg
Olivier, Count of Wallis
Karl Aloys zu Fürstenberg 
Nikolaus, Count of Colloredo-Mels and Wallsee
Prince Wilhelm von Anhalt-Bernburg  
Strength
26,164 infantry
7,010 cavalry
1,649 artillery
62 guns
Total: 34,823 [1]
53,870 infantry
14,900 cavalry
3,565 artillery
114 guns
Total: 72,335 [2]
Casualties and losses
4,000 killed, wounded or captured
1 gun lost
5,800 killed, wounded or captured
2 guns lost
Battle of Stockach (1799) is located in Europe
Battle of Stockach (1799)
Location within Europe
Map
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200km
125miles
16
Battle of Hohenlinden on 3 December 1800
15
Battle of Ampfing (1800) on 1 December 1800
14
Battle of Neuburg (1800) on 27 June 1800
13
Battle of Höchstädt (1800) on 19 June 1800
12
Battle of Biberach (1800) on 9 May 1800
11
Battle of Messkirch from 4 to 5 May 1800
10
Battle of Wiesloch (1799) on 3 December 1799
9
Battle of Gotthard Pass from 24 to 26 September 1799
8
Battle of Mannheim (1799) on 18 September 1799
7
Battle of Amsteg from 14 to 16 August 1799
Zurich
6
First Battle of Zurich on 7 June 1799 Second Battle of Zurich from 25 to 26 September 1799
5
Battle of Winterthur on 27 May 1799
4
Battle of Frauenfeld on 25 May 1799
3
Battle of Stockach (1799) on 25 March 1799 Battle of Stockach (1800) on 3 May 1800
2
Battle of Feldkirch on 23 March 1799
1
Battle of Ostrach from 20 to 21 March 1799
The color black indicates the current battle.

The Battle of Stockach occurred on 25 March 1799, when French and Austrian armies fought for control of the geographically strategic Hegau region in present-day Baden-Württemberg.[a] In the broader military context, this battle constitutes a keystone in the first campaign in southwestern Germany during the Wars of the Second Coalition, part of the French Revolutionary Wars.

It was the second battle between the French Army of the Danube, commanded by Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, and the Habsburg Army under Archduke Charles; the armies had met a few days earlier, 20–22 March, on the marshy fields southeast of Ostrach and the Pfullendorf heights. The Austrian Army's superior strength, almost three-to-one, forced the French to withdraw.

At Stockach, the French concentrated their forces into shorter lines, creating intense fighting conditions; initially, Charles's line was more extended, but he quickly pulled additional troops from his reserves to strengthen his front. When a small French force commanded by Dominique Vandamme nearly flanked the Austrian Army, Charles's personal intervention was crucial for the Austrians, buying time for reinforcements to arrive. General Jourdan, while trying to rally his men, was nearly trampled to death. Ultimately, the French were driven back upon the Rhine River.

  1. ^ Ramsey Weston Phipps, The Armies of the First French Republic, volume 5: The armies of the Rhine in Switzerland, Holland, Italy, Egypt and the coup d'etat of Brumaire, 1797–1799, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1939, pp. 49–50.
  2. ^ Phipps, pp. 49–50; Smith maintains the count at considerably lower, closer to 26,000. Smith, Digby (1998). The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book: Actions and Losses in Personnel, Colours, Standards and Artillery, 1792–1815. Greenhill, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books. p. 148. ISBN 1-85367-276-9.


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