Battle of Tourcoing order of battle

English Guard infantry made up part of Coalition Column Nr. 3.

This is the order of battle for the Battle of Tourcoing which was fought on 17–18 May 1794 between the First French Republic and the First Coalition.

Command arrangements

French Army

General of Division Jean-Charles Pichegru commanded the French Army of the North. In March 1794, the Army of the North counted 194,930 soldiers, of which 126,035 men were available for the field. In addition, Pichegru had authority over the subordinate Army of the Ardennes which numbered 32,773 men. The combined total of both armies was 227,703 troops.^[1] However, Pichegru was absent during the Battle of Tourcoing, visiting the Army of the North's right wing. Therefore, General of Division Joseph Souham temporarily assumed command and exercised it capably during the battle.^[2]

In the French order of battle, numbered demi-brigades consisted of 1 regular and 2 volunteer battalions. Non-numbered demi-brigades had 3 to 6 battalions. The French army at Tourcoing numbered roughly 78,000 infantry, 5,300 cavalry, and 28 large-caliber guns. Battalion guns and their crews are not counted.^[3] Historian John Fortescue credited Souham's division with 28,000 men, Jean Moreau's division with 22,000 troops, Jacques Bonnaud's division with 20,000 soldiers, and Pierre-Jacques Osten's division with 10,000 men.^{[4][note 1]}

Coalition Army

Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor arrived at Imperial headquarters on 14 April 1794 and was the supreme commander of the Coalition forces. Prince Josias of Coburg carried out the function of army commander and Karl Mack von Leiberich acted as chief of staff to the emperor.^[5] The Coalition army at Tourcoing numbered about 62,100 infantry, 11,700 cavalry, and 28 large-caliber guns. An unknown number of battalion guns were attached to the units.^[6]

Abbreviations

Ranks

• FZM = Feldzeugmeister (Gen)
• FML = Feldmarschall-Leutnant (LG)
• GM = General Major
• Gen = Full General
• LG = Lieutenant General
• MG = Major General
• GD = General of Division
• GB = General of Brigade
• CdB = Chef de brigade (Colonel)

Other

• Nr. = Regiment number for Austrian, Dutch, Hanoverian, and Hessian regiments
• 4pdr = 4-pounder gun
• 6pdr = 6-pounder gun
• 8pdr = 8-pounder gun
• 12pdr = 12-pounder gun

French order of battle

Army of the North: GD Jean-Charles Pichegru (absent) vice GD Joseph Souham^[7]

French Army of the North^[3]

Division	Brigade[note 2]	Demi-Brigades and Others	Strength
Division Souham GD Herman Willem Daendels	Advance Guard CdB Rubry	2nd Foot Chasseurs Regiment	456 infantry
		1st Tirailleurs Battalion	1,034 infantry
		5th Horse Chasseurs Regiment	273 cavalry
	Brigade Jardon GB Henri-Antoine Jardon	Advance Guard (CdB Simon)	2,243 infantry (3 battalions)
		29th Line Demi-Brigade	2,559 infantry (3 battalions)
		199th Line Demi-Brigade	2,618 infantry (3 battalions)
		20th Cavalry Regiment	336 cavalry
	Brigade Macdonald GB Étienne Macdonald	Advance Guard (Major d'Argent)	757 infantry (1 battalion), 167 cavalry
		3rd Line Demi-Brigade	2,808 infantry (3 battalions)
		24th Line Demi-Brigade	2,346 infantry (3 battalions)
		68th Line Demi-Brigade	2,594 infantry (3 battalions)
		200th Line Demi-Brigade	2,764 infantry (3 battalions)
		2nd Carabinier Regiment	? cavalry
		11th Horse Artillery	6 × 4-pdr
	Brigade Malbrancq GB Philippe Malbrancq	Advanced Guard (CdB Druot)	2,778 infantry (3 battalions), 31 cavalry, 6 × 4-pdr
		150th Line Demi-Brigade	2,735 infantry (3 battalions)
		19th Cavalry Regiment[note 3]	244 cavalry
	Brigade Daendels CdB Dehay	Advanced Guard (CdB Dereix)	1,476 infantry (3 battalions)
		23rd Line Demi-Brigade	2,202 infantry (3 battalions)
		27th Line Demi-Brigade	2,712 infantry (3 battalions)
		9th Hussar Regiment 19th Cavalry Regiment	499 cavalry
	Artillery	Foot Artillery	6 × 12-pdr, 6 × 8-pdr, 405 infantry (1 battalion)
		Horse Artillery	4 × 8-pdr
Division Moreau GD Jean Victor Marie Moreau	Brigade Vandamme GB Dominique Vandamme	Advanced Guard (CdB Toussant)	916 infantry (1 battalion), 168 cavalry
		Demi-Brigade Harcourt	3,161 infantry (4 battalions), 52 cavalry
		Demi-Brigade Gauthrin	3,707 infantry (5 battalions)
	Brigade Desenfans GB Nicolas Desenfans	Advanced Guard (CdB Ducroix)	2,263 infantry (3 battalions)
		Demi-Brigade Trousseau	2,767 infantry (4 battalions)
		Demi-Brigade Bouvoir	3,149 infantry (4 battalions)
	Cavalry	21st Horse Chasseur Regiment[note 4]	204 cavalry
	Artillery	Foot Artillery	6 × 8-pdr, 6 × 6-pdr
		Horse Artillery	4 × 6-pdr
Division Bonnaud GD Jacques Philippe Bonnaud	Brigade Osten GB Pierre-Jacques Osten	Advanced Guard (CdB Beaufont)	2,723 infantry (3 battalions)
		Demi-Brigade Girard	2,907 infantry (3 battalions)
		Demi-Brigade Brenier	1,848 infantry (3 battalions)
	Brigade Pierquin GB Nicolas Pierquin	Demi-Brigade Salme	4,299 infantry (6 battalions)
		Demi-Brigade Leclerc	2,202 infantry (3 battalions)
		Demi-Brigade Noël	4,578 infantry (6 battalions)
	Cavalry GB Antoine Baillot-Faral	Brigade Scholtenius	993 cavalry (3 hussar regiments)
		Brigade Bouquet	1,015 cavalry (2 chasseur & 1 dragoon regiments)
		Brigade Jaucourt-Latour	1,396 cavalry (3+1⁄2 heavy regiments)
	Brigade Compère GB Louis Fursy Henri Compère	Demi-Brigade Trudeau	2,982 infantry (4 battalions)
		Demi-Brigade Roget	2,402 infantry (3 battalions)
		Artillery	306 gunners
	Brigade Thierry GB Jean François Thierry	Demi-Brigade Flavier	2,921 infantry (3 battalions)
		Demi-Brigade Beauvoir	2,881 infantry (3 battalions)
		1st Cavalry Regiment	475 cavalry
		Foot Artillery	127 gunners, 9 × 4-pdr
Artillery Park GB Jean Baptiste Eblé	Unbrigaded	Personnel	2,218 gunners
		Foot Artillery	6 × 12-pdr, 6 × 8-pdr, 6 × 4-pdr
		Horse Artillery	4 × 8-pdr

Coalition order of battle

• Supreme Commander: Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor^[8]
• Coalition Army: FZM Prince Josias of Coburg^[9]

Coalition Army^[6]

Column	Brigade/Nationality[note 5]	Regiments and Others
Northern Column FZM François, Count of Clerfayt 16,601 infantry, 3,451 cavalry	Advance Guard GM Rudolph von Hammerstein	Hanover Grenadier Battalion Nr. 3
		Hanover Light Infantry Regiment Diepenbroick Nr. 14 (1 battalion)
		British 55th Foot Regiment
		French Royalist Loyal Emigrants
		Hanover Leibgarde Cavalry Regiment (2 squadrons)
		Hanover Light Dragoon Regiment Königin Nr. 9 (2 squadrons)
		Hanover Light Dragoon Regiment Linsingen Nr. 10 (2 squadrons)
		Hesse-Darmstadt Gensd'armes Regiment (2 squadrons)
	Austrian FZM Prince Hohenlohe-Kirchberg FML Anton Sztáray GM Rudolf von Stein	Grün-Laudon Freikorps (6 companies)
		Tyrolean Sharpshooters (2 companies)
		Feld-Jäger-Korps de Loup (2 companies)
		Line Infantry Regiment Archduke Karl Nr. 3 (2 battalions)
		Line Infantry Regiment Clerfayt Nr. 9 (2 battalions)
		Line Infantry Regiment Wilhelm Schröder Nr. 26 (2 battalions)
		Line Infantry Regiment Sztaray Nr. 33 (2 battalions)
		Line Infantry Regiment Württemberg Nr. 38 (2 battalions)
		Cavalry Regiment (Dragoon) Kaiser Franz Nr. 1 (6 squadrons)
		Cavalry Regiment (Hussar) Blankenstein Nr. 16 (6 squadrons)
		Cavalry Regiment (Dragoon) Latour Nr. 25 (4 squadrons)
	British	British 12th Foot Regiment
		British 8th Light Dragoon Regiment
	Hanover	Hanover Light Infantry Regiment Diepenbroick Nr. 14 (1 battalion)
		Hanover Grenadier Battalion Nr. 4
	Hesse-Darmstadt	Hesse-Darmstadt Jägers (1 company)
		Hesse-Darmstadt Infantry Regiment Landgraf (2 battalions)
		Hesse-Darmstadt Light Battalion
		Hesse-Darmstadt Leib-Regiment
		Hesse-Darmstadt Chevaux-legers Regiment (2 squadrons)
Column Number 1 LG Georg Wilhelm von dem Bussche 3,000 infantry, 1,000 cavalry	Unbrigaded	Hanover Grenadier Battalion Nr. 1
		Hanover Infantry Regiment Scherther Nr. 1 (2 battalions)
		Hanover Infantry Regiment Bothmer Nr. 4 (2 battalions)
		Hanover Infantry Regiment Hammerstein Nr. 6 (2 battalions)
		Hanover Infantry Regiment Duering Nr. 9 (2 battalions)
		Hanover Infantry Regiment Taube Nr. 11 (2 battalions)
		Hanover Cavalry Regiment Leib Nr. 1 (2 squadrons)
		Hanover Cavalry Regiment Prinz August Nr. 2 (2 squadrons)
		Hanover Cavalry Regiment Bussche Nr. 4 (2 squadrons)
		Hanover Heavy Dragoon Regiment Ramdohr Nr. 5 (2 squadrons)
		Hanover Heavy Dragoon Regiment Oeynhausen Nr. 7 (2 squadrons)
Column Number 2 FML Rudolf Ritter von Otto 8,847 infantry, 1,068 cavalry	Austrian GM Konrad Valentin von Kaim GM Franz von Werneck	Jägers (1 company)
		2/O'Donnell Freikorps (6 companies)
		Rouviere Grenadier Battalion
		Ulm Grenadier Battalion
		Manesy Grenadier Battalion
		Line Infantry Regiment Kaunitz Nr. 20 (3 battalions)
		Line Infantry Regiment Josef Colloredo Nr. 57 (2 battalions)
		Pioneers (1⁄2 company)
	Hesse-Cassel GM Eugen von Montfrault	Hesse-Cassel Guard Grenadier Regiment (2 battalions)
		Hesse-Cassel Germann Grenadier Battalion
	Cavalry Brigade MG David Dundas	British 6th Dragoon Guards Regiment (3 squadrons)
		British 11th Light Dragoon Regiment (2 squadrons)
		Cavalry Regiment (Hussar) Kaiser Franz Nr. 2 (6 squadrons)
	Artillery	8 × 12-pdr, 2 × howitzers
Column Number 3 Gen Frederick, Duke of York 9,493 infantry, 1,292 cavalry, 18 guns	MG Gerard Lake	British 1/1st Foot Guards Regiment
		British 1/2nd Foot Guards Regiment
		British 1/3rd Foot Guards Regiment
		British Converged Foot Guards Light Battalion
	MG Henry Edward Fox	British 14th Foot Regiment
		British 37th Foot Regiment
		British 53rd Foot Regiment
	Austrian	1/O'Donnell Freikorps (1 battalion)
		Line Infantry Regiment Tuscany Nr. 23 (2 battalions)
		Line Infantry Regiment Wenzel Colloredo Nr. 56 (2 battalions)
		Pioneers (1⁄2 company)
	Hesse-Cassel	Hesse-Cassel Leib Infantry Regiment (2 battalions)
	1st Cavalry Brigade MG Richard Vyse	British 15th Light Dragoon Regiment (2 squadrons)
		British 16th Light Dragoon Regiment (2 squadrons)
		Cavalry Regiment (Hussar) Kaiser Franz Nr. 2 (4 squadrons)
	Artillery	British Artillery: 4 × 12-pdr, 4 × 6-pdr, 6 × howitzers
		Austrian Artillery: 4 × 12-pdr
Column Number 4 FML Franz Joseph, Count Kinsky 9,172 infantry, 3,494 cavalry	Austrian[note 6] FML Gottlieb von Schmerzing GM Phillipp von Heister GM Wilhelm von Kerpen GM Prince Joseph of Vaudémont	Tyrolean Sharpshooters (1 company)
		Slavonier Freikorps (4 companies)
		Line Infantry Regiment Karl Schröder Nr. 7 (3 battalions)
		Line Infantry Regiment Michael Wallis Nr. 11 (3 battalions)
		Cavalry Regiment (Dragoon) Karakzay Nr. 4 (6 squadrons)
		Cavalry Regiment (Hussar) Archduke Leopold Nr. 17 (4 squadrons)
	Hesse-Cassel LG Ludwig von Wurmb GM Georg von Dalwigk	Hesse-Cassel Lentz Light Infantry Battalion
		Hesse-Cassel Kospoth Fusilier Regiment (2 battalions)
		Hesse-Cassel Eschwege Grenadier Battalion Nr. 2
		Hesse-Cassel Wurmb Grenadier Battalion Nr. 3
	1st Reserve Cavalry Brigade MG Ralph Dundas[note 7]	British Royal Horse Guards Regiment (2 squadrons)
		British 2nd Dragoon Guards Regiment (2 squadrons)
		British 3rd Dragoon Guards Regiment (2 squadrons)
		British 1st Royal Dragoon Regiment (2 squadrons)
	2nd Reserve Cavalry Brigade MG William Harcourt	British 1st Dragoon Guards Regiment (2 squadrons)
		British 5th Dragoon Guards Regiment (2 squadrons)
		British 2nd Dragoon Regiment (2 squadrons)
		British 6th Dragoon Regiment (2 squadrons)
Column Number 5 FZM Archduke Charles 14,042 infantry, 4,007 cavalry	Austrian[note 8] FML József Alvinczi GM Paul Kray GM Karl Xavier von Finke	Tyrolean Sharpshooters (4 companies)
		Grenz Sharpshooters (4 companies)
		Malovitz Grenadier Battalion
		Retz Grenadier Battalion
		Line Infantry Regiment Murray Nr. 55 (2 battalions)
		Line Infantry Regiment Jordis Nr. 59 (2 battalions)
		Cavalry Regiment (Hussar) Kaiser Franz Nr. 2 (8 squadrons)
		Cavalry Regiment (Cuirassier) Zeschwitz Nr. 10 (6 squadrons)
		Cavalry Regiment (Hussar) Blankenstein Nr. 2 (6 squadrons)
		Cavalry Regiment (Dragoon) Coburg Nr. 37 (4 squadrons)
	Dutch	Dutch Prince of Orange Infantry Regiment
		Dutch Gumoëns Infantry Regiment
		Dutch Hirzel Infantry Regiment
		Dutch Infantry Regiment Orange-Nassau Nr. 1
		Dutch Infantry Regiment Van Dopf Nr. 3
		Dutch Infantry Regiment De Bons Nr. 7
		Dutch Infantry Regiment Hesse-Darmstadt Nr. 14
		Dutch Van der Duijn Cavalry Regiment
	French Royalist	French Royalist Uhlans Britanniques (4 squadrons)

See also

• List of orders of battle

Notes

Footnotes

1. Fortescue's numbers may not match the figures listed in the French order of battle. Also, Fortescue called Osten a division commander (Fortescue, p. 111), while Brown's order of battle listed Osten as Bonnaud's subordinate (Brown, p. 306).
2. In his order of battle, Brown listed Jardon, Macdonald, Malbrancq, Daendels, Vandamme, Desenfans, Osten, Pierquin, Compère, and Thierry as divisions subordinate to the divisions of Souham, Moreau, and Bonnaud (Brown, pp. 303–307). However, he and Phipps also listed Macdonald, Malbrancq, Daendels, Vandamme, Desenfans, Compère, and Thierry as brigades (Brown, p. 172; Phipps, pp. 300–302). Therefore, they are listed in this order of battle as brigades. Groupings of battalions are listed as demi-brigades.
3. A careful examination of the order of battle suggests that this may be a typographical error for the 19th Horse Chasseurs. The 19th Cavalry was assigned to Daendels' brigade (Brown, p. 304).
4. Elements of the 21st Horse Chasseurs Regiment were also detached to Vandamme's Advanced Guard and Demi-Brigade Harcourt (Brown, pp. 305–306).
5. Units not identified as British, Dutch, French royalist, Hanover, Hesse-Cassel or Hesse-Darmstadt nationality are Austrian.
6. Brown (p. 312) listed GM Milwsk and GM Wenkel, but they could not be found in the list of Austrian generals. (Smith & Kudrna)
7. The 1st and 2nd Reserve Cavalry Brigades under MG William Erskine mistakenly followed Column Nr. 4. (Brown, p. 313)
8. Brown (p. 313) listed FML Buglach, GM Nelms, and GM Radowicz, but they could not be found in the list of Austrian generals. (Smith & Kudrna)

Citations

1. Phipps 2011, p. 284.
2. Phipps 2011, pp. 307–309.
3. Brown 2021, pp. 303–308.
4. Fortescue 2016, p. 111.
5. Brown 2021, pp. 132–133.
6. Brown 2021, pp. 309–314.
7. Phipps 2011, p. 299.
8. Brown 2021, p. 132.
9. Brown 2021, p. 309.

References

• Brown, Steve (2021). The Duke of York's Flanders Campaign: Fighting the French Revolution 1793–1795. Havertown, Pa.: Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 9781526742704.
• Fortescue, Sir John W. (2016). The Hard-Earned Lesson: The British Army & the Campaigns in Flanders & the Netherlands Against the French: 1792–99. Leonaur. ISBN 978-1-78282-500-5.
• Phipps, Ramsay Weston (2011) [1926]. The Armies of the First French Republic and the Rise of the Marshals of Napoleon I: The Armée du Nord. Vol. 1. Pickle Partners Publishing. ISBN 978-1-908692-24-5.
• Smith, Digby; Kudrna, Leopold (2008). "A Biographical Dictionary of all Austrian generals during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars: 1792-1815". The Napoleon Series. Retrieved June 2, 2023. This list is useful for finding the full names of Austrian generals.