French Revolutionary Wars: Campaigns of 1794
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The French Revolutionary Wars continued from 1793 with few immediate changes in the diplomatic situation as France fought the First coalition.
On the Alpine frontier, there was little change, with the French invasion of Piedmont failing. On the Spanish border, the French under General Dugommier rallied from their defensive positions at Bayonne and Perpignan, driving the Spanish out of Roussillon and invading Catalonia. Dugommier was killed in the Battle of the Black Mountain in November.
On the northern front, the Austrians and French both prepared offensives in Belgium, with the Austrians attacking from eastern Belgium. The French prepared an offensive on multiple fronts, with two armies in Flanders under Pichegru and Moreau, and Jourdan attacking from the German border. The French took the Austrians from the rear, winning the battles of Kortrijk and Fleurus in June. The French armies drove the Austrians, British, and Dutch beyond the Rhine, occupying Belgium, the Rhineland, and southern Holland.
On the middle Rhine front in July General Michaud's Army of the Rhine attempted two offensives in July in the Vosges, the second of which was successful, but not followed up allowing for a Prussian counter-attack in September. Otherwise this sector of the front was largely quiet over the course of the year.
At sea, the French were less successful, with the old navy demoralized by the political climate, and British fleets controlled the seas around France, occupying Corsica.
By the end of the year French armies had won victories on all fronts, and as the year closed they began a surprise assault into the Netherlands.
See also:
- French Revolutionary Wars: Campaigns of 1793
- French Revolutionary Wars: Campaigns of 1795
- Kościuszko Uprising (which some of the allies were involved in suppressing)
