Battle of Messkirch

The Battle of Meßkirch was fought on 4 and 5 May 1800 and resulted the victory of French army against the Austrians.

Overview

On 25 April 1800 the French Armée d'Allemagne, under Jean Victor Marie Moreau, crossed the Rhine River at Kehl and Schaffhausen. The 1st Demi-Brigade, of the Corps led by Laurent de Gouvion-Saint-Cyr, conquered St. Georgen and entered the Black Forest at Freiburg im Breisgau. After conquering Stuhlingen, 25 km south of Donaueschingen, the unit took part in the Battle of Stockach and Engen on 3 May, after which the Austrian retreated to Meßkirch where they enjoyed a more favourable defensive position.

The French repeatedly assaulted the town on 4 and 5 May always in vain. The 1st Demi-Brigade, despite the Austrian superiority there, was able to conquer Krumbach and the heights surrounding it, which commanded Meßkirch. Therefore the Austrian moved back to Sigmaringen, followed by the French. The Battle of Biberach ensued on 9 May.

See also

• French Revolutionary Wars: Campaigns of 1800

Literature

• Heinrich Bücheler, Werner Fischer, Roland Kessinger: Die Schlacht bei Meßkirch 5ter Mai 1800: Gedenkband zum 200. Jahrestag. Museumsgesellschaft Meßkirch (Hrsg.). Gmeiner Verlag. Meßkirch. 1. Auflage 2000. ISBN 3-926633-47-6
• Kempf: Unsere Heimat in den Napoleonischen Kriegen. In: Ders.: Das Gögginger Dorfbuch. Gemeinde Göggingen. Göggingen 1969. S. 365 ff.

Biberach an der Riß