November 6, 1792 · Austrian Netherlands (modern Belgium) Theater
November 6, 1792
A month after Valmy, Dumouriez's Army of the North met the Austrian defenders of the Low Countries at Jemappes in a pitched battle that demonstrated both the revolutionary army's ferocious attacking spirit and its contempt for tactical finesse. Outnumbered and inexperienced, the French attacked in dense columns that were devastated by Austrian fire — but kept coming. Revolutionary élan substituted for drill; the columns absorbed enormous casualties and kept advancing until the Austrian line broke. France had won its first offensive battle of the wars and conquered the Austrian Netherlands (modern Belgium) in a single engagement.
Commanders