Battle of Höchstädt

Overview

The Battle of Höchstädt was fought on 19 June 1800 on the north bank of the Danube near Höchstädt, and resulted in a French victory under General Jean Victor Marie Moreau against the Austrians under Baron Pál Kray. The Austrians were subsequently forced back into the fortress town of Ulm. Instead of attacking the heavily fortified, walled city, which would result in massive losses of personnel and time, Moreau dislodged Kray's supporting forces defending the Danube passage further east. As a line of retreat eastward disappeared, Kray quickly abandoned Ulm, and withdrew into Bavaria. This opened the Danube pathway toward Vienna.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The battle involved French forces under Jean Moreau facing an Austrian army under Paul Kray, with France holding a substantial numerical advantage of approximately 60,000 troops against 30,000. Austrian casualties of 5,000 against French losses of 2,000 indicate a French tactical success. Beyond these figures, the supplied sources do not provide sufficient detail to characterize the battle's effect on the War of the Second Coalition campaign or its broader strategic consequences.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)