The Dutch During
The Revolutionary Wars

The Prussian Campaign
In Holland 1787
Part III

Advance to Amsterdam and 3rd Division

by Geert van Uythoven, The Netherlands

Part II
Part I

The Advance to Amsterdam

In order to understand all the movements, it will be necessary to refer frequently to the maps printed with the previous articles.

3rd Division: Preparations and Political Developments

The bulk of the 3rd Division was concentrated at Schoonhoven, the base of further Prussian perations by this Division, occupied by the Brigade Woldeck. The main force had to wait for the arrival of the supply ships, delayed by adverse winds. Political developments were accelerating, and the Duke of Brunswick waited a few more days to watch for the results. After the arrival of the Prussian ships on 21 September, Major Schöler build a pontoon bridge across the river Lek in 16 hours, to connect Nieuwpoort to Schoonhoven.

To build the bridge, 40 ships were used, and it was wide enough for two waggons to pass each other. The patriots had already, or were still in the process of retreating to Amsterdam. Therefore, the advance guard commanded by Maj-Gen von Eben was ordered to advance on 19 September to occupy the city Gouda, and then to reconnoitre in force in the direction of Rotterdam, The Hague, Boskoop, Alphen, Bodegraven and the fortress-city Woerden.

Large Goe-Jan-Verwellen-Sluis Map (slow: 124K)

Already on the 18th, a force consisting of 16 Fussjäger (transported on two waggons) and 7 hussars, commanded by Lieutenant von Pfeilitzer, advanced north to Goe-Jan-Verwellen-Sluis.

The sluice there was very important, because it controlled the water level of the river Hollandsche IJssel, and was protected by two redoubts. Arriving near the redoubts, Von Pfeilitzer learned from a farmer that most of the patriots occupying the northern redoubt had crossed the river with a flat-bottomed boat, to entertain themselves in the local tavern with the patriots of the southern redoubt. The Prussians managed to surprise them the moment they returned, in the process of embarking the flat-bottomed boat to return to the northern redoubt. They were all taken prisoners. The Fussjäger kept the patriots left on the other side of the river in check, and a patriot who tried to train a gun on them was shot down. Crossing the river with part of his force in the flat-bottomed boat, supported by the fire of the Fussjäger, Von Pfeilitzer took also the northern redoubt. Two patriots were killed and six wounded and in all two officers with 44 men were taken prisoner, while thirteen men managed to escape to Woerden. Twelve guns were captured.

After Von Eben had arrived at Gouda, on the 19th another force consisting of ten Fussjäger and 30 hussars under the command of Lieutenant von Grawert was to follow the left bank of the Hollandsche IJssel to Rotterdam. Although the patriots had already gathered at the marketplace of this city, they were demoralised by the news of the capture of Dordrecht, did not resist, and were easily disarmed. Next day, Major von Lentz arrived with 61 fusiliers, 43 Fussjäger and 70 hussars, to take over command and to garrison Rotterdam.

Lieutenant von Coors-wanthen had to advance on Alphen with ten Fussjäger and thirty hussars. Arriving there, he learned that the hussars of the Rgt Huzaren van Salm who had occupied the village had retreated to Uithoorn. After conferring with Maj-Gen von Eben, the troops at his disposal were reinforced by the detachments at Boskoop and Bodegraven. With this force, consisting now of twenty Fussjäger and 65 hussars, Von Coors-wanthen left on the 21st, advancing in the direction of Uithoorn. Encountering a deserting NCO with ten hussars of the Rgt Huzaren van Salm, he learned that the patriots occupying Uithoorn had retreated to Amstelveen. The Prussians followed them swiftly, advancing to Leimuiden and from there to Kalslagen and Kudelstaart. Arriving at Amstelveen, the patriots were surprised while they were moving into their quarters, not knowing the Prussians were so near. Confused fighting followed, but the Prussians had the better of it. Taking prisoner an officer, a surgeon, and 35 hussars, the Prussians lost only one man killed, three men wounded, and four men taken prisoner. Because the patriot hussars were gathering in force in the open terrain north of Amstelveen, Von Coorswanthen decided to pull back to Alphen.

Advance

Lieutenant von Holtzendorff was ordered on the 19th to advance on Oudewater and Woerden with a force consisting of ten Fussjäger and thirty hussars. The patriots had evacuated Oudewater, but half way to Woerden they still occupied a redoubt at Wieringer Schans. The drawbridge was up, and at the arrival of the Prussians, the garrison commanded by Major van Regis tried to fire a gun. When the first patriot was shot dead and the second badly wounded by the fire of the Fussjäger they refrained from trying to bring the gun into action. Pinned down by the Prussian fire, while others were in the meantime embarking a boat to cross the moat, the patriots surrendered. The Prussians made two officers and 35 men prisoner, while they captured fourteen guns, 600 muskets, and two colours. Continuing to the fortress-city Woerden, the hussars surprised two outposts and the soldiers were taken prisoner without a shot fired. A trumpeter was send to the fortress to demand its surrender, and returned with the message from the commander Lt-Col van Souillard, that the garrison had already declared in favour of the stadtholder, after which Von Holtzendorff returned the prisoners, taken at the outposts.

Also on the 19th, representatives of the States General arrived, asking the Duke of Brunswick to keep clear of The Hague, were the States General resided. Brunswick, not wanting to force the States General to move to Amsterdam where the influence of the patriots would be great, consented. Just in time he managed to recall a force of 30 Fussjäger and 80 hussars under Captain Brätz, which had already advanced as far as Rijswijk, and now retreated to Delft. From there, Brätz advanced on Schiedam, to quell some rioting between Orangists and patriots.

The city Leiden declared in favour of the stadtholder, requesting to remain without a Prussian garrison. The Prussian troops were ordered to keep two hours clear of The Hague. On the same day, a messenger of the stadtholder arrived, bringing the news that the States General had decided to reinstate him in all his duties, and had asked him to return to The Hague. Already next day, the 20th, the stadtholder arrived at The Hague, were he was welcomed by the inhabitants. After his arrival, 'Orangist' regular troops were ordered to advance on The Hague, to garrison the city. That part of the States which was in favour of the patriots left for Amsterdam, and acted as if they were the official government.

It soon became clear that the patriots had gathered all their forces at Amsterdam, so time had come to put the 1st Division, rested and supplied, in motion. On the 23rd, the Duke of Brunswick left the camp at Schoonhoven with six battalions and moved to Gouda. On the next day these battalions marched to Alphen, while Brunswick advanced to Leimuiden with the greater part of his advance guard, from there reconnoitring in the direction of Amstelveen. After some skirmishing with the patriot outposts, it was ascertained that the patriots had entrenched themselves at Amstelveen, protected by inundations. The Prussians pulled back on Leimuiden, collecting thirty deserters on their way. On the 26th, a deputation of the patriots at Amsterdam arrived at Brunswick's headquarters, to negotiate a truce. The truce would last until 30 September.

More Dutch During The Revolutionary Wars

The Dutch During the Revolutionary Wars

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