The Dutch During
The Revolutionary Wars
The Prussian Campaign
In Holland 1787
Part IV
Battle of Amstelveen
3rd Division: 4th, 2nd and 3rd Column
by Geert van Uythoven, The Netherlands
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The Duke of Brunswick led the 4th Column in person. Advancing slowly, the Prussians were discovered by a patriot outpost positioned at the hamlet Hand van Leyden, which fired at them. First the Prussians did not fire back and stayed quiet, but because the outpost kept on firing, it was clear that surprise was lost. Brunswick ordered the Fussjäger to return fire and to advance, and consequently the patriot outpost retreated, leaving behind one man killed. Again everything was quiet, and slowly the Fussjäger advanced on both sides of the roads, nearly reaching the abatis barring the road. The 6pdr guns were brought up and deployed in the way already described, and the woolsacks were discarded
[1].
Brunswick brought up a 10pdr howitzer, which very accurately threw its shells into the redoubt and the village Amstelveen. Unfortunately, the shells refused to explode. Now the Fussjäger advanced within range on both sides of the road, while making use of the cover of the houses and some haystacks. Their fire killed or wounded many gunners, until the patriots deployed a gun on the road to Ouderkerk that enfiladed the Fussjäger with grapeshot, causing them to retreat somewhat out of range.
In addition, the gunfire of both 6pdr guns, augmented with the second howitzer by Lieut-Gen von Knobelsdorff, could not silence the patriot guns. The Prussians received severe losses. Where were the 2nd and 3rd Columns? The Duke of Brunswick would have to wait for another 4 1/2 hours for them to arrive.
The 2nd column, commanded by Major von Hirschfeld, arrived after two hours at its place of disembarkation, but waited after disembarking for the fighting at Amstelveen to start. Their advance was much hampered by the marshy terrain, cut by many ditches, and it took some time before they reached the main road between Amstelveen and Amsterdam near the cotton factory "De Lelie", without meeting any opposition. Major von Müffling had to make front in the direction of Amsterdam to prevent reinforcements reaching Amstelveen. With two fusilier-companies and the Fussjäger, he took up position in the houses along the road. With the remaining two fusilier-companies, Von Hirschfeld advanced in the direction of Amstelveen, trying to surprise the redoubt near the Kalfjeslaan. But scarcely on their way, the Prussians heard and saw the firing of the guns, followed by heavy musketry in front of them: the 3rd column had arrived on the scene!
The 3rd column under Major von Götz advanced along the road to a position some distance from the main road on the dike occupied by they enemy, and then waited for the fighting at Amstelveen to start before he attacked. After hearing the signal, the Prussians advanced, but were surprised by the fact that the road they were advancing along was breached at four places, each breach about 16 feet wide. Experiencing that the planks they carried with them were not long enough to cross the breaches, the Prussians waded waist-deep through the water and attacked, being fired at with grapeshot by one of the two 3pdr guns covering the breaches, the shot hitting five men. Panicking, the patriot gunners had trouble firing the gun for the second time, giving Von Götz, thinking it advisable to attack at another place, time to retreat. Major von Götz attacked for the second time at a slightly different place where the patriot guns could not bear. The Prussians stormed the redoubt and took it, with the patriots taking flight, part of them in the direction of Amsterdam, the other part in the direction of Amstelveen.
Reaching the road, Von Götz made contact with Major von Hirschfeld's 2nd column, and together they advanced in the direction of Amstelveen. The Prussians took five redoubts on a row, without much trouble, because most of the patriots took flight at the arrival of the Prussians. During the actions the 2nd and 3rd column took 128 patriots prisoner, losing one man killed and nineteen wounded.
Stalled Advance
Then the advance stalled. Some patriot fugitives managed to reach Amsterdam, bringing word of what happened. Immediately, the Defence-Commission ordered a counterattack, to be made by 400 infantry supported by two guns.
Major von Müffling was vigourously attacked, and only the inexperience of the patriots enabled him to maintain his position for the time being. He despatched a messenger to Major von Hirschfeld, to ask for reinforcements and a gun to reply to the patriot guns. Arriving with Von Hirschfeld, immediately some fusiliers were despatched to Von Müffling, taking with them the only gun still serviceable, because all the other captured guns were already spiked. When the reinforcements arrived with Von Müffling, still holding his position, the gun was used to dislodge the patriots from some houses, after which Von Müffling ordered the attack. After some hand to hand fighting, the patriots retreated in the direction of Amsterdam, rallying at a redoubt armed with two guns near Overtoom, preventing a further Prussian advance. The Prussians returned to their original position, taking with them 62 prisoners.
Colonel de Porte received the news of the attack in his rear from the retreating patriots, but did not want to give up his strong position at Amstelveen. He organised a new defence line facing the direction of Amsterdam at a place called "De Knie", by placing some guns there and occupying the houses and gardens with infantry. He also send orders to Ouderkerk that Major George Willem Luck would advance along the Kalfjeslaan with 200 men and two guns, to attack the Prussians on the road between Amstelveen and Amsterdam and to retake the redoubt there. Further troops would have to reinforce his own position, and the defences near De Knie. However, before these troops arrived, Von Götz attacked in the direction of Amstelveen with both companies of the Rgt von Marwitz and the Fussjäger, while Major von Langelair defended the redoubt near the Kalfjeslaan.
However, Von Gotz' advance was halted by grapeshot from the guns placed at De Knie, killing two and wounding nine Prussians. Because all the captured guns were spiked and the only serviceable gun was despatched to Von Müffling, the Prussians were in a difficult position before this gun returned. However, Von Götz did not want to wait that long, and planned another attack. The Fussjäger and Schützen were ordered to advance in skirmishing order, and to dislodge the patriots from their cover, after which Major von Haufstengel would attack along the road with both infantry companies, in closed column. Because of their bad morale and their inexperience, the patriots were easily dislodged from their cover by the Prussian skirmishers and driven back to the village Amstelveen itself.
Then the Prussian column advanced, and the sight of it sufficed to rout the patriots; the few patriots who tried to make a stand were thrown back to the church. It was now clear to De Porte that he had no chance left to maintain his position. With all the men he could collect, he retreated to Ouderkerk. Von Götz lowered the drawbridge, and finally the Duke of Brunswick and the 4th Column entered Amstelveen. Major Luck, and his patriots, advancing along the Kalfjeslaan, tried to attack Major von Langelair defending the redoubt there. Before becoming a serious threat to the Prussians, Luck called off the attack and returned to Ouderkerk, because the Kalfjeslaan was breached at seven places, all covered by the Prussian musketry.
The Duke of Brunswick honoured the soldiers and officers who took Amstelveen for their bravery. In the attack the Prussians took 313 prisoners, who were locked up in the church of Amstelveen, and captured six 6pdr and eleven 3pdr guns, and a 7pdr howitzer. Their own losses were sixteen men killed and fifty wounded.
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The Dutch During the Revolutionary Wars
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They were protected against an enemy attack by a grenadier platoon, and at 05.00 am after the signal of three gunshots, opened fire on the patriot entrenchments near Amstelveen. After these guns had fired six shots in the direction of the enemy defences, the Fussjäger resumed their advance, and together with some grenadiers removed the abatis. Advancing again, some hundred paces further along the road the advance was halted by a breach with a palisade in de middle in the dike the road was on. After destroying the palisade and crossing the breach with some trouble, the Prussians advanced again, but another breach was encountered, this time fitted with chevaux frise. It was dawn now, and the enemy's main defences could be made out in the first light, protected by another, very wide breach. Seeing the Prussians advancing four patriot 6pdr guns, commanded by the French Colonel of Artillery de Porte, showered the road with grapeshot, making any Prussian advance virtually impossible.