The Siege of Maastricht: 1793
The Dutch During
The Revolutionary Wars: 7
1 March 1793-4 March 1793
by Geert van Uythoven, The Netherlands
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Friday, 1 March 1793 "During the night we again noticed the impact of the earlier arrival of ammunition, while during the night again many bombs fell in Wijk and Maastricht, causing heavy damage. During the day not many fell. The bravery of the exhausted artillerymen of our garrison is indescribable, while their fire is always very accurate. Until now we have only one gunner wounded. [6]
During the night, on several places at the outlying defence works, musket shots were fired at what was said to be enemy patrols, which left in a hurry. This is however not very probable, because I was myself at the battery during the whole night. It was such a clear night with a bright moon, so that one could recognise everything up to a distance of over one thousand paces. Therefore I could not understand what was shot at. Colonel Berner [7] ordered the captain who commanded the piquet at the 1st guard rail of the Poort
d'Almagne, not to fire if there was nothing observed. This made clear that it was only a nervous sentry who had caused the alarm. At dawn we found a dead patriot outside the Pieters Gate.
From the mouth of the brave citizens, exposed to the effect of the French bombs, one hears nothing else than, even if the enemy threw so much bombs that half of the city would become one big ruin, we still would hold out, and not surrender the city to them. The lord P. d. H. [???] makes his daily tour in the middle of the bombardment, over the walls and through the city, and by his courage enlarges our bravery, and we are all prepared to sacrifice ourselves for our Stadtholder."
Saturday, 2 March 1793
"During the night the enemy threw no bombs from outside Wijk, but we continued shooting at their position. In this night they had dug their entrenchments nearer to the city, to advance their mortar battery. We however managed to slow that progress. I was again during the whole day and night present at our battery at the courtine [8] between the 'St. Martens' and the 'Galge' bastion, consisting of two 50-pdr mortars and two howitzers. From here I directed, during the whole day, a heavy fire on the field positions and battery of the enemy, throwing over hundred and twenty bombs and grenades in their positions, so that they had virtually no place left to be safe.
The country-people told us that there was no day during the whole bombardment, during which they enemy had sustained so many dead. I continued firing during the whole day and evening until ten o'clock, so heavy and fruitful, that this is the reason that the enemy had to leave behind two mortars during their retreat, as was confirmed by some farmers who
understood a little French [9] : 'Si les diables Hollandais de Wik ne faisaient pas un feu d'enfer avec leurs Bombes, nous pourrions bien empo ter nos mortiers, mais nous risquions trop ā les aller chercher'. I can say that this was a great pleasure to hear! They have removed their mortars out of the middle of the fire, but had to leave them behind on the road while they retreated. At that moment the heaviest storm and wind came up that I ever had experienced, so I needed all my effort and care to prevent the fuses on our battery igniting our small powder magazines, and to prevent accidents to happen by our own fire."
Sunday, 3 March 1793
"At around four o'clock in the morning, I again started throwing bombs and grenades to the enemy, until six o'clock, when I received a message from General Warnstädt. He told me that the French had left their field defences, and that the Austrian troops were already very near to the city, [10] something that was confirmed by the arrival of a general-adjutant at the gate. A short while thereafter, we saw the advance of a huge mass of cavalry and artillery on the hill near Valkenburg, which would arrive in our city soon. It was a happy moment for our city. The soon to be expected relief by the brave Austrians was received with so many loud cheers and rejoice that it is hardly to describe, by the garrison as well by the citizens. On the same day, the advance guard of hussars, jägers and grenadiers marched through the city and followed the road in the direction of Tongeren, to pursue the enemy. Their pursuit was so quick that they overtook the enemy in Tongeren, defeated them and drove them from that place."
Monday, 4 March 1793
"The passage of the Austrians continued in the most possible haste, cavalry as well as infantry, during the whole day and night. They all took the road to Tongeren, to join the column. The streets were crowded with the wagons and carts loaded with forage and artillery ammunition. The French were completely beaten this day, driven from Tongeren and further. The headquarters of the Prince Koburg [11] stayed within our walls.
So see here in which way we were treated by the French cattle [sic!]. Luckily we were the victors, otherwise it would have been very sad for us all." This is the end of the journal of Gabriël Mock. When the siege was lifted on 2 March, the French had thrown 6,000 bombs into the city. Miraculously, these caused only nine dead and twenty-three wounded!
[1] On full strength the Brunswick Corps counted 2,906 men. During wintertime, it was the habit that about one third of the soldiers of the foreign
corps' in Dutch service were sent on leave to their homesteads. When these soldiers of the Brunswick Brigade returned, it had become impossible to reunite them with their corps. Instead, they were formed into a provisional unit and used to reinforce the garrison of Nijmegen, leaving their original corps in Maastricht much depleted. I have no detailed information about the organisation of this brigade, but it
consisted at least of infantry and artillery, and probably also of chasseurs ā cheval.
Next Issue: The capture of Breda, 1793
Siege of Maastricht 1793
The Dutch During the Revolutionary Wars
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