The Capture of Breda
and Geertruidenburg 1793
Dutch During the
Revolutionary Wars Part 8
The French Bombardment and Surrender of Breda
by Geert van Uythoven, Netherlands
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The French Bombardment
On 18th February, Lieutenant-Colonel Guillaume baron Boyvin de la Martinière received orders from Dumouriez to go from Antwerp to Breda, and to take with him two artillery companies of the 2nd Régiment d’Artillerie, and an artillery train equipped with mortars, to put himself under the orders of Adjudant général Westermann.
A likewise order was given to capitaine du genie Alexandre-Antoine Hureau, baron de Senarmont, who would later rise to fame in Napoleon’s Grande Armée. The Belgian engineer M. Lami, who would eventually rise to Colonel in the French army, would assist them. Arriving at their destination at daybreak of the 20th these officers reconnoitred the fortress, and decided on two positions to deploy artillery batteries, one near the Ginneken mill, and one behind the gallows at the road to Ypelaar. These batteries were to be armed with four mortars and two howitzers [5] , manned by only 36 artillerymen! However, it would take the mortars some more time to arrive from Antwerp, because of the bad roads and the fatigue of the horses. Arriving during the afternoon of the 21st, it took until the night of the 22nd before they mortars were in place. The batteries were protected by the gendarmes nationale and the fédérés nationaux. Also on the 20th, the French completed their blockade of Breda, but unarmed citizens were allowed to leave or enter the city at will. However, the French had become careless because of their easy advance. The same day a detachment of thirty dragoons went on patrol, commanded by Captain P.H.T. Moraquin and the Ensign Martini.
[6]
The patrol left Breda through the Bossche Gate, the only gate were the bridge was not completely demolished until now, and surprised at the Teteringsche Dijk a French outpost consisting of an artillery officer and eleven soldiers, which were drinking coffee in a house. Moraquin managed to capture seven of them wounded, while the remainder took flight. Dutch losses were one dragoon and two horses. For this small faith of arms Prince William of Orange on 7 March 1793, promoted Moraquin Major. Also from the 20th on, French snipers took pot shots at the sentries on the wall, resulting in a few casualties.
During the morning of the 22nd, A French trumpeter of the Hussars arrived in front of the Bossche Gate, send by adjudant général Westermann, who was allowed to enter the city blindfolded. With him he had letters taken from the Dutch mail-coach by a French patrol, and a message from Westermann to the magistrate of Breda. In this message, Westermann declared that, as commander of all blockading forces, he had to control all communication from and to the city, and therefore had taken all letters form the mail-coach addressed to military persons, while all letters to civilians were forwarded unopened. In the afternoon, the same trumpeter arrived before the gate, this time bringing with him bills of exchange and money found in the military letters opened by the French, and again a message from Westermann, this time stating that the French would leave all personal belongings unharmed, and that therefore the bills of exchange and the money were forwarded to their rightful owners. In this way, Westermann managed to win over the citizens of Breda even more.
During the morning of the 23rd, Colonel Phillipe de Vaux, aide de camp of Dumouriez, accompanied by a trumpeter, arrived in front of the Bossche Gate and after
being allowed to enter blindfolded handed over two letters from General Dumouriez, one for the magistrate and one for the governor. In these letters Dumouriez stated
that both would have to hand over Breda to him. Otherwise, he would bombard the city, while he would hold both the magistrate and the governor responsible and liable for all damages caused by this bombardment. The council of war assembled by the governor rejected the demand of Dumouriez, while the magistrate declared to the citizens that the governor was responsible for the defence of the fortress-city, but that he would use his vote as a member of the council of war in the interest of the citizens. In the afternoon of the same day, at about 14.30 hours, the French answered the refusal with a bombardment of the city. The fire came from both batteries already mentioned. Their weakness was unknown to the count van Bylandt, because of the lack of reconnaissance also already mentioned. It may be clear what a difference a rash and active governor would have been made. From the garrison the infantry and artillerymen manned the defence works, while the dragoons patrolled the streets of the city.
This bombardment lasted until about 18.30 hours, to be resumed around midnight, [7] lasting again until the morning of the 24th. The garrison replied to the bombardment by firing at the French batteries with all the 12pdr guns that could bear. Its fire was very effective, especially regarding the battery on the road to
Ypelaar. At this place, the French had located all their caissons behind a huge barn. A direct hit by a gun from the city walls set fire to a caisson, and as a result
this one and two more caissons exploded, creating confusion among the French and silencing this battery. Luckily for the French, only an officer and a soldier of the
fédérés nationaux were killed in the explosion. The defenders were not able to exploit the confusion thus created; the road and the bridges in front of the Ginnekensche gate were all demolished, so it was impossible to make a sally in order to capture the silenced guns. During the bombardment three more soldiers and an
artillery gunner were killed by Dutch gunfire.
During both bombardments a total of over ninety mortar-bombs and a hundred howitzer-grenades were fired into the city. The bombardment demolished or damaged about sixty houses, [8] and killed a citizen and a soldier, wounding another citizen. During the bombardments two or three times a fire was caused by the bombs and grenades, but each time it was soon extinguished by the dragoons patrolling the city, assisted by some citizens. The damage
done to the defence works was nil because of the lack of proper siege guns, but the moral effect on the citizens was enormous. Although there were only a few dead and wounded, many citizens regretted that they had not left the city when they had the chance. After the bombardment had ceased, they demanded that the magistrate would come to an agreement with adjudant général Westermann for a free passage for all citizens that would wish to do so. They
were followed by an envoy of the baker’s guild, declaring that the corn left would only last a few days, and that it was impossible to grind it to flour because of the
lack of wind for the mils and the damages caused by the bombardment. Further, there was a lack of faggots for the ovens in order to bake the bread. Clearly, the governor Count van Bylandt had taken no trouble to ascertain the state and the amount of the supplies present in the city; therefore he was not able to reply to these statements!
During the morning of the 24th, in order to gain time to sort out the confusion at the battery on the road to Ypelaar and to re-supply this battery, for a second time
Colonel de Vaux accompanied by a trumpeter, send this time by maréchal de camp d’Arçon who led the bombardment, arrived in front of the gate. By accident a
gunner fired grapeshot at them, but luckily both men and their horses stayed unharmed. Again, the capitulation of Breda was demanded, while Colonel de Vaux managed to give the governor the impression that the French were much stronger, and had more guns and ammunition then they had in reality. As a result a truce was settled. The French officer left accompanied by Major C. de Grancy and a drum major, both of the dragoons. When they arrived back in the city during the morning of Monday the 25th, it soon was made clear to the citizens that the Count van Bylandt had surrendered Breda to the French, and that the Dutch garrison would be given free passage with all honours of war to another Dutch city, fortress or army camp, with the only provision that the staff-officers would not fight against the French for the next six months. The Count van Bylandt declared that he surrendered the city that was entrusted to him for the following reasons: There was no hope for a quick relieve, and his own forces were too weak to withstand a siege much longer. In addition, there were only provisions left for a few more days. He did not want to prolong the siege three or four days longer, with in the end the same result, but resulting in a destroyed city and much misery for the citizens. Last but not least, he wanted to preserve the garrison to fight another day, instead of leading them into captivity. During the afternoon of the 25th, the capitulation was signed.
Lieutenant-Colonel-Director Schouster was the only member of the council of war that initially opposed the capitulation. Schouster even wanted to continue the fight by retreating to the castle after the French had entered the city! But standing alone in his opinion, in the end he also agreed with the capitulation. As can be imagined, the Stadtholder William V of Orange was enraged when he heard about the surrender of Breda. Arriving with the Dutch army, all officers that had signed the capitulation were detained and sentenced by a court martial to a few months imprisonment. The governor Count van Bylandt received life imprisonment, a punishment, which even his fellow officers judged not severe enough for what he had done.
Already on the 25th - on the same day Breda surrendered - part of the garrison, being the battalion of the Regiment Oranje Nassau, No. 2 and the attached companies of the Regiment No. 11 Van Dam left the city, with flying colours, drums beating, and taking with them three field guns. When they had left, the Bossche Gate and the Bossche Street were handed over to the French and occupied by four hundred men, consisting of gendarmes, cavalry and artillerymen with two field guns. During the morning of the 27th the remainder of the garrison left the city. Also during the morning of the 27th adjudant général Westermann made his entrance into Breda, followed, during the afternoon, by Dumouriez himself.
The French demanded billets and provisions for at least 6,000 men. The fact that the city was able to meet the demand for so many provisions makes clear that there were more provisions present in the city then the governor Count van Bylandt stated! In addition many
requisitions were made because, as we have already seen, the French army lacked many things. Colonel Custere was appointed commander of Breda, later to be succeeded by maréchal de camp Louis-Charles de La Motte-Ango, marquis de Flers. The amount of cannon, gunpowder and muskets captured in Breda enabled Dumouriez to continue his campaign. Captain Senarmont received the honour to bring the news of the capture of Breda to the minister of war in Paris,
LieutenantGeneral Pierre de Riel, marquis de Beurnonville.
Capture of Breda and Geertruidenburg 1793 Dutch in Revolutionary Wars Part 8
The Dutch During the Revolutionary Wars
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The bombardment of Breda, by Hip. Lecomte