Defense of the
Dutch Republic 1793
Dutch During the
Revolutionary Wars Part 11
The Dutch Defence on Land
by Geert van Uythoven, Netherlands
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Colonel of the engineers Van der Graaf was instructed to prepare for defence the 'Grebbe-line', between the river Lek and the Zuiderzee, to defend the eastern approaches to Holland. With much energy, and aided by some French emigrees of the Corps Royal de l'Artillerie, the Dutch prepared also their defence lines behind the rivers Meuse and Waal. On 14 February, the inundation of
several parts of the country along the rivers was ordered; around Gorinchem, and Heusden, and the region east of the Hollandsch Diep. More inundations were prepared in such a way that these could be made effective in a few hours. Its implementation received much resistance from the inhabitants, provoked at many places by the patriots. [3]
Prince Frederick of Orange received command of a small embryonic field army, initially only consisting of the Anspach Brigade, the cavalry regiment Van Tuyll van Serooskerken, and some artillery. This army assembled in the vicinity of the fortress-city Grave. Without going into too much detail, the defence line along the Hollandsch Diep, the Island of Dordrecht, and the Merwede, can be divided into a number of sectors, with the following batteries and designated army units (see the map, from left to right): [4]
a. Ooltgensplaat and vicinity: two batteries armed with two 36-pdr guns each; two batteries armed with two 18-pdr guns each; a battery with two 6-pdr guns; and a battery with two 3-pdr guns.
b. Hoeksche Waard:
c. Island of Dordrecht: a battery armed with fourteen guns; a 3-pdr gun and the remainder 12pdr guns with probably a few 6-pdr guns; a battery with two 24-pdr guns, four 12-pdr guns, and four 6-pdr guns; a battery with four 12-pdr guns and four 6-pdr guns; two batteries with four 12-pdr guns and two 6pdr guns each; and a battery with two 6-pdr guns.
d. Sliedrecht and vicinity: batteries Jonge Prins and Stadhouder, each armed with two 12-pdr field guns; two 3-pdr field guns.
e. Giessendam and vicinity: battery Hertog van York, armed wit three 12-pdr guns; a battery with four 4-pdr guns; and two 6-pdr field guns.
f. Hardinxveld and vicinity: battery d'Erfprins, situated opposite the harbour of Werkendam, armed with four 18-pdr guns; at the dike battery Prins Fredrik, also with four 18-pdr guns; battery Oyen with four 12-pdr guns; a battery with a 12-pdr gun, and a 24-pdr howitzer; and two 6-pdr field guns.
g. Werkendam and vicinity: a battery, armed with two 12-pdr guns, four 6-pdr guns, three 3pdr guns, and a howitzer; two batteries with four and resp. two 6-pdr guns; a battery with four 12-pdr guns and two 6-pdr guns; three more (small) batteries with unknown armament; and four 3-pdr field guns.
h. Sleeuwijk: an entrenched infantry post with two field guns.
On 5 March, Prince William of Orange (commander of the Dutch army), ViceAdmiral Jan Hendrik van Kinsbergen (commanding all Dutch naval forces in the south and west of the Dutch Republic), Lieutenant General Carel Diederik du Moulin (Director-General of fortifications), and the Duke of York (commanding the British expeditionary army) together inspected the riverside and marked possible French landing places along the Merwede and the Island of Dordrecht. After their inspection, Prince William of Orange and the Duke of York Set up headquarters on some yachts, moored near the centre of the defence line near Dordrecht, at the mouth of the Kille. Vice-Admiral Van Kinsbergen set up headquarters on another yacht, moored near the yacht on which headquarters of Rear-Admiral Pieter Melvill was. Van Kinsbergen had asked for and received ,carte blanche' from the Stadtholder William V, something unheard off in the Dutch Republic! He could act in the name of the Stadtholder in the Stadtholder's position as Admiral -General, and had only one obligation; to stay 'in close correspondence' with the hereditary Prince William of Orange.
On paper the defences were impressive enough, with about thirty batteries and entrenchments, armed with 174 guns. But during the mentioned inspection it became all to clear that many batteries were not ready. In some cases, even the guns were
The gunboats and other ships in the mouth of the 101e, 29 March 1793, taken
from the book by J.P. van 01denborgh.
still missing! So many measures had to be taken. Engineer-officers received orders to complete the batteries, to construct palisades and entrenchments, and to prevent easy access to all harbours. The latter was done by closing the harbour entrance with a chain, an estacade, that could be lowered when Dutch ships needed to enter. An estacade was also placed at the mouth of the Kille, as depicted on one of the accompanying illustrations. In addition, it became clear to ViceAdmiral van Kinsbergen that his ships and boats were the only forces available to prevent the French breaking through the river front. In a letter to the Stadtholder on 7 March, he pointed out the sorry state of the defences, and declared that he would do everything he could to stop any French effort to cross the river front, or at least buy time for further defence measures.
"The mouth of the kille is closed with a chain, an estacade, which can be lowered to let the Dutch ships pass. Beside the gunboats, the yacht on which Rear-Admiral Melvill has his headquarters, is depicted. Behind this yacht, provision- and hospitalships lay moored. On the dike, two batteries can be seen."
Defense of the Dutch Republic 1793 Dutch in Revolutionary Wars Part 11
The Dutch During the Revolutionary Wars
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