First Battle of Biberach
2 October 1796

Introduction

by Jens-Florian Ebert and Roland Kessinger, Germany

Moreau's Corps Escape the Austrians Moreau in a pensive mood The 1796 wars are best known to most enthusiasts because of the spectacular victories of Napoleon Bonaparte in Italy. The main theatre of operations was however intended by both the main protagonists – Revolutionary France and Imperial Austria – to be Germany, where the French were far less successful against their opponents in that year. Nevertheless, the now near-forgotten campaign in Germany remains one of the most fascinating operations of the French Revolutionary Wars, where many of Napoleon’s future commanders first came to prominence and Archduke Charles celebrated his first great triumphs over the French at Amberg and Würzburg. During the Revolutionary Wars, Austrian and French troops clashed twice near the south German town of Biberach, first in 1796 and then in 1800. On both occasions, the French under General Jean Victor Moreau were victorious. However, in 1796, it was not (as has often been claimed) a victory over Archduke Charles, but over Feldzeugmeister (FZM) Maximilian Baillet de Latour, who commanded the southern part of the Archduke’s army in that campaign. First Battle of Biberach 2 October 1796 Introduction The 1796 Campaign Moreau Retreats The Battle Orders of Battle Back to Table of Contents -- First Empire # 70 Back to First Empire List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2003 by First Empire. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com