Combat of Augsberg, 17 August 1796

The combat of Augsberg (17 August 1796) was a costly skirmish fought between the advance guard of Championnet's division and a strong Austrian force posted at Augsberg, a small village five miles to the south of what was then the main road between Nuremburg and Amberg.

War of the First Coalition - Rhine Front 1796
War of the First Coalition
Rhine Front 1796

Championnet's division made up the right wing of General Jourdan's army as it advanced along the River Pegnitz towards the Austrian advance guard, which was posted between Neukirchen and Sulzbach. While the main column was fighting at Neukirchen, the two battalions of Championnet's advance guard ran into a strong Austrian force at Augsberg. The French retreated into a small wood, where they held off the Austrians until reinforcements arrived. Both sides continued to feed fresh troops into the battle, which lasted until the end of the day. Both sides may have suffered as many as 1,000 casualties in this fighting.

Early on 18 August General Wartensleben decided to withdraw east from Amberg to the Naab. General Kray, and the rearguard, moved back to Amberg, and then to Wolfring. On 20 August they held off a French attack at Wolfring, but were outflanked and forced to join Wartensleben on the east bank of the Naab. This would be the last Austrian retreat, for the main Austrian army under the Archduke Charles was now approaching from the south, and it would soon be the French who were falling back.

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How to cite this article: Rickard, J (19 February 2009), Combat of Augsberg, 17 August 1796 , http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/combat_augsberg.html

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