Battle of Biberach (1796)

48°06″N 9°48″E / 48.00167°N 9.01333°E / 48.00167; 9.01333

Battle of Biberach (1796)
Part of the War of the First Coalition
Photo shows Biberach and the nearby rolling hills.
Date 2 October 1796 Location Biberach an der Riss, Germany Result French victory
Belligerents
France	Habsburg Austria
Commanders and leaders
Jean Moreau	Count Latour
Strength
35,000–39,000	15,000–26,000
Casualties and losses
500 killed & wounded	300 killed & wounded, 4,000 & 18 guns captured

The Battle of Biberach was fought on 2 October 1796 between a French Republican army led by Jean Victor Marie Moreau and a Habsburg Austrian army led by Maximilian Anton Karl, Count Baillet de Latour. The French army paused in its retreat toward the Rhine River to maul the pursuing Austrians. The action occurred during the War of the First Coalition, part of the French Revolutionary Wars.

Two French armies invaded Germany in the summer and fall of 1796. They were opposed by two Austrian armies directed by Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen. When the Archduke concentrated his forces against the northern French army, Moreau's southern French army failed to come to its aid because of a faulty strategy. After the northern army was driven back, Moreau's army was isolated and forced to retreat. At Biberach, Moreau turned on Count Latour's army to deal it a sharp blow. After the engagement, Latour followed the French at a more respectful distance.

Biberach an der Riss is located 35 kilometres (22 mi) southwest of Ulm on the Riss River.^[1]