Siege of Maastricht (1794)

Siege of Maastricht (1794)
Part of the Flanders campaign in the War of the First Coalition
Contemporary plan of the Siege of Maastricht
Date 22 September – 4 November 1794 Location Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands 50°51′N 5°41′E / 50.850°N 5.683°E / 50.850; 5.683 Result French victory
Belligerents
France	Habsburg Monarchy  Dutch Republic Hesse-Kassel
Commanders and leaders
Jean-Baptiste Kléber	Prince Frederick of Hesse-Kassel Wilhelm von Klebeck
Units involved
Army of Sambre-et-Meuse	Coalition
Strength
35,608	8,000, 344 guns
Casualties and losses
300	500, 344 guns Garrison went free.

The siege of Maastricht (22 September – 4 November 1794) was a successful siege of the city of Maastricht by the forces of the French First Republic led by General of Division (GD) Jean-Baptiste Kléber. The War of the First Coalition action resulted in the surrender of the Coalition garrison commanded by Lieutenant General Prince Frederick of Hesse-Kassel. The defenders were mostly Habsburg Austrians with a smaller contingent of Dutch Republic soldiers.

The Coalition armies in the Austrian Netherlands faced two French armies, one near the North Sea coast and one farther inland. The Coalition armies retreated after the French victory at Fleurus. As the French armies pressed forward, the British and Dutch armies withdrew north while the Austrian army fell back to the east. After another victory over the Austrians, the French army led by GD Jean-Baptiste Jourdan isolated Maastricht and its Coalition garrison. Once Jourdan compelled the Austrian army to retire to the east bank of the Rhine River, he detached Kléber's full siege army to force the fortress' surrender.