// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the Battle of Anderlecht fighter say? "I'm in a lecht of trouble

Battle of Anderlecht
Part of Flanders Campaign
Date 13 November 1792 Location Anderlecht, Brussels, Belgium 50°50′N 4°18′E Result French victory
Belligerents
France	Austria
Commanders and leaders
Charles Dumouriez	Frédéric Auguste
Strength
35,000 Infantry	20,000 Infantry
Casualties and losses
Unknown	500 Men, several cannons destroyed

The Battle of Anderlecht, sometimes referred to as the Fight of Anderlecht, took place in Anderlecht near Brussels, capital of the Austrian Netherlands (now Belgium). It was fought between the Habsburg monarchy and the French Republic on 13 November 1792, during the first year of the French Revolutionary Wars.

Prelude

After the victory of Jemappes, the Imperial troops tried to delay the victorious march of the French Republic's troops. On 13 November 1792, the Austrian rear guard, commanded by Duke Ferdinand Frederick Augustus of Württemberg, met a French avant-garde commanded by Harville, Stengel, Rosières and Thouvenot, at Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, on the way to Brussels. The bulk of the French troops, commanded by Dumouriez, soon followed, pursuing the Austrians to the heights of Anderlecht.

The Battle

The French Revolutionary Army commanded by Dumouriez, initially made up of 3,000 volunteers, launched an assault on the lines of the Duke of Württemberg, accompanied by 20,000 men, on the heights of Anderlecht. After a very lively cannonade and six hours of intense fighting, the French troops, bolstered by reinforcements that had crossed the Senne, eventually reached 35,000 volunteers. This forced the Imperial Army to retreat in disarray to Brussels, which they crossed during the night.

Aftermath

The Imperial troops lost around 500 men on the battlefield and several pieces of artillery were destroyed. However, their cavalry, commanded by Maximilian Latour, managed to slow down the French pursuit and avoid heavier losses. The next day, 14 November 1792, Dumouriez entered Brussels to the cheers of the inhabitants. A number of Walloon soldiers also joined the French army.