Battles of the War of the Second Coalition - War of the Second Coalition, Battle of Hohenlinden, Battle of Hochstadt, Battle of Stockach (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 26. Chapters: War of the Second Coalition, Battle of Hohenlinden, Battle of Hochstadt, Battle of Stockach, Army of the Danube, Battle of Winterthur, Battle of Ostrach, Battle of Ampfing, First Battle of Zurich, Second Battle of Zurich, Battle of Messkirch. Excerpt: The Army of the Danube (French: ) was a field army of the French Directory in the 1799 southwestern campaign in the Upper Danube valley. It was formed on 2 March 1799 by the simple expedient of renaming the Army of Observation, which had been observing Austrian movements on the border between First French Republic and the Holy Roman Empire. It was commanded by General Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, 1st Comte Jourdan (1762-1833). The formation of the army was part of the French Directory's long term strategy to undermine Habsburg influence in the Holy Roman Empire, and, conversely, to strengthen French hegemony in central Europe after the wars of the First Coalition and the Treaty of Campo Formio in 1797. Despite the Treaty, Austria and France remained suspicious of each other's motives, and the purpose of the Army of the Observation was to watch for Austrian border transgressions. Understanding that the negotiations at the Congress of Rastatt were going no-where, the Army of Observation was instructed to cross the Rhine. Once across the Rhine, the Army of the Danube, was to secure strategic positions in southwestern Germany (present day Baden-Wurttemberg) and engage Archduke Charles' Austrian army. In the meantime, the Army of Helvetia, under command of Andre Massena, would secure such strategic locations as St. Gotthard pass, the Swiss plateau, and upper Rhine river basin. The army participated in four battles. In the battles of Ostrach and first Stockach, the Army of the Danube withdrew after suffering heavy losses. After reorganization, in which elements of the army were co...