Battle of Mouscron

The Battle of Mouscron, fought on 29 April 1794, was a secondary but significant action of the Flanders Campaign during the War of the First Coalition, between the Austrian corps of Clerfayt and the Republican Armée du Nord under Pichegru.

In late April 1794 the Allied army under Coburg lay besieging the fortress of Landrecies. The overall French strategy was to outflank the Allies by attacking their northern and southern flanks, however delays held up this plan. In the meantime Pichegru made several relief attempts in the centre, but all were repulsed, on 26 April one of the columns commanded by Chapuis was almost completely destroyed at Beaumont-en-Cambresis by the Duke of York. These Republican failures led to the surrender of Landrecies on April 30.

On the French left wing in the north however a diversion in Flanders had more success. On 29 April the two divisions of Moreau and Souham, 50,000 men strong, debunked from Lille and marched against the Allied right wing under Clerfayt. They recaptured the fortress of Kortrijk and drove Clerfayt back at Mouscron, enabling them to recapture Menin. Clerfayt tried unsuccessfully to recapture Kortrijk on 10 May.

The significance of this action was the dilemma placed on Coburg. With the fall of Landrecies the road to Paris was open, however feeling their flanks threatened the Allies halted, giving the Republic time to launch their flanking movements.

The next significant action of this front was the Battle of Tourcoing