Tourcoing 1794

At the beginning of 1794, General Cobourg, generalissimo of the allied armies, cherished the hope of bringing revolutionary France to its knees during the coming campaign. The decisive operations must take place in the north of France, where the allies already occupy several strongholds. But, to succeed in his projects, he must succeed in defeating the Armée du Nord, which had already inflicted on him the defeat of Hondschoote and Wattignies during the previous campaign. During the month of May, General Mack, Chief of Staff of the Prince of Cobourg, designs a maneuver to encircle a large fraction of the Northern Army operating around Courtrai.

On May 17 (28 Floréal, Year II), the coalition army, divided into six columns, went on the offensive. The first engagements took place around Roubaix, Tourcoing and Mouscron, which fell into the hands of the allies. But the French pulled themselves together and launched a counter-attack on Mouscron, which they recaptured with great difficulty. General de Bussche's column, seriously crushed, retreats pitifully in the direction of Tournai.

On May 18 (29 Floréal), Cobourg, despite this setback, remained confident and intended to continue its offensive. But he underestimated the commander of the enemy troops in the sector, General Souham, who organized a powerful counterattack. While Moreau's division shielded General Clairfayt's powerful column, the rest of the French units threw themselves on the columns of General Otto and the Duke of York. Tourcoing is recaptured and the two columns falter in shock. They are soon forced into a retreat which gradually turns into a rout. The Duke of York is forced to jump with his horse into a river, the Espierre, to escape capture. Learning of the rout of the columns of Otto and the Duke of York, the other allied columns fell back.

The French remain masters of the battlefield and win a clear victory which will be followed, a little over a month later, by that of Fleurus.

 The game includes:

• A card 59 x 41 cm

• 216 pre-cut pawns and markers

• 1 rules and scenarios booklet

• 1 game aid