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Combat de Boxtel 1794
Francois Grenier, C. de Last 1819
(Source: Rijks Museum, Amsterdam)

During the retreat of the coalition forces only one major battle took place. The Battle of Boxtel.
During the battle an incident took place from which British soldiers derived their nickname Tommy.
A mortally wounded soldier of the 33rd Regiment of Foot told his commander that his wounds were:
"all in a day's work" and died shortly after this.
This soldier's name was Thomas Atkins and his commander was none other than the Duke of Wellington of later
1815 fame when he defeated Napoleon at Waterloo.
Several years ago, the local Boxtel Historical Society, knowing that the French approached Boxtel from the West,
placed a marker near a pasture at the outskirts of the town. The spot was chosen by assumption.

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SYNOPSIS:

The Big Picture
The Battle of Boxtel was only a minor incident during the Flanders Campaign of 1793 and 1794.
It is mainly remembered because during this battle Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington,
had his baptism of fire here. The Allied expedition had planned to overthrow the French Revolutionaries by invading France from the North through Belgium combined with similar attacks from different directions.
These forces initially made good progress but later suffered serious set-backs outside Dunkirk and at Fleurus.
By 1794 the Allies were retreating, pursued by the French army.
This forced the British and Dutch to pull back towards the Netherlands.
By the end of August the Duke of York's British and German army was positioned between the city of
's-Hertogenbosch and the Peel marshlands to the East. The British line was protected by the Rivers Aa and Dommel.
In mid-September the French caught up with the Allied rear echelon near the small town of Boxtel, on the
Dommel River, and on the Koevering Moor, North of the village of St. Oedenrode, and South of Veghel.

The Battle of Boxtel
The French general Pichegru had just advanced from Antwerp and had sent out a strong force to occupy the city of Eindhoven. On September 10th, Pichegru turned East and advanced towards the British outpost at Boxtel, which
was defended by two Hessian battalions. On September 14th, the French captured Boxtel, defeating three
German battalions from the Duke of York's Allied army and taking the Hessians prisoner.
The next day York sent a division to recapture Boxtel. This force consisted of ten infantry battalions and ten cavalry squadrons, with the infantry made up of Guards Brigade and 3rd Brigade. The latter brigade had four infantry
battalions, among which Wellesley's 33rd Foot. Lieutenant-Colonel Wellesley commanded the brigade while
Lieutenant-Colonel John Sherbrooke had command of the 33rd that day.

Baptism of fire
As the British force advanced towards Boxtel, it became evident that they were in danger of running into Pichegru's
main force. The order was given to pull back to the starting point and the British were forced into a chaotic retreat, pursued by French cavalry. When two French infantry regiments turned in pursuit of the British, the retreat
threatened to turn into a rout. However, the situation was saved by the 33rd Foot, who formed up into line and
fired a series of disciplined volleys with their muskets, driving off the French. The young Wellesley was not directly responsible for his men's good behavior, but was given much of the credit. After this rear echelon action the British returned to safety with the loss of only 90 men.

British retreat
The British then withdrew East to cross the River Meuse at Grave. They then redeployed on the North bank of
that river. The French soon forced the British to surrender this line too, and in early October the Duke of York was
forced to retreat across the River Waal. The British continued their retreat northwards and eventually reached the
North Sea coast, where they were withdrawn to Britain in 1795. The French pushed on to Amsterdam and overthrew
the Dutch Republic replacing it with a satellite state.

A certain A.C. Brock from St. Oedenrode entered in his journal:
"In 1794 a skirmish occurred here between the French and the English, of whom the latter were put to flight,
but having caused fire first, by which, fortunately nothing more than the Barrier House, situated on Steen Weg
was consumed."

(Source: Ruud van Nooijen, Boxtel Historical Society, June 2012)

Research showed that the Barrier House was an office where merchants, other than citizens of Boxtel,
had to pay toll for using the road to 's-Hertogenbosch. After the battle, the burnt building was rebuilt and today has
the  address of No. 37 in Clarissen Straat in Boxtel.
The location gives a clue about where English troops had to retreat and torched a building; probably to cover their withdrawal by the ensuing smoke.

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The house on No. 37 Clarissen Straat in Boxtel,
built on the location of Barrier House,
burnt by British troops during their retreat from Boxtel in 1794

Castle.
A local periodical wrote about it:

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 * According to the Boxtel Historical Society the lead bullets which were discovered
in the sand  with which the redoubt has been reconstructed date back to the
Battle of Boxtel  which was waged during the advance of the French army.
(Source: Brabants Centrum No. 35, Thursday August 30th 2012, Page 6)

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Toad pool and Dommel River bridge near the Stapelen Castle

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Verified locations of the Battle of Boxtel plotted on a period map
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"The village of Boxtel
with its surroundings. Taken from the map
of the Bottom of Elde, drawn by H. Verhees
 Registered land surveyor, in the year 1803."
(Source: Brabant Collection, Tilburg University)

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