Battle of Hondschoote (1793) - Allied Retreat

Allied Retreat

With news of his left flank exposed The Duke of York gave orders for his heavy baggage to be withdrawn to Furnes, while at a Council of War it was decided to lift the siege of Dunkirk. Souham had rendered the canal unusable for transport, so the heavy siege guns had to be abandoned. At midnight of the 8th York's corps began withdrawing to the coastal city of Furnes (now Veurne in Belgium), where the next day he rejoined the rest of Walmoden's troops.

There was no pursuit by Houchard, so York was able to extricate his command without interference from the French. Part of the reason was that the French were in complete confusion by the end of the action, however Hédouville's troops, who had been reconnoitering towards Bergues and taken no part in the action were available. Hédouville was in fact sent in pursuit, but he halted when he came to a broken bridge. Vandamme was given three cavalry regiments to cross a marsh and pursue York, some baggage was captured but nothing else.

Walmoden had lost 2,331 officers and men from his 9,000 infantry over the past few days fighting, including the Hessian General Cochenhausen, who was captured and later died of his wounds. Jomini suggests the French loss was about the same, but eye-witness Gay de Vernon estimates it as 1,800.

At Hondschoote, 30,000 French had defeated 14,500 Hessian and Hanoverian soldiers, capturing 6 flags and (as a consequence of the subsequent retreat) the Duke of York's 32 requisitioned naval siege guns. Despite his triumph however, Houchard was seen unsympathetically by the Representatives. Not only were they witnesses to his hesitations, he refused to throw his tired and disorganised men at Yorks orderly rearguard, telling the Representative bluntly he was 'not a military'. This was to prove fatal, for his failure to pursue York and stumbling command Houchard was later arrested on charges of cowardice, tried and guillotined.