The fall of Kehl ended French control of a key Rhine bridgehead opposite Strasbourg, tying Habsburg forces to the Rhine through winter 1796–1797.
Key Facts
- Siege duration
- 26 October 1796 – 9 January 1797
- Besieging force size
- 40,000 troops
- Besieging commander
- Count Baillet de Latour
- French defender commanders
- Louis Desaix and Jean-Victor-Marie Moreau
- Key French sortie
- 22 November 1796, nearly captured Austrian artillery park
- French capitulation date
- 9 January 1797
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the Battle of Schliengen on 24 October 1796, French forces under Moreau retreated to the Rhine. Archduke Charles sought an armistice to redirect troops to Italy, but Francis II and the Aulic Council refused, compelling simultaneous Austrian sieges at Kehl and Hüningen to seize French Rhine bridgeheads.
Habsburg and Württemberg forces numbering 40,000, commanded by Count Baillet de Latour, encircled the French-held fortifications at Kehl. After a failed French sortie in late November, Austrian batteries completed a grand parallel by late December and subjected the defenses to enfilade bombardment, forcing the French garrison to capitulate and withdraw on 9 January 1797.
The fall of Kehl stripped France of a critical Rhine crossing opposite Strasbourg, eliminating ready access to southwestern Germany. The prolonged siege tied Habsburg armies to the Rhine for much of the winter, delaying reinforcement of besieged Mantua in northern Italy and influencing the broader strategic balance of the War of the First Coalition.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Maximilian Anton Karl, Count Baillet de Latour, Archduke Charles.
Side B
1 belligerent
Jean-Victor-Marie Moreau, Louis Desaix.