Walcheren Campaign
Encyclopedia
The Walcheren Campaign was an unsuccessful British expedition to the Netherlands
in 1809 intended to open another front in the Austrian Empire
's struggle with France
during the War of the Fifth Coalition. Around 40,000 soldiers, 15,000 horses together with field artillery and two siege trains crossed the North Sea
and landed at Walcheren on 30 July. This was the largest British expedition of that year, larger than the army serving in the Peninsular War
in Portugal. The Walcheren Campaign involved little fighting, but heavy losses from the sickness popularly dubbed "Walcheren Fever". Over 4,000 British troops died (only 106 in combat) and the rest withdrew on 9 December 1809.
The primary aim of the campaign was to destroy the French
fleet thought to be in Flushing
whilst providing a diversion for the hard-pressed Austrians. However, the Battle of Wagram
had already occurred before the start of the campaign and the Austrians had effectively already lost the war.
The army was commanded by John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham
whilst the navy was commanded by Sir Richard Strachan
. As a first move, the British seized the swampy island of Walcheren
at the mouth of river Scheldt
as well as South Beveland island, both in the present-day Netherlands
. The British troops soon began to suffer from malaria
; within a month of seizing the island, they had over 8,000 fever cases. The medical provisions for the expedition proved inadequate despite reports that an occupying French force had lost 80% of its numbers a few years earlier, also due to disease.
The French forces were commanded by Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte
, who had just been stripped of his command after disobeying orders at Wagram
. Dismissed from Napoleon's Grande Armée, Bernadotte returned to Paris and was sent to the defense of the Netherlands by the council of ministers. He led the French forces competently and although the British captured Flushing and surrounding towns on 15 August, he had already ordered the French fleet to Antwerp and heavily reinforced the city. With the main objective for the British out of reach, the expedition was called off in early September. Around 12,000 troops stayed on Walcheren, but by October only 5,500 remained fit for duty.
In all, the British government spent almost £8 million on the campaign. Along with the 4,000 men that had died during the campaign, almost 12,000 were still ill by February 1810 and many others remained permanently weakened. Those sent to the Peninsular War to join Wellington
's army caused a permanent doubling of the sick lists there.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in 1809 intended to open another front in the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
's struggle with France
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
during the War of the Fifth Coalition. Around 40,000 soldiers, 15,000 horses together with field artillery and two siege trains crossed the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
and landed at Walcheren on 30 July. This was the largest British expedition of that year, larger than the army serving in the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
in Portugal. The Walcheren Campaign involved little fighting, but heavy losses from the sickness popularly dubbed "Walcheren Fever". Over 4,000 British troops died (only 106 in combat) and the rest withdrew on 9 December 1809.
The primary aim of the campaign was to destroy the French
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
fleet thought to be in Flushing
Flushing, Netherlands
Vlissingen is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river and the North Sea, Vlissingen has been an important harbour for centuries. It was granted city rights in 1315. In the 17th century...
whilst providing a diversion for the hard-pressed Austrians. However, the Battle of Wagram
Battle of Wagram
The Battle of Wagram was the decisive military engagement of the War of the Fifth Coalition. It took place on the Marchfeld plain, on the north bank of the Danube. An important site of the battle was the village of Deutsch-Wagram, 10 kilometres northeast of Vienna, which would give its name to the...
had already occurred before the start of the campaign and the Austrians had effectively already lost the war.
The army was commanded by John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham
John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham
General John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham, KG, PC was a British peer and soldier.-Career:He was the eldest son of William Pitt the Elder and an elder brother of William Pitt the Younger...
whilst the navy was commanded by Sir Richard Strachan
Sir Richard Strachan, 6th Baronet
Sir Richard John Strachan, 6th Baronet GCB was a British officer of the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Admiral.-Childhood:...
. As a first move, the British seized the swampy island of Walcheren
Walcheren
thumb|right|250px|Campveer Tower in Veere, built in 1500Walcheren is a former island in the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands at the mouth of the Scheldt estuary. It lies between the Oosterschelde in the north and the Westerschelde in the south and is roughly the shape of a rhombus...
at the mouth of river Scheldt
Scheldt
The Scheldt is a 350 km long river in northern France, western Belgium and the southwestern part of the Netherlands...
as well as South Beveland island, both in the present-day Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. The British troops soon began to suffer from malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
; within a month of seizing the island, they had over 8,000 fever cases. The medical provisions for the expedition proved inadequate despite reports that an occupying French force had lost 80% of its numbers a few years earlier, also due to disease.
The French forces were commanded by Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte
Charles XIV John of Sweden
Charles XIV & III John, also Carl John, Swedish and Norwegian: Karl Johan was King of Sweden and King of Norway from 1818 until his death...
, who had just been stripped of his command after disobeying orders at Wagram
Battle of Wagram
The Battle of Wagram was the decisive military engagement of the War of the Fifth Coalition. It took place on the Marchfeld plain, on the north bank of the Danube. An important site of the battle was the village of Deutsch-Wagram, 10 kilometres northeast of Vienna, which would give its name to the...
. Dismissed from Napoleon's Grande Armée, Bernadotte returned to Paris and was sent to the defense of the Netherlands by the council of ministers. He led the French forces competently and although the British captured Flushing and surrounding towns on 15 August, he had already ordered the French fleet to Antwerp and heavily reinforced the city. With the main objective for the British out of reach, the expedition was called off in early September. Around 12,000 troops stayed on Walcheren, but by October only 5,500 remained fit for duty.
In all, the British government spent almost £8 million on the campaign. Along with the 4,000 men that had died during the campaign, almost 12,000 were still ill by February 1810 and many others remained permanently weakened. Those sent to the Peninsular War to join Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
's army caused a permanent doubling of the sick lists there.
British Expeditionary Force to Walcheren
- Commander-in-Chief: General Lord Chatham
- Second-in-Command: Lieutenant General Sir Eyre Coote
- Chief-of-Staff: Sir Robert BrownriggRobert BrownriggGeneral Sir Robert Brownrigg, 1st Baronet GCB was a British statesman and soldier.-Military career:Brownrigg was commissioned as an ensign in 1775...
- Royal Artillery
- Brigadier General John Macleod, RA
- 1 troop, Royal Horse ArtilleryRoyal Horse ArtilleryThe regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
- 2 brigades, 2nd Battalion, Royal ArtilleryRoyal ArtilleryThe Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
- 8 brigades, 3rd Battalion, Royal Artillery
- 2 brigades, 5th Battalion, Royal Artillery (including 1 heavy brigade)
- 4 brigades, 9th Battalion, Royal Artillery
- 1 troop, Royal Horse Artillery
- Brigadier General John Macleod, RA
- 1st Division
- Lieutenant General Sir John Craddock
- Major General Graham’sThomas Graham, 1st Baron LynedochGeneral Thomas Graham, 1st Baron Lynedoch, GCB, GCMG, GCTE was a Scottish aristocrat, politician and British Army officer....
Brigade (3/1st; 2/35th; 2/81st) - Major General Houston’sSir William Houston, 1st BaronetGeneral Sir William Houston, 1st Baronet, GCB, GCH was a General in the British Army and the Governor of Gibraltar.-Military career:...
Brigade (2/14th; 51st; 2/63rd)
- Major General Graham’s
- Lieutenant General Sir John Craddock
- 2nd Division
- Lieutenant General the Marquess of HuntlyGeorge Gordon, 5th Duke of GordonGeorge Gordon, 5th Duke of Gordon GCB, PC , styled Marquess of Huntly until 1827, was a Scottish nobleman, soldier and politician and the last of his illustrious line.-Early life:...
- Major General Dyott’s Brigade (1/6th; 1/50th; 1/91st)
- Brigadier General Montresor’s Brigade (1/9th; 1/38th; 1/42nd)
- Lieutenant General the Marquess of Huntly
- 3rd Division
- Lieutenant General T. Gresvenor
- Major General Leith’sJames Leith (British Army infantry officer)General Sir James Leith GCB commanded the 5th Division in the Duke of Wellington's Anglo-Portuguese army at several critical battles during the Peninsular War between 1810 and 1813.-Early career:...
Brigade (2/11th; 2/59th; 1/79th) - Brigadier General Acland’s Brigade (2nd; 76th; 2/84th)
- Major General Leith’s
- Lieutenant General T. Gresvenor
- 4th Division
- Lieutenant General Alexander Mackenzie-FraserAlexander Mackenzie-FraserLieutenant General Alexander Mackenzie-Fraser was a British General. He was known as Mackenzie until he took additional name of Fraser in 1803.- Family and early life :...
- Brigadier General Browne’s Brigade (1/5th; 1/26th; 1/32nd; 4 coys., 2/23rd)
- Major General Picton’sThomas PictonLieutenant General Sir Thomas Picton GCB was a Welsh British Army officer who fought in a number of campaigns for Britain, and rose to the rank of lieutenant general...
Brigade (1/36th; 77th; 1/82nd; 2 coys., 2/8th)
- Lieutenant General Alexander Mackenzie-Fraser
- Light Division
- Lieutenant General James, Earl of RosslynJames St Clair-Erskine, 2nd Earl of RosslynGeneral James St Clair-Erskine, 2nd Earl of Rosslyn GCB, PC , known as Sir James Erskine, Bt, between 1765 and 1789 and as Sir James St Clair-Erskine, Bt, between 1789 and 1805, was a Scottish soldier, politician, and Acting Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, on behalf of King George...
- Major General Stewart’s Brigade (2/43rd; 2/52nd; 8 coys., 2/95th)
- Major General von Linsingen’s Cavalry Brigade (3rd Dragoons; 9th Light Dragoons, 12th Light Dragoons; 2nd Hussars, KGL)
- Lieutenant General James, Earl of Rosslyn
- Reserve
- Lieutenant General John HopeJohn Hope, 4th Earl of HopetounLieutenant General John Hope, 4th Earl of Hopetoun PC KB , known as the Honourable John Hope from 1781 to 1814 and as the Lord Niddry from 1809 to 1816, was a Scottish soldier and politician.-Military career:...
- Brigadier General Disney’s Brigade (1/1st Foot Guards, 3/1st Foot Guards; Flank coys., 2nd Bn., Coldstream Guards & 2/3rd Foot Guards)
- Major General Erskine’sSir William Erskine, 2nd BaronetMajor-General Sir William Erskine, 2nd Baronet was an officer in the British Army, served as a member of Parliament, and achieved important commands in the Napoleonic Wars under the Duke of Wellington, but ended his service in insanity and suicide.He was the eldest son of Lieutenant-General Sir...
Brigade (20th, 1/92nd) - Major General Lord Dalhousie’sGeorge Ramsay, 9th Earl of DalhousieGeneral George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie GCB , styled Lord Ramsay until 1787, was a Scottish soldier and colonial administrator...
Brigade (1/4th, 2/4th, 1/28th) - 1 coy, 2/95th
- Lieutenant General John Hope
- Light Troops, Attached to the Left Wing of the Army
- Brigadier General Baron de Rottenberg’sFrancis de RottenburgMajor-General Francis de Rottenburg, baron de Rottenburg was raised in what is now Gdańsk in Poland to a Swiss family and became a British military officer and colonial administrator. He spent almost a decade in the French army which came to an end with the French Revolution...
Brigade (68th, 1/71st, 85th, 2 Coys., 2/95th) - Brigadier General Mahon (9th Light Dragoons)
- Brigadier General Baron de Rottenberg’s