January 5th, 1675 - The Battle of Turckheim

Conflict: Franco-Dutch War

Combatants: French vs. Holy Roman Empire and Allies

Location: France

Outcome: French Victory

Tasked by Louis XIV with defending the French region of Alsace, the talented Viscount of Turenne crossed the Rhine in June of 1675. After a series of successful summer and fall engagements against the allies of the Holy Roman Empire, both armies prepared to settle in Alsace for the winter. Turenne, however, instead led a snowy march around the Vosges Mountains and took the allies by surprise.

La marcha de Turena previa a la batalla de Turckheim by an unknown artist

Although outnumbered, Turenne's French soldiers routed the Imperial troops and drove them back to the Rhine. The Alsace was now firmly in the hands of Louis XIV.

Points of Interest:

• The Viscount of Turenne was idolized by Napoleon Bonaparte.

• Turenne was killed by a cannonball just six months after the victory at Turckheim.

Battle of Turckheim by Emile Lemaitre

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Sources:

Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.

Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.