Napoleonic Trivia # 109 (1 Viewer)

[Grognard]

It has been a while since I have posted one so here is the first one of 2017:

Just a few years before the Empire inception when Napoléon was just a general, an unusual and extremely rare feat of arms occurred in the North of Europe when two different armies met and one captured the other in a place that the victor didn't belong nor normally can go. What and where was this event and who were the two armies in question?

 

[Napoleon1er]

A two Republican French regiments (one of hussars and one of infantry) under Jean-Guillaume de Winter and Louis Joseph Lahure captured a Dutch (United Netherlands) fleet at anchor off the island of Texel.

Good one!

Sandor

 

[Grognard]

A two Republican French regiments (one of hussars and one of infantry) under Jean-Guillaume de Winter and Louis Joseph Lahure captured a Dutch (United Netherlands) fleet at anchor off the island of Texel.

Good one!

Sandor

This is the correct answer Sandor! Well done!

On January 23rd, 1795, Commandant Lahure under the command of Brigade General Johan Willem de Winter with a squadron of the French 8th Hussar and some infantrymen of the Belgium 3th and 5th battalions of chasseurs/skirmishers (riding on the back of the hussars) captured 14 Dutch ships stuck in the frozen coastal sea near the island of Texel to prevent them to reach England. They reached the ships by riding their horse on the ice which is a rare feat of arms to have a cavalry detachment capturing ships at sea!