Editing Battle of Fleurus (1794) (section)

==Background==
In May 1794, [[Jean-Baptiste Jourdan]] was given the command of approximately 96,000 men created by combining the [[Army of the Ardennes]] with portions of the [[Armée du Nord|Army of the North]] and the [[Army of the Moselle]]. Jourdan was given the task of consolidating the capture of the north bank of the Sambre river, specifically by capturing the fortress of Charleroi, a task that the forces on the Sambre had tried three times and failed to accomplish, being defeated at the battles of [[Battle of Grandreng|Grandreng]], [[Battle of Erquelinnes|Erquelinnes]] and [[Battle of Gosselies|Gosselies]].{{cn|date=March 2023}}

On 12 June, Jourdan's army crossed the Sambre for the fourth time and [[Investment (military)|invested]] the fortress of Charleroi with 70,000 men. On 16 June, an Austrian-Dutch force of about 43,000 men counterattacked in heavy mist, inflicted 3,000 casualties, and drove Jourdan away from Charleroi back across the [[Sambre]] in the [[battle of Lambusart]]. While it was a setback, the French army withdrew from the field mostly in good order, and took little real damage from the battle. As a result, they were ready to go on the attack again within two days.{{cn|date=March 2023}}