Editing Battle of Hohenlinden (section)

==Background==
[[Image:Painting of Archduke Johann of Austria at 18 years of age.jpg|thumb|left|170px|upright=0.5|Archduke John]]

From April to July 1800, Moreau's army drove the Austrian army of [[Feldzeugmeister]] [[Pál Kray]] from the [[Rhine River]] to the [[Inn River]] with victories at [[Battle of Stockach (1800)|Stockach]], [[Battle of Messkirch|Messkirch]], and [[Battle of Höchstädt (1800)|Höchstädt]]. On 15 July, the combatants agreed to an armistice. Realizing that Kray was no longer up to the task, [[Francis II of Austria|Emperor Francis II]] removed him from command.<ref name=Arnold206>Arnold, p 206</ref> The Austrian chancellor [[Johann Amadeus von Thugut]] first offered [[Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph of Austria-Este]] and [[Archduke Joseph, Palatine of Hungary]] command of the army but both declined.<ref>Rothenberg, p 64</ref> Because his brother, the capable [[Feldmarschall]] [[Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen]], also refused the command, the emperor appointed another brother, the 18-year-old Archduke John. The inexperienced youth could not cope with this enormous responsibility, so the emperor nominated [[Franz von Lauer]] as John's second-in-command and promoted him to [[Feldzeugmeister]]. John was directed to follow Lauer's instructions.<ref name=Arnold206/> To further complicate the clumsy command structure, the aggressive [[Oberst]] ([[Colonel]]) [[Franz von Weyrother]] was named John's [[chief of staff]].<ref name=Arnold213>Arnold, pp 213–214</ref>

The armistice was renewed in September but lapsed on 12 November. By this time, Weyrother had convinced John and Lauer to adopt an offensive posture. Weyrother's plan called for crushing the French left wing near [[Landshut]] and lunging south to cut Moreau's communications west of [[Munich]]. After a few days of marching, it became obvious that the Austrian army was too slow to execute such an ambitious plan. Therefore, Lauer convinced the archduke to convert the enterprise into a direct attack on [[Munich]]. Even so, the sudden advance caught Moreau's somewhat scattered French forces by surprise and achieved local superiority.<ref name=Arnold213/>

In the [[Battle of Ampfing (1800)|Battle of Ampfing]] on 1 December, the Austrians drove back part of General of Division [[Paul Grenier]]'s Left Wing. The defeated French managed to inflict 3,000 casualties on the Austrians while only suffering 1,700 losses. Yet, when the Austrian leaders found that Grenier evacuated [[Haag in Oberbayern]] the next day, they became ecstatic. Archduke John and Weyrother overrode Lauer's cautious counsel and launched an all-out pursuit of an enemy they believed to be fleeing.<ref>Arnold, pp 219–221</ref> However, Moreau decided to stand and fight, deploying his army in open ground near [[Hohenlinden]]. To approach his position, the Austro-Bavarians had to advance directly west through heavily wooded terrain.<ref name=Arnold223>Arnold, p 223</ref>