Editing Battle of Amberg (section)

=== June operations ===
On 4 June 1796, 11,000 soldiers of the Army of the Sambre-et-Meuse, under [[François Joseph Lefebvre|François Lefebvre]] pushed back a 6,500-man Austrian force at [[Altenkirchen]], north of the Lahn. On 6 June, the French placed [[Ehrenbreitstein Fortress]] under siege. At [[Wetzlar]] on the Lahn, Lefebvre ran into Charles' concentration of 36,000 Austrians on 15 June. Casualties were light on both sides, but Jourdan pulled back to Niewied while Kléber recoiled toward Düsseldorf. [[Lieutenant General|Feldmarschal-Leutnant]] (FML) [[Pál Kray]]'s 30,000 soldiers bested Kléber's 24,000 at Uckerath east of [[Bonn]] on 19 June, prompting the Frenchman to continue his withdrawal to the north.<ref>Smith, p 114-115</ref>

Meanwhile, operations of the Army of the Rhin-et-Moselle progressed more successfully for the French. On the 15th, Desaix and 30,000 French troops defeated FML Franz Petrasch's 11,000 Austrians at Maudach near [[Speyer]]. The French suffered 600 casualties while Austrian losses were three times as heavy.<ref>Smith, p 114</ref> Part of Moreau's army under MG Jean-Charles Abbatucci mounted an assault crossing over the Rhine at [[Kehl]] opposite [[Strasbourg]] on 24 June. The defenders were French [[émigré]]s and the forces of minor German states belonging to the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. They fought gamely, but were beaten with the loss of 700 men while the French lost 150. On 28 June, Desaix defeated FML Anton Sztaray's Imperial troops again at [[Renchen]], inflicting 1,400 casualties for only 200 French killed and wounded. In the following weeks the Austrians determined some of their Imperial German allies to be unreliable and disarmed them.<ref>Smith, p 115-116</ref>

In reaction to the defeats in the south, Archduke Charles left Wartensleben in command of 35,000 men along the Lahn, put 30,000 troops into the fortress of [[Mainz]] and rushed south with 20,000 soldiers to reinforce Latour.<ref>Smith, p 115</ref>