Editing Battle of Neresheim (section)

==Results==
[[File:Général Guillaume Philibert Duhesme.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.7|alt=Black and white print of a frowning man with long sideburns. He wears a dark military uniform and an enormous bicorne hat.|Guillaume Duhesme]]

According to one source that called the battle a French victory, the Austrians lost 1,100 killed and wounded plus 500 captured while the French suffered 1,200 killed and wounded plus 1,200 captured.<ref name=Smith120/> Another authority characterized the action as a "drawn battle" and stated that casualties numbered 3,000 on each side. The Austrian retreat was not molested by the French, which was one of the reasons why Charles fought the battle. The Austrian army crossed the Danube at Dillingen and [[Donauwörth]], destroying all the bridges behind them.<ref name=Dodge293>{{cite book|author=Dodge, Theodore Ayrault|author-link=Theodore Ayrault Dodge|year=2011 |title=Warfare in the Age of Napoleon: The Revolutionary Wars Against the First Coalition in Northern Europe and the Italian Campaign, 1789-1797 |location=USA |publisher=Leonaur Ltd |isbn=978-0-85706-598-8 |page=293}}</ref> Furious with Duhesme for retreating, Moreau removed him from command of his division. Saint-Cyr persuaded him to rescind the order a few days later.<ref name=Phipps324/>

Moreau deserved criticism for spreading his forces too widely but he can be credited for keeping his composure despite the defeat of Duhesme.<ref name=Phipps323/> But Moreau now fell into a fatal strategic error. Charles entertained a desire to combine forces with Wartensleben at the earliest opportunity in order to defeat Jourdan's army. When Charles withdrew to the south bank of the Danube, he left Moreau free to stay on the north bank and join with Jourdan. Charles hoped to lure his opponent onto the south bank which would take Moreau farther away from Jourdan. In fact, Moreau did not begin to advance until 14 August and then he headed for the Danube crossings. Meanwhile, Charles retreated rapidly, increasing the distance between his army and Moreau, but also giving himself more room to maneuver. On 18 and 19 August Moreau's army finally crossed to the south bank of the Danube. But on the 17th the archduke made a crucial strategic move. Leaving Latour with 30,288 troops plus Condé's 5,000-6,000 men, Charles and 28,000 troops recrossed to the north bank, heading for a rendezvous with Wartensleben. Ignoring this move, Moreau moved steadily to the east on the south bank of the Danube.<ref>Phipps (2011), pp. 325-326</ref> [[Napoleon]] later wrote of Moreau, "One would have said that he was ignorant that a French army existed on his left".<ref>Dodge (2011), p. 296</ref> The next actions were the [[Battle of Amberg]]<ref name=Smith120/> and the [[Battle of Friedberg]], both on 24 August 1796.<ref>Smith (1998), p. 121</ref>