Editing Battle of Wattignies (section)

===Blockade of Maubeuge===
[[File:Prince Frederick Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1737-1815).png|thumb|right|upright=0.7|alt=Painting of a white-haired man with a receding hairline. He wears a white military uniform with gold braid on the collar while his chest is adorned with a large silver award and a red and white sash.|Prince of Coburg]]

At dawn on 29 September, a column under [[François Sébastien Charles Joseph de Croix, Count of Clerfayt]] crossed the [[Sambre]] at [[Berlaimont]], southwest of Maubeuge. To the northeast, Franz Vincenz von Hoditz's column crossed the river near [[Pont-sur-Sambre]] and a third column led by [[Wenzel Joseph von Colloredo]] crossed the Sambre at [[Hautmont]]. In a series of skirmishes, the three Austrian columns pressed east, finally driving Desjardin's troops into the Maubeuge entrenched camp, with losses of 150 men and two cannons.{{sfn|Dupuis|1909|pp=66–68}} To the east of Maubeuge, Austrians under [[Maximilian Anton Karl, Count Baillet de Latour]] crossed the Sambre near [[Marpent]] and [[Jeumont]]. A column under Alexander Friedrich von Seckendorf crossed near [[Merbes-le-Château]] farther east. These forces forced Meyer's troops in disorder back within Maubeuge, which was isolated.{{sfn|Dupuis|1909|pp=69–70}}

[[File:JEAN BAPTISTE JOURDAN (1762-1833).jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|alt=Color-tint print of a large-eyed man with his hair cut in the late 1700s style. He wears a dark blue military coat with a line of yellow braid.|Jean-Baptiste Jourdan]]

Coburg split his forces into a 26,000-man Siege Army directed by the Prince of Orange and an Army of Observation. The Siege Army consisted of 14,000 Austrians under Colloredo south of the Sambre and 12,000 Dutch under Orange north of the river. Colloredo's force included 16 battalions, 10 companies and eight squadrons. The Army of Observation totaled 25,550 infantry and 12,150 cavalry, distributed in three main divisions. Franz Xaver von Wenckheim commanded 7,250 foot and 4,200 horse, west of the Sambre in the [[Forêt de Mormal]]. Hoditz directed 9,300 foot and 3,750 horse on the east of Maubeuge and Clerfayt led 9,000 foot and 4,200 horse on the south side of Maubeuge. Clerfayt divided his corps into three groups under [[Count Heinrich von Bellegarde]], Joseph Binder von Degenschild and [[Ludwig von Terzi]].{{sfn|Dupuis|1909|pp=73–74}}

The Coalition forces began constructing extensive siege works around Maubeuge. On the first day, the French garrison [[sortie]]d against the Cense de Château but were repulsed after stiff fighting. Maubeuge was supplied for a normal garrison but far too many soldiers were trapped there. On 10 October, Ferrand had to put the troops on half-rations, while hundreds of sick and dying soldiers crowded the hospitals. On 13 October, the French enjoyed initial success in a sortie against the Bois du Tilleul, but troops sent out to help mistakenly fired on their own friends and the French were compelled to retreat. The Coalition established batteries of 20 24-pound cannons against the town.  After the Coalition army opened its bombardment on the night of 14 October, the morale of the garrison sank. When some soldiers complained to Chancel that they were hungry and tired he replied, "Listen young men, it takes a lot of work and privation in order to gain the honor to fight and die for your country."{{sfn|Cust|1859|pp=153–154}} Representative [[Jean-Baptiste Drouet (French revolutionary)|Jean-Baptiste Drouet]] tried to cut his way out of Maubeuge with some dragoons but was captured. Denounced for abandoning the place, Drouet claimed his escape would have raised the spirits of the garrison.{{sfn|Phipps|2011|pp=22–23}}